Google Nexus Giveaway

http://www.androidheadlines.com/2013/11/international-contest-win-a-lg-nexus-5-from-snappea-and-android-headlines.html

I must be busy

Clearly I have fallen down on the job here.  My intent was to at least post once per week...that didn't happen.

School is now out and we are in full summer mode.  Tan lines are beginning to form, the 2 year old now bobs around the big pool in her floaties without assistance.  I say she "bobs" because her kicking really doesn't get her anywhere.  It's sort of sad to watch really, but she seems perfectly happy.

I completed my first Farmer's Market last month and it was wonderful.  One of my best girlfriends come from Omaha to help me out (Thanks again, Anna!) and so did Julia.  It was exhausting, but fun.  I am really going to try to schedule another date in July.  And possibly in August.  I will need to get busy making though if I'm going to do it.  My best success with JuJuRoo has really come at the Lincoln Racquet Club.  They started carrying my headbands and they have been really popular there.

We are heading into an extremely busy June, but I hope to be better about posting...we shall see.

Too busy to clean...

Just put a mop and bucket by the front entrance. People automatically assume you either just cleaned or are just about to. That's my decorating tip for the week. :)

It's a glamorous life

I didn't even look to see how long it's been since my last post.  Essentially, our house has been a breeding ground for illness.  No matter how much bleach and Lysol I use, it seems that every year around this time, we take turns getting sick.  Today it's Jude.  He woke up with a fever and vomiting.  Poor thing has felt (in his words) "wobbly" all day.  He's sleeping on the bathroom floor right now...again. A week and a half ago, it was me with the stomach flu, and a day or two prior to my stomach flu was Julia's stomach flu.  Ruby has had a low grade temp a couple of times over the past couple of weeks, and continues to be a snot factory. In her case though, she doesn't slow down.  Fever or no fever, the kid just goes.  Energizer Bunny.

On the upside, I was able to work over the weekend and made some new headbands.  I'm absolutely in love with them! I even got some of them on Etsy...quite an accomplishment!!!!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/JuJuRoo?section_id=10951147

I'm disturbed

I think there's something seriously wrong with me.  This isn't a new thought, but something that floats in and out of my consciousness on occasion.  Every once in a while I catch myself, and think, "You are just not normal."

I'm not sure why it is, but I have this almost obsessive need to make things.  Things that are readily available for purchase.  Things that I don't need.  Sometimes things that I don't particularly want even.  But, I want to know how they are made, and then once I find out, I seem to NEED to make it.  I know people who are perfectly content to see something in a store, or online, and say "That's cute."   They either buy it, or don't buy it.  They might tell someone they saw it, and how much they liked it.  But there is no voice inside their head saying, "I could make that.  I wonder how long it would take me.  Do I have all of the stuff at home that I need, or should I stop on the way home? If I made it, I wonder if anyone would want to buy it.  I bet I could make that.  Yes, I need to go home and make that."

For a while, I kind of thought everyone thought that way.  Sort of like I thought everyone had double vision when they were tired...but that's a different story.  I know that there are lots of other people out there like me, but it's become clear to me, that it is NOT normal.  Slightly irritating.  Both to myself and those around me. Is this a mild form of OCD?  Is there medication for it?  If there is medication for it, I wonder what's in it.  I wonder if I could make it....

Like Old Navy?

If you have some shopping to do, save a little money when you do.
Click here to go to Old Navy and this coupon or click the button to have it sent to your smart phone.

http://motifcdn2.doubleclick.net/NAM/motif2949/AKQA004/us/index.html

Snowed in

We spent the weekend here in Lincoln snowed in.  We've had such a mild winter that it actually was kind of a nice change.  Friday it rained all day, and then we woke up Saturday morning to mounds of wet, heavy snow and tree limbs weighed down to the ground.

6 a.m. Saturday

6 a.m. Saturday

This little family of 6 (we count the dog) spent the entire weekend at home.  How often does that happen?  No running errands, going to the gym, shopping or eating out.  We even stayed home from church on Sunday.  The kids built (and re-built) a snow fort in the yard and sledded down the driveway.  Bryce and I cleared the driveway and sidewalks...several times. I baked cinnamon rolls and made soup. We watched movies, read, and played.  And while by Sunday evening we were all a little stir crazy, it was kind of nice to just hunker down and stay home.

