Cupcakes

As if I need another distraction or bullet point on my TO DO list. But, I've found another obsession...besides deal shopping...in recent days. Do you guys read Pioneer Woman?? If you don't, you're SO missing out. I LOVE her blog! And recently she had a contest for people to come to her ranch (to the Lodge which has just been redone) in OK to watch another awesome blogger (who's I've just discovered), Bakerella, make cake pops and cupcakes. Do you know that OK is JUST DOWN THE ROAD from me??? I signed up immediately...but I didn't win. Luckily, there will be more contests coming soon, and I will definitely be signing up for those, too!

Anyway, Bakerella (who posted all about her trip to the Ranch here) makes these AMAZING cupcakes and cake pops...and maybe, just maybe, I could actually do it, too. And I do have a little boy with a birthday coming up, and birthdays every year...and I love to bake.

Of course, it's Lent, so I can't EAT anything that I bake right now. But, that's probably a good thing.

Yesterday, Mom and I were wandering around Sam's Club. I had 2 things on my list to buy. Which is bad, because I walked out with about 5 items. And one of them was this:

It is FULL of amazing looking cupcakes. They seem to be VERY time consuming, but totally doable by a normal average baker, like me. Check this out!!

Yes, they're all cupcakes. And I wish I could take some artistic looking picture of my book, but I'm not so talented in that area, either. What AM I talented in?? Oh, deal shopping. Ok, pity party over.

Here's a cupcake that looks EXACTLY like my dog. How cool is that??

And here's one that has ME written all over it. I will definitely be making this set.


I really had no idea you could do so much w/ cupcakes...but I'm going to be trying to learn in the coming months!

Is there a 12 step program for this???

I'm totally addicted! Totally! I wait anxiously for the paper on Wednesday morning so I can scour the Dillon's ad for deals. And don't get me started on the Sunday paper. Do you know what gems are in there?? The Walgreen's ad is a diamond in the rough. Ok, enough with the stupid cliches. But, seriously, there are deals to be found out there.

I used to hate Walgreens. The selection seemed small, I could never find the advertised products, and it just seemed more expensive. I reserved my trips there for last minute items that I just had to have and it was the closest store around. AND THEN. I learned how to shop there. How to use the weekly ad as well as the Easy Saver book, rebates, manufacturer's coupons...and I started saving money, big time!!

Here's my latest find. All of the items in the picture below SHOULD have been purchased with NO out of pocket money. But, I screwed up (hey, I'm still learning, too) and whipped out my credit card to pay for one item before I remembered I had a WG gift card. But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Check out the photo, and then I'll give you the rundown.


Ignore the half eaten Zone bar, I got hungry on the way home. =)

Ok, let me start off by telling you that I had a gift card to Walgreens with $26+ on it -- that gift card is from rebates at Walgreens using the Easy Saver booklet you can find in the store. If you redeem the rebates on a WG gift card instead of a check, you get a 10% bonus.

I purchased the above in 2 transactions. The reason for that is because I got Register Rewards (RR) on the first transaction, which is just like cash, that you can use on your very next transaction...and I wanted to use it before I forgot I had it.

Transaction #1:
Gillette Fusion Gamer Razor - on sale for $8.99 and I used a $4.00 off coupon from the paper, THEN I got a $4 RR to use on transaction #2. Note: this is where I screwed up and used my credit card for the $5.56 total - I SHOULD have used my gift card.

Transaction #2:
4 Zone Bars - on sale 2 for $3, so $6 total. I had a coupon for buy one get THREE free = $1.59 (seems like it should be $1.50, but it's the way the "2 for" deal rang up. Go get that coupon HERE!!

Huggies Natural Care Wipes (216 ct) - on sale for $6 and I used a $5 off coupon I found on coupons.com (not sure if it's still available, but go look anyway!) There's a special at WG this week that if you spend $25 on huggies products (BEFORE COUPONS), you get a $10 RR - I decided not to do it.


