Spring Breakin' it

We are off to see the sights in Nashville this weekend. Living so close, we go up that way at least once a month, but this time we are actually making a weekend of it. Spring break was the perfect opportunity for us to take a break from the construction zone house.

Hope you have a fantastic weekend!

The Diet: 3 Months Checkup

Yes, I have successfully stuck to my new eating habits. With a lot of work and sacrifice, I have lost a total of 65 lbs. That is 6 sizes my friends. S. I. X. I'm stoked!

We went yard-saleing this weekend and I came out with several new pairs of pants/shorts and even a shirt. It's odd to put clothes on that seem so small (compared to where I have been). They are still not where I wanna be, but I'm working on it.

Confessions of a Fanatic Reader

OH MY! I love, love, love Rebecca Bloomwood. I have read every Shopaholic book that Sophie Kinsella has written (ok, well I have read all her books -- I love her writing!)

So now, on February 13th the movie is coming out! Can you guess what we are doing for Valentine's Day?

On another note ~ Thank you all so very much for all of your sweet, kind words about my sweet granddaughter. You had me in tears everytime I read another comment. What wonderful, comforting bloggy friends!

Lose 25 lbs. Over Night!

Yes, my friends, I lost 25 lbs. over night! OK, well maybe not like you thought. I went to the doctor yesterday to on a good diet plan. I have tried it many, many, MANY times on my own and I hope this time it will work. *Crossing my fingers!*

So the night before my visit, I stepped on my scales, so I would not be shocked when I got to the weighing in part at the doctor's office. When I got to the doctor, I was amazed that I was a whole 25 lbs. less than I had weighed the night before. YES -- my scales were 25 lbs. off. I even weighed when I got home to double check and make sure. I think that was the ONLY time in my life I loved a set of scales.

Want to have a great weight-loss boost? Step on my scales and convince yourself you weigh much more than you actually do, then go to the doctor!

Snow Funny!

I figured for my 200th post, it ought to be a good one!

I feel so lucky!

Two lovely awards in one week!

I have been given The Lemonade Award by Dani Brook at Down at the Lowe Valley Ranch. Dani tells me that the Lemonade Award is for blogs that show great attitude and gratitude. Thanks bunches!!!
Upon receiving The Lemonade Award, you also pass it on to other bloggers who you think show great attitude and gratitude.
Here are the rules:
1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!
3. Link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

These are my picks for the bunch of lovely ladies who I think display great attitudes and gratitude. (So many great blogs...only 10 will be so very hard!)

Domestic Accident

Martini Mom

Stretch Mark Mama

From Inmates to Playdates

Firefly

Screaming Meme

{Typing Out Loud}

Something Special

Nessa

Mad Boastings of a Cheapskate Mom

So there you have it! The ten most fab finds of the day. Ok, well, there are so many it was hard to choose, but those are the ladies that I love to visit, each giving me a special smile. Now run over and tell them I said hello!

Christmas Cookies, Done!

Six hours later, cookies are done. Peanut butter, chocolate chip, chocolate & walnut, oatmeal chocolate chip and sugar cookies galore. Plus we did pretzel snowflakes! So much fun, so many hands helping.

We had a total of 120 cookies, which was divided between two houses, well what was left after all that eating, anyways!

Smart Cookies

So after hearing all of your wonderful ideas on what kinds of cookies to bake, Candi (my bff) and I decided that with four girls in the kitchen with us, ranging in ages from 5-15, the best idea was cookie mix.

Of course, I had a good supply of it in the pantry from earlier sales. So, there will be no "homemade" cookies, but they will all be made with love!

Don't forget that everyone will be joining in on the Monday, Funday fun starting on Monday, January 6th!

Fabulous? Moi? Merci!

My sweet friend Firefly recently bestowed this wonderful award upon me. What fun! She tells me that I need to reveal five addictions and pass it on to five friends.

Addictions:

1. Kissing my darling hubby -- many, many times daily.

2. Snuggling my girlies -- as much as I can get away with.

3. Blogging, of course.

4. Pepsi, the drink of divas.

5. Pedicures, which I am in withdrawls of, since it has been too dang long.

Five Friends:

Pink Cupcake

ShabbyFufu

Green Girl in Wisconsin

Marshmallow Circus

Fifi's Flowers

So run on over and tell all these all these fabulous ladies I said hello.

And if you are here, you are fabulous, too, so take it for yourself while you are at it!

Monday, Funday: Cooking with the Kiddos

With 7 teacher gifts to give, I decided to make them, and have fun at the same time. We put together these pretty wreaths in a couple of hours. Not only did we do enough for teachers, we also made enough for me to give one to each person in my office at work. What fun!

What you will need:

1 bag small pretzels

1 package white almond bark

1 pack Twizzler Pull 'n Peel

Green sugar

Decorating bobbles (stars, balls, M&Ms)

First draw circles about 4 1/2 inches in diameter on paper. I used a bowl, putting two per page. Next, layer cling wrap over the paper. It is easier to lay out your paper and do one big strip of cling wrap over several, versus one by one.

