Two Cups of Kids Blog

It's been a while...

2011-10-31T15:35:00.001-05:00

So the last time I posted {almost 12 weeks ago}, Payton was starting Second Grade. I think this is the longest I've EVER gone without posting anything. I remember when I longed to sit and blog in the evenings, but these days my longing is more for a pillow and some veg time in front of the television. We've been busy....darn busy!
Second grade has way more homework and study hours then I ever imagined. 5 minutes after Payton comes in through the door, she's sitting down to do homework. She's learned the longer she puts it off, the less play time she has in the evening. We're conditioning each other for a longer/harder road into the third grade. She's doing fabulously by the way! All A's and One B this past 6 weeks. Uber proud of my princess!

This is my busiest time of year naturally with school starting and holidays all wrapped into one. My little part time gig has a piece of me, along with the TCK family sessions, and mommyhood. Complaining, I am not! I love this hustle and bustle because it's all balanced and I feel extremely blessed! The only thing suffering is my blog....which I can deal with because I can always catch up. If you're my friend on FB, you've already seen my daily life. It's much easier to post on FB than it is to blog these days, but blogging I will not stop! This "journaling" if you will, is for my husband and my princesses. One day, this will be published into a nice little hardcover book for them.

So to catch you up on what we've done these past few months....let me begin with these little stinkers:

We attempted to have all three cousins take a picture together. My mom tells me: "I want one with all three faces, just their faces, BIG...on canvas". No big deal, right?

The warm up:

Then, Payton runs off to pick flowers or look at rocks or something like that and it's just Mischa and C-Man. {Still not what my mom wants}

Then, re-group because Payton is back and what do they do? Cut up, giggle, whine, laugh hysterically....

Nope...still not what my mom wants.

Then I try to get Caleb to show me his little brother/sister {it's a puppy he says}: Doesn't want to show me, could careless about it, and would rather just go play with his cousins.

Do you see what they put me through? NONE of these were a go! None were worthy of hanging on my mom's wall. She has a specific picture in mind. She's the HARDEST client to please!

So try #2 doesn't yield a much better result either because C-Man decides...nope, not smiling! Every. single. one. of his pictures has a frown! I'm close, but you know what that gets me!

So you see...I can take pictures of my clients and make them happy, but my own family I cannot please!

Patience: A minor form of despair disguised as a virtue.

~Ambrose Bierce

Product Review- Kashi Peanutty Dark Chocolate Layered Granola Bars

2011-10-24T14:32:00.000-05:00

Legal Disclaimer:

I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms Meet Program, May Media Group LLC, who received this product from the MFR. As a Moms Meet Blogger, I agreed to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the MFR of this product.

Kashi quickly became one of my families favorite products. It wasn't until last year that I had heard of this company [they've been around for 25 years!!!]. They manufacture naturally nutritious foods that are minimally processed and free of highly refined sugars and other additives...SCORE!!. I started buying Kashi cereal because I was able to snag some great deals on them through couponing [yes, there are coupons for natural and good-for-you products]. Little did I know that they made an array of different foods [breakfast, sausages, veggie patties, and even snacks].
When Moms Meet had an opening for the Granola Bar testing, I had to jump at the chance to try them.

I love trying new things but I have to say that I wasn't too impressed with the Dark Chocolatty part of it myself. However, it seems to have been a hit with my kids, my husband, and one in particular little boy that tried it at a gymnastics practice. So I think this is just me. Each Kashi Dark Chocolate Granola bar has 7 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein...Awesome right?!

They retail for $3.89 and you can find them at most major grocery stores nationwide.

Here are a few pics of our friends and family enjoying these great new granola bars!

First Day of Second Grade

2011-08-31T00:14:00.000-05:00

It's a new school year, new teacher, new friends, and new homework. After a rockin summer...Let me tell you, it's HaRd to get back into the swing of things. All of us have felt this first week, not just Payton. I think this is the first summer where I didn't have a schedule for them, I let them enjoy being kids, I enjoyed being a kid with them, and we just plain relaxed. I've been at this Stay-At-Home-Mommy mode for a while now and I felt comfortable "letting go" for a change. The beginning of a new school year surfaced a schedule none of us were ready for all over again. Early mornings, deadlines, remembering things, new personalities...the list is endless it seems. Daniel and I have not siezed praying for Payton as we see how things will slowly change with her and for her this year. She's understanding how this world works and how unpredictable people and circumstances can be. One thing is for certain, we are taking small teachable moments to show her that finding comfort in our Savior is where true happiness resides. Relying on Him and trusting Him at every step. We praise Him through our storms, we praise Him in our victories. This is going to be a pivotal year for my sweet girl, but I know God has her wrapped up in His loving arms. I felt that this week.

Peace.

Comfort.

Love.

Laughter.

May you have a wonderful 2nd Grade year my love!

"It's not what you don't have, it's what you do have"

2011-08-18T00:16:00.001-05:00

Humility at it's finest!

“To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to listen to stars and birds, babes and sages, with open heart; to study hard; to think quietly, act frankly, talk gently, await occasions, hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common — this is my symphony.” -William Henry Channing

Three Princesses. A Bride. A Wedding.

2011-08-11T22:39:00.001-05:00

Christy [my sister in law, but really more like my sister] is married. Yup...for over 2 months now she's been a Mrs. She was a Classic Beauty on that special day! One of the things I love about Christy is that she loves her family very much. She's a proud Aunt. She holds her nieces near and dear to her heart. Alex her new hubby loves them too and let me tell you, as a result of their love for them, these three princess felt just as beautiful and just as important as the Bride herself.

I snagged these pics from Christy's FB [I hope you don't mind Christy]...

We're working on Mischa's "natural" smile.

...and then the party started. This is the part Payton was looking forward to the most. Why? you ask. Because this child never leaves the dance floor. It started like this....

...and continued like this

...and I think I heard them call last song and Payton was still doing this....

Congratulations Christy & Alex! We love you guys!

Quick Pics SA Part III

2011-08-11T21:32:00.001-05:00

Part II. click HERE [and just so you know that I know that I screwed up on the numbering system. This is what happens when you blog late at night! I *think* that I got it straight on this post.

9. Has anyone seen Mischa? We had a bit of a Stay-cation after SA due to our garage door busting right before we left. So here we are enjoying an evening out at La Centerra eating the most delicious Yogurt outside.

10. Dear Payton, the bright pink and black polka dot dress does not give you away at all.

11. No swim shoes gets you band-aids galore in Bandera, TX

12. Bunk Bed that Payton and Mischa slept in at The Williams Ranch House. Accessories [optional].

Quick Pics SA Part II

2011-08-04T23:17:00.000-05:00

Part 1-Click Here

3. Blue Bell Ice Cream we ate while walking the streets of SA! Ice Cream--->evil stuff! No Lie.

4. Random Wall in Downtown SA, I have a thing for color and walls. My kids know I'm weird!

5. Landry's Lunch on the River walk in SA. A year ago this time...Mischa couldn't sit still in a restaurant.

BIG Strides here!

6. Side street vendors selling all things girly! Girls played more with the toys than caring about the fru-fru stuff.

To be cont...

My Little Americans [ a little late, but better than nuthin]

2011-07-21T23:35:00.000-05:00

You may or may not know this, but I am "newbie" American! Yep, I became an official United States Citizen in 2009. Crazy huh?! Especially since everyone thinks I'm a native cajun girl! HA! Sometimes it's even harder for people to believe that I know Spanish. I've caught some sneaky people sayin' some stuff out here in Texas [evil grin].

Soooo....to be able to photograph my girls wearing a flag was pretty special for me. Kinda solidified the American-ness about the whole thing. I AM proud to be an American and the girls are learning how lucky they are too!

Mischa even took it upon herself to Model for me...[surprise surprise]

Quick pics from SA

2011-07-21T23:12:00.001-05:00

1. At the Alamo sweating our bums off

2. Maze of Mirrors [where Mischa took a short walk down a long hallway---see video]

3. Found this random GREEN car wide-open, parked in the middle of downtown SA...so ya know...we act like tourists and stand next to it.

4. About 100 levels of awesomeness- feeding the Dolphins @ Sea World [We're sheltered like that]

2011 Arcement Vacay

2011-07-17T00:01:00.000-05:00

This video is bits and pieces of The Mirror Maze we did in San Antonio this year. We got an all day pass and I swear Payton had us go through it 20 times [not exaggerating]. She had this thing finally figured out by the end of the day. She had the same explosive reaction when she reached the end of the maze. Kids amaze me.

It is crazy how confusing this maze can be and how freakish it is to almost run into yourself or go to grab your kid and it's the mirror, not your kid. At about the 1:24 mark on the video, you will see that Mischa needed to find Payton and *I* assured her I was watching her. Hysterically and horribly enough she ran into a mirror...hello...BAD MOMMY AWARD!
I can't tell you how hard it was to hold it in. Go ahead...see for yourself. FUN FUN Maze!

Bells will be ringing! {well...they kinda already did}

2011-07-06T12:39:00.000-05:00

So I'm a ~~little~~ A LOT late in posting the shower pics for my GORGEOUS sister-in-law [whom- eHem...is married now}! I managed to somehow take pictures of the shabang but I have no idea how that happened because it seemed like everything went by in super duper lightening speed time! It went off without a hitch thanks to the lovely bridesmaids [Erica & Nutcha], my mother-in-law, my mom & dad, and well Daniel too!
Everyone had their part in it and it quickly became one very posh shower! Being that we're all from New Orleans, we had plenty of food...and boy was it DELISH!
We can throw one heck of a party!

Even little Mischa had a hand in the decorating!

See what I mean about the food?! Most of everything was homemade which made it even more tasty!

Typical Mischa...looking away when I need her to look at me. {she does this on purpose}

Even Daniel stuck around to help and boy-oh-boy did we need his help. He was totally ok with it though since he got paid with food.

My only regret: Not taking pictures of the bridal party! Boo Whoo!

Dog Days of Summer...

2011-06-23T23:28:00.000-05:00

{warning, Pic Heavy}

Well...It has been HAWT! We've had some blistering days as of late. So much so that I awkwardly loose my complete train of thought when I go outside. Can't tell you how many times I have forgotten to do things simply because I stepped outside for 2.3secs. The heat is making me stupider [I know...not a word, but rather appropriate considering the topic].

Bored we are not! We've had places to go, people to see, and things to do just about everyday since summer started. I can hardly keep up, but I'm not complaining! Promise! I'm in heaven!

We joined our local YMCA! My neighbors convinced me a few months ago and I can see why they love it so much! It has given me the "mommy-time" I have needed so badly during the day. A little secret though---I don't workout [well not recently], I use that time to catch up on editing or organizing my coupons. 2 hours [2-3 days a week]...L.I.F.E S.A.V.E.R

So my Mischa goes to her class while Payton does Cheer leading, Zumba, yoga, or whatever cool physical exercise. We all know how shy Mischa is so your prayers for her...don't stop! She needs more encouragement. My sweet timid girl.

We have continued our Posh Paper Route [One year this summer]! Woo Hoo! Girls continue to be paid the most with this job since it's the most labor intensive...and once again, the most gruelingly HOT one!
We're building endurance here...yeah...that's what we're doing.

Some days are lazy days...resting. I think Julie has a different idea of "resting", you?

We have made our very own SLIMY SLIME!!! We learned that Borax is the "agent" that causes the glue and water to create a chemical reaction! This is stuff is pretty stinkin cool! I need to load up on glue when school supplies go on sale. I know we'll be making more of this. If you want the recipe, email me.

The beginning [before the chemical reaction]:

When Borax is added it starts to coagulate {oh to hear Mischa say it "Cogalate"}

...and then you get the coolest-better-than-store-bought SLIME!

Coupons/Groupons...anything that makes fun things less expensive, I am always on the look out. I got a great deal with Juice In The City. It's a website designed for these sorta things. A few months ago I paid $5 for $20 worth of desserts at Oh La La! Insane deal! Seriously!
So Payton had the notion that we get Posh and have Tea or rather dessert there and that's exactly what we did.

Both Payton and Mischa got a limeade cupcake and my mom & I ordered Tres Leches! YUMMMMMY!

Doesn't it look refreshing!

Oh La La Extraordinaires!

We have experimented with making mammoth size bubbles. This was FUN even for Daniel & I! It's addictive. I have a really cool recipe and a frugal way to do this project. The only thing I bought was the glycerin. I'll have to make that another post.

So far the girls and I are having a wonderful summer. Daniel comes home and we spend most of the evening outside riding bikes, scooters, blowing bubbles, swinging, chalk walks, lounging, eating ice cream. You name it...we have probably done it. ...and the fun continues.

Payton's {Future} Smile

2011-06-08T00:45:00.000-05:00

Today, I finally got a chance to put my mind to rest. There are teeth people! She won't be gumming it the rest of her life... and she won't need dentures...and she'll have a beautiful smile on her wedding day. What? I was the OnLy one to have these ludicrous thoughts?!

You just have no idea what I have been watching the last few months. The avid attempts at "biting" into her food had/has become quite interesting. Followed by the "oh crap, you won't be able to eat that..." or the "um, mommy, remember???...I don't have front teeth so I can't open my own [insert object]".

see.

