Friday, November 30, 2007

Funny Girl

That's my daughter...a funny girl.

Lately she's been speaking frequently in third person. I have no idea why or where she picked this up, but it's pretty cute. (Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, maybe it's because I often say, "Mommy is going to.....[get ready, go to the store, fix dinner, etc.])

Here are things I hear frequently: (She pronounces her name "Rufee")

"Rufee shoisty!" (thirsty)

"Rufee hungry!"

"Rufee sleepy."

"Rufee cold."

"Rufee gumpy!" (grumpy - she said this today in the store)

And a little while ago she climbed up in my lap, gave me a giant hug, and said, "Rufee loves you!"

My heart grew 3 sizes and melted all at the same time.

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Burn Out

I think that's what I have. Just a little blogging burn out!

I will never again commit to a month of blogging every day! I thought it would be easier than this.

But some days I really just don't feel like blogging, or don't have anything to blog about. This is one of those days.

I'm tired, and I really don't know why. But I'm not exactly sleepy, so I'm sitting here, but with not much worth blogging about.

So I'm blogging about not blogging. Blogging about nothing.

Too bad I'm not Jerry Seinfeld. At least his 'show about nothing' made him lots of money!

I won't be making any mone blogging about nothing.

So I'm glad tomorrow is the last day of November. Then I may just take a few days off from blogging. And get back to only blogging when I feel like it - no pressure!

And too bad there's not a contest on seeing how many times you can use the word 'blogging' in a post. I just might be a contender!

OK, I'm going to quit while I'm ahead.

Happy blogging to all, and to all a blog-night!

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

No Thoughts in my Head Tonight

Actually, there are LOTS of thoughts in my head. But it's all random and I don't feel like sorting through them. So since it's officially Christmas season, here's something silly.





Your Elf Name Is...



Booty Snow Bunny






Maybe I can put some thoughts together tomorrow!

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

No More Promises

I keep saying I'll get the rest of the Thanksgiving pictures up and I still haven't gotten to them.

And I'm not today either.

So no more promises....I'll get them up....eventually!

My dear hubby came home from work early today. He's not feeling well. His stomach has been out of sorts for a few days now.

I didn't feel good earlier today. My stomach was having a battle of it's own. Mine feels better now, so hopefully I'm not getting what he has.

But I'm very tired. And I don't seem to have a good reason to be. And I don't feel like editing and posting pictures tonight.

I went to the grocery store because it needed to be done. But I'm having a difficult time motivating myself to do anything else today/night.

So after I straighten a few things up, I'm going to rest.

And hopefully Ruthi will rest well tonight. We had an episode last night. I heard her scream out and when I went to check on her, every hair on her head was soaked with sweat. She was kicking and screaming. We think maybe it was night terrors or something. It was horrible. She screamed and writhed for almost 15 minutes straight. We couldn't calm her down, and up until it was just about over, couldn't even get her to acknowledge us. It was as if she was still asleep and couldn't hear us. That's why I'm thinking night terrors.

But it was awful - heart wrenching that neither of us could soothe her. I hope we don't experience that again.

Chip was a bit concerned it was the beginning of sickness coming on to her. I'm praying it wasn't.

And I'm praying it will be a quiet night. And a sick-free day tomorrow.

Hopefully my motivation will also return. I have to much to do for it to be gone. Or to be sick. Sickness....STAY AWAY!

Monday, November 26, 2007

Menu Plan Monday



I have two carry over meals this week...again. This is the third week they've been on the menu. Third time's the charm, right? We'll see.

Saturday will officially begin Christmas for us. We have our first Christmas dinner with extended family. I'll probably make my peanut butter pie, and something else, but not sure what yet. The rest of the week is going to be super simple.

Monday: Chili Dogs ~ Mac & Cheese

Tuesday: Sandwiches/Leftovers

Wednesday: Pasta e fagioli

Thursday: Enchiladas (Carryover!)

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: Family Christmas Dinner

Sunday: TBD

For more menus, be sure to visit Laura at I'm An Organizing Junkie.



Sunday, November 25, 2007

A Little Bit of Thanksgiving

I still haven't gotten a chance to go through and edit the pictures from Thanksgiving. But I thought I'd go ahead an post a couple at least.

I will write more about the day when I post the other pictures.

Here is Ruthi with her Great Aunt Edna. Edna won Ruthi over by scooping her into her lap to help work on a puzzle. And it worked.