Next, chop the almond bark into small pieces and put into a big zip bag (or bowl). Melt a couple of handfuls at a time in a small bowl in the microwave for about 1 minute. (Watch carefully.) Once it begins to melt, stir with a fork. Drop the pretzels into the chocolate and drain them a bit with a fork before putting on the circles.

Put them in the circle, with the outer edges inside the circle. It takes 7-8 pretzels to make the circle. If you get it too big it will break easily. If you want a double layer, wait for the first one to dry, then add on another layer. A single layer can be decorated immediately. Lots of sugar and stars and such make it so very pretty. We made bows by pinching the Twizzler into a bow shape, then stuck them on with chocolate.

Once finished, we wrapped them up in more cling wrap. We made 15 wreaths out of one block of almond bark, and had leftovers of everything else.

Next week? Snowflakes!

Keepin' My Priorities Straight

I had no idea what we would have for supper tonight, but I knew what was for dessert!

Monday, Funday: Theater Tickets

Tonight we got to enjoy a local tradition: Christmas Pops. The event is supported by a couple of local businesses, so tickets are free. Thanks to a couple of friends at work (thanks, girls!) I got a couple of sets of tickets so the girls and I could invite my mom to go with us. We had so much fun!

The feature of the evening was the Nashville Mandolin Ensemble. They were simply breathtakingly amazing! If you ever have the chance -- GO SEE THEM!!!

So this week's family fun was free!

I am considering making Monday, Funday a blog carnival each week so that we can all share ideas on how to have frugal fun with our kiddos. You do not have to do it on Monday, just which ever day. It could be an activity you have done with your kids or ideas you have in mind for upcoming fun. If there is enough interest, we will start in January, since no one needs more things to keep up with this time of year. Would you join in??? Leave a comment and let me know if you would be interested.

Oh My Lucky Stars!

Following up with Monday, we went about making our lucky star garland for the tree. I scrounged some scraps from work and cut them in strips at the office on the paper cutter (much easier and straighter than me with a pair of scissors :). Oh? You wanna learn to make the stars?? Check out the video below. I'll wait right here for you to come back.

So then you practice the stars until you get it just right. It takes a little bit, be patient, you will get it, I promise.

So now you can do the lucky stars! To get them on a garland, first you need to get some ribbon. I got this varigated kind (its a pretty blue to white) at Walmart for 47 cents. Measure and mark off your ribbon in 8 inch (or so) increments. Don't worry, I just used the lines on my table as guides. You can do it in shorter lengths if you want more stars or longer if you want fewer.

Since you have got it all wound off the spool, wind it back on there. Now tie knots on top of each mark you made. Tie loops on each end for help with hanging the garland.

Once you are all tied up (sorry for the pun, ok, not so sorry, I gotta get my giggles in somewhere!) Start making the stars over the knots. (For my stars, I used 23 inch long paper, cut into one inch strips.) It takes a long time to make a long garland, so just sit down and watch your favorite Christmas movie and fold away.

Voila! A beautiful project for less than $1.

Run on over to Rocks in My Dryer for more tips and fun!

Monday, Funday

The girls and I are having more alone time these days, since Sweetheart's new job means he works longer hours, but less days. So this week we spent our precious time learning origami. This year's tree is going to feature all handmade origami ornaments, which we will make next week. We are going to glitter them up for that extra special something. Can't wait to show ya pics next week.....

What did you do for family fun this week??

The Question That Haunts Me

We went out Christmas shopping last night, finding some great deals in unconventional ways. Although Halloween shopping was not on my list, when I hit the almost empty seasonal aisle at Walmart, there were signs printed that said all Halloween items were 10 cents. WOW!!! I am always thinking ahead, buying items for the next season, especially when it comes to school party favors. I know that there are always about 25 kids to a class at Bre's elementary school, so I bought 25 packs of stickers, that were normally $1.99 for a dime a piece. Halloween for next year, done. (And she will be the absolute coolest kid, because each and every one of them will receive an entire pack of 4 sheets of stickers and not just one sheet. When you think ahead your kiddos can be the coolest, and you can be the cheapest.)

Then I found gift bags that were supposed to be ghosts. I took a second look at them. They didn't have to be ghosts. I quickly realized that if they were nestled amongst wrapping paper that was all covered in snowflakes that they could easily pass for snowmen. The giftbags were originally $2.49 each, yep, you guessed it, for a dime. I quickly found 15 of them. I hauled my finds over to find DH over in the movies, and he agreed that they looked enough like snowmen to pass off as a great replacement.