Crest Pro-Health toothpaste - on sale for $2.49 and I had a $1 off manufacturer coupon pluse I got a $1 RR, so the total was $0.49. (I should have done this in the first transaction so I could use the $1 RR on this trans)


Aquafresh toothpaste - on sale for $0.99 with a Walgreens coupon from the weekly ad PLUS I had a $0.75 off coupon. Total was $0.24.

Colgate Total Advanced toothpaste - regular price $3.49 and I used a $2.50 store coupon from Easy Saver book plus a $1.50 manufacturer's coupon from the March All You magazine. Total was a MONEY MAKER! That's right...I made $0.51 on this deal.

I also purchased those bra things, y'know, so your straps don't show. My mom wanted them. They were on sale for $9.99, and I had no coupons for them.

I used the $4 RR from my first transaction, so the total was $10.03. This time I remembered my gift card, so there was NO out of pocket. plus, I got the $1 RR from the Crest to use on my next visit to the store. If I wouldn't have bought the bra things, I would have had to throw something else in my basket (gum, candy, whatever) or else my total would have been negative! Crazy, eh??

AND (yes, there's more), while I was there, I transferred a prescription so when I pick it up this afternoon, I'll use this coupon and get a $25 gift card. Not bad, huh?

It's a little daunting and frustrated when you first start, but it's SO worth it. And of course, I have 3 different brands of toothpaste that we didn't always buy before, but they'll work just fine!

$12 Deal

One of my favorite deal blogs tipped me off to some sales at Target that worked great with some online coupons.

I got 6 pounds of beef (steaks and roast) and 30 snack sized applesauce containers for $12. Not bad, eh?

Seriously??

It's been a week since I last posted?? Seriously?? I really do make an effort to post more regularly than that. Of course, if you're on Facebook, you see much more of me these days.

Anyway, it has been a full week. Until yesterday afternoon, I was ready to pull my hair out. The boy is teething...again...and he's fussy...all the time...unless I hold him. It's not a full out scream, it's just some whining. I know I'm being paid back for how whiny I am...er, was.

But, yesterday, I saw the little culprit that has been causing us so much grief. Tooth #7 made an appearance on the bottom of Lil Major's mouth. And then it was 80 degrees yesterday (I'm afraid it's just a tease, I don't think spring is here to stay, yet!), so we bee-lined it to the zoo with Mema and Papa. And because I figured it was the first of many trips (Mema and Papa bought us a membership for Lil Major's upcoming birthday), I didn't take any photos.

It was so much fun to walk around and enjoy the sunshine and watch the people...I mean, animals. Although there were some interesting people out yesterday, too. I should have taken photos of them!

In addition to all of this, the boy turned 11 months old yesterday! I can NOT believe it. 11 months ago I was getting ready for my trip to CA, thinking that I had WEEKS until he would show up...when I really only had a few. So crazy! I'm working on a small family party for his big day - which happens to fall on Palm Sunday this year, and a video/slideshow (thanks to the help from Jenn) of his first year.

We've been seeing a lot of Daddy this week. He forgot his cell phone one day and then he forgot his mp3 player yesterday (he sits at a desk all day and NEEDS his talk radio/podcasts to get him through), so we've been taking his stuff to him in the morning. For the first time, I saw where he has worked for the last 2 years. He showed us around and showed off his "offspring," as he calls the boy. I think Daddy really enjoyed it, so I teased him last night about what he was going to forget today. =) I'm LOVING our family time together.

Our church had a STAGE night this week - it was a chance to show off your talents and hobbies. We thought it was a great idea and expected to see the auditorium packed with all kinds of stuff. Well, there was ONE great display. The Colonel took his portable train set. I've talked about his hobby a little before, but since the boy was born, The Colonel made another train display that can be taken apart and fit in the back of the Hummer. It was the hit of the night! A lot of our friends were there with their kids, and most of them had seen the train before, so they were excited to have another up close shot. Here are a few pictures. The first one didn't turn out well, but I'm posting it so you can see the signs that The Colonel made.



