Friday Randomness

Happy Friday Ya'll!

THis is going to be a short post because I'm in between appointments at work and well, I really shouldn't be blogging at work should I? Eek! :)

I don't have much to share except that I will have the next 24 hours to myself! Yea! Amanda time for once! Chris is taking E to Hartsville for the night to see a friend who is passing through town whom he has not seen in years and years. So, I'm staying behind to clean the house for an open house this weekend, as well as have some time to myself. I don't know what to do ... should I read a book, watch girlie flicks all night, scrapbook??? Oh the choices! Whatever I do, I'm sure it will be nice and quiet.

When Aunt Liv came to visit this week for a quick trip we taught Ethan a Justin Bieber song. Ya know, Baby, on the radio. He LOVES singing and learning new songs so we sang it like 10 times. Of course by the time I got around to actually taping him on my phone, he was DONE. So, here is the video of him singing for like 20 seconds. You can tell by the end he's ready to get down and stop pretending he is Justin. LOL! Ok for some reason this video is showing up realllly tiny. I think it's from my phone so sorry about that. It's fun to watch though!

Have a good weekend!

10 Things I Learned This Week

1. Too much Carrie is a good thing. We spent time together Friday, Saturday AND Sunday. I got spoiled.
2. Feeling a baby kick in a preggos' belly is the absolute coolest thing in the world.
3. Ethan loves being a "nakee" boy and I love seeing him run around and act crazy. Apparently so does Ian Thomas.
4. This 100 plus degree heat sucks. I literally feel like I am melting as soon as I get outside.
5. I am ready to re-do my master bedroom, still keeping the existing light blue wall color of course. What do ya'll think about this?
6. I miss my sister. Lucky for me she's coming down to have some EE and Aunt Liv time this week. I guess I fit in there somewhere! ;)
7. Have you ever wanted something so badly that all you seem to do is pray for it, over and over and over again? I'm sure God is so sick of me asking for it, but ask and you shall receive right? ;)
8. I'm not a really big comic book fan but Chris has created me to be. Not necessarily the books, but the movies that are made from the books. Marvel is coming out with "The Avengers" and "Thor" soon and I for one am excited. I love all Marvel movies, especially Iron Man but mostly just for Robert Downey Jr.
9. You know me and coupons - I ran across this site called http://www.retailmenot.com/. It has coupon codes for tons of stores and restaurants. It's worth it to check it before you're going shopping our out to dinner to see what you can find!
10. Tagging items for consignment is a lot of hard work ... and I'm only doing the bare minimum. I can't imagine doing boxes and boxes of clothes!

Friday Randomness

Happy Friday Ya'll!

I'm getting to excited about consignment sales coming up very soon! I started getting the emails last week and have been writing the dates down on my calendar and in my phone. Carrie even talked me into consigning a few items just so we can get a pass into the consigner night before the sale opens to the general public. My - what a great idea! I went through several of E's boxes of clothes and found quite a bit that he didn't wear, and another baby boy wouldn't wear, and found 25 items, which is the minimum. I don't care about making any kind of money back because I probably won't but I'm just pumped about getting into the sale early!

I think we have come to the end of our rope with the whole potty training thing. I have borrowed a book from my friend Abbie about the Three Day Potty Training. I'll blog more about that to come. I'm actually very motivated though!

I think it's funny that I added this Twiddly Winks stick family to the bottom of our page and it shows Ethan being taller than Abbey. LOL - that's funny considering Abbey is a beast.

As an update on the house, we have been talking with the realtor about doing an open house either this weekend or next. Maybe, just maybe, we'll get some activity out of that too. She said Rock Hill is very competitive right now - all anyone cares about is price. We'll see what happens. As of this week, we have 1 1/2 months left on the contract.

We are all suffering summer colds in our house right now. It seems as if the little booger brought it home to us last week. He's been slightly stuffy with a crusty nose and now Chris has a full fledged cold. I'm starting to get signs so hopefully it won't affect the weekend!

Tomorrow is Chris' 31st Birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRIS!!!

Have a great weekend!

