Just another modest Mom.

For my dear friend Angel and her family.

2012-01-03T03:42:00.000-08:00

This is my dear friend Angel's page.

This past week her beloved Mother passed away. If you have time today or this week...please stop by and show Angel some love, Ehugs, prayer, or leave some sweet words of encouragement.

I didn't know Angel's Mom personally, but always felt I did through Angel's stories of her. She always had the kindest words for her Mom and Know through her she was a wonderful person.

I would just like to let Angel know that her and her family have been in my prayers. I love her very much. She has been such a dear...awesome and encouraging friend through the years. Our phone calls have contained tears and laughter...through it all she was always there for me and such a wise woman.

Matthew 5:4
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

We love you Angel!

Christmas blog in pictures.

2012-01-03T03:02:00.000-08:00

Dear friends,

Sorry it's been a while dear friends! I didn't mean to be gone from my blog this line. I still find it so much easier to post over at Facebook and sometimes I forget to show my blog the proper attention it needs. For that I truly apologize. If you are interested you can always find me at www.facebook.com/justanothermodestmom.

Let's see...The Christmas season. It was such a blessing for us this year. First I will start by showing pictures of our recent visit to a local Christmas village here. My parents were actually up to par to go this year and the girls were so excited to have them come along!

When then arrived home, just in time, to leave food for the reindeer. We take some bird seed and let the girls scatter it around the yard.

Then it was the big day!!!!!

Christmas supper and Jesus' birthday party!!!

Barry bought me these jars at Kirkland's for 4.79 and I just filled them with candles/rocks from the dollar tree...I think it's the prettiest center piece we have ever had :)

Every year we do a gingerbread house. It's our family tradition and we have never missed a year, but this year. We decided this year that gingerbread men would be so much easier on the girls.

Our birthday cake for Jesus.

This year we decided to start a new tradition....a blessings jar. Unfortunately, I couldn't get the photo to load, but here's the jest of what the blessing jar is all about:

It's basically a mason a jar that I wrapped a ribbon around the top and then we took slips of paper....wrote our blessings on them (things we were thankful for in the year 2011 or things we hope to come in 2012) and put them in the jar. We helped little Emma-Kay write hers out and the xbox ended up in the jar twice :) So I think that's something that needs cutting back on...lol.

We then found this wonderful book on Christ's birth, in comic book form, and on kindle. Barry then read us the story and the girls huddled around him listening. It was just amazing how intent Emma-Kay listened and how much Lilly-Rose knew about the Bible. We bought her a Reader Bible last year and she has read it from cover to cover. To listen to her talk about Christ's birth and then ask questions...it was just heart warming for us. To know that we have been doing such a great job on instilling such an awesome love from our Lord into our daughters hearts and then them...show that love of Jesus by speaking his word...Awe struck! I think that is one of the biggest smiles I have ever watched spread across his face. Especially when Lilly-Rose got on the subject of Jonah and the whale. She is such a smart cookie for 6.

Well, that's my Christmas picture blog and I hope you guys enjoy it. I hope the upcoming year brings all of you many blessings and for me...more time to grow in the Lord, teaching that love to my children/husband, and blogging. I would love to use this blog more for the word of God and I am open to suggestions of improvements or great causes to support. I also want to thank you guys for sticking it out with me for all these years as a blogger. I have really appreciated meeting so many wonderful people and just thank you for listening to me.

In Him,

Crystal A.K.A. Just Another Modest Mom

Ahhh! It's monday! Let's perk it up with some freebies...

2011-11-21T03:03:00.000-08:00

http://www.drwhitaker.com/special-offers = Add Glucose essentials to your cart (which is BOGO.) At checkout apply code LARB and that makes your order FREE. With every order you will receive a free bottle of Stress melts, too! As well as free shipping. So that 3 bottles of helpful vitamins for FREE. It does say no payment information required, but you will have to enter your card. I entered mine and was not charged...as the form was a zero balance.
Per site "The first 1000 Explorers to register below will receive a couple of Puss In Boots "Humpty Dumpty" crinkling paw-toys." http://register.purina.com/forms/FriskiesHumptyDumpty?elq=9dbc6380bd864f0a97c9527d5e045106 Says if I am one of the 1,000 it will arrive in 6-8 wks.
FREE sample of Woolite and Dove http://samples.target.com/?1 Per site "Your sample is on its way, and should arrive in 8 to 10 weeks."
Click "like" for FREE coffee https://www.facebook.com/SeattlesBestCoffee?sk=app_263817277002311 You get a free sample, can share with your friends, and print a 2.00 coupon.
FREE yoga DVD, Not all in your head book, and fitness DVD https://www.msactivesource.com/user/register
FREE care package to send from Kleenex https://www.kleenex.com/SoftnessWorthSharing
FREE Thanksgiving cookbook download http://www.siriusxm.com/pdf/cookbook/2011_CookBook_Full.pdf

One word that would describe how I feel about my family or this week...LOVED.

2011-11-09T12:13:00.000-08:00

I think it's been quite awhile since I got to sit down and post a blog. My cord has been on my laptop for a while and I was able to replace it this past week.

There so much that has been going on...where do I start? I will start first by saying I got to go home and spend a little time with my Sisters and Nieces. Her and I have been best friends for about twenty years now and now our girls are growing up together. It's just always a joy to spend time with them. The girls and I got to attend a Fall festival at their church. I enjoyed it so much and even got to see my Aunt Brenda! I haven't seen her in quite awhile and so that was a huge blessing.

They had games, a good hog in the ground...with lots of fixings, live bluegrass, and a hayride. Then we went back to my Sis' for a slumber party. Here are some photos:

Later that week we let the girls dress up and visit...Pawpaw, Papa, Memaw, and Nanny for some goodies. What did they go as? Little baby carrots...

Last week Emma-Kay and I decided to show support to a local fallen hero's family. Mr. Barfield was killed in action in Afghanistan. He was a very brave young man and I wanted to show our thanks. Emma and I spent a little over an hour waiting beside the road for the Angel flight to come in. It was a very sad moment to watch as family, friends, and his hearse came by. To us he is a true hero and very sorry for his family's loss. The Westboro "church" was actually going to picket his funereal. We have an awesome radio station here that made a deal with them...they leave his funereal alone and they would give them one hour of radio time in a prime time slot. They accepted and we did not have to worry about them bringing their hate to our area.

I would just like to thank Mr. Barfield and his family. He is a true American hero.

Meanwhile, Lilly-Rose is doing really great at school. She recently made A honor roll, A conduct, and Accelerated reader. We are very proud of her and she is was so excited of all her hard work. With A honor they give the kids a goodie bag and she really made off. She got a free session of skating, a free meal at Simple simons, a free meal at the red elephant, and I think a free play at a local kid's area here. Here is a certificate she won for her recent peanut project and her take on "Hiding" Tom turkey..it was their project this week. We decided he would be well hidden by being a ballerina.

Other than that...this week is going to be pretty busy. Friday the girls are going to spend some time with Papa and Memaw for a few hours. We are going to pick up some Christmas gifts for the girls and Barry surprised me....He's treating me to a new outfit and some make up from Merle Norman. I can't remember the last time I actually bought a brand new outfit and most of you know...I am very self conscious about my melasma. The Merle Norman make up is the only one that covers it up on my forehead. So I am extremely excited. We are picking the girls up and then taking them to our Peanut festival. I will take some pictures and show you guys the biggest week we have here in Southern Alabama. It's a huge fair with concerts and lot of great food....LOTS of great food..lol.

Saturday we are going over to our friend and Barry's co-worker's house. She gave Lilly a computer and computer desk. Lilly is beyond thrilled and has been talking about it non stop this week :) She's giving us a crock pot and George foreman grill...then letting us look around at anything she has for sale. It's like a private garage sale..very awesome and sweet of her to do for us.

Back to Memaws and Papas Saturday night. This is the BIG BIG night for Barry and I. We are going to see CASTING CROWNS and Sanctus Real in concert!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you tell I am excited? I have always wanted to see them in concert and they were sold out. One of Barry's co worker's had tickets they wanted to sell and he knew it would be a perfect surprise for me...so that's our big date night. It's just going to be an awesome night. We haven't had a date in a long time too! Let alone getting one to go see Casting Crowns!!

Sunday!! Sunday is an awesome day! We finally are well enough to go to church and Barry isn't on call. The girls are very excited b/c this will be their first Sunday school there. We also get to meet the Pastor (he was on missionary work the last time we attended.) We are so excited at the possibility of having a new home church. It's a piece that's missing in our life and we need that piece. The whole puzzle can't be put together without it.

I also wanted to thank my awesome husband and kiddos this week. I've been doing Bible study and getting a little discouraged in some areas. I mentioned that I would love to have someone to read a book of the Bible with me ...so I could have someone to discuss it with. Barry hugged me and said..."Well, Baby...you know I have been meaning to read Proverbs. Let's read it together." Then Lilly grabbed her learner's Bible and shouts "I will read John with you, Mama!" and Em grabs her little Bible story book and let's out some Emmish. It really overwhelmed my heart. Just knowing they love me so much to give up their time to read the Bible with me and spending that Biblical time as a family...it's a feeling that warms your heart and makes you feel loved. I am truly blessed with Barry and the girls. I couldn't ask for a better family or a best friend. One word describes me this week it would have to be LOVED.

Lowe's build and grow and freebies!

2011-09-28T05:53:00.000-07:00

Barry and I took the girls to the Lowe's build and grow on Saturday. We try to go when ever they hold these clinics and the girls enjoy them so much. I think for Lilly-Rose it's a sense of pride to walk from the front door to the back of the store with that awesome apron...with her completed badges. She loves the looks and high fives she gets. I think for Emma-Kay she loves being around the older kids and doing what her big sister is doing. She also loves the finished product and playing with it.

This past Saturday they had firetruck kits and they were so much fun to make. The big "TA DA" factor of the trucks was a real working siren! You should have heard the room on that day and my house all this week..lol..the sound of joy I tell you (sarcastically speaking, of course..lol.)

Lilly decided to pair up with Daddy and Emma was left with me ;) I'm usually pretty good at these kits, but that particular day I was juggling...a kit, Emma, being late...so not so great seats, and my Dad calling me constantly. With all of this I accidentally hammered the bottom of Emma's truck upside down and during the hammering process..my hammer head flew off and hit the wall. I guess I should praise the Lord for bad seats and no little ones hurt.

As we started to finish up and put the wheels on..I noticed I had hammered the bottom of the truck upside down. Now this makes for an interesting situation on trying to figure out how to put the wheels on. So I'm glad my Dad kept calling, b/c I remembered some of his engineering. Growing up my Dad could fix about anything, but nothing was ever in the conventional way. He usually had some weird way to rig everything up..that kept you scratching your head..lol. So I took some left over nails and figured out a way to keep the wheels on. The great thing is...it still rolled :) Meanwhile, Barry put the back wheels on the front...so Lilly's CV joints was coming off her truck..lol. I didn't feel so bad then.

Bottom line...Lowe's is AWESOME for offering these clinics. The kids and parents get so much out of it. The time you spend together laughing and making memories is priceless. The pride that goes into making something of your own and showing it off..also priceless. The girls got to see both set of grandparents afterwards and show off their cool toys. So don't miss out on the 8th for a Monster machine! Also...remember..it's FREE! So very family frugal.

Join me Saturday on the blog...as I show you how to make this cool bow holder and how to do a double duty on your supplies. It's 2 great frugal Christmas gifts in one :)

One last thing before freebies. Frugal friend Aileen asked how the Christmas trees were filled on my post last Christmas. I filled them with broken Popsicle sticks...just lined them across and broke them for length. I think used hot glue and glitter over them :)

FREEBIES:

FREE cat discovery box. It also says that in 4-6 weeks they will send you an email to complete a survey for a 2.00 off coupon. http://mycatwonteat.com/free-box.php
Download FREE pumpkin stenscils http://www.bhg.com/bhg/file.jsp?item=/marketing/registration/Charity_Pumpkin_Stencils/bhg_splash_charitypumpkinstencils_bigbrothersbigsisters&temp=yes%20&ordersrc=rdbhg1102221 For every stensil downloaded...Better homes and Gardens will donate 2.00 to Big Brothers Big Sisters.
FREE Hp printables for the kiddos http://www.hp.com/hho/hp_create/themes_celebrities.html
FREE sample of Peppop energy http://peppod.com/sample/ It says you will receive a confirmation email when your sample has been mailed.
FREE Perfectly posh catalog and sample http://www.perfectlyposh.com/index.php?option=com_jextsurvey&Itemid=56
Great list of FREE ebooks from Amazon http://www.amazon.com/b?t=slickdeals&tag=slickdeals&ie=UTF8&node=2245146011
More pumpkin stencils http://www.bhg.com/halloween/pumpkin-carving/halloween-pumpkin-stencils/#page=4
FREE copy of the Quest for character http://www.gty.org/Radio/Offers
This is really cool...FREE ringtones and apps from NASA http://www.nasa.gov/connect/sounds/index.html
FREE Power for life Ebook for Kindle http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005KV3GLY/?tag=afbm-20
FREE sample of vitamin gummies https://secure.startsampling.com/sm/vitamins101953/captureAddress.iphtml?item=101953&source= Allow eight weeks for delivery.
FREE Christian posters http://www.faithaliveresources.org/Products/CategoryCenter/CRWM!PP/placematsposters.aspx

Freebies and ramblings...perfect combination.

2011-09-13T17:33:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder..hurry in to your local thrift store today! Halloween is around the corner and kid's costumes are on sale. I bought Lilly this Batgirl costume for 2.25. I have a Vaspar paint sample in pink left over and so I am painting the mask/belt pink. Emma will be a cute black cat.

Cute craft of the week. I took a ordinary 1.75 blue/red trike from the thrift store and wrapped it in beautiful fabric I had left over. I paired it with ribbon streamers and cute little flowers. This made Emma so very happy!

Emma before and after her sister gave her a shiner. Lilly was trying to do a flip on the middle bar of the swing set and Em came bee bopping along :( This was the result of getting kicked in the face. Poor Em took it to heart and picked fights with her sister all night. Poor Lilly kept apologizing and now all things are behind them.

FREEBIES:

http://www.zazensleep.com/about-zazen/request-free-sample/ Free sample of Zazen sleep formula.
http://www.facebook.com/UgenxLabs?sk=app_122139254463179 Free sample of UgenxLabs vitamin supplement gel. Allow 4 wks, available to US residents, and must be 18 & over.
https://www.facebook.com/GreenMountainCoffee?sk=app_263225643702946 Free sample of Green mountain coffee.
http://www.osisdustit.com/sweepstakes/ Free sample of OSiS. Must have a salon license number.
http://www.toysrus.com/shop/index.jsp?categoryId=11890185 Lots of printable games, coloring pages, and wallpapers.
http://www.twiningsusa.com/pantry/ Free Twinings USA samples. These are three cups that you get to pick. Enter this at check out for 15% off.
http://www.facebook.com/EmergenC?sk=app_184188511644900 Free Emergen-C kidz sample.

Blessings unlimited review

2011-09-13T16:38:00.000-07:00

I got this great journal to review from Unlimited blessings. First, let me say the shipping was absolutely one of the faster shipping times I have ever experienced. Customer service and shipping hit high on my list of things that are important in a business.

This is semi-hardback journal and the cover is beautiful. I normally try to look for pros and con's of a product, to give an unbiased review. I will be honest, I couldn't find one simple con about this product! I have really enjoyed reviewing it.

I haven't written in a journal for a while. I use to keep one for the girls and sadly I stopped, so this journal inspired me to start a keepsake for them once again. Now I keep a daily journal of all their experiences and antics.

The paper of the pages were thick enough to hold the ink very and the words appeared very bold.

I found the journal easy to write in because the journal stays open well. Each page is filled with inspirational words of encouragement and I found this as my favorite:

Sometimes we imagine that God must be shaking an angry finger
at us or sighing with disappointment
if He truly knows every thought
we have and every word we speak.
But that's the beautiful gift of grace.

If you are interested in this product you can visit their page by clicking here Blessings unlimited and if you would like this particular item, it's item number 54616 - God's Heart Companion Journal.

I would love to thank Blessings unlimited for letting me review such an awesome product! The journal inspires me daily with God's encouraging word and to keep such a keepsake for my daughters again. It was extremely kind of you. God bless.

9/11

2011-09-11T17:58:00.000-07:00

How do you explain to a child the death and destruction that happened to our country on 9/11/01?

I take myself back to that day. Barry and I had been married for less than a few weeks. I was on my way to work that morning to a vet supply company and I turned on the radio. I heard a news report and turned it to another channel...channel after channel told me that 1 plane had crashed into the world trade center. At first I thought, with most of our country, that it was an accident. That it was a pilot error..I mean after all, cold calculating things like 9/11 did not happen in America.

I continued to work and sat down in my chair...when the radio announced another plane had crashed into the other tower. At this point we all knew that we were under attack. I listened through out the morning hoping for more survivors and listened as another plane...then another crashed. I listened as our whole air space was shut down to a grinding halt. For lunch I rushed home to see the news footage and watched as those planes hit the towers...over and over again. It was if it was out of a Hollywood movie. It just seemed so unreal.

The next few days I watched as our country introduced it's first ticker tape below a news segment and now terror levels. The names of those that perished or remained missing scrolled across the screen. One really hit me hard. I heard the story of a Mom and her daughter on one of the planes that hit one of the towers. It just made sinking feeling in the bottom of my stomach. I didn't have children then and could never comprehend a Mother's love until now...I can't imagine how that Mother clung to her child and probably whispered great things in her ear, to encourage her little one...knowing they were fixing to hit a building and their family would be no more. Another story of a Father who had moved with his wife and children. He was on his way home from simply picking up their family pet...just doing something great for his family turned fatal.

Then there came the news reports that horrified me that day on 9/11. The one that will stay in my mind forever as I watched live. The WTC jumpers. The poor people who were pounded by fire and smoke..realizes their only escape routes were cut off and so was hope. The heat had forced them to window's edge and later to jumping to try to escape it. I watched as one went and then...a man and woman grabbed hands...they jumped. I couldn't believe what was happening to our fellow Americans. They were going to work to make a living for their families and here they are holding hands with a co-working and being shoved out the window by heat. How did it come to this?

I am 32 years old and was 22 on that date. I still can't understand how someone can do this to our country. I still cry when I read articles on those that have passed away or footage of the buildings demise. Just to know that almost 3,000 people lost their life that day..just doing their everyday job or traveling to someplace special, is unfathomable.

So today came that question from my 6 year old as I was watching a 9-11 memorial service. She wanted to know what happened and why is it on so many channels? I cut off the TV and asked her could she handle a sad story? She told me she could and curled up with a blanket...my youngest playing with a doll next to me smiling that a story was to be told. I used my fingers as the towers and she copied me. I began to tell her that there were some men who didn't like our country. She immediately identified them as bad men and I even wonder is this the correct term to use? I explained to her how they stole planes with people on board with the intent to hurt others. She wanted to know where did they steal these plans from and how could they just get in the and fly off. It just seemed like a video game to her. I told how the first plane crashed into the first tower and she waited eagerly of hearing all the people ran outside. When she asked I sadly told her not all survived. I was getting choked up by now. I explained how the second plane hit the second tower. I described to her how the firefighters and cops came to rescue everyone. She began to ask about paramedics and those from the hospital (her Daddy is a MRI tech and she loves visiting the hospital where he works.) I explained how they did and then I had to tell her how the towers crumbled.

