MENSA here I come...

GRRRRRR! I am so mad at myself I can hardly stand it! For some reason, this whole couponing thing has been driving me crazy. I don't understand why I'm not saving as much money as other people who are shopping at the same stores and buying the same products. I guess it's my competitive streak. I have seriously been thinking about it since yesterday. Then it dawned on me as I was looking at my receipt the other day. When something is Buy One Get One Free, the second item isn't actually free, they just split the cost between the two. So if something is $3.00 and is B1G1 then they are both $1.50. I really thought the second item was free or cost $0, so I couldn't use a coupon on something that was free. So basically, yesterday when I went to the store, I got a TON of B1G1 free items. Almost everything I got was B1G1 free and I had a manufacturer's coupon for almost everything, but I only had one. I actually could have used two manufacturer's coupons for every B1G1 deal because the second item isn't actually free. If I had printed two of every coupon I could have saved myself another $40. Yeah, I'm super smart. I guess I'll know for next time, but I'm telling you, this is going to bother me for at least another week or so. (exasperated sigh)

Still not wowed...

I went to Publix today to do some grocery shopping. I tried to do better this time, but I still wasn't "wowed". I spent $84.58 and saved $40.12. I did learn that Publix takes coupons from Target, Kroger and Wal-Mart. I did not know this! I will make sure and check their coupons next time so I can save even more. Publix had a lot of B1G1 deals this week so I took advantage of those and I had some manufacturer coupons too. The best part is that I stocked up on a lot of things we use often like bread, taco dinner kits, pasta, ketchup and cereal. I'm going to keep at it :) I'm looking forward to the day I save more than I spend!

Coupons!

I spent $93.76 and saved $46.05.

I finally did it! I sat down on Sunday and cut coupons. I also went online and printed some from southernsavers.com and coupons.com. I like southernsavers.com because it tells you about coupons match-ups and weekly deals at grocery stores and CVS. I think that's where you can really save money. Everything in the picture is from CVS and Publix. I got $2 in ECB at CVS, but I'm going to save them for my next trip. Everything I bought had a coupon except the shampoo and conditioner. It was 2/$5.


Best deals today:

1.) Edge Shave Gel shaving cream was 3 for $5 at Publix which made them $1.67 each and then I had a manufacturer's coupon for B1G1 so they were $1.11 each.

2.) Publix had Huggies Little Movers on sale for $19.99 (76 ct.) and I had a $2.50 off coupon from the manufacturer. You also got free Huggies wipes (72 ct.) when you bought the diapers. I also had a coupon for $2 off Huggies wipes (320 ct.) So I got 76 diapers, 392 wipes for about $25.

I'm most proud of the fact that I did all this and had Finley with me. It was not easy because you have to take your time and make sure you're getting the right thing.

I wasn't wowed at how much I saved, but I'm going to stick with it and try to get better deals each week. I'd rather shop at Publix than Wal-Mart because it's so clean and the people are friendly and helpful, but in the back of my mind though I still wonder if I could have spent less at Wal-Mart...

War Eagle!

Last night we went over to a friend's house to watch the Auburn game. Eek! It was a nail biter! Finley wore her orange and blue and even screamed along with her Dada and Todd. She also had fun letting their dog lick the nipple on her bottle. She was giggling harder than I have ever heard her giggle. It was so funny I let her keep doing it :0 I hope everyone had a great weekend!

I could get used to this.

Now that we have a wonderful baby-sitter that we trust, Joey and I are free to have date night as often as we like!!! One of my sister's best friends, Sally, lives here in Huntsville and she has watched Finley twice for us and it has been so great. Sally said Finley was perfect. There was just one little problem...I gave Finley a bath yesterday afternoon so Sally wouldn't have to worry about doing that and I put her in a little cotton dress that I told Sally she could sleep in. At some point during the night, she took her diaper off which she has done before when she wasn't wearing pants. Needless to say, this morning her room reeked of urine and her bed sheet was soaked. Ew! I will not make that mistake again.



Last night we went to dinner at Connor's at Bridge Street Town Center over in Madison. It was wonderful! I had fried green tomatoes with Tasso gravy and cheese grits. Joey got fish and chips and we both devoured our meals. Those cheese grits were HEAVENLY! Then, as if that weren't enough, we shared strawberry shortcake with lemon cake and homemade vanilla ice cream for dessert. We could barely move!



