Just the Way it is

So, God has an amazing way of always providing. I dont know if anyone else has found this, but for us anytime we have a little extra cash in checking, something breaks, a big medical bill comes or we need automobile maint. Without fail everytime C works overtime the money goes for something along those lines. I did the finances yesterday and realized that I had a few hundred dollars extra in checking. Thrilled I wasnt telling C becuase he might want to spend it. Well, low and behold we took the van in for an oil change. Of course something else was needing repair on it too. We needed a new battery and power steering flush (or something). Anywho, there went the extra dough. Praise God for it being there. We have come to laugh about it now, just knowing how He provides. I guess that is what I get for trying to hang on to it.

Taking care of momma

Yesterday was a day with the Lou. All day the child disobeyed, argued, whined and was flat out naughty. Here are a few things that were pinnacles of the badness:
- She ate almost a whole candy cane vile of Runts in her bedroom (not allowed b/c it will bring ants)
-She tore a page out from her library book
-She completely destroyed her room.....again
- She hid her library books
-She walked away from me after I told her to "come here"
-She dripped a popsicle all over the cases of library DVD's
-She brought food out of the kitchen
ENOUGH!

Wowza. Yesterday was trying. After I put her to bed I came out to the living room and the big girls had prepared a foot bath for me. Dani had her DS waiting (as she knows I like to play) and Alli read to me. After the foot bath Dani massaged my feet, boom! Loved. I felt very loved and cared for in that moment. Chris appreciated them "taking care of his wife" as he was late home from work. Praise God for reprieve at the end of a day like that. Heres to praying for a better one today.

Merry Christmas Eve

Christmas memories from years past:

One year I got a Lavendar McDade doll for Christmas. It got thrown out with the wrapping paper and I never got to play with it.

My parents had special wrapping paper for the "santa" presents. Very cool and mysterious.

As a child we would open stockings in one room and then go to the tree. It was always piled high with absolutely everything I always wanted.

I was 18 when I learned with Christmas was really about.

I was probably 22 when I stopped putting an emphasis on gifts received, sad four years, I know.

My kids only get 3 gifts from us each year.

The stocking is uber important to C. Our first year of marriage I did not realize that and I put potty protectors in his stocking. We laugh about it now, but it took a while to get there.

The girls killed the song "All I want for Christmas is You" for me. We have conveniently misplaced the CD so the only place I have to hear it is on the radio.

Love the food for eve and day! Yum-o!

Praising God for the gift I have growing inside of me. I really thought Leilani was the last so I cherished every little kick, feeding, sleep deprived moment. I get it one more time, wow He is good!

Are we Inappropriate?

So over the years we have had the privlegde of being a part of many wonderful small groups. Loved loved! Each "good" group has been able to laugh, cry, grieve, rejoyce and celebrate together. Through these different relationships one thing has remained constant. The inappropriate jokes and banter. It seems to follow C and I to each group that we are a part of. Could we possibly be the instigators? Impossible! glad that is solved.
In other news Vincent Ruiz was deemed GUILTY in the paper today! Woot! 5 murders= life in prison. In my opinion he has had the last 22 years to "live" while snuffing out the lives of those young men so many years ago. Praise God, justice is served.
Lou woke up sick this morning. She came out and layed on couch a couple hours ago and seems to be on the mend now. Praise God! I do not like sickies. I really dont want to get sick with a bun in the oven ya know.
Last night C and I spent two hours wrapping presents and we are still not finished, bleck! I will wrap his gifts today. The thing I am most proud of is this special battery I got him for his phone! He never reads my blog, so I knew it would be safe putting it here. I also got him some "chocolate wine" aka "Reah in a cup", bleck, our fav movie 4 Christmases , and an "air hog" . Hilarious that last one. Becuase he has really wanted one and I fear that it will break within a matter of minutes after him "playing" with it. Boys and toys I tell ya. Craziness.

Only Got a Minute

Operation Winter Break is in full effect. Yesterday we didnt do anything spectacular but we went to the club in the morning and grocery shopped afterward. It has been a while since I have shopped with all three girls and I must say, it is difficult. There is constantly someone asking for something, someone hanging from under the cart, and someone asking if she can mark the next thing off the list. There is something to be said for kidless shopping, can I get a woot?!
The girls and I dipped pretzels on Sunday and that was a good start to Christmas fun. Today we will go to moms at some point to "check the quality" of her double decker fudge and nanimo bars. Be still my heart I wait all year for those yummy items. Yum-o. Today I am taking the girls swimming too. I may not want to be seen in a swimming suit much longer so I better get it in while I can. I figured it is 25 degrees out today, why not swim? Anywho, this is one of the things on my list that I wanted to check off. Taking the girls swimming, check.
Also on the list for their break we are making sugar cookies and decorating them, getting daddy a gift, yelling at the Tri City herald, and possibly taking them sledding. I will not be sledding however b/c of said human inside. next year. Ok, out of time, peace!

Last Day

This is that last day of school for the big girls before Christmas break. I am soooo looking forward to having them home for the next two weeks. The more "seasoned" I get the more I appreciate them. I have more of an appreciation for the time in which God has entrusted me with them. It is fleeting. Mothers, you know what I am talking about. My oldest is 10.....how is that possible? And I am having a baby? Crazy!
Tonight is our small group Christmas party and I am incredibly excited. It has been a while since we have been all together. Our group split for a study, but I will be happy to have everyone together tonight. These people are family. Tonight we will eat (of course, Baptist roots you know), have accountability, play some bunco and of course do the white elephant gift exchange. My heart loves the gift exchange because personally no gift exchange is complete without a thong in my opinion. No one wants to open our gift because they know my humor. Oh well, someone will get stuck with it. Hilarious!
Our weeks have been busy but fun. C and I had an impromptu lunch date this week at China Cafe. Loved. I was giddy that we were kidless, on a date, and it was midday. Anyway, we got to debrief and enjoy some yummy stuff. Sidenote*(*****when discussing things that I like to eat and he doesnt, two items are chineese food stuff, soy sauce and chow mein. I was blown away. Married 12 years and I just found this out. The only thing I dont like that he does is saurkraut. EEW*****
Ok, off to start my day!

Christmas Favorites

The girls were beaming the other night as we put up the Christmas tree. They had been waiting ever since Thanksgiving to do this and it was a look of sheer joy as we got all the special ornaments out of the boxes and gently placed them on the tree. Each year we forget about all the beautiful things they have made untill we get them out again. It is so cute to see the artwork ornaments, dough things they have baked in school, and old pictures of them dangling from the branches. Oh how they change and how time flies. I can hardly believe that we will be doing this with a fourth child next year. It continually blows my mind.
As I was helping Lou wash her hair last night I was smiling thinking about bathing a baby at first in the sink and eventually graduating to the tub. We are going back to square one in the child raising game. Wowza. We get to travel through all the fun stages one more time with this fourth child. God sure has some confidence in our child raising abilities to trust us with another, blessed is how I feel fo' sho.
Here are some of the things I like to do this month:

Annual Cookie Exchange
Decorating
Making cookies with kids
Ugly sweater contest at church
Time with extended family
Christmas music
Movies
Its A Wonderful Life
The Holiday
The FAmily Stone
Driving through Christmas Carol Lane
Food!