I used my fingers to bring my fingers down slowly and she did. When she reached the bottom, she realized there were no towers left. She immediately asked to see a picture of what the towers looked like before the attacks and so I got online. I showed her the towers of how they looked. It saddened my heart that this would be a place she could never visit or stare at in awe. I talked about the top floor and how one tower had a restaurant. She looked down and wanted to know where did the planes hit...I pointed. It clicked then. She said "Mommy, how did they get off the top floor?" I told her they didn't. That all their escapes had been damaged due to the planes and there was no way out. She asked were there rooms of smoke and I told her yes. She asked about the firefighters, cops, and others people that were in the buildings when it crumbled. I told her that most did not make it. I thought for a minute she was going to cry when she asked about the hospital staff. I assured her that they were waiting at special areas for the injured...I could tell she was worried about her Daddy.

It just really hurt to tell her about 9/11. Ten years later and I don't think I am over it or ready to really talk about it. I didn't tell her all the things I have seen or heard. The phone calls they played of those calling 911 or calling their loved ones. I didn't tell her of the emails sent that they were okay, when really they didn't know about the second plane. Most of all...I didn't tell her about the jumpers that have always bothered me.

When I think of 9/11, I always think of Kevin Cosgrove and probably always will. I didn't know him. I only heard his 911 call and it's forever etched in my heart. I could picture him calling his wife and telling her he was okay, only to find himself trapped with others as the towers collapsed. Here's his recording and I will be honest...it is graphic.

After all was said I let her ask questions. She then asked could she draw a picture and above is what she drew. I first thought it was people falling out of the building, that gave me an eerie feeling, but she told me that were the men flying planes into the building. She also noted the top of one building. She was very fascinated in what looked like an antenna coming from the top. I'm sad she and Emma will never get to visit or marvel in the architectural structure that is the TWC. It was always something I wanted to visit as a kid and never got to. Now I think I would be a little fish in a big pond in the big Apple. My time has gone, but theirs is just beginning.

On a side note, I am appalled at the lack of children's material on this subject. When I searched google...I found nothing.

So for everyone...I want to say..I am so sorry for the loved one you are missing to today. It was a unthinkable tragedy I wished never happened in our history. My heart and prayers go out to you. May God bless America on this day!

Things kids shove in their ears:(

2011-09-09T03:37:00.000-07:00

Most of you know my little Emma Katherine..A.K.A: Emma-Kay and Mims. Yesterday she gave me the scare that falls in my top ten of worst parent experiences. Yesterday we were sitting on the love seat reading and she decided she wanted to sit behind me. She started playing with my hair and so I got out the bow box. I didn't think anything more of it until she started screaming! I saw her grab her eyes and so I thought she had something in her eyes. Then my eyes focused on her ear as I saw what horrified me....she had a bobby pin sticking straight out of it and it was bleeding! I immediately removed the pin as she was excruciating pain and it just broke my heart. I am not going to lie, I did panic a bit. I called Barry at work and I knew it was serious when he took off to the ER to ask a doctor what we should do. I was in the process of getting her things together and going to take her to the ER. We were told it was best to take her to a ENT ASAP or her Pediatrician. I was able to get her in to her doctor within that next half hour.

Our pediatrician examined her and determined that she had just scratched her ear canal...the ear drum was indeed fine. We were all so relieved!! He gave her some drops and suggested Tylenol. When we left the pediatrician office she was all smiles and feeling much better. She still had some lingering pain off/on. We discovered at the pharmacy that her drops would not be in until this morning :( So it was Tylenol for the night.

I took the girls to the grocery store to get a movie, a lunchable (their go too meal of feel betters), and some chocolate chip cookies. When we got home the girls ate their goodies and snuggled on the couch for a movie. Later we looked through our wish book....The Oriental trading post catalog. That's when our idea was born. The girls wanted to do a bulletin board and so I told them that they could have one of the hall walls. We set to making a bulletin board from scratch and decided on the "We are fishers of men!" theme. The girls had so much fun coloring the board, fish, etc. Barry came home and joined in the fun. When it was all over this is what we came up with:

Underneath we put "__________ family monthly bulletin." I think it's a wonderful idea to do once monthly as a family. We had so much fun picking a theme, designing the board, and working as a family. I highly recommend making a family bulletin board for monthly inspiration.

In the end of yesterday..I just praised the Lord that Emma was okay. Things could have been so much worse and he just really protected her. I'm also dealing with some feelings b/c I feel like the world's most horrible Mother. It's my fault that she shoved the bobby pin in her ear. I'm the one that let her play in the bow box and I am the one that forgot there were pins in there. Barry has been so great reassuring me that these things happen, but I just feel I could have done a better job on protecting her myself. I just feel guilty and it just scares me how close she came to rupturing her ear drum. Even her pediatrician assured me that this happens...he told me I would be surprised at what kids will shove into places. He once had a kiddo that shoved a band aid up his nose and it was there for weeks...parents thought it was a sinus infection...bottom line everyone had the same reassuring advice...it happens, but I still feel like I could have prevented this :(

So please pray for Em's pain and that her scratch heals properly/fastly.

It's time for Friday freebies!

2011-08-26T04:16:00.000-07:00

OH, MY! FRIDAY FREEBIES:

FREE earphones http://www.electronics-zone.co.uk/new-35mm-earbud-earphone-for-ipad-iphone-mp3-mp4-playerblack-prod-212.html . Click Paypal as your payment method at the end, it never asks for any further information. This freebie is from the UK...so it will be interesting to see if it comes!
FREE Weber's grill guidehttp://c501793.r93.cf2.rackcdn.com/Girls-Guide.pdf . This would be great to print off, put in protective page covers, and in a binder for Dad.
FREE sample of Downy unstopables https://www.facebook.com/downy?sk=app_169791876424914. It's also a sweepstakes to win a 1,000.00 gift card.
FREE sample of Purple tiger energy pill http://www.energyofthepurpletiger.com/free-samples.html
Request a complimentary sample pack of New Plant THRIVE, Flower THRIVE, Vegetable THRIVE, Tomato THRIVE or Compost THRIVE http://www.usethrive.com/offers-and-promotions/ Per site: "Promotion valid through 09/30/11.
We only ship within the continental U.S. Cannot ship to OK, AR, MN, or HI.
Due to high demand and traffic, we will only fulfill the first 50 sample requests received on a daily basis.
Only 50 samples left available today.
One request per household please."
FREE wellness, sport, or pet pack http://www.nordicnaturals.com/. Go to bottom of page and look really hard for the free sample link. It's small and took me a while to find it. Per site "You will be receiving your Sample Kit containing assorted
single size servings and product literature within 4-6 weeks."
FREE Shout color catcher sample http://www.shoutitout.com/coupon/06-10-shoutsample/. Allow six weeks.
FREE http://episencial.com/strides/ samples.
FREE Activia coupon https://www.facebook.com/Activia?sk=app_236653369701957...check your email for coupon.
FREE sample of Persimmon tea http://www.naturalpersimmon.com/servlet/the-template/sample/Page. Allow 4-6 weeks.
FREE religious materials http://www.engageingod.com/
FREE sample of Burberry perfume http://www.facebook.com/burberry?sk=app_197184447010295
FREE bumper sticker https://www.facebook.com/HYDRIVE?sk=app_100265896690345 ..you have to check your email for this one to confirm.
FREE Trailorchix bumper sticker http://trailerchix.com/
FREE Shark love sticker http://sharklove.com/sticker
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We had a special vistor this morning.

2011-08-10T04:44:00.000-07:00

Lilly-Rose lost her first tooth last night. She has had two bottom wigglers for a few weeks now and finally one just gave up.

It all started yesterday, when we realized that one of her teeth was extremely loose and so we looked at some pediatric dentist sites, some suggested that gentle twisting could get the tooth to come out. So she set to work wiggling and by yesterday afternoon we were in the middle of a full fledged middle adolecent life crisis. She was now having quick doubts and wanted to keep her tooth. She started to cry wanting it to stay in. We had a talk about how it was going to come out and we couldn’t stop it, but it would be one of the best experiences of her life and one more step in being a big girl. For when your baby teeth fall out you get your big girl teeth. Then the wiggling was back on J

She was convinced before bed that her tooth would be coming out and asked to stay up later, so I told her she could stay up until 11 PM. Finally after 10 she wanted to look in the bathroom mirror and that’s when I saw that it was now completely detached from behind and front..it was hanging on by a thread at this point. That’s when she reached in, grabbed, and pulled. The look on her face was priceless as she saw her baby tooth just laying there in the palm of her hand. Then there it was…the blood. She then threw her tooth down the drain declaring “OH MY GOSH, MAMA…OH MY GOSH!!” She then immediately began to smile and look at herself in the mirror. She asked did I think she was pretty and looked cool without a tooth…I told her of course! I told her she could probably whistle now or even put her straw in that missing tooth hole J

Afterwards, she began to panic. No tooth = No Tooth fairy? I assured her that the Tooth fairy would still visit. She then declared that the Tooth fairy was a good fisherman and was positive that she could use her fishing pole to simply fish that tooth out of the drain. Then she jumped down and woke her Daddy up. Afterwards, I was told to get on Facebook and message her God Mother Aunt Leisa. Then she wanted to call her Pawpaw (My Dad.) He lives for stuff like this and she was so excited to tell him that her tooth was gone, she is officially a big girl, and her Sister is going to…and I quote…”Panic when she sees my tooth gone!” Then I had to convince here not to wake up Barry’s whole family. They all live on the same land and Lilly decided she was going to call all of them..lol. She wanted to call her Papa/Memaw first, then her Nanny, and then her cousins Caitlyn and Cierra. So she will be making her rounds today calling.

I was going to put the money under her pillow early this morning, but decided we would do it together when Barry woke up to go to the gym. So at 5 AM this morning here were are sneaking into our 6 year old Daughter’s room. If you know us..you would know that covert missions for Barry and I are hilarious. Both of us were born with a whole lot of natural clumsiness. Barry decided he would be the money handler since I tend to drop a lot of things when I am nervous. We decided on a 1.00 and gold Sacagawea dollar that her Pawpaw had given us a few months back. He gave me 4 gold coins, one for each of us, to remember him by..as if he wasn’t already imprinted on our hearts. I thought she would go crazy over the idea of a “gold doubloon.” I tried to persuade Barry to wear a tutu, but to no avail J Thinking about it what would be more detrimental? Your Mom in your room trying to shove money under your pillow as she wears a hot pink tutu over her night gown or your Dad in your room trying to shove money under your pillow with a hot pink tutu over his gym clothes?..lol. I think it’s a fair toss up and Barry would probably look better in that tutu than me at 5 in the AM J

All and all operation “Not scaring our child into years of therapy” went very well. She’s still sound asleep and I can’t wait for her to wake up to see her gifts. As for the baby tooth? Mama, is said that I didn’t get to keep it. I really wanted to save that in her baby book, but I’m just glad in the end she found her courage, I got to catch a glimpse of that awesome little tooth, and she is happy with having a toothless smile. Before bed all I heard about was how cool are her classmates were going to think she was super cool and be so proud of her.

How was your first tooth losing experience? Can you even remember? I remember just a little. I know I couldn’t wait for it to come out and finally lost it in an apple. I then received a quarter for my tooth and become fascinated by the Tooth fairy. I then started to leave other gifts under my pillow for money until one day the “Tooth Fairy” AKA my Mom, left me a note saying the tooth fairy was now broke and could only leave money for teeth..lol. I guess she wasn’t too keen on the many plastic necklaces and the one pickle under my pillow J

**Sorry for the different size in text. I tried to edit it and it just won't let me :( This is how it pasted over from Microsoft word.**

The Cross...A symbol of love.

2011-08-09T10:25:00.000-07:00

I had the blessing of meeting 3 wonderful young men Saturday. I was out making a small errand run and driving along our city's "circle" when I saw 3 young men walking with a cross. First I honked and then I felt the Lord move on me to go ask these young men if they needed water.

The Lord knew I needed to talk to them that day. I asked did they need water and they declined, they had plenty in their backpacks. I had asked how far they had been walking and they started at Dillard's at the mall, at this point they were on the south side near South park. I would have to say it was in the upper 90's this day and they were walking as a witness to our Lord and their love for our Lord.

I asked could I take their photo and explained I had a blog. I asked them why they were doing this and the young man to the far right was just awesome at explaining this to me. They were simply walking with a cross to remind others of the glorious most awesome thing anyone would do for us...give their life for ours. He also said something to me that just really spoke to my heart...when the Lord moves on you to do something...do it. Not to expect others to do, what you will not do yourself.

I am positive these young men touched many lives Saturday and I just wanted to tell them..they touched mine. I had been dealing with some upspokens this past week and they are right...We should all do what the Lord moves us to do and in return they made me feel so much better with those words. I feel the Lord led me to meet them to show others that his love exists today and I also think he needed me to hear those words from someone else.

I just wanted to tell them Thank you! I hope they are reading this and remembered my blog name.

thredUP Review.

2011-07-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

My review today is on thredUP. Recently I was able to purchase a BOGO boxes at thredUP and I bought the BOGO deal for 16.00. I thought this would be great, since Emma-Kay will be turning 2 on August 19th. I could browse the site and get some really great gently used items.

I, literally, spent about 2 hours browsing the site for a box :) There were so many great ones and I was having a lot a trouble narrowing them down to 2 picks. So I finally found a 2T girls lot that I really liked. There was a mixture of Old Navy, Circo, and other name brand clothes. The box said it was a 25 piece girls clothes lot and mostly tops. I received the box yesterday and this is what I received:

(4) Pairs of shirts. One of those pairs of shorts had the tag still on them.
(1) Pair of Pjs.
(1) Skirt
(1) Pair of jeans.
(3) Dresses.
(15) Shirts and one still had the tags attached.

All the clothing is in excellent condition and with no stains.

I want to add that at a thrift store (the ones here locally) a shirt goes for 1.50, short are a 1.50, pants are a 1.50, and dresses usually go for 2.50. I purchased this box from thredUP for 15.95. If I would have went to my local thrift stores and purchased all of these items I would have paid $40.50...so that is a savings of $24.55!!!

Next I had a free box to pick out (b/c I caught a BOGO deal online.) I decided on a 20 piece My little pony lot and the sender sent a free doggie purse with the order!!! These go for at least a 1.00 here at the local thrift stores (that's what I have paid for them in the past) and the purse would probably go for 3.00. This box was free, but let's just say I paid 15.95 for it. I would be at a savings of $7.05!!!

Keep in mind that boxes can contain anything! The clothing boxes come in any sizes up to a size 20. They also have boxes of toys, books, DVDs, CDs, and I even looked at a box with pampered chef items!You can basically pack anything, that is in great condition, in your home. They have children's boxes, boxes for Mom, boxes for Dads, and even boxes for your furbabies. It's just a great set up they have on the site.

They will also send you pre-rated boxes out for you to pack up things of your own. When someone picks your box, you will get credit towards another box for yourself. Also, shipping is included in with the price of the boxes...so you never pay for shipping your own items. You simply pack, print out the labels online, and they will notify the mailman that you will have a pick up. It's just that easy! You never have to leave your home.

They also encourage you to post your own boxes...to make things fair. You post boxes to get to pick boxes. I was able to buy 2 separate boxes on my first go around, but that means I am at a -2 on my swap balance. So I need to post 2 boxes and have those picked before I can make more picks of my own. Barry accidentally threw out my boxes and I had to re-order mine, but I am very excited to get to pack and post one for others :) Also, when you receive a box you have to give feedback of the sender. That way they can keep track of those that doing their part of keeping great items being sent to members and the same being given back to them.

Overall, I give thredUP a 9 out of 10. The reason why I would give it a full 10 is b/c of the price. I do feel the box could be a little lower on price, but on some items...say clothes...you really can't beat it. It's like shopping at thrift stores or yard sales online. I find it to be a great asset with 2 kiddos and with the gas prices being so high. Not to mention the fun of just waiting for the box and the then the senders throwing in "surprises" it's just awesome!

If you would like to take advantage of this great site...just click on any of the thredUP links in this post and it will take you directly to the site. When you sign up you will also receive a 5.00 credit :)

A wonderful thursday.

2011-07-28T15:33:00.000-07:00

I hope your Thursday has been awesome! Mine has. The girls had a bug earlier this week, but are feeling really great now. They have been wonderful all day and Barry even got off early! I call that a great Thursday indeed.

Today I decided I wanted a little bit of fall early. So I decided to make some Chili in the crock pot. I admit this was a different variation from my original recipe (I have been trying to cut corners...as food prices rise.), but I accidentally got 1 big can of whole tomatoes..instead of the 1 big can of tomato sauce.

Here's the recipe:

(1) big can of whole tomatoes with juice...smushed.

(1) small can of tomato paste.

(1) Mild chili seasoning packet.

(1/2) packet of Onion soup mix.

(1) can of kidney beans...rinsed and drained.

At this point you can leave it like that for a vegetarian dish or add hamburger meat. What I do is fry up enough to make a good size hamburger patty. I cook it crumbled and then run it through the food processor...works great for stretching meat. Also, all the listed food items were bought at Walmart and were their Great value brand.

I usually serve this with crackers, butter, and shredded cheese. I know people think I am crazy for adding butter in my chili, but it is soooo good! I got this from my Dad. I will either put a spoonful in and melt or just spread across a cracker.

I also had a wonderful little kitchen helper..while Emma was down for a nap. Lilly decided to be my helper and smush all the tomatoes for me.

Here's some cute pictures of the girls after their baths this week:

Interesting story behind these Panda Pjs. I bought these when Lilly was around 3 and they are a size 4T. She now refuses to part with them and wears them quite a bit to bed. This week we discovered that she had grown out of them and it broke her heart. So I just cut the feet off and viola...that fit again :) She is now in a 6..So I'm wondering how much longer they are going to last..lol.

Big news about Miss Mims. She has learned how to, somewhat, dress herself!!! It is amazing to watch her figure out how to put on clothes. Not to mention just pure cuteness:

She has on 3 shirts and a dress :)

Trying on Daddy's clothes now :)

Her first Masterpiece.

After helping me in the kitchen, I found Doots like this on our bed:

I hope to post more tomorrow. I have a coupon class tonight and have to get ready.

Chef Lilly's Toast station.

2011-07-19T11:07:00.000-07:00

Is your "big" girl or boy looking for more freedom in the kitchen or more responsibility around the house? Well, my "big" girl has since she is now 6 and she feels she should be allowed more freedom in the kitchen. She loves to make her own snacks and snacks for her little sister, but there are only so many snacks you can make just by little hands alone.

Recently she wanted to learn how to use the toaster. After a month or so of supervising her and seeing that she was very cautious in making her toast...I decided that she was responsible enough to use the toaster on her own. So the "Chef Lilly's Toast station" was born.

We decided Chef Lilly's Toast station sounded pretty snazzy. You can print out your sign by using Microsoft works (which had some great clip art, but my printer died on me) or having some by drawing your sign. You can make any design you like or colors.

Then you are going to need a menu. Every great Chef needs a menu with recipes. For this station we are going to do cinnamon toast and regular butter toast. For the recipe I drew out the ingredients to make it easier for Lilly to understand. Her cinnamon/sugar mixture for cinnamon toast is 1 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons cinnamon. We put it in a sandwich box holder(picked up on the dollar aisle of Target), shook it really well, and added a small measuring spoon for easy access when making toast. Of course, as with all things in this house, cost is hugs and maybe a few kisses :) Kiddo permitting.

