Toy Story ruined it for everyone!

It was very sad for the sweet baby. She was lying in the box so quietly waiting to be removed and loved on by my little Livi.

I tear open the box and go to hand the baby to Livi only to find the baby bound to the box with a plastic tie around her neck. While thinking that is a wee bit disturbing, I remove the tie, pat myself on the back for a job well done, and try to remove the baby again.

Oh no!! I discover that the baby has her chubby, pink little hands and feet tied up as well. I yell, "Don't worry, little baby, I will free you from your cardboard prison!!" My timely removal of the baby was hindered by the fact that the bad guys at the plant had twisted the little ties 4,651,651 times per limb and then secured them with a little plastic bar! After 7 hours of sweat and minimal swearing at the bad guys, I freed the baby!! Yay!!

I wracked my brain to try to figure why such measures were necessary, and could only come up with this....TOY STORY! That's right. They ruined it for everyone. We cannot leave our presumably innocent toys free in their boxes any more. No! This is not your parents' generation of toys. Look at what toys these days do when left rattling around in their boxes!

Gang violence! Drive by shootings!

Evil plans to take over the cities!!

Evasion tutorials.

Frightening, no? We should all thank Mr. Plastic Tie Man for protecting us from these clandestine toy gatherings. Thank him for tying every toy, whether it be an innocent baby or an unassembled plastic grocery cart, firmly to its container.

I will rest better tonight.

My need to stockpile

I thought that I'd post a bit about my need to stockpile things. I have to be careful to not go overboard. I have, many times, blown our "Consumables" budget because of my need to have full pantries and freezers. A few weeks ago I finally talked to Kevin about it, and last night I talked about it with a dear friend. I want to preface the rest of this story by saying that my parents have, in recent years, both accepted the Lord and are working through their problems!!! He is so amazing! I grew up in a family full of addicts: drugs, alcohol, pills, you name it. My parents spent most of their time gone. I was responsible for my 2 younger sisters. We never had any money. When I say "any money" that is exactly what I mean. I remember fishing quarters out of the sofa in order to have lunch at school. We also went through long periods of time where there was no food. I don't mean that we didn't have any food that sounded good. I mean that our shelves and refrigerator were EMPTY. Sometimes our neighbors would bring things over when our parents weren't home. I also remember that our clothing was quite terrible. I often went to school with shoes that had the soles flapping. My jeans were almost always too short. I got picked on a lot. I swore that I would never let these things happen to my children! So now, I tend to buy more food than we need and more clothing than we need. I cannot bear to think of my children being hungry or shabbily dressed. I realize that they are not, but somewhere in the back of my mind is this fear of "what if..." I also realize that this is something that I am going to have to hand over to the Lord and trust Him to help me work through. I'll freely admit that this is something that I have a very hard time. I also recognize that there are so many people in the world who have so much less....or nothing at all. My husband used to remind me of this often and, for some reason, it would infuriate me. I would tell him, "But we aren't them!" Oh, how miserable I feel for that attitude. So, here is the redeeming value in all of this mess. I have been blessed with a hard-working husband who earns a good salary. I have been blessed with the brains to know how to stockpile things. I have been blessed with (and by) a God who has given me the realization that my previous thoughts were unhealthy. I have been blessed with full pantries, cabinets, freezers and most importantly, a full (or filling, if we want to be completely honest) heart. And, oh, how shameful it would be to not share these blessings with others!! Lately, I find that I desire to give these things away. I have made packages from my "stash" for several people. I can tell you that it feels much better to be able to give these things to others than it does to horde it all for my own family. Interesting how God works, isn't it? I believe that God is doing HUGE things in my life right now, and I think that being able to talk about this is a great step for me. I tend to keep these sorts of things to myself lest I be vulnerable and get hurt. But, I find that He is showing me that He has allowed me to go through these things because there is a greater good to it all even if it is uncomfortable in the moment. One thing that I love about all of this realization (and don't think for a second that I love it all of the time) is that I feel so much lighter inside. It's like one weight after another is being lifted. Well, there you have it. I can be serious, but it certainly doesn't come to me as easily. So, now you can read about my great coupon deals and know that, for me, it is so much deeper than, "Hey, I got this for free."

