Bears and Bargains

It has been forever since I have been used this blog - I hope to start using it more often so that I can share my deals with everyone.  About a week ago, I asked people in my email list if they weren't using their coupons, if we could have them.  As part of our homeschooling, I have been trying to teach the boys to spend their money wisely - even on things that they ask for at the grocery store.  I started using coupons a little bit over the last few months but got to thinking that I could do more and we could not only save more, but give more as well.  So we are going to make donations to our local food pantries for the giving back part.  I think that kids today are growing up in such a me society and I want to be sure that my kids don't fall into that pattern.... 

This picture is all the things that I got this weekend using coupons - I paid a whopping $6.72 and I have $8 in reward money left to start with next week.  I should have another $7 but they didn't print.  I emailed them and if they determine it was a computer error, they will send those to me as well.

 The photo is hard to see everything but included are:  8 boxes of Special K cereal, 2 boxes of Fiber Plus cereal, 5 cans select Harvest campbell's soup, 4 packages of Stayfree, 2 bags of Oberto Jerky, 3 tubes of colgate toothpaste, 1 package Thomas' Bagel Thins, 6 packs of Trident gum, 1 pack Orbit gum, 2 bubble tape, 2 King size Whatchamacallit candy bars (needed them to use all my coupons or the computer would've shown a negative balance and you can't do that - they were buy 1 get 1 free, that's why I got two), and 2 of the new Tylenol pain cremes.  I should go back to my receipts and see what the totals were before coupons and rewards - I know my Walgreens purchase was just over $32, and I paid $4.32 there.  The rest of it was spent in Rite Aid but all in all, I am happy with my first major couponing experience.  The boys were totally impressed when, at one store, I had to give them 42 cents and we had two bags full of cereal, gum, and soup lol..

 The second reason for me hoping to keep this blog up more is so that we can share photos with my mom.  For some reason, she can never open them when I send them to her, so I hope she can see these ones.  The boys got Build a bears this year - Andy for his birthday (with a coupon) and Austin got his in December when we went to NYC with Matt before he left for Iraq.  They also each got one as an early Christmas present.  They had the moose on sale on Black Friday for $5.  We bought them unstuffed and surprised the boys with a trip to Lights on the Lake and a quick stop in Build a Bear.  Grandma got them each an outfit and they also got a gift card, so here are some of their Christmas Clothes.

Andy's Doggie and Moose - he just bought the scarf and hat and he's wearing Buzz Lightyear's pants.  His moose has an elf suit on. The sign in the background was made by Austin, it says "Hi grandma and grandpa"

Austin's bear is wearing his gift card purchase - a hoodie and jeans and his moose has the clone trooper costume from grandma.  His antlers are to big for the helmet, so it's on his arm.

Bob just drove off on his snowmobile again - he's enjoying this snow a lot more than I am.  I like it when I can be on the inside looking out at it :) 

Orders - who decides anyway???

Today started out pretty well.  It was still bright and sunny!  I had quite a bit of work to do on the computer today so I got to it while the boys were still sleeping.  I noticed that my son was "liking" a lot of pages on facebook so I did something I don't normally do - I turned facebook chat on.  Sure enough, there was his name with the little green circle after it :)  So we started "chatting".  His first phase of Army training was coming to end but I wasn't sure when.  It happened to be today.  He has been working 14 hours a day for the last 19 days.  He's been pretty beat at night. He had to get on a plane at 1 today to head to phase 2 at Fort Sil, in Oklahoma.  We were chatting back and forth about different things when all of the sudden, he throws in the chat that his orders have changed and he's going to Iraq on the 14th.  14th OF WHAT??? was my reply.  his reply came back - December.  I got a big lump in my throat.  It is bad enough that they took him from the Navy to the Army and that they are sending him to Iraq - (oh yeah, the location in Iraq is changing too...he will be right in Baghdad now)  but now they are taking him away from us for Christmas.  I have wrote this before but this will be our 3rd Thanksgiving without him and now we have to miss Christmas too.  I know others have missed much more but I hate how they just change things mid-stream.  We had a party for him all planned for the week of Christmas among other plans that week.  It just took the wind out of my sails today.  I don't get why orders can just change like that - it's the way of the military, I suppose..... I told him that I would write a note and tell them that he was sick and had to come home but he said that wouldn't work...I try to keep it light with him but I hate that he is doing this.  He was born in the beginning of "Desert Storm" but never in my wildest dreams did I think he would be in Baghdad one day..... 