We set this station up in the dining room. What you will need is a small table or in our case a sewing machine desk. Then you will need your basics: Small toaster (which has automatic settings...so that all your little one has to do is put the bread in and wait for the timer to pop the bread out), loaf of bread, plastic knives, cutters (more creativity....let them decide what shapes the toast should be), cutting board, storage bowl or shaker (something to put your Cinnamon/sugar mixture into), small measuring spoon (used to sprinkle mixture in correct amounts), and butter. I had not placed the butter out yet, but I have been doing some research and overall you can leave butter out during the day without the risk of making yourself sick or spoiling it. It also makes it soft and easier for spreading.

Lilly wanted to take you on a tour of how to make toast. So here it goes. First you toast your bread and then you butter your bread using your plastic knife.

Then you want to take your bread cutters (of your choice..in ours we have dinosaurs) and cut your bread. This gives them more creativity with their snack options. She feels like a real chef when we ask her to fix us some toast. She's able to pick what shape it will be.

Then you spoon and sprinkle your sugar/cinnamon mixture over your toast. I just mixed 1 cup sugar to about 3 tablespoons of cinnamon. You can put this in a old cinnamon shaker or I put it in a plastic sandwich holder from the dollar aisle of Target. Just something that is going to allow you to shake your mixture really good daily.

The finished product. I'm sorry for the poor quality of the pictures and lighting. These were done by my phone and I didn't have time to run everything hrough Picasa.

All and all I have to say the Toast station has been a total hit. It makes Lilly feel like she has more responsibility and she feels older. She loves that we trust her more with helping us around the house. She's very cautious about how she uses the toaster and understands how it works. She knows not to touch while it's in use or afterwards..that it can be hot and she knows to unplug it while it's not in use. By letting her use her own ingredients it's taught her how to measure and how to be responsible in the sense that she makes sure that her cutter is washed...put away as needed. It teaches her how to do things for others and be happy when doing so. She loves when we ask for a snack of toast and she regularly just makes some for her Sister on a whim as a surprise. She also feels she has a bit more freedom with snacks. She can fix toast anytime she likes and now she has more choices. She can have toast, snack out of the veggie drawer of the fridge, or fruit bowl...these are all unlimited to the girls. They are all healthy options and our girls are growing like weeds...so I have no idea where they put all this food at..lol. I say often it must go in their toes.

This has also fueled more of her interest for cooking. Ever since my girls were born I would put them in their little high chairs and have them sit in the kitchen with me. I love cooking/baking and so I just talk to them and cook. It's something I wish I would have did more of as child. As I got older I had to learn everything through cooking shows, books, and trial/error....lots of trial and error..lol. It's just one of the life skills that I am proud of teaching myself over the years and something I would love to pass on to them and so far both just really enjoy being in the kitchen.

So there's our Toast station. I would love to hear of some of the "big" girl or boy things you have set up in your household. Feel free to leave a link to your blog in the comments section to share. Hope you are having a great Tuesday guys! Don't forget a new episode of Bizarre foods will be coming on tonight on the Travel channel. It has to be my favorite show on television :)

No internet and left alone with Microsoft word...will equal to a long post :)

2011-07-16T16:38:00.000-07:00

Who is excited about the Norton house party kit? I got mine this week and so excited! Remember there will be a giveaway (S) this week on www.facebook.com/justanothermodestmom. I do believe there is a badge on the right side of the page. Sorry if this seems poorly put together...I have a new connection and it's just quite slow. It's doing wonky things to my post and taking forever to edit.

I actually had to open and use my Microsoft works tonight (post made in Microsoft word Friday). Tonight started out as any other night. We were watching movies with the girls and having a snack. A storm moved through and we were enjoying listening to the rain. It was thundering pretty loud and then it hit….lightening! It struck our phone line and fried our router box. It was so close it made all our hair stand up on end and run to the middle of the room..lol. It just purely scared us. We are just blessed that we are all safe and our house did not catch fire…if a router box has to pay the price for this…so be it J Poor little box.

This week Lilly (our oldest) went to Vacation Bible school soccer camp. I know it sounds a bit weird to combine praising our Lord and sports, but it works. I’ve been so proud of her and she has learned so much. For the past year she has been more and more interested in our Lord. She asks questions and so hungry just to learn more…she loves to clean her room and me read to her from the Bible. We also bought her a Kid’s learning Bible from Life way. It combines the stories of the Bible with reading comprehension. Just an awesome book and she reads it nightly. Well, everyday this week she has come home just brimming with all the new things she has learned about the Bible and new songs. They have been letting them listen to Audio adrenaline and when I knew the songs it just blew her mind. For once I think I was a “cool mom”, I am usually the “totally lame” Mom and I am fine with that. So on to the point of my story. Today the girls watched Opposite day on Netflix and Lilly asked did I like being an adult. I told her sometimes I wish I could be kid again (Ah, remember those days of pure imagination and energy?)…She tells me “Well, what are you waiting for? Be a kid again!” I told her that once you are an adult you are always an adult. It’s true L Sadly, we can be a kid again at some points, but we can never go back to those days of innocence and not knowing some of the things we have learned through life lessons. Some are blessings and some are things we don’t ever want to go through again. She looked at me and said “Mom, is this something you would like to talk to Jesus about? You know if you have a problem…you can talk to him about it. You want to pray?” My heart just was overwhelmed! It was one of those moments where you realize that all you have taught your child and all the experiences to grow in our Lord they have received. it’s clicked in their heart.

During this week I also had time to spend some alone time with Emma. We went exploring thrift stores and played outside. My heart broke for her in the mornings when we would drop Lilly off. She wanted so bad to stay with all the kids. She’s a curious little bird. She doesn’t like playing with kids her age and will actually run screaming in the opposite direction, but put her in a room with older kids and she is just a little social butterfly. She too also made me proud this week. When we would go pick up Lilly I would place her on the floor to mingle with some of the other kids, but not my Emma. She would simple prop her bear (she has a lovie named Bear bear) and climb up next to me on the couch in the waiting area. She would then just snuggle as tight as she could to me and just people watch. She was just a perfect little angel. To me it’s amazing at how different my girls are. At that age you couldn’t tie Lilly down..lol…she was just everywhere. She just does awesome at listening to me when I take her places. A matter of fact the ladies at the thrift store remark at how well she had been on a visit…didn’t even need a buggy and she walked around right beside me. They told her she deserved her little dolly she was getting that day. Of course Miss Em just ate that completely up…she loves attention.

On to the big news for the month of August. Our Emma-Kay will turn the big 2 on the 19^th! Can you believe it has been 2 years since this little miracle made her grand entrance? I simply can’t. I got her a Veggie tales DVD (it was free and only paid 4.99 shipping. Normally this DVD is 14.99) and a picture book from Walgreen’s that is cloth covered (Also free. Normally 19.99 with 6.99 shipping…I only paid shipping.) We gave her book to her early and she just loved it! I can’t help but to go overboard with their birthdays. I just love making them cupcakes or a cake…decorating for a party…surprising them with gifts…we just think their births are a blessing from the Lord that was told to us would never happen. Their birthdays remind us yearly of God’s grace that he has so graciously given to us.

Then after Miss Em’s birthday is followed by my birthday on the 24^th and our wedding anniversary. That’s right we got married on my 22^nd birthday, so if Barry forgets either he is double whammed…lol. I will be 32 this year and I have to say that I am enjoying my birthdays a little more now. Being admitted on your 30^th birthday, having eclampsia, mag sulfate therapy, a TIA, and being separated from your family…brand new little one at home…it puts things in perspective. Every birthday is another year I have been blessed with my family. It’s also our 10^th wedding anniversary. I love our anniversary b/c who wouldn’t want to celebrate
being married to their best friend? I’ve just been very blessed in my 10 years of marriage and almost 11 years of being with Barry. We have had the chance to travel, learn more about each other, work together, went on the journey together to know our Lord, and we were even baptized together. Now we are parents together of 2 beautiful girls and still madly in love with each other. I have to say I am in no position to complain. Only praise.

Finally, I will be making a separate post on our “Toast family station.” I think it’s a fun idea for your older kiddos. It’s a big hit in our home and I just think you will really enjoy watching your “big kids” blossom as they are allowed a little freedom in cooking. Without it being so dangerous. Of course.

*Please forgive any punctuation errors, as this was corrected in Microsoft word.*

Making memories and gifts....

2011-07-07T22:42:00.000-07:00

So tonight I am up a little bit later than usual. I was putting together some birthday gifts for our Niece for her birthday. Barry turned in early and so did Emma-Kay...Lilly-Rose decided she wanted to stay up and help me pick out ribbons.

We got the following made:

This lovely little Gerber clippie with butterfly bottle cap middle.

A bow holder in "WWJD" and "Jesus loves me" ribbon :) We added 2 little butterflies on the end to tie in with the clippie. I'm going to make a couple of more bows later this weekend. I really hope she likes it and it's just a lot of fun making things for those you love. Our girls just really look up to their cousin (She's just an awesome little girl. Very smart and beautiful) and so I love when they help me do/make things for others. It's a great way to make fun memories, teaching a great Christian lesson on giving to others with a whole heart, and I am passing on something I really love to do to them. It made me feel so great when Lilly asked if I would teach her how to make more bows...so one day she could make them for her babies.

Then the plan to start on Lilly-Rose's new flip flops. I got a deal on the clearance aisle at Walmart for a pair of navy flip flops for only .50!! My plan was to make her Auburn flip flops to go with her Auburn hair clips I made her a few months back. She was so excited that she accidentally cut Emma-Kay's sandals(she was pretending to work on Emma's sandals.) Not wanting to throw them away...I decided we could do a makeover and I could possibly save them. I used some glue and ribbon to piece the back strap back together... and cover our work. So now Emma has some funky new boutique style Summer sandals with her own new Gerber clippie to match.

So instead of tossing out those play shoes...open your craft drawer and see what you have to jazz them up a bit. There's nothing to lose if you were going to toss them out to begin with :)

Picture of one of the sandals before and then the after. They are your basic pair of Granimals for 4.99 at Walmart. With a few pieces of ribbon and a peonie...you have a funky frugal new Summer set. I just simply used materials I had left over from past bow making adventures. So if you see anything you like, I can probably recreate these for you at Chickaroo Sisters Creations . I am just getting back into making bows, hats, etc. ...and selling them, though now they are just made upon request. Mostly I am hoping to turn the page into a DIY help page for Moms or anyone who love making little ones boutique type items.

The next picture is of a frugal makeover I did in my dining room. I had a really large painting hanging over my dining room table and we took it down..donated it. I then decided to hang a blue willow plate set that I already had. I bought these about 7 years ago at Kirkland's for 4.99 for the whole set. I bought the salt/pepper shakers at Dollar General for 1.00 and the sunflower arrangement I bought almost 9 years ago while at a flea market with my Mother in law. My final find is something I have been looking for, for a very very long time. I have been looking for a sunflower pattern vinyl table cloth. I finally found one at Walmart for 4.99 by Better homes and garden. I finally feel the dining room is complete and in my favorite items...blue willow print and sunflowers. I will post the rest of the room later this week. I am still rearranging my china hutch.

This is just an example that you can do a frugal makeover in any room with things you already have and pair them up with just a few items that are within an affordable budget. I only spent 6.00 for new decor in this room and used what I had already in our home. My goal is to use what we have and donate what we are no longer using. I feel we will get the most out of our items this way and in return it helps keep our house orgainized...decluttered.

Here's a before picture of what the dining room use to look like:

I think it gives it a more open look and it really does make the room look brighter.

Well, I better get in bed. Morning will be here before you know it and the girls are looking forward to a day outside in the sun. Honestly, so am I! I have been sick with a migraine for 2 days this week and I feel very blessed the Lord has took the pain/nausea away. Also, may I ask for a couple of prayer requests? I have 2 unspokens I could really use prayer on and we are still searching for a home church. There's a church I feel the Lord has moved us to trying and we could use prayer as we try a new church this weekend.

Don't forget to check us out at Chickaroo Sisters Creations or Just Another Modest Mom on Facebook

Rearranging and other things....

2011-07-06T14:56:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon guys! I am using Google Chrome today and I have to say...I'm in love! I think it loads way faster and I love I can finally bookmark pages. On IE I could bookmark pages, but it would jumble them up and they would never be under the correct title.

Yesterday both girls went to the eye doctor. I love when pediatric doctors feel for us Moms and allow them to be seen together. I was fortunate that Barry was able to get off and help me with the girls. Both had to have their eyes dilated and that was such a thing to see. They had to go back out in the waiting room to wait 15 minutes and poor Lilly kept bumping into everyone and things. Emma just didn't even want to walk..lol. Of course when it comes time to look through the machines Lilly has to be so "formal" about everything. They asked what did she see and instead of a person...she says a Human. Emma will just start screaming "Ohhhh....ohhhhhh...ohhhhh" when you touch her.

I have to say the eye doctor was very nice and this was the first time we have been to his office. This was Emma's first time at the eye doctor and so she was a little weary of him. Both girls have excellent vision and we talked about the imbalance in Lilly's eyes. One shoots off to the side (I also have the same issue) and he decided we could watch it this year and discuss either surgery or leave it alone later on. I really think they will leave it alone. It hasn't affected her vision...so we will just continue to pray on it. I honestly thought he was going to give her a patch. I had to have one and I would much rather he wear it during the Summer than at school. Those things are so aggravating. I have some really cute photos of the girls, but my phone refuses to load them to facebook for me :(

Other than that I have been cleaning for the most part. I am really trying to organize the closets and rooms. I just want to get rid of all the clutter in the house. I have some pictures I took from the beginning and will post a the end of this post.

After cleaning out one of the closets I discovered an old typewriter. I don't think I have used it since I typed out our wedding invitations. The immediately flocked to it and claimed it as theirs. When I tried to explain what it was...even Emma had a confused look on her face..lol. Lilly was just amazed that you could type letter into it and it would print them out..without the use of a screen. At one point she actually asked me if she talked to it..would it print out what she was saying..lol. I told Barry I think I have failed the girls electronically. So I have been getting lots of letters typed out to me and I love them.

The new bed in our room. Love love love it! I also really love the new mattresses.

Lilly gets our old set. I am hoping the girls will eventually share a room and the set..then we can turn Em's room into a playroom.

Had to show this shot...I worked so hard organizing that book shelf :)

Got the toys down to one toy box :) There's miss Emmie...she's come to plunder..lol.

Miss Emma's room. That's her toddler bed in the corner. She doesn't quite like it just yet...so we are taking it slow.

Em's toys were a little bit more tricky. Given her age, her toys are a little more bulky. So she was narrowed down to 2 small toy boxes.

Inspiration for the fireplace? Dutch painted canisters I picked up from the thrift store for about 2.00. I also moved the fruit trees over to the fireplace Vs. on the shelf above the love seat. I did have 2 really pretty topiary (s) placed there, but my cat Mickey took them out on 2 separate occasions.

The new couch.

New love seat.

Rearranged the hutch and decluttered it.

The chair and half or AKA...Daddy's chair :)

Took all the what nots (what do you call them? Nick knacks or here in the south we call them "watt knots"...that's what it sounds like and I've always pronounced them.) off the tv shelf...who am I kidding? They never stayed there with little hands..lol. Moved everything out of foyer and replaced with a Dora table for snack time.

Visiting PawPaw.....

2011-07-04T12:50:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone is having a great fourth of July! I'd like to thank all our men and women who serve our country..for all they do. I love America!

This week has been busy. I've been visiting my Dad in the nursing home he is now living at. He is there temporary for rehabilitation. I took Emma to visit him Saturday. Lilly was unable to go due to some of the issues she is working with, with the Autism and OCD. She panics when being touched by others and no one there means any harm..they just love when children visit and some can be overwhelming for a child. Due to the previous breakdowns she has had there, Barry and I thought it was best for her to stay home.

Most of the staff is AWESOME! They don't see them as patients, they see them as family and that's exactly how they treat everyone that lives there. My Dad seemed pretty happy with the overall living there...it's just that he was very homesick and I can understand that. His room mate is very nice and protective over my Dad. He takes him everywhere (makes sure he stays on the go..lol) and makes sure my Dad eats all his food. He also loves fruit...so we make sure to bring enough for them both. They actually tried out the Peeled snacks I bought a couple of weeks ago (review to follow.)

Here's some pictures from Saturday:

One thing I found about the nursing home..was...I love the energy of some of the residents there. The staff have a big room where they visit, play games, gossip, or listen to the radio. On this visit one of the ladies (who was about in her late 80's) put the radio station on a rock station. All of a sudden "I've had the time of my life" from Dirty Dancing starts playing. The next thing I know one is clapping, the other singing, and Em looks at me like..."Mama, why am I not dancing?" So she proceeds to dance her little heart out.

The day ended and I thought it was going to be the set up for a great weekend. My Dad was looking great and didn't even need his oxygen tank Saturday.

Here's a picture of one of the rockers on the front porch. Before a thunderstorm that hit.

I came home to download all the pictures to my computer and to share. When I came across the following picture Lilly had left for me..without knowing and this is totally Lilly.

That's my girl. Instead of telling her, her eyes will stick like that...I teach her how to do it :) Cross my eyes is a speciality I have had since I was a kid.

Yesterday my Dad took a turn for the worse. I was called by the next town over (where he resides now) and told by the ER doctor that it did not look good. I needed to come in immediately and had to give them permission to intubate him. When I got there he was on a bipap machine and he was somewhat better than when he came in. They said he was blue when he came in and he was getting color back to him. He knew who I was and grabbed my hand. After that he seemed more at ease to rest...your body gives out so quickly from struggling so hard to breathe.

The doctor took me into another room to explain things to me. He sits me down and gets all serious on me..then says..."If I was family I would want a doctor to be honest with me and I am going to be blunt, Mrs.______. Your Dad is at the end and everything is failing him. He's in complete renal failure and will require dialysis." Of course I give him a look of relief and say "Is that it?" He didn't quite understand. I explained to him that my Dad has been in renal failure for 4 years and on dialysis for that length. He began to inquire about ports and such. I explained that the bandaging on his right arm was covering his fistula. He had a hard stick the day before and they couldn't get it to stop bleeding. I find it really appalling that the nursing home didn't send medical records or inform the doctor of my Dad's prior medical condition..all he got was basically a name. He also informed me that my Dad has pneumonia. So I inquired of having him transferred to the hospital that Barry works at and they did just that.

When I left him at MICU yesterday he was alert, holding my hand, and even trying to joke. I called this morning and the nurses told me that he was off the bipap and eating breakfast. I think there was a lot of fluid on him. The social worker had called earlier this week and explained to me that he wasn't staying his length on dialysis and so they were having to do it everyday Vs. every other.

Another fun lunch idea....

2011-07-02T10:31:00.000-07:00

Here's another fun lunch idea. The girls gave this one 2 thumbs up and ate all their lunch.

I simply used their favorite grilled panini (Muenster cheese and smoked ham...dash of mayo on whole wheat pita.) I used a miniature box of raisins, some veggie dip (which is usually bogo at Publix), and baby carrots.

I just made it a little more fun by doing a carrot sun and a panini butterfly. They absolutely loved it and it's a frugal lunch on top of that!

The Chore chart...

2011-07-01T10:52:00.000-07:00

A couple of months back, I posted a link on the www.facebook.com/justanothermodestmom page about a printable chore chart (I want to say the link was from Money saving Mom. Please forgive me if I am wrong.) So the past couple of months I have been working on it and ordered a organizer from Amazon with my swagbucks...making it free.

Here's the finished product:

I found the hardest part of this project...had to be laminating the cards by hand. I rarely ever laminate and so I went with the lamination sheets at Walmart. Now that I have found the joy of laminating...I would love a machine. I even made memory cards for the girls afterwards.