And then I got Adam to jump in for a shot. This is 'little' Adam who was 4 years old when I met him. He was the ring bearer in our wedding at the age of 5. Where does the time go? He's all grown up and handsome now! I feel so old!


And one last one for now. Ruthi loves to get on the organ to "push the buttons". And Grandmother was right there to help her.



And that's it for tonight. The others are coming, along with details...tomorrow....I hope!


Saturday, November 24, 2007

Slowly but Surely...

I'm getting the hang of the CVS deals. I'm not a pro yet - I still haven't come out with $100+ worth of stuff for less than $5 out of pocket...but I will eventually.

But I think I did pretty good today. Not great by the "pros'" standards, but I'm pleased. I know I could have done a little better if I'd split my last order up and rolled some more of the ECB's. But that's ok - I'll have some for next time.

Anyway, this is what I got:


Total before coupons and ECB's - $96.39
I paid - $32.59 (The drinks and razors alone would have cost just over that amount!)
I saved - $63.77

AND I have $20.99 in ECB's to use later. Actually, I may have $10 more if the Johnson & Johnson deal worked correctly. The manager said it should update in 48 hrs and I should have the extra $10 then. We'll see!

I've got to get quicker at this though. It seems to take me forever to go through and figure it all out. I spend quite a bit of time at home working on it. I make my list and group my coupons according to the list and the separate transactions I will make. But if I get in there and they don't have something, I have to re-figure some of the deals.

The employees & managers I've encountered at my store have been great. If something doesn't print the ecb like it should, they just add it in manually to my next order with no problem. That happened today and one other time. And then I got home tonight and discovered that another ecb didn't print, so I called up there. The manager answered and he said no problem, just bring the receipt next time I come in and they will adjust it. He was so nice. I told him I was sorry if I was being a pain, and he said, "Oh not at all - your are just a good shopper!" I'm so glad everyone there so far has been so nice! (Because I've heard of some less than pleasant experiences from other CVS'ers at other stores!)

I was even extra happy today when the cashier started scanning my coupons, one had expired and it accepted it anyway! I didn't realize it had expired - I thought I had checked them all - but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it worked!

I will get the hang of this soon, so that I can shop like the pros do! I think I want to start going when Chip is home to watch Ruthi though, so I can concentrate better!

Funny - I ended up with a headache in the store so bad, (I think I was getting pretty hungry which could have contributed!) that I had to open the Excedrin as soon as I got in the car! Thankfully between taking it and eating, the headache is almost gone now.

Now I'm going to rest my brain. (Saving money can be tiring! LOL!) So I'm not going to get the Thanksgiving pictures up tonight. I'll work on those tomorrow.

Good night!

Friday, November 23, 2007

Sidewalk Picasso's

I will post Thanksgiving pictures tomorrow. I've got to go through them and do some editing - some of them came out too dark.

Wednesday was a BEAUTIFUL day here. The weather was perfect and I'm glad we spent some time outside. Because yesterday - it got COLD! It may be a while before we get to play outside again!

Anyway, Ruthi and CJ both love to get out the sidewalk chalk.

Ruthi just likes to line up the chalk and put it back in the box and then take it out again. And she manages to scribble around a little. But this time she actually spent more time collecting rocks than coloring.

But she did lay down and let me trace her so we could make a chalk Ruthi! (She's trying to smile, but the sun is right in her eyes!) And if you'll look closely to the left side of this photo, you can see the pile of rocks she had begun to collect.


And here "she" is all by herself.


CJ's into writing words with funky letters and drawing things like eyeballs - which is exactly what he did here. He writes this phrase "Exit Extreme" - I have no idea why or what it is supposed to mean, but apparently it's cool. And the eyeball - he draws what's supposed to be behind the eye too. He draws these things all the time.


And now his hand is blue, so of course he wanted to show that!


And this one, well, just because she's so cute! (She's standing by a rock collecting spot.)


And last - my art work! (Which CJ tried to ruin by adding an 'S' to the end of Chip. The little stinker!)




Thursday, November 22, 2007

Thankful

Jan did this on her blog, and I liked it. So I'm doing it too!

Just a few things I'm thankful for.

T - Technology - especially computer/internet - and how it connects us!

H - Husband - a fantastic one who loves me unconditionally

A - America - land of the free and home of the brave!

N - Nighttime - peaceful & quiet - my creative time! (and some sleep!)

K - Kids - 2 fabulous kids who I love with all my heart

F - Family & Friends - every one of them!