Then we went to see Easy A. It was really cute and funny. It was a little slow during some parts, but overall I liked it. Joey, not so much. I wanted to see Going the Distance, but changed my mind at the last minute. We went to this movie theater called Monaco Pictures. It looked like a movie theater that would be in a city like Chicago or New York..not Huntsville. It was huge and had a restaurant and lounge inside. It has a huge lighted spiral staircase that took you up to private rooms where you can watch the movie and have dinner and drinks at the same time. The theater seats were really cushy and reclined really far back which was nice since Joey and I were so full we could barely stay awake. After the movie, we came home, watched Jersey Shore and collapsed into bed. It was the perfect date night. I could get used to this baby-sitter thing ;)

Words for Wednesday

My Juice Plus website is up!

www.elizabethdambrojuiceplus.com

You can go to my website to find out what Juice Plus is all about. I think I invited most of you to either my Healthy Happy Hour or my Wellness Playdate. If I didn't please let me know and I will send you an invite. At the Healthy Happy Hour we'll have wine, margaritas and healthy snacks and we'll tell you about Juice Plus and what it can do for you and your family. We'll probably show a short video that breaks down how Juice Plus is made and its benefits. After that we'll just mingle :) At the Wellness Playdate we'll give you all the same info. We'll also have healthy snacks and drinks for everyone and we'll let the kids play.

These Wellness events are very low key. My friend Tricia and I are not aggressive. We don't want to be "those girls" ;) We just think Juice Plus is awesome and want to share it. Just come and hang out! You will have fun, I promise!

Wordless Wednesday

KINGS OF LEON!

Last night I went to the Kings of Leon concert in Birmingham with my mom, my sister and my friend, Jennie. We had so much fun! It was a much needed break. We had dinner and margaritas at a Mexican place and then headed over to the Verizon Wireless Music Center, aka Oak Mountain Amphitheater. The last time I was there (high school) they still had the lawn. Yes, it's been that long since I went to a concert. The opening acts were The Whigs and The Black Keys. They were both awesome! Apparently they have quite the following because several people sitting near us left after they went off stage. Then, Kings of Leon came on and played all my favs except Arizona. Oh well :( They put on a great show! I didn't take any pics because I didn't want to take my camera in and my phone doesn't take good pictures in the dark. I did get a pic of me and my sister before we left. Here is my dark hair debut :) I drove back to Huntsville after the concert. I got in about 1:30am so I am really tired today, but it was sooo worth it.



On another note, Joey had a softball game he didn't want to miss so we called my sister's friend who lives in Huntsville to come watch Finley while Joey went to his game. It was the first time Finley has stayed with anyone besides family so I was a little nervous about how she would do, but Sally said she was fine. Joey texted me to tell me Finley cried when Sally left. This actually made me happy because we now have a baby-sitter!!! It is my mission for Joey and I to go to dinner and go see Going the Distance this week. I hope everyone has a great week!

My little woman...

Here is a video of Finley "shaving her legs". I'm starting to realize how closely I'm being watched. This time it was cute, but next time...I just better watch what I say and do ;)

Happy Birthday Nick!

Sunday we went to a birthday party for Nick! Nick's mom, Melissa, is my friend and my step-mother's niece. We had a great time! He had a barnyard themed party and it was so cute! Finley was a little cranky because she hadn't had a nap yet (insert bottle)We ate burgers and had cake and ice cream and once Finley got comfortable there she played with the other kids. We got to see Heather and Delaney, our pool buddies from when I was staying with my mom in Bham. We sure miss them ;) We got to see some other family and friends too so it was a great afternoon! HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICK! WE CAN'T BELIEVE YOU ARE ALREADY 1!

Finley's first haircut (17 months)

Another first...time is flying! We got Finley's hair cut on Friday afternoon. Evan at Morgan Ashley did it and she did a great job. Just a little snip here and a little snip there. I just wanted her bangs out of her face. Finley did great! She turned around a couple times to see who was behind her, but she loved looking in the mirror at herself and sitting up high in the booster seat. It was a fun start to the weekend!

Two pair!!!