All and all I have to say the job chart has been one awesome experience. Even little Emma-Kay is on the chore chart bandwagon. Each loves they have their own line, that's labelled with their name, and has their own cards. The most popular cards are the Bee-havior cards. No one wants to lose those. Those hold some really great goodies. A bee-havior card can get you a toy out of the treasure chest all the way to more time on the family time on the xbox.

I found that the girls were more willing to do chores without losing track or complaining. I've never seen Lilly work as hard as she has this past week. Emma is still too young to fully grasp the awesomeness of the chart..lol. It's now become a game to see how many chores can get down and how many cards she can gather. Yesterday she walked in the kitchen, grabbed a bowl, filled it with water, and left it out for our cats. She wanted the "feed cat card" and we have automated feeders, but I let her keep working. She does things without being asked and I think that's just a great part about the chart.

So here's our job chart and this would be easy for you to make too. You can actually make your own cards with clipart and works on Windows word. Then you can purchase the chart holder at http://www.amazon.com/Class-Jobs-Pocket-Chart-Scholastic/dp/0545114802/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309542649&sr=8-1 Remember if you are member of Swagbucks, you can use your Amazon gift cards and get your chart for free. If not a member yet, I have a link on the right hand side of the page and trust me...you will love Swagbucks!

The Sky is the limit...

2011-06-21T04:49:00.000-07:00

Thought I would start the day off with a picture I took of the sky. I was outside with the girls watching them in the pool and decided..why not get what the sky looked like too that day :) I remember as a kid laying in the yard and watching the clouds go by. I always liked looking at the shapes and sometimes my Dad would sit in the swing in the yard with me. I always liked for him to look with me, b/c he had a great imagination. I remember once, when I was about 5, I told him that I was watching the clouds and I seen a man in a helicopter fly upside down over our house. My Dad took it from there and told me that his name was crazy Sam and he knew him. It was fun watching the sky all afternoon waiting from Crazy Sam..lol. It was a whooper I started out with and in the end my Dad had me believing it. I think that's a great memory to start out with today.

As some of you know Lilly-Rose "officially" turned 6 yesterday :) She started the morning by telling me "Well, I don't feel 6 Mom." I asked her how old did she feel? "I think I still 5." I told her that 6 would probably get some taking use to and I imagined by the end of the week she might start to feel six. She's so curious and wants to grow up so fast. She had a million questions about what do six year olds do? I told her they may loose their first tooth (which she has started to do), they can stay up an extra half hour, they can pick out their own clothes, and when things don't go their own way....they talk it out with their parents...not have a tantrum. We've been having some behavioral issues with her on how to handle feelings of being upset. Last night she tried her best to work through them...w/o resorting to falling on the floor or kicking (some of you may know she has other things going on...so this is a huge step for her.) We talked about how she could say instead "Mom or Dad...I am upset...this is the reason why......" She started to have a meltdown and we worked through it. She's also into baby movies now and discovered the movie Baby Geniuses..lol. I don't think I have ever seen her sit through a whole movie like that and she giggled all the way through it.

Emma is growing too. It never fails that the day after Lilly's birthday I start to think of how my baby is going to be one year older in August. These toddler years just seem like they change so much in a year. I think I am most amazed by her trying to talk now. We never had that experience with Lilly and it's just amazing to see this little bitty person trying to say new words. My favorite is...Mom and she calls Barry...just simply...Daaaaa. She's in the habit of coming up to me, grabbing my shirt or skirt and saying over and over "Mooom...Mooom.....Mooom" when something doesn't go her way. She loves to tattle on her Sister and she can point too at her..lol. She's also a Mama's girl and so it's hard for others to watch her...even her Daddy. It's just so weird b/c when I went through the PreElampsia and Eclampsia after she was born...I had a TIA and spent a while in the hospital after her birth. I thought surely she wouldn't know who I was or be more bonded to Barry. I cried the whole time I was there longing to just hold her. Today she's a Mama's girl. She will just come by, tug my shirt, hold up her hands, I'll pick her up...she'll just lay her head on my chest, and melt my heart. She's started to want to do conversations and so she will stand in front of you and just jibber away. When you say "Really?" or "You don't say Mims!" She just giggles and keeps talking. While she loves her Mama she adores her Sister. When she gets up she wants to go to her room and just lay next to her. Lilly proclaimed yesterday that they were best friends.

While, I can say that both of the girls are Mama girls during the day...they are all Daddy's girls in the afternoon. Lilly usually starts asking around 4 what time Daddy will be home and then she gets her...and Emma ready to meet him at the door. They like to draw pictures or hide under the table at the door to scare him :) Of course when he walks through that door they are tired of Mama and it's all about Daddy..lol. Makes me fall even more in love with him...when I see him with our girls. He's the type of guy that can play Barbies or wrestle with them. He also doesn't mind a good tea party or letting them play doctor and wrap him in Kleenex with tape from head to toe..lol...that has been done. They like to wrap their arms around each leg and let Daddy pull them to the kitchen or hang off his arms. In their eyes he's the strongest guy in the world. The other day Lilly was talking about when she gets to be older she was going to get married and have a husband. I asked what he was going to be like and she said simply..."Like Daddy...I want him to be just like my Daddy."

So I sit here thinking this morning...during my morning reflection...as everyone is still asleep. Why not start a praise journal? I can write down just how I feel everyday about my family and maybe one day give it to my girls. I would love to let them know just how thankful I am to be the wife of their father and mother to my beautiful Chickaroo sisters. I think my family is my greatest accomplishment in this life and I would never have been able to do it without the Lord. He knew I needed Barry...so he placed him in my life and we prayed so hard for our girls..he let me be their Mom. I would love to start each morning out with Praise to the Lord.

So new Summer resolution...keeping a daily praise journal. How about you? What's a Summer resolution you would like to stick to or start this Summer? Why wait until New year's when any day we can turn over a new leaf :)

Lilly's birthday party and Father's day...

2011-06-19T18:39:00.000-07:00

Today was just an awesome day! I have had such a great time with our little family, Barry's family, and my parents. It wasn't just a Father's day celebration...it was also a Birthday celebration for Lilly. As of tomorrow she will be officially 6 years old. Can you believe that?

She informed me that she would love Barbie cupcakes and so I thought...what if I do pink and black? Classic 1950's Barbie colors. As I got to making them she decided they looked more like LaLaLoopsy cupcakes. So that's what she named them.

We then went down to Barry's parents house to celebrate Lilly's birthday and Father's day. I have to say his Dad makes the best food. I love his spaghetti...it's my favorite and I love anything else he cooks. All their veggies are so fresh, b/c Barry's brother farms. So the peas were out of this world this morning . They tasted exactly like my Great Aunt Mae's.

So we celebrated Lilly's birthday first with a cupcake party:

Let's take a minute to say Happy Father's day to my wonderful husband Barry:

Now on to family.....

Then we left to do it all over again with Nana and Pawpaw :) My Dad is in the hospital and my Mom has been staying with him to keep him company. At her request and a threat..lol..She made me promise not to post any pictures.

All and all I have to give thanks to the Lord for a wonderful day. I thank him for the husband he has given me..that is such a wonderful father to our girls and for the family he gave me...when I married Barry. I am also thankful that my Dad is here another father's day with me and that I have a Mom to visit.

Now I am kicked back watching a movie with Doots. We were suppose to have a slumber party tonight, but she decided she wanted it tomorrow night...since Sister had to turn in early. Bless Emma's heart...she was tired out and missed her naps. You can imagine how she felt by 7:30.

Happy Father's day....

2011-06-18T23:43:00.000-07:00

To the greatest 3 Dads I know:

My dear husband Barry. I love him so much...the Lord really blessed me when he let me marry my best friend. He's not just a wonderful husband...he is one AWESOME Dad!!!!!!!!

My Daddy! AKA Paw Paw. This is a picture of my Dad, Brother, and I.

Ira...AKA Papa (Barry's Dad) Not only did I gain a wonderful husband when I married Barry, but I gained an awesome family in his parents.

So to all the other Dads in the world....HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

Up late on a Saturday night...

2011-06-18T23:32:00.000-07:00

I don't think I've been up this late on a Saturday night in a long while(after midnight..so I guess this would be considered Sunday.) I am hooked on watching The Kennedys...it's on Netflix now. I am 2 shows away from being done. I must say that I don't understand how a network did not want to pick this up(I heard it would not be airing on TV.) It's a very fascinating show. The actors are spot on and I think Barry Pepper as Bobby....he looks and plays the part to a T. I've also always admired Jackie O for her grace and resilience.

Let's see...lots have went on this week. Friday we got our new furniture and I am in love :) It looks so pretty all set up and the bed/matrresses is AWESOME! I have slept so good at night. I have to admit that at first I was a little disappointed with the living room set. We ordered green and they brought mocha, but now that we have it...I love it! I can see it going with everything. This is how comfortable the living room furniture is....I had Barry take my blood pressure..after resting on it. My blood pressure was running 110/70! That is wonderful for me and that was an hour before my second set of BP meds I take during the day. Here's a picture of the bed:

As soon as I get the living room arranged I will post pictures of it. I'm still contemplating on getting some new lamps. I just haven't found any in my price range yet.

I've been trying some new things with the girls' lunch. We've been in a lunch rut and they are tired of the same-o same-o boring lunch. So I mixed it up a bit this week and tried a new menu. I made them ham/muenster cheese pita paninis and gave them a side of craisins. They were on sale this week at Publix for BOGO. The sandwich was a hit and they ate every bit. The craisins...Emma LOVED them and gobbled them all down...Lilly didn't like them so well. Also, if you are looking for something sweet to follow you lunch up with and to cool you off...their Popsicles are BOGO right now as well. I got 2 big boxes and they are sugar free..only 15 calories per pop. We all give these 2 thumbs up as a family. Here's a picture of this week's new lunch:

Tomorrow (or later this morning..lol) we will go to Barry's parents to celebrate Lilly's 6th birthday. Papa and Meemaw are cooking her a special lunch. I got the girls tutus and wands...it will be a cupcake party. Then on to visit my Dad in the hospital and my Mom who is there with him. Barry's parents will be sending them a plate and we are cooking cupcakes so they are easy to carry up to the room. So a fun and busy day!

Monday I plan a main sweep of all the house. This includes going through the girls' toys again and cleaning out this dreaded hall closet. I want a place for coats and my vacuum...so it all has to go. Cleaning out for room for the new furniture this week has inspired me. I also plan to spend some time with my Mom. I am taking her to a apartment complex for senior citizens that is really nice and located just across the street from my Dad's dialysis. The waiting list is 6 months to a year, but the goal is to get them on there.

Tuesday, Barry and I plan a date afternoon :) I scored 2 movie tickets off of Fandango for 9.00 a couple of weeks ago. We thought that maybe Papa and Meemaw could watch the girls for a few hours and we catch a viewing of Super 8. We have heard great reviews. BTW, if you like sci-fi type movies...I am number four is awesome!

Wednesday through Friday....who knows what the girls and I will get into. I have a feeling a trip to the art museum is in order and of course swimming in the front yard. Maybe pick those last remaining apples....I forgot to mention Lilly has her first wiggly tooth! She is beyond excited. She has high hopes that with this tooth gone(I told her apples help)...she can finally whistle. Emma...my little Mama's monkey...is growing fast too. She can now say Mom and tattles on Lilly every chance she can get..lol. Which is only fair considering Lilly does the same to her. So now when there is a fight over a toy I hear 2 little sweet voices screaming "MOOOOOOM!!!"

All and all I am looking forward to this week. Now, I better log off. It's 1:25 AM Sunday...goodness :) Oh, I am sad as I watch the last episode of The Kennedys. Such a great series and it was worth losing a few hours of sleep.

Amber Alert.

2011-06-14T15:55:00.000-07:00

If you notice the sidebar I have added a few new features and the best being the Amber alert. So please take a look at it when you visit..you may save a life :)

If you are a blogger or own a website and would like to get a Amber Alert ticker you can go to the following:
http://codeamber.com/get_ticker.cgi

It's free to place your blog and helps keep our little ones safe.

My wonderfully sweet Husband....

2011-06-11T17:07:00.000-07:00

I admit this past week has been tough. I've had a lot of stress on me dealing with some things going on within my immediate family (parents.) Barry could see that things were wearing on me and then the girls broke the love seat. All I can say is...It's been tested and proved that Lilly can not indeed catch Emma.

If you haven't seen our living room set....well....what can I say? It's an ugly brown and has been through 2 kids...lots of cats (I use to rescue cats before my days as a Mom.) The past 3 years I have resorted to using slip covers for them in hopes to jazz them up a bit. For those of you that know me...know my dislike with a passion of all things slip cover-ish. So my point is...we had no so nice living room furniture and I wasn't feeling all that well.

Barry came home early on Friday and said he had some place special to take me. I knew it had to be one great surprise, b/c they always begin with this cuteness of a grin from ear to ear. So I got the girls ready and off we went on my "surprise" adventure. After almost ten years of marriage....he never ceases to amaze me and can still be so romantic/sweet. That's his nature with me and the girls. He loves to spoil us rotten, within reason.

We pull up at our local furniture store and I am a little confused. He tells me that he knows I've been under a lot of stress and knew that I have always wanted a new living room set. He told me our budget and for me to pick out any set I wanted! Well, of course I was excited as they come. This is our first brand new set of living room furniture, ever!

After some time carefully looking at all the other furniture...I found a set made by Simmons (the same company that makes mattresses) and it was in the perfect color I wanted. It's a light green color and oh so comfy! Their set is actually double stuff and made out of the same material they use to make their mattresses. I loved the design on the pillows and the fact that this set was built to last. Very durable and we went with the option of scotch guarding it. Along with the set was a set of coffee tables. I didn't need the tables, b/c I had a perfectly good set of end tables at home. So I asked could we just nix the table set and add the big overstuffed chair that went with the set. I could see Barry using it as a reading or gaming chair. They gave me the chair for the same price as the tables...just minus the Ottoman. I admit, I loved the Ottoman, but I can see potential danger in owning it. The middle part lifted up for storage. I could see either Lilly putting Em inside...sitting on the top and refusing to let her out or them torturing the cats by putting them inside.

So here's my 1st brand new living room set:

As we were waiting for the salesman to get the paperwork together for the living room set...I was admiring this beautiful cherry wood sleigh bed. I have always wanted a sleigh bed and Barry could tell I had fell in love with the bed. He looked me and asked did I love the bed? I told him I did. I thought it was gorgeous! So we admired how well built it was and the color. Barry said he wanted to look at the mattresses at that point. We went over and found a set by Lady Englander....laying on it felt like a cloud. He went to the back and I thought he closing everything up with the living room set. He came back and informed me that the bed was now mine! He told me that it was an early birthday and 10th anniversary present (since we got married on my birthday.) I just thought "Oh, how I love this man!" It's not the material things he gives me, but the attention to details that he remembers about me. He remembered all these years it was a dream of mine to have a sleigh bed. I've just always admired their design. He remembers when I speak..which means he is listening.

Here's a picture of our new bed:

We decided since we got a new bed that is cherry wood and our old set is pine...we will be giving it to the girls. They are beyond excited to have a whole queen bed to themselves! We are leaving in about a half hour to go pick out new comforter sets for both beds. The girls are wanting something with a lot of pink in it. Me? I'm great at picking out quilts and I take so long to make up my mind about comforters..lol. I'm just not sure what I am looking for yet. I know I want our new room to be simple, minimal items, and maybe to have a serenity type feel to it. So I was thinking maybe light blue.

I'm just so excited!!!! Everything will arrive on Thursday and be delivered on Friday. Barry is off...so he will be here to help make sure everything gets put where it needs to go. I have rearranged our furniture a million times before bed in my head.

Planking and other randomness of a Tuesday.

2011-06-07T21:44:00.000-07:00

Quick embarrassing Mommy moment of the day. I was in Walmart picking up some things for my Mom while she is in the hospital. Lilly was asking what I was looking for and I name off the list. As I am looking for the underwear department I run into a classmate from high school and we do the normal polite hello. Then Lilly is standing there with these HUGE peach granny panties screaming "Hey Mommy! Mommy! Is this your underwear?" Me: "No, no it's not...please put it back." As if having one child that talks and reveals/says the most embarrassing things at the most inopportune times was enough (to think of all those nights I prayed on my knees for this little one to talk. The Lord fullfilled my prayer and then some..lol)...Emma has learned how to smile and wave. So now I feel like one is flagging people down and the other is throwing out family secrets or exaggerated stories that need to be kept in the vault. By the way I am pleading the fifth on my underwear. I just don't like it announced to all in Walmart when I am purchasing a pair...especially when it's for my Mom.

My next random thought is Planking. Have you heard of this new....well......I have no idea what you would call it...sport, fad, acts of whackadoos, etc. I would just google it and you should find a whole host of planking stories gone terribly wrong. I didn't even learn about this until someone tried to plank on a seventh floor balcony and unfortunately he was not successful. My condolences go out to the family of this young man. So more and more young people try to find new and stranger ways to plank...it just seems really dangerous for some.

So I was talking to Barry about this one night (b/c I sent this picture of our cat to him via text message...with the caption "Roger planking"..lol. He thought I had lost my mind or maybe a concussion from flying toys.)....I googled it for him and showed him the pictures off the Planking Facebook page of different people doing the pose. Lilly looked at some of these pictures and thought they were just weird. I thought "Finally! Something she will not try." I proceeded to give thanks. You know it didn't end there, right?
Picture of Roger planking:

Picture of my Oldest Daughter planking and youngest...who dragged her pool into another pool to play in it:

So any interesting fads pop up in your household?

Thought I would post what Em is rocking out to today....

2011-06-06T11:40:00.000-07:00

Blogs on Kindle.

2011-06-06T10:35:00.000-07:00

I have submitted my blog to be bought on Kindle. Right now it is pending approval and hopefully will publish soon. When it does I will update you guys!

Also, for my fellow bloggers out there...get your blog published today on Kindle.
http://www.amazon.com/Blogs-Kindle-Sports-Industry-Internet-Technology/b/ref=sv_kinc_4?ie=UTF8&node=401358011
If you scroll down to the bottom of the page...you should see the link to self publish.

It costs nothing to self publish with Amazon. I will tell you a few details that you do have to go through to get published. You will need a checking account number to get paid and you will need either a federal tax ID or give your social security number. It is a secure site and so whatever you feel comfortable doing.

From what I have read on the forums..Amazon will decide the price of your blog.

Lilly-Rose's K awards ceremony.

2011-06-06T09:31:00.000-07:00

I admit I was a little sad that Lilly-Rose's class didn't have a graduation. Instead they called it a award ceremony and then took back that they could wear their Sunday's best :( When we arrived and I found that they got to wear these cute little hats...Mama was happy. Look how adorable!

I admit I was teary eyed and just thinking about all she has accomplished in these past 5 years. It just seems unreal that I am now a Mom of a first grader. After she received her K diploma and awards in....Accelerated reader, A conduct, and Good citizen....we went to her classroom for the very last time.

There I had a chance to admire both of my beautiful and smart little girls. I got to thank Lilly's teacher for one last time and for one last time I posed for a picture with my oldest daughter...in the room that started her wonderful schooling experience. You know the beginning of her having world domination or the United States presidency. I am really not picky or demanding of the Chickaroo Sisters at all ;)

Of course we had to get a family shot in:)

To help celebrate her accomplishment Papa came to her awards ceremony. He hasn't missed a single one since preschool and our girls absolutely adore their Papa(Barry's Dad.)

Then the graduate had her own photo made with her diploma.