Ding, ding!

Wow, the kids were in rare form this morning. I have yet to determine if it was me being less patient, or them being crazy. We are going to error on the side of them being crazy. Every few seconds there was a different argument to be quashed or fight over a hair product (yes, welcome to the world of girls). Wowza, I am exhausted and I just got up. It is going to be a busy day!
Zumba fridays are one of my fav's so I am looking forward to that, however after the emotional conflict this morning part of me just wants to go crawl back in bed and let Lou run the house. Im sure I will go as it is my release for the morning. I will feel accomplished "shaking what my momma gave me" afterward.
Lou plays a game each morning where she thinks she needs second breakfast at about 8:15. ( I know Amy, some people arent up for another hour, little lone eating a first breakfast, whatever) She will tell me what she wants and I get it for her. When she comes to eat it (almost every time without fail) she claims that is not what she wanted and so usually takes a bite and is done. Huge pet peeve, food wasting. I am not getting her something different today and I hear her spoon happily clanging against her bowl so, food score, Lou 0- me 1. Boom! Let the games begin.
After literally walking Alli through picking up her room and getting ready I did not have time to pack her lunch. So, she did it. I loved that. She is totally capable and I made sure she put great stuff in there. This might be a regular occurance now that I know she can totally do this. Lunch score Alli 0- me 1, boom again.
Rant over!

Woman on the Edge

3-6pm are not great hours for me. The human inside has been dictating what smells good, looks good, ect. This poses a problem when cooking for the family b/c it is not getting done. I will eat a hamburger patty but cannot prepare it right now. Fried chicken sounds good but I will not go buy a bucket. Any other type of chicken is horrid. I had to have C air freshen the room one night because I could smell lingering chicken smells from dinner, bleck!

In other news, the Tri City Herald is ticking me off. We get one paper everyday (in theory) and two extras on Sunday. My carrier has fallen down on the job ever since there was snow on the ground. I think we are going on two weeks now. Geesh! I have probably gotten my paper half of the time in the last two weeks. My repeated calls to the herald have had no resolution. So, I have a call into a manager today we will see how that goes. I will have to hold back the inner witch as I can get hostile with bad service.....be a good witness.....be a good witness.... be a good witness. Rant over~!

C had " the talk" with our 7 year old last night. I texted my bestie and said, "kill me now". I just disappear when convos like that come up. So thankful that he is poised to handle conversations like that becuase I am so not! As I walked thru the room at one point I hear something about HIV and Alli gasp and say, " Is mommy going to die?" Time out, did he somehow say that I had HIV? Wowza. Come to find out he was talking about why Gods plan for marriage and that got somehow on the topic of STD's. Heavy and not my department.

I am decorating a cake with my bestie today for her sons birthday. Slightly nervous because it is a Mario Bros. theme and well, I am not sure how talented we are to be honest. I guess I will take pictures of it and if we fail.....Costco cakes are $15 right?

blogger fast

Not really, but it feels like I have been fasting from blogging. I have been coming to terms with the impending human that I am harboring. It was not real to me until last week when we had and ultrasound and I saw a heartbeat. Wowza, I am really doing this. I truly thought that we were done with the baby stage. I sold or gave away everything that I had collected over the years. Chris is totally stoked. I have never seen him so excited about us having a child. He is treating me like a princess (rightly so).
When I am pregnant I feel incredibly special. I had forgotten this a bit. I love having a baby inside and eagerly await the feeling of him/her kicking. Rivaling a close second is the nursing piece. Love love. So excited for these things.

Current likes/ passions:

Family time/ game night
Eclipse.....its out!
Meat
Anything fried lately
Bruno Mars
Crossview
Small group
Superwoman/ supergirl (lol)
my droid phone
my three girls
my friends
zumba
chocolate
the baby!
our home, very blessed
couponing
Christmas shopping
Craft Warehouse

Black Friday

So, yesterday was the BEST black friday I have ever sported through. We did not start till 6am, which is a bit late for us, but wowza it paid off in spades. The lines were non existent, products we were after were still there, and no drama going on around me. So this could mean one of three things:
1. Starting an hour later really makes a huge difference!
2. The icy roads will keeps shoppers home.
or
3. The economy is so horrid that people were simply not out spending yesterday.

I hope it was one of the first two. I know that rule #3 did not apply to Toy'R'US as C worked from 9-1am "babysitting" the shoppers. Some people straight up cut the line while others were waiting for hours. C totally told them to "do the right thing"! Love it! Love him, he is hilarious! I got some good deals. I really didnt see amazing things in the ads to be honest. My highlight was eating at Famous Daves and watching the movie Unstoppable. Very suspensful!

4

I know not many people read my blog so here is the scuttle butt (as my MIL would say). Im pregnant, knocked up, harboring a human, have a bun in the oven, am "with child" . Chris and I are expecting the next addition to our family in June or July. I will know more details next week and update then. Here are some answers for the questions that are now coming to your mind:

Q: I thought you were done.?
A: We were, God had a different plan. This is our unexpected blessing!

Q: Are you excited?
A: Yes~!

Q: How are the girls doing with the news?
A: Are you kidding? They are three little mama's. They are thrilled to say the least. The only quam with it all is that Leilani wants to maintain the rank of "baby". I will get back to you on how that all pans out.

Q: Will you move to a bigger house?
A: Not sure. We are always looking but would love to be able to stay in our neighborhood and in our little home.

Q: Are you crazy?
A: Most certainly.

Q: How is Chris dealing?
A: Honestly, he has been amazing. More endearing and excited than I have ever seen him when I am "with child".

Q: Will you find out what you are having?
A: Have you met Chris and I? There is no way we could wait to know, far too impatient.

Q: How are you (me) doing?
A: Blessed. Hard to explain my feelings right now. I feel extremely blessed to be given this opportunity again. I will say that I am a bit guarded in my excitement. Since this was a surprise to me, I dont completely believe it. For those of you who know me, I am a planner. So when there was this new plan, I dont completely believe it. Next week I should get to hear the heartbeat and I will be real to me then. I grieved being done with children for the last two years. For the most part I was not wanting another (tho there were times) but truly just grieving never getting to feel a baby inside me again. Never nursing another little infant. Never getting up at all hours of the night with a newborn (was happy but still grieved that one). Anywho, I had litterally just moved to a place where I was at peace with this stuff. And now I will be a mother again. Praise God for entrusting me with another life. I am sure blessed.