Stupid Groundhog

Well, the stupid groundhog saw his shadow...again.  Doesn't he always?  I don't understand what his problem is with his shadow anyway.  And regardless of whether he does or doesn't, isn't it just a given that there are 6 more weeks of winter?  I think the groundhog either needs to get over it, or retire.

Grocery Day

Tomorrow is Saturday, which means it's grocery day.  When I quit my job to stay home with my kids, there were some concessions that needed to be made.  One thing I found we were wasting a lot of money on was groceries.  We would stop at the store on the way home and pick up whatever sounded good for dinner.  We didn't know what we had, what we were out of, and what was expired.  We were overbuying, and impulse buying several times a week.  I needed to get organized.  I have never been great about cutting coupons, and keeping them organized, but it would be part of our money-saving plan.  The bigger part of the plan though, was to make a weekly grocery shopping trip.  One trip.  For. The. Whole. Week.

Making a list with an entire weeks worth of groceries seemed very daunting because you can just forget so many things in the process of making the list. So, I picked the cheapest place to shop for groceries here - Walmart - and I took a trip there with a pen and paper.  I started at the back of the store, and went through every isle and wrote down, in order what things we buy on a regular basis in each isle, and a few things that are occasional buys.  I made a Word document with each section of the store (Dairy, Meats/Cheeses, Cleaning, Paper Goods, etc.) with a list of things I usually buy from those sections.  What I ended up with was a pre-made grocery list, personalized to me, where I go through and circle the things we need each week.  If there are extra things to add to the list, I left space to write in items that aren't on the pre-made list.  This makes going through the store very efficient and almost painless.

Now, for the reason I chose Wal-mart.  I know some people HATE Wal-Mart and avoid it at all costs.  Here is my reason for shopping there...the prices are lowest on most items, and they have a very easy "price match" policy.  If something is on sale somewhere else - they match the price - (in most cases) no questions asked.  In 5 years, I can think of only 2 times when they actually asked to see the ad.  I always take them, just in case.

The best way I've found to make the most of this price-match policy is to check the ads for your local stores (and don't forget CVS and Walgreens - they sometimes have great deals that you'd never imagine from a drugstore).  On Wednesdays (here in Lincoln anyway), the newspaper carries the grocery ads for the major local grocery stores.  I look through each of the ads and write down items that I know are "good deals" for each store.  I sometimes circle them with a Sharpie so they are easier to find if I have to provide "proof" at the checkout counter.  When I've gone through all of the ads, I then write them on my Word document with the sale price, store, and information like size or limits so I don't have to re-check the ads when I come across 2 or 3 different sizes of boxes of cereal.  If there are things we use a lot, and there is a good deal, I stock up now (as long as it's non-perishable).  One of my favorite deals is 3 lb. bags of frozen chicken breasts.  If I can get a 3 lb. bag for $4.99, I usually buy 4 or 5.  They keep in the freezer for a long time, and we use them all the time.  (You should always check expiration dates before buying)

Of course, if you hit a sale, and have a coupon also, it's even more satisfying.  I admit, I'm not great about coupons.  It goes in waves - I am a very organized couponer for a few months and then I don't cut any for a few months.  It's all what you have the time and patience for.

So - tomorrow is Saturday, and it is grocery day.  I have my list made, and my coupons organized.  Happy shopping!

Hobby Lobby

Here's one of my favorite things about having a smart phone.

http://mobile.hobbylobby.com/coupon.cfm

No need to cut out the coupon from the paper and u can use it as many times as u want.

Yep, I'm a real Mom...

Some days I feel like more of a "Mom" than others...today is one of those days.

1. Kids fed 
2. Kids dressed 
3. Carpool 
4. Run to the craft store 
5. Run to the grocery store 
6. Call from the school - sick kid 
7. Pick up sick kid 
8. Unload groceries 
9. Feed un-sick kids 
10. Find computer mouse for husband 
11. Run 5 year old to pre-school 
12. Put 2 year old down for nap
13. Quick - get lots done while 2 year old naps!
14. Run to office supply store 
15. Back to pre-school 
16. Stop to mail package
17. Home again

Now to figure out what to feed these mongrels...again.  Yep, I feel like a real Mom today.