During all this Emma-Kay was great for the first 20 minutes. After this point she really didn't see the point of why everyone was carrying on for her Sister. I mean after all she was basking everyone in her Emmie cuteness! So she was pretty ill after all was said and done. I think in her mind she was saying "I'm made, upset, hot, and dang it...I WILL graduate from something today!"

All and all I would have to say I have 2 of the most awesome daughters around. Everyday leads to something new and amazing that they surprise me with. While I may cry at certain junctures of their life...do know that a mix of being proud is in with those tears. I do long for them to be my babies, but I will rejoice in their accomplishments.

Kindle review.

2011-06-05T18:36:00.000-07:00

Are you looking for a wonderful Father's day gift? I would have to recommend the Kindle by Amazon. For all you Frugal Mama's out there...this would be a great way to use those Swagbucks!

This is the screen when not in use. For the Kindle 3G with special offers cost is 164.00 without special offers the price is 189.00. We went for the one with special offers and you don't even recognize they are on the screen. The special offers are on the screen when not in use and a small box at the bottom when in use....except when you are logged into your book. Also, the special offers are from Amazon and can help you score more great deals!

Your main home page. It displays the listing of books you have saved on your Kindle.

Screen viewing a book. This is actually a children's book you can download and read with your children. The kindle is a black and white device.

Keyboard is spaced just right and has a qwerty keypad.

To show you how slim the Kindle is compared to a DVD case. I apparently need to dust my shelf as well..lol.

Pros:

It's very lightweight and thin. It's the same size as a regular paper back book, but with less weight.
E ink has more contrast than regular paper back book.
Has Internet capability with Free 3G network. The cost of 3G is already included with your purchase of Kindle.
Downloads books in 60 seconds and can hold up to 3,500 books.
Cost of books are as much or less than regular books.
Pages turn very fast.
Love the locations of most buttons.
You can download MP3's and listen to music as you read.
Great battery life, especially when wireless capability is turned off.

Cons:

The headphone jack is in a awkward position at the bottom of the Kindle. So it makes it a little uncomfortable to read and have the headphones plugged in.
The volume button is also in a awkward spot. One wrong move as you read and you can disturb it.

The initial investment of the Kindle is expensive, however the convenience of not having to spend 3.50 a gallon for gas to head to your local book store, especially if you live out of town, really balances out the cost.

Also, there is the convenience part of being able to download a book, magazine, or blog....at anytime or anyplace.

This is a great gift for Mom or Dad. It not only appeals to us to get our bookworm on, but it's a great entertainment tool for children. Think of those long waits at the pediatrician's office or shopping. Instead putting a gaming device in their hands we can now put a great book on in their hand...secretly disguised as a video game. So it's educational and fun!

Bottom line: If you are looking for a great Father's day gift....look no further than the new Kindle.

Picture blog of our bug day.

2011-06-04T17:45:00.000-07:00

Lilly-Rose and I decided to attend our local agriculture museum's bug even today. I have to say it was more of a science class than a hands on event. Lilly seems to get bored and at one point I saw her pretending that her fingers were talking to one another. She did great, stayed quiet, and waited patiently. I on the other hand found it very fascinating and I learned exactly how roaches can survive after their heads are cut off :/

Outside the classroom they had different stations set up. The most fascinating station was the Honey bee. They have an enclosed fully functioning bee hive in clear glass. They have tube that lets them in and out from the building. It was just absolutely amazing to see God's creatures at work. At this station a little boy walked in and announced proudly that he found a white oak snake out on the nature walk. I admit I am terrified of snakes and I actually got closer to it than I expected to. I will also admit that he was a cute little fellow, but Lilly walked right by me and began to pet it. I love that my girls are just fearless. I'm not sure who they inherited that from, but I love it.

After class we visited some of the buildings on the grounds. This is the place I mentioned on www.facebook.com/justanothermodestmom that is the agricultural park that we are considering buying a season pass for.

I'm dabbling a little in photography and I a total beginner, but I am trying. So I posted some of the photos I took today. Unfortunately, Miss Emma Kay is sick and so....her and Daddy stayed home. I believe she has a little tummy bug and she just doesn't feel all that well :( She is actually in my lap as I write this blog.

After visiting some of the buildings...we went to the drug store they have on site for a fountain Cherry Sprite and 2 old fashioned chocolate milk shakes. These are the kind you need a spoon and straw for. Then we went off to play on one of the two playgrounds they have on site.

So I will bring this blog to a close and will say that I am coming back to blogging. I have really missed it and feel like out of all the hobbies in my life...this has been the best. I have so enjoy researching different blogs, reviewing products, and meeting some awesome new friends. I just really miss that. I will also have a review coming up of Amazon's new 3G Kindle. Between my swagbuck Amazon gift cards and Amazon gift cards from our bank (for using our debit card) I was able to purchase it at a very low cost. Barry has proclaimed this to be his best Father's day gift ever :)

What do your children like to do for fun?

2011-06-04T17:18:00.000-07:00

First, I would like to say that I found an awesome blog. If you have not yet had the pleasure of reading Stephanie Nielson's NieNie Dialogues....I highly suggest her blog. She's just an awesome and beautiful person...inside and out. I got to see her interview this morning (along with their family) on Glenn Beck. Just absolutely amazing, inspiring, and encouraging.

She has a blog going on now called "What do your children like to do for fun?" I would have to say my Chickaroo Sisters have a top 2 favorite fun things to do list.

1. I would have to say the water. They are true water bugs.

2. They love the outdoors and anything that goes along with it. This Summer they have enjoyed picking apples from our back yard and their swing set.

The Winner of the Bible giveaway is.....

2011-01-05T02:51:00.000-08:00

Congrats to Just Another Modest Mom friend Gwenma!!! You won the children's Read and say Bible. Please email me your information and I will ship it out this Friday!!! Thank you so much for all who entered!

Wednesday tidbits and giveaway closed.

2011-01-05T02:43:00.000-08:00

Leaving early this morning guys! It's 4:44 AM here...so the Read and say children's Bible giveaway is CLOSED. I will be picking a name before I leave.

Today is the girls' yearly check up at Children's and they have an appt at the same time. Since they are nervous (they have had their yearly tests already..We are going to see what their pediatric urologist thinks. They just fear Doctors now b/c of all the caths, VCUGs, and such) and the town we live in doesn't have a zoo...we are taking them on their first zoo trip!!!! Please pray for traveling mercies for us and a good report with their doctor.

Will be back shortly to announce the winner :)

Giveaway alerts!!!!!

2011-01-03T04:22:00.000-08:00

I want to say thank you to everyone that made it possible to hit over 100 friends on my Just Another Modest Mom Facebook page!!! It's been a joyous experience and as a thank you there are some giveaways going on, only on the Just Another Modest Mom Facebook page.

Later today I will post a photo of another Gerber bag and some goodies as a thank you for finally reaching my goal of over 100. All you have to do to qualify is just 'Like" the Just Another Mom page and comment under the post. That's it!

Another great giveaway is my first bow for my shop! Some of you may know I have talked about opening a bow shop that sell other related items. I was going to put this bow as my first to sell and decided to give it away instead. All you have to do is go to the Just Another Modest Mom Facebook page for full instructions. I have a badge up for it on the right and I will have a badge up soon for my bow page Chickaroo Sisters Creations.

Thank you guys for giving me such a wonderful and joyous experience. I am so thankful for the friends I have made and things I have learned.

New year's giveaway!!!

2010-12-27T10:29:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry I haven't updated my blog in a while. The girls have had their yearly VCUGs, my Dad had surgery to unblock his fistula (twice), my Mom is now in the hospital (also had surgery), and Barry ended up in the ER on Christmas day...he slipped on wrapping paper and toys.

I received this wonderful book, Read and Share Bible, from Tommy Nelson to read and review. As part of reviewing I was also asked to do a reader giveaway!!!

First, I will say that this book has been a HUGE blessing to me. Lilly-Rose (our oldest) has become more interested in the Lord. Recently she asked us why Jesus died for us. It's the question that every parent hopes they have the right words for. I prayed for the right things to say and the right examples to lay out for her little 5 year old mind to comprehend.

I started off by asking her did she know what a sin was? Simple question, but to a 5 year old they may not grasp this concept yet. So I began to tell her that a Sin is like when she gets in trouble at home. She does something she knows she is not suppose to do. I asked how does feel when she does that? She replied "Bad Mama...I feel Bad." I explained that no matter what she does Mommy and Daddy always forgives her. I then explained that the story of how Christ came to earth and died by the cross was similar to this. That he came so that we maybe forgiven. That when we do something wrong and we are truly sorry for what we have done...God always forgives us because he gave his only Son to us...so that we may always have that forgiveness, love and grace. I could see the sadness in her eyes and I explained that now Jesus is in Heaven. He will feel pain no more and that he willingly gave his life for ours. She smiled and then said "Mama...Jesus loves us doesn't he?" It made my heart fill with so much joy. I am constantly amazed at how much this little one knows and understands. She knows far more than I give her credit for.

I have always said that I would never scare my children into believing, but rather show them the love that our Lord extends to us and have them come to him in love. I hope that my words will forever be embedded on her heart and that I have laid the foundation for her to receive Christ one day. Since our talk she has told several people about how the Lord loves us and died for us. Her favorite thing to tell someone is "Jesus died for forgiveness." She has a new little song in that tiny heart of hers and she is excited to share it.

This read along Bible showed up in the mail right afterwards. I had been asked previously if I would review it, I could keep one, and give one to my readers. I was so excited about this review! I patiently waited for it to arrive and just as a blessing from the Lord it showed up a day after our talk. When Lilly saw that this was a Bible she could read on her own and know about Jesus..she was very excited. The first night she wanted to read of Christ's birth to her Sister. Emmie sat with her doll in her lap next to her Sister on the couch..as her Sister read from "A baby named John (Luke 1:57-66.)" There they were, our 2 beautiful girls reading the Bible together. Barry and I just looked in awe at our 2 miracles reading and understanding our love for the Lord.

The stories, illustrations, and words are easy for small lips. The book has a hardback and page sturdy for tiny fingers to flip. Lilly also loves the questions that they ask at the end of each story. It something that she can answer and define in her own words or something she can ask me and seek that knowledge for her own heart. There are so many wonderful stories of the Bible that are covered. I love how each story is prepared and is appropriate for small ears. I think sometimes adults forget that children are just that..children and while they have good intentions for planting that seed, it can be confusing and scary for a child. I'm an adult and knowing what happened to our beloved Jesus makes my ache and can bring me to tears...IE a play about the Crucifixion or seeing it depicted at the Christus gardens in a diorama. Imagine that imagery for little eyes.

My girls gave this Bible 2 thumbs up and Lilly can not wait to take it to Sunday school to share with other children. Since receiving it she has read a story every night in it and I love how the words are simple for her to read. It gives her great pride to share these stories with her Sister or read them by herself at bedtime. With over 200 Bible stories this is going to be a family treasure for years to come.

I want to thank Tommy Nelson (http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/tommynelsonkids) for giving us such a wonderful opportunity to spend time as a family worshipping our Lord and planting that ever tiny seed in our Girls' hearts. We look forward to watching that seed grow. This book could not have arrived at a better time or been a better Christmas gift. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for giving us the opportunity for this review.

Now for my ever so patient readers!! Above is a picture of the book I am giving away. All you have to do is be a subscriber to my blog and/or Facebook page and comment...that's it! Easy peasy lemon squeezy :) If you would like to join my Facebook page Just Another Modest Mom (badge on right side) I will give you double entries for joining and commenting under the post there for this giveaway. On January 5, 2011.. all names will be thrown into a hat (double entries if you commented here and on Facebook)...Lilly and Emma will pick a winner then. I hope this book is a big hit with your family, as it has been with us!

I also announced the Winner to our Gerber pack on the Facebook page. Congrats to Just Another Modest Mom friend Susan!!! I also want to thank her for being very understanding about the delay in the drawing. I have such wonderful readers and would love to thank you for that. I have been doing this blog for almost 3 years now and I couldn't ask for better friends that I have made since doing so. This has been such a wonderful and rewarding experience. Thank you!

For more information on Tommy Nelson you can visit their Facebook page above or http://www.tommynelson.com/ . You can also watch their Youtube trailer for Read and Share DVD Bible at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfaQJIYuja4

Frugal Fridays...A chance to get the word out on your home business.

2010-12-07T10:34:00.000-08:00

Lil' Kitchen Candles
Autumn Rain Essentials

Abigail's Boutique designs and Lynney Beth Creations.

Lula Belle's sweet gifts

Okay, I am officially addicted to comment games on Facebook:) I love them and I can't get enough of them. It broke my heart when Facebook recently changed their rules to not allow them to take place. Since then some pages have found legal ways around that and I am on cloud nine again!!

I would love to start a Frugal Friday post every week. What would this consist of you may ask? I would love to advertise for your home business. Cost? Free. I would love to post deals that you may be having in the blog or on my Facebook page on Fridays. Since doing the comment games I have come across some really unique, useful, and neat gifts. I find that with most home businesses you can customize your order and the customer service rocks! I am also open to giveaways and starting a comment game of my own, on the Facebook page. Of course once the product is won I would direct them to your page to claim (so it would be your responsibility to get their information and shipping charges) and the comment game would consist as most...they like your page, leave love if you wish, and a comment on my page.

What do you guys think? Would anyone be interested? Anyone that gives a item for the giveaway on the Just Another Modest Mom facebook page will receive 2 wks free ad service on my blog. Otherwise, anyone may enter their company in on the Frugal Friday blogs. I will have a deadline of Thursday..so I can post your deals on Friday morning. I thought it would be a fun way to generate business to small businesses, to my blog/Facebook page, I just enjoy the comment games, and soon I will be opening a small business of my own.

So that's the topic up for discussion. I am really untested in all this since I will be opening a small business of my own soon. I plan on opening Chickaroo Creations...I will be selling a mixture of old fashioned items at affordable prices. I am thinking Bishop/smocked dresses with matching homemade bows...possibly socks, homemade soaps, candies, etc.

So if this is something you are interested in just leave me a comment or feel free to email me. Let's brainstorm together. Above is a list of items that I have bought for the Christmas holidays...All but one....was made known to me by a comment game. I love supporting home businesses and I love winning things too:) So far I have won a 10.00 Gift certificate to Time out for Mommy (I had to pay shipping and got a wonderful soap gift set) and I won 2 tins of ouchies last night.

Freebies..

2010-12-03T22:14:00.000-08:00

FREE cookbook from Reader's digest http://readersdigestpromotions.com/ UPC code 037000326946. Say to allow 6-8 wks.

FREE coupon for Excedrin Migraine or Excedrin extra strength http://www.excedrin.com/index.shtml Coupon is up to a 5.99 value and allow 2-3 wks.

FREE 12 can duffel cooler http://www.4imprint.com/tag/164/Coolers/product/8220/12-Can-Convertible-Duffel-Cooler ...just scroll down to request a free sample.

FREE Betty Crocker calendar http://freecalendar.bettycrocker.com/BC2011Calendar/Default.aspx?rs=1 Will arrive in 6-8 wks.

Recipe, Christmas mouse, and Christmas giveaway.

2010-12-03T19:49:00.000-08:00

Oreo Christmas Cookie Balls:

1 Package of cream cheese.
1 Package of Oreos.
4 oz. of Vanilla almond bark

In your food processor grind up all your Oreos. Once done add your cream cheese. Mix it all into a dough like mixture and then make them into balls. You can make mini ones or big (I made big and got about 12 or so.) Then freeze them for about 15 minutes or longer. Melt your Vanilla almond bark and dip. While still wet apply your sprinkles. All my taste testers gave them 2 thumbs up! The Christmas mouse. I saw a little article in Woman's day about matchbox mice for sale for 24.00 and I fell in love with these little things. I was convinced I could make my own for a lot less and set out to do so. I couldn't find any patterns for mice online and so I had to make my own. This was my result...I know my little mouse looks very poor:) I haven't added my legs or arms yet. I was going to make 2 for the girls, but now I am convinced they will have to share one..lol. I am confident my little mouse will fit into those big matchboxes and I really hope the girls like our little Christmas mouse. I used some left over cloth from a Christmas dress I made Lilly years ago (Yes, I am that big of a pack rat..lol), the bows/scarf came from left over ribbons from the girls, google eyes/pom pom nose left over from Christmas crafts, and the ears are hot glue in between cloth..molded to make the ears stay forward. I have to say I have never been good at sewing. I do give it my all and nothing ever comes out how I envision it. I'm a much better cross sticher. My little mouse looks surprisingly frightened:) Another view of Christmas mouse. Our tree...decorated by Mama's girls.

So this leads me to a giveaway!!! Have you guys been working on your homemade trees? Send me a pic of your tree to iwantmycrown@gmail.com , I will post your picture in a blog here, and you guys can vote for your favorite tree. All entries have to be in by Dec. 8, 2010, I will make a post will all trees on Dec. 9th, 2010 for you guys to vote, and a winner will be picked on Dec. 10, 2010. The goodie will be a surprise!!! Everyone needs a surprise at Christmas time:) I will mail your goodie out that following Monday.

Kids buying on a budget...

2010-12-03T10:08:00.000-08:00

I wanted to start the blog off with a great Christmas find! I originally bough 2 bottlecap necklaces for 5.00 (A BOGO deal) from Lil' Kitchen candles on Facebook. When she thought that shipping would be postponed just a dab she contacted me and asked would it be okay if she included 2 additional necklaces for any delays. I just want to say that I LOVE these necklaces! She was awesome at helping me find the right ones for my daughters and the shipping was not long at all..for me..I ordered them this weekend and they were here yesterday. I've ordered from home companies before and I know that shipping takes a little bit longer sometimes. I just wanted to tell you guys that out of 10 stars..I would give Lil' Kitchen Candles a big 10! She has a great quality product, price that you can afford, and wonderful customer service. These are the top 3 things I always look for when buying an item and coming back to that person in the future.
Yesterday was a blast for Lilly-Rose. The Senior's home here held a Christmas shop. Everything in the shop was made by the Seniors and set at great prices. The kiddos were to bring their Christmas list and their budget with them. They then matched them to a "shopping buddy" (our local firemen and Policemen) to help them shop. Once done the gifts were wrapped for free with purchase. Lilly was so excited to spend her 11.00 that she has been saving. Barry said she was just like her Mama when she said "I don't think I'll have enough for wrapping." When she found out it was free..you would have thought she won the lottery.lol.

These are some of the items she purchased yesterday. All were wrapped that were on her list and she also had enough left over to purchase more items for her classmates.

She got Emmie a Jingle Bell necklace.

Picture frame for Papa.

Necklace set for her cousin Ciera.

Lilly and Santa.

I just want to thank our men and women that protect our community for volunteering. I know they work very hard and they took time to give back to our children. I was in awe and so was Barry. He shook Lilly's shoping buddies hand and thanked him for all he does for us and told him how much we appreciate him shopping with her...protecting us. It just made her night to shop with a police officier. To her they are heroes and right she is.

Daddy and Emmie waiting on Sister.

Barry bought me this cute dress for my dish soap bottle for 2.00! You know your husband loves you when he will purchase a dress for your soap and comments that he made sure to get the right colors for the kitchen:) I love that man!

Daddy and the Ems again.

Santa and Emmie. We found out that Emmie is NOT a fan of Santa. She kicked him, screamed, and tried to get away from him. On a side note..she will take candy from anyone..lol.