Life is fragile

Today is a very sad day for a family that I have known forever!!  A very sweet young lady lost her mom today, at just 45 years old.  She had a massive heart attack almost 2 weeks ago - it took 12 uses of the paddles to bring her back, 3 stints had to be put in, but she was still here.  I just got the word that her battle is over.  She is with God now.  I can't wrap my mind around that.  I saw her just a few short months ago.  She looked great!  It's just proof that we never know when it will be our time.  Life is fragile.  We should never leave things unsaid, never walk away mad, always tell the people that you love, that you love them!!  My heart goes out to the Brooks and Clanton families - they truly lost a wonderful sister, wife, and mom today.

On the other side of this tragedy is the miracle in Chili - I have been glued to CNN and HN since last night - watching the 33 miners come up out of the ground one by one is incredible!!  The men are wearing shirts with Jesus on the sleeve - God is all over the news today in a great way!  ONe of the men said he isn't being rescued, he is being reborn.  What a great way to look at it - they know first hand how fragile life is and I'm sure they won't ever take it for granted again!! Another said that there weren't 33 of them down there, there were 34 because God was always with them!  22 are out so far -  Praise God for that miracle!!

 

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Vera Bradley Sale

For anyone that has someone on their Christmas list that is a Vera Bradley Fan - here is a nice little deal!!  It's only good for 2 days though!!

http://www.verabradley.com/catalog/search.cmd?form_state=searchForm&keyword=morgan&x=0&y=0

Sunday responsibilities and relaxation!

Every Sunday starts out the same, get out of bed, hurry and get ready, and get to church by 9 for the boys to go to Sunday School.  This Sunday was a bit different because my littlest man has gotten brave enough to sleep away from home and he stayed at grandma and grandpa's last night.  My oldest brother was in town for the weekend and the kids - all 6 of them - have always wanted every second of his attention when he's here.  He  is the definition of a perfect uncle.  He tries very hard to attend everything he can - even though he lives almost 4 hours away and has a job that takes him not only across the country but across the world, on a regular basis.  He came to town on Friday afternoon in time to watch my niece play tennis.  Then he went to the local high school football game to see our brother, who was working security for the PD there.  Saturday morning, he was up bright and early at at our house by 8 for breakfast with us and then went with us to my boys soccer game at 9.  We have another nephew that played at noon, so back we went for that game.  And in between and after, there were frisbees thrown, soccer balls kicked, footballs thrown, and Yahtzee and Kerplunk were both played.  Oh and I didn't even mention that the last time he was home and playing Jail Break with the kids, he broke his finger - so he's doing all of these things with a little cast on his throwing hand.  I honestly can't think of anything major that he has missed except my oldest son's high school graduation - his excuse??  He flipped over his handlebars on his bike in the woods (his shoes were attached to the pedals so the whole bike went with him) and he broke his collarbone.  So he made the graduation party the weekend before but couldn't come for the graduation because he wasn't able to drive and the pain was too much for him to ride that far.  So Uncle Tom brought him to church for us.  I am on the nominating committee for the new Deacon's and Elder's coming on board for next year.  We had a meeting after church to start "recruiting" names for these positions.  It was the first meeting so it was a bit longer than most of them will be so we ended up being at church until 1. 

