Friday, October 31, 2008

Trick or Treat? Yes!!

Mr. Pumpkin Head and Little Red Riding Hood (who didn't have a hood...yes, yes I know)...sat pretty for this picture!
They were hard to catch once they were standing...as I'm sure you've noticed!
Mr. Pumpkin Head and his pumpkin head! He wouldn't let anyone hold it for him. So cute and stubborn!!!

Daddy leading them over to "our across the street" neighbors. They only went to a few close houses. Short legs don't go far! HA! No, not mine!! Very funny!

We gave Caleb a sucker before taking off his outfit. Bad idea...notice the drool down his sleeve to his elbow.
Once we took it off we realized the drool went all the way to his bellybutton! Oh, my!

Little Red enjoying her treat while watching "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" again!

Here's the Pooh Bear costume I got her that she wouldn't wear. Yup, as soon as we got home she donned this costume to hand out candy to the other kids. Go figure. Personally, I think the riding hood outfit was cuter anyway!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

SuperWoman and the Bowling Pears...

Today was an extremely productive day. Funny, I didn't think I'd get so much done. I find that when I plan to do tons...I get very little done. However, when I don't plan...I often get tons done...and everyone is still happy! There's a lesson there...hmmm?

Today I went to Bible Study(started laundry before I left)
--continued doing laundry through lunch and nap time
--watched DVD I'd missed during Bible Study cuz I was in childcare
--talked to my Dad and Mom briefly
--Read Emma her 10 library books
--stripped and remade Caleb's bed after his party of milk dancing (long story and lesson in no milk in bed)
--Raked entire backyard
--made dinner
--set table
--cleaned up kitchen
--helped rake leaves onto tarp and to curb
--helped bathe babies
--watched "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" with popcorn and boobahs
--stuffed treat bags for tomorrow's beggars
--put away laundry upstairs
--and snuggled some with hubby on couch!

WOW....and I'm still blogging! God is good, all the time....All the time, God is good!

Emma loves to ride on the tarp...even though she gets completely covered with leaves.
Caleb preferred to play it safe and tottle along behind!

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE BOWLING PEARS YOU ASK????
I got a bunch of pears from my friend Amy! Her Mom's tree was loaded and they decided to shake them down before the big frosts this week. Just the thought of the two of them shaking the tree makes me snicker to myself. AND her husband climbing up into the tree and shaking it some more...hahahaha!
Anyhew, there are ALOT of them...and they are hard as rocks and mostly green. The yellower ones are ripening in bags. The few ripe ones were yummo so stay tuned for recipes.
I know, I know...the bowling...well, I had to do something to keep them occupied during dinner prep. Emma thought she wanted to eat one...then she decided they were hard and gave a few to Caleb. They laughed hysterically while bowling them along the floors! Hey, at dinner time...as long as no one is crying...I don't care what they bowl with...well, I think!


Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Pumpkin Carving...

Last night we carved the DadE pumpkin!

Emma is telling me that it is yuckEEEE. Caleb is fascinated with the slime!

Isn't DadE pumpkin cute?

Ooooo...he glows!
We roasted the seeds...after soaking them in salt brine (thanks Grandpa for the tip). Yum!
Tonight we will color the MomE, EmmE, and CalubbE pumpkins!


Saturday, October 25, 2008

Little Darreny...

Just for fun...we put Darren's glasses on Caleb. He already looks like Daddy but the glasses really made it funny! Doesn't he look so smart?

Emma said that she wants glasses...we told her that she'll probably have them someday...cuz both MomE and DadE are blind as bats without them! Hahaha! Gotta love heredity!


Friday, October 24, 2008

Nana stickers, sterilite smiles and pillowbags!

Every week my kids get stickers from Nana...in her weekly letter. As you can see, this is great fun...especially when you can help your brother stick them all over himself! I love these pictures of pudgy fingers and drooly chins!


Emma decided Daddy's pillowcase was a soft sleeping bag...so we dubbed it the pillowbag for the day. It is now back on the bed...some things just don't need to become habits.

MomE organized all the toys into smaller sterilite containers. We rediscovered so many toys but they didn't want to play with them...nope...they wanted play in the big ole sterilite box. They played in there for hours!
Thanks to everyone who prayed for my Grandma...the kid's Nana. She is recovering at home from her recent heart attack scare.



Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Fall Walk...

Emma pushed her dolly and MomE pushed hers! Awwww! We had to wrap the baby in a blankie because it was cold outside. We collected leaves...