So, there is the news. I will post on facebook about this after my first appointment next week. Prayers for health and safety would be greatly appreciated.
Jaimie and MB (mystery baby)

Safeway Coupon Book Scandal

So about a week and a half ago there was an amazing coupon book that came out at Safeway stores. This book had tons of manufacturers coupons in it and my couponers heart went pitter pat at the thought of doubling these great things. Well, some couponers (no names mentioned) (mainly becuase I dont have their names because I would so call them out) ruined for the rest of us because they went in and grabbed handfuls of books at a time. This left none for the rest of us when we went to get the books.

Safeway was quite miffed when they caught on to what was happening. They even said people had "stolen" the book. Not sure, but I am pretty sure that taking something "free" cant be called stealing, but who am I? Anywho, I got one book before they ran out. My couponer compadre and I continued to check back at Safeway and see if they had gotten any books in but to no avail. Stink. And the people at Safeway were even a bit rude about it. Oh well.

Well last week my friends husband texted her a link that said, " Run to not walk to Safeway and get your coupon book now." So we did just that. Left everything and went to get the books. Well, when we got there they did not have any. So we called said husband back and he had looked at an old post, so he had sent us on a wild goose chase. We will not name names here either, but I will say that said husbands name rhymes with Gone Barker. Im just sayin'.

Fastforward to my friends husband who works in Pendelton (same as above). He was terrified of us and rightly so. In an effort to redeem himself he brought a surprise home. Guess what is NOT pillaged at Safeway in Pendelton.....coupon books. So he scored us some and we continued on our merry way. AND, the local Safeways now have the coupon books in but are limiting people to one each and you have to go to customer service to procure it. Worth it!

So, today I used said coupon books and got:

4 Fudge Brownie Mixes

12 cans of Green Giant Vegetables

10 jars of Ragu sauce

for

$3 OOP, killer deal

I had to reorganize my pantry to accomodate such purchases but praise God for "problems" like that. I am really blessed!

Retro Repost: Rules of Black Friday!

It is almost that time of year again. BLACK FRIDAY. Be still my heart. The women of my family love this day and practically treat it as a sport. Here are the rules that I came up with a couple years ago after some mega frustrating experiences:

1. Do not buy things that are not on sale. They will be there tomorrow and there is no reason to stand in long lines for stuff like that.

2. Do not get a cart unless your purchase calls for it. they are too big to maneuver and in large crowds you end up with a traffic jam situation.

3. Decide who will be the place holder upon entering the store. Put that person in line and then go get what you need and bring it to them. Warn the other shoppers around you that you are merely a placeholder and others will be bringing their stuff to you. People are usually cool with you doing this.

4. Cut the weak link from the herd. If you give people fair warning about where you are in the line progression and they do not make it back by the time you are at checkout....leave them. They need to just fend for themselves. Brutal, I know.

5. For the love, if you have a cart take it with you. Do not leave it in the middle of an aisle. Nothing drives me more crazy than people who detach from the cart for a side conversation thus causing a traffic jam. Costco shoppers are notorious for this.

6. If you are not sure if you want to buy the on sale item, get it anyway and bring it back if you change your mind. At least you will have gotten it at the sale price if you decide to keep it.

7. NEW RULE! (Thanks Kelly) Sweet mercy people, if you cant find childcare for black Friday, dont go. I hate few things more than seeing little children out in the cold at 0"dark hundred with their parents. And on a harsh note, I dont want to hear you children screaming at 4am and you being a horrible parent to them at that hour....well ever. Stay home!

Killer deals!

Here are my killer deals that I will be doing tomorrow morning. All of the below listed deals will be using the coupons from the stellar "Big Thanksgiving Coupon Book" from Safeway. If you didnt get one of those yet, good luck. It might be easier to procure crack, Im sayin.

Yokes:
1. (4) Progress Soups 4/$5
-(2) $1/2 coupons
-(2) doublers
(2) Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie Mixes $.99
-(1) $1/2 coupon
-(1) doubler
Total OOP= $1 BOOM

2. (2) Bisquick Mixes $2.99
-(2) $1/1 coupons
-(2) doublers
(2) Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie Mixes $.99
-(1) $1/2 coupon
-(1) doubler
Total OOP= $2

Albertsons

1. Kikoman soy sauce $1.99
- use $1/1 internet printable (ok so almost all from Safeway coupon book)
-use 1 doubler
(2) Coffee mate creamers*****peppermint mocha, oh yah****
-use (2) $.50/1 coupons
-use (2) doublers
Total OOP= $1

2. ( 2) Sierra Mist $1.29
- use (2) $1/1 coupons
- use (2) doublers
1 McCormick Black Pepper $2.50
-use $1/1
-use doubler
Total OOP= $.50

Happy couponing

Ode to the Eye

This morning I thought I would try,

To write an ode to the eye.

This is not a sad story so dont cry,

It's just an ode to my eye.

It has been over two decades now,

My brother was showing me how,

To swing a club like a bat,

I should have watched out for that!

My left eye he hit and I fell,

To the ground and it hurt like h3ll.

I dont remember starting to cry,

but from there I couldnt see out of my eye.

Many surgeries came the following years,

No more tears, no more tears.

Now I see two of all vistas,

People sometimes think Iam a sista! (lol) (I am hilarious)

Depth perception I have not,

But my real eye I still have got.

Anytime my girls are starting to fail,

I remind them about this tale.

I dont want them to one day try,

to write an ode to their "eye".

Small Group

We have the funnest small group if I do say so myself. One year we went to a Bed and Breakfast here in the tri (different group). Last year we got food poisoning together from the Whitehouse Crawford. This year we celebrated Valentines day together.....well those of us who werent having a baby. And Friday night we had a progressive dinner, in costume. Pictued above we have some great costumes.

The Cooks were cave men or maybe the pc way to say it is cave people. Their costumes rocked and Mary's was complete with a bone in her hair. The cooks prepared the appetizer for the night and the highlight for me was eyeballs.

The Shultzs' did not dress up at first (Terry later got dressed in a clown costume with Rasta hair, lol). So someone said that they were dressed as homicidal maniacs becuase they look like the average Joe, right? Inventive if you ask me. The Shultzs started us out with drinks.

The Gundersons got decked out in western 20's attire. Stacia completed the outfit with a fag. Yah, I typed that right a fag. That is the proper name for a long stick that a cigarette is put on the end of way back when, or so Im told. Matt made some delish pies for dessert.

The Cases were very creative. They were Chilean miners. Im sure you probably know of how all those miners were rescued just recently. Very current eventish and "A" gameish. My fav part to the outfits was the note that they handed us when opening the door it read, "We are ok". Hilarious!The Cases made da' bomb salad with Josh's great grandpas french dressing, a real treat.