Yes. To see your child struggle hits you right in that sensitive part of your gut...the part that makes you think crazy thoughts. BUT, our dentist has been beyond phenomenal in the "It's ok mom...she's going to be fine" reassurance department. {God provides doesn't he!}

Here are her beautiful teeth. And let me begin by saying that I have never seen a childs xray before. First glance I had to do a double-what-the? Oh...those are her baby teeth, oh and THAT's her adult teeth! Ahhhh....ok! {says the dense mother}

Duh.

But you see, we are not totally in the clear. Her drs. advice: She needs to teeth. So basically she's back to square one...
Her gum tissue in that area is very thick [I'm paraphrasing here] and thus her teeth are coming in backwards. She's getting her lateralls first rather than "next". Her centrals are supposed to come in first.

So...what next. We wait. I know....It's killing me, but we're going to work on it this summer. Hopefully we see little buds by the time 2nd grade starts or at the very least Christmas [please, prettttty please?]
She's still as gorgeous as can be though!

Today's accomplishments: Top Molars capped....check; Teeth cleaned....check; gave mommy peace...check!

Side Note: This child likes the dentist SO much that she's convinced Mischa into going. I'm being BEGGED to make an appt. Mischa swears that her teef are moving!

{eeeeeeek!}

2011-06-04T11:04:00.002-05:00

Lookie what I found! My basil & tomato have begun to sprout!

What's in your car?

2011-05-31T21:28:00.000-05:00

Mine: Hello Kitty Sunglasses and coupons! ...and probably about about 2-3 stuffed animals in the back. Cherishing this forever!

Don't Laugh...

2011-05-31T15:40:00.004-05:00

Yes, I'm actually going to attempt to grow something. Specifically, Basil, Tomato, Chives, & Parsley. I know in the past I have cheated, but because I have such great in-laws and thus have given me so much inspiration [you should see their herb & veggie garden], I will attempt to grow my very own.
I know...simma down...this is big for me, so I'm starting small. I even have "water plants" on my outlook to help me! Sad, but it's true. Maybe now that Payton is going to be home, she can help remind me too...ya know, in case I hit "dismiss" on outlook. I need ALL the help I can get.

Now that I have the desire to cook....looks like I'm getting the desire to garden too. Freakish how this happens!

TrEaSuRe Score #2

2011-05-31T15:03:00.001-05:00

I have no idea why I'm scoring bunny things, but considering how adorable they are and the fact that I love all things vintage...I'm totally ok with it!
I went on another garage sale hunt this past weekend and there was not much to be found because dummy [right here] forgot it was Memorial Day WEEKEND and everyone was doing the right thing and celebrating all weekend long. Hello Bozo...think next time! But...I did score this precious gem and it made up for the goofball planning I made!

It had my name written all over it! $2 dollas lovas!

To see my other Bunny Vintage Score, click HERE!

Memorial Day is drawing near...

2011-05-23T22:56:00.000-05:00

Which means that school is closer to being over! Can't wait! I have so many things planned with the girls this summer. Especially now that we've joined our Y! I'm loving that place and I'm meeting so many nice people [of all ages]!

While Mischa and I wait for our dear Payton to end her first grade year...we're spending plenty of time outside. Love being out there with that kid...she's a riot!

Publish Post

Do you see what I see?

2011-05-23T22:50:00.001-05:00

ok ok... aside from the mismatched clothes and homely attire...Do you see what I see?

Yes, Mischa's been wearing panties! I've been meaning to update the blog, but LOTS has been going on in Casa De Arcement, with no real downtime in the near future I might add.

It's amusing the number of ways she "holds" it in...

case in point... [cell phone footage]

Me:"Mischa, gotta go potty?"
Mischa: "Nope"

[um, sure, uh huh]...then 2 minutes later it's a race between me and #2...who will make it first?

I'll give her credit though, she's hasn't needed a diaper in over a month [or more]. Finally!

James Family {Katy Family Photographer}

2011-05-18T16:23:00.001-05:00

Click on Joe Cool Caleb to see a sneak peek @ The James Family Session!

Summertime is on our front porch!

2011-05-06T00:29:00.000-05:00

...and it's time to let our skin soak up them good ol' sun rays! We're playing outside after school and enjoying the weather before it gets into the searing 100 and up temps.

Praying gas prices go down soon....not likely...but still praying!

Do you notice a slight ring around Payton's mouth?

No...she didn't eat ice cream nor did she put on lipstick like a drag queen...my baby girl is missing 3 of her top teeth and none of her big girl teeth have come in, as in...no signs whatsoever. We are waiting ever so patiently. In the meantime, her lips get sucked into her mouth [it's become a bad habit] and therefore create what I like to call "Ring Around the Mouth" [chapped lips]. Bugs the heck outta me...doesn't bother her one bit!

The fear of the unknown...

2011-04-27T22:54:00.000-05:00

It is no secret that this economy is unstable and we see it affecting so many people around us. None of us are immune to it... none of us are above it. It can and probably will inevitably come into our [your] home some way some how. I have watched the news, read the paper, read posts after post about how bad it is going to get. Of course I get anxious...of course I wonder if we'll be able to survive these price hikes...of course I think the worst at times. I am human.
I am also reminded daily of how BIG my Savior is. I have said it a million times on this blog...I have seen His Hand work in mighty ways and in the smallest of ways. He presents himself when His timing is right. I have learned that when I try to take control over situations, I fail miserably. When I trust in Jesus, left field is usually the way he takes me. Completely out of my comfort zone, completely not what I would have planned. He breaks me and molds me...and somehow a better result manifests itself from a very tough situation. Unexplainable unless you've been through it...

Today I stumbled upon a complete strangers post and I have thought about it all day long. It hits home because she's a Stay At Home Mom. She convicted me with her faith. She embraced her bad news and trusts that our Mighty Savior will help them through a very seriously tough situation. I want you to read it for yourself because it her story.
I am adding her page to my blog roll and adding her button to my sidebar so I can help her generate additional traffic to her site. I'm asking you to consider the same or see other ways you can help her just by using your mouse. Every time you click on her blog or comment, she gets paid.

Here's her story:
Smockity Frocks

{Pals Extraordinaire}- that's fancy for GREAT!

2011-04-26T15:01:00.000-05:00

Come on over for some tea! Everyone is invited!

Come see Elizabeth!

2011-04-24T23:32:00.002-05:00

Click here to see the youngest Arcement Princess turn ONE!

Julie Boolie {Boo-lee}

2011-04-24T22:27:00.000-05:00

10 things I have learned to love about Julie

10. She is like one of the kids when it comes to food. She doesn't shut up...and it's looooong and drawn out meow's.

9. She cautiously approaches the inside of the house after being outside all night long. Logic? ok ok..my girls do put her through a lot.

8. Pretty much all of my neighbors know her and call her by "Julie Boolie".

7. The neighbor dog [Hazel] and Julie are like Tom & Jerry. Which is which though, I'm still trying to figure it out.

6. Speaking of neighbors...they know Julie is a fashionista. They brought me a Tu Tu she left in a tree of theirs.

5. She loves opened cars. She will jump in. She will explore. Do not leave your car or windows open. Fair warning!

4. She follows us to the bus stop every morning and calls us if we get too far ahead of her.

3. She HATES being alone. She will groan a loud meow in the middle of the night so as to evoke a reply from someone so she knows she's not alone. "I'm here Julie!"

2. She loves it when I sweep & mop. It makes no sense to do either when she's around. It's either paw prints or fur. I choose my battles.

1. Patience is her number one virtue!

Pie Rules! {empty easter baskets}

2011-04-24T01:21:00.000-05:00

All week I had been thinking about what to get the girls for Easter. I even had guilt creep in and ravish my heart. I just didn't want to go through the motions of buying more candy, more toys, more "stuff". On the flip side I didn't want to discount how young they are and take away what is very fun holiday.

Leading up to today [Resurrection Day], I had been teaching them about what Jesus had done on the cross for us. We read scripture about Judas' betrayal to Jesus, we read about the crown of thorns, we learned that Jesus humbled himself and that He felt alone when He bore the sins of the world because his Father had to turn away. All of that continued to play over and over in my mind.
I stepped away with Daniel Friday evening to see what we could find for them. I was not the least bit prepared [not even coupons]...I looked for dresses, I looked for toys, I looked for candy, and
n o t h i n g felt right. I was holding fast to Tradition and not listening to that tug at my heart. That is until Saturday morning when I read our pastors words to us on an email.

As is our custom, we will not be piling a lot of meringue on tomorrow's services. We will not be giving away a car, Boffo the dancing bear won't make an appearance and we aren't giving iPads to the first one hundred people at the 8:00 service either. What we are doing is celebrating the resurrection of our Lord in worship and the Word and this will be done with both gravity and gladness and unto the Lord! Said differently, we aren't piling meringue on tomorrow's services because pie rules!

I love you and can't wait to gather with you in the morning!

Once again, pie rules!

Neil

That is when I decided to leave the Easter baskets empty.

...and decided that Jesus {Pie} was all we needed to understand the FULL price He PAID IN FULL for us.

He's ALIVE! He lives!

That is the REAL gift...the gift of Eternal Life! I...you...my daughters can be made righteous in God's eyes because Jesus Paid the Penalty for my [our] sins and OVERCAME death! I don't have to do anything else! I [We] are free!

Ephesians 2:8-10 .For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

We got one gift each for the girls along with one candy bar each and today we are celebrating "the gravity and gladness" that comes with His Resurrection!

I can rest.

{Payton} My very own Blond Hair Beauty...

2011-04-23T01:19:00.000-05:00

Although be it short [her hair], she feels like she has a lot in common with Disney's newest [re-created] Repunzel. Have you seen the movie yet? Cute! Come to my house, I swear we've watched it 8 times...and I wish I was kidding. Payton's eyes LIT when she saw Repunzel drawing on the city street.

Payton is my "arteest"...she draws everything and has a story that goes along with it. This child walks around with a paper and pen in her hands every where she goes. I have several notepads in my car for "just in case" moments. Her purse has two journals and her drawer in her bedroom probably has a good 4. No lie!

Months before we saw Tangled, I bought the girls this really beautiful bold colored chalk. The colors are amazingly bold, like no other chalk you have seen. If you don't already have it and the likelihood that I'm really late in the game is probably a good chance, you NEED to go out and buy this.

So we sat outside to enjoy the beautiful evening and Payton brings out this chalk. She starts drawing and by the time she was done....this is what she made:

If you haven't seen Tangled, this is the sun she draws on the city street. It killed me having to wash it away. We have some pretty strict Deed Restrictions so I had no choice, but isn't this just phenomenal?! I would have kept this forever and ever and ever!

Road Trip to New Orleans Part Two

2011-04-22T21:16:00.002-05:00

So in my last post about NOLA, I spoke about how my girls were able to visit the exact spot where I grew up and where I meet their daddy. I have not been able to find any "good" pictures of the renovated house. I hesitate posting Katrina pics simply to avoid any bad memories for my family.

On our first night in Nola we caught our first parade [first one for Daniel & I in 11 years and first for Payton and Mischa....EVER].

The girls had a BLAST, as did Daniel and I! I think we had more fun watching the girls yell and scream "Throw me sumthin Mista" and "Hey....down here, I'm little!". Their faces lit up with the bands and the dancers. My BFF, Shannon and her family graciously entertained our desire to go to a parade. The weather was great despite the wind. Not really cold and it wasn't raining although there were rumors it should have been. Perhaps I should have taken my camera, but since it had been 11 years since my last parade, my cell phone would suffice perfectly. So pardon the blur...[poor mischa- she moved].

Shannon, David, and the girls {Mia & Maci} gave us the Metree [Metairie] tour once again. As if I had not been to that mall 4 million times, it felt so weird to walk it's halls again. We were definitely the tourists in that town. Shannon's husband even made fun of me taking pictures in. the. mall.
Yes...complete nerd----->maria

But you see...if it wasn't for my nerdy tactics, I wouldn't have been able to get this great idea for pillows.

We even visited with my little brother Timothy...he almost swam to us because we got stuck in the mall in a torrential down pour. Apparently not too far from us were tornando warnings.

and so what do you eat in NOLA aside from the typical divine seafood?! You go to the hole-in-the-wall restaurants and eat some even more delicious food! We ate Pizza at the Tower of Pizza and did what the natives did...we watched them make it! AND they even gave the kids some dough to make their own!

Guess what....they don't take credit cards there either! My man Dave Ramsey would be proud! Cash is king!

And FINALLY...even in NOLA you have to search out King Cakes! They literally sold like hot cakes. They were being sold even before they came out of the oven. And unlike here in Texas, you don't go to the grocery to buy a King Cake, you go to the b a k e r y or....hole in the wall shacks....The Best Ever Lovas! You have no idea! I crave even speaking about them!

AND by the way....I never realized until I came back how many people have fleur de lis on
e v e r y t h i n g...did I do that when I lived there?! I don't remember!

Think...Alice in Wonderland...Think Newborn Sessions....

2011-04-08T00:12:00.000-05:00

Well...what is it?

By now you should know that I LOVE garage sales! I find some of the most beautiful pieces for my home, for my girls, for me, etc! I love seeing the history behind some of the pieces and I have this natural knack for bargaining. I swear to you, I have picked up some gorgeous tops for $.10cents each... We're talking tags still on the clothes. It's amazing the things people are dying to get rid of merely because they lack to space to keep it all.

It's the start of a GREAT weather and thus the Garage Sales have commenced in full force! I went to my first BIG one of the year. Our high school held a community garage sale...these are BIG and serve a great purpose for everyone. It's literally give & take...but you HAVE to get there early.