U - Understanding - to have it and to be understood.

L - Life itself, and the creator of life - Our Heavenly Father.


I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Enjoy the time with your family, and don't eat too much!


Wednesday, November 21, 2007

I'm Honored

Because Trista thinks I have integrity. And she gave me this:



And this is what that means:

"After looking, reading and watching many many Blogs and bloggers I decided to issue some recognition to those fellow bloggers I feel maintain integrity in the Blogs. All these bloggers incorporate within their wonderful sites, an integrity not always seen. They share terrific stories, topics, discussions and images. All Well worth a look."

So apparently I'm supposed to pass this on. I will need to give this a little thought. I will get back to this after the Holiday.

Thank you Trista!

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

I Guess it Could be Worse!

I saw this on another blog and clicked to see what it would say about mine. The blog I saw it on was a bit disgusted that hers said "Elementary School".

Honestly, I expected that for mine - or worse! But I was pleasantly surprised with this:



cash advance



I have to say, that made my day, just a little bit.
Especially since I don't consider myself to be a good writer - at all!!

This is the one subject I truly struggle with teaching my son, because it doesn't come easily for me.

I can teach the English part - all the mechanics. But when it comes to writing something that is good - that's a whole different story. I STINK at creative writing.

I read blogs all the time that take the everyday, mundane tasks and write about them in a way that is poetic. They can make throw up sound glamorous!

I do not possess that skill or talent.

So, as silly as it may seem, knowing I have the ability to write above an elementary level puts a little smile on my face.

And who knows, maybe one day I'll get better at writing! I can always hope!

Monday, November 19, 2007

Menu Plan Monday



Monday: Taco Bell!

Tuesday: Creamy Chicken Pasta (Carryover from last week)

Wednesday: Hot Dogs ~ Macaroni & Cheese

Thursday: Thanksgiving! (Still need to figure out for sure what I'm taking.)

Friday: Sloppy Joes

Saturday: Enchiladas (Carryover from last week)

Sunday: TBD

For more menus, be sure to visit Laura at I'm An Organizing Junkie.


Sunday, November 18, 2007

Chickens, Goats and Sheep, Oh My!

We decided to take a day trip yesterday. We drove up into the North Georgia Mountains for a day of fun.

The drive up was beautiful - the colors were so pretty. Even though we missed the peak of the colorful season, it was still beautiful.

We visited Hillcrest Orchards. We usually go during October when it is prime apple season. And it is always crowded.

Since we waited until now to go, the apples and the crowd had something in common - they were minimal. And we really liked that! Well, especially the lack of people. And since we weren't buying apples, it was fine that there weren't many of them either.

The biggest reason we decided to go was for the petting farm. We haven't been there since Ruthi was born,and we knew she would love this - since she is a HUGE fan of animals!

The petting farm is a large pen where the animals coexist. Chickens, goats (my favorite), sheep, puppies and a calf, all mingling and playing and frolicking together.

There are a couple of cats, but they stay in a cage, and you can take them out to hold them. (Guess they don't want them running off.)

There were 2 pigs in a smaller pen that you can reach into. And then there were some bunnies, but you can only look at them in their jail. (It is actually a HUGE bunny cage!)

Ruthi was in heaven with these animals, and I'm pretty sure she would have stayed there all day with them if we had let her.

The goats are so cute - they are like little dogs. When you go to the food machine to get some for them, they all come running. And then they jump up on you like dogs, trying to be the first to get that food!

You hold your palm out, and you have at least 15 tongues darting into your hand, trying to get a taste. It's really funny. And actually a lot of fun!

Once we were able to convince Ruthi to move on, we walked over to the 'big slide'. This thing is rested on the side of a large hill. I wish I had remembered to take a picture of the other side - of the climb you have to make to get up there!

Ruthi could hardly contain her excitement when she saw that big slide! She took off up the hill to have a turn.

CJ went with her, and was trying to convince her to sit in his lap to go down. (He was being a very good, protective big brother. He didn't think she'd go down by herself.)

She wouldn't have any of that. She told him that he should go first! I did convince her to go first once I let her know she didn't have to sit in his lap.

She hopped right onto that thing and took off like a pro, hands in the air. She was not intimidated at all. She loved it, and took off running to do it again (and again, and again...)

CJ decided to go down belly first, but he tucked his arms by his side, and looked very much like a seal coming down! And he found that coming down like that was kind of painful due to the way the slide is constructed.

