Stil here

I realize I do not blog often enough anymore! I'm sorry. I still do want to post about my groceries for $1.03. It was awesome, but currently I'm in planning mode. I'm a planner, and so it felt a little stressful not having planned out a long term plan for WAM (worship and arts ministry). I'm leading the 3 year olds at our church. Plus, I've never done it before so it was a little overwhelming. After the first week, some trial and error, and some great input from people who have done it before, I have a PLAN! I have this coming weeks all planned out, and part of next weeks. I'm working on a plan through 12/2, which is our parents program, and once I have that done, it'll be smooth sailing!

We are also teaching Cara's 3 year old class in the 9:30 hour at church. The first week was rough because Friday night I came down with a fever, stomach bug, chills, the whole 9 yards, it was awful. Needless to say, I couldn't go! So Eric recruited his mom to help, and he went and did the lesson (like he always does). He said it went fine, but he needed me there to be organized for him :). So this past week we taught on Nehemiah, and everything went so smoothly. I love watching him teach the little ones, they listen to him so well, and he's so good at it! I feel like we are just so blessed to be teaching. Cara gets to see us lead her and her friends and learn about many different bible lessons. And now that we are teaching, we know what to talk about all week to remind her of the story. So far we've taught on Queen Esther, and Nehemiah, and this coming week we start the new 'years' curriculum and go back to creation. I love going over that with her, she is so smart and we talk a lot about what all God has made. It's a great way to talk about things outside!! :) We also instituted our family Sundays this past week. We spend the day as a family, going to church, eating lunch, taking naps (my fave part....haha) and doing our family devo (or faith talk). This week we talked about God always being in control (Jesus on the boat, calming the storm), because recently Cara has decided she's afraid of everything. Like the inanimate pictures/cross stitches that have been hanging on her walls since birth. We pray with her and remind her of her memory verse that talks about fear ("Do not fear, I will help you" Isaiah 41:13) and that usually works, but we hate to see a spirit of fear in her at such a young age.

Anyways, we are having a crazy busy week this week through Wednesday, but after that it should slow down. I will post more pictures soon!!

10 MONTHS!!

I don't know where the time has gone. My little man is 10 months old (yesterday!). I can't believe it.

Just a quick post to capture some cute pictures. I will write more later.

Happy birthday (yesterday) Papa!! Happy Birthday (today) Yaya, Happy Birthday (tomorrow) Uncle Greg!! We love you! :)

$250 gift card giveaway!!

No, not by me, oh how I wish :). But by Erin over at $5 dinners. If you haven't ever checked out her site, it's a great resource on healthy foods for your family, on a budget. And, she has a great $250 grocery gift card giveaway going on now, so check it out!!

Micah & Mawmaw

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Originally uploaded by mistylnewsome.

I was just going through my photos to print all of Micah's for his album, and came across this in my flickr pictures. I forgot I had uploaded all my mom's pictures from her camera when we were down in May to my flickr site, and I'm sure glad I did. This was the last picture of Mawmaw and Micah before she passed away last month! She sure did love those great grandbabies, and we sure do miss her!

Walgreens Deals

I was in walgreens today picking up my cheap prints from Monday. They had 2 coupons sitting on the photo desk (at Mason and Provincial). One was the coupon code for tomorrow...20 free 4x6 prints, coupon code: 20FREE4ME. So get those prints ready and order them tomorrow for free!!

AND there's an in-store coupon good for a FREE 8x10 collage print good ONLY on August 26th, so go pick one up and get your freebies! :)

Not Me Monday!!

Hello all, once again I am going to participate in MckMama's Not Me Monday! Only because so many of you asked. So on FRIDAY night, I sure didn't come home from leadership retreat at church only to just start gathering my coupons for Kroger's $1 double coupon day on Saturday. I I definitely wasn't tempted to just go at midnight when I finished cutting and sorting everything I needed. And I SURE didn't actually find one open 24 hours and LEAVE my house at 12:30 am. And when got to said Kroger with a packed (ok, for midnight) parking lot, I still did not proceed to take my time gathering my goods (because I mean, I'm tired anyways, might as well enjoy the time alone!), only to find out I had to wait in line for 50 minutes because there were 2 very tired cashiers (and no baggers) checking everyone out. And after I did NOT wearily finish checking out at 3:10 am, drove home, throw the cold stuff into the fridge, I definitely did NOT just leave all the other stuff in the middle of the kitchen floor because I was exhausted and going to bed at 3:40 am. Oh, and my husband didn't think it was Christmas day finding all the junk I never buy in the floor the next morning :)

And because I'm so NOT silly, I didn't take a picture of our last NewGround breakfast at church yesterday morning (our class is splitting into 2 classes next Sunday), because NO ONE does pot luck like NewGround DOES!!