One more thing happened this week, something BIG. Something that we've been waiting for for a while. Something that I'm scared and excited and unsure about.

Lil Major started walking!!! Walking, I say. Unassisted, upright, walking on his own!

Now, he didn't just get up and run across the room like his cousin did, but he did take 4 steps to walk from me to Papa. And he's done that several times since. But, usually just if we encourage him. He knows that he can crawl MUCH faster than he can walk, so he usually drops down to his knees and crawls away. Here's my attempt to capture his mad new skills. I was a little too close, but I promise you, he took 3 steps from Daddy to me without our help. =) My boy is growing up!

Crazy Busy

Things have been crazy busy around here lately. It's a good thing I'm not still working - how would I get it all done? Actually, I don't get it all done now! This post is my effort to document all the balls I'm trying to keep up in the air...oh, and I need to throw a few more up there, too. =)

It's consignment sale season around here now - one of my favorite ways to shop. I LOVE consignment sales. Oh, the deals to be found. This time I decided to consign a few things myself. I had 28 items, and I sold 24. Not bad for my first shot. I sold some baby clothes that I didn't really care for, Lil Major's swing and bouncer. No, that doesn't mean there won't be any more kids - I just would rather have a different bouncer and a different swing next time. We NEVER used the bouncy seat w/ the boy. I also bought some great things - clothes, toys, birthday gifts, shoes, swim suits. Woo hoo! Here's a sampling...



I ended up spending about $10 more than I made, so I'm only out the $10 and we're set for a while....at least til the next consignment sale. Ha!

I took a test last week to be a 2010 Census worker. It's a part time temp job to help with the national census that officially takes place next year. But, there is a lot of work to do to get ready for it - verify addresses, send out flyers and questionnaires. It won't make me rich, but it will give us a little extra if I get the job.

I'm also still working on my certification to be an aerobics instructor. 3 more weeks of class, a weekend of tests and certifications, and then 4 weeks of team teaching. Seems like a lot, but there's a lot more involved than I realized when I decided to do it. I have a much deeper respect for all those instructors now!!

Lil Major and I also go to our Mom's group at church twice a month. I get to eat some yummy food, hang out with the girls, do a devotion and have fun. And Lil Major gets to have fun in the nursery. And as if I needed any more to keep me busy, I'm considering a Monday night women's Bible Study. I've been meaning to get into one for a while, but I feel overwhelmed. Of course, when will I NOT feel that way?? So, I may need to just go for it.

We've had some good weather lately, so we've been heading to the park to swing. Lil Major loves the swing. We even went on Valentine's Day as a family, even though it was a little chilly.

When we can't get to the park for the good swing, we hang the swing we have in the tree in the backyard and go crazy. And recently, the boy has discovered the rocks in the flowerbed. Good thing he still doesn't put food or other small things into his mouth.



I've also introduced the boy to ice cream, custard, to be exact. He LOVES it. I think it will be a regular treat for us to hang out at Freddy's over the summer.



Mema is trying to teach him to stick out his tongue when she does.


As if all this isn't enough, I'm working on a slideshow for the boy's first birthday (it's only a few weeks away!!)...well, I 'm working on STARTING to work on the slideshow. I have a ton of pictures to organize and I still have to decide what program to use.


AND THIS IS WHERE I NEED YOUR HELP! I need some music suggestions. I'm so bad with that. I need some fun music to add in - songs about babies or families or just songs that have a fun beat or melody. Help me out!!

And on a final note, I've decided, for the first time, to give somethign up for Lent. We're not Catholic, so for the longest time I thought it didn't apply to me. But, the more I think about it, it doesn't matter that I'm not Catholic. Giving something up for Lent just means that I will spend the time between now and Easter focusing on the sacrifice that Christ and His Father made for me. It's such a small thing for me to sacrifice something for 40 days after the sacrifice that was made for me. Not that it will be easy though. I've decided to give up sweets, all sweets, for the next 40 days! And it will be tough for me. I love my sweets - cookies, chocolate, cake, ice cream. But, every time I'm tempted to indulge, I'll think about what Jesus did for ME - that his sacrifice allows me to live, and to live eternally.

