!!!Being A Winner!!!

I feel like I'm a pretty completive person and with that I feel like I've have won at a lot of things (board games, sporting events, who can slide down a slide the fastest, who can text message the fastest, carry the most grocery bags). You know all the usual stuff. ;) And I feel pretty good about that.

But have you ever won a prize, drawing or sweepstakes? If you have, I'm thoroughly jealous. :)

I am an avid prize, drawing, sweepstakes enterer. (That's a mouthful) :)

Seriously, I enter into EVERYTHING!

Have I ever won anything? Nope. Nothin. Zilch!

Have I been close? You bet.

Like the drawn ticket is 00061 and I'm 00060. One number off, are you kidding me? And it had to be the last number on the ticket?

Or if there is a random giveaway at a movie theater.

Someone from the row in front of me and someone from the row behind me will be picked.

But not me.

Or even at baby showers. I will have guessed 9 of those "poopy" (chocolaty) diapers correctly!

That's amazing right? Especially for someone that really doesn't love chocolate, especially dressed up as poop. :)

I'll be feeling really good, like I might actually win my own tube of Desitin (I mean who doesn't want to win that)? ;) And then someone will call out 10 ripe diapers they labeled correctly.

But am I bitter? No, no. I do however feel very picked on by luck. :) I mean that is just wrong to do to someone so competitive. :)

AND so I will continue to be driven to enter into stupid drawings and sweepstakes.

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But I would just like to put this out there. Put it out into the universe. :) (It worked for Ellen to get on the Oprah show, right?)

This year I will WIN something! :)

I will even settle for a donut in the supermarket. :)

As long as I'm about the business of putting things out into the universe to be had.

I would also like to be an owner of a fabulous house in the nearish future. I would like to continue to have healthy children. And I would like to continue to enjoy the blessings that come with living in a free country. :)

Those aren't too grand to hope for, right?

Easter

We couldn't have asked for a better Easter weekend!

Of course, true to any American Easter celebration, it wouldn't have been complete without coloring eggs.

Jared's sad face after he dropped and cracked his egg that he colored as a penguin.

Yummy!

The Easter Bunny came and everything was set up so nicely.

But then we had.....

Thankfully, just like every year, we all survived! :)

The kids were pretty impressed with the Easter Bunny's ability to pick out cool things for them. Gotta love the early years when it's easy to please. :)

I think Jared wore this to bed last night. :)

Candy. Novalee. Need I say more?

Hello Kitty. The Easter Bunny is officially the coolest! (Not that the Easter Bunny and I are in any way connected BUT for some strange reason, I do feel a sense of pride).

Picture book of babies for baby. :)

After the excitement of candy and presents wore off, Wesley asked Novalee to get the eggs so we could hide them for them. But much to her disbelief the eggs were gone!
The Easter bunny had hid them! (Can I just say that never happened when I was growing up. My kids are pretty lucky!) :)

Aren't we all a charming bunch early in the morning?

Novalee is so beautiful! I kind of love her lots and lots and lots. :)

Such a big little lady!

This is totally Sadie!

Jared looks so tall and handsome. I am just amazed at how big they are all getting.

Well, we had a wonderful Easter and we hope that you did as well!

Playing Nice.......Or Not

Jared and Novalee are so sweet! I just love them but I rarely can get a decent picture of them. As soon as they see the camera, they either run and hide, get wild, or start acting, well strange.

Yesterday, I notice the two of them playing outside so nicely together, digging a hole in the grass (which I was willing to overlook since they were playing so nicely together) and I thought, "This would be a great time to take a picture!"

So I ran and grabbed the camera and as soon as I turned back, click! This is what I got!

Doesn' t Novalee look like she is about to hack off Jared's head?

But I guess she just wanted shade. Phew!

But then they saw me and they got a little wild.

And strange.

But I'm glad I got at least one picture where they were both smiling, even if Jared looks like he is trying to keep me back with a baseball bat. :)

At Your Service

I guess I really like making aprons. :)

And I actually use them, which is a plus. :)




Other good news, I think I finally used up all the black fabric from our wedding! It would be interesting to go back and look at all of the things I have used it for these last (almost) two years.

