GOOD DEAL!

OK, so my friend Lindsey has really gotten me into coupons... I am like a mad woman.

My new favorite word: FREE!

Here are some of the deals I got today...

RITE AID: These are all full size items

Purex: On sale B1G1 (8.99)... I used a $2 coupon for each making them about $2.50 each!

Old Spice: Had a B1G1 coupon, on sale 2/$7, with a $1 SCR, making them $1.25 each!

U Kotex Tampons: On sale for $3.49, $3.49 SCR, and $1 coupon, making them FREE and a $1 money maker! I love being paid to shop!

Lastly the Sea Breeze: On sale for $4.99, $1 coupon, and $3.00 SCR, making it $.99!

Went to Bath & Body Works:

Bought the green holder for my hand sanitizer for $.50 and got the travel size lotion ($5) for FREE!

Went to AVEDA here in Geneva... got this little set FREE!!!

Shampoo, Conditioner, and a hair Treatment!

Lastly we went to ORIGINS at the Mall.

For Earth Day if you brought in an empty container of your current facial product, they gave you a full size face wash FREE! (they cost $20)

NICE!!!

So, that was my shopping day.

How did you do?

...Not to bad for a beginner eh?!?!

A dream come true...

All my life I have had this strange obsession with motorcycles. I remember when I was a teenager laying on my bed counting the motorcycles as they passed... they like my road for some reason and come in packs ;) I also always stare when they Rally. Ugh! I LOVE motorcycles!

We went to Buffalo this past weekend to visit Rob & Sheila and had an amazing time! They are so much fun! Anyway, when we got there Rob gave me a ride on his motorcycle!!!!

IT WAS AMAZING!!!

I LOVED EVERY MINUTE!

You know that feeling you get when you ride a roller coaster? That is how I felt. I was scared to death (especially when a car pulled out in front of us).... but I could not stop smiling!

My FIRST motorcycle ride...

SO MUCH FUN!!!

Thanks Rob!!

Where's Waldo??

Here is that picture from the newspaper... Easter Egg Hunt #2.

Can you find Sophie and I???

Oh, the joy of candid shots!

Easter Afternoon

This is Easter Afternoon!

Sarah & Chris made an amazing dinner. I am bummed I didn't get a picture of it.

Easter is the first time Ella got to drink juice as well as drinking out of a cup!

She did such a great job!

She LOVED it!

Papa gave Ella some sweet potatoes! She had SO MUCH FUN and LOVED IT!

I made a cheesecake for Easter. It was good.

Notice the missing berries.... Sophie LOVES berries!

Sarah REALLY liked the cheesecake. Chris tried to take a bite... see what happened...

A SAD ending to the evening... Sophie fell and hit her lip on the floor. Notice her fat lip... (right side of the picture)...

Ella was all tuckered out as well. She fell asleep like this....

Sophie is SO SMART... she took the popsicle stick (she ate it after she fell to help ice her lip) and made a PEEPsicle!

I have the BEST family in the WHOLE WORLD!

I LOVE YOU ALL!

Easter

HAPPY EASTER!

Who couldn't smile when greeted by this face!

These are pictures from Easter morning at Mom & Dad's house! We had SO MUCH fun! It was amazing! I just love my family. We missed Jamie and Stephanie, and wish they could have spent Easter with us.

Mom REALLY wanted to have an Easter Egg Hunt for us! I was a little hesitant... but it turned out to be SO MUCH FUN!

New Tradition?!?!?

Sarah finding Eggs...

Andrew finding eggs....

I am so sad this one didn't turn.

Eggs in the tree...

Uncle Joe finding eggs...

Mom & Sarah...

Lynda & Sarah finding eggs....

Sarah found an extra special treasure!

A frog prince!

Ella & Chris were a team... I am pretty sure they got the most eggs...

Easter Egg Hunts sure are lame... aren't they CHRIS!!!

Dad & Sophie were a team as well!

I think this picture is ADORABLE! I am so bummed it didn't turn.

Sarah, Chris, & Ella

Andrew helping Sophie find the egg on top of the slide...

Dad... you have to keep a better eye on those crows!

We think the male crow took one of the metallic eggs and took it to his "wife" :) He was smart... the metallic eggs had the prizes in them!

Thank you so much Mom & Dad

We LOVE You!

Easter Egg Hunt #3

What about Easter Egg Hunt #2 you ask?

Well, EEH2 was in Waterloo. We were running a little late, so in order to get Sophie there in time I ran out of the car without my camera. Dang it! It's OK though, cause the newspaper guy got our picture instead! Oh yeah, a nice "bending over" picture of me helping Sophie with her eggs! LOL... at least I was just in the background!

ANYWAY... EEH3 at the Geneva Community Center

It was a BLAST! It was so well organized and so fun for everyone there! People really let the kids hunt for the eggs which was awesome! I hate when parents rush in and pick up a ton of eggs for their kids. Sophie just is not aggressive, so this was a really good one for her.

This is the first Hunt Ella was able to participate! She was really excited! She might also have just been excited to be with her Mu!

Sophie finding some eggs! They were hidden in the grass, rocks, all over! FUN!

Ella found some with the help of Mu!

Happy Girl!

SUPER happy girl!

CUTENESS! I just love these girls!