If only I had this talent...

Thanks for more great photos, Lor!


And here's a video clip of my giggling cutie.

FINALLY - the rest of our trip

It wasn't my intention to keep you all in suspense about the end of our trip to CA - which was now over a month ago, but time has gotten away from me. Facebook has taken over all of my online time, and blogging has taken a back seat.

But, on to the rest of our trip - before I forget what we did. =) After our weekend in the mountains, we spent just over 40 hours in Bakersfield. It was such a short time that I didn't tell very many people I was coming. I knew there was NO way I could see everyone I wanted to, and I didn't want to stress out over trying to fit it all in (especially with a 9 month old who wasn't sleeping well away from home).

I ended up having enough time to visit with a few friends over wine and super yummy homemade tuxedo cheesecake after I got the boy to sleep in a pack and play for a bit. We also had time for breakfast with a good friend of mine and her daughter. Brooke LOVES Lil Major, and I'm so sad they don't live near us so she can be my babysitter. And of course we made time for a few photos with Lorie (I'll post the highlights in a separate post).

Brooke and Lil Major...

After too brief a time in Bako, we headed back up north on the train. It was a VERY LOONNNGG train ride. We were stopped for almost an hour in the middle of nowhere while they worked on a train that was blocking the track. Finally we got back up to my Aunt's house where we collapsed into bed. We spent our last day in CA (a day that was clear and gorgeous, I might add!) wandering around my Aunt and Uncle's cute little bayside town.




On our last night, we met up with my Grandma, my aunt and 2 of my cousins for dinner. I hadn't seen my cousins in a year since we'd been out for my Grandpa's funeral. We had fun catching up and telling stories.
You'd think all the fun part of our trip was over, since we just had to head right to the airport the next morning. And getting up at 4 am to catch the 5am train into the city to get to the airport on time was NOT the fun part (that's why I will ask you to ignore how I look in the photo below)...but FINALLY getting to meet our good friend's son WAS the fun part. They live in SF, and believe it or not, the airport is on their way to work (how lucky is she that her son's daycare is just a minute away from her work?!!). Little C is just a few weeks younger than Lil Major, and it was so fun to introduce the boys. It would have been more fun (for the boys) if we could have met in a park where they could crawl all around, but we enjoyed our time in the food court anyway. Thanks A for coming to see us!!



Our flights home went exactly as planned, and we were able to get our own row on the plane so we could spread out.


The Colonel and Papa met us when we got home, and we were SO glad to sleep in our own beds again. =)

Talking to Mommy

Lil Major loves to "talk" to Mommy. And Mommy can't get enough of it. Check it out. (Please ignore the annoying stirring sounds at the beginning - The Colonel was making his yucky protein drink)

Trauma

Although the trauma physically occurred to Lil Major, I think his Mama was just as affected...

This morning, at the EXACT time naptime should have begun, we trekked over to our friendly pediatrician's office for the 10 month check up. The lobby was empty when we got there, so I let the boy play with some of the germ laden toys setting around before we were called back to the way too hot exam rooms.

The 10 month check is supposed to be a breeze. No shots, and no blood, or so I thought. Our doctor is finishing up maternity leave, so we saw the doctor we met when Lil Major was brand new. She looked him over and announced him healthy! He's in the 12% for weight and 24% for height (perfect size, I think!), and he looks great (except for the orange nose that is from eating so many orange veggies...I'm serious!).

Whew! I thought we were done.

But Lil Major had to get his big toe poked for an anemia test. No biggie. Nurse comes in, pokes his foot, squeezes blood out - the boy just wriggles a bit on my lap. And while the nurse leaves to run the 30 second test on the blood, I get the kiddo dressed again.