The Parkers vibed Twilight. This was a major feat for Sean to dress up. But Amy Edwarded his hair and sprayed him with glitter. She was vampire Bella sporting a team Edward shirt, converse shoes, brunette wig and backpack. Stellar. Also, she glittered too. Parkers and Littrells teamed for the main dish and made fajitas.

We were superheros. I have wanted to do this for several years but it just came together this year. Everyone kept calling Chris Dash instead of Mr. Incredible. I thought he looked like MR. incredible. If I looked like someone it would have been Violet and that would have just bee weird. Father/daughter, or brother, sister. Awkward. Anyways, we stopped by the Pasmas so that they could judge our costume contest and the Cullens won. it was fun to go see everyones houses! FUN FUN FUN

Overdue....I know

So much has happened since the last time I was on a blog roll. here are a few of the highlights:

My sister in law had my new niece. Her name is Samantha Michelle and she was born at home. Did you hear me, at home! My sister in law is amazing and showed amazing strength in delivering her newest addition (9 lbs) at home on 10-10-10. Wowza! Chris and I had the priviledge of keeping our other two Ramirez nieces for a night while mom, dad, and baby settled in. Loved out time!

I went on a womens retreat, my first ever and it was fabulous. God is really growing Crossview and it is fun to be a part of, an honor really. We went to Ross Point in Post Falls, ID. I roomed with some great people and we were in Europe, does it get any cooler than that? Our fashion show rocked the house and was won by a deserving lady! The speakers for the weekend convicted me and broke my heart. It was a great experience.

Some good friends of ours tied the knot and then had their wedding reception a few weeks later. We were the only ones outside family to be at the ceremony, so that was a huge honor. Mike and Teri Galloway make a beautiful couple. At their reception last weekend I had so much fun dancing with my family. There is a pic of my husband dancing and I love it so much. His face is so cute and I enjoyed dancin to "forever" by Chris Brown....we are hilarious. He also requested our song from our wedding and we danced to that, just us. Special. Alli caught the boquet at this wedding. Had fun with Joel and Jessica Baker at the wedding. We sat together and then got to dance together a bit. The girls got baloons with $1 bills in it, very cool.

Chris' cousin Amy and her now husband Tim were married the beginning of the month too. Chris officiated this wedding and it was sure an honor to be a part of it. Dani caught the boquet at this wedding. This destroyed Leilani. She is a flower lovin girl. Poor girl. Hopefully the next wedding will be kind to her.

Chris dedicated my best friends baby Megan. He rocked it. It was really special because of how close we are with the Parkers and how I will always remember this. It was beautiful and she looked so cute, complete with a little pink bracelet. Loved, loved.

Some friends and i went out for a late birthday dinner at Bonefish. My bestie treated me which was fab! She rocks! I had a delish Pom. martini, Kobe burger, and Bananas Foster. Yum-o! We had fun conversation and got to know each other better......maybe a little too well. Our small group is great and my next post will be devoted to it. Here are most of the women in our group, missing is Mary Cook.

Interesting Stage and thoughts

This is where I am....in an interesting stage. I am done having my babies but not in the workforce. I am a college graduate, but have never used my degree. I have a love for the Spanish language but rarely practice it. Couponing is a passion and I hope to pass on the wisdom to others who hope to be frugal. So, to all of it, I am in an intersting stage.



Two years ago I was a mother of a two year old, I watched a two year old. My kindergartener went to school every morning that her big sis did and my cup runneth over. To be clear, my cup still runneth over but I am in a different place. What should I do next?



Here are some of my thoughts:

I would like to become a group fitness instructor. Not sure how hard that would be but I am sure I could do it. I would love to get paid to work out quite frankly. I think I might be good at it. Might inquire next week about what one would do to pursue that. Fun to toy with.

I am home schooling my oldest next year, really looking forward to the time we will get on this. She is excited too. One on one time will be invaluable as she approaches some tough years and highschool. Love Dani so much, she is a huge blessing to all those she is in contact with.

I am teaching a couponing class for the city employees in a couple weeks. Wonder if I will be good at it. I will practice because if they have seen my husband present they will probably be expecting something great from me and I wouldnt want to disappoint. Really excited about this tho!

I only worked out two times this week and I like it. Not that I want to make a habit of that but my body has enjoyed the rest time!

My daughters rock!

Yokes Candy Sale

Here is the low-down on the ho-down. Once a year Yokes does a candy sale. I am not sure how great it really is this year, but will probably still go. In previous years every bag of candy goes for $1.69, no limit. This year, they have made the price $1.96. Not great but probably worth a look I believe the prices at Walmart are $2-2.50/bag. I love stocking up on candy becuase I have fun tallying the trick-o-treaters at our house. Last year we had over 300, I wonder what it will be this year!?So here are some of the coupons I will be using this Friday at the candy sale:

Hersheys $1/3 (includes Reese's, Kit Kat, Hershey's bars. all snack size bags) 9/26 SS

Kraft Caramels $.55/1 given to me by a friend who got them from Yokes by the caramels

Nestle $.50/2 (nestle crunch, butterfinger and babe ruth snack size bags) found in the yokes a couple months ago....I have been hoarding.

$1/2 Starburst, Skittles or Lifesavers- coupons.com

$1.50/1 Wonka Mix-Ups- coupons.com

$2/1 Nestle Butterfinger, Crunch and Wonka Variety Bags- coupons.com

$2.50/2 Nestle variety bags- coupons.com

Happy couponing!

Hanging down!

BHAHAHAAH!

here is a Lou/C conversation:

L: Dad do you sometimes wish you were a boy?
C:Honey, I am a boy.
L: Oh, yah. Do you sometimes wish you were a girl so that you didn't have that thing that hangs down?
****me- BHAHAHAHAHA****
C: Well, I like being a boy. And that thing that hangs down actually has a name.....it is called a penis.
L: Oh, I don't like penises. Penis, penis, penis.
C: All boys have penises. Boy dogs, boy cows, ect.
L: I bet they wish they were girls. I don't like penises.

****if i don't know how to spell penises, don't judge me. I don't like to say the word, so typing it is a stretch*****

Memories

Last weekened we spoiled our girls. Really made the time about family and fun. Friday night we took the kids to a KHS football game. We did this a lot in 2007 and 2008, none in 2009 and so we had to go in 2010. As usualy KeHS fell apart well the whole game and was a huge disappointment, but the kids loved it. We had dinner at the tailgate party pregame. $10 fed the whole family, killer deal.