Just a quick note that I do update the Facebook page daily. If you guys would like to join just click on the badge to the right--------->

Since I have a new webcam now and we have been practicing some recipes..I will be posting a play dough recipe and a Oreo cookie ball recipe. I decided I would like to do some cooking vlogs...though most will be healthy and sugar free baking. We found out this past week that Barry is in fact glucose intolerant and, some might remember, that he did a sleep study..that also came back as he has that as well. He has another appointment set up with a sleep specialist to see if he gets a CPAP machine for nightly use. He also has a Ortho appointment this coming week and we are praying they will find a way to offer him some relief with pain. The possibility of surgery is there and after praying over it, Barry feels that if it will offer relief, he will go through with it. So please say some prayers our way as we deal with his health issues.

I hope everyone is having a great start to their Holiday season, drive safe, and remember to be alert as you Christmas shop.

Picture blog.

2010-11-28T18:14:00.000-08:00

Do remember these little babies from the Dollar Tree? Well, I decided tonight I would bake them for my Dad and his buddies at Dialysis. I would also save some back for Barry to take to work for him and his co-workers as a treat. They work very hard in their departments and breaks are hard to come by.

I got thumbs up from Barry and the girls! I did add milk instead of water on her directions, but she will tell you on her show that she does that herself. I then stuffed the frosting in a ziploc bag and pipped it on. The cups and toothpicks were also a Dollar tree find.

Thank you Coupon Geek on Facebook!!! She found this awesome deal for a Logitech camera from Best buy for FREE!!! It was a 59.99 savings!!! We did not have the least little bit of hassle picking it up from our local store and didn't even have to pay tax. FREE is a bargain:) So now I may do a few video blogs...if everyone can get past my accent. Lilly seems to think it's hers and she has a list a mile long for books to read on their Youtube channel.

Never leave us girls alone in the truck with a camera:) We tend to pose and jam out to our favorite Christian station. Give us some Nicole C. Mullen and we'll show you a revival!

Lilly-Rose waiting on Daddy to come back with the camera. He was taking way too long in her opinion..lol. She had a date for Walmart.

Emmie Dancing to Nicole.

I hope you guys had a wonderful Thanksgiving and caught a lot of deals on Black Friday. I updated as best I could on our Just Another Modest Mom facebook page as I could. You can find the badge to the right if you would like to "Like".

I am working on a freebie page for tomorrow. In the meantime have a Great start to your week!

Pay box me?

2010-11-25T18:28:00.001-08:00

I recently signed up for Paybox me (http://www.paybox.me/r/organicpoptart) I received 25.00 in my account for signing up and will receive 10.00 for each referral.

I have been doing some research and so far..everything comes out as it is not a scam, but most of us are confused as to what the currency rate will be on the money in the account. Also, what will it be used for?

So if your interested in being a Early bird on this special you can sign up with me above. There is no giving out your address or banking information. I also have not been spammed since signing up. I think it may be worth the wait to find out where they are going with their site.

Do you like my screen name?..lol. I actually got it off King of the Hill. John Redcorn offers Bobby "an organic poptart or something?" It's just always stuck in my head.

You can also check out the Just Another Modest Mom Facebook page for some great Thanksgiving/Black Friday deals.

Goodie swap...

2010-11-24T16:13:00.000-08:00

I was wondering if anyone would be interested in a "Goodie swap"? I guess it would be a spin off of a cookie swap, but with a little something extra. We could pick any goodie that comes to mind, we've been wanting to try..with feedback, or a family favorite. Cookies, cakes, candies, etc.

The Amish have what is known as a Friendship circle. It's where women will get together, start out writing a letter, then sends it to another, and so on. Everyone adds a little to it and it eventually gets back around to everyone. Maybe with our Goodie swap we could send the goodie to the next person and include a letter about joyful happenings in this year of 2010.

It's just a thought. I know some are private of their home lives and addresses. If we get enough people that would like to participate..it maybe something fun and old fashioned. If you love the idea and would like to start a Goodie Swap just email me, post on the blog, or Facebook. If we get enough people I will compile a list and we will come up with a plan:)

FREE 25.00 Amazon gift card....

2010-11-20T09:13:00.000-08:00

Want a 25.00 gift card for Amazon? All you have to do is sign up with it's thoughtful and refer 15 friends. When they sign up you get a FREE gift card..no strings attached and has been verified as a freebie that comes through. It takes about 30 seconds to join and completely FREE.

If you would like...I would really appreciate it if you join through me. You can do so by the following link:
http://www.itsthoughtful.com/christmas-gift-contest/2287/ln/

Good luck guys!

Friday freebies....

2010-11-19T07:24:00.000-08:00

Lowe's build and grow is tomorrow!! This week is a snowman. My girls have been attending these workshops for about a year now and LOVE them. Emmie is just now able to get her own kit and help me with it. I'm thinking this would make great gifts for the Grandfathers from the kiddos. Just slip a 5.00 gift card to Lowe's in it. It's a keepsake and frugal gift https://www.lowesbuildandgrow.com/Home.aspxt

FREE sample of wrapping paper. Sign up to receive a catalog and it will arrive in 2-4 wks. http://www.freewrappingpaper.com/form.html

FREE Santa Ecard- Personalized. http://magicsanta.ca/ ...Here's Lilly's: http://magicsanta.ca/player.html?code=QTBC68 Here's Emmie's: http://magicsanta.ca/player.html?code=EHZMKW ...These were a hit in my house!!!

FREE sample pages from Scripture adventures. http://www.scriptureadventures.com/thanksgiving
FREE templates for Christmas cards http://pro.whcc.com/focused/holiday2010/?download
FREE sample of shampoo from John Freida http://www.facebook.com/johnfriedaus#!/johnfriedaus?v=app_7146470109 ...go down to bottom of page and you will see it on the left. Says to allow 8-10 wks for delivery.
FREE sample of Folgers http://www.folgers.com/emails/FOL3025/index.html?utm_source=facebook-newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=wakinupclub .09 oz Folgers special roast will be in about six weeks.

I hope you all have a very happy weekend!!!!

New Youtube channel!

2010-11-17T11:08:00.000-08:00

You can now tune in to the girls' new channel on youtube!!! The name is: The Chickaroo Sisters Read. It's a kid friendly Youtube channel and completely monitored by myself, with the girls' input.

http://www.youtube.com/user/ChickarooSisters?feature=mhum

Guess who can forge her Mom's initials?

2010-11-15T18:16:00.000-08:00

Lilly brought this gem home today from school. Not only did she get in trouble today, but she also forged my initials. Did I mention she's in Kindergarten? Ey ya ya! We had two things to talk about this afternoon..lol. I think her teacher is going to get a kick out of my note tomorrow "Dear Mrs. ____, I have spoke to Lilly-Rose about her conduct at school and for the situation of forging my initials. Thank you for all you do, Crystal ____"

I told Barry I didn't start to master the art of forging until about 7th grade. I admit..I wasn't a saint as a kid. I would rather be fishing than in class. My Mom approved a lot of river outings without her knowledge. Lilly is only in Kindergarten and I admit..this was a curve ball...lol.

I think there may be a freebie post coming in the morning. Barry has his sleep study tonight and as my Sister says..."You can't get any rest without your better half." I miss him already and he has already been texting me from the hospital. I asked him was he suppose to be texting during a sleep study:) He misses us. We haven't had a night off like this before that hasn't been call related. I just miss my best friend and I'm praising the Lord this will be his final test.

I suppose I will watch some Lie to me on Netflix to take my mind off things.

Gerber giveaway.

2010-11-14T13:32:00.000-08:00

Here's the final Gerber house party items!!! I went to check the mail Saturday and opened the door to find another HUGE box from houseparty.com!! I couldn't believe there was a second shipment. I am so excited to start planning this party. So here's the final tally of what was shipped (prices are based off of internet research, I have not price checked with Walmart yet.):

Yogurt blends-32 (packs of 4) @ 3.79= 121.28
Smart sips-16 (packs of 3) @ 6.99= 223.68
Stage 2 baby food- 16 (packs of 2) @ 1.00= 16.00
Veggie puffs- 1 @ 2.79
Good start formula 12 oz- 1 @ 14.99
Rice cereal 8 oz- 2.59
Oatmeal cereal 8 oz- 1 @ 2.39
Graduates Meal- 1 @ 2.99
Cereal bars (it equalled out to 3 boxes of 6) @3.59= 10.77

Grand total: 397.48

For party supplies they sent the following:

18 thermal Gerber bags.
1 Huge banner.
1 cardboard display for table.
1 stack of cups.
1 stack of plates.
1 stack of napkins.
18 books on nutrition.
18 books promoting breast feeding.
Coupons for 7.00 off formula.
Coupons for both the Rice and Oatmeal cereal.
18 Gerber bibs.

So are you ready? You know when I get picked for house parties I share the love with my readers. I will be doing a Gerber bag give away!!! The contest will begin today and end on December 12th. All you have to do to qualify is subscribe to my blog (over on the side bar to the right) and just leave me a comment on this post. If you join Just Another Modest Mom on Facebook and leave a comment there (under this post), that will double your chances for winning. I will then place your name in a hat and the girls will pick a winner. If you comment here once and on FB once...that will give you two entries in the hat. So are you ready for the giveaway?????

The winner will receive the following Gerber goody bag (bag is also insulated):

7.00 Coupon on the purchase of any 22 oz or larger can of Good start.
1.00 coupon for any 2 Gerber cereals.
The Gerber Generation Nutrition guide.
Book on Breast feeding basics.
1 package of 2nd foods Smart Nourish in Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal (comes 2 to a pack.)
1 package of Graduates yogurt blends in Mixed Berry (comes 4 to a pack.)
1 individual Graduates smart sips in strawberry.
2 individual bars of Graduates cereal twists in Strawberry Blueberry.
1 Gerber baby Bib.

Best wishes on winning guys! I can't wait to invite my guests for the party. This will Emmie's first party playing hostess:)

I'm sorry blogger would not let me move photos. Prize pack is pictured up top.

Praise report....

2010-11-12T14:04:00.000-08:00

I wanted to update you and give you guys a praise report. Barry got approval for his ultrasound and it was found he had a fatty liver. He tells me this is good, considering what could have been.

The doctor wants him to go on a low sodium, low cholesterol, low fat, low sugar, and low carb diet...since he may also be glucose intolerant. We were so excited that we had a pizza party to celebrate!! Next we will be eating more healthy and finding more active things to do outside together as a family.

It was a huge weight lifted off our shoulders and our prayers were answered. Thank you to all that kept up with his health and prayed for him. I just wanted to log on to thank you.

Frugal Christmas decoration ideas. You can decorate your whole tree for 4.50!

2010-11-12T11:09:00.000-08:00

I started early on my Christmas tree decorating ideas. Some may remember a previous post I mentioned decorating our tree in all homemade items and later this month I will also be doing a giveaway to the most frugally decorated tree. I plan to hold the contest from Thanksgiving day until Dec. 5...the winner will be reader's choice.

I'm sorry my pictures are out of place below. Blogger refused to let me move them to the proper place.

For the crafts below you will need the following (all can be found at the Dollar Tree):

Popsicle sticks.
3 pack of glitter.
Mini glue gun sticks.
PomPoms.
Christmas ornament hooks.
Google eyes.
Poster board (It's 2 for 1.00.)
Popcorn (I used one box of microwave Kettle corn. 3 packs come in the box and I popped all three bags.)
Needle and thread mending kit.

Based on my calculations, aside from the original purchase...assuming you have some of these items on hand in your craft surplus, my total for all the decorations was 4.50. I had roughly half of all the supplies left above after everything was made.

I purchased 3 reindeer kits last year for 1.25 for each box. Each box contained 20 reindeers. Remember the sales at the end of the season. Candy canes have a very long shelf life and always read the expiration dates. I plan to use 2 boxes for decorations on the tree this year and 1 box for Lilly to hand out at school. I did not include the cost of these in the above price due to ..not everyone purchased clearance items last year. This was something extra for the tree. We also purchased 2 more boxes of candy canes at the dollar tree and I did not include those as well. I am thinking of putting glitter on some and using...others we will eat. Candy canes go fast in this household and on Christmas Eve. Candy canes magically appear for Christmas morning:)
I'm not sure if everyone is as Crazy for Paula Deen as I am, but I found these beauties at the Dollar tree!!! I haven't had a chance to bake either yet. I will do a review this weekend.
Now, on to our decorations. I know some of decorations may be considered "homely" to others, but the important thing is this...We had so much fun making them. The house smelled of popcorn, we had yoohoos (They are at the dollar tree this week. 3 pack for 1.00!!), giggled at each others jokes, giggled at our mistakes...I hot glued a google eye to one of my fingers, we watched a Christmas cartoon on Netflix, and it did so much for the girls' confidence. They were showing me their crafts every five seconds asking me how pretty they were. Emmie mostly wanted to eat the PomPoms, google eyes, and snacked on popcorn. The above is Lilly's rendition of our stick family. Green is Daddy, Blue is Mama, Purple is Sister, and Red is Lilly. We make a good looking stick family...lol.

Lilly's idea was the cross with Jesus on it. She just really wanted a Christmas ornament with Jesus and heart on it. We toyed around with a snowflake ornament, and a Christmas tree. For the glitter I simply hot glued where I wanted it to go and sprinkled glitter on it. It dries whole lot faster than glue and adds a extra dimension to things. I also use a bowl and hold anything I want to glitter over it. It catches all the glitter for no mess and you can poor it back into the shaker. The Christmas ornaments on the tree are google eyes and add a 3D effect. I think placed glue on top of the google eye and then glitter.

This was a project with poster board and tracing the girls' hands/feet. I also forgot to mention that I hot glue the ornament hooks on back of all the decorations. I put their name and date on back of each ornaments. The feet are reindeer:)

We buy Christmas ornaments every year for keepsakes. This year we made the girls each of their ornaments and the year to remember them by. The girls could not wait to show their Dad the ornament they made for him. It is made with Popsicle sticks, poster board (I drew the letters before I cut them out), and the polka dots are google eyes with hot glue/then glitter. I also made an ornament of me and the girls as well.

Lilly with our finished popcorn garland. This one was super easy to make. I popped 3 bags of microwave Kettle corn. The girls and I snacked on it as we worked:) You start by threading a needle and thread from your mending kit. I left the needle connected to the spool. We started with adding a pompom, then five pieces of popcorn, and repeat. Make the garland as long as you would like. Once done take the end and wrap a knot around the top of your last pompom. Just repeat the same for both ends.

Here are some pics of the girls enjoying themselves making decorations:

There you have it...Our frugal Christmas decorations. As I come up with more ideas I will post. If you have an idea that you would like to post just email it to me, directions, along with your name, and/or blog so I can link it back to you. Once a week I will post them to my blog as I get them daily I will post them to Just Another Modest Mom on Facebook.

Remember your decorations don't have to be perfect....what matters is having fun and making memories with your family. Remember the old saying "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." I know lots are struggling this Holiday season and want to make it special for their family, but have limited funds. Look at this as a awesome deal. You get to spend time with your family, have fun, it's entertaining, making memories, keepsakes for a long time to come, and it's frugal.

Gerber House Party.

2010-11-11T08:37:00.000-08:00

Yay!!!! Our Gerber house party have arrived!! Did anyone one else get picked? I heard a thump and a knock at the door. When Lilly and I took a break from popping corn (for our popcorn garland) we opened the door to find a HUGE box. I thought we would be sent coupons. Instead the box was huge and heavy. Here's what arrived:

16 insulated Gerber tote bags.
1 can of formula.
1 can of Rice cereal.
1 can of oatmeal.
1 canister of Veggie puffs.
1 stack of cups.
1 stack of plates.
1 stack of napkins.
16 Gerber baby bibbs.
16 (packs of 2) stage 2 baby food jars.
16 (packs of 3) Smart sips.
A HUGE banner to hang up.
15 books to encourage breast feeding.
Lots of Balloons with Gerber on them.

Do you know what the girls are having fun doing right now? Playing in the big box all this came in..lol. I better round them up to make some of our homemade Christmas ornaments and watch some Christmas cartoons. I have been looking forward to it since yesterday.

Cat In The Hat

2010-11-10T15:33:00.000-08:00

If you guys have a video response with your little one reading a book or you reading to them....please leave your link to your blog or Youtube video in the comments. Friday I will then make a post of of all the links gathered:)

Jump Rope for heart

2010-11-10T12:57:00.000-08:00

First I want to start with some WONDERFUL news today!!! Barry recently had some liver tests to come back not so great. His liver enzymes are high and the doctors are unsure exactly why. He's been through a lot of tests...including RA. He also had xrays done, which showed he had a lot of bone spurs. The doctor's said this was abnormal for his age and he is in constant back pain. So with the elevated liver enzymes they need to know why and they needed a ultrasound. When Barry called to make the appointment we were told that it would need insurance approval...something we have never had to wait on before...it just really worried us that we would have to pay out of pocket Vs. procedures with Blue cross, when done at the hospital he works at, do not have copays. So hopefully we will know something tomorrow and please pray for him. We are hoping for a good outcome. A few years back a cyst was found on Barry's liver and we were told not to worry about it..Well, that's all we have done since the above news. Barry is really leaning towards it's fatty liver, but we don't understand how his liver could be damaged. We don't drink due to religious beliefs and he will rarely even take a Tylenol for his head. We also found out that he may be insulin resistant as well...so please just say a prayer for him. The approval for the tests needed is a miracle for us.

Today was Lilly's Jump rope for heart at school and I volunteered. She has been practicing for weeks for this day. She made me so proud seeing her jump out there for such a wonderful cause. Emmie, bless her heart, wanting to jump with them. It broke her heart when she couldn't join in on the phone. She was accidentally hit in the face with a jump rope and we ended up having to leave early. I felt so sorry for her. I was holding her when it happened and the little girl that did..it was a accident....she just wasn't paying attention behind her. The look on Em's face was one of she just didn't understand why someone would hit her and I think her little heart was hurt....she stopped crying as soon as I walked out of the gym and got her something to drink to cool her off. We came home and had a special afternoon snack to make her feel better. Ugh...that little face of hers can melt your heart in a second.

Things I found out today:

I give out so easy. I was out of breathe from handing out jump ropes, moving to different stations, and keeping up with Doots..lol.
A hug and kiss will make even the gloomiest days brighter.
I am thankful this morning when I woke up with central heat and running hot water. When I was growing up we had one gas heater in the living room and we usually had to boil our water on the stove for hot baths.
That alarms go off for low batteries and will not shut up. I had the alarm go off for nearly 45 minutes today non stop. UGH it made my head hurt. The key pad would not work and so no code could be punched in. I ended up having to disconnect the power supply.
Emmie will sleep through the above and yet...will wake up when her binky falls out of her mouth at 3 AM...lol.
That I need glasses. One person I knew at school had to come up to me to say hello and I thought it might be him, but I couldn't tell that far off and dismissed it as not him..lol...well it was. Lucky for me he's family and understood.
I was at a red light and just a waving thinking it was my neighbor turning....again...I need glassed. That was a total stranger and thank goodness for growing up in the south...we will wave at anybody here..that's just how we are. And if you do something crazy we will just wave, smile politely, and say "Bless their heart...they don't know any better."

Also, I want to make another challenge. Let's do a homemade Christmas. I will be making every single ornament and decoration that goes on our tree this year. I plan to make all of them with the girls. We do have a fake prelit tree...all the rest will be homemade. Who wants in? Let's do a contest. We can post pictures of our trees and hold a voting...let's see who can come up with the best decked out tree...at the most frugal price. I will come up with contest rules soon, prize, and we will try to get this done before the first week of December...so we can see each others ideas and maybe use them on our trees.

Lilly-Rose jumping rope!