I'm officially an old lady

(Don't worry, I won't be offended if you can't bear to read the whole thing) 8-) Not in the 4'5", gray-haired, can't drive, Metamucil, cat-loving, "where's my teeth," "back in my day," sort of way. No, it is far worse. I now liiiiiive to get my Sunday paper and my Wednesday grocery fliers. I frantically cut coupons on Sunday evening with my arthritis friendly scissors (even though it is carpal tunnel that I suffer from...but, work with me!) Then I match up coupons to sales and special bonuses and VOILA....I'm a coupon-loving stockpiler!!! Seriously though, I have been doing very well. I have saved a lot of money, and I feel quite proud of myself. I am so excited about this! My husband, who does not really "do excited," is pleased as well. This is what my hallway closet looks like right now.... Now this may not look like a lot, but these 3 shelves contain: 27 bottles of shampoo, 7 bars of soap (there were 7 more, but Kevin was allergic to them), 4 body washes, 19 regular sized tubes of toothpaste, 4 tubes of travel size toothpaste, 2 toothbrushes, 2 boxes of Bandaids, 7 deodorants, 4 boxes of tissues, 12 rolls of toilet paper (in addition to the 12 rolls I keep next to the toilet in the bathroom), 6 rolls of paper towels, 1 package of facial cleansing cloths, 4 packages of baby wipes, and 462 diapers of various sizes...and a partridge in a pear tree. Oh, add to that the 226 diapers that I couldn't fit in the closet and have stored under Livi's crib... Those things are expensive!! I stock up whenever I can. There is a spreadsheet that I found on this site (http://babycheapskate.blogspot.com/) that gives you a price to beat for each size/brand of diaper. I still won't buy diapers unless it is less than their price. Now on to my kitchen. This is what the pantry looks like... So, guess what the cereal of choice is at our house. My sweet husband says that if there was only one choice of cereal in the world, he'd want Cheerios. Since I know that I will be buying them anyway, if they are on sale and I have coupons, I grab some. A few here and a few there....and there you go. Also on the top shelf are Fiber One bars and a variety of other granola bars. I keep these around for days when we are running short on time in the mornings. Benjamin can eat them in the car on the ride to school. There are also, I think, 16 boxes of fruit leather that I found at a salvage grocery store in Louisiana. They were out of date, but I figured it is dried fruit, what can it hurt? I got a case for Stephanie too. None of our children have perished, so I guess it is okay. These also tag along with us on the way to school. Oh, and see the foil on the bottom? Stephanie and I got that 100% free. Our store coupons+Walgreen's coupons+Walgreen's sale=free! Now, a few disclaimers.... 1. You do have the cost of purchasing the newspaper. I purchase 2 of the Dallas Morning News double editions. This costs $6 total. It is SOOO worth it! 2. There is also the cost of driving (I TRY to make all trips in one outing if I can). My friend, Stephanie, and I have been going together, so that saves gas too. 3. There is quite a bit of time involved initially, though I see the time getting shorter and shorter as I learn more. Stephanie and I work together on finding the sales so this also makes it faster...and significantly more fun! 4. There is an inital cost if you are going to play the CVS or Walgreen's game. This can be as small (what Stephanie did) or as large (what I did..but only $14) as you want. You can read about that here (http://tinyurl.com/5wdygf) and here (http://tinyurl.com/5tfce9) However, this pays off HUGE!!! I'm going to post about my last 2 outings when I get the chance. If you're still reading, then Great!! And Laura, if you're reading, Stephanie and I will get you yet! (evil laughing)

And the award goes to.....

....Kim Bulgrien for Most Inconsistent Blogger of the Year!! (applause)

Me? Oh, you shouldn't have. But, I prepared a little speech, you know, just in case. (clearing throat)

I'd like to thank God for the fingers I have which allow me to type this blog.

(fake sobbing)

I'd like to thank my family and friends for faithfully checking on my nonexistent blog. I'd like to thank my husband for not rolling his eyes at my fickleness with my short-lived blog excitement. I'd like to thank my friend, we'll just call her Fephanie Storringer, for encouraging me to write on it again.

And last, but not least, I'd like to thank the Academy....because everyone else does...

So, here we go again......

Mr. Hero Saves Wife!!!

That's right. He did it! I knew that I would be typing it soon enough. Actually he did it a few days ago. I HAD to go out to the laundry room to get the Christmas decorations. So, being chill like I am, I calmly walked to the laundry room door and banged on it like a crazy lady. I knew that this clever tactic would scare my nemesis away and I would not have to deal with him. Imagine my horror when I opened the door and he was lying there at my feet!! Apparently crackers stuck to the trap with peanut butter was a smashing success (ha!). How he managed to tear himself away from this treat is beyond me. But, I really don't care. He is no more. *whew*

Grandparents, Dedication, and Thanksgiving...Oh my!!