Then it was the zip swing. CJ used to have so much fun on this. But he is too big for it now - he has surpassed the maximum weight.

It was rusty, and wouldn't slide on it's own, so Chip had to push it the whole way. But Ruthi still had fun.

After purchasing some apple cider donuts and some blackberry jam, we began the journey home.

Ruthi fell asleep.

CJ watched a movie.

I fell asleep.

Thankfully, Chip stayed awake.

I slept for about an hour, and then woke up to keep Chip company the rest of the way.

We decided to make a detour and stop to eat at a place called the Pizza Farm. It had been many years since we had eaten there, and forgot just how good that pizza was!

Oh, and the fried dill pickles...yum!

It was a fantastic day and I'm so glad we 'took the day off'.

I took a TON of pictures. I tried just picking my favorites, but I think that ended up being 39! So I put them in a slide show. If you want to look at them all, you might want to pop some popcorn first! LOL!

(I think you can click on it and make them go by faster.)


Saturday, November 17, 2007

Super Savings Saturday

I don't have much this week. No great grocery or drugstore deals this week.

But - I've been trying to decorate my daughter's room without blowing the budget. I've been looking for some stuff for her walls that I like but that aren't outrageous in price.

A week or so ago, I made this for her wall. The letters were less than $2 each, and the cost of everything to decorate was around $5. So about $15 for the whole project.

I wanted a couple of small shelves for her wall, and have had my eye on some at Michael's for a while now. Well, this week they had 2 50% off coupons in the ad. They were for different days, so I had to make 2 trips. But it is close by, and worth the extra trip.

So I got these:

They were regular $12.99, but I got them both for that price total! I knew waiting patiently would pay off!

And I'm pretty sure I have plenty of paint left over from painting her room to finish these off with. Her room is now even closer to being finished - finally!

Friday, November 16, 2007

Everyone Needs a Good Butt-Kicking Sometimes!

If you know me, you'd probably think that I never run out of things to say. Which is mostly true.

But this blogging everyday thing? It's actually a bit of a challenge!

So, I'm sharing a conversation Chip and the kids had recently while playing a game of Connect Four, that I found quite funny.

Chip was taking turns with the kids. Ruthi's turn was over and it was now CJ's turn to play. The conversation went like this:

Chip: "Ready to get your butt kicked son?"

Ruthi: "I want to get my butt kicked!"

Chip: "Ruthi, can you move over?" (So CJ could reach the game)

Ruthi: "OK, I will get my butt kicked in a minute."

CJ: "I'll kick it for you."

Ruthi: No, I want to kick my butt with those!" (points to the Connect Four checkers.)

I thought it was funny. I don't know - maybe you had to be there.



And here's a very quick conversation she and I had recently:

She was sitting in my lap and I was bouncing her a little.

Ruthi: "Stop Mom. Don't bounce me."

(I poked my lip out a little like I didn't want to stop bouncing her.)

Ruthi: "Don't be sad."

(She then gave me a big hug and kiss.)

(I smiled.)

Ruthi: "I did gave you a hug and that did make you so happy!"

Me: "Yes, you did make me happy!"

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Half Way There!

OK, so today is the 15th. I can't believe I've actually posted something 15 days in a row! Nothing like a good challenge! 15 more days to go - I might just make it!

Just dropping in to make sure I get a post in today. Not too much to say.

Today was spent being quite productive. I got lots done around the house, and hope to get lots more done tomorrow. Maybe once I feel like my house is in order, I can get my creative juices flowing better again and can get some Christmas gifts made!

I can hardly believe Thanksgiving is next week. WHERE did the year go? Sheesh!

OK, told you I didn't have too much to say. I'm going to bed. I'll be back tomorrow!

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

So Much Fun!

Last night was the awards ceremony for Upward Basketball/Cheerleading at our church. It's always good, but last night we had a great time.

Our special speaker/entertainment last night was Seth Franco. He is the a former Harlem Globetrotter. And he was the first white Globetrotter since 1942.

And he was amazing. You can watch a video clip of him in action on his website.

The clip is great - but he's so much better in person. And his message is wonderful. This is a man ON FIRE for God.

Here are a couple of pictures I took. The lighting was not great, so my pictures are quite dark. I tried to lighten them, but there's not much I can do. Of course the pictures don't do any justice to his talent! It's not like I could really capture what's going on.