Sophie has a cold, her poor little nose.

See her basket? She did awesome!

More to come....

Easter Egg Hunt

Yesterday Mom, Sarah, Sophie, Ella, and I went to the Waterloo Outlet Mall for an Easter Egg Hunt! I think it was poorly organized, but that is OK... the kids didn't notice!

Sophie went in with the 3-5 year old group. She did awesome this year! While she was picking up eggs she said, "I am going to share these with Ella since she missed her turn." What a sweetie! We got there a few min late, and missed Ella's age group...

Here is Ella with an Egg! She had a really hard time holding the eggs with those tiny little fingers!

HAHAHAHA! I said, "Sophie, can you put your arm around Ella so I can take a picture?" This is what she did!! She had candy in her other hand! Ella thought it was funny!

How CUTE are they!!

We stopped in Carters to get some things... Ella sat in this chair by herself and played blocks with Sophie! What a big girl! (don't worry... I kept a hand on her!)

Lastly we went and had a picture with the Easter Bunny! Sarah told me not to post this picture... but I think it is really cute!!

Happy Easter Festivities!

Blogs, Babies, & Bitterness

WARNING: This post is just me venting. It is not positive, uplifting, or fun.

BLOG: Noun: an online diary; a personal chronological log if thoughts published on a web page.

Seeing as though a BLOG is an online "diary" I thought it would be a good place to share my feelings. Today I went to 2 baby showers. One for my friend Leah who will be having a little girl. Another for my friend Staci who will be having a little boy. Now, I have ALWAYS loved baby showers. I think they are so much fun! I love all of the cute little games that are played... no matter how cheesy they are. Let's admit... most baby shower games are! I also love to see the sheer joy/panic on the mommy-to-be's face as she opens her gifts. I say joy because the little things are so cute and fun. On the other hand I say panic because you can always see that little twinge of "wow... I am having a BABY..." You know... that feeling of what was I thinking! I also love all the talk of babies. I love discussions of names, and all the advice that is shared. I love every moment, and never want it to end!

Today I had totally different feelings and I feel like a horrible person. As all of you know last year was a really hard year for Andrew and I. We lost 2 little ones of our own. One in August and one in November. I'd have to say, there is nothing like losing a baby. It is the hardest thing I have ever been through. Not a day goes by that I don't think about our babies. I see pregnant women and cannot help but stare. I see newborns and my heart aches. As I sat in those two baby showers today I felt myself constantly bitting my tongue as to not let a single tear fall. I hope no one noticed.

I am very proud to say that I held myself together very well. I kept a smile on my face, participated in all games, and even helped with the gifts. I am not saying that I didn't want to be there... I did. I am SO HAPPY for Leah & Staci. I love them and support them, and cannot wait to meet their little ones, Maggie & Jason. I am grateful that I was invited and was able to share in the excitement.

I guess the feeling that I felt most was jealousy. How horrible am I?!?! I want that big belly (or at least an excuse for the one I've got!), I want crib sheets, and diapers, a swing, a crib, burp cloths, and clothes up the wazoo. I want that "pregnant glow" ... and most of all I want to meet the little ones that I know are waiting to come to join Andrew & I.

Ok.. I just needed to vent.

Happy Birthday Andrew!

Andrew's Birthday was March 16th.

He turned the BIG 24!

We celebrated on Monday the 15th with my family! Dad made this wonderful cake, and Mom decorated it! We had a lot of fun, as it always is when you are with family!

We spent Andrew's birthday together. He wanted to go out to dinner, so to Applebee's we went! We celebrate everything at Applebee's!! We had a great time! I HAD to have them sing to Andrew... they brought him this little sundae!

Here's to another year!

Happy Birthday my love!!

St. Patrick's Day Treat!

So, my friend Adele has an awesome cooking blog and she inspires me! (http://simplydeliciouscooking.blogspot.com)

I have been looking at these since she posted them in mid January :) I finally decided to make them! I had to alter the recipe a little to make them work as cups instead of bars... so here it is:

Peanut Butter Cups

1/2 cup butter, melted

1-3/4 cups powdered sugar

1 cup peanut butter

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (About 5-6 graham crackers)

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

1. In a small sauce pan melt 1/2 cup of butter.

2. Remove from heat and stir in the powdered sugar.

3. Add the peanut butter & graham cracker crumbs.

4. Stir until creamy.

5. Line a tart pan with small cupcake cups.

6. Spoon in mixture about 3/4 full.

7. Place in refrigerator to chill approx. 15 minutes.

8. After the peanut butter mixture has chilled move on to chocolate steps...

9. In the same sauce pan, melt 1/2 cup butter.

10. Stir in chocolate chips until very soft. Remove from heat and sir until the chocolate is smooth and shiny.

11. Spoon into cups over the peanut butter layer.

12. Return to refrigerator until chilled.

I packaged them up as so and gave them to my family as a St. Patrick's day treat!

The recipe is basically the same if you want to make them into Peanut Butter Cup Bars. You just spread the peanut butter mixture in a 9x9 pan. Then use 1/4 cup butter and 1/2 cup chocolate chips for the top layer.

I found that they taste better straight from the fridge! When served at room temperature they were a little melty in your hands!

This is an AWESOME recipe! Thanks for sharing Adele!