8 Reasons why you SHOULD use coupons

(1) You have to buy a newspaper.
You do NOT have to buy a newspaper to be a couponer. You can snag coupon inserts from family, friends and neighbors who are not avid couponers. In addition, contact local coffee shops and restaurants and ask if you can come by every Sunday evening and recycle their Sunday newspapers; you can then take the inserts and drop the remainder of the newspapers off at a recycling center. And, check out this post here for ways you can snag multiple copies of coupon inserts for free. Finally, be pro-active. Contact your local newspaper and ask if they offer a discount if you buy several Sunday papers each week. Also keep in mind that many coupons do not come from the newspaper but instead are available online. You can access many high value coupons online on sites like Coupons.com, Smartsource.com, and Redplum.com. Even if you pay as high as $0.10 per printed coupon (due to ink costs), it is still worth it as you will save anywhere from $0.35-$5.00+ off the cost of an item.

(2) Clipping coupons takes time.
Clipping coupons does take time, but it is time well spent! According to an MSNBC.com article, the average savings per coupon is $1.44. If we assume it takes a minute to clip and organize one coupon, this means for one minute worth of work, you can save an average of $1.44. So if you spend an hour clipping 60 coupons, you will in essence save $86.40! I would also encourage all of you to check out my Follow You Monday video filmed back in February in Tampa, Florida at a Publix store…after coupons, we spent $3.45 out of pocket for $258.24 worth of items! Now, wouldn’t you agree clipping coupons is well worth your time?!

(3) Getting a newspaper invites lots of additional advertising into your home.
Couponers welcome advertisements because ads allow us to be more informed and savvy shoppers. Staying informed of all the latest ads in your area enables you to decide where to spend your time shopping during the week. In addition, advertisements enable couponers to take advantage of price matching which is available at large stores like Target and Walmart (price matching policies may vary from store to store). Check out my personal price matching story here that depicts how I succeeded in scoring Toy Story 1 and Toy Story 2 Blue Ray Discs for only $6.99 each!

(4) Many of the coupons will be for things you neither need nor want.
Although many of the items may be for things that you do not need or want, you can always find a use for these unneeded/unwanted items. For example, many Hip2Save readers will take personal care items that they snag for free (thank you coupons ) and donate them to a local charity. Check out this video where I go to the pound and a local Women’s Shelter to donate my freebies. Or consider taking these items and making a nice gift basket for a friend…for example, I was able to put together a gift basket of household and personal care products (that I had snagged for free over the last few months) for a friend who recently purchased her first home. How great is that?!

(5) Coupons can tempt you to spend your grocery dollars on things you shouldn’t
Yes, coupons can tempt you to spend your grocery dollars on things you shouldn’t. SO can an empty stomach, a screaming child, a TV advertisement…the list goes and on and on. For the most part, couponers come to the store prepared with a shopping list in hand and a shopping budget in mind. Staying organized and focused prevents the desire to spend money on unintended items.

(6) The same coupons tend to be offered over and over again.
Thank goodness the same coupons are offered over and over again! In my mind, you can never have enough $3/1 Huggies coupons, right?! And, yes, I do agree with the statement that you often won’t use all the coupons you clip by their expiration date. However, that does not mean that you need to toss the coupons in the trash. Instead, you can put your expired coupons to good use. U.S. military families stationed overseas are able to use coupons on base for up to SIX MONTHS after the manufacturer’s expiration date! So start collecting those expired coupons and check out the post here for information on how and where to send your coupons.

(7) You might become a slave to coupons.
Yes, it is difficult to buy something without a coupon once you get used to using coupons. Knowing that you can get cereal for less than $1 makes it extremely difficult to spend $4+ on it, right?! For this reason, couponers know that when they find a great bargain, they take advantage of the savings opportunity. Couponers stock up on sale items, so that they never have to pay full-price for an item. Check out this stockpiling picture here from a Hip2Save reader.

(8) Shopping takes longer.
Organization is key! An organized couponer will not be in the store any longer than the average person. Check out my post/video found here for tips on coupon organization.