Emmie's "Like Whatever" pose:)

Mama hurting because she popped her hip out of joint by carrying Miss Em..lol.

Lilly's poster. Her heart heroes were: Her "bestest cousin" in the world Gabe. Fun fact about Cute Mr. Gabey. His Mom and I have been good friends for over 6 years...yet...we have never met. Yep, we started out as Christian pen pals on a site and it feels just like we have met. We have went through our TTC together and pregnancies together...I remember the day Gabe was born. Gabe was born with TGA and is doing awesome. He is one of the smartest little boys you will ever meet and Doots just thinks he's the best thing since sliced bread:) She also picked my Mom...My Mom had a quintuple bypass a few years back.

Encouraging our children to read.

2010-11-09T10:41:00.001-08:00

Starting a new segment here on Just Another Modest Mom. Lilly-Rose would love to become a blogger to. When I asked what she would love to do...she wants to go the way of my friend Angel (Who Lilly has watched with me...her blog linky is to the right in the side bar)...she said she would like to do "movies" and then post them. So she wants to be a vlogger. I then asked what kind of 'vlog"? She replied "I would like to read books to kids, Mama."

Doots has always looked books since she could pick one up. When she was old enough to turn the pages she really loved pictures books. She started reading at 4 and now is in the accelerated reader program at school. She devours books she can read on her own and I try to supply her with as many as I can. Her favorites are the You can read books and Dr. Seuss. My favorite book when I was her age was Green eggs and ham. Her favorite is The cat in the hat and she can read it from cover to cover. I know we read it at least once a day. So I will be posting a vlog weekly of her reading a book. I am hoping to promote the joy of reading in other little ones lives and offering a challenge of sorts. I will make a post weekly...where you can post a link back to your blog and/or Youtube account of your little one reading or you reading to your little one. Let's fight illiteracy by starting with our children at home.

I am very passionate about reading. It has affected my life closely. When my parents were children they had to quit school early to pick cotton in the fields. It's just how it was back then. As a result my Dad did not learn how to read and hid it very well in his life for many years. Like Lilly I started reading at 4 thanks to my Mom. She would read me books and even the Enquirer..lol. When I was 5 my Dad started buying me the local paper so I could to read him the news and he could keep current with events.

I know you are wondering how my Dad hid it for many years and how he made it through being a truck driver for most of those years. My Dad has always been great at directions and he does know road numbers. That's how he got through driving and for other situations..he simply would say he forgot his glasses...so usually those people would read it to him, he would hand it off to one of us to read, or take it home. In 1st grade my Dad started having to register me for school due to my Mom working. I would have to fill out all my enrollment papers and by second grade I had grew quite embarrassed of this. Other kids wanted to know why I had to fill out my papers and my teacher once asked. I used the glasses excuse and was upset about it. The following year we were at the table and I told my Mom I did not want my Dad to go with me on the first day of school...I said I was embarrassed because he couldn't read. The look on my Dad's face...I can still picture it today and being a parent now..it makes me want to cry. I hurt his feelings so bad and I know I was just a child, but I wish I would have never said those words. I wasn't trying to be mean...I was just frustrated with the situation.

Two days later my Dad contacted our pastor at our local church (Also, the principal at my school) and was enrolled into an adult reading program that he taught. My Dad went every week and I remember him bringing home homework. He would have me sit at the table with him and help him. I know my Dad was doing this for himself, but I think he was more so doing it for us kids. My Dad caught on very fast and was reading in no time. Those days are long behind him now and he has no issues in that area.

I am very proud of my Dad and being an adult now...I realize just how hard it probably was for him. Statistics show that roughly 10% of Americans are illiterate. That's over 25 million Americans that are not able to read or write. It's also said that another 45 million is functionally illiterate. How many in the world are illiterate? 26% and that's over 1 billion! I find those number so overwhelming. I can't imagine how one can function in today's world without being able to read or write. Also, what kind of career would they be able to enter and in return a living that they could provide for their family. I think it must be very hard for an adult to admit that they can not read or write. Especially in today's society...one that is so desensitized and offers little to none sympathy for anyone.

Here are two particularly disturbing facts I found on www.sil.org/literacy/litfacts.htm:

Women make up two-thirds of all non-literates.
In all developing countries, the percentage of children ages 6-11 not attending school is 15%. In the least developed countries it's 45%.

So I think Lilly's idea is a awesome idea and I really want to encourage her...to encourage other children to read. I think we could do so much with this. I think a give away is in order for the future and maybe we will do a story writing contest as well. It would be a great way to have those little imaginations come alive and you never can tell what little writers we have in the midst.

I would also like to add that I am open to any books to review. So if you know of any great book reviewing sites or there's a company and/or person reading this blog today, that would like to donate books for reviews...we would love to help!

*Warning..post wrote with wondering toddler. May contain missing words, interrupted thoughts, and poor punctuation. Thank you for suffering through it..lol.*

Saturday Freebies....

2010-11-06T17:06:00.000-07:00

FREE Stay free pads with thermo control http://www.stayfree.com/
FREE sleep solution kit from Tylenol https://www.tylenol.com/page.jhtml?id=tylenol/sleep/include/sleepkit.inc . Per site the kit includes the following:
- Sleep guide and journal featuring practical tips for better sleep
- Satin sleep mask to help block out intrusive light
- CD of soothing sounds
- Coupons worth up to $12
- Sample of JOHNSON'S® Melt Away Stress Lavender & Chamomile Lotion

Says to allow 6-8 wks for delivery. I can really use this one!!!

FREE Children's book offer God's Bible Pathway for Children http://www.cbcg.org/special_offer_children.htm
10,000 Pogo tokens!! Just play the game by Clorox...it took me a few tries http://www.pogo.com/prize-drawing/clorox2
The Nescafe free sample are back!!! Remember these will make awesome Christmas gifts in mugs. http://smartchoice.tasterschoice.com/?CMP=KNC-gppcsampling ...you do have to register with the site to receive the free samples.
Free gift from Akta Lakota http://www.aktalakota.org/ Look on the left side and click free e gift. Per site:
- 77 Native American themed address labels
- Convenient writing pad
- Decorative envelope seals
- Email updates from the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center

Says to allow 5-8 wks for delivery, must verify your email address.

Thursday ramblings....

2010-10-28T16:21:00.000-07:00

I have been on a short vacation. I am back and look forward to more blogging.

Things have been super busy here. My internist retired and I had to find a new one. I have been going through tests with my new internist...since my former did not keep very good records. I want to really thank him for that..lol. I had to do a EKG to make sure my heart is handling my high blood pressure well and it was normal...Praise the Lord! They have also put me through some more tests for my thyroid issues and to make sure I am not diabetic (since both my parents are.) I should get those results by next week. The only thing that seems to be going on right now is white coat syndrome every time I approach the doctor's office. I took my cuff and it's reading correctly. I will be 100/70 here the day before and then when they take it there 146/92..go figure.

Barry has also been through some tests. They also thought he was diabetic and it's undecided right now. They thought for a minute that he was hypoglycemic, but it turns out that he could actually be pre-diabetic. We hope to know more by next week with him too! His RA tests came out negative and we are very happy about that. His back does look horrible and he has some horrible bone spurs...possible compression fracture. I asked him how did it feel to be a MRI tech and having to be the one on the table now..lol. We are praying for a good outcome on all his tests.

Last week I became the official leader of Lilly Rose's Daisy troop at her school. I am very nervous about talking in front of everyone and having a hard time finding anyone to let me use their facilities for a meeting. I am up for any ideas anyone may have. I am really looking forward to starting the troop and getting to spend time with the girls. I am still learning the ropes.

The girls are doing wonderful! Lilly Rose made A honor roll, perfect attendance, and accelerated reader at school. She is now in the advanced reading class. Emma Kay is cutting teeth on top and bottom. She is also getting very smart and giggles so much. The other day she was having a hard time getting up on the couch and I watched her as she tried so hard. She then just stopped, went/got the diaper bag, set it up at the base of the couch, and climb right on up:) I also see a tight bond forming between them each day. Emma waits for Lilly to get off the bus...then squeals in delight as she runs to her. Lilly can't wait to hug and kiss her. Lilly also thinks of her Sister when doing things. I recently taught her how to use the toaster for waffles...she cooked her one and put one in for Emma without being asked. She then served it to her with a juice as a snack. Needless to say...I am impressed daily by my sweet girls.

So big news since last writing? As some of you remember a few months back the girls did a shoot for the Children's hospital. They got to feel like movie stars and ended up in a magazine about their story. Well, they started popping up on billboards here and now they are all over town...as well as our local area. My Dad has been bragging about them at dialysis and now all the great folks there are calling them movie stars...asking for their autographs when they visit..basically giving them the big head..lol. One lady even told me she cut their magazine article out and it is hanging on her wall at home. So here are some pictures and I will update again tomorrow. I have a ton of pictures to post:) I have updated a lot of them on my Facebook page.

I thank you all for having Faith in my to keep posting and allowing me to stay on your lists. I appreciate that very much.

I will be going now....I have to finish up my agenda to my first Daisy scout meeting, read the girls a bedtime story, and get ready to visit my Sister in Christ tomorrow. She recently had surgery on her leg. Please, say a prayer for her. She is desperate to be able to move about again. I am kidnapping her tomorrow for lunch and maybe a thrift store...if she is able.

Just Another Modest Mom facebook page...

2010-07-21T21:24:00.001-07:00

Hey guys if you haven't already joined...check out my Facebook page.

You can find the link on the right hand side of this page. ----->

I do update it more often than my page. I am very sorry about that. I do try to update daily and some days I do get sidetracked. I do update swagcode alerts when I am on and I see one. I am always updating freebies too!

It's just easier for me to update Facebook during the day. I sometimes have my laptop while I am cleaning listening to music or watching cooking videos on Youtube. If I don't have it then..I kind of use it as a dangling carrot so to speak..lol. I say...well if I get this clean I can play on the computer X amount of minutes. So I am on sporadically when I take my breaks. I am also hopelessly addicted to Frontierville and so when I have breaks I try to catch any game feeds for items..lol. Hey Lilly is just as addicted too!

So just letting you guys know about my page and I finally moved the badge to the top of the page.

Picture blog.

2010-07-21T20:56:00.000-07:00

Portrait done by Picture me studios in Walmart of Emma Kay during her Summer photos. We had Lilly's done at school in May..sadly I don't have a working scanner right now or else I would be showing off both my babies right now. We plan to take them both back for family photos and photos together next month.

Emmie's last pictures. All done by picture me studios in Walmart. Did you know that you can now pick any pose for your package? I haven't been since they started doing this! Em just would not smile for anything in the world..lol. She always has this serious look. We were getting ready to end the session when we placed her on the floor and off she went walking and smiling. Did I mention she can walk now? The photographer was so nice and asked could she re-do all the photos! That is service and cheaper than Olan Mills. This picture screamed Emma and was my choice for the package.

Now presenting...Princess Emma Katherine!

Frugal Family fun...I bought these ceramics in little kits a Michael's. It came with the ceramic, paint, and brush for .49! What's even better? Save the pain/brush and your next visit you can buy just various ceramics to paint for .29.

The girls had a absolute blast painting. Although Emmie was a little more interested in taste tasting the paint.

Emmie and her bear.

Lilly and her butterfly.

My Chickaroo Sisters.

I found this cool set of dishes by Kelcraft..designed by Noritake..for 6.00 at the thrift store!

Lowe's build and grow workshop. Lilly now has three badges and very proud! Cost...FREE!

Daddy and Lilly Rose with their finished product.

High five Daddy!

Lilly-Rose concentrating hard..lol.

Daddy and Lilly-Rose

4th of July cake. Total cost...with ingrediants..was under 3.00.

The girls playing in the pool. Btw, got this pool on sale last year by Fisher price. It was normally 54.00 and I got it for 3.00 for Em's first Christmas...talk about a steal!!!! Even came with a whale sprinkler that moves around the pool.

We found someone had been living in our grill..lol. This is what we found when we moved it out of storage. We think it was left over from spring. There was no eggs or babies...so we just moved it to some high grass. Very amazing to look at.

The girls swimming. This was Em's first time in the pool.

Oscar Mayer giveaway!

2010-06-29T12:13:00.000-07:00

Here's the giveaway I have been promising!! Here's a set great to have your own grill out party for your family. The Thrill of the grill pack will include:

(1) Freesbie
(1) Softball
(1) Weenie whistle
(1) Coupon for a FREE pack of Oscar Mayer hot dogs. I highly suggest the Angus.
(1) Coupon for .75 off of 1 Heinz Tomato Ketchup

Many thanks to Oscar Mayer and Houseparty.com for supplying such a wonderful freebie!

Rules:
Just leave a comment here on the blog on this post or on my Facebook page under this post. If you post on here, on FB, and like the Just Another Modest Mom page...you get double the entries:)
Entries will close on Friday July 9th and I will mail it out that following Monday. Please, make sure I have some way of contacting you. Either on Facebook (by messaging you) or your email.

Thank you guys for being so patient with me and good luck!

Bob the builder cake....

2010-06-17T09:06:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Lilly's 5th Birthday party!!! She decided she wanted a Bob the builder party this year...so here's her cake. I will give you guys a low down on how I made the cake.

Cake:

I used a box cake mix from Walmart. In this case we used red velvet cake mix. I always prepare it how I have seen Paula Deen do it...3 eggs and milk instead of water. I also usually add a smidge of vanilla..in this case it was not needed.
I used this type of pan....http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300435574927&rvr_id=&crlp=1_263602_263622&UA=WVI7&GUID=1eb0feee1290a06c1af5a075ffb99e94&itemid=300435574927&ff4=263602_263622
I also used a regular circle cake pan for a one layer cake. You are going to need approximately two boxes of cake mix for this.
I then cooled the cakes and inserted the frosting for the inside of the cake. I then followed the directions on assembling the rest of the cake.
Once the first cake was assembled I took the remaining cake in the regular cake pan and cut a shape for the front of the hard hat. I was planning on using the rest to build accents on the hat...but, the cake turned out to be too tall for this.
I then used frosting to hold the pieces together. Sorry, I forgot to mention I did the same when I assembled the first cake. Once that was done I frosted the whole cake and filled in the crevices really well.
Then I took hot glue and applied glue to the bottom of the candles/bull dozier. I figured this would be easier to transport to the park and no one will be eating that part. I then covered the outside of the items with frosting w/green food coloring. Once that was applied I used brown sugar for sand and covered random areas of the board. You can purchase different size cake boards at Party America for under a 1.00..they are very sturdy.
For the cake topper I used the top of a juice bottle. Bob the builder items are hard to come by and expensive. We happen to stumble on these juice bottles at Walmart in the juice section that were Bob the builder. So I saved the top and hollowed out the inside of one of the cones...once that was done I just applied hot glue to make it stick. That covered up the drinking spout very well.

FROSTING:

I used a basic cream cheese frosting recipe I got out of a Amish cookbook. For every 1 package of cream cheese...use 1/2 cup of butter, 2-3 teaspoons of vanilla, and then pour your powdered sugar in 1/2 cup at a time. The sugar is really up to you...the sugar can make the frosting thicker and sweeter. If you need to thin out your frosting..use milk. I suggest just a drizzle at a time. When you start the frosting out...cream together the butter and cream cheese...then you add the remaining ingredients. For this cake I used three packages of 8 oz cream cheese.
I like to use Walnuts in my cream cheese frosting and that is strictly up to you. I like to run them through the food processor or beat them in a zip lock bag before hand.
For color I use regular food coloring. I do small batches at a time with the color I am working with. This just ensures I have enough to go around and I don't have too much of one color.

This weekend I will be doing a post on how to do a Birthday on a budget! This includes food, decorations, games, goodies for guests, and even the present. I will show you how you can have a awesome party from well under 40.00...with the right opportunities:)

I will also be posting a Oscar Mayer prize pack giveaway tomorrow night! As you know (from my Facebook wall) Lilly's birthday is sponsored by the Oscar Mayer Thrill of the Grill party by www.houseparty.com. We have some goodies given to us by them and I will share some with you guys.

Winner is....

2010-06-01T10:42:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Frugalupper!!!! She wins the Red Baron coupon for a Free product! I believe I left a comment on the correct blog this morning...so if you will contact me with your info I will mail it tomorrow!

Thank you to all who commented:) I hope you guys had a wonderful weekend.

CONGRATS FRUGALUPPER!

Red Baron food review!

2010-05-29T12:29:00.000-07:00

I was able to do a food review from Red Baron this week. I was offered to try a few of their products and share a coupon with you guys:)

Well, Lilly graduated from Prek 4 this week and so we let her pick out supper that night to celebrate.

So she decided she would like Pizza, mac & cheese, and chocolate milk. Well, I had coupons for all three....that were for FREE products...so total cost of celebration? Free.

I have to tell you...this was one of the best pizzas we have ever had. I am a big crust person and loved their crust. I also liked that we could place the pepperoni on the pizza ourselves. I'm not a big pepperoni person..but, Barry and Lilly are. So I was able to put extra on their pieces Vs. my pieces.

We were so impressed (not just saying this b/c I received a free coupon) that we purchased two more pizzas this past Friday. They have them on sale right now at Walmart for 2.88 and when paired with a box of Duncan Hines chewy fudge brownies (for .75)...a movie from Netflix...you have one frugal special family night supper. I also received a coupon to try their pasta as well. I did get it last night on our grocery run and will be trying it over the weekend. I will let you guys know how that one turns on out on Monday.

Alrighty guys! Are you ready for a give away? I have a coupon worth 4.75 for one of you guys to try Red Baron Slices in any variety. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment here or on my facebook page(link is located on the right side of the page.) The Giveaway ends Monday morning at 8 AM CST. I will then put all the names in a bag and draw a name. I will then contact the winner via PM on Facebook or email from blogger for all your info to mail it out on Tuesday. Good Luck!

Oh, I had to add this. You guys have got to watch the movie "Up"...if you haven't seen it...do! It is hilarious and would make a great Family night movie with the kiddos. It's now available for your intstant que on Netflix.

Frugal photo and movie making...

2010-05-11T09:01:00.000-07:00

Today I decided to do a post on Frugal photos and movie making! Both are easy peasy when you get the hang of it. It just takes a little patience and practice.

For months I have been wanting to make a movie for Barry with the song "Cinderella" By Stevin Curtis Chapman. I wanted to incorporate my wedding dress and just didn't know how. I had a few ideas and some of them included a tea party outside. Then I finally did it yesterday! Out of the closet I brought down a dull green plastic bin that contained our wedding stuff. Some were table toppers we had left over, the six pence I wore in my shoe, the pin I gave my father, the unity candle we made part of our service, my wedding dress, and veil.

My wedding dress....ah, the wonderful memories that go along with this dress. Not just that I was a size 7 at least once in my life..lol...but, it had a chocolate stein near the V. Barry and I promised we wouldn't smash each other with cake. But, if you know me..you know I love to catch people off guard. I'm the type of person that will pretend to throw a frog on you and find it funny. So with the encouragement of both of our families...I went for it. I smashed the cake all over Barry's face...lol...only after he had fed me my cake first...of course! Well, I forgot his cake was chocolate and due to a car accident two days before our wedding..I wasn't much on being swifty. Wham! Right on the dress as I tried to dodge him. Also, on my dress there is a huge foot print on my train. This is where my Daddy gave me away and then proceeded to walk down the aisle back to his chair...walking on my train all the way down..lol. So after the wedding I refused dry cleaning. I couldn't bring myself to get rid of the chocolate stein or footprint. I felt like if I got rid of them...I was getting rid of that moment. I know it sounds corny.