I am PUMPED because I went shopping for jeans tonight and I got two pair! Usually I go and try on 20 pair and leave empty-handed, but for whatever reason I found two pair that fit. Yay! Maybe I'm a little too excited. I haven't bought jeans in forever! I only have one pair so tonight was a big night ;)

Tomorrow we are heading to Birmingham. My step-sister is the Alabama director for a non-profit organization called WAY. Wellness, Academics and You. They are putting on a health fair at Oak Mountain Middle School on Saturday so I am helping her with that. There will be cooking demos, a band, food, inflatables and a lot of booths with people giving tips and info on health, nutrition, working out, gardening, etc. Come by and see us! It's from 9-2pm on Saturday. Afterwards I am going to run a few errands and then watch the Auburn game. Sunday we have a birthday party for our little buddy Nick then we'll head back to Huntsville. Monday I will be back to Bham for the Kings of Leon concert and I am so freakin' excited!!!! Yay! Cannot wait!!! I hope everyone has a great weekend! War Eagle!

Oh and I did decide to dye my hair dark. It is currently a dark auburn/brown color. I think it has a little too much red in it, but in a week or so I'll go back over it with a brown color. I'm still getting used to it so I really can't say how I feel about it yet. I'm going to give it at least a month before i go back blond ;)

Juice Plus

I am now a Juice Plus Distributor! I don't have my website set up yet but when I do I will post it here. Here is a quick run-down from the Juice Plus website. You should definitely watch it if you have a minute. There are a lot of interesting health and nutrition facts. Dr. Sears is on the video too!



I love Juice Plus because I'm getting my daily servings of fruit and vegetables every day and I know it will keep me healthy. Also, when you buy yourself a supply you get your child's supply free. Finley takes Juice Plus! They offer them in tablet form or in a gummie. Finley and I both take the gummies because they taste like fruit snacks:) Not many children are getting their 5-12 servings of fruit and vegetables every day, but Finley does and that gives me so much peace of mind especially since at best she'll eat 1/4 cup of carrots and half a banana each day ;) It's also very affordable. It's less than $50 for a month's supply and that includes tax and shipping. Then, you get a child's supply for free. Let me know if you are interested in hearing more about Juice Plus or the business side of Juice Plus. I'm still learning, but will do my best to answer your questions.

The age old question...

It's cooling off a little and fall/winter is just around the corner so I am thinking about getting back to my roots...my natural haircolor. Being a blond requires a lot of maintenance and money. I've been doing a partial foil for a few months now so it's really just the top half of my head that's blond. Underneath I'm au natural. Whenever I talk about going dark people usually say they like me better as a blond so I get self-conscious. I'm thinking maybe I'll get lots of dark lowlights next time and slowly revert back, that way if I change my mind it won't be a huge hassle to go back blond. Ugh! I wish I was just a natural blond, but then I would probably wish for dark hair. The grass is always greener...

Blond




A little darker



A lot darker



Notice I had to go waaayyy back to get the last two pics.

Game Time!

Last night Finley and I went over to a friend's house to watch the Auburn game and cook out. Joey got tickets to the game so he went to Starkville to cheer on the Tigers in person. He took earplugs so the cowbells didn't bother him too much:) Joey said the game looked like two idiot kids pillow fighting. Oh well, a win is a win, right? So we went to Tricia's house and her husband grilled burgers and we ate and watched the game. Her daughter Allison is a self-taught guitar player so she provided the live entertainment. Finley was swayin' to the music and having a great time showing out for everyone. She was worn out when we got home so we took a bath and went to bed. We are so blessed to have the Mattoxs' as friends. Tricia sold us our house and our families just clicked:) The best nights are when you go to a friend's house in a t-shirt and jeans and just relax. Ahhh...

Happy Friday! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Fabulous Finds!

I'm one of those people who loves to tell others when I find something on sale. Lately, I've stumbled upon a few good buys, so guess what? I'm going to tell you about them ;)

-I got 4 lampshades at Pottery Barn. 2 of them were $13 each and the other 2 were $15 each. I think they were regularly $39 and $49 respectively.

-Gymboree has pajamas on sale for $8-$10. Still not as inexpensive as Wal-Mart, but less than the pajamas at Target. I love Gymboree pajamas! Usually they are $20 or $30.

