One Thousand Gifts and counting....

I'm taking the dare and counting. 
I'm not sure how I will post my gifts or if I will share all of them.  I have a bright and colorful composition book I am writing in.  For whatever reason, I haven't been able to bring myself to use my Itouch and the app I loaded.  Maybe down the road.  For now, I like to use paper and ink. 
From this weekend, while I have been snuggled in bed sick:
30. The hum of the furnace
31. Cooperative children making root beer floats
32. The peaceful soft snoring of sick children resting comfortablely
33. My husband prepping for school this week as I rest
34. Daddy's Buddy making breakfast for his dad and me to celebrate our anniversary
35. Fun Mom's anniversary gift.  An album of wedding pictures, remembering my sigh of one day and completing the project for me.
36. Comfy PJs
37. Popcorn and children on the floor watching a movie while I snuggle under the bedcovers
38.  Sharing Little Princess' joy in healed gums.  Removal of braces have allowed for better brushing.
39.  My itching scratchy sweater from Ireland
40. Air hugs given and shared by my children with their Momma.  Noone wants momma's germs, but they still want momma's hugs.
 

Another Flutter Nutter Quoteable

Dinner at IHop with Grandpa before church. 
Plates are being cleared and I see Flutter Nutter's almost perfectly empty!
Me:  Wow! Flutter Nutter, you were hungry, you ate all your dinner.
FN: I wasn't hungry, but I fell in love with it.

Guess so, cause I had a long day and fell in love with this...

and I ate it all up! 

Ordered it in place of my salad. 

Best salad I ever had.

Soft Paws ~ Soft Claws

I have been researching alternatives for my dad and his cats.  Alternatives to declawing.  These are sooo stinking cute ! I sure hope my dad decides to give them a try.  I would love to have fancy cats pitter pattering through his house when I visit!


** the above link is my referral link**

New Years 2012!

This is what I was up to this past weekend. 
Cause I didn't take pictures, and my camera is with my daughter this weekend.  As well as her computer with copies of all the pictures on my camera....   I will just be a teeny bit lazy and share the link to my sister's blog entry.  6 days of a lot of firsts.  6 days of great memories. 

So I settled in for a re-read of my dear friend, Wendy's email.  I knew what she was writing was good, but with all the distractions and interruptions around here I have been unable to soak in the words and really get more than a quick cursory read.  So I had exactly 2 minutes without interruptions.  Just long enough for me to read it, and exclaim in my heart and mind with a WOW!  Good stuff.  I truly mean 2 minutes, because since I finished reading it and decided it must be blogged, I have had 3 commercial breaks courtesy of my children.  All which must be focused upon and addressed.  But this is good stuff.  Stuff I have chatted in part with various family members over the last couple of days. Then I went to Amazon.  I found the Kindle addition for 1.99.  I have the Kindle app on my ITouch.   Now, to find the time to read it, like I said early, 2 minutes is sometimes all I get.  Frankly, that is rarity in of itself.  Cause the only time they seem to not come looking for me is when I am working on chores.  Then I have to go find them.  Funny how that works. 

Her email.

Happy New Years. I have been reading "Just Walk Across the Room - Simple Steps Pointing People to Faith" by Bill Hybels. This is an easy read. In a recent chapter, it reminds me again the role that I am suppose to play.
"Don't we often think that we are supposed to get a seeker to cross the finish line, seal the deal, and check the salvation box? Isn't the whole goal here to see people, come to faith in Christ? ... I believe many people begin their spiritual quest at a negative ten and that my role is to facilitate their movement to a negative eight....Two points on the spectrum, and a result that is still in negative territory It used to discourage me, but at some point I began to accept the fact that the role I am supposed to play is ... well, the role I'm supposed to play. ... I have a hoe, and I'm suppose to break up some really hard soil in someone's heart so that the next person to come along might have some influence in planning a seed or two along those rows. We can't ordain the role we get to play, and we certainly can't predict the time frame of someone coming to faith. It's easy to get cynical when sowing seed, but if you will just persevere, the potential is colossal."



Thank you Wendy for sharing!