Well why not?

Baby Booties

Witch's Cape

Baby Blanket

The Backside of

these.

Girl Shorts

Yet another pillow. :)

And of course this.

Novalee was so cute in this apron but of course she wouldn't let me take a picture of her in it.

I think I might need to make one for her and she can by my little kitchen helper. :)

75% Isn't Too Shabby

I realize I said I wouldn't post again about savings for a while but I can't help it. :)

This was yesterday.

First stop Khols. $10.00 off a purchase of $10.00



You probably can't see that receipt too well, but below it's even larger so you can see. :)

Yep that's right, FREE! $12.00 savings! :)

Next stop, Rite-Aid. They were doing several Buy one, get one free or %50 off.

I got all of this in three different transactions.


Stick with me, it gets good. :)

Here's a list of what I got.
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Transaction 1: I used three coupons.

Nivea Bath Wash Reg $4.99 My Cost $0.99
Nivea Bath Wash Reg $5.99 My Cost $0.99
Nivea Lotion Reg $7.99 My Cost $5.99
Nivea Lotion Reg $7.99 My Cost $1.99

Total $26.96 My Cost $9.96

I walked away from the transaction with $5.00 to use towards my next purchase.
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Transaction 2: I used the $5.00 from the last transaction and a $5.00 off your purchase of $25.00 or more. And two manufacturer coupons.

Scotts
12 pk Bath Tissue....Reg $13.69 My cost $5.99
Lysol Multi Cleaner..Reg $3.99 My cost $0.00
Lysol Multi Cleaner..Reg $3.99 My cost $0.00
Finish Dish
Detergent...............Reg $4.99 My Cost $4.99
Finish Dish
Detergent..............Reg $4.99 My Cost $0.00
Purex 3in1
Laundry Detergent..Reg $7.99 My Cost $2.99
Purex 3in1
Laundry Detergent..Reg $7.99 My Cost $0.00
2pk Sponges..........Reg $1.99 My cost $1.99
2pk Sponges..........Reg $1.99 My cost $0.00
3ct Scour Pad........Reg $1.99 My cost $1.99
3ct Scour Pad........Red $1.99 My cost $0.00

Total $55.59 My cost $17.95

I walked away with a $10.00 to use towards my next purchase.
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And now for the best part! :)

Transaction 3: I used the $10.00 towards my next purchase, one manufacturer coupon, one $3.00 off your next purchase of $15.00 or more (I got from taking a survey from a previous receipt), and $2.00 off your next purchase of $10.00 or more of specific hair care products.

The reason for this purchase was because I needed hairspray. :)

Tresemme Conditioner Reg $5.49. My Cost $0.00
Tresemme Conditioner Reg $5.49. My Cost $0.00
Tresemme Hairspray Reg $4.99... My Cost $0.00
Tresemme Hairspray Reg $4.99... My Cost $0.00
8pk Latex Gloves Reg $1.00.......... My cost $0.00
Band Aids Reg $1.00.................... My cost $0.86

Total $22.96 My Cost $0.86

AND I walked away with $4.00 off your next purchase! Sweet!
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I know that's a lot of info.

Here's the bottom line.

Running Total $105.51 My Cost $28.77 !!!

AND if you add the sippy cups.

Running Total $117.51 My cost $28.77 !!!

That's 75% savings!!!

*I need to note that this is doing the math without taxes. I didn't want to even try to figure that in. All I know is that with taxes the total cost would have been more and my cost was actually $31.61. Stinkin taxes).

That's around $1.43 per item! (with taxes)

AND I still have $4.00 to spend next visit!

Getting My Hair Done

Yesterday Jared and Novalee decided I needed a trip to the salon.


Novalee was so excited about this!

We all agreed I should go with something dramatic.




Phew! I'm glad they saved me from a bad hair day!

Novalee said afterwards, "When Wesley gets home he's not going to even know what to say!" Too true. :) He wouldn't have. :)

I insisted that I shouldn't receive all the pampering and with a little encouragement...



This last one makes me laugh a little because there are so many hair clips it looks more like a hat to me.