We have three very big leaves...
MomE dipped the leaves in parafin wax to make a pretty Fall centerpiece!

Monday, October 20, 2008

Little Eyes Upon You

There are little eyes upon you
and they're watching night and day.
There are little ears that quickly
take in every word you say.

There are little hands all eager
to do anything you do;
And a little girl who's dreaming
of the day she'll be like you.

You're the little angel's idol,
you're the wisest of the wise.
In her little mind about you
no suspicions ever rise.

She believes in you devoutly,
holds all you say and do;
She will say and do, in your way
when she's grown up just like you.

There's a wide-eyed little lady
who believes you're always right;
and her eyes are always opened,
and she watches day and night.

You are setting an example
every day in all you do;
For the little girl who's waiting
to grow up to be like you.

This is a very special poem to me. My parents have a picture of me...peeking above their bed...and my Dad wrote out this poem in calligraphy below it! It is a full circle feeling...from my Daddy's girl heart...to my Emma and her Daddy's girl heart!

Saturday, October 18, 2008

A Fun Fall Evening...

Darren played with the kids while grilling our dinner and I scampered about taking pictures. We had a delightful evening...

This is how a big boy goes down the slide! Emma still needed Daddy to help her too! Hehehe!
He can climb this by himself but it makes MomE really really nervous!
Awwww, look at the three cuties!
This is how a big girl climbs!

Monday, October 13, 2008

Marriage Monday...

10 Tips for Frugal Living

"The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it." Proverbs 10:22

This is a timely subject considering the current economy issues. I hope that people who weren't living frugally before will now read these posts and gain tips to help them turn their spending around. Praise God, I married a very frugal man. Trust me...I don't feel that way everyday...but I do see it as God's blessing. God, in His infinite wisdom, knew that I needed a husband who'd track my spending and keep me accountable. The awesome thing is...that He also helped me embrace frugality and truly enjoy saving. He's placed friends in my path to give me tips and encouragement.

So, here are my 10 Tips...

1. Keep track and keep organized. Know where your money is going. We were extreme when we started this...saved receipts...but now we know and don't have to be so intense. I was encouraged to see where the money I was saving was going, etc. It's no fun to be frugal if you don't feel it's helping.

2. It may surprise some of my friends to learn that I shop at thrift stores but...IT IS SO AWESOME. I wear name brands (Claiborne, Hilfiger, Abercrombie, Gap, etc.) and never go outside the thrift store. Some of them still have their tags on them ya'll! I buy shoes and bags the same way. It is so stinkin' cool to me to carry Italian leather bags I'd never get away with buying full price (Darren'd kill me) but get for $2.99 at Goodwill. Same with shoes. I've become so accustomed to shopping this way that it really bothers me to have to pay full price for something.

3. Price matching. I am a huge price matcher at Walmart. You can take an ad from anywhere and if they don't beat the ad price they'll give you the competitor's price for the item. I make out like a bandit when Kroger does 10 for 10. I love this for a number of reasons. I don't have to shop all over the city at multiple stores with two toddlers. Even when I can't beat Walmart's price with an ad...I know I got the lowest price. FYI--this doesn't apply to BOGO deals. Don't ask me why. I'm a big generic fan...especially when I can read that the ingredients are I.D..denticle!

4. Use coupons ONLY FOR THE ITEMS ON YOUR LIST. I know there are some awesome couponers out there. I'm not talking about Dealies with CVS and Walgreens, etc. cuz that's a whole other method in and of itself. If you have the time and energy...go for it...it's worked wonders for tons of my friends. I'm talking about getting sucked into the coupons selling you stuff you didn't need to begin with. So, if you find a coupon for something on your list...use it but don't just use coupons to try stuff out...'cuz usually you're losing money.

5. Plan menus. This keeps you from eating out and helps you keep your shelves and freezer organized. My method is to create the weeks menu on top of my grocery list. Keep your calendar handy...so you plan appropriate meals for the day's activities. Then I walk around the kitchen assessing what I need to complete that menu. I then sit down and look at ads to find price matches and coupon matches to the created list. According to my calculations this has saved me about $40 some weeks.

6. Make your own fun. We don't buy the kids toys. We save all wrappings, bottles, etc. and create our own fun. I make my own playdoh, soap paints, etc. Our kids aren't deprived...they do have toys from grandmas and grandpas, etc. We feel this is not only frugal but also will hopefully ward off "little consumerism." We don't want them thinking they are owed toys...and we want them to develop good imaginations.

