Do What?!?

Last week sometime, Chris, Ethan and I were driving down the road listening to Christmas music and making conversation. I turned around and reminded Ethan that he shared a birthday with Jesus and we talked about that for a bit. Then Chris gently reminded me that Jesus wasn't actually born on Christmas Day and that no one really was sure when he was actually born. DO WHAT?!? How have I lived 30 years and not have known this or been taught this?!? I felt like my world was crashing down around me and that I was scammed! I actually felt dumb and uneducated for not knowing this fact. I got to work and Wikipediaed it and sure enough there was a lot of research done stating this fact. I just feel dumbfounded...now you're gonna tell me that Santa or the Easter bunny are not real. Please say it ain't so! ;) Just thought I'd share this latest revelation with you guys. Happy laughing!

Dear Santa ...

Now that the holidays are quickly approaching, as much as I hate to admit it, I have to start thinking about what to get Ethan. In the meanwhile, Ethan has started working on his letter to Santa ... wink wink ... so here is what he came up with so far:

Dear Santa,
I have been a good boy this year, despite the not listening thing, and the constant getting out of my bed (hey - it's their fault they put me in a toddler bed so early ... I liked my crib just fine), and the tantrums that I like to throw when they won't let me watch Phineaus and Ferb or a movie. Anyways, I think for the most part I bring joy to my parents. They are always kissing and hugging me really tight (I usually can't breathe) when they see me. Also, they are always telling me they love me very much. Last year I couldn't really tell them I loved them, but now I can shout it out loud ... and I do. I also tell them I love them THIS MUCH (with my arms out wide). I know they care about me and are trying to raise me the very best that they can so that I will grow up living in God's word. I love them for that. Let's get down to business. With all of this said, here is what I would like for Christmas:

LEGO DUPLOS
I love building things especially when it involves something with wheels or animals. I think that's why I would really like Legos that are actually in my age range like Duplos.

MY OWN LAPTOP
Mom and Dad are always on theirs posting pictures or blogging about me or Mom reading about Twilight (whatever), so I figured I'd join in on the fun. There are some pretty educational ones out there too so at least I won't be rotting my brain but I'd actually learn a thing or two.

MOVIES OR SHOW DVDS
Toy Story 3 is now out and that will certainly add to my TS collection. Plus I really like A Bugs Life, Pheinneus and Ferb, Curious George and Tarzan.

MY VERY OWN CHAIR OR FLOOR PILLOW
I asked for this last year and I think Mom is holding out for that new munchkin due to arrive in April, so we could have cutsy chairs that match side by side with our names on them. As long as I get one so I can watch a movie in our fancy new playroom I'm good to go! Chocolate brown please. Gotta be manly.

BOOKS, PUZZLES, AND ART SUPPLIES!
I still love books, puzzles and art stuff. I still get so excited when I get my monthly Highlights magazine from Nana and Pa! And that new moon sand is pretty neato.

NEW TRAIN ACCESSORIES
I'm still digging my train set you gave me last year Santa, so some new accessories would be a lot fun. I even like the new Chuggington collection or the remote controlled GeoTrax ... especially the Radiator Springs version. Those are pretty cool too!
ANYTHING WITH ANIMALS OR DINOSAURS
I love reading or watching anything about animals or dinosaurs, so some cool figurines or playsets would be a lot of fun. My parents particularly like it when I roar like a T-Rex, which I do quite often. Even in public just to embarass them! :)

MY VERY OWN PLAYGROUND IN MY BACKYARD

I do realize this is a very tall order but I sure do love playing on a playground whenever I can. It would be pretty neat to have one right there in my backyard ... especially when I wake up Christmas morning.
GUITARS, DRUMS OR A PIANO
I am constantly singing or "playing the drums or guitar", so I need to practice since I AM going to be a rock star when I grow up, much to Mom and Dad's dismay. I am in awe of the worship band at church! Then mom can have her wooden spatulas back ... ya know, the ones I broke because I was rockin' out so hard. PS - Mom asks to NOT get me a really loud drum set or she will not believe in you anymore, whatever that means!

