My new favorite oatmeal

I have been working on perfecting my oatmeal "recipe" for some time now.  I prefer oatmeal to cold cereal for breakfast, because it just makes me feel full longer and you can add all kinds of fun mix-ins.  :)

This morning, I hit the jackpot. 

This was pure oat-deliciousness.

 It was so good that I wanted to share the "recipe"!

First, prepare your oats according to package directions.  (We had quick-cooking oats in the pantry, so that's what I used). While the oats were cooking, I chopped up about half of an apple, (peel and all) and put it in a microwave safe bowl with a splash of water and topped it with cinnamon.  (I was pretty heavy-handed, but you can add as much or as little cinnamon as you like!)  2 minutes later, the apples were soft and smelling super yummy!  (careful, they were also VERY HOT!)

I let the apples cool and added about 1-1.5 tsp. of brown sugar to my oatmeal while it was still in the pan.  (the brown sugar will just "melt" over the hot oatmeal) and I also added about 2 squirts of spray butter.  I know, butter and sugar is not super-healthy, but I don't use much of the butter or brown sugar, and so far, I haven't found a better flavor combo that I like.

Then I scooped all the oatmeal in a pretty bowl (this is a must!) and topped it with the apples and a little more cinnamon (optional).  Holy mole'...it tastes like warm baked apple pie!  When I plugged it into the nutrition calculator, I got this info....

For one serving of oatmeal (1/2 cup dry) with 1/2 apple, 200 calories, 3 g fat, 6 g fiber.  Not too bad, huh?  And it was sooo good!

Go ahead, you know you want to try it! :)

Rite Aid coupon deals

I am so excited! I just made a trip to Rite Aid while Lauren was napping, and I still can't believe the deals I got. 

Here is what I bought..

2 Gillette Body Washes

2 Old Spice Body Washes

2 Old Spice Deoderants

1 Secret Deoderant

6 Schick Hydro Shaving Cream

1 jumbo pack Huggies jean diapers

1 Gillette Pro Glide Razor

4 Clorox wipes tubs

1 Coppertone Baby sunscreen

2 Bayer Aspirin

1 Ivory 3 pk soap

2 Nivea lip care products

Total before sales, coupons and rebates = $104.68

Total after sales, coupons and rebates = $13.10!

Wow! Although Jason doesn't like Old Spice Body wash or deoderant, I will be able to donate it to my church for their clothes closet/pantry (they accept household items) because they were all FREE after coupons and rebates!

The diapers are for my neice, and they were $3.99 after coupons and rebates.

The clorox wipes tubs are normally priced at $3.49 (you can find them cheaper at Walmart, but still $2+) and I got them for $0.99 each after coupons and rebates.  Yay!

*I will try to post a picture later, but Lauren is waking up from her nap.  If you want to see how you can score these same deals, head over to Southern Savers or Hip2Save - they have done all the work for you! :) *

**CVS and Walgreens have some sweet deals on the body wash and deoderant this week as well, if you don't have a Rite Aid near by!**

conversations with Lauren

The week that Lauren stayed with the gparents in AL, I "treated" myself to a much-needed haircut.  The lady doing the cut asked if I had ever straightened my hair.  (I get that all the time).  When I told her "no, I never have time," she all but begged me to let her straighten it.  I thought, "well, why not?"  I have always been curious to see how it looks.

Almost 45 minutes later.....this was the result....

(I know, self pics are not good....but it was all I had)

I totally loved it!  I couldn't believe how different I looked and my hair was so soft and smooth.  I couldn't afford a Chi, so I bought a cheaper straightener from Target and have attempted it on my own 2-3 times since.  It has not been received well.  Jason liked it ok and my dad flat-out told me he "liked it better curly."

What do you guys think??

Anyway....I explained all that to give some background for yesterday's conversation with Lauren.  I was straightening my hair in the bathroom while Lauren was watching cartoons on my bed (moment of desperation, we were headed out for groceries, and I needed her to be still)  She gets down off the bed and comes in the bathroom...

Lauren: "Hi, mommy!

Me: "Hey, Lauren" (I'm trying to avoid burning my skin with the straightener).