Criticism...

Thought this was a nice article on the topic...

http://zenhabits.net/how-to-accept-criticism-with-grace-and-appreciation/

Oh so pretty

I'm working on re-vamping my Etsy shop after attending an Online Lab today.  I'm inspired to keep "digging in". So, my goal is to have a more cohesive look to the shop.  It's simple (the look, not the process), but I think I've found something that will work and be easy to duplicate each time I add new items...WHICH once I get this process completed should be much easier.
Sneak peak (I know there's no one looking at this blog yet, but hey, I'll just pretend like there is!)

Target Coupons

I don't know about you, but Target, for me is like a mini-vacation.  Sometimes I go there just to daydream, and wander around.  If I have to take the kids with me, the popcorn and soda bar at the snack bar keep my kids occupied for a little while anyway.  There are so many reasons that I love Target, but did you know that they have some pretty great coupons? And, if you have manufacturer coupons from the Sunday paper (or elsewhere) you can double them up with the store coupons to get some pretty great deals.  This is the strategy that all of the "extreme couponers" use.  I don't really have time for all of that, but I love being able to save a little extra money when I go to my favorite place on earth (well, almost).

Bookmark this one:
http://coupons.target.com/

Take a deep breath and just dig in

I have been attempting to use this as my "mantra" lately.  It seems like so many things are just overwhelming.  "Where do I start?" (usually with some sort of expletive thrown in) is the usual thought running through my mind.  I'm trying to replace it.  I'm not sure if my everyday tasks are actually that overwhelming, or if it's just my current state of mind that keeps me feeling anxious.

I've been working to get my Etsy store set up (again) and trying to figure out how to get traffic to it.  There is a science to it, and I've spent a great deal of time over the past week or so reading, and trying to implement a lot of the suggestions.  A lot of it seems to be "networking".  This takes a lot more energy, concentration, and time than I seem to have, but I'm making the effort.  There are so many venues out there now that again, it's OVERWHELMING.  However, I have been "digging in" and doing it.  The problem is, I feel like I'm wasting time when I should be "working".  I need to remind myself that if I'm going to make this shop successful, that this is a necessary step in the process.  I also had to do some re-arranging - ok, it was cleaning up - in my work space.  What's funny is that after I got it all neat and tidy, it seemed like I couldn't figure out what to do next.  Am I like my college professors who seemed to only know how to work in a mountain of clutter?  I hope not.

My favorite Oatmeal Cookies - made better!

A while ago, I made a few changes to my favorite Oatmeal Cookie recipe in an attempt to make them a little healthier.  Surprisingly enough, my husband and kids actually like them better this way!  In a nutshell, I swapped out half of the butter with applesauce, half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour, and almost half of the "quick oats" with regular rolled oats.  The cookies are every bit as tasty, and chewier than the original recipe.  They do stick a little more to the pan, but non-stick cooking spray helps.

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce (if you buy the snack cups, it's a perfect 1/2 cup, and you don't have to worry about any going to waste.)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 cup rolled oats
1 1/2 cup quick oats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients and set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter (softened) and sugars.  Add apple sauce, eggs and vanilla and stir until well incorporated.  Gradually add dry ingredients.     Lightly spray cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.  Form balls with dough, or drop by spoonfuls.  Bake 9-11 minutes.  Allow to cool for 1 minute before moving cookies to cooling racks.

"Creative minds are rarely tidy."
I saw this somewhere recently, but I can't remember where. Go figure.

On my list of least favorite activities....taking down Christmas decorations. Which is why it's the middle of January and I am still working on it. Im making it easier to check the lights next year by putting my lights in gallon freezer bags which I usually do, but this year, I'm leaving the plug out so I can check each string really easily.

It's Cold Outside

Brrrrrr. The temps have dropped and the wind is blowing like crazy. How long until spring again???

Going back to Etsy

I'm putting some things on Etsy again.  Hopefully it goes better this time around.  I've been reading some "tips" on how and when to add them so more people see them.  Here are a few of the photos.  I really need to get an adult model for some of these.  I really am enjoying making these head bands, so I hope I can sell them - there is little point in making them otherwise...I certainly can't wear them all!