-Belk was having a big sale and I got Finley 3 pairs of pants and 2 tops for $40.

-I found a Strasburg dress for Finley for next Spring at a consignment shop for $15 and it still had the tags on it. I love it when that happens! It was regularly $70.

And since I feel the need to have a picture with every post...

Wordless Wednesday

A babbling head :)



Yes, my child still has a bottle at night. Who are you to judge me? :)



Before church one day.



Every Southern girl needs her pearls :)



Big ole' bow!

Labor Day Weekend

We had an awesome Labor Day weekend! Eventful, but relaxing. We had one of Joey's golf buddies and his wife over to watch the Auburn game. War Eagle!!! Finley was showing out big time, but in a good way. She was very friendly, energetic and talkative:) We grilled burgers and just chatted and watched the game. After we ate, Todd and his wife, Ally, took their plates to the sink (how nice)and Todd looks out the back door and asks Joey if the deck is on fire. Hmmm...Joey goes to look and sure enough, the deck is on fire! Not really, but it looked like it. Here's what happened. Joey is old school and uses a charcoal grill for grilling out. We all know it tastes better that way, but it's a huge pain and takes longer. Anyway, he bought a 5 gallon plastic bucket and put it under the grill to catch the ashes. This has worked in the past, but not this time. The ashes caught fire and melted the bucket. All that was left was the handle. The bucket melted all through the slates of the porch. (Note to my dad and brother in law...the deck expansion project is now a tear down and rebuild project.) Anyway, Joey ran out the back door to get the hose to put out the fire and of course it was in a million knots. It was actually kind of funny once the fire was out. Anyway, no harm done :) Hopefully, Todd and Ally don't think we're idiots and will come hang out again because we enjoyed it :)


On Sunday we went to the fair. This was a great fair! It wasn't very crowded and all the games and rides were lined up so you could go down one side and come back up the other side and see everything. No long lines either. Finley rode the carousel twice. It was really the only thing she could ride and she LOVED it! She would smile and say weeee or whoaaa and she would pet the horse she was riding. Joey and I played a bunch of games and won 3 prizes and I got some cotton candy. Yum! There was a drumline there as entertainment and they were really good. Finley danced around a little while we waited to get on the carousel. The weather was perfect too.


My sister and her best friend came to Huntsville to visit a friend of theirs so they came by later that night and we ordered pizza. Later on Joey and I realized we had McDonald's for breakfast, Wendy's for lunch, Papajohn's for dinner and Baskin Robbins for dessert. That is ridiculous and kind of gross! I took a year off my life that day. NO MORE!!! On Labor Day we went over to my Sally's house (my sister's friend) and swam in their pool. It was a gorgeous day and Finley swam and had a snack and visited with Aunt Cacky and her friends. They had a salt water pool. I had never been in one before but it was awesome! She said there is almost no maintenance. I noticed later on that my skin felt so good afterwards, not that dry sticky feeling you have after you get out of a chlorine pool.

We had a fabulous 3 day weekend and hated to see it end :) I hope everyone else had a wonderful Labor Day holiday!!!

Furniture!!!

Yay! We finally got some furniture in this house! It is so nice to have a couch. I know what you're thinking and I'm going to prove you all wrong... you can have a white couch and a toddler. (Notice I didn't say anything about keeping it white, but I'm going to try) I want to get a rug and another couch like the one pictured so they can face each other. I also need end tables, drapes, pictures, accent chairs, lamps and the list goes on and on...

Finley says "Cack Cack".

My sister, Finley's Aunt Catherine, will now be known as "Cack Cack"

A visit from Grandad.

My dad came to visit us in Huntsville last month (yes, I' a little behind). He came up for the weekend and we had a great time! Finley hadn't seen him in a while, but she must have remembered him because she let him hold her almost immediately. We just hung around the house and played mostly. We had Five Guys for lunch and then grilled burgers that night. We also went down to a park not far from our house and fed the ducks. Finley loves animals and must have said "duck" a million times. These ducks were aggressive! They knew you were there to feed them and they came a runnin'. It was a great weekend! We miss you Grandad!!!

Slacker!

I will update my blog, I will update my blog, I will update my blog...tonight. Promise.