Lauren: "Oooh, mommy, urr hair eees q"

Me: "what, Lauren?"  (I"m thinking, did she say what I think she said?!)

Lauren: "mommy's hair ees q!"

Me: "You think my hair is cute?"

Lauren: "huh huh"  (uh-huh)

And then she goes back to her cartoons.

When did my 2 year old learn to say "cute?!"

Yikes.

Also, I've been working with her on her name.  People (read: old people) are always saying "and what's your name little girl?"  Lauren has taken to holding up 2 fingers to tell them how old she is.... :)

So, we started "Name Boot Camp" in which I drill Lauren on her name until she learns it.  So far, not so good!

I asked Lauren: "What is your name?"

Lauren: "2"

Me: "Yes, Lauren, you are 2", "But your NAME is Lauren"  "Can you say Lauren?"

Lauren: "huh-huh" (uh-huh)

Me: "Ok, Lauren, what is your name?"

Lauren: "Dori!"  (Dora) 

Obviously, we are suffering from an identitiy crisis, and we will need something more intense than Name Boot Camp. :)

Just call me Dora, people.

news

No, I'm not pregnant. 

Whenever I announce to someone that I have "news" it always is followed with "are you pregnant?!" 

Sorry to disappoint.

Anyway, I think my news is extremely exciting, even if it doesn't involve a baby.

Our house is under contract and we are set to close on June 10!!

We had 3 offers total, and the first 2 were really low, plus the buyers were asking for us to pay a % of closing costs, which meant we had to bring money to the table at closing.  Nope.  We didn't want to do that.

We prayed and tried to be patient, knowing that God would provide, as He always does.

The 3rd offer was for FULL ASKING PRICE!!

But.... the buyer wanted all the furniture that was in the house.  That meant our living room set, dining room table and china cabinet (which we actually bought with the house) and master bedroom set, plus 2 rocking chairs from cracker barrel and patio table and chairs.  :( 

We were a little sad about that part of the deal.  However, IF we move back to TN, it will not be until next year, and by the time we paid for someone to help us move all that furniture (it is SUPER heavy!) and then paid for a storage unit for about 12 months, we would have actually lost money on the whole deal. 

And in the long run, furniture is just "stuff" and can be replaced.  I am a little sentimental about selling our king-sized bed....first because it was one of the first "grown up" piece of furniture that Jason and I bought...and the first bed that he has been able to sleep in without his feet hanging off the end; AND because we have lots of funny memories of changing Lauren on our bed and me nursing her in it at all hours of the night!  :)  But we can keep the memories, and hopefully replace with a similar bed one day soon!

So, we agreed to the terms and in the last 2 weeks they did the home inspection, appraisal and termite inspection.  So, now we are set to close in a week!  Wow!

We will be headed to TN this weekend to box up some more of the things that we left there and take them to our storage unit.  Fingers crossed that it will all fit and we won't have to get a bigger one!

And just for the record, I would love to have another baby, but news flash...we live in an apartment in KY 6 hours from our nearest relatives.  I don't think we're going to be adding to our family just now. :)

new addiction

As some of you know, couponing has become a new addiction for me. (Perhaps this is why I have not updated my blog before now?? Too much time spend on couponing??!!)  Haha!

Once I realized just how much money I could save by using coupons (paired with sales!), I was hooked.  I will share a few of the best deals that I have been able to score in the past 2 weeks....

*All Liquid Detergent (32 load) $1.99

*Welch's 100% grape juice (64 oz) $1 (regular price $4+) !!

*Armor All (Jason uses it in the cars) $0.37

*Shout Stain spray $0.22

*Schick Hydro Razors $0.99 (regularly price at $6.99+... I bought 11 and paid the same as 2 full price!)

*Kraft Deluxe Homestyles mac n chz 2 for $1.00! (price $2-$3.99 each) I had a $1.00 off and a FREE coupon!

*100 cal. pack Kraft Cheese $0.76

*Starkist tuna pouches $0.43

*Bandaids $0.27

*KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce $0.42

*Nestle Quick (Lauren drinks this in her milk everyday) $0.83 (usually $1.50-$2.50)

*Oscar Meyer hot dogs $1.00

*Yo-plus yogurt 4 pk. $0.68

Huggies Baby Wipes tubs (64-84 ct) $0.99 (reg. $2.16 each!)