My mom and I made it there 30 minutes later than we planned, but it all worked out because just as I arrived, I spotted my ONE treasure. If this was the only item I snagged all morning, I could go home a happy camper. It was like music was playing when I made eye contact with it. I made the fastest bee-line EVER to it.
I heard the owner yell out $40 to an on-looker, another person stepped in, still $40, I probably waited till about the 5th or even 7th person to ask and LOTS of pinching and probing from my mom before I even went to try to bargain. I just kept thinking "Do I need this?" "Where do I put it?" "What do I do with it?" ....again "Do I need this?". So I knew I didn't want to pay anymore than $20, and I asked for $15, she said $18 and BAM...I hit right below my price point. She didn't even mind going down more than half of what she was asking. As I walked out with my TrEaSuRe...I felt like I was on the red carpet in slow motion. Everyone gawking, pointing, asking me "How much did she sell it to you for", "[gasp]...where did you get that one, is there more?"
I walked with my head held high and UBER excited to get home and show the family. Wanna see my treasure?

Can you picture it in the move "Alice in Wonderland?"...Can you see newborn infant sessions? Can you see some vintage pictures with Payton & Mischa? Can you see why I went haywire over it?!
Oh...and I love where it resides in my home. Right near where my princess sleep. So appropriate!

Here are the larger images! DiViNe...I told you! I need to take it to the Antique Road Show and have it appraised.

Seven is Heaven!

2011-04-07T07:57:00.001-05:00

Today is FINALLY here! You have NO IDEA how long Payton waited for her b-day!

Her words "Everybody's b-day is before mine, can I just celebrate it today?" this has been a daily question. In her defense...It's been a long 6th year. Watching her baby sister have her bday before her is a bit weird!

So happy b-day my love! Daddy, Mischa, and I Love you from the depths of our hearts and even more than that! I hope you have a wonderful Golden birthday [7 on the 7th]. Can't wait to see you when you get home so we can have cake and open presents! You are QUEEN for the day!

Birthday Shoot 2011: [this time I have plenty with them To-ge-ther! YAY me!

We found this bike. Of course it peeked some interested.

Road Trip to New Orleans Part One

2011-03-28T15:20:00.014-05:00

Disclaimer: Take a DEEP breath...it's one of those long posts again...BUT, you'll get a chance to see a little part of me that is so near & dear to my heart.

We made a decision to take a last minute Road Trip to New Orleans. We left for Mardi Gras weekend in hopes that we would be able to share with the girls a little bit of where Daniel and I are from and to spend some quality time with my best friend.

We packed everyone up and headed to my best friends home where she so kindly took us in for the weekend. On a scale of 1-10, the southern hospitality in NOLA is probably about a 15. Everyone knows everyone. Everyone is "ya brotha" or "ya sistah". The door is always open. It's just the mentality over there.

The very first thing we did above anything else was visit the home I grew up in. Course, this home is gone...it was taken by Katrina in 2005. It's just an empty lot now. Many nights Payton & Mischa ask me to tell them stories about my childhood days. I share with them about my cabbage patch dolls and how I used to make my own garage sales with my doll clothes on the front porch, how we turned my parents new garbage can into a swimming pool...yes we actually did this. How I poured a full box of detergent into the pool to have a bubble bath [I know, Mischa is taking after yours truly! I was quietly mischievous!]. I would tell them about the games we used to play "Colored Eggs", "Mother May I?", "Chase"...the list goes on.

When we pulled onto my street, I really did tear up. I didn't expect to. It was extremely emotional because I felt a sense of loss. It was really gone. It's been 5 years since I've been back. I knew it was gone, I watched most of it go away, but I had not seen the surrounding area in years. The trees are gone, another home was built and fenced in next to my parents lot where my neighbor Joan lived. Joan was like a grandmother to us. She did all the things grandmothers are supposed to do...and her house was gone too. She wasn't there either. Now don't get me wrong, this was not a surprise...it was simply a very sad affirmation of the horrible thing that happened.

I told Payton about this very tree she is standing on. It stood BIG and TALL in front of the house. It's where I had many picnics...where I stubbed my toe MANY times on the dang roots...She stood on it like Kate did on the Titanic.
The lots seems so tiny. I guess the grass grew over most of the pavement and the driveways. The old chain link fence still lies there in ruins. Even looking at the sidewalk gave me a sense of nostalgia.
I road my bike so many times down that sidewalk.

The street view. The little blue house across the way is still there. It is the Pak-Wrap mail center where my dad made many deliveries for his business. To the left used to be a mailbox where we mailed many letters and to the right [towards the stop sign], is the path I used to take to walk to my Elementary School.

This is the view from the opposite direction. Looks NOTHING like I remember it. Dumpster STILL there, houses still in ruins but on the verge of construction. I remember who lived in these remaining houses. I had probably been in each one of these houses at one time. In fact...about where the Port-o-Pot is...a HUGE doberman used to live behind a chain link fence. It chased me down and thus my fear for BIG dogs was born.

The tree directly in front of Payton was a HUGE Pecan Tree that stood behind my dad's office. Many a days we walked back there to pick pecans for homemade Pecan Pie! I also added them to my "Gum Gooey Mud Pies" or used them to aim at the neighborhood kids as we played.
Where Payton stands is the old driveway. It lead into the back yard and was the very first spot I parked my first car "Coco Puff". The house stood to the right of the driveway.

This is where my dad's home business stood. They converted the garage into an office.

Mrs. Borja's house still stands across the street. She was an older lady that lived there. Luckily she passed away before the storm. Many days my mom would go visit with her to keep her company. I have no idea who lives there now or if it's still under construction.

A few months ago I came across pictures of the house even before it was renovated. When Katrina came, my parents were ONE month from paying off the mortgage and just about done with the remodel of the house. The house was precious! They gutted it, expanded it, and completely made it into a new home. You'd never even know it was the same home. But, when I across these, I had a longing in my heart to remember everything as a child.

This is the BEFORE of the BEFORE: The paperwork I found calls the house a "Cottage" 900 sqft...no lie! You'll see just how different the lot looks. I was about 16 years old when my folks started renovating the house. This brought back dozens of memories.

Can you see the old garage? I can see my brother's manual pedal car in it and his Night Rider in front of the house. The old shed that kept us cool when we played in the backyard...the chain link fence that my mom ran into as she was backing out the van one day. The other driveway [to the left] is where my first cat "Julie" was born. It's also the same driveway my brothers played basketball on day in/day out.

Street view you can see my dad's red car. HA! The Exxon station that we walked to ALL the time for snacks [they were CHEAP back then]. We also had an annual Christmas Tree in front of the house too. It was awesome because it nested many birds that fell out and guess who took care of them???

And now for the back of the house. Small huh? This is the part of the house that was renovated first because we needed the space. Cottage was definitely the right word for this little thing! It was amazing that 5 people lived inside this house.

I'll have to find pictures of the house when it was renovated.
It was P R E C I O U S! ...to be continued

My Secret Garden

2011-03-26T05:46:00.000-05:00

We gave our garden a little face lift this past weekend! It's a very special garden...
...one that will stand the "Maria Test"...

Do you like?

We've gotten lots of attention from the curbside! Thumbs-up from our dear neighbors driving by.

I will tell you this...My new garden is SUPER cost effective! It was actually designed by little hands and a very bright idea!

Now we just need the grass to start coming back in! Welcome Spring, I've missed you so!

Nothing like being at home for your portraits!

2011-03-23T07:19:00.000-05:00

Click HERE to see me capture a really fun-loving family in their own home!

Katy Rodeo

2011-03-13T23:03:00.001-05:00

This is the time of year I'm used to celebrating Mardi Gras in my hometown of New Orleans [which we actually did this year]...but in Houston, it's The RODEO!

So I figured I would compare the two!

Honestly, we have no reason as to why we've never been to The Rodeo...It's got a lot of the same passion New Orleans has with Mardi Gras and I do love that passion!

Our little town of Katy holds it's own Rodeo...The Katy Rodeo. It's the most precious/quaint event I have ever been too. It's the kind you read about in books. It's the kind that Little House on The Prairie must have had [ok, maybe I'm reaching a little but you get the idea].

The girls were in heaven with all the animals!

I swear that if visiting the animals was the ONLY thing we did, they would have walked away happy campers. BUT, you don't go to the Katy Rodeo just for the animals...you go for the Muttin Bustin shows!

These were FUN to watch!

Oh, and the food...CHEAP! I swear I had to look twice! Next year, we'll be eating at The Katy Rodeo!

Turning Shree!

2011-03-11T10:35:00.000-06:00

Guess who turned 3?!

We went BUG-hunting on her b-day. Yes. I said Bug. [goosebumps ALL over my body]

Thank you for all the b-day wishes! She was a little gun-shy yesterday with all the attention, but she felt the love.

Lots of things to look forward to @ 3...prayerfully, we hop back onto the potty training-train again!

Publish Post

Coming up Next...

2011-03-09T01:03:00.001-06:00

This deserves some bullet points bc otherwise, I will forget!

Not in any specific order [just depends on what I get to first]

Our first time at the Katy Rodeo...or a Rodeo, period!
Pics of our 2 Freezers
Pics of our Pantry
Mischa's first purchase
Mardi Gras Road Trip
Our family goals

Busted!

2011-03-02T00:37:00.000-06:00

Tooth #3 may have outed me.

Yup, I think I may have been sloppy in my fairy skills the night of Feb 26th.
I'm not quite sure what I did to out myself, but Payton knows something is up.

I think I almost caught her dusting for prints. Could be that I'm a little paranoid though...

It's weird though ya know...she wrote her letter as usual requesting that the tooth fairy NOT take her tooth.

It reads:
"Dear tooth fairy, please don't take my tooth. Put it in my mommy's room. Are you a boy or a girl?"

So we set up the fancy cup, placed the tooth inside, left the note by the cup, and headed to bed. I did the usual routine...confiscated the tooth, added the food coloring, sprinkled some fairy dust, and wrote back a note in "Cursive-Fancy" writing saying "I am a Girl Fairy". Fanned out a dollar bill with a fancy bow and left it under her pillow. That's it! I swear I left NO traces! I totally disguised my handwriting [I know what you're thinking]

She came to me the next day...afternoonish...and boldly told me "Mommy, I know you're the tooth fairy, Look at me in the eyes!"

I was doing dishes at the time and I just kept looking down and slowly peeked an eye in her general direction and said "I have NO idea what you're talking about".

Nothing was said after that. I think she's getting as sneaky as I am with this whole reverse psychology strategy. That's my M.O. for generating the truth! I didn't fail though...well, at least I don't think I did.

Tooth #4 is just about on it's way out. This will be the true test.

Dear Payton,

Although Fairies & Santa never existed, they did in your imagination. I never did have an imagination like you and so mommy always tried to keep that as part of you for as long as possible. I love seeing the magic unfold in front of you.

love,
~mommy

My favorite animal...

2011-03-01T08:45:00.000-06:00

A joke I received this morning that I felt was worth posting for all to see. I promise you will laugh!

Our teacher asked us what our favorite animal was, and I said, "Fried
chicken."
She said I wasn't funny, but she couldn't have been right, because everyone
else in the class laughed.

My parents told me to always be truthful and honest, and I am. Fried
chicken is my favorite animal. I told my dad what happened, and he said my
teacher was probably a member of PETA. He said they love animals very much.

I do, too. Especially chicken, pork and beef. Anyway, my teacher sent me
to the principal's office. I told him what happened, and he laughed, too.
Then he told me not to do it again.

The next day in class my teacher asked me what my favorite live animal was.

I told her it was chicken. She asked me why, just like she'd asked the other
children.

So I told her it was because you could make them into fried chicken.

She sent me back to the principal's office again. He laughed, and told me
not to do it again. I don't understand. My parents taught me to be honest,
but my teacher doesn't like it when I am.

Today, my teacher asked us to tell her what famous person we admire most.

I told her, "Colonel Sanders.."

Guess where I am...???

...and the winner is!

2011-02-26T21:45:00.000-06:00

...The Soft Scrub FREE product winner is:

Abbie, I'll be emailing you shortly to get your information! Congratulations!

There's a new addition in the family!

2011-02-23T18:01:00.001-06:00

[pssst...GIVEAWAY at the bottom of this review!]

Nooooo, not my family, silly! Soft Scrub's family! Introducing Soft Scrub with Bleach! They are super excited about this new product because not only does it combine the new crazy bottle that makes cleaning SO easy, but now it has bleach!

I used it in my kitchen, in and around my sink. I have a white sink so it tends to get that yellowish tint with use. Instead of hauling the 96fl oz bottle of bleach, filling my sink with water, and pouring the dreaded stuff into the water, all I have to do is s p r a y it in the areas needed. No more surprise splashes onto my clothes [not that my wardrobe these days are fashionable, but that's beside the point].
The bottle allows you to spray a fine mist or foam and it's most awesomest feature...it works upside down! Think of all the possibilities!

Personally, I love ALL Soft Scrub products! They smell great and most importantly, they work!

Now for the giveaway! Visit Soft Scrub and tell me which product you would like to try and why. The lucky winner will receive a coupon for ANY SoftScrub product of their choice. I will announce the winner on March 26th! Good Luck! If you don't want to leave your email address...email me @ maria.arcement@gmail.com

What's in your Fridge?