10 Things I Learned This Week

1. Book of Eli is an amazing movie. Once you get past the gore and slight weirdness of being in the future after a nuclear war, the story is wonderful with a nice twist at the end. Gotta love those Sixth Sense type of movies. Check it out at your next Red Box! :)
2. Potty training sucks. Just sucks. I mean, what is so hard about peeing and pooping in a potty? Really? I am trying to be patient but I wish it would just CLICK! I'm tired of cleaning up turds off the floor. I did that with my dog. Never did I think I would have to do that again. I was dead wrong. ;)
3. Hearing my son do his night night prayers melts my heart. That sweet little innocent voice with his hands pressed together is enough to make anyone sigh.
4. We are taking E on his first camping trip on Labor Day weekend ... and we have officially gone nuts. Nah just kidding. I am really excited and I think it's going to be a fun bonding experience for all three of us.
5. Getting back in the gym for the first time in three weeks is NOT fun. No energy. No motivation. I just have to make myself get up and go and I know I'll feel better. Anyone else feel this way?
6. Why do we get so excited about a vacation and the build up to it only to have it come crashing down once we get home. I've not felt like cooking much or doing much of anything since we've been back ... and that was almost a month ago! It's almost like how you feel after your wedding is over and there is nothing left to plan. Maybe that's just me ... I'm a planner and I'm not content when I'm not planning something.
7. My parents are quite the world travelers. They are currently in Germany cruising along a river for the next three weeks. Say a little prayer for them.
8. This Saturday Chris will be 31 years old.
9. Some people just weren't born with the gift of being able to visualize. I have had the worst run of clients lately that I've had to explain interior design terminology to them over and over and over ... and they just don't get it. Ohhh I do try to stay focused and patient, but that is not my middle name. It literally makes me want to put the phone on mute and scream ... and then come back on with a smiling face ready to answer the next stupid question. ;) Then I try to remember, "There are no stupid questions."
10. If I want it bad enough, I can get showered and ready, with make up and hair brushed, in ten minutes. Especially if you thrown Eclipse at me. And yes, this would be my third time seeing it. Don't judge.

Friday Randomness

Happy Friday Ya'll!

Update on the house: after having a second showing cancel while we were at the beach and then another showing just last week fall flat, we made the hard decision to reduce the price by just $5K. We are now in a different pricing bracket so we'll see how that pans out. We have a month and a half left on our 6 month contract and we are not sure if we will renew for another 6 months yet or not. I am growing so very tired of our bedroom and so I'm itching to change it up. Obviously that would not make sense to do so if we are selling the house. I also want to make E a big boy room so that wouldn't make sense either. Would somebody please buy our house? I promise it's cute as a button. :)

Once again Kent Boyd has stolen my heart. Ya know, my boy toy from SYTYCD? Don't worry - Chris knows all about my boy crush. I've been trying to track down some videos of his performances this week and last because they're just too fabulous to pass up. You can see them here:

kent 7 @ Yahoo! Video

kent lauren 8 @ Yahoo! Video

This one is totally worth noting as well. It'll make ya cry.

robert 7 @ Yahoo! Video

Have a fabulous weekend!

10 Things I Learned This Week

1. Going to a movie stag is not so bad. I've always been the type of person who cannot eat by myself in the caf in college so going to the movies by my lonesome is a huge step! Friday afternoon between getting off work and going to scrapbook with Carrie I had two hours. How perfect to fit in a movie!
2. Eclipse is SO much better the second time around. I can't imagine how much better it would be the third time around! :)
3. Every weekend we are on the go, go, go. I am looking forward to a couple of weekends very soon that we will be in town able to just hang.
4. Reading a new series of books is so refreshing. Especially a Christian series. I just finished "Redemption", the first book of a series of five books, by Karen Kingsbury. I could not put it down and can't wait for the next one. It was so inspirational from a Christian viewpoint but yet adds romance and drama. My kinda book!
5. I am so looking forward to fall on these hot and humid days. It seems like it's so far away!
6. Scrappin' with Carrie is one of my most favorite things to do.
7. As much as I do not like summer, I am missing being on the beach and feeling that breeze.
8. I have got to get back into couponing. After preparing for our vacation, going and getting back has gotten me out of the swing of things.
9. I need to also get my butt back into the gym. All this mint chocolate chip ice cream I'm consuming is going to catch up with me sooner or later.
10. Did I say that summer is my LEAST favorite season?

Chicken & Biscuits

Ok so this is the silliest thing I've seen lately, but it's hard to resist showing it. If you're a Twilight fan, you may get a kick out of this. Chris shared it with me after he told me he was laughing the entire time. It's corny as all get out. Enjoy!

To Infinity ... and beyond!