You can tell he absolutely loves what he does, and he loves children. He spent much of the night autographing the players' balls, and the cheerleaders' picture frames. And since our crowd isn't particurlarly huge, he let each child spin the basketball on their finger and posed for pictures. This is something these kids will remember for a very long time.

Ruthi was in a not-so-friendly mood last night. As a matter of fact, she snubbed EVERYONE! She wouldn't even play with the kids or kiss the babies like she normally does.

Until she met Seth. We had shown her the video clip of him before hand, and had talked about him a good bit. And she knew that Daddy had played golf with him earlier in the day. (Even though she probalby doesn't have a clue what golf is.)

When she met Seth, he asked for a hug, and she didn't even hesitate - she gave him one willingly. I could hardly believe it. So I asked her to hug him again so I could get a picture. (of course!)



And then he let her spin the basketball on her finger - she loved that! (You can't tell in the pictures of course, but the ball is definitely spinning!)



Then it was CJ's turn to spin the ball. Here he is getting ready...



And now he's doing it by himself!



We had the priveledge of going to dinner with him afterwards. Listening to him was amazing. I don't can't remember being around someone more on fire for God than him. Really made me do some thinking about my own life!

Ruthi just adored him - gave him lots of hugs, and even a kiss or two. He has a 1 yr. old daughter, and Ruthi was making him miss her something fierce!

It was a fabulous night - minus the stress my dear hubby had to deal with trying to corral everyone and keep chaos to a minimum. And it was an honor to have spent the time we were able to with Seth.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Cutie Pies

I don't have a lot of time. We have CJ's basketball awards ceremony tonight, and I have lots of things to do before then. So I'm just posting a few of the pictures I took last night. I have some more, but I will share them tomorrow.

Just some pics of my cutie pies.




Why is it when taking pictures of kids, it's so difficult to have them both making cute (not silly) faces at the same time? Sigh.

Monday, November 12, 2007

You're the Best, Mom

My darling little Ruthi has started something recently that I LOVE!

She climbs up into my lap, gives me a big hug and says, "You're the best, Mom."

But she doesn't stop there. She goes on to say, "You're the best of all!" And then, "You're the best I ever seen!"

I have no idea where she picked this up, but I'm glad she did. It melts my heart. And she knows that.

Because I told her, "You melt my heart."

And now after she says this to me, she says, "I melt your heart!"

Awwww, the warm fuzzies are just amazing.

But in all fairness, she started saying it to her Daddy too. (Of course she says Dad to him instead of Mom!)

And you know what? That totally melts my heart too!


I took some cute pictures tonight, but I'm too tired to post them. I'll get to them tomorrow!

And now I will go melt into my pillow.

Good Night.


Menu Plan Monday



This week's menu is very tentative, as we have undecided plans that may cause this menu to change greatly. But here is the plan for now:

Monday: Leftovers

Tuesday: BLT's ~ Broccoli & Cheese Soup

Wednesday: Carbonara ~ Caesar Salad

Thursday: Breakfast for Dinner

Friday: Creamy Chicken Pasta (I got this recipe from some one's blog, but forgot to include that, so I can't remember where it came from! If it's yours, let me know!)

Saturday: Enchiladas

Sunday: TBD

For more menus, be sure to visit Laura at I'm An Organizing Junkie.


Sunday, November 11, 2007

My Sensitive Little Girl

Ruthi can be tough as nails, loud, demanding and even bossy.

But she also, sweet, joyful, loving and she is extremely sensitive. We've known this from the start, and I love this quality about her.

Last night she exhibited her sensitive side. I have to say, it broke my heart a little.

She was watching Wizard of Oz. It was on TV and when we were flipping through, she saw it and wanted to watch. So we left it there.

Now she's seen this movie several times, and will pick it out of the drawer to watch. But I don't think she's truly paid that much attention to it before.

Now she pays attention to everything and really 'gets' stuff.

So, she's watching, and I'm busy working reading blogs. All of a sudden, I hear her crying. I ask her what's wrong.

"The girl needs her puppy" she says in the saddest voice, with tears forming in her eyes.

Once I realize what she means, she is crying and tears are streaming down her face.

The witch had taken Toto from Dorothy and that really upset Ruthi.

I tried to convince her that she would indeed 'get her puppy back', but Ruthi wasn't too sure.

After a visit in to see her daddy and get some reassurance from him, we all decided it was better to change the channel for something a little happier.

Caillou was just the thing to make our girl happy again. (Thank goodness for DVR!)

So sensitive, so sweet, that's our girl!



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