Saturday morning we got the girls up and moving so we could get on the road to Silverwood. I was the only one who had been there before and it had been over a decade, so it felt new to me too. The girls had a blast. They did rides I never thought possible. C and the two older ones went on one called the panic plunge. I never thought they would go on that but they loved it. Well, the girls did anyway. Amy coersed me to go on it too and it was scary and fast. She also took me on a crazy roller coaster that made me ill for two hours after but it was worth it. It was a surprise to the girls that the Parkers were there. We acquired free tickets from the lovely Anne Rogers from church. Our day consisted of bumper boats, a log ride, ferris wheel, countless airplane rides, tons of walking, homemade potato chips, juggling, a train ride and the list goes on.

Sunday we came home and surprised them with a Tri City Americans Hockey game. Chris got some free tickets from work so we went. It was kids carnival night so they played some games for .25. The game was over by 7:30 so we came home, put girls to bed and fell into bed ourselves. Exhausted would be a good word for the weekend. I think this will be one that goes down in the books as a weekend remembered for them though. fun fun fun

Love of a Lifetime

I really dont think about this phrase much. As many of you know the general roles in my marriage are reversed in several key areas. C is definitely the "great love of my lifetime." While speaking to a soon to be bride last night she referred to her groom in this way. A couple months back I really pondered this thought. It is so clear but often the depth of it is missed (by me anyway). We get one lifetime. When God gives you a spouse he gives you a witness to your "one" lifetime. THis is all we get folks..... this one lifetime. To say, " I have chosen to spend this time I have with you, all of my life", is an enormous gift. You are asking that person to be your witness in the good and bad, high and low, ugly and beautiful moments. ASking them to trudge thru the difficult spots and rejoice in the joys. This sounds better in my head, not always the best with words. Anywho, I really feel blessed by the spouse I have. I was overcome with a sense of honor thinking that I am the one that C wanted to be with for his lifetime. (I wouldnt choose me half the time, but he did....and now is stuck with me WHAHAHAHAH)

Oh, the luck!

The above photos are from the Tri City herald and look who is in them. That's right, he's with me. No not the joker on the ground, the hottie in the back.

There is a home off of 27th that is constantly being run into. I feel horrible for them. It is usually just their fence, but the paper this morning tells a different story. Not only did the most recent offender run into their fence.... but into their house. Over the years I have watched the morning bring disheveled fences. They will put huge posts in the corner of their lot (hopefully warranting off crashers) but to no avail. It seems as soon as they fix it, it is hit again. I would hate to be their home insurance carrier. One year the person ran into their corner fence and then proceeded down their property continuing to take out the fence along the ditch. What luck? Honestly, you couldnt pay me enough to live there. NO WAY!

When Mom's here!

Fun time begins! My mom is an amazing woman. When I was a kid she did so many things that were special and that I will remember forever.

- She dressed up as a witch when I was in first grade and brought "ghost pops" to my class. I did not realize it was her because her make up was so great. Complete with green face, black wig and warts. Classic!

-I never remember her losing her temper with my brother and I. Some days I begin at the end of my rope. I never remember that with her. She always had time, always made time and included my bro and I, not as an obligation but because it was truly what she wanted to do. I remember my brother dropping the "f" bomb in a grocery store when he was little. She didnt blink an eye but rather went about her shopping and met him at the front of the store. He later ate soap but she was stellar under pressure.

-She was my brownie leader when I was a kid. Being a mother now I realize that this was truly a sacrifice on her part. I know I dont want a houseful of girls weekly, but she did it and did it with flair.

-when I was in middle school I had really low self esteem. I was concerned with my complexion, my weight, and my buck teeth. She made it her personal goal to help me feel better about these things. I got braces. She started me on a skin treatment system and I stopped eating. Well, she didnt help with the last one, that was self-initiated but it took care of the weight thing. LOL.... can we laugh about this yet mom?

-Birthdays and Christmas were really special! We didnt have much money but these were really special times.

-My mom would pack my lunch on my birthday full of presents. I would act surprised when I opened the box at school (after the first couple years I caught onto this and would anticipate it) and she would come and bring me McDonalds. I spesifically remember getting Garbage pail kids cards in my lunch box in fifth grade. Really special and I have tried to continue this tradition.

-At Christmas time she would bake probably 15 different types of cookies. Our house was seriously like a bakery growing up. Better even. Have you tasted my moms ninamo bars or double decker fudge? You havent lived until you have tasted those....heaven!

-I share a love of cookbooks with mom. We love to pour through them and earmark things to make. The cookbook must have pics tho!

-It was always really special when my mom would come an visit me after having a baby. I was so excited to present her with her new grandchild. It was like the revealing the heavily anticipated gift after 9 mos.

These are just a few of the fun things that I remember my mom doing. A couple weekends ago she let C and I go on a late anniversary trip to Selah. When I got home I found these in the fridge. They are octopus hot dogs. One daughter did not find this appetizing, but the other two thought it was great. She is so creative and my girls adore her. I hope that I measure up to her in the eyes of my daughters! I love you mom!

Dani Moriah

This girl made me a mother! I cant believe I have had her on the outside world for 10 years! Am I old enough to have a ten year old? Amy, no one asked you! Anywho, today we will celebrate her tenth year of life with the fam. She wanted a blizzard ice cream cake for her birthday but I was hesitant. Those puppies are crazy expensive.....but C said that he would celebrate his birthday on the same night so I can get one cake for the two birthdays. Also.....bonus, ice cream cakes are half price on Monday. So, boom! $15 for a huge blizzard ice cream cake for everyone to enjoy.

For those of you who dont know us, we have one big party a year. Between the three girls we could not have three large parties and quite frankly we still get together with family on their special night. This year it was Leilani's party and she chose to go to chuck e. cheese with friends and family. Next year, Alli will be getting her big party.

Last night C and I got a date. I love this night and look forward to it. We usually get dinner (discount at Fiesta, 1/2 price steak fajitas, yum-o!) but last night we dinnered and then shopped for birthday shoes. heeleys to be exact. Dani's feet are almost as big as mine, 5 1/2. WOWZA, she is getting so tall! We finally found a pair at JC Pennys and the price tag read $65. Yikes, but we were gonna get her that one thing. Well when it rung up it came out to be $30 off. So happy! We then went over to target and got her a DS game she wanted, also on sale, and went home feeling accomplished. So today, Happy Birthday to my Dani!

Bye Summer

Last weekend at the B&B the owner served this amazingly simple water with lemon and cucumber in it. Delish. I know there cucumber haters out there, but really you should expand your horizons. You know who you are! Since we got home I have been implementing this incredible drink and have been more hydrated this week than all summer. I think it tastes like summer. Refreshing with a little kick.