Well St. Nick, I think those are the main things I'm really wanting this year. I can't be too greedy because that 's not what Christmas is all about. I know that for sure seeing that I'm pretty tight with Jesus and all. We've got something in common - we were born on the same day. Thank you for taking time to read my letter and I promise, once this toddler phase passes, I'll listen to my mom and dad a lot more. I'm going to be a great kid - just you wait and see! Say hi to those cool reindeer for me and I promise to leave you some really yummy cookies this year. And I know that little sneaky elf will be watching me too. I haven't forgotten.

Peace out,

EG

I Can Explain ...

... why this blog has been M.I.A for the past eight weeks. They say a picture (or a few) say a thousand words.

WE ARE EXPECTING BABY CASSIDY #2 IN APRIL 2011!

So needless to say the past eight weeks have been whirlwind of excitement, nausea, fatigue, and everything else that goes along with pregnancy! We are very very excited and I become even more excited as time progresses and I get to hear the baby heartbeat. Here's a little timeline of what's been going on in our life:

• April - Negative pregnancy test
• May - Negative pregnancy test
• June - Negative pregnancy test
• July 31st - Chris is out of town with Ethan for the night to see his parents. So... I attempt to take a test knowing good and well it's going to be negative. I pee on a stick and go about my day with a cup of coffee and proceeding to clean the house. Thirty minutes later I return to the bathroom to read PREGNANT. (Yes, I have the fail proof digital tests). WHAT!? REALLY!? I immediately fall to my knees, cry and thank God for this gift. I walk around all day a zombie in utter disbelief. When Chris gets home I hand him a small box with the positive test inside and tell him I have something special for him. Of course, we are excited and embrace in very tight hug!
• August 5th - We call my parents on the video phone and share the news.
• August 6th - We go to Hartsville for the weekend and share the news.
• August 13th - First OB visit at 6 weeks - just to confirm and do an exam. Chris had his nose shoved into a magazine for that part. :)
• August 19 - 23rd - We potty train E for the weekend ... and I barely get through it, gagging all the way.
• August 24th - Second OB visit at 8 weeks - we get an ultrasound and see this ...

... just amazing. Seeing this and hearing a healthy heartbeat does it for me every time. What a beautiful sound! And so clear! I couldn't get over the fact that Ethan's first ultrasound picture was literally a spec on the screen. Little did I know they weren't going to do the ultrasound on the outside of the belly ... if you catch my drift. Picture "Knocked Up" when Katherine Heigl goes to the OB for the first time. I mean.. can you give a girl of a warning! They take a whole mess of blood which at that point I am thankful for small talk with the nurse and Chris squeezing my hand. Needles and I are not the best of friends that's for dang sure. I did warn the nurse I may pass out but thankfully I didn't! The doctor tells me he's going to leave me alone and let me have a normal pregnancy until I needed to come back in at 12 weeks .. I laughed! :)

• First of September - I am amazed at how quickly my pants are NOT fitting. Thank God for Bella Bands. They are my best friend these days!
• September 21st - FIRST DAY OF FALL, GLEE PREMIERE, AND MY 12 WEEK OB VISIT! Chris went with me again (such a sweetheart). All they did today was listen for the heartbeat which again was beautiful and fast! 170 BPM ... ummm girl maybe? Ha we'll see! :)

We feel so beyond blessed and amazed at what God is capable of. We've been praying for this for a while and trying to decide what the best time would be to expand our family. God had this in His pocket the entire time and we are so thrilled! Keep our family and our newest little jellybean in your prayers. I promise I will update more often now too! Believe me - I wanted to blog sooo many times about this journey and share all the woes of the first trimester with you, but it just was too soon. Now I can! Love you all!

Gleetabulous!