2011-02-22T23:44:00.001-06:00

~*~*~Fair warning...this baby is one L O N G post. Grab a cup of coffee and relax for a minute~*~*~

So, I have had some people question me on what we really eat on such a tight budget. If you're my friend on FB, you know I have this weird fascination for food and I talk about it A L O T. If you knew me 2 years ago, you knew I hated cooking and just the mere thought of putting anything together would send me into cold sweats! Why this fascination for food now? I'm claiming Poetic justice! All those times I would tell my family, hire me a chef, cuz I don't feel like cookin!

I do remember however sitting down with Daniel and having to come up with a food budget. The word budget made me feel like were were in a tight-jacket. After all, I had just started couponing ONE year prior to this. I remember sitting down and adding up all my little transactions [where I thought I was saving us money] and I ended up Five & Ten-Dollaring us to death with the Visa Debit Card. I never felt the pain of using cash. Quite honestly I was skeeeeered to go the cash route because by the time you added up my little $5 transactions, I was close to $500 for the month for our highest month. Where were the savings? How did I do this? Something had to change. Daniel asked me if I could make it on $300 cash. I took a DEEP sigh and prayed HARD! It was a challenge, one that I didn't know if I could take. My husband believed in me, but I needed that sweet still voice to surface in my heart. My encouragement came from this scripture:

Proverbs 31:10-18-31

I needed and wanted to be that wife...trust worthy, hard worker, provider, giver...

This scripture has rested in my heart ever since then. It has been almost a year since this took place. Not only have I never had to go back into our account for more money, but I hardly ever make it $300. We're right at $250/$275 mth. As a result of this, my desire to cook has only come from The Lord.
Our fridge & freezer is always full and the storage fridge is always stocked heavily.

So what is in our fridge right now?

I have to say we have a pretty healthy fridge. So for those of you skeptics that think couponing only brings in processed foods...here's proof!

Top Shelf:
Always contains our yogurts. We LOVE yogurt. Ever watch Burn Notice?! [ha ha].
If it's one thing this family loves it's dairy products! Greek is the new thing in our house.

Second Shelf:
Brown Eggs, Jellies, Rolls, chicken/beef stock, and Sparkling Water. Daniel and Payton will drink the heck out of these waters. They are not particularly brand specific, so long as it's sparkling water. [bleh]

Meat drawer:
Cheeses [Philly, American, shredded, goat] lunch-n-meat

Third Shelf:
Best Life butter for cooking, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter for toast, and Smart Balance [trying this out], and Wholly Guacamole! I love me some Guac!

Final Shelf:
The Left Over shelf! I'll cook a few meals in the week and then for a few days we'll eat these until they are gone. There is chicken and meat taco fixings, lettuce wrap meat, shrimp & scallop fried rice. I also have some stuffed Chicken Raviolis in the back part of the shelf that are waiting to be cooked later this week.

Veggie & Fruit Drawer:
We buy LOTS of veggies & Fruits! Sometimes I can even buy Organic at a great price! We have never had this much veggies before couponing. Because I can save in other areas of the store, it leaves PLENTY of room for beautiful fresh veggies & Fruit! Did you know there are Produce Coupons out there too?!

Final Drawer:
School Drawer- this is where I keep Lunchabels, breakfast yogurt, & Capri Suns for Payton's school lunches. She loves Dan-Active, so I make sure to put it in a spot where she can reach it easily.

The Door:
With the exception of the Juice & Milk, the rest are all condiments and bottled water all the way at the bottom [not pictured].

The Storage Fridge: [which we purchased at a scratch-n-dent store]

Lots of vitamin rich Chocolate Milks for the kids, about 6 half gallon juices at the top & 4 on the bottom shelf, Stocked heavily on sugar since it was .69cents for 5lbs, extra milk, lots of Best Life Butter for cooking, plenty of philly creme for different recipes, eggs...oh and coffee [hiding in the back]
If we run out of something inside, we'll come out here first to see if we have more.

So that's it! Stockpiling is essential to our budget, couponing is critical, but more than anything else...it's God's provision that has put these things here!

Next week, I'll show you the Freezers!

Presidents Day, it's an excuse for Mom to take pictures!

2011-02-21T23:45:00.000-06:00

Yes, I probably shouldn't admit this publicly being that it's a national holiday-n-all, but I used President's Day as an excuse to bring the girls out for some pictures. It's finally warm enough to see their pretty skin AND for me to take pictures without shaking my bagoonias off [is that a word???]! Good grief it's been a cold winter!

Anyway, did ya read my post about the stuff that drives me crazy? Well, sometimes when I bring my own kids for pictures, they "drive me crazy". See, it's not all peaches and cream.

I only make you think they are doing what they are supposed too...

because that is the magic of photography...right?

I say "On the count of 3, I want you to JUMP"...

Can you [hear] the crickets chirping? [blank stares]

ok, one more time...Give me everything ya got!

Movement happens in the woods, and Mischa freaks! Who does she hold on too?

....Payton couldn't be bothered.

Mischa, Sassify yo-self! Yes, she gets my lingo

Payton pays attention most of the time, unless she see's a lady bug or some bug that she can pick up. It's not just tu-tus & nail polish for this Posh girl...she's every boy's dream friend!

I do "threaten" them. "When you do it right, we get to leave earlier".

This is the stuff that drives me CrAzY!

2011-02-21T23:15:00.002-06:00

There are days where I could literally pull my hair out because I do DUMB things! I get in my car, drive all the way to the grocery store for Milk, Bread, and Eggs, finally get to the register...only to find that I left my purse at home. Then, leave the basket somewhere "safe" so that when I come back, it'll be there with my Milk, Bread, & Eggs. I drive super-duper slow back home, grab my purse, and then drive back to the store, only to find that some punk kid put my groceries back. Ok Ok...he's not a punk, he was doing his job, but I still mumbled punk under my breath when I had to go back and re-shop my groceries.

Other days, I wonder how I survive outside the house, especially knowing that I've started the washer with soap, but no laundry, OR laundry...no soap!

Ha, even better....Can't find Payton's homework because it's in the Fridge with the milk. Yup...that's me...I ain't all put-together sometimes, but it's amazing how blessed I am and howThe Lord uses these things to prove to me how great He is, and oh how much I need him!

You'll enjoy, probably even laugh at this song because you'll think of yourself [as did I]. Just remember that when you're in the middle of "your little mess" that he's gonna use it to prove his GREATNESS!

Happy President's Day to ya!

Swagbucks Rewards You!

2011-02-20T21:24:00.001-06:00

Remember in my post about Love Day when I told you about Swagbucks and how we get our FREE coffee from Starbucks all the time?! Well...here are the details! I have to say that this is the most rewarding "No strings attached" system I have ever tried, and trust me, I have tried many!

Do you like searching the web? Do you sometimes have a need to search the web for recipes, ideas, blogs, heck anything? Wouldn't you like to get rewarded for searching?

Here's how it works:

1. Search the web as you normally would using swagbucks.com search engine. It uses the same search engine that Google & Ask uses. You won't be missing any valuable links.

2. Swag Bucks will be periodically reward your search. You can win up to 50 Swag Bucks with a single search and on Fridays you can win up to 1000 Swag Bucks with a single search. You can also find and redeem Swag Codes (many of which will be hinted at here at WeLoveSwagBucks) which will add to your Swag Bucks total.

3. Redeem your Swag Bucks for prizes ranging from gift certificates for Amazon, Target and iTunes to televisions, video games, iPods, movie, music and sports collectibles, comics and books, and much much more!

Here is proof [My account]:

Anytime I hit 1300 Swagbucks I go to the Swag Store and order my Starbucks Coffee Gift Card for $10.

They verify my purchase with an email and it's shipped to me FREE, no shipping fees, no expiration, literally ZERO strings attached!

Of course you can choose whatever you want in their store depending on the amount of points you've earned.

I have noticed that early mornings, lunch time, and late evenings are the best times to snag SB's. I will search for anything that pops into my head for a few tries. It hassle free!

If you're interested, click HERE and sign up! You'll never enter a Credit Card #! I'd never condone that especially since I'm against Debt!

In fact, if you sign up NOW, you'll start with 30 Swagbucks in your SB bank!

Hello Mr. Deadfish

2011-02-17T23:02:00.001-06:00

So let me play this out for you,

Dad comes home. He sees fish in said bowl:

Dad uses the fake green seaweed to "play" with fish. Fish, gets caught in fake green seaweed and freaks out. Freaks out so much that he almost jumps out of bowl. Dad thinks this is funny. [ok ok, I did too].

Moves fish to different bowl. Dad doesn't know when to stop. Fish sinks to bottom.

Mom thinks he's playing dead. Googles "Do Betta's play dead?". Google, comes up with horrible stuff. Dad says "Oh Crap!".

Mom tells dad..."You tellin the kids, NOT me!" Dad waits till morning to mention the homicide, cept...he doesn't mention HE killed him. Dad is a horrible liar, but they are 6 & 2, they will believe it.

Mischa gets mad. Payton comforts Mischa [this is Mischa's fish]. Prep for the funeral begins.

Sushi anyone?

Love Day Candy, YUM!

2011-02-14T00:38:00.000-06:00

This year I decided we would make the candy instead of buying it! I have been in a crafty kinda mood lately. So I bought a bag of Marshmallows, some chocolate, and snooped around the pantry for some V-day paraphernalia I scored last year on sale. This is what we came up with. The idea came from Fondue I made for dessert a few nights before. Duh! How easy is this?!

We'll show you how we did it!

What you'll need:

Bag of 25 lollipop sticks
Bag of Marshmallows
Bag of Chocolate Melts [whatever color you decide, the possibilities are endless]
Bag of 25 Lollipop baggies
Sprinkles of your choice

Dip, the Mallows in the melted chocolate. Swirl about half way...and make sure you don't eat them, they are very yummy!

Place'em on some wax paper.

Make sure to add the sprinkles as-you-go, because the chocolate will harden fast. Place them in the frig for oh...10 min, maybe 5. Just enough to harden them so you can add the lollipop sticks on the bottom. Don't keep them in the frig for too long. Cold chocolate turns whitish...doesn't look so pertty!

Finally, add your lollipop baggies and VIOLA! They look store-bought don't they?!

And then Payton and I made this little gift for her teacher.

Happy ~Love~ Day

2011-02-13T23:17:00.000-06:00

How did we spend our LOVE day?! Well first of all, Valentines falls on a stinkin Monday! Nobody likes Mondays! Bleh, ick puy! So we ignored this little fact and went about our own Love Day stuff!
When we woke up, Daniel told me "grab the camera and get ready for this"... What you don't know is how badly Daniel wanted to tell me about his plans and what he did for us. This is the same man at Christmas that is begging me "do you wanna know what I got you???" He hates surprises...I adore them! So I forced him to wait. I wanted to be just as surprised as the girls.

So check out his little romantic side....

He made these roses out of tissue paper. Didn't cost him a dime!
He knows the way to my heart is to "make it from the heart", ain't nuthin sexier than humility!
Ok, maybe it's just me when it comes to handmade on V-day, but I adore that in my husband! He also knows *I* get the receipts. Muahahahahaha [evil grin].

There was a scent of Vanilla he sprayed into these precious roses!

...and I, of course, received a dozen red roses, of which he asked "Will you accept these roses?" [Only Bachelor fans will understand]. There is no pic of yours truly with her roses because it [ehem] was 7:30am and you do not want to see what I look like at 7:30am.

...and then off to Dinner my hubby and I went to have some alone time and eat one of our favorite dishes. Sushi, baby!
Grabbed my b-day Free-Venti-White-Hot-Chocolate from Starbucks [which is my *new* favorite drink], got a Venti-Vanilla-Latte for Daniel with my Gift card from Swagbucks! [I'll tell you about Swagbucks later, you'll love me for this!] and window shopped my favorite stores at the mall.

Get a room love!

2011-02-13T22:41:00.000-06:00

Back when I was a kid, we had a two bedroom house! Yes, I said 2, dos, No. 2...that means one bedroom for our parents and one bedroom for me and my two brothers. There I said it! I shared a room with BOYS! Looking back on those days gives me a sense of nostalgia. I have fond memories of flashing my brothers [by accident-which sent them screeching in horror] along with finding love letters that belonged to the girlfriend and secretly reading them [I'm in trouble]. Aside from all of that fun, I did every once in a while desire my own room.

Now...we own a 4 bedroom home! My two loves have their own room. Each even decorated in a yin/yang sort of way. Actually matches how different in personalities they are.

Mischa..well, she uses her room for many many reasons. Let me show you...

1. She is a mommy-wanna-be. Changing diapers on baby dolls...[Mischa diapers, because she's regressed in the potty training area, which is a whole other post]

2. She reads stories [this is a precursor to her secretly tearing off the library sticker that belonged to Exley Elementary]...well now sister knows to lock up her books.

3. She gets near her bed. She'll climb into it, she'll jump in it...

But the ONE thing she doesn't do, that I wish she did...is s l e e p in it!

I have been on my knees in prayer, begging, pleading God for an answer! You have NO idea what we have tried. For now, her sister is kind enough to share her bed with her. They both sleep like fish out of water so you can only imagine the quirky positions we find them in before we go to bed. Sometimes, we even have to "un-tie" them.
I have no idea why she won't sleep in her room. She says she's scared of the shadows [stupid Calliou]. But really, deep in my heart, I think it's that she loves to snuggle. She's just this cuddly, snugly little thing that can wrap around you like a pretzel and it feels oh so sweet! When she's by herself, she feels lonely. Still searching for the right answer. Still aiming for a Mischa-Bed solution.
Payton...when you read this later...THANK YOU for doing this for your sister!