Popcorn

Anyone else out there love popcorn? Well, I do and yesterday (after frequenting one of my favorite blogs: fistfulofcoupons.com) I found this and tried it out. Did you know that you can make your own microwave popcorn by putting 1/3c of corn kernels in a small brown lunch sack and microwaving it for two minutes? Be sure to fold the top over two times to ensure that the popcorn doesnt go everywhere in the micro. I was sure the thing would catch on fire, but to my delight it did not. The first time I tried it I was standing by with fire extinguishing measures.......on second thought I should have let the fire department be dispatched here. Dang! Anywho, delish popcorn and completely healthy! When it was done I added some spray butter and salt....perfect! I would recommend that you listen for popping to slow and then pull it out. By no means am I assuming responsibility if you all set your kitchen on fire. So instead of buying three bags of microwave popcorn for $2.50, I bought 1 lb of kernels and 50 bags for $2.50. This will make between 15-20 bags of popcorn. AND, if you do movie night with the kids you can give them each their bag and let them flavor it to their liking. My personal fav is either the above mentioned or some tapatio and parmesan cheese, delish. Killer deal!

A Weekend Remembered

Last weekend C and I had the opportunity to steal away for a night and celebrate a late anniversary and go to the most beautiful wedding I have ever seen. First off, the B&B was called The Wine Country Inn. It was located in Selah and was exactly what we needed relaxation wise. There was no tv and no internet connection (which I thought would make it boring) that turned out to be a blessing. We had time to lounge in the hammock, walk the grounds, feed the koi and enjoy each others company.

We also had the chance to meet two couples while there, both on their honeymoon. The first was really interesting. I love to watch the dynamics between people and try to fill in the blanks. This couple was young, in love, and still not at a complete comfort level with each other. Their movements were awkward and interaction stiff. Not stiff in a bad way, stiff in an "Im still getting to know you" way. It was pure to watch them interact and to see this new bride and groom feeling what it was like to live as husband and wife. Truly it was a gift. They didnt know it, but it was to me.

The second couple knows people from our church and is moving to kennewick. Their car was decorated as one might expect a honeymooners car to be decorated. On his side of the car it said things like "I love sex!" and hilarious pictures of anatomy. On her side was talk of love. Their friends had blacked out their license plate and C was sure that was so that they would get pulled over alot and have to explain their car. Hilarious! Small world.

Our final fun on the trip was Rey and Diane's wedding. It was the most beautiful thing. Located at the Cascade Gardens in Yakima, Rey had traded electrical work on the facility for use of it for his wedding. Bartering does not happen often enough in my opinion. C did a fabulous job.....I get to brag on him. If you dont like it, get off my blog! I felt like he very eloquently removed himself from the service and put the spotlight on God and on the couple. Diane was so Beautiful! The family and friends were exceptionally kind and a woman named Belinda took us under her wing and let us hang with her family. We loved! Horchata, rice, chicken, beans, tortilla chips, salsa, and pork was on the menu....delish! Praise God for a beautiful weekend and for leaving us longing for more!

Hi, My name is Jaimie and I am a couponer!

So last night was a very successful couponing trip. At Albertsons Kraft is running a promotion that for every 5 items you buy you get a $5 catalina. Killer deal! So this is what I got

5 Oscar Mayer Hot dogs (or weiners for those of you who like to say weiner)

10 kraft cheeses (shredded or mini bricks)

10 cool whips

_______

2 ice creams that C asked me to come home with

Total out of pocket: $2.50

Wowza! this is a rolling deal so you can just keep doing it over and over and over and over.... you get the idea. I did this 6 times alternating with a friend and other shoppers were amazed. They were like, " you are getting all that for free?" Yes, yes I am!

Hi, My name is Jaimie and I am a couponer!

The other photo is of Lou's first day of school. She is soooooo cute. Today mommy get's a little treat b/c I am going to a firefighter viewing....I mean I will be chaperoning a field trip to the fire department. WHAHAHAHAH!

First Day of School

Bittersweet time for me. I truly enjoyed the summer with my girls. This last week and a half they have been at each other's throats though. Yesterday the BG's went to their first day and today Lou has her first day. I am relishing in the thought of having no children home for a few hours a few times a week. One day I am gonna come home and just sleep......perhaps today. It is another beautiful fallish day here in the tri. The type where you want to throw on jeans, a comfy sweatshirt and fuzzy socks. Grab a warm cup of joe and a good book.....maybe that is what I will do this afternoon. We'll see.

Lou is super excited about her day. I suggested that she wear her tutu last week but she said "no". This morning she came out with it on and I was more than pleased, I just had to be her idea. On a side note, we are surprising the kids with an impromptu trip to Silverwood. Iam sooo excited to see their faces when they realize where we are going. Also, the hotel we are staying at has a pool and hot breakfast in the morning (both pre-reqs in my my for a good hotel).

Fun Fun Fun couponing

Here were my transactions from this morning. Sadly, no picture to show:

Albies:

(4) Nestle refrigerated cookie dough
(4) Danimals Crush cups
(4) Rhodes Frozen Rolls
(2) Always Pads
(2) Tampax Tampons
Amaretto coffeemate creamer
Bagel Bites
Playtex Tampons( free coupon for this printed out after buying 2 tampax and 1 always)

Total OOP= $9.60

So, this was spread over 6 transactions and here are the coupons I used:
4 $1/1 nestle cookie dough 8/22 SS
4 $1/1 rhodes warm n serve rolls 8/8 RP
2 $1/1 Always pads 8/1 PG
2 $1/1 Tampax tampons 8/1 PG
4 $1/1 Danimals crush cup coupons from fall coupon book
$1/1 bagel bite coupon from a magazine
$.55/1 coffee mate creamer from Sept All You magazine (great coupons this month!)


total of 18 doubler coupons, three per transaction

Killer deals and now my husby is out pillaging Walgreens for their great deals.

Benton County Fair

Last night we took the girls to the fair, yeehaw! We are cheapos so the girls only got to go on one ride each. That alone cost almost $12. WOWZA! Alli went on this big silde/ maze/ obstacle course thing that was over in like a minute. Dani didnt understand the options so she didnt go on anything. and little Lou went on a kiddie roller coaster all by herself. I really cherished watching the confidence in her walk and joy in her face getting into that thing. The little girl getting on right before her did not have anyone to sit with either, so it worked out nicely that they had each other. Towards the end of the ride they started putting their hands in the air as they went around. Incredible joy on their faces. I loved it.

Next year I think we might try to go to the rodeo. We got there a little late to get a seat but saw some calf ropin' and the rodeo princess and queen. That was a highlight for the girls. "Is she a real queen?" The were mesmerized.