You know what time it is!!! It's a little more than a week away from the Glee premiere! After going to my favorite Glee fan site, www.gleefan.com, and seeing these two promos, I am even more pumped than before! Check them out and you're guaranteed to get pumped too!

Belated Random Pictures

So I've been extremely slack in posting any pictures, especially this summer. Like I've mentioned before, I am not a big fan of summertime so needless to say we were not outside a whole heck of a lot. Plus, it was a HOT summer! So, here are some pictures we took over the summer ... the few that we did. I'm hoping to still catch a couple of pool pictures before they close by Labor Day weekend.

4th Of July

Ethan's buddy, Ian came over for some Popsicles and slip n slide

E and Dada enjoying his first movie experience, Toy Story 3I got my ticket!

And of course my popcorn and ICEE! LOL - we did all share by the way.

AUGUST

E took a quick day trip to Hartsville to see Nana and Pa with Chris. While he was there he made a new friend in Biscuit. From what Chris tells me, he carried Biscuit with him all around the yard and told everyone he was his best friend. I hate I missed that but am so glad I can see how adorable it was in pictures.

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.

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!

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!

Rollin' In The Swagger Wagon

My brother in law sent this to me and it is HILARIOUS! It actually makes it look cool to have a mini van! To all my mommy friends with vans - more power to ya!

Don't Stop Believin'

Here's a video to brighten anyone's day (especially those Gleeks). My hubby was sweet enough to send it to me this morning. I don't know how he found it but I loved it! Enjoy!

Our Weekend Getaway ...

... is here
Ahhh just looking at this picture instantly makes me feel relaxed. It's our little "love nest", as a friend of mine calls it. That sounds really hokey but it's our getaway place that we found four years ago. We went for the first time for our three year anniversary. Then we went back on our four year when Ethan was only three months old and if you do the math you can figure out the rest. ;) Last year we were trying to save some moola so we didn't make it so this year I'm even more excited to go. Everything about this place is wonderful. From the linens to the food, the decor to the gardens, an the smells to the sounds of the birds chirping outside the window. It's just perfect! We're celebrating our six year anniversary (three weeks later) in Asheville and we cannot wait. Our plan is to hike, photograph and picnic along the Blue Ridge parkway on Friday. Saturday we have a massage booked at our favorite spa in the morning, antique shopping in the afternoon and we're planning on a nice dinner that evening. Thank God I have a husband that enjoys the same things that I enjoy! Any other man would never dream of going to the spa and antique shopping! :) Anyways, our little B&B is our guilty pleasure that we look forward to and it gives us a chance to reconnect and remember why we fell in love to begin with!

Free Starbucks!

Join the movement. On April 15th, bring a reusable travel mug into your local Starbucks and get a free brewed coffee.
One person can save trees, together we can save forests.
For the good of the planet, Starbucks is encouraging everyone to switch from paper cups to reusable travel mugs. One day in March thousands of New Yorkers made the switch. Join them now by taking a pledge to do the same.

I for one am very excited about free SB coffee! Don't forget your travel mug.

Best Carrot Cake

I made this delish carrot cake for Easter and got rave reviews. If any of you are big carrot cake fans, this one is certainly one to try! Bon appetit!

CARROT CAKE

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 large eggs
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups finely grated carrot
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 (3 1/2-ounce) can flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Buttermilk Glaze
Cream Cheese Frosting

Preparation

Line 3 (9-inch) round cake pans with wax paper; lightly grease and flour wax paper. Set pans aside.

Stir together first 4 ingredients.

Beat eggs and next 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add flour mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Fold in carrot and next 3 ingredients. Pour batter into prepared cake pans.

Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Drizzle Buttermilk Glaze evenly over layers; cool in pans on wire racks 15 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks. Spread Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake.

BUTTERMILK GLAZE
Ingredients

1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

Bring first 5 ingredients to a boil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Boil, stirring often, 4 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add powdered sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth.