While I was there, I picked up three bags of Hannah Montana candy braclets that were Halloween packs, but said nothing of Halloween on them, to go in Bre's gift bags for her friends for school. These also had stickers included. Lala and Bre are allowed to choose up to 15 girl friends to share special gifts with. These will help to fill up her 15 pencil bags that I got on clearance earlier this year at Clare's for a quarter each. Free lip gloss and a few other trinkets will fill each of the girls bags for around $1 each. This is a fun way to let them get into the spirit of giving without breaking my bank. When you factor in that I do not spend $30 at once, but $3 here and 50 cents there, it seems like I am spending next to nothing, and they are getting a lot of bang for my bucks. Lala's friends get excited each year to see what they will have hidden in their bags. This is Bre's first year on this plan, so we will see how it goes.

OK, back to the bags! So, what do you think? Do they pass off as snowmen, or is it too obviously a ghost? Would you use them for Christmas???

Fun with the Kiddos

My kiddos begged me to play a game with them when I got home from work. Once I finally had my wits about me and made it to the table, they had Scrabble all picked out and ready to go. Scrabble is a writer's FAVORITE game!!! They chose it without coaching, which is amazing, but awesome all at the same time.

We always purchase our children board games for Christmas. With all of our kiddos, that is a lot of games that flow into our home. The ones that don't get played with are happily sold at yard sales to make room for the upcoming ones they are already requesting.

As for the solution to lost pieces, we have had a method that works for years. All games are stored on a 4 foot book shelf that sits between our living room and dining room. Through many ears of practice, our family knows that games may ONLY be played at the dining room table or at the coffee table. No games are allowed in bedrooms. We have not lost a game piece in years. The shelf system helps keep them nice and tidy, while insuring that an overflow of games do not overrun us.

Since we currently have about 20 games, we can have a family game night almost any night of the week and not be stricken with "same game syndrome". Variety is the spice of life, after all. For more frugal ideas, scoot on over to Biblical Womanhood for Frugal Fridays.

What do you do to have fun with your kiddos???

After School Activity

There is something so sweet about sisterly love, even in the simplest of times.

My first blog award!

My dear friend Nessa bestowed this award on me a few days ago. I am so very flattered!

According to Nessa: The words are in Portuguese and mean, “This blog invests and believes, the proximity” (meaning, that blogging makes us ‘close’ -being close through proxy).

I have learned so much from all of you, my bloggy friends -- those who entertain, inspire and educate me.

A Day Away

Tomorrow starts my time off with my kiddos. I have to work one last day on Thursday, but that is not keeping us from letting the fun begin. So, for starters, we are headed to the water park.

Point Mallard, located in Decatur, Alabama, hosts half price day on Mondays and Wednesdays, what more could you want? It is a huge water park, with slides, a wave pool and lots more to do. At $8 for adults and $5.50 for children, it is a good way to get in a day of fun for not much money. Since it is only about an hour drive from our house, we will be able to have some fun in the sun and still drive back home.

Another fun thing we will be doing this week is taking advantage of the free movies at our local theater. Yep, our wonderful theater owners along with the local radio station host "Summer Kids Movie Series." This week we will be watching Ice Age 2. Sure, we have seen it a dozen times on DVD, but nothing beats a free movie!

Other fun on our schedule this week is a trip to the dentist (yes, that is sarcasm you detect). Leaving home at 5:30 a.m. to travel an hour and a half is soooo exciting! But, it is on our schedule just the same.

Work will be on Thursday, which will be my last day to work until July 7th. I think I can handle just one day of work this week (lol).

Friday will be a fun day at our friends house, with a picnic being a great possibility. That will be a relaxing way to end our busy week. It will be fun filled, but very hectic. This time off is going to go by very quickly, I am afraid.

For My Peeps

Hello, my name is Gina. I am a Peepaholic. I have been addicted to their sugary-sweet squishiness for most of my life. This is not an addiction that I plan on quitting anytime soon, but I thought I would admit up to it all the same.

Thankfully, the people at Just Born have realized the plight of Peepaholics everywhere, and have began to treat us year round with some form of them, either stars, hearts, pumpkins, snowmen, and even clovers.

The beauty of this is, that since stores know their customers crave them, they stock their shelves with marshmallow armies. When the holiday has passed, the stores have to move them quickly, so off to clearance land they go -- which means a bargain shopper like me can find a great deal. There is nothing better than feeding an addiction, than to feed it at 90% off!

After buying ten packs of multicolored wonders, I began to think of other things I could do with them. They are, after all, just marshmallows with a little sugar sprinkled on top. So, with my head twirling of all the possibilities, I decided that I can use them just in any place that I would use regular marshmallows -- these just have a little more panache!

Pink bunnies in hot chocolate, green chicks make pretty pastel rice crispy treats, blue peanut butter funge, anyone? Getting a good deal is always on my list -- but finding a new use for something always works for me!

For more Works for Me Wednesday fun, scoot on over to Rocks In My Dryer to see what the rest of the gang has in store!