The Awesomness of Ersters in cookin Erl!

2011-02-10T15:29:00.000-06:00

***FB Friends, you can view Original Post HERE***

So here's how this little Erster thing went down the other night. *I* was a Kroger the other day and spotted some Oysters on sale. Do you know how much Oysters cost? Raw.... Like 7.99 for 4 of them [itty bitty tub]! No lie! So when I saw them for .99cents I picked up ALL 4 packages. There were no more or else I would have bought them [trust me, I asked], I don't care if I didn't need more...this was a case of sheer principal. Oysters NEVER go on sale.

Another thing about Ersters...you gotta eat'em quick! They expire fast! Like almost too fast, AND there is no such thing as freezing them for later. So this chick had to do a little tweaking of the weekly menu and add Oysters to it.

I've never officially fried anything before so I was a bit nervous about venturing into the unknown world of cookin Erl. I have seen my brother fry beignets. It ain't pretty. Lots of splattering, napkins, and dodging.

So my mom let me borrow her Fry Daddy. I gotta get me one of these things. It's like Portion Control for the unhealthy. Speaking of unhealthy...did you know there was a such thing as "Heart Healthy" Cookin Erl?! Isn't that like an Oxymoron?!

And so then I did the REAL test. I opened the packages...Why would they sell them for .99cents?! I have no idea. They gotta be bad. NOPE...They smelled like awesomely delicious...super duperly edible raw kind of delicious.

AND they were HUGE! Half the size of my hand! ok ok....so I have a small hands...but they were still very large!

So I smothered them in Louisiana Fish Fry....

....and started the fryin! and yes, this is what caused the look of utter disgust from Payton...and Mischa! they HATED 1. The smell of the Oysters raw 2. The slimy look they had 3. The way they smelled when I fried them. Are they my kids?! Do they have my blood?! How. can. they. think. this. They have lived in Texas much too long.

So Daniel and I pigged out...I'm really not exaggerating here. I was in H E A V E N!
My dear was supposed to have chicken soup for dinner since he had a HORRIBLE sore throat, but once he took a sample of one of dem babies...he couldn't resist a po-boy [or two]

[i forgot tomatoes...ooops]

My mouth is watering just thinking about them. I really had a sweet love affair with my .99cent Ersters. Muah Muah Muah!

Peeeeeee Uuuuuuuu Mommy!

2011-02-08T08:17:00.000-06:00

***FB Friends, you can view original post HERE***

Stay tuned for the reason behind this Sour Puss Face....

Volkswagen Commercial: The Force

2011-02-07T22:45:00.000-06:00

***FB Friends, you can view original post HERE***

If you watched the Super Bowl, you saw this commercial!

Well...Actually, I kinda have a teeny-tiny itty-bitty confession, I watched about 5 min of the game.

[gasp]

I found myself easily distracted by the utter cuteness of my niece and my two girls playing together, while my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law, and I talked about my seester's upcoming wedding.

Wait...this post was about the commercial, huh?!

Anyway...Here's the most adorable and the FUNNIEST commercial I've seen in a while. Sorta reminds me of a younger Daniel.

So what does a daddy of TWO girls do with his FREE time?

2011-02-05T01:16:00.001-06:00

***FB friends, you can view original post HERE***

See...I have to do a disclaimer here. Because I think it's only fair that Daniel get the benefit of the doubt on this post. Truly...the man LOVES to be pampered. With in reason though.

...continue on

He so badly wanted a back rub, a 10 minute scratch on his back sorta thing...he had $.79 cents to his name. He bribed his children. It just didn't go the way he planned. [shameful I know]

Do you see where I'm going with this?

Are you ready to see what they did?

Yes, yes they did. They went there!

...and so Mischa also wanted the Mani...so she gave up her half of the "tip" and gave it to Payton so that she could also be "Pampered".

I gotta say...Payton is an Opportunist. The opportunity to make money and make daddy a girl all in one shot. I'd say she's a smart cookie! I couldn't even do that...well maybe not now.

Just Dance 2 Party

2011-02-05T00:54:00.000-06:00

***FB friends, you can see original post HERE***

So I was one of many lucky hosts for House Party this time around. House Party is thousands of parties across the country, hosted by people like you and me. Each event is sponsored by a leading brand and focuses on something cool that the sponsor wants its best fans to experience firsthand and share with their friends.
I applied for the Just Dance 2 Party Wii Game and I actually qualified. I've filled out countless applications for other party brands, have been accepted twice, but the first time I wasn't quick enough to answer to the invitation. The second time around I learned my lesson and quickly accepted.

Back in October, House Party sent me this neat little package filled with the a Just Dance Kids Wii game and a Just Dance 2 Wii game [the sequel to Just Dance] along with some $5 Game Stop Coupons. Well...I was sorta kinda supposed to have the party back on Nov 20th, but that was too close to Thanksgiving, and then I postponed it to Dec 18th, and well that was too close to Christmas, so I finally decided to have it just this past weekend. We invited some neighborhood friends, childhood friends, and Payton's BFF [Erin]. The goal was to *play* the game and well...Dance! Um. Dancing occurred, but short lived by the kids. The adults assumed the role of the kids and well...they danced! The guys were cracking us up! They weren't that bad! I did a little Bust-A-Move...And THANK GOD no one was taking pictures of me! Embarrassing! White Girl Can't Dance!

As soon as all the girls arrived, Payton gathered the troops, ditched the remotes and headed for some girly business! While mom was left standing with her mouth to the floor. Seriously...this was a fun game, how could you ditch it?! This was the whole point of the party.

When am I ever right?

I think Zhu Zhu pets were the topic of discussion here:

Miss Congeniality posed with each of her friends...this one in particular is Payton's BFF [Best Friend Forever]. This is how they refer to each other...dead serious!

Both of them speak Posh!

Ms. Mere and Payton

Ms. KK and Payton

Ms. Piper and Payton

Precious aren't they?!

And of course my precious Mischa and her buddies...the ones not the least bit interested in the Zhu Zhu pet meeting.

By The Way...The Game ROCKS, just in case you were interested!

This little guy probably did more dancing than the girls above! Ok...ok. Who am I kidding...he wanted to play outside too. Geez.

Special Day- ~Happy Birthday Daddy~

2011-02-05T00:26:00.000-06:00

***FB friends you can see original post HERE***

So what do you do for a GREAT guy like our daddy?!

You bake him a cake!

What you don't see is that he's on the couch watching TV while we're [ehem] *secretly* making his cake. Bursts of "Let me lick the bowl...no no no, let me lick it" and "Mischa...stop putting icing in my hair" didn't give it away. at. all

Happy B-day Love!

Lila Grace {Newborn- Spring Photographer}

2011-01-14T00:12:00.000-06:00

Want to meet a sweet delicious princess?! Click HERE to read about her session!

Cell Phone Addition combined with a Not me Friday?!

2011-01-14T00:08:00.001-06:00

Yup...I haven't done a Not Me Monday in a while, nor have I done a cell phone edition, so why not combine the two, ya know! I know...Friday/Monday...who can really tell the difference, right?!

It's always so telling what pictures are on a persons cell phone. If I lost mine, the discoverer would find that I love my kids, I love food, and our cat is very patient.

I would NEVER NOT [I know, I know double negative] cut my grass for weeks on end. After all, who can tell...that is...until the kids come home with "weeds" for flowers. I blame my husband. Period. Ignore the fishbowl "vase"

I would NEVER strategically shop with an exhausted two year old so that I can keep my head straight since I haven't couponed in about 8 weeks. Nope...not this Model Mom:

I would NEVER walk away for the 1,894,839 time only to come back to another Mischa Shenanigan:

She's "cooking" she says!

Yes, I live an honest life!

Bonus:

Payton...in fancy mode:

I had a Dream!

2011-01-13T23:44:00.000-06:00

Payton came home with this today...

It reads:

"I dreamed all the people would do their jobs and get money and know how to spend their money and help the homeless people have food and water and help. Help the people who don't have money. And people who does not have clothes. And help people have homes"

I think she understands what the whole "Give, save, spend" thing. Probably more so than most adults. Dave...are you reading this? Lord...Thank you!

Bummed

2011-01-05T00:49:00.000-06:00

***FB friends, you can view original post HERE***

...Bummed bc I deleted, rather formatted all. the. pictures. from Thanksgiving! I had some awesome ones of Payton, Mischa, and Caleb tickling the turkey. This post was supposed to show you our holiday activities! Ugh...Sometimes I'm such an idiot!

My dad did take some great shots of the kids on Thanksgiving so I'm at his mercy to get some copies.

All is not lost though, here is our little Elizabeth on New Years Day! She's been sucking in her lip like a mad woman lately. We think she's feeling her teeth when she does that. Hysterical to watch her though! I think she knows we're watching because she gives you this BIG grin afterwards.

Payton is attached to her and teaching her how to walk and Mischa...well...she's learning that Elizabeth also wants what she has [in her hands]. Sharing...ehhh...not so great in that dept. Payton is a different story...they can battle it out, but telling your 9mth old cousin "No touch wizabith" just doesn't have the same effect. We're learning to be more mature in this area, Ha...ya right! Tough I tell you....tough!

First Big Purchase

2011-01-03T23:56:00.001-06:00

*FB friends, you can view original post HERE***

Commission----->It's what our kids work for.

Sounds kinda harsh though, huh?! Actually it's the biggest blessing we could ever give them! One that I am so thankful we have been introduced to with Dave Ramsey. We started about 8 months ago and I can't even put into words how it has changed all 4 of us! Instead of words, I will give you examples of the fruit this lesson has produced.

The girls work on the same chores every week. They get paid for all of them IF they have been achieved. Then there are some "chores" that they do not get paid for, unlisted ones. They understand that belonging to this family requires all of us to pitch in, and well...payment is null.

Until just recently we've had our own Commission Chart going, but I was able to snag a copy of Dave's Official Commission Chart for $10 [on sale] along with a FREE Cash Flow Planning DVD. We learned the concepts early on and implemented them pronto.

With Payton's earnings, she's been able to give twice for Tithe! Her savings stash exceeds her spending stash, and January 3rd marks her FIRST major purchase with her Spending envelope.
For Christmas she received TWO Brand New pairs of boots! Really snazzy ones too! However, if you know Payton...She needs something a little more "fancier"...how this can be is a mystery to me! So...NEED is not what the issue is here. This is clearly a want! We've told the girls "Think about it, if you still want it next week and then the week after, then when you see it again and you still get that same feeling, make it your goal"

She's been eying up these pair of shoes for a while. They meet all her criteria:

Fancy
She can run in them
They have heels
Added Bonus: They have lights!

Originally $19.99 back in November. They really look precious on her feet and it took all of me not to get them for Christmas. *I* too had to have will power! This was going to be a teachable moment and I withstood the temptation.

Walking into Payless tonight started out a bit depressing. We anticipated walking in, paying for it, them walking out. They did NOT have her size and oh how I felt bad. We both looked at each other like "We waited too long". I asked the sales lady to check the other stores in our area to see if they had her size. She found ONE! We did not rush out there to get it either. I convinced Payton that if it was meant to be...it will be there IF we could make it there after we visited with her grandparents. Still more patience...poor kid...mean ol' mommy!

We got there about 10 minutes to 8 tonight. I promise I was not trying to test her patience.
MAJOR TIP we learned! If you ask the current store to check the inventory of other stores, a "receipt" prints with information...along with a $3.00 coupon at the bottom IF they have the shoe at another store. The shoes were already marked down to $14.99 which I thought was great being that we waited. The SWEET sales lady looked all over for that shoe [the back, each row, behind the counter]. She couldn't find it. We were about to walk out until she looked up and and over into another section, and there it was. I swear we heard angels. She brought it down, Payton tried them on and couldn't contain herself anymore! I gave Payton her spending envelope and the coupon and she proudly paid for it. I WISH I would have gotten it on video! The sales lady was so impressed with the concept that she wanted to do this as an adult! So not only was it a teaching moment for Payton, but it also blessed someone else. She saved $8.00 on this transaction. She had the money to pay for it in full, but she saw that by being patient she was able to keep $8.00 of that hard earned cash. She also realized that waiting could potentially rain on her parade, but not shatter her dreams. There were other fancy shoes she could have gotten, but thankful and blessed that she got the ones she's been wanting.

I can't wait for Mischa to make her first Big Purchase! What will it be? How much will it be worth to her? How will it play out?! Her Tithing is the only money she's used so far.

Payton's receipt that I will keep for a VERY long time!

Merry Christmas from The Arcements-2010

2010-12-21T21:42:00.000-06:00

Yes, a week away from Christmas is when I finally found the time to take my girls pictures [sigh]. Maybe next year Daniel and I will be in them...HA!

Little did I know that I was ONE day away from getting the worst Ear Infection-on-the-face-of-this-earth! I just knew something was wrong when I kept loosing my balance. It was soooo awkward! The next evening I had a dull pain and sense of fullness in my left ear. Looooong story shorter...I hear a woooosh wooosh, I lift my head from resting [I use that term loosely b/c you can't rest when you're in pain] and I nearly came out of my skin. I was in tears [literally]. I even woke up Mischa from my scream. My ear drum had burst. Yes...I had no idea this could happen. It continues to bleed [I'm on day #3 now], but on antibiotics. I'm still nauseated from the sense of fullness in my ear and probably the meds...but no pain. Never had I experienced such agony [without any sort of warning]. My heart goes out to all the little ones with weekly ear infections. NOW I understand! Cry your little hearts out, scream if you need too. I get it!