Dont Judge Me

God is more gracious to me than I ever would have dreamed....
I am blessed beyond measure...
I treat headaches with ooey gooey carmel brownie blizzards...
I love to let my girls cake on make-up compliments of a certain retired Mary Kay consultant...
My youngest two girls rule at "chicken foot"....
Bejeweled blitz is the single most addicting game I have ever played...
Twilight is stinkin' awesome....
Vampires Suck movie was totally off color and totally hilarious....
I love pomegranate martinis....
Rum is my hard A of choice....
My husband is a rockstar that lets me get away and not be "mom" for a while....
It took me about a month for me to forgive my dog for pooping on my new carpet...
Peanut butter frosts and peppermint mocha creamer is heavenly....
Couponing is an amazing hobby....
My daughters are beautiful, smart and hilarious....
The words "Flint Lockwood" can be soooooooo funny when tired and silly....
My friends brother totally looks like a guy from Hannah Montana....
The summer has flown by....
I love love love my Wednesday zumba class....
Zumba skirts rock....
Bucking the rules of conformity is fun....
Zucchini in the oven is delish....
Boom!

28

Yesterday was my brothers birthday. Here are some of the pics from said event. My girls adore him and Im sort of fond too. I cant imagine how difficult it has been for him all these years knowing he is my parents "second" favorite but he seems to get by! BHAHAHAHA! The boy rarely reads my blog so let's see just how long I will be able to get away with that. Funny I am!

In other news my little lovies have been sick which has really put a cramp in my work out schedule. Wondering if God is "giving" me this as a break that I desired a couple weeks back. I remember while in MT thinking that I would like to go a whole week without having to go anywhere or do anything. And thus far, that is what this week has looked like. Funny how things that look like an annoyance in your life might turn out to be a gift. Deep I know. The battle that goes on in my mind when not working out is, " Can I justify eating this if I am not working out?" Silly to be worried about stuff like that but it is like an addiction. I honestly worry that I will instantly get fat when not working out. So, today my goal is to be good with food. Not crazy, but good.

Bomb Deals

Ok, quickly here are a couple scenarios I am gonna rock tonight:

Albertsons:

5 Betty Crocker Cake Mixes $1.00 each
5 betty Crocker Frostings $ 1.50 each

Use (5) $.75/2 coupons from 8/8 gm insert
Use (3) doublers
Instant $5 Promo off

= $1.50 oop and 50 box tops for school
WOWZA!!!

Safeway:

4 Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks

use (2) $.50/2 coupons from 8/8 GM insert or coupons.com internet printable
load your card from shortcuts.com with $.50/2 (this will only work the first time)

=$2.50 oop--->you get a $2 oyno catalina

Do it again

4 Betty Crocker Fruit snacks

use (2) $.50/2 coupons from 8/8 GM insert or coupons.com internet printable
use your $2.50 catalina

=$.50 oop WOWZA again-----> $2.00 catalina

You can keep doing this till your hearts content. With school starting and sports coming, it is good to have these on hand when it is your turn to bring a snack! Happy couponing.

**Update** I did this transaction three times last night totaling $5.87!

couponing post for tomorrow!

Here is the damage I plan to do at Albies tomorrow:

#1

3 Nut Clusters
(3) $1/1 from 8/8 GM insert
(3) doublers
$1.50 OOP---->$1.50 catalina to roll on next transaction

2 Pillisbury Sweet Moments
(2) $1/1 from 8/8 GM insert
$3.00 OOP

5 Totinos Party Pizzas
$1/5 internet printable @ coupons.com
$5.25 OOP

OK, Total $9.75 total - $5 promo(every 10 items you buy)= $4.75 OOP and $1.50 catalina

#2
6 Yoplait Go-gurt
(3) $.75/2 from 8/8 GM insert
(3) doublers
$7.50 OOP

2 Bugles
(2) $.50/1 from 8/8 GM insert
$2.00 OOP

2 chex mix
(2) $.50/1 GM insert
$2.00 OOP

Ok, Total $11.50 - $5 promo- $1.50 catalina= $5 OOP

#3
2 Pepperidge farm cookies $1.99
(2) $1/1 internet printables
(2) doublers
1 Chips Ahoy cookie pack
(1)$1/1 July All You magazine
(1) doubler

$.49 OOP Wowza!

#4
3 Ritz Crackerfuls $1.99
(3) $1/1 from SS 6/6
(3) doublers
$3 OOP( my fam adores these so it is worth the $1 each)

Sidenote*** The first two transactions will yield 50 boxtops each too! Free money for your school is always a bonus!***

**Update** I altered the first transaction into one and did the nut clusters at safeway as they were a better deal. Totaly OOP for the pic above was $2.20!

Long Overdue Post- Cannon 2010

Here are some fun pics from our family vacation a couple months back. We stayed for a while week and it was peaceful.... most of it. C really enjoys playing with the camera and while we were there, Kathy (my sil) showed him how to use another feature on it (b/c we have the same camera). So as you can imagine, I became a photo widow for a bit, but I didnt mind b/c the company was sooo great.
My in-laws rented this amazing house right by Haystack. Seriously, they had a picturesque window with Haystack right in the middle of it, absolutely beautiful. We sure enjoyed spending time with them and making s'mores right on the beach. Another really fun thing we did with them was to rent recumbant bikes and go on the beach. At the time is was a disaster. Alli cried almost the entire time and Dani about 1/3 of it. Their legs hurt, they were not in 1st place (little competitive hearts), they were tired.....and on and on and on. Later that evening when we asked them their favorite part of the day, they said the bikes. Really? You guys whined and complained the entire time???? It was a highlight for me too though. We got to see a lot of the beach and it was fun to all be one big family, all 11 of us! Love the pic of my fam on the rock too. This might make another appearance on Christmas cards even though not everyone is smiling. Do you realize how hard it is to get a picture with everyone smiling? Like trying to catch the wind.
We also went to Hug Point one day and got some nice pics there! The girls enjoyed hiking up to the waterfall and going in little caves. We touched star fish and sea anemone (sp). I hope to go back again but I think we might stay in Seaside next year. We end up going there almost every day anyway and I think it is a bit cheaper. The lowlight of the trip was that I had to rent a carpet cleaner for a bed. Lou peed the bed, yuck! Also C spilled red wine on the carpet so I got to use it on that too. Praise God for Safeway in Seaside.

***evidently my computer is playing stupid today so no pics. Two unsuccessful tries and I am done***** PEACE OUT

Thrifty Thursday!

So many of my favorite bloggers have clever little daily sayings, so I thought I might try a blog with one. Here are a few of my favorite thrifty things:

1. Coupon, coupon, coupon! I save hundreds monthly doing this. It was quite time consuming for the first several months, but in recent months I do it at my leisure. It is totally a hobby now and I see a regular savings of $200/ month. This is not buying cheap food, but name brands. And, I am increasing my stockpile of food and still doing these kinds of savings. For tips here are a few of my favorite blogs:
fistfulofcoupons.com and fabulesslyfrugal.com

2. If you enjoy going out, hit restaurants when the kids eat free or there is a discount. Here are some of my favorites:
Monday: 6 Degrees- Kids Eat Free
Tuesday: Fiesta- 1/2 price Steak Fajitas. My whole family can eat for about $17 before tip.
Wednesday: Applebees: Kids Eat Free wyb an adult meal.