Kevin's parents came to visit us last week. They were here for Olivia's dedication (Kevin's birthday was the same day too) and for Thanksgiving. It's hard to believe that I've been with Kevin for almost ten years, yet I've never spent Thanksgiving with his family.

They arrived on Saturday afternoon. Benjamin had spent Saturday morning cutting up a very large (and skinny) branch. He then decided that the best use for this branch was kindling for a bonfire. So, we changed our dinner plans and had hot dogs. I had a can of chili leftover from Benjamin's school Fall Fest, so I heated it up for the hot dogs. Imagine my surprise when Kevin's mother said that neither she nor Kevin's dad had ever had a chili dog. They have also never had corndogs. Perhaps those are Southern things? Anyone else never have these before?

Here is a picture of Olivia all bundled up with Grandma and Papa during the bonfire.

The next day, Sunday, was Olivia's dedication. We had been waiting for Grandma and Papa to be here before we did it. Uncle Phillip and Pastor Coleman did the dedication together. Phillip is very close to our family, and so having him as a part of it was especially meaningful. We were also joined by Aunt Debra and Uncle Dennis.
Our little Olivia Rae on the day of her dedication to the Lord! We are blessed!!

Pastor Coleman did the Bible readings and the charge family and friends.

I love the way Olivia is looking at Phillip in this one.

Phillip did the prayer and official dedication.

I cried. Kevin cried. Phillip's eyes got damp (or it could be allergies...Texas is awful like that!). During the prayer Olivia thought long and hard about whether or not to take over the microphone responsibilities. She decided against it. 8-)

Olivia and Papa after church.

Thanksgiving was great. I was a bit late putting Mr. Thankful Turkey together, but when it was finished, it was quite spectacular. For those who don't know what this is...we make a turkey out of my scrapbooking materials. Then we make several feathers and mail them to our family and friends. They write about what what they are thankful for on these feathers and then mail them back. On Thanksgiving day, we read them and then put them onto the turkey. Mr. Turkey then serves as a decoration. Mr. Turkey didn't get done until a couple days later because apparently Grandma and Papa are far more exciting than some paper turkey (turkeys can't play Rummikub!) Here's Mr. Turkey:



We had the Phelps family (Roy, Maxine, Phillip, and Ranae) over for Thanksgiving this year. It was wonderful having so many special people to spend the day with. We had a lovely dinner, told jokes (even laughed at the bad ones...uh...not that there were any bad ones), played games, and just relaxed.

After dinner, Benjamin talked Mrs. Phelps into doing some artwork with him.

Olivia and Uncle Phillip in The Thanksgiving Dinner Recovery Chair.

The Benjamin/Grandma team during our Mille Bourne game.

I was very proud of how attractive my pies turned out!

Oh, and for the first time ever (drum roll please) I made dressing that was fantastic! And for that, I am extremely thankful!

Because he lives...

....I will not walk into my laundry room. That's right! The rodent is not lying in the trap as I had hoped. Kevin has relocated one of the traps in hopes of catching him warming up by the dryer. Cross your fingers!

Luckily for me, Kevin is willing to save me the trauma of walking into that room and seeing the creature and is toting the laundry back and forth for me. I can handle that.

In other news...today the boys (Benjamin, Josiah, and Jasper) decided to dig a hole. This was not just any run of the mill hole, mind you! This was a hole that started on both sides and met up in the middle. It would have worked too if it weren't for the excited jumping on top of the hole when they got close. Now, while this may sound boring to some, to a group of boys this is great fun. We're talking about fun that keeps them busy for an hour. It also helps to keep my garden aerated. So, we both win! Nothing like a little child labor disguised as happy play time! (j/k) They were proud of themselves!



Today I also worked with Benjamin some more on his math. For those who don't know, Benjamin only goes to school for 1/2 day. The school does their academic stuff in the morning and uses the afternoons for centers and playtime. I figure I can save money and he can have playtime here. In the afternoons, I do some work with him at home as well. Today we worked on double digit addition. He wasn't so sure about it, but I knew he could do it. He loves math. He surely didn't get that from me (I may have to call it quits after this double digit addition). I showed him 2 problems and he just caught right on. He did the rest on his own and got them all correct. He was just tickled with himself...well, and Mommy was tickled too!
Well, this blogging thing isn't so tough after all. Sweet!