On the July the Fourth E had his very first movie theatre experience. We went to see Toy Story 3. We have been talking about it for a couple of days to build it up. After his nap we put on our Toy Story t-shirt from Nana and Pa, which he willingly wanted to put on, and headed to the movies. We explained the theatre is where you come to buy a ticket, popcorn and an ICEE and see a movie on a really big screen instead of on a TV at home. Once the movie started he only had to hear a few voices of the characters and the Toy Story logo to know it had started. He yelled out "Buzz!" and I heard a few people giggle in their seats. He sat through the film the entire time besides switching seats a few times between Chris and I. He did really well and enjoyed the movie, from what I could tell. The next day we drove by the theatre and he yelled out "See a movie and eat popcorn!" We just laughed. I'm glad he had a good time and I can't wait until next summer when Cars 2 comes out. I think he will be even more excited to see that than Toy Story 3. Oh Lord help us all.

Edisto Vacation: Day Seven

Sniff ... our last day of vacation. It was bittersweet. We spent the morning at the beach one last time. We fished in the ocean, waded in the inlet and played in the sand. Ethan particularly liked tasting the salt from the seashells and "talking on the phone".

In the evening we had a nice dinner out at the Edisto Country Club and drove out to the public beach to enjoy one last walk on the beach. The waves were really high and acting crazy. We all posed for family pictures and then something funny happened that would only happen to me ...

... I was being silly and posing for this picture until a wave came out of nowhere and crashed ... into my backside ...

... and then I was wet. Really wet. The entire back of my dress was soaking wet! Of course I was not expecting it and I wish we would have caught my reaction after it hit me. That would have been priceless! It was a fun moment and I took it in stride of course! Afterwards we went to get ice cream but I was so embarrassed from being soaking wet, I waited for Chris to bring me some. Memories!

And one last picture to remember. It was a full moon the last night we were there and it was beautiful!

Edisto Vacation: Day Six

The day before on the beach we all got a little sunburned so we decided to stay in this day. We had a lazy morning watching Toy Story, reading and finally enjoying a nice cup of coffee. Then we decided to take a drive to the thriving Metropolis of Edisto. We took E to a playground for a while then walked to a few shops. I got a T-shirt for E and myself and then we enjoyed a nice lunch at Sea Cow Eatery. During E's nap, we finally got to play Scrabble all together.



This was our night to prepare dinner so we did a luau theme since we are not having our luau this year. We had crab dip as an appetizer and the for dinner we had chicken and shrimp kabobs with red onions, green peppers and pineapple chunks, Hawaiian Ambrosia salad and fried rice. It would have helped to remember to take the shells off the shrimp BEFORE we grilled it. Duho - it took forever to eat! Oh don't forget about the Blue Hawaiis! :) After dinner E, Chris and I took a walk to the beach before sunset. The beach was so calm and quiet. We were the only ones there. It was so peaceful.

Happy Birthday America!

Happy Independence Day everyone! I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe weekend! I know we are excited to be home for the weekend and relaxing by the pool ... well not really relaxing. Just following E around the water park. Have a great Fourth!

Edisto Vacation: Day Five

Just another day at the beach and hanging out in the inlet...

Mom and Dad grilled pork chops on the grill with all the fixins' and a Cream Cheese Cherry Pie. Perfect way to end the day.

Oh and this perfect sunset too.

Edisto Vacation: Day Four

This day was one of my most favorite days of the week. We started the day with a trip to Charleston to the SC Aquarium with Liv, MawMaw and PawPaw. We've been twice before so we kinda knew what to look at and what to pass by. Ethan had a good time and bounced from exhibit to exhibit. He particularly liked the loggerhead turtle, eagle and albino alligator. Afterwards we had a yummy lunch at Hymans and stopped at Krispy Kreme doughnuts to bring breakfast home for the next morning. Yum! That's vacation for ya!

When we got back to the house it was so freakin' hot that after Ethan played around with Uh Tim and some fishing bait, he became NAKEE BOY! Boy, that kid loves to be naked!

We went out to dinner to a local seafood restaurant called Waterfront and it was delish! Our wait was a while so we took LOTS of pictures and got kinda nuts ...

... and Ethan perfected his ability to throw pennies into a wishing well ...

... and Paw Paw enjoyed a Peach Daquari, and I enjoyed some crab legs! Yumalish!

Then after dinner, we got ice cream and headed down to the beach to walk for a bit. We got a little crazy then too ...

Ethan was running around yelling "To infinity and beyond!" He's nuts.

What a great way to end a great day!