Brought to you by the letter of the day

So, out of the blue Lincoln has been saying his letters. So far he can identify A E O S T M. The only color he knows his purple. If I hold up something purple, he says "urple". I'm giving up posting about his new words because there are too many to count. I have them logged in a journal. But here are a few of his best words.

Bunny

Fish

Chocolate

Burrr-when he's cold

Ice

Bubbles

Water

Diaper "iaper"

Rocks

Conner

Today Lincoln and I met Megan and Conner at the mall. The boys played in the play area, we ate lunch at Chick Fil A and rode the carousel. We even managed a quick trip to Gap. Of course, I found a cute shirt for Lincoln. Lincoln and Conner had lots of fun and are really great playmates even though Conner is 7 months older. Here they are riding the carousel.

Houston Texan's Cheerleaders

My grad-school roommate and fellow counselor Lindsey emailed me this afternoon. Her cousin Mindy is a Houston Texans' Cheerleader finalist. The fans will make the final choices. You can go HERE to vote for Mindy Moulder #20.

Five Year Anniversary

Today, Ryan and I celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. At times, it seems like a million years ago, other times, it seems like yesterday. Here are a few pictures from the vault.

Ryan and I when we were dating in 2000

At the rehearsal dinner, the night before our wedding

Just Married!

Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Blake

One of my favorite shots of the day.

Marrying Ryan is the best thing I've done. He is a fantastic husband. I love knowing that no matter what happens, good or bad, I have a forever partner in life! I keep a box of cards, letter, and other mementos from Ryan and I came across something I wrote for him in August 2003, about four months before we got engaged. Here is a little part.

I remember the boy who melted me.

He was charming, engaging and handsome.

He gave me a smile with a future in it.

This boy was honest, romantic and kind-hearted.

He did not endeavor to be,

He just was.

As I thought about the path my life would take,

I saw his face, I felt his hand,

I heard his voice.

He knew what to say to reach me,

And he always reached me.

He had hopes, plans and dreams.

I was part of them. He was my dream.

As I think of the boy who melted me,

I smile because I love him.

For his character inspires me,

He presence comforts me,

And his love sustains me.

I remember the boy who melted me,

For I was never the same.

$40.12

Here is my shopping picture for the week. Since we celebrated Earth Day at the Dallas Zoo, we postponed shopping until today. Total for the week = $40.12 I had plenty of meat in the freezer, so I mostly got milk, fruit, cheese, lunch meat and yogurt. I was most excited about free rice cakes, yogurt and toilet paper as well as 2lbs of strawberries for $2.77. Bon Appetit!

Z is for Zoo!

Today my sister Holly and I took Lincoln and Chance to the Dallas Zoo. Holly is Chance's nanny. Here are a few pictures from today.

Lincoln and Chance on the Elephant

Thanks to the book, Goodnight Gorilla, Lincoln is obsessed with Gorillas.
He calls them "luh luh luh luh"



Hello!

The water fountain was a close 2nd to the Gorilla exhibit!

Riding the Endangered Species Carousel

Nice choice, Lincoln.

Here he is saying "luh luh luh luh"

Up close and personal with his friend, Mr. Gorilla.

Pretty in Pink

Thank goodness for a digital camera. I love being able to take tons of shots, and then pick out the good ones. Since the weather was horrible on Easter, we took Lincoln outside after his nap this weekend and had our own mini photo shoot. Check out some of my favorites.

Great smile!

This is his pose when we say Cheese!

My little Zoolander. He posed himself here, believe it or not.

Eat your heart out Ralph Lauren.

We have to update his agency every other month with his stats (height, weight, clothing size) as well as provide some pictures. These are the best ones we've sent so far.

Easter Outfit

My Easter Sunday Best

Hunting eggs at Memer and Gigi's with cousin Cason



Me and my Easter Goodies!



Putting a flower on the cross at church with Daddy.

Lincoln had a great Easter. After church he napped, then we went to hunt eggs, open Easter baskets and eat an Easter meal. Even though Lincoln doesn't understand the meaning of Easter, it takes on an even more special meaning for us this year in having a son of our own and thinking about God giving his son to die for our sins. What an incredible gift. Happy Easter.

Shopping for boys

This is consignment sale season people. I hit three big sales this year: Divine Consign, Sweet Repeats and Just Between Friends. Divine Consign is by far the best, but I have a "you never know what you might find" attitude and try to hit them all.

But, if I see one more cartoon screen tee, or a Disney Cars tee, one more embroidered puppy or firetruck, or one more shirt that says "Lil Slugger", I think I am going to barf. Shopping for boys is a completely different experience from shopping for little girls...Can I get an "Amen" from the Mom's of boys? For girls, run in ANYWHERE...Target, Gymboree, even Carters and you can find something cute. Try those and other places for a boy, and you run the risk of a playground smackdown!

