12 August 2010 - a bit of a face lift

Yesterday while Dennis & Gail were visiting/playing with Will, I locked myself in my sewing room & made new pillow covers for my family room. I've never sewn pillows before, let alone with zippers. My mom tried to teach me when I was pregnant with Will, but I was too busy stretching out across the stairs feeling sick, so she just made them for me. So when I tried putting in my first zipper, I was stumped - I read the directions, looked up "how-to" articles & videos, & still didn't understand. After an hour of trying to decode the whole zipper thing, I finally found a tutorial that made sense. After a full day of sewing, I finished my pillows, & I really LOVE the way they turned out!

I made 2 each of 3 different pillows - all reversible, so I have the option of displaying 6 "different" pillows.

I also got rid of Will's toy chest & replaced it with bookshelves/storage from Ikea. I bought a bookshelf for each side of our entertainment center, & they fit perfectly! It makes the room so much more organized, & I don't feel like I'm going to pull my hair out every time I look at Will's stockpile of toys - this is a good thing for both of us. 

Will was having a hard time getting his pull-dog out of the basket.

A great place to store all my overflow books & magazines. It's still not perfect, but it's a huge improvement!

I also broke down & FINALLY bought a "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster (& it's already calmed me down many times). I've been eyeing these for such a long time, but could never decide on a color - I'm really happy I went with the Navy.  I also tacked a Hallmark card onto the frame because it always makes me smile - two old women sitting on a bench seriously discussing whether it's "butt naked" or "buck naked" - got to love it.

And here's a very short & very poor quality video of William dancing. He gallops all over the house like that!

 

11 August 2010 - visiting the station

On Monday, Will & I dropped by Scott's station to say hello. Will loved exploring everything & acting like he owned the place. He was a little unsure when Scott started up the medic for a call - it's pretty loud.

12 July - swim lessons

Today was Will's first swim lesson! He loved being in the water from the very beginning.

It was his turn to spend some one-on-one time with one of the instructors, but he panicked & started to scream & reach for me (he's really struggling with separation anxiety right now). 

It took some comforting, but he finally calmed down. He eventually unlatched his legs from around my waist, so we could practice blowing bubbles & kicking again (blowing bubbles was more like Will laughing at me while I showed him how to do it, & when it was his turn to try, he just drank the water).

Will's favorite part, of course, was throwing & chasing after balls. He finally warmed up to the instructors by playing catch with them, & while chasing after the balls, he dunked/fell into the water about 3 or 4 times (I was shocked he didn't cry). Will loved his swimming time, & we're excited to head back tomorrow for round 2!

28 June - a little . . . okay, a LOT obsessed

For those of you who haven't read The Hunger Games, you're missing out. This series is my new favorite - I absolutely love it! I shied away from it for a long time after hearing it was about teenagers battling it out to the death (sounded pretty gruesome), but after all the reviews, I had to try it out. I'm so glad I did! I am officially obsessed with the series. It was well written, & sent me on a huge rollcoaster ride of emotions - excitement, anger, joy, anxiety, sadness, frustration. It reminded me in many ways of Lord of the Flies & The Lottery (a particular favorite short story that I remember from high school - showing a community's way of keeping "peace" through horrendous means). I highly recommend this! It's a trilogy - book 2: Catching Fire, & book 3 (coming out at the end of August): Mockingjay. They're also making a movie of the first book, due out sometime in 2011.

28 June - incredible savings!

I just had to share this. I mean Wow! - really great shopping at CVS today!

1 bag goldfish crackers (this was my splurge item): normally $2,

after sale & coupons (ASC) = $1.00

1 Aveeno shampoo

1 Aveeno conditioner

2 Aveeno styling products:

normally $31 total; 

ASC + $10 Extra Bucks reward + rebate = FREE

1 John Freida shampoo & 1 conditioner: normally $14 total;

$0.50 ea. ASC + $3 Extra Bucks reward = $1

3 Betty Crocker Warm Delights: normallly $6.87 total;

$0.13 ea. ASC = $0.39

6 packages Stayfree pads: normally $42 total;

ASC = FREE

TOTAL: normally = $95.94; ASC + rebate + tax = $3.05

SO, I ended up paying $3.05 out of pocket after using coupons, Extra Bucks from my last CVS purchase, & getting a $10 cash rebate for my Aveeno products + I have $13 in Extra Bucks to use on my next purchase. In that sense, it's like I was given $10 in store credit to get all this stuff! I'm officially converted to couponing.

23 June - it feels good to save

All this loot normally costs about $95 before sales & coupons (crazy expensive!).

I paid $45 out of pocket & ended up with $25 credit towards my next purchase. So basically, I got all of this for $20, or paid for the Huggies at regular cost & got the rest for free plus $5 credit left over. I had about 79% savings today & am really excited! Thanks for getting me into couponing again Melanie!

1 - 64 oz. grape juice = $1

2 - Colgate toothpastes = earned $0.46

1 - 50-ct. ibuprofen = $1

1 - 82-ct jumbo pack Huggies = $7

3 - Kraft salad dressings = earned $0.50

3 - King size KitKats: $0.77 ea. = $2.31

grapes, tomatoes, serrano peppers = $3

1 - 1 lb. bag carrots = Free

2 - Coppertone sticks: $1 ea. = $2

10 - Sobe life waters = earned $1

3 - cans Cream of Chicken soup (not in picture): $0.50 ea. = $1.50

+tax = ~$20 total

20 June - happy father's day

Happy Father's Day to all the men in our lives!

I know it took some time for Will to join us, but he was worth the wait. He lights up whenever you come home & absolutely adores you - I can see why. Love you Scott! I can't imagine a better husband & father.