Anyway, on a lighter note, my girls had fun playing in the 70 Degree weather with Fall Leaves [finally]!
Thank you for a wonderful 2010! Merry CHRISTmas & Happy New Year!

The Result

2010-12-17T00:21:00.000-06:00

This is the result of a really tired Daddy up ALL night with his WIDE AWAKE little princess. She doesn't look the least bit tired, does she?

The Ellisons- Despite the fog...

2010-12-16T23:12:00.002-06:00

Want to see how I spent my last session of 2010? Click HERE

Thankful!

2010-12-15T23:28:00.000-06:00

So I've been a ~~little~~ a LOT out of pocket lately. Yeah, well...that would be because this is the busiest time of year for me with holiday sessions, post production, and not to mention my very own holiday shopping. It has been nothing short of CrAzY in our house, but a good CrAzY, I'm not complaining! I tell Daniel often, "I don't know how I did it when I worked full time"! Looking back, I admire what I would accomplish in a week. It was hard to see that when I was in the thick of it [feeling all sorry for myself], but now, now I can embrace how God got me through some of those 80 hr work weeks. I love what I do! I've said it a million times on this blog! I LOVE being a housewife, I LOVE being a mommy, I LOVE being a photographer! I [we] are thankful for all The Lord provided in 2010. We have goals and we are slowly achieving them. This year, we sent out Thanksgiving Cards...for two reasons:

1. We wanted to let friends and family know that they are part of the blessings we've seen
2. Duh...I got a great deal on the cards! The card stock is fantastic!

I am placing this card on the blog because as much as I wanted to order 3x the amount, I just couldn't. The people God placed in our lives is in the hundreds. I wanted YOU to know that I am thankful you are a faithful reader! Thank you for kindly linking up to my page to read my sappy/weird/hysterical posts.

This is the message we included in the card and it is also meant for you:

The Lord has blessed us with so much this year and we are abundantly grateful! His mighty hand has been in every part of our lives, providing like a father does for his children. YOU are every part of those blessings and we wanted to let you know that we are immeasurably thankful!

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Phillipians 4:6

Love,
Daniel, Maria, Payton, Mischa, & Julie Boolie

Julie Boolie has found a safe haven under the tree. Do you blame her?

...and I LOVE getting holiday cards from dear friends! These are just a few...I need to visit the mailbox again!

If you want to see some TCK Holiday cards, just click HERE

The Furmans-Holiday Pictures

2010-12-14T21:48:00.000-06:00

Despite my bad cold-Jack-made my day! Click HERE to see how this the little HAM changed in one year and his proud mom & dad!.

Meet The McCanns

2010-12-13T13:53:00.000-06:00

Meet The McCanns- A special family close to my heart! Click HERE to visit!

More to come!

2010-12-02T00:44:00.002-06:00

More Holiday pictures are on their way! I have been working like a CrAZy woman getting them prepped and ready for the holiday season! Can't wait for you to see the rest!

-Maria

The Blacker's- {Houston} Maternity Photographer

2010-12-02T00:42:00.000-06:00

Want to meet a stunning young couple? Click HERE!

The Bischoffs- {Dallas} Family Photographer

2010-12-02T00:40:00.000-06:00

I know it's been a while and I'm trying to catch up with the Holiday Crazines-n-all!
Click HERE to visit The Bischoff's Holiday Shoot!

Oct/Nov Monthly Grocery Budget Check-Up

2010-11-16T23:47:00.000-06:00

***FB Friends, you can view original post HERE***

    So here is our Monthly recap for Groceries...We only ended up spending $220 this month and this doesn't include the $12 rebate we'll be getting back in the next few weeks. I had plenty of FREE shopping trips this month which is so encouraging considering I didn't coupon like I should have this month. I took off a few weeks because I've been so busy between mommy hood, wife-hood, my little part-time job, and TCK.

    I really love doing this spreadsheet because I can tell which stores have my loyalty. Yet again...Walmart fell short. I didn't even visit Wally-World this month. I just don't agree that it's the leader in low prices. I think "Low Prices" include an array of different things....such as sales, coupon policies, and educated staff [just to name a few].
    Now, that doesn't mean that I have not run into some hard to deal with scenarios or cashiers at the other stores. Walmart just seems to be consistent with its difficult shopping trips. I dread ever going there. Kroger is obviously my preferred store. The sales always coincide with the coupons, most of the staff are coupon friendly and actually know the coupon policy.
    I truly wish you could see how much groceries I get out of these shopping trips. If I had the time and energy I would take pictures of all of my shopping trips. The small amounts do not indicate small trips...they just mean I saved a great deal of money. My savings this month range from 62% to 100+% [I got $10 in Gift Cards at Target just for buying items at my price point (which only cost me $1.58)- so in an essence... they are paying me to shop there]. My $1.10 Target trip comprised of $109.00 in savings with the help of the $10 Gift Cards that I received in a previous trip...that's 98.99% Savings!!!

Finally, I leave you with these encouraging scriptures from The Bible that Dave Ramsey's staff so perfectly posted on their website and the whole entire reason we work so hard at being good stewards of the money God gaves us....

What does the bible say about money?

Money in the Bible
1. Proverbs 13:22 "A good man leaves an inheritance to his childrens' children" indicating that God wants us to make a difference, financially, in our family tree.
2. Proverbs 21:20 "In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has."  This gives us an idea of how God wants us to save for a rainy day, to set something back for safekeeping.
3. Proverbs 22:7 states that "The rich rule over the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender." Really? The Bible discourages debt? Does God really want me to pay my debts off and avoid debt?
4. Luke 14:28 "For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it." Does Jesus really want me to save up and pay for the things I buy?
5. Matt. 6:24 "You cannot serve both God and money".
If money is this important to God, why are there so few Sunday school classes on this topic? Why don't we see lots of small group studies on "Managing Your Finances" or "Getting Out of Debt"? Why aren't there more sermons in this area?

There are many reasons, but the top reason is that most people don't realize how much of a problem managing money is for the average family. Look at the statistics below:
Financial Statistics

1. Marital Problems - 37 percent (the highest rate) of marital problems derive from financial situations

2. Cash Flow - 70 percent of all consumers live paycheck to paycheck, meaning they run out of money before the end of the month
3. Savings - The average family would have to use a credit card to pay a $1,500 unexpected expense (ex: home or car repair).
4. Retirement - Nearly half of all Americans (46%) have less than $10,000 saved for their retirement.
It is a problem that affects everyone, inside and outside of the church. In fact George Barna says that the fastest growing churches are teaching about marriage, child rearing, finances, and careers. Money is a serious subject, and God is serious about money, which is why we should study closely what he has to tell us.

Smile.ly—Be Heard. Be Happy.

2010-11-08T15:35:00.001-06:00

My friends and family know that I am a HUGE supporter of Homeopathic remedies. Zicam and Smile-ly sent me a free sample of their Extreme Congestion Relief. It's worked wonderfully and I have felt much relief! I've used it for my sinus infection and I'm very happy with the results. Click in the link below for a $2 coupon!
Smile.ly—Be Heard. Be Happy.

Dooms Day for Julie!

2010-11-08T14:16:00.001-06:00

***FB friends, you can view original post HERE***

Well...Julie Boolie is officially ONE and her b-day party went off without a hitch!

There are no pictures of our beloved Julie. I think that after the 30 second Happy Birthday Serenade and the claw grip she had on Daniel, it was enough to convince me that camera flashes would have only added more hair raising to an already freaked out kitty. Daniel was very appreciative as well...

Our Menu For The Evening

Lady fingers: Hand made Sugar Cookies from scratch [you should be impressed...really, you should]

Eyes of Newt: Powdered Donuts with M&M's [suggestion from my friend Claudette]

Dead Roaches: My burnt pumpkin seeds [no one touched these...I just don't understand why?]

Lady Bugs on a Log: Jalapenos with Pepperoni

Brain Dip: Hummus

Yesterday's Lunch: Bean Dip with Salsa

Vampire Repellent: Garlic Bread Sticks x 2

Ant Pie: Chocolate Chip Pizza

Sweet Digits: Sweet Potato Fries with Garlic

O+ Blood Type: Kool-aid

Bloody Mary's: For the adult guests

Kitty Liter Cake-Marble cake with vanilla pudding and tootsie rolls [as poop]

I'm most proud of my Lady Fingers. You can check out the recipe here
They came out pretty stinkin good. Though, it was try #2. I thought I could beat the system and use the Pillsbury Cookie Dough. Um...let's just say they didn't look like fingers...so from scratch it was.

Thank you to my wonderful family and Payton's closest friends for entertaining this CrAzY idea. Will it happen again next year? Dunno yet...but this was F U N and memorable!
Here are enlarged pictures of some of the decorations and menu items.

Kitty Liter Cake that was actually pretty yummy

Witchity-Curtains made from ripped Garbage Bags. Hanging Hospital Gloves with Snikkidy Cheese puffs.

Eeeery Mummies made from black balloons with Toilet Paper and eyes. Coffin Box -cardboard box wrapped in a floor guard material for the cemented-coffin-look.

Caricatures

2010-11-04T07:19:00.000-05:00

***FB friends, you can view original post HERE***

A

complete

representation of the girls...Wouldn't you say?

Payton's caricature could even be mistaken for her Aunt Christy.

Drug Free Week-Day Five

2010-11-02T21:40:00.001-05:00

Have the power to say NO to Drugs! Dress like your favorite Hero!

None other than Fancy Nancy herself...

When asked Why Fancy Nancy:

We both like to talk Fancy, I speak Japanese
We both like fancy clothes
We both like to have the same kind of Jewelry
We like clothes that are shiny "Golden Clothes"
Our favorite things to do is talk with our friends
We both have lots of friends
We LOVE fancy words like "Tres Tres" or "Parfait" or "Dilemma" or "Elegant" or "Plume"

Payton is a Tres Tres Fancy Girl!

Drug Free Week-Day Four

2010-11-02T21:13:00.001-05:00

Drugs and I don't mix- wear mis matched clothes to school...

I have no words for this....

Drug Free Week-Day Three

2010-10-28T23:47:00.000-05:00

Give Drugs The Slip- Wear Slippers to school!

...and you guessed it...they were "Fancy" slippers!

Our Second Graders had a field trip so they couldn't participate on this day.

All photo Credit to Daddy! He did a fabulous job!

Geez- I forgot

2010-10-26T22:54:00.000-05:00

My favorite picture of them all!

Drug Free Week-Day Two

2010-10-26T22:49:00.000-05:00

Be a Hero, Not a Zero- Wear your Favorite Sports Team Clothes

And. what. else. do. you. think. she. would. wear. for. this. day.....

Ms. Payton WhoDat Arcement!

I think they were lookin at me funny. Maybe I wore my Pajamas inside out...Did I?

Here is the REAL kicker...Daniel will have to take tomorrow's photos. Mommy will be out of pocket...

I've given him instructions on what to do, lets see if he can follow directions

Drug Free Week-Day One

2010-10-25T09:09:00.001-05:00

Use your head, Don't Do Drugs-Crazy Hair Day

And the beautiful girls at our bus stop!

Shocked Shocked Shocked...Are you? Pumpkin Patch 2010

2010-10-25T00:32:00.002-05:00

***FB Friends, you can view original post HERE***

WARNING: Pic Heavy

Most of my Mischa's photos end up with zero smile or outright crying...she makes mommy sweat! [my patience grows so thin that I end with my hands up in the air]

This time...

I either got reallllllly lucky or she was ready for some modeling. Don't know which, but whatever works, she was H A P P Y to be here!

Payton would give me a pose, then Mischa would do the same. Honestly I think Payton brings out the best in her little sister. Mischa relies on Payton a lot when it comes to social settings.

I think this weighed as much as she did. It's those little ones you have to worry about!

She attempted to surpass the above pumpkins weight limit....

and, well...after I told her don't even try it...I was told otherwise

Our annual tradition is to go to the pumpkin patch and pick out ONE pumpkin. Do you think we were successful? You'll have to wait and find out.

"I cookin mommy"

The little homemaker gathering her food...all she needs is an 1890's dress.

There were all sorts of neat pumpkins! Curvy, warty, white, red, yellow....

A little drama added for effect...

Some even got a dirt bath. Um, didn't you know pumpkins needed that? I didn't, don't feel bad!

Decorating on a Budget

2010-10-18T10:44:00.001-05:00

***FB friends, you can view original post HERE***

So this year is a little different. It's funny how things change with time. In years past when we weren't watching every dollar, I never decorated for Halloween because I thought it was too expensive. Ironically, now that we're on a budget, I decorate...and it's very possible to spend very little.

As most of you know, we've been preparing for Julie's [our cat] birthday party come October 31st. We dubbed her birthday on Halloween because we got her a little after that. The kids are dying to throw her a b-day party. I know...Crazy stuff throwing a cat a b-day party. They are kids only once and I will embrace every moment of this I can. Throughout the last few weeks I've been collecting things here and there for the party. I've visited garage sales, used coupons, and frankly used things around the house that I already have. I've not paid for much. My budget is $10 including food.

Last week I was able to snag the 2 spiders you see below, Danger Tape, and some Candy Blood for FREE at CVS with the Magic Coupon machine. I used the $5.00 off any halloween decorations coupon.

