Gabrielle's 1st Dentist Appointment

This morning I had such high hopes and expectations of posting photos of Gabrielle at her very first dentist appointment. I thought she might be a little nervous but I just knew she would eventually do great.

Well, I was wrong! She didn't cry or scream or cause a scene but she very adamantly said "No!" to every request. She absolutely would not sit back in the chair. She would not open her mouth. She would not cooperate in any way regardless of the trick or bribery used.

So we left the dentist office today with no photos, no new toothbrush, no little prize - only a referral for another dentist who "might be better" for Gabrielle!!

A Day at the Lake

This week my best friend Casey invited me and the girls to go to her parents' house on the lake for a short trip. We had been talking all summer about going and finally now with only a couple of weeks left of summer we made it! This was my girls' first experiences in a lake and their first boat ride. They loved it!! It was so much fun and Casey's parents were awesome hosts. Gabrielle even felt so at home she started referring to Casey's mom as Granny as if she were another grandchild! Hopefully we weren't too much trouble and will be welcome back again next summer!!! {smile}

From My Little Sunbeams

The kids were so cute in their life vests but proved to be very difficult getting a snapshot of all four together!

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At least Gabrielle and Gus cooperated!

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No smiles but I assure you they were both very happy and excited about the boat!

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It most definitely made their day when Granny let them each have a turn driving the boat.

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Casey and Anna relaxing.

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Gus looks like he was sleeping in the photo but he was just sweetly looking out onto the water as if he were deep in thought. Precious!

Keeping the Faith

The past couple of Sundays our pastor has preached on faith. This past Sunday's sermon must have touched quite a few of us because after many requests the pastor sent out a church-wide email with a copy of the poem he read as part of the sermon. The poem had been one woman's creed, something she read every morning to begin her day, something she strived to do each and every day.

I have a feeling reading this each day will become a daily routine for many of us - I know it will mine!

Today, I will keep the faith.
I will be courageous in the face of fear,
humble in the face of pride,
loving in the face of hate,
sweet in the face of bitterness,
and holy in the face of ungodliness.
I will be strong for the weak,
faithful for the fearful,
company for the lonely,
and hope for the helpless.
I will keep the faith with joy,
so contagious and so compelling,
that Christ will be reflected
with blinding radiance in my face.
Today, I,
even if I alone,
will keep the faith.

My Latest Obsession

COUPONS!! I have always been an off and on coupon clipper but over the past couple of months it has become almost an addiction. I went from the typical small file folder full of coupons to this -

From My Little Sunbeams

a 3-ring binder full of baseball card sleeves full of coupons! Most I get from the Sunday paper and the midweek mailer and others I either print myself or receive in the mail such as Target store coupons and diaper coupons. I was amazed at how quickly they add up. I used to see other women in stores with their coupon binders and never understood where they got all of those coupons and how they could stand to carry such a big binder into stores shopping. But as my little file folder began to fill up and become more difficult to close and as I was running out of room and pockets for new categories I decided I would give the binder a try. And I love it! When I see how much I'm saving at the register and how much easier it is to find the coupons I want to use, I'm not even embarrassed carrying around such a big binder.

Some of the deals I catch I find on Southern Savers but recently it has become almost a challenge to see if I can find my own deals that were not mentioned on the blog.

Just for fun I thought I'd post my deals this week. It is super doubles at Harris Teeter. I love super doubles!! The photo below is everything I bought during my trip yesterday -

From My Little Sunbeams

I hit quite a few VIC specials but before coupons the total was $63 - and after coupons.....$21.06!!! Woohoo! I saved over $40 in coupons. Some of the best deals I managed to get were:

• Ragu pasta sauce, 45 oz. jar - 3 jars for $2.52, just 84 cent each!
• Chips Ahoy cookies with Reese's - free!
• Danonino yogurt - free!
• Danimals smoothies - 2 for free!

I had a couple of other items on my list that would have been awesome deals but apparently a lot of other people thought the same and they were out of stock.

At CVS I was able to get two packs of Huggies baby wipes, 216 count, for only $2.18 out of pocket plus $3.00 in Extra Care Bucks I can use at my next shopping trip.

I had a fairly decent week at Target as well. I saved $24.03 in coupons. My best deals there were:

• Pampers Cruizers diapers, 64 count & Pampers wipes, 72 count - both for $13.49 (saved $6.39)
• Kellogg's cereal - 3 boxes for $3.39 total!
• Dora the Explorer Foaming Soft Soap (Gabrielle has been begging for this soap) - just 99 cent
• Hormel pork tenderloin - $4.99

I am definitely still learning though and becoming a more efficient shopper. For instance, during Harris Teeter's last super doubles special I overbought on yogurt. Just because I can get 20 containers of yogurt for $2.00 doesn't mean I should. I ended up throwing away a few containers and I really dislike wasting food. So I'm learning to only buy what my family can and will actually use unless it is an item I can donate to the food pantry. And I am learning to buy first what we absolutely need for meals and then hitting some of the other good deals for snacks or even a special treat.