Many local restaurant websites also offer free "birthday" meals if you sign up for their newsletter. Something to think about.

3. Take your own school pictures. When we lived in Everett I could get a massive package of pictures for $14. I was horrified not to find this when we moved home to the tri. It is crazy expensive. For $14, I can print all of the girls pictures and have enough to hand out to friends and family. Im just sayin, if it is just a matter of handing out photos to fam. take your own pictures and print them out at costco or home. way cheaper and you can see what you are getting before buying.

The Deadliest Catch

I love this show. I have taken to renting episodes from the library as I do not have the discovery channel boo. The Northwestern is my favorite boat and Sig my favorite captain. Funny fact: When I lived in Everett, my friend Michelle (who lived in Edmonds) had a student that had Sig as a neighbor. I even went as far as to look up Sig and Edgar in the phone book. What was I gonna do? Stalker much, I know. Silly things I do.

Few things I dont like:
Vomiting kids: Praise God I dont have any right now. Hope to keep it like that, just a general disdain.
When someone walks out of the bathroom you are waiting for and they have torn it up. Seriously, then the person waiting after me is gonna think I created that disaster. Oh, I hate that!
Cleaning guns: love the convo that ensues with C during such events, but seriously hate doing it.
Twilight Haters: Seriously? Have you read the books and you are still a hater? Tell me what you like and I will "hate" on it. BOOM!
Bad Drivers: Get off your phone for the love of pete! You already stink as a driver, you talking and driving is not a good combination. May you get a ticket!
Feeling Fat or Ugly: self explanitory
Having to discipline in public always concerned that someone will get up in arms on me. but in recent years have decided I dont care. I know the law and am not breaking it. I see all the sucky parenting around me and guess I am just leveling the parenting field.
Sexy movie scenes nine times out of ten, the same message could have been conveyed without the sex. Really uncomfortable especially if you are watch this type of movie with anyone other than your spouse. Awkward!
Sucky Fitness Instructors: I might be spoiled by amazing instructors, but some outright suck and shouldnt be doing it.
Bad Customer Service: My inner bitch tends to come out without my knowing. Several times after getting off the phone with people C will point out how utterly annoyed I sounded. Working on this......sometimes.

The Happs

Ok, so I only have three minutes to write this before my drop dead internet time begins. here is the happs with us the last few days:

Swim lessons continue to go well for my chitlins
Enjoyin leisure evenings with the family
Still cracking up about lines from the movie 4 Christmases
DQ ooey gooey carmel brownie blizzards continue to need me, or I them, whatever
The weather in the Tri is beautiful! and breezy
My girls are excited to go back to school.
I am still going to bed at a decent hour b/c I get up at an undecent hour.
My hairstylist did an amazing job last time on my hair and I am still lovin it
Couponing is awesome when the store practically pays me to exit!
Boom!
Getting a little burnt out on the club. Missing zumba but hopefully that will change when I can start going to that class again.
Doing a hula show tonight and excited about it.

Ok, time is out!

The Milky Way

Tonight while gazing at the stars I saw the milky way for the first time. Can you believe that? I am 29 years old and I had never seen the milky way.....it was there all along. My exact words were, "What are the light streaks in the sky, is there a light shining out there?" That would be the milky way. who knew? Also, there are constantly satellites going around out there. It is absolutely amazing. Apparently you have to have someone else see it too to "verify" that you saw it. This is the same rule for shooting stars which I also saw. Big night in BSC.

This really got me thinking. I have never been in the location or taken the time to see this that God made. What else am I missing? I was even called a "city girl". Not a term I would have used on myself, but it's true. I learned a couple things about myself . 1. I am a city girl. 2. I do not take enough time to truly enjoy the splendor put out there for us to marvel in. 3. I want my girls to know this vastness that I found tonight in BSC. 4. Reeses s'mores still rock. 5. My life has been very peaceful these last couple of days, I want to continue this tempo upon my return by whatever means necessary. 6. I attract the crazies. 7. There are far more stars than I ever dreamed out there.

So how do I go home and bring this peace and awe with me? Big question. I cant exactly transplant the family to BSC. Not sure a short trip would satisfy the fun I want to share with them, so Im not sure of the answer. Maybe this was just a glimpse for me. A gift from God of things to be excited for with my family. I go home tomorrow with renewal and excitement to see my family. It usually takes me a couple days and true to form I am missing them tonight.

Funny story. While at the "Crusin' by the Bay" concert tonight I was sittin' on the grass by Amy's family. The man next to us offered me a chair that was attached to his, it was nice so I accepted. We struck up friendly conversation. Mind you this man was from La Push and about 60. When I say that he had half his teeth I mean literally half. They were there but rotted to half way down. His nephew came back with the hooch and I tried to get up and give him his seat back. La Push man insisted I sit down and put his arm in front of me and said, "dont you dare." Ok, what do you say to that? He then pushed a beer on me. I took it and just put it in my cup holder. Amy said she did not like beer, whiskey however was another story. To her surprise his nephew whipped a bottle out and we laughed. INTEREStinG. Soon after we all decided to leave but not before getting a few pics by the bay. The above pic of us is the "Cullen" shot. Beautiful, stoic, indestructible, you get the picture. The second is of us this morning on the deck with our cups of Joe. The thrid Jordan took without my knowledge but , I'll allow it.

My husband rocks by the way! He daddied on all weekend with his daughters. Hopefully this weekend was as much of a gift for him as it was for me. He and the girls had a movie night, played barbies and ate plenty of ice cream. Thanks Babes I love you!

Relaxing and lookin for La Push

Big Sky Country is everything I would have hoped for. Maybe it is relaxing because I dont have any children with me. Maybe it is because I am not responsible for anyone but myself. Maybe it is because I am getting gobs of quality time with my bestie. Maybe it is just Montana.

I cant tell you the last time I sat on a deck and truly enjoyed the evening. I cant remember the last time I was spontaneous and jumped in the lake on a whim. I cant remember the last time I threw caution to the wind and ate anything and everything I wanted to. I cant remember the last time I napped mid-day and didnt have to wake up at a certain time.

I have done all of the above in the last couple of days. Amy's family has been so kind to let me tag along for a workout, open their home, take us to dinner. watch us go swimming and the list goes on. They have truly gone out of their way to make me feel comfortable. I have even felt comfortable enough to harass her brother, good times!

Tomorrow I will be sleeping in for as long as humanly possible. Really excited about this truth! Oh, BTW, the title of my post is partially due to the fact that Aim and I love Twilight! and we are on an indian reservation aka the Res. Since we love all things twilight there are a lot of "pack" people" here. Shout out to La Push baby!