The magic coupon machine also gave me the .99 cent Candy Corn coupon where I snagged one bag FREE and made this Candy Corn Tree [the idea came from a recent Woman's Day mag-which I also get FREE]. None of the materials cost me anything to make because I already had them at home or even in my own backyard.

The "spooky" sign I got at Target last year for .25cents after Halloween. The only thing I splurged on so far is the Happy Halloween sign that I got at target for 3.50. Figured it would cost me more to buy the felt and ribbon so I was sold.

My dear dear lantern is used for all occasions and I fill it with something different for every holiday. This year, I found these old antique bottle at a garage sale for .75cents and filled them with Red Food Coloring [for a bloody look], then added a tag to give it a quaint little touch.

Total so far: this year only $4.25 and I love the way it looks. Stay tuned for the appetizers!

Sneakie Peekie

2010-10-17T00:06:00.002-05:00

Just a tiny preview of what is to come...
Holiday pictures have started and are in full swing!

Q&A- My truths, My Myths Part 2

2010-10-16T15:15:00.003-05:00

***FB friends, you can view original post HERE***

Click here to read Part 1 of my Q&A

How and when do you stock up on meat?

Meat- I consider this a major purchase in my grocery list:
I was running low on meats for the upcoming weeks [ground meat, pork chops, chicken, and fish] so restocking was a must. Typically I will purchase a meat here or there if I see it at my price point, but only if I need it. I don't want to stuff my freezer because of a great price only to find that months later I need to throw out "inexpensive" meat because I forgot I had it and it's freezer burned. I always have a running inventory in my head of what I have in my freezer [and refrigerator].
Also, I have been known to make a phone call from Kroger/Randalls to Sams to find out what their meat is priced at so that I can compare. Sams can fluctuate believe it or not and it's not always the best deal. I have found some fabulous prices for chops and red meat at Kroger...FABULOUS prices! This month, as you can see Sams Club won me over.

How do you stock up on TP?

Toilet Paper: This is another biggie that can take up a lot of room in the budget
Some of my couponing friends will probably think I'm strange when I say...I don't bother with CVS or Walgreens when it come to TP. Both stores will run a rewards program where you can receive the respective store's "dollars" for purchasing a certain TP brand. I tend to shy away from these deals because I don't think they are always "the best" deal. It just depends and requires some simple math skills to figure it out.

The deal scenario will typically go something like this:

Buy 2 Cottonelle @$12.88each
Subtotal: $25.76
Use [2] 1.00 Cottonelle Coupons found in March All You Magazine
Use the $5/20 CVS Coupon
Pay $18.76 out of pocket [making them 9.38 each]

Get back $8 in Extra Care Bucks[$4 for each]

They say "It's like paying": $10.76 for both packages

The amount in RED is not totally true. I really paid $18.76 Out of pocket. If you look at this closely enough, I just traded in $8 of my American Dollars [where I can use anywhere] for $8.00 of CVS bucks [which I can only use at CVS].

Yes, I have saved immeasurably with CVS and Walgreens, but I still have a very watchful eye when it comes to what they consider savings.

Now let's take Kroger's Scenario with the same size TP:

Cottonell @ 7.99 each
Subtotal 15.98
Use [2] 1.00 Cottonelle Coupons found in March All You Magazine
Pay: $13.98 out of pocket [making them 6.99 each]

The difference in out of pockets b/w CVS and Kroger is $4.78. That is $4.78 that I can use at Target or Walmart or Randalls, or anywhere else for that matter. I'm not limited to using my American dollars at any store, right?! ;0)

We have to remember that even though there are rewards systems and there are store coupons, the out of pocket is what truly matters. CVS and walgreens are higher in price because they are pharmacies.

Yes, you can use those CVS bucks towards another transaction[s], but only at that store and you have to see if your next purchase would be cheaper somewhere else. After all, even though you have Register Rewards or CVS bucks, you should use them like cash [not a coupon]...because isn't that how they advertised it to you in the first place? So if you do have these store dollars, use them wisely, use them like they are CASH in hand, and use them towards products that are well within your price point.

So the question you should ask yourself in regards to Store Rewards is "Is this item within my price point when paying out of pocket? If the answer is Yes, and you STILL get reward bucks...you have snagged a fabulous deal!

Also try rolling them over.

This is how I determine my price point for TP. I have found this to be the BEST deal and it's called the TP Principal:

Look at the front bottom of the toilet paper package to determine the total square feet. Now insert a decimal point in this number two places to the left. If the cost of the package minus coupons is less than or equal to this figure, it's a decent deal -- basically $0.01 or less per square foot!

Example:

TP #1 = 400 sq. ft.; price = $6; stock-up price $4, so not a fabulous deal....
TP #2 = 650 sq. ft.; price = $5; stock-up price $6.50, so definitely a bargain!

Here is how I managed to get some really inexpensive "John Wayne" TP this month [My brother David's sweet term of endearment for this type of TP]

John Wayne toilet paper – Military term used to describe the low grade toilet paper found in the MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) accessory packet. Called so because it’s rough and tough. Can also be used in place of extra fine grit sandpaper when refinishing furniture.

So regardless of it's fine nature, it still does the job and I managed to get it for next to nothing. This JW TP is retailed for 4.99 because it's Recycled and from Seventh Generation [CrAzY, I know]. It was clearanced at 1.99. Using my $1.00 off any Seventh Generation product coupon, I snagged it for .99cents each. It complies with the TP Principle I follow. I paid .005cents sq ft which is less then a penny a sq ft.

Here's another scenario from Kroger that I got this month.

I purchased the Charmin Basic [Not John Wayne TP] for 5.99-1.00 coupon = 4.99 for 584.5 sq ft making this a sweet deal of .008 cents, still less than a penny and THE GOOD STUFF!

Q&A- My truths, My Myths Part 1

2010-10-16T14:28:00.001-05:00

***FB friends, you can view original post HERE***

I've had some friends ask me if I ever go over my grocery budget, and the answer is Yes and No! I know it's hard to think of spending only $300 month with a family of four, but it IS possible. In fact, I try very hard to spend less than that every month and I have done so with much ease. Overages are most often put towards our debt snowball, except for months where I need to re-stock certain staples.

So YES because: This month [9/15 thru 10/14] was one of those months. I had to restock on meat and TP this month and both tend to make a pretty big dent in the budget.

Here is my final spending for [9/15 through 10/14]

Can you tell I don't really care for Walmart? I spend the most and get the least there. Their "rollbacks" are not all that great and they have not been very coupon friendly. Items I buy there will usually not have coupons or at the very least, the fewest of coupons.

Items in green were FREE transactions. I love seeing these on a monthly basis.
I used last months overage of $55 for this month because I knew I would have to plan for restocking.
Even with buying more I only spent $18 over and still saved $36 dollars that will go towards our debt snowball
We did eat out this month...we wanted to treat ourselves. Yes, eating out comes out of the grocery budget. So if we didn't eat out, we really only would have been ~$4 over, but I'm still very happy with this outcome

NO, because we still end up saving money even on months where we have to buy a little more.

Q&A- My truths, My Myths to be continued in Part 2....

Count down till Julie's B-day

2010-10-15T00:14:00.003-05:00

***FB Friends, you can view the original post HERE***

Well, the Halloween decorations are slowly going up. We started last weekend and I have to say that this is the first time I've ever decorated for Halloween. It's actually kinda fun because I'm doing this the most frugal way I can and the creativity is finally starting to pay off. I have some pretty cute ideas for Julie b-day party and I can't wait to take pictures of them,

I'm sure this is quite THE contradiction with my "As for me and my house" plaque and "Enter if you dare" sign....

And please...be very careful when you "kumin" because we have "vempiyrs" living in our home. They are 2 & 6! They WILL suck the life right out of you!

Childhood Friends

2010-10-15T00:06:00.001-05:00

***FB Friends, you can view the original post HERE***

Ever had a childhood friend you just clicked with? Payton LOVES her friend Meredith!
The two of them are of like minds and their imaginations and creativity are very interesting to watch when they come together.

As a mommy...you are very careful of who your child befriends...and well...I approve of this sweet child!
Sweet, polite, and easy easy little girl [like mother/like daughter]

Mer...I hope you are around for a very long time my dear!

When you know it's worth it...

2010-10-14T23:26:00.001-05:00

***FB friends, you can view the original post HERE***

One huge pile of expired coupons inserts equals two precious sweethearts swimming in a sea of them!

It just doesn't get better than this!

Trash or Treasure?

2010-10-11T17:42:00.001-05:00

***FB friends, original post can be viewed HERE***

On this particular morning Mischa and I went on our normal recycle route. Normally, we would haul the little trek carriage to collect all the recylcing but the last few weeks have been less than calm so I've been taking the car to make our route a little "quicker". I know I'll regret this when it's 32 degrees and dying for some nice warm sunshine to come our way.

Little did I know that I would come across one of our neighbors throwing out their beanbag chair. I saw it from the corner of my eye and I think I actually did a double take. The material from far away seemed in really good condition and the closer I got to it, I couldn't find anything wrong with it. So I mustered up the courage to knock on the door, introduce myself, and ask if I could take a look at it. He was MORE than happy to allow me to do that and take it if I wanted it. I certainly didn't want my neighbor to see me rummaging through his trash especially since I don't do that sort of thing. These days it's hard to trust anyone and well I wouldn't want him or any of my neighbors to be afraid of me....LOL!

The closer I looked, I was hoping to find something wrong. I guess I figured they were throwing it away for a very good reason. The only thing I could find was dog hair. That's it. Seriously...not one stain...no foul odor, not even a tear in the fabric. So I packed it up to brought it home and took an even closer look. I wanted to see the inside.

I unzipped it, and the filling was in even better condition. No hidden stains, again---no odor, it was just a reallllly good, very well kept beanbag chair. So I did what I do best...I cleaned it just in case. It took Mischa & I over 2 hours to carefully move the filling from the beanbag to THREE garbage bags. I say carefully loosely because after all I had a 2 year old helping me. My front yard looked something like out of a scene from The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe. I didn't care, I was on a mission.
Once the shell was empty, I tossed it in the washing machine, washed it twice, and added some fabric softener and then hung it on a clothes hanger [inside] to dry. It is BeAuTiFuL and now smelled like Us.

Saturday morning I took the shell, the 3 garbage bags of filling, and set up shop in the backyard to refill it. Both girls helped. Yes, it was snowing in my backyard again! Surprisingly enough, we didn't loose a lot of filling with all the "help", but I did manage to get a few war wounds on my quest. I apparently had disturbed a nice size ant pile. My entire left foot was covered and I was doing the "ants in my pants" dance.

So, yes this is now our treasure and we worked very hard to make it our own. Set aside some pride, took some energy, add to it some war wounds and now we can lounge comfortably on a very nice fancy beanbag that cost us nothing.

One Man's Trash is another Man's Treasure!

Summer Activites Part III

2010-10-01T01:21:00.001-05:00

Our long awaited Summer Vacation finally arrived and I swear it took longer this year! Payton even doubted me at one point.

Next year, we're going earlier...that's all I'm saying!

Watching my girls in their bathing suits cracked me up! Our Payton has junk in the trunk [she can thank Aunt Christy] and well...like any good mother, I captured the wedgie pulling. I know, she'll kill me for saying that one day. Those pictures however will be saved for her future husband...

Our Mischa, total opposite! Tiny Hiney and nothing to hold up the bathing suit. I had to sow a pleat into her bottoms to keep them on. Her bathing suits are 12-18 mths. I know you probably gasped when you saw that I "sowed" huh? I can hold a needle and thread...not very well, but I managed.

Sexy Bond Girl exits water [Que the Bond Muisc]

Our Adopt-A-Family pictures...Mischa's been initiated into this little scheme with Payton. They work together now.

We NEVER leave the beach without finding a Hermit Crab. This one was apparently pregnant with thousands of babies! Bleh...but cute I guess [or so thought Payton]

My masterpiece! I was inspired...

Since we planned out our vacation and paid cash for every piece of it...we budgeted for one night out at Joe's Crab Shack! We pigged out on Crabs! They were incredible! I miss my seafood.

and then we went walking on the pier to enjoy the rest of the evening. It was beautiful!

Now, I reallllly [so badly] wanted to share with you a video of Payton being selected as a volunteer from a crowd for the Wild Animals exhibit at The Aquarium, h o w e v e r when I went to open the file, this is what I found...

But this is one clip of the Dolphins show we got to watch at The Aquarium! This was pretty awesome! What can I say, we're easily impressed.

In celebration of the cooler weather...

2010-09-27T21:08:00.000-05:00

***FB friends, original post can be viewed HERE***

We've created our annual Halloween Monster Mash Video

...and you thought I was kidding!

2010-09-26T12:08:00.002-05:00

***FB Friends, original post can be viewed HERE***

This....

is Julie's Halloween/B-day Costume...

I know I know, she always gives us this look when they dress her up and I take her pictures.

Marry Daddy

2010-09-22T23:51:00.002-05:00

***FB friends: Original Post can be found HERE***

Payton: "Mommy, when I get older, do you mind if I marry daddy?"

Me: "Um, well...Sure baby, I don't mind at all"

Payton: [shocked] "Really?" "So will that make me your step mom?"

Me: "ok, This conversation just got weird!"

Summer Activities Part II

2010-09-21T01:14:00.001-05:00

***FB friends-Original Post can be found here***

Do you remember what summer was like?

