My 100th post is dedicated to our little Mia. This weekend Mia turned 1! She had a party at her MDO on Friday and then the party at our house on Saturday. Her party was barnyard themed. I happened to have a red and white checked table cloth. We decorated the table with one of our presents to her, which was a Little People barnyard set. In true frugal form, I conducted the entire party from home made invitations to the cake and refreshments for $15.
This was how I did it:
Cake Mix & Frostings- Free after coupons at our local Homeland grocery
Chips- Free after coupons at Homeland (bought 2 bags)
Queso- Already had ground beef and rotel stored, used coupons for cheese (came out to be a $1)
Salsa- Free after coupons at Homeland
Cupcake holders- ($1) --had no coupons
Cow Print balloons, red balloons, giant cow balloon, and 1st birthday cake hat (Used 40% off coupon on total purchase for Party Galaxy--mailer coupon)--total purchase $6
Card Stock, envelopes, felt- (40% off total purchase coupon for craft store- mailer coupon)- total purchase- $7
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
DIY Kitchen Gifts!
Thanks to Like Merchant Ships for revealing this great list from Whole Foods on DIY Kitchen Gifts.
Wrap up your holiday shopping without leaving the house! Download festive gift tags for each recipe, complete with cooking and usage suggestions. These ideas are perfect for your "foodie" friends or those who love to cook or even merely enjoy a nice cup of coffee in the morning.
Some of the great ideas are:
Chili Oil
Herbes de Provence Salt
Vanilla Bean Sugar
Lavender Sugar
Maple Sugared Walnuts
**Note to my personal friends and family, please disregard this post once the holiday season arrives as you will find it as a stocking stuffer!**
Wrap up your holiday shopping without leaving the house! Download festive gift tags for each recipe, complete with cooking and usage suggestions. These ideas are perfect for your "foodie" friends or those who love to cook or even merely enjoy a nice cup of coffee in the morning.
Some of the great ideas are:
Chili Oil
Herbes de Provence Salt
Vanilla Bean Sugar
Lavender Sugar
Maple Sugared Walnuts
**Note to my personal friends and family, please disregard this post once the holiday season arrives as you will find it as a stocking stuffer!**
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
My Schedule
A good friend asked me a few days ago what my schedule is like. As an expecting mother she worries she won't have time for the things she held so dear pre-pregnancy. I thought for a long time if there are things in my life that have been cut out since Mia and could only think of a few and they were temporary given that she is an infant. My friend intends on being a stay-at-home mom which I find fantastic. My mother was a basically a SAHM when I was little and it was fantastic. I have such amazing memories of helping her around the house. I had always intended to take more time off when my kids came around. Mia joined us much earlier than we had expected. We were not planning on kids for a few more years (at least until I got through with my Ph.D). The Lord had other ideas for us and we're glad we got her sooner rather than later! Thus, we had to make a few adjustments to the "perfect" baby raising scenario that I had in my head. This is all a long way of answering my friend's original question about what does my schedule look like as a wife, mother, teacher and Ph.D student.
It looks a little like this:
-Everyday must be up by 6:15 if I am to get everyone ready and out the door by 7:15.
-Everyday must have Mia dropped off by 7:30 at her MDO
-MWF- I teach at 8:30-9:30 and then hold office hours for the following 1.5 hours
-TR- I attend a class from 10:30-noon, use all time before to grade, read for my own classes, or write my own papers
-MWF- After office hours, I hit the books again, go to any meetings I have to hold as our history honors society's president, and again read somewhere in the library
-TR- After noon, I prepare for my 6-10 pm class on T or my 2:30-4 class on R.
-Wed Night- Go home, make supper, and hit church by 7
-R Night- I run our church's food pantry. Always a mad dash to get out of class at 4, pick up Mia and get to the church by 4;30
Saturday-Read, do all housework that can be done weekly
Sunday- My day of rest, get up early, spot clean the house, church by 10, small group (which we host this year) around 12, then lunch with friends, followed by my collapse so that I can ready myself for the next week.
**Here is the major caveat in this schedule. I made a pact with myself, hubby, and Mia that when I get home after being all day at school, I am truly home. I don't read, write or grade. That is our time. Most of the time I don't bring books home with me b/c I want to insure that I don't pick them up or neglect the family.
This is not always the easiest schedule or not working at home sometimes makes me anxious but its the best we can do for our family and knowing that although I hadn't intended to work, someday I can tell my daughter that she truly can do anything. If her mother could raise her, hours from family help, whilst teaching and being the only female in her Ph.D class, then she can do anything too.
I am very interested in hearing others' schedules. I find it fascinating how women work everything in....it just proves we really do rule the world, we just let the men take the credit. = )
Monday, November 3, 2008
Target Toy Coupons!
Make sure to head on over here and print out the Target toy catalog coupons for your holiday shopping. Coupons for various toys from Crayola, Leap Frog, and Play Wonder to Scooters, Hot Wheels, and Legos!
The coupons expire on 11-26-08.
Thanks to "Deal"icious Mom for the heads up on this great deal!Saturday, November 1, 2008
Halloween Weekend
Halloween weekend finally arrived. Although Miss Mia slept through most of Halloween night and didn't get to go trick or treating to the few houses she had planned, she wore her outfit around this morning and will wear it tomorrow around church for our Fall Fellowship day.
Hyacinth the Hippo was a BIG hit! She loved the tutu and seeing the head in the mirror!
We also spent quite a bit of time in the mirror checking out the costume!
The backside of a hippo...how cute is that?
We finally made it to the pumpkin patch. Due to the very important football game that took place today b/w hubby and my alma mater we had to support our Texas Tech Red Raiders, especially being in the heart of Sooner Country! However, since we played (and I might add WON) the University of Texas, a sworn enemy of the Sooners, most people cheered us today and wished us good luck against those Bovine from Austin...
We're quite proud of our littlest Red Raider...The farm was a big hit except for the petting zoo which my prissy little daughter had NO part in. She didn't like the smells or the thought of touching the llamas, pigs, sheep, rabbits or goats. She refused, turned her head up and squealed until we got her out of there. She really liked when we sat her down and took her picture...hmm I think she might like the spotlight! (Wonder where she got that from?)
Hyacinth the Hippo was a BIG hit! She loved the tutu and seeing the head in the mirror!
We also spent quite a bit of time in the mirror checking out the costume!
The backside of a hippo...how cute is that?
We finally made it to the pumpkin patch. Due to the very important football game that took place today b/w hubby and my alma mater we had to support our Texas Tech Red Raiders, especially being in the heart of Sooner Country! However, since we played (and I might add WON) the University of Texas, a sworn enemy of the Sooners, most people cheered us today and wished us good luck against those Bovine from Austin...
We're quite proud of our littlest Red Raider...The farm was a big hit except for the petting zoo which my prissy little daughter had NO part in. She didn't like the smells or the thought of touching the llamas, pigs, sheep, rabbits or goats. She refused, turned her head up and squealed until we got her out of there. She really liked when we sat her down and took her picture...hmm I think she might like the spotlight! (Wonder where she got that from?)
Labels:
Homekeeping,
Miss Mia,
On the Road Again
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