Crazy Baby

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Originally uploaded by mistylnewsome

So, for any friends who haven't yet seen this, this is Micah's 'crazy baby.' And please excuse my redneck accent that came out in the making of this movie ;)

Online Offers and coupons--yes, 3 posts in one day

What can I say, hubby is at an Air Force Jazz band concert tonight at a local high school :). So, here's what came in the mail today....no, not Cara....a $1,500 check from doing another online offer. This one was a Nuitech, which you have to stay a member of for 2 months to qualify....so it was a little more expensive. But I got a lot of great gifts out of it! Stocked up on some things for Christmas, already, and enjoyed lots of movies, cookbooks, and various other offers! Total out of pocket was $455.20, so a profit of $1,044.80. However, it would have been lower if I would have cancelled all the things when I was supposed to. We were out of town for Mawmaw's funeral and some things went to the 3rd month...oh well! Still over $1,000 profit for maybe 3 hours work! :)

If you are interested in how this works, check out monesavingmethods' blog! :)


If you are one of those people who think coupons are only for processed junk food, and you'd never use them...how about some super cheap bananas and apples?? I printed out 4 each of the $.50/lb bananas and $1.00/lb apples for target. You can print the coupons from this post on moneysavingmom's blog. I got all of this, plus 2 bananas and 2 apples (previously eaten) for $3.40! :) The apples coupon is up through 8/22 and the bananas through 9/5. So, I'll be getting those at Target the next few weeks. And I've used them before. The only say one coupon per transaction, so I did 4 back to back transactions, with bananas and apples in each. The people at the Target (west pky/grand pky) are used to this and were very courteous! Just be sure to get over a pound for each order.

What do I do with all those bananas since I can't possibly eat all of them before they go bad??? Well besides the obvious (banana nut bread!), I will post another day on my ideas/techniques. I love buying fruit when it is in season and preserving it for later days!!

Busy Bee

I've been a busy little bee lately!! Yesterday was my first day with 3 kiddos full time, and it went great, after I got them all down for naps! Today was much smoother...I know how to do it now...Aynslee first, then Micah, then Cara!! Yea for smooth transitions. We have a pretty good schedule already in place, and Aynslee just fits right in. This was this morning during Micah's morning nap. They got tired of playing dress up and doing puzzles with me, and ASKED to sit down and color. Um, SURE!! :)

Anyways, yesterday evening was 50's day at church. Check out my friend Becky's blog to see pics of all our kiddos. We, of course, dressed Micah and Cara up! Cara had her poodle skirt from last year at halloween.

We put Micah in a long sleeved onsie (only white shirt we had) and rolled up the sleeves. And I'm pretty sure he was in some of Cara's old 12 month jeans....but he looked good! Eric said we should have slicked his hair back....but he doesn't have much on top to slick!

We got to church and Cara was so excited to see all the big girls (KSM=Kingsland Student Ministry) in their poodle skirts and dressed up!! We got 50 cent hot dogs, coke floats, moon pies, and we got to play with our friends. In the 'loft' of our church, where the youth usually meets, was the main room and they were doing various things. They had a guy go up there every few songs and teach 50's dance moves (twist, etc). Cara was in AWE. She loved rocking her little hips and trying to do it (yes, in a Baptist church, tee hee!).

I was talking to someone and our music minister came up and asked if he could enter her in the singles (not family) costume contest. I asked her if she wanted to go up on stage, and her answer was YES!! Can I go on stage NOW??? :) So I told him sure.