Kashi cereal $0.99-$1.50 (reg. $2.99-$3.99)

*Betty Crocker Warm Delights $0.13

Colgate Total toothpaste (travel size) $0.22

*Nivea Body Wash FREE (had $4.00 off coupons, sale price $3.99!)

*Vitamin Water FREE (sale price $1.00, had $0.50 coupons which Kroger doubles....)

Now, I could try to explain how I got all of these great deals, but I will just link to some great blogs and sites that do all the work for you.  Fortunately for me, my town has 2 Krogers, 2 Walmarts, 2 CVS, 2 Walgreens, etc... and they are all within about 10-15 minutes from me, so I can swing by on the way friom the park or wherever with Lauren.  We are usually in and out within 10 minutes, because I am just buying the sale items.  I don't make a "speical" trip for just 1 or 2 things, because that is not cost-effective when it comes to gas!!

Here are a few of the blogs that I love.....these can get fairly repetitive, so I mostly just check the 1st 2 and last 2. Southern Savers and Hip 2 Save update MANY times per day, so it's a good idea to check them out frequently so you don't miss great deals!!

Also, Collin, who writes Hip 2 Save has several videos on YouTube where she has posted many of her shopping trips using coupons.  Just go to www.Youtube.com and type "Hip 2 Save" into the search box and it should pull them up.  She is hilarious!  And for those of you who are new to couponing, she gives great examples for how to coupon. 

Southern Savers (covers stores in the south)

Hip 2 Save

Money Saving Mom

My Precious Pennies

The Krazy Coupon Lady (and my friend, Dorothy, just emailed me the link to the Krazy Coupon Lady's alpahbetical list of printable coupons!! Awesome!!)

I Heart CVS (obviously covers CVS deals)

Totally Target (obviously covers Target deals)  

There is a Walmart one that I like, but can't find the address right now, so I will update later when I do! :)

**I am no means an expert on couponing, but I do love saving money, so if anyone who reads this has ??'s, I'll try to answer them the best I can! :) **

Happy 2nd Birthday, Lauren!

A little trip down memory lane....

Lauren Grace Colburn

May 20, 2008

Our new family of 3

a very proud Daddy!!

Going home from the hospital (Daddy & I cried

the whole way home because we were so happy!)

you were almost the same size as your ladybug! :) 

 (And yes, extremely yellow...jaundice!!)

Our 2 year old baby!

Daddy brought home a surprise today for your birthday

...a Dora balloon...

and some beautiful roses!

(you are getting your big gift from us on Saturday...a tricycle!!)

We had a little celebration tonight, just the 3 of us, and now we are headed to AL this weekend for a party with Daddy's family....

And next weekend we will celebrate with mommy's family in FL...

hopefully you will not think that you get this many birthday parties every year! :)

Lauren,

You are a such a sweet little girl and you bring joy everywhere you go!  Daddy and I love you more everyday.  You are such a blessing to us, and there is not a day that goes by that we don't thank God for you! 

We are starting to see you assert your independence more and it is sort of bittersweet.  You don't depend on us completely anymore for every little thing.  There are many things that you try to do on your own!  You don't always agree with what we want you to do, but I hope that you will see (one day!) that we only want what's best for you. 

We can't wait to see what the future holds and we know that God has great things in store for you life! 

Love you, love you!

~Mommy

book, deals and hair cuts

I'm sure that is one of the more random blog titles so far, but I like combining several things into one post! :)

First of all, I was in Family Christian Store the other day and they had this book on their $5 rack.  I had heard of it, but didn't even know what it was about.

If you have not read this, you should! It is a sad story, this is not a comedy by any means, but it is spinkled with funny stories throughout.  I don't want to give anything away, but I really love the way that God is glorified in the story and I recommend it to anyone..it is a quick read as well!

With that being said, on to our "deals" this week. 