At these consignment sales this year, I only bought a few things. A red Gap polo shirt, a short-sleeved Ralph Lauren Polo dress shirt, a navy Ralph Lauren Polo and a red/white striped Ralph Lauren Polo shirt with matching red Polo shorts, and a pair of plaid slip on shoes. You'd think out of the thousands, and I mean thousands of clothing items, I could find more than this. I wish the manufacturers would be as creative with boys clothing as they are with the girls. But...I also think Mom's of boys need to step it up a bit and think outside of the "muscle shirt and knit shorts" box. Little boys deserve to looks as cute and stylish as their girl counterparts.

And yeah, yeah, yeah...I know it doesn't matter what is on the outside, and that what is important is the kind of person you are...but come one...it doesn't hurt for Lincoln to look cute while obeying and being kind and considerate, right?

Things We Stopped Buying..and never even miss!

In the last 12+ months, I have really made some major changes. Last summer, I was a guest writer at Today's Housewife about "Going Green". You can read that post here. We are still going strong with our recycling efforts, removing our address from junk mail lists and using reusable shopping bags, but two things are different since that post:

1. I no longer buy paper towels

2. Lincoln is NOT laid back...sweet spirited, yes, laid back...Can I get a "heck no"?

We stopped buying paper towels and bottled water in early 2008. This wasn't a major sit-down, discussion type of decision. It just sorta happened when I didn't buy them for a week or two and I realized I didn't need those things. I use the paper towels we bought 12-14 months ago so infrequently, I still have a roll and a half to go. In stead, I use dish towels to clean messes and counters and baby wash cloths to wipe Lincoln's face and hands. I also stopped buying bottled water and fill my reusable bottle right from the fridge. Give it a try. You probably won't even miss it.

Weekly Shopping Trip

I did it again. I bought my weekly groceries for less than $40.00 $38.40 to be exact. Here is the list of things I got completely free today.

2 tubs of baby wipes
Deodorant
Body wash
6 pack of kid-friendly yogurt
4 Bottles of grill seasoning
Brownie Mix
2 liter of Dr. Pepper
Smart Balance butter sticks
Reusable shopping bag

Here is part of our weekly meal plan.
*Tonight--honey mustard chicken legs...(didn't have them last week as planned b/c my parents treated us to Cheddars).
*Grilled chicken salads and homemade guacamole
*Mexican Lasagna (new recipe, looks great)
*Steaks on the grill and potatoes
*Pecan crusted salmon, brown rice and veggies
*Breakfast for dinner...(we do this every Tuesday b/c I don't get home from work until 8 those nights)

Some of the ingredients I already had b/c I bought them during previous sales. The rest, I got today. In addition to some boring stuff, I bought fruit, 3 gallons of milk (we all love milk), and some bluebell for Ryan and I.

Online Shopping

Before you make a purchase online, check out this site, Retail Me Not. Just type in the website you are shopping with and it will bring up discount codes to type in at checkout. This is a great way to find free shipping, %off, or $off. I have used this on Shutterfly.com, Snapfish.com, Pedipeds.com, Orientaltrading.com, etc. This is a great resource, check it out if you like to shop online.

Hunting Eggs

Sliding in my Topsiders

Ready for this habit to disappear

Love this shot...Thanks Mr. Mark!!


I found one!



Lincoln's BFF Brenden...this looks like an 80's magazine model with his hair whipping in the wind. Such a cutie pie!

I'll post some Easter pics later this week. I need to sort through them and get some printed for family. Lincoln's Easter weekend ended with a temperature of 102.5 Hopefully he's on the mend!

This time last year...

Hunting Easter Eggs

Meeting the Easter Bunny

My Easter Sunday Best

Boy how time flies. This was Lincoln at about 6 1/2 months last year. My little baby is looking more and more like a little boy each day.

Toasty Toes

Lincoln was eating yogurt (or Oh-gur, as he says) in his high chair this morning and I asked him if he wanted some toast. He got a big smile on his face and said "TOES" as he reached for his feet. Throughout the rest of his breakfast he would take a bite of toast and say mmmmmm, toes!

Price Adjustment

It's Murphy's Law applied to fashion. You buy something, and two days later, it goes on sale. Ugh.

Price Adjustment: /noun/ the return of the difference between what you paid and the current selling price.

Example:

You buy a shirt for $34.50 at the Gap. Two days later, it is marked down to $21.99. Simply take your receipt to the store and they will refund you the difference. In this case, you would net $14.27 back in your pocket.

Lots of stores will do this.

Wal Mart
Gap
Old Navy
Banana Republic
Target
Kohl's

Most have a 14 day policy (Target is 7 days) meaning if you buy something and it goes on sale within 2 weeks, you can get the adjustment. In my experience, the stores listed above do not require you to bring the item back in, just the receipt. I keep the receipts in my wallet just in case.

One time I took my receipt up to Gap after I had bought several things for Lincoln and just had them run the receipt to check for me. I didn't even shop the store to check them items. I love doing this!

On the subject of Gap...most Gap (and Old Navy) stores do their markdowns first thing on Tuesday. This was the info given to me last time I asked. Also, items ending in 7 are a final markdown price. (ie: $2.67, $5.97) Happy Shopping!