So after the next song, they called them up there. There were 4 great costumes up there (and tons more in the audience!!). Cara was so funny. He went and asked everyone their name. When he got to her, he asked her, she said Cara. He asked her again, she said Cara, then he went to ask her again and she pushed the mic away :). He said, "I guess i have bad breath" haha. Anyways, they did the audience applause to see who won. The first round, everyone sounded the same. Cara was so cute clapping for everyone, she probably had NO clue what was going on. He went through everyone a second time, faster, and this is what happened: (notice her snap to attention when they called her name).

She was so cute. I said, she probably won because she was the youngest. Others told me it was the curls :). Here she is with her prize, a gift card to 59 diner!!

After that we let her run around with all her friends. I got a couple of cute pictures of Jack with Cara and Micah. I love this first one, we couldn't get them to look at the camera!!

Finally they complied, kinda :)

After awhile, Micah was getting sleepy (and since Cara didn't have a great nap, she was getting a little cranky), and they were wrapping it up with my pastor and his wife doing a slow dance. They asked everyone to join in, and Cara grabbed my leg and started swaying!! :) It was so cute. I called Daddy over, so she did the same with him and I was able to grab a pic. It is so fun now that she's a little older to take her to church functions and have her participate! We have signed her up for 3 year old WAM (worship and arts ministry) and church on Wednesday nights, and I'm looking forward to directing it! She loves anything and everything that is music/movement/dance related!!

After church we came home, got the kids in bed, and I headed off to my hot date ;)...haha. Mindy and I made a date to sew last night after kids were in bed. I know how crazy my schedule is getting, and her hubby is working nights, so we needed a little break. We stayed up way to late, but I finished my first ever quilt! Yes, it's a baby doll quilt, but it was so much fun, and it gave me practice doing all the basics of quilting. I didn't stipple, just stitch-in-the-ditch, but I still think it turned out super cute!! I can post pictures because I came right home last night and washed it, and took it over to it's new owner, Little Miss Caroline earlier. I'm so proud!!

Now Bailey has to come finish hers. I'm working on some more nursing covers now. And by now, I mean, that's next on my list, right before I finish Amanda's birthday curtain!! :)

Enjoy!!

Cara's first day of dance, Micah man update, and changes

This post is going to have some of our Micah man's 9 month shots. Don't you just LOVE that face!!! If you know me well, you know I'm a cheek pincher...do you see why now? :)I have a lot of deals posts brewing, so check back soon! :) And don't forget to print coupons on my sidebar, that will be doubled on Saturday. However, DO remember to refill your ink cartridge before you print (unlike myself)!!
First to Micah, he's crawling EVERYWHERE. And for the past few days, he's started pulling up on everything. The crib while trying to fall asleep, the couch, the ottoman, our legs, very unstable toys...you get the idea :). He is such a happy, joyful baby.

Our family is so blessed to have him! We couldn't imagine a day going by without him in it. God is going to do amazing things with this little man, we just know it!

Onto our trouble maker... haha. Cara started dance yesterday. I asked around, and a lady from our church recommended Becky's Academy of Dance here in Katy. (things can't go wrong with a gorgeous pose like this, right??!?!?) She said Ms. Kathy who teaches the 3s it is an amazing teacher with lots of patience for little ones, AND she teaches them to act like a lady (which we need, despite her lady like coached poses here). So, we signed her up. I'm watching our neighbor's daughter, Aynslee, this year! Talk about change. I guess it'll get me ready for 3 kiddos, although 2 3 year girls and a 9 month old is a bit different than say 4 & 2 year olds with a newborn :). Today is our first day and it's going great. I jumped in with both feet and took all 3 to Target for SUPER cheap bananas and apples (post coming soon) right after breakfast. It went great. They both giggled the whole time, so sweet.

(oh my goodness, I think this picture really looks like me when I was little) :) Anyways, let's back up to yesterday. Aynslee's mom was able to take her as today was her first day back at school. We both coached the girls on the way there (separately), that they should listen and obey their teacher. They were SOOO excited that they were taking dance TOGETHER!! The class started off well, they both went right in (though I wanted to go too to watch....) and listened well the first, oh, 5 minutes. Cara sat on her little tape and just watched and watched Ms. Kathy (sorry, all the pictures and video are between the blinds).

