Starting A Job... (well sort of)

This is a job, a hobby, and a LIFE SAVER!

I have clipped coupons before and saved a little bit here and there over the years. I thought "Cool! I saved two bucks from coupons."

Well, little did I know about "couponing" and the coupon world.

A few weeks ago, I went to Albertsons with my sister-in-law. I just thought she was shopping for a few things here and there. I thought she had to grab a few things before we headed to a family function. She kept looking from her shopping list to the merchandise on the shelf, back and forth, back and forth. So I asked her, "What are you doing?" she then told me about how she was learning from one of her friends about these amazing coupon deals, and websites and stuff. I was like okay cool, cool. I didn't think much of it... till she got to the cashier.

She handed the cashier some coupons, then was told the total.

"What?!" I said to myself.

She got $30.00 of groceries for like $2.28

Who would pass that up? I know I wouldn't! So I asked her about the websites and how to get started. Luckily Justin and I had bought a daily newspaper cause coupons do come in the papers. Especially on Sunday!

So I decided to start being part of the coupon women of sorts and save some money for our family. I figure I can do this during the day when jack is sleeping or occupied by toys or other sorts, and make "money by saving money."

There is so much to learn though. Oh you wouldn't think so by the sound of it, but man! There are so many techniques its almost bothersome. I haven't got the handle on it quite yet, but I'm saving a little bit at a time until I get how it works.

It may not sound like much, but it works! Don't take my word for it. Try it yourself by going to hip2save.com, http://savvyshopperdeals.com/ or http://grocerysmarts.com/utah/lists/splashg84rcm.php

There are coupons from everything point of the spectrum from clothing, make-up, baby items, household items, food, yard, anything you can think of there are coupons and deals for.

It may take some time to get used to the sites, and the jargon but I think its well worth it for stay at home moms that want to save some $$$ on food and home goods, and spend it else where, or SAVE IT!

Muddy Yard + Baby = ...

Yesterday, we were finally able to get out in the yard and work on the sprinklers a little more. It was an awesome day to work outside. It was warm and sunny, with not a cloud in the sky.

So... One by one we checked each valve, each sprinkler section, and each sprinkler head to make sure everything would work as it should before we put in our grass.

Well its started out nice, then the surprises came.

Water came seeping out of the dirt in some spots, which revealed broken pipes. In one section of the yard, a pipe came bursting from the ground, shooting up water a few feet from the ground. (we still can't find the other end of the pipe it broke off.)

Cracked sprinkler heads pushing dirt forcefully in different directions.

Many holes were made to fix these problems. Which brings us to our curious and helpful son.

Jack was so intent on watching his dad dig these holes, play with pipes and gadgets and tools, that he just had to join in and help in any way he could.

So he ventured out for a hole he could crawl in, and started touching and playing with the pipes he could find inside the holes he would crawl into. Of course there were inches of water inside each hole, which then made mud... well you get it.

Jack would randomly find his father, see what he was up to, then go about doing his own thing again.

This is the cutest part! When ever he would climb out of a hole, his butt would get muddier and muddier. I just couldn't resist letting him climb around.

This was his favorite hole. He kept climbing in and out and in and out of this hole.
Dirty hands, feet, legs, and bum.
These are the times when you need to make sure you have a camera on hand. The cutest pictures come from the dirtiest or wrong things that they do. This act was on the good side, but its others like getting into the bathroom and taking all the toilet paper off the roll, or drawing a picture on the wall for you. Its things like that I think I will one day miss. When the grow older its more extravagant things like driving or dating or fighting that you have to worry about. I" would choose toilet paper and drawing on the wall over those other things any day. I remember those days and am not looking forward to that happening when my kids reach that age. Just take these silly moments with you little ones as they come, because I'm pretty positive there will be worse things to come.
Note to self:
His adventures have only just begun, so let him explore the world and experience all his adventures with them while you still can. Don't take it for granted.

The Adventures continue...

Just a few moments in our happy lives while we have been away from our blog.

We will try to keep everyone posted more frequently.

Jack and mommy playing at home one day after a trip to the park.

Jack decided to play in his toy box with his toys, rather than

get them out to play with them. Kids do the cutest things don't they?

This was his preference of lounging one day.

He wouldn't sit down any other way, so figured... "If he will stay still sitting

like this for a little while, then why not?"

Cheese!



Hanging out at the pool with Uncle Hunter. Its a good thing he likes to swim,
cause now we have an excuse to go to Grandpa and Grammie's.

Our New Home!

This past week we have started putting in plants and flowers in the front yard. As you can see, we don't have grass in yet, but that doesn't seem to stop Jack from playing in his huge yard of dirt, weeds and lots of bugs. He has also on occasion plays with the water hose, which ends up with muddy and messy baby.

Our porch! Its perfect for when it rains! We sit on our chairs under our big porch and watch the weather work its magic.

We are in the process of putting in sprinklers and grass, so every night Justin gets home from work, he marches out to our .26 acre and does all the work he can before it gets dark. It may not sound like a lot of land, but when you start from scratch and do it all your self, it feels like it will never end. We love it though! Having the big yard is a major plus in our eyes.

Our Tree..

A front view of our house. Its in a culdesac, no homes behind us and the room for more babies to complete our family. We plan on staying here for a long time.

Thank you for all the support and the help we got from family and friends during this major change for Justin, Jackson and I.

Finished Floor!

The finished project! The floor is a beautiful mix of rich colors. It makes our home feel so much more cozy. I wasn't able to get the best pictures, but that just means you will have to come over sometime and see it for yourself.

Its almost finished..

Justin finishing up the last part in the kitchen. Only a

little bit longer.

The new floor is being put in, and even though it wasn't finished

you can already see the difference.

Jack, Uncle Waylon and Uncle Sterling taking out the last

of the old floor.

Here are my boys ripping up the floor, getting it prepped to put in the new floor.

Jack always loves to help in any way possible.

The first major project we decided to do to the house was the kitchen/dining room floor. I know this post is a bit backwards but so can tearing a house apart. So join in the fun. This is our dining room before we did anything to it... plain white from floor to ceiling.