We came home to have lunch and all the boys wanted to do was play football and basketball.  I wanted to go somewhere and enjoy the beautiful sunshine while we can - it's gong to be rare to have warn sunny days here, very soon.  I said, we should do something as a family and one of the boys said, "we do, we go to Disney every year together".  I admit that I was a bit upset at first but then I thought about it - they don't get to just play outside with their dad very often so I let it go.  I did indoor things like laundry, dishes, organized a closet that I haven't touched since we moved in (that felt great, btw!!).  I also watched the bottom of the screen to keep updated on my Beloved Cleveland Browns score.  I wanted to get excited when they were up 23 to 10 but I know how terrible they are when it comes to "protecting" a lead!!  They actually pulled it out and got their first win of the season.  My brother had left for home after he left the church so he was able to watch the game at a sports bar.  He and my dad "watch" the games together on the phone.  This year though, my dad didn't get the football package in protest of the ridiculous cost!!  So my brother gives him the play by play on his cell phone from in the bar - it's kind of cute actually.  They do the same thing on Saturdays for the Ohio State games.  Football is a huge part of my family and I miss it that my dad didn't get the football package because we would go over every single Sunday after church to watch the Browns with grandpa.  I don't blame him though - having the football package has gone from $99 to over $300 and when your team constantly loses, you decide it just isn't worth it lol!!  Still I wonder what he does between plays when there are only 2 games to watch - when he got all the games, I never really knew which game we were watching because like most men, the channel would flip constantly (only on commercials of the Browns game though!!) 

Sunday nights our small group meets.  There are 5 couples (and 10 kids!!) in our group.  We are doing a great study right now on Building up your Spouse.  We have a good marriage - we fight, of course, who doesn't??  But since we started this study in June, I truly feel we have become closer.  We are reading the Bible together.  We are seeing how little things that you may say or do, can really hurt someone else, and you never even knew it.  We are taking more time for each other.  The other great thing is the ties that have come from our group.  4 of us were close before and the 5th couple is a little older, they have grown children, and are newer to our church.  We have gotten to know them and they all of us in a way that we never would have without this group.  I know it has caused me to reexamine myself and I am working at what I have identified as my short comings.  One thing that I can say should be true for everyone, it's all in how you say something - ask, don't tell so to speak.  I am pretty sensitive and can take things the wrong way, working on that hasn't been so easy but with prayer, I will get through it :) 

Distance on birthdays

September 29, 1990 - I remember it as if it were yesterday and it seems like it was!!  It was very windy and gray outside, but a warm windy.  I can still hear the announcers at Oneida High School announcing the Varsity Football game as my mom and I walked around the block.  I was having some pains and was hoping they were labor pains because I was already 8 days past my due date.  That night at 11:01, my 9 lb. 3 oz. 21 inches long "little boy" was born  How in the world did 20 years go by already??  He is well over 6 feet tall now but he will always be my little boy.  It is his 3rd birthday in a row away from home.  I got to thinking today that I have not spent a birthday with him since he was 17.  It breaks my heart.  No parties, no dinners, no cakes.  At least this year and last we could talk to him on the phone.  I cried tonight when we hung up.  Hearing him say he loves us and misses us just brought me to tears.  I swallowed them until we hung up.  He is at Army training at the present time - the Navy has put him in the Individual Augmentee program.  He sounded exhausted when I talked to him at a little after 8.  They are working 4:30 to 7 each day.  He was doing his laundry and going to bed.  I got to thinking about next year - the big milestone birthday "21" and we won't see him for that either because he will be on the other side of the world in Iraq.  My hope and prayer is that he won't be needed for the whole year and they will send him back to the US or put him on a ship even.  I love that boy more than he will ever know and a part of me is missing without him.  I feel very empty inside and I know it will only get worse as we approach the new year.  So hug your children tight and appreciate every moment, even the bad ones.  At least they are there with you to have those bad moments.  I promise you that you will be watching them turn 20 before you know it as well!!!

This picture was taken this summer when our very good friend Mike Skupin came to town.  Matt brought venison to church and cooked some steak for Mike.