7. Darren and I make our birthday and Christmas gifts for each other. We usually write letters or poetry. We talked about it...and knew we wanted to pay debt off, etc...and missed those early courting notes anyway! It works out great. For example, just to brag on my man....for my birthday Friday he created a scavenger hunt for me...each verse of a poem took me around the house...until I found my gift. My gift was a bunch of "coupons" for special lovey things. He did sort of cheat this birthday though...and brought home a bag of Dove chocolates...my favorite. I guess, we'll go easy on him! We've decided to celebrate Advent with the kids at Christmas. We really want to emphasize Christ's birth...so each child will get only one gift. We will talk about the ONE BIG GIFT of Jesus', have Jesus' birthday party, etc.

8. One date night a month. Wait, this is money out...how is that frugal? Well, it's an investment. I heard a funny quip once, "Pay for dates now, or pay for counseling later."

9. I've made all Caleb's baby food (exception of Rice Cereal) mostly due to his allergies. I was calculating though...and that's saved us a lot of money. There are all sorts of great baby food making tips out there. I love my book, "Super Baby Food."

10. Bless others. I love doing meals for new babies, getting hot cocoa for the Salvation Army bell ringers, etc. I truly believe that if we give as we are able...God blesses this. "Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you." Duet. 16:17 Don't hold onto the money so hard it screams. It doesn't belong to you. Be wise...but remember it needs to be used for Jesus' as we tell our quarter hoarding three year old. All those quarters you "found" on Daddy's dresser are going to Jesus' on Sunday!

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Waterman's Pumpkin Farm...

Grandma Denny came to visit for MomE's birthday. We all went to the pumpkin farm together. It was great fun!

This is how funny I look when the sun's in my face!
Of course, Emma didn't have to go potty before we left for the pumpkin patch. Thank God for corn fields...
Awwww, the luvvvv....
Ooooo, a pumpkin!
Do you see my little pumpkin in this patch?
Do you see my big pumpkin in this patch?
Grandma and her pumpkin during the hayride!
My pumpkin and his pumpkin!
Daddy helping Emma drive her tractor!
Sweet tired lambie getting a drink!


Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Wordless Wednesday...




As time goes by...

I took some pictures of the kids as they "ganged up" on Daddy tonight. They were having a great time. This picture made me think of another picture, taken not so very long ago...

What? I'm just sitting on his neck! He loves me...I'm his bald princess!!
Wow, can you tell she wasn't very mobile at this point. I have DVD's, blue glass and mints all down very low and not protected. HA!

A barkpicking good time!

Today, we are enjoying a brisk Autumn day! The kids were "chomping at the bit" to get outside...and I was anxious to get them out...so I took a break from my closet organizing task for Tackle it Tuesday and bundled them up and went out.

First, we collected all the sticks. We always have a bunch because our trees are old...and there are a lot of them. Nothing cuter than a one year hauling a twig to a pile. Emma was fascinated with the corner of the garage where the leaves land. Ewww..dirty. I forced them away.

Next, we took turns going down the slide. Caleb loves this new activity. He can't quite climb up by himself...or maybe MomE's just paranoid. I lift him to the top rug and he waddles over to the slide and sits and *whoop* slides down. Boy, the littler they are the faster they fly down that thing!

So, I decided all was well...and they were playing nicely with the trics and sticks...so I sat on the porch and worked on a paper project. They seemed very focused on digging in the flower bed with old measuring spoons. Sounded fun...and then Emma says, "Mama, Cawub eatin' poop." Oh joy...so I jump up and jog out to the tree and discover he's tasted a mouth full of mulch...not poop...thank goodness. I flick out as much as I can...comment on how "ucky" that is...and then I notice...they've been having a barkpicking good time. Yup, my tree is plucked free of all it's bark from about Emma height down. Oh the poor thing...I sure hope it doesn't kill it. It's a big tree...I'm sure it'll be fine...right?

Hope ya'll are having a barkpicking good time today too!

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Packing paper...who knew?

We received a CBD order yesterday. It came with about 12 feet of wound packing paper. The kids LOVE it! They ran around and around the house screaming that it was a snake! This morning they were snuggling....

...aren't they cute.
And then, Emma remembered the "snake paper" and pulled it down out of the chair MomE had stuffed it onto...to get it out from underfoot. Boy, am I glad I didn't throw it away! They've played with it for hours!
Awww, Mr. Headbonker is doing a head stand.
Look at the little prim princess making her bed among the snake paper! HA!