The problem was she and Aynslee were sitting right next to each other, AND in the back corner. So, after a few minutes, she started getting distracted...as you can see here in the picture AND video (sorry for all the background noise).

However they started paying attention, and eventually were engaged in the activities (however un-ballet-like) :).

Watch this video!

Then it was time to change for tap shoes. Cara was so sad, she thought class was over!! I changed her shoes and told her to go back in there and she was the first one back! Things started off going well. Then they got to stand up. They were supposed to be watching the teacher.....however, she decided she needed to grab Aynslee's hands, twirl around, and they BOTH fell down! After 40 minutes (which is longer than I would have lasted if I were the teacher)....she (and A) landed in time out.

She was very sad watching all the other little girls dancing. She did much better after that....for the most part. The last 7 minutes or so were without shoes....'free' dance. They had such a blast. They are already asking to go back! Too bad it's not more than once a week.

And that's what's been happening around here!

Spunk and Sass

Super cute new Etsy Store!! My sister and her bestie, Valerie have started it, and have already had a sale. I can't wait until they get more of their pieces online. They both do really great work! When I scrapbooked with Bailey a couple Saturdays ago, she made like 4 necklaces, a couple bracelets and like 5 rings (all Christmas gifts) all in a few hours (while I managed to get all of 6 pages done in Micah's album!). Check back often as I think they are going to have a grand opening sale soon!! AND, maybe I'll talk them into letting me put my nursing covers on there ;)

Kroger + Double Coupons = Happy Misty!!

I hate to even post because that last post by hubby makes me laugh every time I read it :)

I've been alerted by a few blogs (Here and Here) that THIS Saturday (August 15th) Krogers here in Katy (and all SW texas and louisiana) will be doubling coupons from $.40-$1!! And still tripling from $0-$.39. That's awesome. A lot of the blogs I read up north (ohio, etc), their Krogers already do it, and have been doing it. I hope this is maybe a trial to see how it goes, and maybe one day will be their normal policy!! So save those coupons from this weeks paper (and I heard there are a couple in the Parade section to!).

First official father/son "man"venture

Ok, so this is my very first post on our blog that we have had for how long now. So if you are confused this is the husband. I just felt I should share our first father and son outing so I don't forget. Anyways, I was rearranging the living room with Misty AGAIN, and "we" decided to clean up all the wires hanging from the back of our computer desk. So, being the brilliant thinker I am I told her we should use velcro to get the power strips and power supplies off the floor. Since we didn't have any I was off to search for velcro, and being a man the first place that came to mind was Lowe's. They carry everything a guy would need right? So I gather the keys and my son and we are off. Well as we get there the power of the moment takes over, so my 9 month old son and I peruse the aisles, grab our velcro, and take a little extra time around the power tools, getting his opinion on which he likes better. I think his favorites were the taste of the cardboard box the velcro came in or the giant lights on the ceiling, but hey, we took our first trip to Lowes just the two of us and we had a great time, even if it was just to get some velcro. So there you go.

**Edited to add by wife***
They went to Lowe's because that's where we still had a tiny amount on a gift card too ;)

Cloth Diaper Sale!

My favorite Cloth Diaper store, Nurtured Family, is having a sale on Mommy's Touch touch tape (i.e. velcro) diapers! You can see their reduced prices on this link: http://www.nurturedfamily.com/searchresult.aspx?CategoryID=83

I have to admit, these are not my favorite diapers, I only have 1, but they work. Now that I've been doing this for awhile, I realize all a diaper does is catch...stuff....so the cheaper the better :). However, if you are new to CD'ing and want to build a stash, buying sale items are the way to go!! And if you haven't already, sign up for their email newsletter. I got an email today telling me about the sale, along with 3 coupons in it!!

NOT pregnant

Goodness, so Friday and Saturday I was going through pictures and scanning things that are going into Micah's scrapbook album. Flickr is my online storage of choice for photos and stuff, so I uploaded the scans of his ultrasounds to there. I had previously, but couldn't find them quickly, so I just scanned them again. Anyways, I got a couple of texts and emails asking if I was pregnant!! :) So just to answer everyone's questions, no, I am NOT pregnant. But at this point, I wouldn't mind being so soon!! :)