...When you could wake up late, lounge on the sofa watching cartoons, and oh I don't know...annoy your mom while she's making the bed. You don't? It's just my kids?

All 2 ft and 10 lbs of her thought it would be a good idea to disrupt my morning routine.

of course, by all means, get on the bed and jump till your little heart is content. Don't let momma stop you!

I'll wait right here until you're done climbing mommy's bed. It's ok, I have nothing better to do ALL day!

How to make traction in one simple area...

2010-09-19T21:56:00.003-05:00

1. Remember I said that we don't eat out anymore? Well, I lied. We do actually, but we pay little to nothing. I got a little greedy at Chick-Fil-A and asked for the "Deluxe Spicy Chicken Sandwhich", so they charged me an additional $.64 cents. Totally awesome right?! McDonalds gave us 2 FREE smoothies!

The pictures below was specifically on the day we were getting a new roof and I had zero intentions of making lunch with all the hammering. The total order for Daniel, Mischa, and I only cost us $2.79. We ordered 2 Chicken Deluxes, 1 Oreo Milk Shake, and One Chicken Nugget.

We are blessed to live in a country where couponing is available. Without it, my family [and many others] use this as a way to make traction in our finances. Think about how much we save?! In an essence, I am making the most of what the manufacturer has to offer *me* as the consumer. And why shouldn't I? The manufacturer is hoping that *I* will be a loyal customer in the end. And I will! Especially with Chick-Fil-A as they always have the BEST customer service and promotions! I love that they say "my pleasure"! So different!

I've learned to get creative when it comes to what we consider certain "luxuries". As I've said before, we have the means to eat out whenever we want, but we choose not to so that we can grip the chains of spending. Again..."we're living like no one else".

I want to give a shout out to Chick-Fil-A, McDonald's, & Taco Bell because they have provided my family with the means of having a little fun added to our weeks.
Weeks ago all three chains were promoting their newest items on their menus. Taco Bell had their Limeade, Chick-Fil-A had their Spicy Chicken Sandwich [which is TO. DIE. FOR.], and McDonald's had their new fruit smoothies. I was lucky enough to snag enough coupons to last us a few weeks. We've been eating out weekly thanks to these local fast food chains!

2. Our Envelope System- Cash is King!
Any money for eating-out does come out of the Grocery Budget. Can you see why I don't want to spend much on eating out? We do this for a reason. We know that with eating out, there are usually little to no left overs nor is there a way of stock piling. It is immediate gratification. Using money from the Grocery Budget nips the temptation from eating out. I don't want to use that money for "instant gratification". I want to use it for stock piling so that I can feed my family for weeks or even months.
So here is how I do my envelope system. I use a coupon pocket file.
There is a certain amount allocated to each tab so that I have enough left over for the entire month. As I've said below, my family lives on under $300/mth.

I allocate $75.00 to Milk, Bread, Eggs. This might seem like a lot, but you've never seen my family drink milk. I usually have about $20-$40 left over that will spill over into my next tab "groceries"

Groceries is everything else and I allocate $125 to that.

Excess Groceries is my next tab and I allocate $100 to that. This is only used if I have depleted my first two tabs. This usually doesn't happen unless I need to stockpile heavily.

***Any money left over from groceries goes to our debt. This has been such an EASY way to find extra cash***

The Emergency tab is just what it's meant for...emergencies and $100 is allocated to this. Things like surprise school functions come to mind. This is not a tab that is replenished every month. I use it for as long as it will last me. So far, I've only had one "emergency" that cost me $5 [chapperoning for Payton's Field Trip]. Emergencies therefor are rated pretty seriously. Is it truly an emergency?

Clothes is next on the list and $100.00 is allocated to that. I've got $80.00 left in this tab and I've managed to stretch this over 4 months. This is another tab where I don't replenish, until depleted. Yes, I save money on clothes too [that will be another post]. This is another tab where I don't replenish, until depleted. However, I do allocate money every month in the Zero-Budget so that I can write myself a check should I need to. So far, both my girls are beautifuly dressed and Payton is ready for school.

Last but not least...CVS Bucks & Register Rewards. This is "Money" in the form of the respective reward system to these drug stores. I keep them here so that I can use it "like money" and not forget. I've learned the hard way. They do expire.

I do save all my receipts so that at the end of the month, I can reconcile back to the $300. I want to make sure I'm keeping track of my money AND I have found it helpful for Rebate offers that come sporadically. I've cashed in on some this way.

Our month starts on the 15th and ends on the 14th. We've done this for cash flow purposes. It's the Analyst in me coming out. I don't think I'll ever get rid of that. I staple all of them together and then label with the month and file them away.

...and that's a wrap!

My heart ~Throbs~

2010-09-19T19:05:00.002-05:00

...and thus the reason my princesses are so beautiful! My heart throb has been mountain biking every week for the past few months now. He's lost weight and I wanted you to see what I get to see at home!

We're going Downtown!

2010-09-15T00:13:00.001-05:00

Last minute I decided that we would head to Downtown Richmond today. In the 10 years that I've lived here, I have never really been in "downtown". I've passed through it, I've driven near it, I've even eaten just outside of it, but never did I get out my car and see how precious and quaint this little town is. In fact, it reminds me a lot of my little hometown, St. Bernard Parish, except with a little Texas country charm. I felt like I hit a Goldmine of backgrounds! Everything I wanted within a few yards of each other. Ugh...I wish my little Mischa would have cooperated more, but I was limited. Let me just state for the record [and my dear Mischa....this is for you...]

Mischa + Photoshoot = Muchisimo Trabajo!

God has given me patience with my Mischa...sometimes it hangs by a thread, but I do have it! She was determined not to give me the shots today. She wouldn't smile, she cried most of the beginning UNTIL The Lord heard my plea and sent a TRAIN our way! Totally bewildered and impressed by the sound...the crying stopped and I could take my pictures. Sorta wished I got a smile, but heck...whatever, I got what I wanted....her personality!

My goal was to come here to prepare for a family shoot. I wanted to see what Richmond offered and I was more than pleased. Check out our photoshoot....

Let me just pause right here...Do you see this kitty? Yes, it's real. We spent nearly 30 minutes trying to leave because of her! She entertained the heck out of Mischa. The kitty was short of coming through the glass to get to her. Love at first sight! Our kitty shots...

Do you see the kitty?

Sad little kitty....

I [heart] old cars very much!

Finally...the smile. Approved Mommy!

Did you think I would leave without checking out the antique shops???

Ohhhh how tempting it was to buy buy buy....but I refrained!

Can't wait to go back again!

NOT Me- Monday!

2010-09-13T00:36:00.001-05:00

Did you know that Julie is soon to be ONE year? We've dubbed her b-day on October 31st! She was born sometime around the fall because we got her after halloween last year and before Thanksgiving. So 10/31 is a good date!

However....

I would Never entertain the thoughts [from my daughter] of having a b-day party for our feline family member! Never would I set aside money from the budget to purchase such nonsense, nope not me!

I would never even begin to think of a "Kitty Litter" cake as the b-day cake for our guests! Nope...would never do that to people we love!

So...because I would never do that...You would NEVER see pictures on here of the Not Happening B-day Party on Halloween Night!
...just more ways I have to get creative! [sheesh]

Simple ways we cut down our costs...

2010-09-13T00:12:00.003-05:00

I was emailing back and forth with a good friend of mine this weekend [charlie] and we started talking about saving money. He and his wife are expecting their first baby and have boarded the savings train along with changing their financial destiny. So we were exchanging some money saving tips which encouraged me to write up this post.

I wanted to point out that it only takes a little bit of effort to get started and it's not hard, and the savings DO add up, especially if a guy can do it [No offense guys]. Remember that slow and steady win the race. It may not seem like much now, but if you track it by budgeting and you tell your money what to do...you will see just how easy it is to stop that Dollar Train from crashing your pocket book.

I got to thinking of some simple ways we actually do save.

Here are 2 that came to mind this weekend.

1. Sponges. Sponges. Sponges. They are so helpful with dish washing, but they don't last long. They get filthy and actually start to stink like mold after a few weeks. Nasty stuff. I don't reuse because I watched a Dr. Phil show on this one day and was totally GROSSED out by reusing/washing sponges. I wish I could find that video online. With that said sponges can be $$$

I buy mine @ the Dollar Store. They come 6 in a pack and yes....they only cost $1.00. But, there is that Dollar Train again...Too many $1.00 purchases can reek havoc on your pocket book. The little purchase are the ones that sneak up on you. So to avoid this, I cut them in half. I don't use the entire sponge because I don't have Goliath size plates to wash nor are my hands Goliath size either. The half is a PERFECT size. So now my 6 sponges turn into 12 sponges and I can literally go months without having to buy another pack. In fact, June was the last time I picked up a pack since just this past weekend.

2. We LOVE smoothies and Frappucinos in our house and well we would likely keep Starbucks and the like in business if we didn't have a budget. Daniel has come up with some pretty fabulous recipes for smoothies and Frappes. Totally eliminating the temptation of running out to our dear "sixbucks"

I buy bananas at SAMS and I can get a little over 2lbs for $1.16 total. We eat these for snacks and breakfast but when they start to ripen too quickly, I'll cut them up and freeze them in a produce bag made from Ziploc. Yes...you can freeze bananas and this is what they look like when they're frozen.

When certain produce goes on sale I stock up too. Target had a sale on their Raspberries for 1.99 last week. Add the $1.00 produce coupon to the sale and I got .99cent raspberries, I stocked up and froze them.

Here's Daniels Famous Frap Recipe:

He calls this his "skinny Poopachino"

1/2 cup of ice
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup of coffee made from your coffee pot [you can make different flavors too]
1.5 tbs of sugar or substitute
Dash of Hershey Syrup if you're in the mood for some Mocha

Blend together in a blender [we have the Magic Bullet] Sometimes we substitute milk with soy. Soy actually tastes really yummy and gives it an extra creamy flavor.

His smoothies can range....

Fill with fruit [if frozen, no ice, if fresh, use .25 cup of ice]
Add a small cup of yogurt [we're trying Greek this time]
fill with milk
Add Honey instead of sugar.

I didn't include measurements because he changes it every time.
So you see...it's SO easy to save money! We're doing it every day!

...what have you been up to?

2010-09-07T12:50:00.001-05:00

So yes, I'm a little late in posting these since I've been promising all summer to post our summer activities! I don't even think I have all of them here quite honestly. Rainy days come to mind and I'll have to look for those pictures.

So at the beginning of summer we started with swimming! Little did I know that one of these days Mischa would pour the full bottle of bubbles into the pool. [see...another picture I'll have to thumb through]

We blew up and cleaned out the pool from last year and it was in tip-top condition. I think it might even make it one more year.

Nana graciously gave Payton and Mischa 2 weeks of swimming lessons at the YMCA. Payton is a fish and and fearless so she took to it very well...

and Mischa...not so much!

No pictures of her swimming because I had to take the class with her. Doens't matter really...she would have given me the stink eye if I could have anyway!

Towards the middle of the summer, the girls got more acquainted with our routine at home and started watching every little thing I did. They wanted to start couponing with mommy!

Who am I to stop them?

We spent LOTS of time outside [evenings and mornings mostly] and we did things like ride bikes and blow bubbles.

I know I have more to share...so let me get on that! I've been slacking on the blogging...but I'm totally aware!

To Be Continued...

First Day of First Grade

2010-08-23T15:16:00.001-05:00

Someone is VERY angry today! She has been a pill the e n t i r e day! If you haven't guessed it already....I'm talking about Mischa! In her maddest face and meanest voice she tells me "I mad...I mad at Payton!"
Her big sister and her best friend is gone. Off to school that is! She didn't even ask her if it was ok!
She's been taking it out on me, and that's ok. I can take it. I know she's broken hearted!
Naturally with this change, she's had a million accidents today and so I resorted to diapers. To add to the drama, everything on her body hurts. Her pinger [finger], her toofs, her toes, her butt....if you only knew the number of times I've had to kiss her tiny hiney today...literally.

Only my daughter would pose like she's on a shoot for her first day of first grade photo. Even her father said "Oh My Gawd"!

Mischa looks like she just hopped into the picture. yup, she's trouserless!

~~eeee-wiz-a-bit~~

2010-08-22T23:24:00.001-05:00

Translation: Elizabeth ---> in Mischa language

Little missy is just about ready to turn 5 months old and we are all in agreement that she'll be just as head strong and stubborn as her predecessor cousin, Mischa! She's stiff as a pole when you hold her which translates to..."do not, by any means, cradle me!" "I want to see the world, and be part of it". We forsee walking as soon as 9mths for her along with her law degree at 2 years of age! She's rather convincing!

It was not my lucky day to take pictures of this little princess. I think she was on the verge of a sinus infection and I don't think she liked the props I was putting her in. She clearly gave me the stink eye!

...so being the good Auntie that I am, I listened to her demands....

took off the itchy-scratchy poofy skirt and laid her on the blanket instead of the [eh-hem] bowl she told me not to put her in. ok ok ok

see what happens when you listen to her. See *law degree*

so, I didn't get what I wanted, but I still love how beautiful she is! Her Big [fur] Sister-Brandi, made sure that I did not stray from the original demands

cuz she's cool like that!

she reminds me so much of Mischa! Even resembles her! and psssst, I think she has some blond growing out of her jet black hair. Her mommy and I noticed it in the sunlight.

I reckon I have a beautiful family!