NOW is when the trauma occurs.

SOMEHOW, while putting on his SOCK, I managed to lose my grip and jab my thumb nail right into the boy's face. I have no idea how it happened or how I missed poking him in the eye. He immediately starts screaming and blood starts to pool on his face. Great!

Right then, the nurse comes back in. I'm about to cry, the boy is hurting, the nurse has no freakin' clue what the idiot mother in room 2 has done, and all she wants to do is tell me he doesn't have anemia and then escape me.

I felt so bad. It took a good 5 minutes and an impromptu nursing session to calm the boy down. It took a lot longer for me to feel better, though. At least if I'd really done some damage we were already in the doctor's office.

Poke in the foot?? No problem...



Mom putting on socks??? Watch out!!!

Keeping a Secret - Part 2

After 40 hours in NorCal, Lil Major and I boarded a train heading south. Agnes and I were about to set our plan in motion. The time had come for our annual Buddy trip, and I was going to be there!

Our last trip was a year and a half ago. I flew out for that one, too...just not as a surprise. But, I did have a surprise when I got there...I announced my pregnancy! And this year, I was going to surprise everyone by just being there! (Hmm...what should I do next year?? hee hee)

Agnes and I plotted and decided that she would pick me up from the train and we would head up to the mountains a day before the other girls would arrive. That would give us time to get settled with our 2 boys before the chaos and craziness and fun of the Buddies arrived. We made it up the hill fine (well, with a little pit stop for a sour tummy), got settled, took a walk (in the rain), ate a yummy dinner and woke up the next morning bursting with excitement. We just had to wait for them to get there!



And then we waited...and we waited...and we waited. See, mobilizing 6 girls is hard work. They were to arrive in 2 groups -- one mid afternoon, one late afternoon. But, the shops were calling one car load, and a baby slowed down another. And in the end, everyone was late, and Agnes and I were about to explode!

FINALLY, the first car arrived. Agnes met them in the garage holding a baby...but it wasn't HER baby. It was Lil Major! How long do you think it took them to realize what was up?

One girl said, "Oh, he got a haircut."

Agnes said, "No, he didn't."

One girl said, "Hmm...oh, he must look different with a pacifier?"

Agnes said, "He doesn't use a pacifier." (but this baby had one in his mouth!)

Agnes said, "And this isn't my baby!"

AND THEN, everyone was talking at once, they figured it out, and we were hugging and crying, and it was so fun! No one had a clue. We'd pulled it off! And 2 hours later...we repeated the SAME scene again. Same questions, same confusion, same screaming and hugging. Ahh. This was home. My Buddies.

We had a fabulous weekend. We ate too much food (we always do). We brought WAY more food than we would have needed for 20 girls (there were 8). We played games (games that got quite heated and competitive...I remember one SCREAMING match across the table over a round of Nertz...we all love each other still). We talked LATE into the night. We took pictures. We opened gifts. And the time went way too quickly.

Our friendships have withstood many many years, and there are many many more years to come!



part 3 still to come...

10 months!

Part 2 of our trip is coming...sometime. In the meantime, my boy is going to be 10 months old tomorrow!! Crazy crazy!

He hasn't started walking yet, but it's close, I think. He's a speed crawler and pulls up on everything. He loves to push his walker toy thing around, and he's really interested in the dogs now. He talks to me (video coming soon, if I can figure it out) or babbles, I should say, and he growls more than ever. It's so cute! He still isn't interested in putting food in his mouth, which doesn't bother me b/c it means he doesn't pick stuff up off the floor and put it in his mouth either. We've started to have some whiny afternoons which grates on poor Mommy, but I think he's just growing and teething. And he gets more tired as the day goes on.

Regardless, I love him more and more every day. He's so precious and beautiful and fun and I don't know what I did before him.

And to give you a treat since you're being so patient about the rest of our trip...here are a couple shots the amazing Lorie took while we were in CA...