I have to admit, I'm pretty proud of myself!

We did our weekend shopping yesterday and I saved a lot of money. How you ask? Coupons!

I'm definitely not an extreme couponer. I wanted to be (still kind of do), but I just don't have the time or patience for it. With 2 small kids at home, it's a wonder I get any shopping done. Let alone shopping with coupons. But Saturday morning, my husband and I sat down at the kitchen table and went through the several months’ worth of Sunday coupon inserts that had been collecting. We haphazardly sorted and organized them and headed out. I had a list of what we needed, but I didn't check any ads for who had what on sale. We just headed to Kohl's, Target and Publix (our stores of choice).

I had a 30% off coupon and $10 in Kohl's cash that happened to overlap on Saturday, so we headed there first. I ended up getting Christmas outfits for both kids. I spent about $32 out of pocket and saved over $60.

We then went to Target. I love Target, but I also hate it. I always seem to find too many things to buy when I'm in there. I had some pretty good coupons that were close to expiring, so even though items weren't on sale I bought them anyway to use the coupons. I got everything on the list plus a lot more. Paid around $78 out of pocket and saved $68+.

And finally, Publix for groceries. We got a bunch of items that we didn't plan on buying. But, they were on sale and I had coupons to match so we stocked up. We ended up filling the cupboard and deep freeze! Our total there was about $120 out of pocket with $90+ in savings.

So even though we spent more than we planned, we got a ton of items and saved a bunch! And the best part.....I don't have to drag 2 little kids shopping for a while!

What a gorgeous day out today!!

My babies



I LOVE baby feet



I will not cut my hair.

I will not cut my hair.
I will not cut my hair.

I miss my long hair.  I wish I could just raise my arm and have it grow as long as I wanted.

Kinda like this:

Wow, guess I'm dating myself here!
Anybody else remember playing with these?



Upcycled t-shirt dress - practice round

We had a little chilly weather here the other day and when I went to dress my kids I realized that they didn't have any warm clothes that fit them.  So we went shopping.  NOT fun!  The price of kids clothes is just ridiculous.  Especially for items that they are only going to wear a handful of times.  So I started wondering how I could get them clothes without spending a fortune.  Then I walked into my garage and saw the many boxes of old clothes waiting patiently for a yard sale.  hmmm....could I?  dare I?  yes!  yes I will!

I pulled out one of my old t-shirts (you know, one that nobody would think twice about if it ended up a shredded disaster) and started cutting.  I had no pattern, just an idea in my head.  And in the end, I think it turned out pretty good for my first go at it.  There are definitely things that I will change on the next one (the neck is too loose), but overall I'm pretty proud of myself!

I forgot to take a picture of the shirt before I started cutting, so here it is in a different color (yeah, I actually bought the same horrible t-shirt in several colors).

And here is the finished product (needs ironed, but just ignore that!)

And my beautiful model!

I've decided to start a blog.

This blog.

I'm not very good at blogging.  I usually start a blog, make a couple of posts and then stop.  I'd like to blame it on my busy life, but I think it's really just because I'm flighty.

You see, I like projects.  I get these great ideas in my head, get super excited about them, start them, and then......they end up as part of the "to do" list.

Want some examples of this?  Too bad, you're getting them!

1. the camera bag that I am sewing.  All I need to do is finish the trim at the top & slap a piece of velcro to it.  It's been sitting this way for 2 weeks.

2. the cute shoes I'm crocheting for my daughters Halloween costume.  1 1/2 shoes done & in my craft bag they sit.  Replaced with the monster hat I started crocheting for my son....still not finished.

3. I decided to refinish a table.  3 months ago!!  And it's sitting in the garage with the top & 2 legs stripped.

4. Repaving my patio.  The people who did our patio before we moved in must have been in a hurry.  It is unlevel, overgrown with weeds, and the dirt is full of junk.  So I pulled all of the pavers and weeded.  2 months later & the pavers are still sitting in a pile in the yard.

There are more, but I think you get the picture.

So anyway, here I go again.  Another great idea that I'm jumping into. 

But this time it'll be different.  This time I really will follow through and keep up on my posts. 

Why?  Because this time I think I've finally figured out what I want.  Instead of a blog about just my business or just my family or just one particular thing, this one will be about everything. 

This will be my place. 

A place where I can put whatever I want.

A place where I can wiggle my toes barefoot and free.