Number 6 - Loren/Mirk

scrubs - guy love

This video is hilarious! Makes me smile every time I hear this song.

12 Years......feels like 12 minutes.....underwater

So joking. We heard this funny from Mark Gungor in one of his "Laugh your way to a better marriage" sessions. I definitly feel much too young to have been married for 12 years. It certainly hasn't felt like 12 years. Here are some of the important numbers from the 12 years:

>3 Girls: 9, 7, and 4
>9 major moves as a family (more with C solo)
>6 vehicles
>1 pet
>Almost 7 nieces and nephews
>1 brother in law, 1 sister in law
>6 deaths of family or people who felt like family
>2 homes owned
>3 countries visited (not all of us)
>2 family members who beat breast cancer
>4383 days that I have been a wife
>2 people still in love

****Praise God for the last 12 and here's to the next 12 ****

I See, says the blind man!

Over the years God has guided us through many big decisions. Whether or not to get out of the military (without a job mind you), blessing us with three healthy girls, amazing small groups that are always exactly what we need, financial blessings, the list goes on you get the point. As time continues, He reveals to us pieces of his plan. Showing his fingerprints all over our lives and constantly reassuring that we are taken care of. Here are a couple things He has revealed:

1. Lynnwood was an amazing agency for C to work for. He loved it! Braggin on the boy a bit, he was "IT" in the academy and slowly made a name for himself at his new department. Lynnwood has the best equipment, administrative support and better than decent pay. Two years after being a cop here, c got the opportunity to work in our home town and we jumped on it. Sadly leaving our small group but excited to be home with family.
In the years that followed Lynnwood has slowly gone down the tube. One of their administrators was convicted of stealing drugs and money from evidence. Huge black mark on the city and faith in the officers. When C worked there they had about 67 officers for a city that was 7 square miles. Doesnt sound like much huh? Well, during the day the population would double because of the businesses that were housed there, so many times officers would be alone on a call. **not the case in Kennewick** Next praise, God provided C a job to get his feet wet giving us the opportunity to transfer home after two years. He spared us the drama of admin failures and now the city may have to lay off 25 officers. Wow, we didnt see that coming but oh how he cares for us!

2. The followup house praise. As most of you may know, the economy sucks right now. Well right before the "bubble popped" we sold our home in Everett (in 30 days) and got out with enough to put a 20% down payment on a newer nicer home in T-town. Huge praise, God helped by orchestrating finances for us and we did not even know it. Amazing he is (in a Yoda voice)!

Jeremiah 29:11 has been on my heart and mind lately. Enjoy!

"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, " plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Nooner

If you know me, you probably know that not much embarasses me. Most topics are on the table and I usually start our friendship with the fact that I once ate out of the garbage while pregnant just so C cant hold that over my head. Well, today I outdid myself.

I called C because it looked like I had missed a call from him. He answered and proceeded to tell me that he would not be home from lunch b/c he and another guy from work had to go pick someone up in Spokane. I replied (joking), "So does that mean our "nooner" is off?" His retort, "Babe, you are on speaker phone." (laughing in the background)-----me horrified---Information that would have been useful 10 seconds prior. Oh well, it is what it is. C said, " I would be happy to take you up on the "nooner" tomorrow though. " UGH!

Ok, no nooner was taking place just to be clear. Just a joke, we have three kids for goodness sake there is no place to steal away for stuff like that. So there you have it. It takes quite a bit to embarass me, but I managed to do it.

Cereal Stock Up

It has been about 4 months since I last shopped for cereal, crazy. I would buy a bag here or there, I take that back. I got two bags last month for FREE! So, I didnt really buy it, that term was relative. Anywhoo, Safeway has a slammin deal going on right now. Buy 4 participating General Mills cereals, get $4 off instantly and a free box of Nature Valley Granola Bars. Boom! Also, I loaded my Safeway card with cellfire.com and shortcuts.com coupons. I had never done this before. To make it even a little more interesting, I did not have my Safeway card, so I was able to load them with the card number and then when I checked out I just entered my phone number and the coupons still worked. I was sooooooooo happy. Here is how it worked:

Buy 2 Apple Cinnamon Cherrios (my fav!)

Buy 1 Cocoa Puffs

Buy 1 Golden Grahams

Buy 1 box of Nature Valley Granola Bars

Use loaded coupons from cellfire and shortcuts.com

$.75/1 off GM Cherrios

$.55/1 off GM Cocoa Puffs

$.75/1 off GM Golden Grahams

$.50/1 Nature Valley Granola Bars

-and-

(2) $1/2 GM Cereals from SS 7/11

$.50/1 Nature Valley Granola Bars from smartsource.com

Total OOP= $2.91 AND I got a $1.50 Catalina

I was unaware of whether or not the coupons would be immediately dismissed from my safeway card, so I repeated the transaction. To my dismay, they do delete after usage, but I had a $1.50 catalina to roll into it. So, the second transaction was identical and it cost me $3.46 OOP and I got another $1.50 catalina. So for the total, I spent $6.37 and got

4 boxes of GM Apple Cinnamon Cherrios

2 boxes of GM Cocoa Puffs

2 boxes of GM Golden Grahams

2 boxes of NV Granola Bars and I still have $1.50 to spend. Good couponing experience!

Happy shopping

Couponers Heart

My last 3 albies doublers have been burning a hold in my couponing box, but I did not want to go and spend just to get rid of them. However, I went by Yokes (because I am a produce/meat snob and refuse to buy that at Walmart any more) to get some bananas and feta. While I was there I thought I would check the Bisquick b/c we were out of the heart healthy type and I wanted to see if it was on sale. Well good timing for me! It was on sale for $2.99/box and there were some $1 off peelies on the front of them. Needless to say, I got to use my doublers. Did I need 3 boxes of Bisquick? No, but I got all 3 for less than the price I would have paid for 1, BOOM! $2.97 of 3 boxes of the best pancake batter known to man.

Other couponing deals that I doubled were:

Yokes

$1.99 Coffee mate creamer on sale (that includes Peppermint Mocha, they have it now!)

- use $.50/1 from SS 5/2

- use Albies doubler

$1 each. Not a killer deal but if you are desperate for Peppermint Mocha as I am, this will speak to your heart.

$.99 Dentyne Pure Gum (found up front by video bar, Kennewick)

-use $1 from ?

free!

$1.99 Gilette Shaving Gel

-use $1/1 from 7/4 P&G

-use a doubler

FREE!

I got my husby 3 of these. Free stuff always tastes, feels, seems better in my humble opinion. but to be clear I am not tasting the shaving gel. Im just sayin that free food tastes better.

SIDEBAR*** On the topic of being a produce/meat snob. For a couple years we shopped exclusively at Walmart (pre couponing). Not only do I feel like I need to be packin' every time I go into there, but their quality (spesifically on meat and produce) sucks. Everytime I would buy fruit there it was go bad very fast. Or, I would get it home and some of my strawberries in the middle of the container would have mold growing on them. Their ground beef was way too stringy. I like to know that the meat I am eating was indeed beef at one point and when it looks like spag. noodles, not very appetizing. So there you have it. I love the produce and meat at Yokes. I can always score some meat that is on sale and stock up, and I am yet to be disappointed with the freshness of their fruits and veggies. I would encourage you to hit their fresh Friday sales b/c you can come away from there with some really competitively priced items. Even better deals than the ones I used to score at Walmart. ***End of Rant