Understanding Coupons

When I was looking at one of my most favorite coupon sites, Southern Savers, the other day, I saw that she posted an article about understanding coupons. After I read it, I actually did understand the logistics of it a lot more than I realized. If you are trying to save money and are trying to get started, click here for the link! Happy couponing! Oh - and happy Friday! Have a great weekend!

Little Tid Bit for the Day

Thanks to a good friend of mine, Carolyn, I get these wonderful inspirational tid bits every morning from a website called The Vine. It helps me to get my day started and I'm so thankful for them. I thought I'd share with you all what I got yesterday!

No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
Psalm 84:11 NKJV

Often the toughest times in life are those moments when all we know about God doesn't seem to help or get us the results we want. That's when we learn about His silence. Whenever God doesn't say a word, He's teaching, even in stillness. He's allowing us to grow by forcing us to think, study and arrive at conclusions while He stands by like the loving parent He is. Faith comes by hearing, but patience comes by silence. Patience is what God gives you when bad things remain unchanged. It's His sedative for the troubled heart. It's the balm He rubs into your aching muscles when it feels like you're being stretched to breaking point. These are the times when the pain lasts so long that only God can release the patience required - the sheer grace to get you through it.

There are great benefits to waiting. For example, if you learn to wait and observe, you'll make better choices. The thing you think you can't live without today, you may be glad to live without tomorrow. '… No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly' (Psalm 84:11 NKJV). So when God says, 'Wait,' trust Him. Either it's not what you need at this time, or He has something better in mind for you. You say, 'But what am I going to do in the meantime?' The Bible says, 'Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart… ' (Psalm 27:14 NKJV). Stop fussing, stop pushing, allow God to work and you'll come out of this stronger and with a better result.

AMEN Sista!

Crazy Coupon Ladies!

Of one my most favorite events arrived today - HARRIS TEETER TRIPLES! As much as I love this time, there are quite a few gripes that I have. You would think getting there by 8 AM would get you a decent amount of items that would be free or next to nothing. I was wrong ... as I was in the cleaning aisle checking to see if there was any Lysol Kitchen cleaners left, the lady next to me proceeded to tell me she had been there since 6:30 AM, and it was 8 AM. She then told me she had already made one shopping trip, gone back to the car to get more coupons and her SECOND HT card, and came back to find all the Lysol cleaners gone. This is SUCH a pet peeve of mine - having a second card so you can get the deals. I want a deal just like the next person, but leave some for the rest of us please. I mean how much can Lysol cleaner do you really need - really?

Next I headed over to the rice aisle. I think everyone and their mama were on this aisle and I'm guessing because the rice was free with the tripled coupon. One lady just pulled her cart on over and parked it literally in front of the rice so no one else could get any. She then proceeded to take as much as she could leaving none for anyone else. They do limit you to three of the same item and/or coupon, so that helps. By the time I got over there, there wasn't much left.

After practically getting run over by these crazy coupon ladies and their baseball card coupon books (I guess I shouldn't judge - that may be me one day), I made my way to the check out line. It was already 8:45 and I had a 9:30 appointment I needed to get to so I had to cut my fun time short. I do have to say I will give serious kudos to the lady who checked out right before me. After all was said and done, the cashier told her SHE owed the customer money. Since they can't do that, she had to find something that would equal $1.20, so she grabbed a pack of gum. She paid 10 cents for $60 worth of groceries. She's my hero! I've never been able to do that!


With some of the things that made me irate, here are some highlights of the morning:

• Reynolds Aluminum foil - 75 cents each
• Mahatma Rice - 19 cents each
• Lysol Kitchen cleaner and toilet bowl cleaner - FREE!
• Can of Dole mandarin oranges - .17 cents each
• Ortega taco seasoning - FREE!
• Texas Toast croutons - 20 cents each
• Oral B toothpaste for EE - $1
• McCain crinkle french fries - 75 cents each

Not too shabby huh?