Grocery Shopping

I've clipped coupons for as long as I can remember. This is not new to me; I've always gotten excited about saving money. I figure, any money I save on groceries or other household items is money I can spend on the fun stuff!

For a FULL, DETAILED plan, check out my favorite blog http://www.moneysavingmom.com/. She has great tips on where to get coupons, free items, and weekly deals at places you shop like Kroger, Target and CVS.

Here are some of my tips when grocery shopping.

1. Shop with a list and STICK to your list. See what is in your pantry when planning the meals for the week. Use what you already have first!

2. Shop somewhere they double and triple coupons--Kroger, Tom Thumb and Albertsons. I shop at Kroger.

3. Buy what is on sale. Especially when it comes to produce. Plus, when you buy what is on sale, you'll get a better variety. This variety is a very healthy way to eat. Strawberries and carrots one week, blueberries and grapes the next.

4. Use the store ads that come in the mail on Tuesday and wait until the item goes on sale, then use your coupon. For example, this week Kroger has McCormick's Grill Seasoning on sale for $1. Normally, it's $2. I had a .50 coupon, they doubled it, so I got the seasoning for free.

5. You can combine store coupons with manufactures coupons for extra savings. Combine this with a store sale and you will get a great deal. For example, two weeks ago Target had Mott's applesauce cups on sale for $1.66. I printed an online coupon ($.50) from Target's website and combined that with a coupon ($1.00) from the paper. I got the applesauce for $.16 each. Click here to see where to print Target coupons. (CVS gives store coupons with your receipts. Tom Thumb store coupons are usually on the ad. Target coupons come in the mail or online).

6. Check out http://www.afullcup.com/ & http://www.coupons.com/ for online coupons. They had $5 off Huggies diapers last week.

7. The best way to save money is to shop on the outer edges of the store. Think produce, dairy, and meat counter. The inner isles with cereal, crackers, cookies, chips, frozen meals, frozen waffles, etc are full of preservatives, calories and high prices. You'll save money and eat healthier.

8. Unless it's on sale and a really good sale...don't buy makeup, toiletries, detergent, etc from a grocery store. Wal Mart and Target are financially better options.

9. Don't be afraid to buy in bulk and freeze. Chicken breasts were on sale a few weeks ago at $1.67 per lb, so I bought several packages and froze them. As I was planning my meals for the week, I saw I had chicken, so I planned accordingly. If I bought it today, it would have been $4.29 lb. When bell peppers are on sale, I will buy several, dice or slice them and freeze them. We add red bell pepper to almost everything we eat. I read that the orange ones have the most vitamins, but I like red better!

10. Finally, think of it as a game. Be excited when you save money. Today, I bought all my groceries for the week Wednesday to Wednesday. I spent $32.18 For you skeptics out there, here is my meal plan for the next few days. Proof we are not eating Ramen and Oatmeal.

Wed-Chicken Cordon Bleu with potatoes and green beans

Thurs - Pasta Primavera with chicken

Fri - Soft Tacos and guacamole

Sat - Crunchy Honey Mustard Baked chicken legs and corn on the cob

Vote 2918

I entered a contest for Kroger and designed my own reusable shopping bag. I am addicted to these and take them everywhere. Kroger, Target, the mall, Old Navy, etc. These are really wonderful and I recommend everyone switch to reusable bags.

Click here to vote for my creation. You can vote once a day.

You can click here to create your own bag.

Buttermilk Pancakes

I have decided to post some of my best tips and hints I've accumulated over the last year. Most are ways to save money, but others will save time or be healthy alternatives, too. A great way to save money is to avoid pre-made, boxed foods. Most are filled with sugar, salt and trans fat. Here is a recipe for buttermilk pancakes. I make these 2 batches at a time and freeze them. In the morning, I pop them into the microwave and top them with applesauce and cinnamon, yogurt or fresh fruit. Lincoln loves these!

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 T brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 beaten egg

1 c buttermilk

2 T canola oil

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center of flour mixture and set aside. Combine the egg, buttermilk and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Batter should be lumpy. Pour batter in 1 inch circles onto a hot skillet.

From start to finish, this takes less than 15 minutes. The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled. All these ingredients you should already have, aside from the buttermilk. I make my own buttermilk...put 1T white vinegar in a measuring cup and add enough milk to make 1 cup. Let sit for 5 min, stir and this can be used in lieu of buttermilk.

This Can't Be Happening!

Hey Mom!

What a morning! Earlier, I was reading a book to Lincoln and each page has a rhyme about a helping vehicle (Tow Truck, Rescue Helicopter, etc). After the page about Tommy the Tow Truck, Lincoln says "Amy" (that's right Tinkerbell. he can say your Amy as clear as a bell). What's on the next page? Amy the Ambulance! I was so proud of him, he just said it on his own. I went to find my phone to call Ryan and when I went looking for Lincoln, this is where I found him, shoes and all. I grabbed my camera, took a picture, Lincoln said "cheese" and then said "Done". I was cracking up! It's gross, I know, but still hilarious!