Awesome Jeans Find for my Hockey Player

Hockey Player is a very disobedient child lately.  I (the Mom) keep telling him to stop growing.  He won't.  Instead he tells me, Big O Daddy O keeps telling him to keep growing.  Well, we know who he listens to the most.  BODO doesn't know what he is saying.  He doesn't do the shopping.  Buy the boy pants, and couple of months later he looks like he is ready to wade the crik out back.  If only we had a creek. 
Well they aren't that short yet.  But they are on the verge of being that short.  Short enough for Fun Mom to be concerned for everyone's sake.  On break from school, so I should spend the time getting the shopping done so it doesn't interfere with more important things like acquiring groceries and shuttling kids to activities and laundry.  Did I mention school in there?  Nope, cause that isn't considered one of free time hobbies by the family.  And I mean by the family, cause in my dreams that isn't how I would spend my free time.  But that is not the theme of this post.  My super savings and happy dance moment is the theme.

So off I go to Old Navy, hoping and hoping some more that their jeans are $10 still.  My gut telling me No Sir-ee Bob, that I missed the sale by a day.  Sure enough, I did.  Not only did I miss the sale but the shelves were almost empty.  I mean big wall of a few random pairs of jeans and lots of empty shelves.  I managed to find, get this, 4 pairs of jeans in his size.  4!!!  at the good ol' price of 2 for $30.  Could be worse.  At least they were offering the Old Navy Cash.  $10 when you purchase $20.   Did I mention I was there the day before with my Groupon coupon?  Yep, they waited till I bought fun stuff to let  me know they couldn't find jeans in the totes downstairs.  So I look around a bit more, find a coat for Little Princess.  She lost her coat this year.  Fun Mom has been loaning her a coat from her collection of garage sale finds.  It works for right now, but once it snows and they want to play it won't afford her much warmth.  It is more sweater like than a play in the snow coat.  Off to the register.

I do a couple of transactions just to maximize the amount of Old Navy Cash I can get.  Not that I want to have spend that much more money at Old Navy, but I figure there is gonna be more growing in my house.  Cause Daddy's Buddy has grown almost an inch in the last couple of months.  Hockey Player has let it be known he is gonna listen to and obey the Dad and not me.  Humpf.  But back to the register.

First two pairs of jeans ring up as $15 each.  Third pair of jeans..........$0.97   Ummm, that can't be right.  I look at the girl behind the cash register and shake my head and say, "That can't be right."  She looks at me and kinda shrugs and tells me she'll try the next pair to see what happens.  Pair number 4......$0.97
I laugh, cause this just can't be right. 
She looks the jeans over.  She looks at the tags again and then she explains.  They are "Painters" and sold online only.  They must have been returned to the store.  They aren't carried in the store anymore.  Hence $0.97  ! ! ! 
Nope, I didn't go back and check the shelves for more, cause I had already handled every pair back there and grabbed every pair in the size I needed.  Cause, afterall, I could only find 4 pairs in his size. 
I floated out of the store feeling a big hug from my Heavenly Father.  Thanking God for his provision.  4 pairs of jeans for $32.  Which is less than the $10 sale, I missed by a day.  97 cents....better than a garage sale new with tags find! ! ! 
Want to know just a little bit more about how awesome all this was.  I had looked online late the night before and all they had in stock in Hockey Players size was skinny, super skinny and lined (for warmth) jeans.  None of which he would have worn.  He would rather wear his too short pants than go there.  For which, Fun Mom, has much to be thankful for, because, afterall, she is a teenager and style is important.  These painter jeans are one of his favorite styles of jeans to wear.  They are baggy and loose in the legs.  (I think this is kinda funny, cause Hockey Player has gotta be one of the most thinnest kids I know and most things are baggy on him.)
Favorite Jeans, favorite price....what a great shopping experience!

Twirling, floating, happy dance! !

ZooBooks, Zootles, and Zoobies Buy One Get One Free + 25% off

My boys love Zoobooks!
Recently we added Zootles for the youngest. 
Every year I hold out to renew until the Buy One Get One Free sale is here. 
This time the email contained a coupon code for 25% off.  Not sure if it would apply, I typed it in the coupon code box.  It worked! 
Happy Dance!!!  Love, love, love unexpected deals and savings.

For the sale click here.  The coupon code is: 25OFF