Lookie What I've Got!

The NEW Eclipse Trailer! Enjoy!

10 Seconds of Pure Joy

Random Friday

I do have readers! I haven't checked my blog in a few days, so when I logged on to see I had 6 comments I was so excited! Thanks you guys for commenting and letting me know you do in fact read! Let me say too how awesome you guys are. After having some problems with some other "friends", it's such a nice feeling to know you are loved and appreciated for EXACTLY who you are. It really brought tears to my eyes! Thanks for the comments and KEEP READING! I love you all!

On a side note, I have been to four consignment sales already and I'm not done yet! I mean, I just live for these things. They are SO much fun and so rewarding! I told Chris how much I have spent so far and felt a little bad for not feeling like I've gotten a lot for the money. Then I reminded myself of how much just two Stride Rite shoes are and how much I would have spent on those compared to what I've spent already ... on more than just shoes. So far I've spent $125 and gotten the following:

• 4 or 5 pairs of shoes, one being the CUTEST blue and brown plaid slide on loafers, perfect for summer days! Ethan has already tried them on and was VERY excited. He LOVES shoes, as if you can't tell with the Lighting McQueen slippers in a previous post.
• somewhere around 20 shirts
• somewhere around 20 pairs of shorts, both nice and play
• 2 boutique one piece outfits possibly for Easter
• 3 PJ's
• 1 belt
• 1 baseball cap
• 1 bathing suit

I'm still in search of a light jacket for spring, a couple more bathing suits, and some other shirts to go with some of the shorts that don't have any shirts to go with them. After the first sale, I came home and realized that I bought pretty much all 3T stuff. I was so mad at myself because what I truly needed was 2T. It's so tricky though because I held up a 2T to a 3T and they were practically the same. It's probably because they've been washed a numerous amount of times. So after that first sale, I've now gotten a good mix of both sizes. We'll just see how they fit when the time comes. I have two to go to next Thursday as well as a couple next week. YEA! FUN!

As far as an update on the house being put on the market, this weekend is supposed to be nice so we're going to finish up some loose ends on the outside of the house as well as some on the inside. Then, next week hopefully we'll have the listing agreement signed and a photographer out to take pictures. Next weekend my lovely sister is coming to watch E for us while we take some stuff out to a storage unit and do any last minute stuff. Then we should be good to go! I'm excited to see what kind of activity we get, if any. We feel confident about the house selling but you just never know. We'll keep you updated!

As I was standing in line at one of the sales this week, there was a table set up for the Come See Me Festival. If you're not familiar with it (which most of you reading are) it's a spring festival in Rock Hill that is a week and a half long with all kind of activities for adults and kids. We've really only attended the last event of the festival which is the tailgate and fireworks at the Winthrop Lake. We always have such a great time and this year I'm really excited to be able to take E to some of the kid oriented events. There's the parade down Oakland Avenue, Ice Cream Sundaes with Glen and Mother Goose in Glencarin Gardens (which is BEAUTIFUL in the spring), Moonlight and Jazz (great date night for Chris and I), Everything Trucks! which is just as it sounds (which I think E will love) and then of course the tailgating and fireworks. I can't wait! I hope the weather works out! It makes me so excited for spring! Which is why I've already changed my background! I just can't wait!!!

Have a great weekend!

Is Anyone Reading?

Since we've made the switch over to a new blog and being private, I've noticed a decline in comments on the blog. Not that I live for them, but they surely are nice to read. I know it's mainly to the fact that not as many people are reading the blog, which is what I wanted, but there have been problems with people getting on. I think our blog doesn't show up in the blog roll or dashboard since it is private so people don't think I'm blogging. Thinking back to the reason why we made the switch, it just makes me mad that I felt like it had to be done. Oh well, that's life and you have to do what you can to adjust and make your life easier and drama free. But I do want to know - is anyone out there reading? Give me some love! Love you all!