So as I sat there with my wedding dress and smiling...I thought how can I use this? So I started playing around with the girls. Of course Lilly wanted to try my dress and veil on. So we got some pins from the sewing box and set to work to make it wearable for her. For Emma...well, I love her in a diaper...my baby has the cutest little rolls in the world! So I thought the look with a veil and simply wrapped in my dress with the beads showing. She also found a bride knick knack(is that what you call them?..we call them what nots in the south..sounds like watt knots..lol) that we had on one of the tables at our wedding. She loved playing with it. One thing about Skeeter is...she loves her baby dolls. She is my girly girl and Doots is my tomboy. Well, during taking the photos..Lilly asked could they play with one my tea sets. Normally I have them up and out of reach of little hands. But, I took it down and they begin to play with it. I took a ton of photos and some of my favorite is them playing with the tea set.

After the photos were done...I set to work to make them look a bit more softer. Before taking them I had a feeling I would lead towards Sepia tones. If you notice I do have back drops in the photos. That was easier achieved by using my wedding dress train, bed skirt that was white..draped over Em's crib, and a quilt off the living room couch. That's right..nothing fancy. For the music I took my 5.00 giftcard to Amazon from Swagbucks and purchased my song. I then used Picasa(free download from Google) to edit my photos. From there I used my movie maker on Windows and viola....FREE Frugal keepsake for Barry, the girls, grandparents, and myself. Also, with movie maker, if you have the premium, you can burn DVDs for anyone that may want one. So what went into my gift? Not money...but, just time.

Making movies on Movie maker...is my little escape and stress reliever. It involved three things I love in life: taking pictures, looking at pictures, and listening to some of my favorite songs. I never use a song that doesn't have a special meaning and I don't mind listening to fifty times while I edit..lol.

So there you have it...Frugal photo and movie making. I will post some before pictures and after using Picasa. That way you get a really great idea of just how much you can do with editing programs. I will also include some of my favorite pictures I took yesterday. I always think photos come out a little grainy on movies.

Before Picasa:

After Picasa:

Mother's day for all....

2010-05-08T13:52:00.000-07:00

Mothers's day. It's a special day and as this time of year rolls around...I feel truly blessed. I have been reminded for a couple of weeks now that this day was approaching. I have been receiving some wonderful gifts on my Facebook account. Friends and family that have taken a couple of seconds out of their day to send me a special virtual gift of kindness.

I am reminded of being a Mother when I pick tiny clothes up off the floor to be washed, binkies hidden under the play pen, sippy cups thrown in random places, or toys that have been shoved in the freezer in some sort of weird experiment. Then I smile as my husband gives me a long chain to put a pendant on he got me last year or a box of chocolate fudge poptarts from my girls..with cute black plastic Twilight bracelets...to which are my new accessory daily.

When this day comes around it also reminds me of a time I dreaded this day. A time when I wanted to be a Mother so badly and was told that dream would never come true. I remember the days I spent in bed, the days Barry begged me to come down stairs, days spent crying, the days I couldn't walk past the baby department in Walmart, the days I couldn't find joy in someone Else's happiness, the days I would feel anger when told "You're trying too hard", or closing a door to a nursery that lay empty.

My girls are a miracle in my eyes. Not just because I was told I could not have children...but, just the pure process it takes for a child to be conceived. The months that it takes for a child to be nurtured in our womb. It's absolutely, breathtakingly, amazing! Then to take in the odds we had..it's overwhelming. I still think about everything today and how blessed I am to have my girls. Out of all the deserving women in this world that battle with infertility..the Lord picked me for my girls. ME! On the days I feel insignificant in this big ole world...I think of this and what an encouragement. We have all been chosen, in one way or another, by God and we are all special in his eyes. Let's not forget that any day of the year.

So I wish all of you a Happy Mother's day!!!! Each and everyone out there. You may not know it..but, you may be a Mothering influence in someone Else's life. Whether you have Children, furbabies, Nieces/Nephews, big Sister, a teacher, Godmother, and so much more! So tomorrow give a Mom a hug for all her hard work and if you know someone that is battling infertility..do something special for her tomorrow. Whether it be taking her some flowers or just giving her a call to chat. Let her know that you are thinking of her and brighten up her day. Sometimes it's the small things that impact someone in the biggest way.

Mother's Dictionary of Meanings

Dumbwaiter: One who asks if the kids would care to order dessert.

Feedback: The inevitable result when the baby doesn't appreciate the strained carrots.

Full Name: What you call your child when you're mad at him.

Grandparents: The people who think your children are wonderful even though they're sure you're not raising them right.

Hearsay: What toddlers do when anyone mutters a dirty word.

Independent: How we want our children to be for as long as they do everything we say.

Puddle: A small body of water that draws other small bodies wearing dry shoes into it.

Show Off: A child who is more talented than yours.

Sterilize: What you do to your first baby's pacifier by boiling it, and to your last baby's pacifier by blowing on it and wiping it with saliva.

Top Bunk: Where you should never put a child wearing Superman jammies.

Two-Minute Warning: When the baby's face turns red and she begins to make those familiar-grunting noises.

Whodunit: None of the kids that live in your house.

The Showcase showdown......

2010-05-03T16:05:00.000-07:00

I got my Sample Showcase today from the Untied States Postal Service...www.mysampleshowcase.com...I posted the link on my Facebook account about a week ago. If you haven't joined Just Another Modest Mom on Facebook yet...You can click the Facebook logo to the right up top. I update freebies and swag codes all day long. I try to check in intbetween spending time with my girls and chores to update. So everything is pretty current and brought in the fastest timely matter.

So on to this mega showcase freebie!! The following was in the box:

Full size Dove peanut butter candy bar. I, sadly, didn't get to try any. It was devoured quickly after this picture by my Barry and Lilly..lol. They gave it two thumbs up! The really look forward to the sweet freeebies.
0.5 oz Secret Clinical strength waterproof deodorant. This smells amazing...love it!
.15 oz Aveeno Positively ageless firming body lotion.
Taster's Choice vanilla gourmet coffee stick.
Shower to Shower sport sample.
Full size McCormick Grill Mates Montreal steak marinade.
Shower to shower Shimmer effects sample.
1.00 Aveeno coupon.
2.00 Aveeno coupon.
0.3 oz Aveeno lifting and firming night cream.
Aveeno Nourish and Moisturize Shampoo and Conditioner sample.
Splenda samples.
1.00 Splenda coupon.
Full size (1) sealed Bengay moist heat therapy pad.

I also received the starting of my 12 issues of Better Homes and Gardens for 5.25 for the whole year!! With free cookbook and two free princess pull ups from Costco.

I am very sorry I haven't been posting freebies and blogging as I should. I am trying my best to remedy this with more topics and such. It does get hard to update my blog..but, I have found Facebook to be a lot easier to update daily. I can simply leave my screen pulled up on my laptop and post on breaks. It only takes seconds for me to grab a current freebie, attach the link (since pictures are attached...it is a snap), post, and continue on with my day. What I will try to do is post daily on my Facebook account and then post those finds here every couple of days. I am also trying to do theme days and just really wanting to jazz up the whole blog..I am very open to any ideas anyone may have.

I hope you guys have a wonderful week. Recieving a mailbox full of goodies today...was a wonderful start to mine!! Now with that title...it makes me want to find out where I put my autographed Bob Barker photo I got as a freebie a few years back..lol.

Sunday coupon overview....

2010-05-03T06:20:00.000-07:00

Did you grab a Sunday's paper? If not...check your local newsstand and, usually, they will sell extra copies all through out the week. Here's a overview of some of the best deals I found in our Sunday Paper this week:

COUPONS:

4.00 off Nivea body wash for women. This would make it FREE!!!!

3.00 off Nivea bdoy wash for Men. Making it roughly 1.97 if you purchased the 4.97 one.

10.00 off any Ultratouch Ultra meter making it 55.48 if purchased at Walmart.

There were also tons of coupons for boxes of chocolates for Mother's day.

BELKS:

Has a coupon that you take to the beauty counter to find your perfect match of perfect foundation. When you bring the coupon and a match is found...you get to take home a FREE trail size of your ideal shade.

PIZZA KASTLE:

Has a coupon for 10 tokens with no purchase. This one would be for our local area.

MICHAELS:

Has Mother's day events going all week long. All events are from 6-8PM.. Monday..You can purchase a flower and make a corsage.Tuesday...You get a free spa clay pot(no purchase necessary...Barry and Doots are attending this one.)Thursday...You can purchase a T shirt and they have a Mother's day Tshirt event going. Friday...You purchase a frame and they are doing a make-it take-it event. Saturday...10AM to Noon They will be making FREE Mother's day cards. Also, later that afternoon from Noon-1PM they will be having a FREE Mother's day Wilton cookie event. Michaels also has a 40% off coupon in the back of their circular off any regular priced item. You can only use this coupon from 5/2/10 to 5/8/10.

FRUGAL DATE NIGHTS FOR UNDER 10.00

2010-05-01T19:27:00.000-07:00

There will be a new topic on Just Another Modest Mom...Frugal date nights and they will all be under ten bucks!!

Long story short...Barry and I only have his parents that watch our little ones for any kind of date day or nights. So it's rare that we do have a date night to ourselves. Just because the kiddos are home with you...doesn't mean there can't be a date night! You can have one at home and to be honest..they have been some of the best we have ever had. Once the kiddos are in bed you can cook a romantic supper and much more! On the nights we have date nights...we make sure to include something fun for the girls too. After all, they enjoy and deserve a special treat as much as we do. So we cook a special supper for them, let them have special snacks, and watch a movie they pick out. So Lilly has her special treat below that she made for her and Emmers.

For our date night we broke out our wine glasses from our wedding day. Neither of us drink alcohol...so we splurged on a Apple soda from Mexico(it can be found in the ethnic aisle at Walmart.) I had this particular soda when we use to visit my parents. Their community has a large Hispanic community and the local store carries all kinds of wonderful things from Mexico. While shopping for some produce one day at the stand I discovered apple soda and loved it! The one I had was a little different from this brand. The one I had was very carbonated and a lot of flavor...almost like carbonated apple cider. This particular brand we picked up was a little sweeter, a little less flavor, and carbonation...though it still complemented our supper. So menu and prices:

Mundel apple soda: 1.78

Filet Mignon: 2 for 3.69

Baked potato: 2 for less than 1.00

Strawberries: 2.00 a carton

Chocolate (it was 1.98 for a bowl...we used half): .99

Grand total of gourmet date night at home:$9.46

We made the ambiance with our favorite music (we also have a cool country hymns CD that just music and no words...very soft. I also recommend Gregorian masters of chant), candles we already have, our centerpiece was a fruit bowl(which I make bi weekly and leave out for snacks), and mushy memories with our wine glasses from our wedding day almost nine years ago.

The chocolate covered strawberries were the grand "ta da" so to speak. They were super easy to make...just melt the chocolate and dip. I then placed them on wax paper, put them in the fridge for 15 minutes to harden, and then transferred to this wonderful platter I received from my friend Lissa at my bridal shower. They bring romance, wonderful to eat, frugal price tag coming in at just under 3.00(I didn't use quite all the carton), and super easy to make.

The plating of our meal.

Now for the girls' frugal treat. Since we were having a Mommy and Daddy date night after they turned in for the night...they also got something special. Lilly picked a choco banana kit for her and Em. You can pick these up in the produce section on the end caps at Walmart. The kit runs about 1.19 and bananas were about .60 for this project. You need four bananas halved. The kit includes everything you will need....including wooden sticks. When you first open the package of chocolate mix...it really doesn't look like enough to fully do your project..it does stretch out. Also, your bananas will need to freeze 1 hour prior to prepping. The prep was super easy...very easy for kids. We just poured the chocolate into a glass for dipping. You just had to tip the glass for full coverage and no mess!
The finished product and kit we used...in case you would like to grab one at the grocery store. I didn't try these...but, Lilly ate at least 3 before bed!!!
The girls enjoying their treat. Since it involves freezing the bananas it was really easy for Em to eat and when bananas freeze..then thaw..they become pure mush. So perfect snack for those that don't have teeth yet...but, are pros at eating solids.

We followed up our night by watching a movie off of netflix on the Xbox. If you don't have a netflix account you can rent from the redbox for .99 a night! You can also plan your kiddos bedtimes and supper around a movie on the TV...that even goes for those that do not have cable(like us.) Regular local channels are bringing back movie nights!! Watch a old DVD you have or even watch your wedding if you have it (Unfortunately, we only have it on video and no longer have a VCR/DVD combo..Lilly thought a peanut butter sandwich and a doll would be awesome in there.) You can also play games...scrabble, monopoly, yahtzee, and so forth. Make it interesting....bet for massages, bubble baths, and so on...let your imagination take hold...this is a family blog..lol.

So date nights can be frugal, fun, romantic, and even a fun night for the kiddos before they go to bed. You can make it into a family/date night. Spend time with your kiddos first and then have Mommy/Daddy time after they have turned in. The best of both worlds..spending quality time with your kids and spouse. I love at home date nights...I can prepare the food, I can have "extra" anything I want with my supper...without being charged more, they always have what I want on the menu, DVDs can be paused, PDA is acceptable, and so forth. The night literally revolves around us and we are in control.

So I will start sharing with you all the date nights Barry and I have...will or have come up with. I know there has to be others out there that are watching their budget and don't have a babysitter for their kiddos at the drop of the hat.

FREEBIES FROM FACEBOOK...

2010-04-24T09:42:00.000-07:00

Hurry!!! Log on to your facebook account and go get your FREE Bumpits!!! They are giving them away to the 1st 500 people to register.
http://www.facebook.com/Bumpits?v=app_119338848082357&ref=ts#!/Bumpits?v=wall&ref=ts
Click on the above link, like the page, and then click the link in the status to register...that simple. Mine said it will arrive in 2-4 wks.

HURRY!!!

TY to Facebook page Free sample deals(http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1099871859#!/FreeSampleDeals) for the heads up!!!

I will also be working on the Justanothermodestmom Facebook page this week. If you would like to join..it's on the right hand side of the screen towards the bottom of my page. I will be updating daily with Freebies found on Facebook.

Good Friday Giveaway

2010-04-02T13:17:00.000-07:00

***Oops...you will have to turn off my music player or pause it at the bottom of the page to hear. Sorry..I keep forgetting. Is anyone for me deleting it or do you like my song list?***

Congratulations to the winners!!! I will be contacting you guys tonight for your address or if you see this before I contact you...just drop me a email with your information and they will be going out on Monday!

I want to especially thank my dear friend Angel...without her none of this would be possible and thank you ladies for making this FUN! I finally have someone to give something to..lol..that sounds kind of sad written out now:)

I hope you enjoy the baskets..as much as we enjoyed putting them together. I really liked the spa basket idea as "rejuvenation"..it reminds me of a new life...Jesus rising from the tomb. Lilly's could also represent giving. She gave with a whole heart...as he gave with his...his life for ours.

THANK YOU GUYS!!! I also have two more baskets coming up. One this month and one next month.

Movie Mondays...

2010-03-29T10:05:00.000-07:00

For some reason blogger is refusing to load my photos today. I decided to spice up the blog a little and do some themed days during the week...like other blogs are doing. I figured since we are starting to watch more movies...a movie review would be great to do once a week.

I recently purchased two DVDs from Feature family films. I have bought from them previously and decided to purchase from them again. If you haven't looked at their products http://www.familytv.com/ ...they provide wholesome DVDs for your family. The cost of the DVDs are usually around 12.95 and to me it's worth paying a little extra to build up a library of really great movies for the girls.

So I bought "The Retrievers" for Lilly since she loves dog movies. Space buddies is her all time favorite movie. When they arrived this time they came in DVD cases. The ones I had gotten from them last year came in just white disc covers. I failed to read the back before popping it into the DVD player. Just something I want to throw out there...read the back. I highly suggest it if you don't want to answer questions about why one of the space buddies died. This one dealt with death and openness. Once I read the back of the case I realized that...these type movies are really for parents to watch with children on the first viewing and then talk about it at the end. The back of the case provides a really great Parent's discussion guide.

Overall, I think it was a great movie. I just really wished I would have read the back of the DVD before Lilly watched it alone. Lilly now thinks one of the puppies from space buddies is dead now...that is my fault. Other than that...I really think Lilly enjoyed the movie too. I think this would be a great pick on family movie night. Btw, you can also request a free DVD from them at the above link.

Meanwhile...today has good so far. It was hard convincing Lilly to go back to school. Today was her first day back since her surgery and she was afraid all the kids would make fun of her for her scar. So I told her of all the people in our family that have had surgeries and have scars. I even had some come and show her their scars. My Mom came to show her open heart surgery scar, my Dad has had many surgeries...he showed his, I showed my gallbladder scars, the birthmark on my ear, and Barry showed his appendectomy scar. I told her that she should be proud. Her scar represents that she is one very healthy and special little girl. I also reminded her that no one would be able to see her scar and that I would think..they would think...her scar was pretty darn cool. I remember last year when she fell outside and scrapped her knee. She was the coolest kid in class all day. Ever since Lilly had the bully incident last year and was pushed around...the kids have really took on a sense of protecting her. She also has a best friend that just really looks out for her. I watched as they played on the playground one day. She went to play on the slide and Lilly went to try to play with some little girls in the sandbox. The little girls didn't want Lilly there and I seen her hang her head...she was walking away. Down came her friend from the slide and I could imagine she was asking Lilly what was wrong. I could see Lilly point and talking to her friend. Her friend whispered something in her ear, Lilly stayed there, and then her little friend went up to the other little girls. I am unsure of what she was saying..but, her little head was bobbing. I seen her go back, grab Lilly's hand, and lead her over to the sandbox. Just like that the other girls were playing with her and her friend returned to the slide. I just thought that was awesome and I can tell that Lilly thinks the world of her friend. She is always making her special notes and cards telling her she loves her and they are best friends forever. When we go to a store she tells me the things her friend likes and could we get her this or that one day as a present. So I think she will do just fine today...she was also excited..because today was her day to stay at her after school program. They make little arts and crafts...have parties from time to time.

I registered her for school today. I am disappointed that home schooling did not work out for us. But, I know this is what is best for her and her situation. I have seen how much she has grown with her speech and intellectually since starting Pre K. Thinking of who she was last year...to this year is just absolutely amazing. I love hearing her talk and holding some conversations with us. We did not have that up until about May of last year. She is just a totally different little girl. While I am sad...I still can not wait to see what things she will learn this year, what subject will be her favorite(I am guessing math..since numbers is one of her obsessions), what friends she will make, and so forth. I got her calendar for this year and uniform guidelines. She will start Kindergarten on August 9th.

Emma was so confused this morning and has been looking for her Sister. I think she enjoyed having her home this month and them being able to play uninterrupted during the day. I've been trying to keep her occupied today. Last night was kind of rough with Em. She has been teething and we have tried everything from motrin to teething tablets. She has always been great about sleeping all the way through the night. Now she is waking up at 2 AM screaming. We feel so horrible for her. Neither of us remember Lilly hurting this bad when she teethed...but, I realize each child's pain tolerance is different. Boy, Em can just wrap you around that little finger of hers..lol. She can now crawl from room to room to check things out. She is also trying to do some kind of funky bear crawl that is too cute.

Well, I better log off now. I changed out the curtains in the living room and need to wash the old ones to put in the laundry room. I am also meeting someone a little later on to buy my cast iron set. I was spring cleaning and realized I really do not use it that often. Honestly, I just don't think I was prepared for all the upkeep it takes for the set as well. I might as well sell it and get something nice for the girls:)