Since we will be traveling most of this week (more on that when we get back!), I didn't really need to buy many groceries.  So, I took the opportunity to use our grocery budget and "stockpile" some non-perishables.  (I did this last month with shampoo, deoderant, toothpaste and soap!) 

Lauren and I went to Target today for just a few things that I had really great coupons for (mostly B1G1F!!)

Here is what we bought: (The Kleenex towels are great for cleaning bathrooms!)

Total cost before coupons: $48.33

Total cost after coupons: $22.09

Savings: $26.24

I saved more than I spent!!

The Cetaphil was something that was not on sale...but I did use a $2 off coupon and it came with the free sample of lotion.  My SIL recommended using this on Lauren in the bath for her excema. 

I used my B1G1F coupons for the Tresemme Fresh Start waterless foam shampoo (and each came with a free refreshing mist) and bought 2, got 2 free. 

I used 2 B1G1F coupons and a $2 off coupon for the Nivea Body Wash and chapstick.  It made each product end up costing less than $1 each and they were FULL SIZE!  (the body washes are regularly $3.99 each!)

And the Kleenex towels were on sale for $2.99 each.  I had 2 Target coupons for $1 off and 2 manufacturer's coupons for $1 off, so each box was $.99.  I love using these to clean the bathroom, they are bigger and thicker than actual kleenex- and after you wipe the sink or toilet seat (ew!) or whatever, you just toss them.  (I know, not very "green" but oh well.)

I also bought some diapers at CVS this week for a steal (we still use cloth, but not when we travel!!)

For a BOX of Pampers (64 ct), I spent $10.89, plus earned $5 ECB to use next time, so that's really like paying $5.89 for a huge box of diapers!  They were originally $19.99 (already $4 off on sale) plus I used a $3.00 CVS coupon, a $1.50 manufacturer's coupon, and $4.60 worth of ECB that I had left.  Whoo hoo! That is only $0.17 per diaper, when they are usually $0.25-$0.31 each!

All in all, I thought those were some pretty good deals.  Sorry if you are bored out of your mind.  :)

Finally, on to hair cuts.

I completely forgot to post pictures of Lauren's first hair "cut"!  Back in February, I decided that it was time to have a little trim.  We took her to this place in town called "Snips" that specializes in kids cuts.

I was really nervous, because Lauren's hair was starting to get curly in the back and I DID NOT want them to touch it!  But her bangs were Out. Of. Control. 

Sort of how they looked this weekend before cut #2. 

Are you seeing a Farrah Fawcett resemblence here??

Soo... Lauren was happily put into the pink corvette chair where Stephanie, our hair stylist promptly turned on a Dora DVD (!!) and gave Lauren a sucker (!!!) while she trimmed her hair.

I let her snip just a little in the back to help it grow. 

  

Needless to say, Lauren was pretty sure that she had died and gone to heaven.  I was amazed that the child could sit so still.

I realized as we were about to leave, that I needed a piece of hair for her scrap book.  I mean, this was her first hair cut!!  But Stephanie cut so little off, all that was in the pink corvette chair was this blonde dust.  So, I didn't take any home, because it didn't even look like hair!!

Here is Lauren this time after trim #2.

Stephanie trimmed and layered Lauren's bangs and then trimmed the ends (which immediately sprung up in some more curls!! Yay!)

But there still was no lock of hair for me to bring home and put in the baby book!

I guess we will have to wait for a "real cut" for that.  Another stylist there offered to "cut off a big piece" for me, but I gave her the stink eye and said "no, we'll wait until it gets longer!"  Good grief. Doesn't she know this is my baby's hair here?! :)

It did make me a little sad to think that the little, tiny, trim that she got in the back was probably the very first hairs that she ever had on her head. 

By the time the hair cut was finished, it was 1:30 and POURING down rain.  We went next door to Salsaritas for lunch.  Lauren was so tired, we didn't even make it home before she fell asleep!

I loved her little hands facing up like that in the picture.  Jason said she was praying. 

 Come, Lord Jesus!

Hope everyone had a good weekend!  We are thankful that we didn't have any tornadoes, even though we were under watches/warnings ALL NIGHT Saturday!

We are praying for all the people in TN whose homes are flooded!