No eating out...really?

So, my family is about to embark on a huge challenge.  Our challenge is to not eat out at all during the month of September.  Not lunch, not dinner, nothing.  The two exceptions to the rule is if we have a gift card to cover the entire amount or if it is paid for by someone else.  I got this idea from another website I follow, www.couponingtodisney.com.  I was introduced to this website by my money saving partner in crime, Kristen.  On the website they have challenged people to do this, even if they don't stop all together, just even eating out 30% less.  The goal is to save money and in turn I'm sure it will also help our waist lines.  Dylan and I don't eat out every day or anything but it definitely can be a few times a week for the both of us.  I'm really curious to see how this month will go because we love to go out, especially on Friday nights.
My hope is that football season is about to start and we will spend our money not going out but on having a great time grilling and watching football with friends.  Spending money on that will be way more fun than getting Subway twice a week.

El Roscondito

It is a sad time in my house.  We had to make the decision to give up our dog of 6 1/2 years.  Roscoe has had issues with our son Isaac since the day we brought him home from the hospital.  Since Roscoe has been in our lives since before we were married we've spent many years making exceptions for his behavior.  The final straw was Friday night.  I wasn't at home but Roscoe bit Isaac's hand.  He didn't break the skin but Isaac was scared and we were even more scared.  It's been months of Roscoe disliking the very presence of Isaac and us walking on egg shells trying to keep Isaac away from him.
We are extremely sad and going through a roller coaster of emotions.

Katrina...5 years

So, since it was exactly 5 years ago when Katrina came I thought I would share my story.  5 years ago Dylan and I took a 4 day weekend to Huntsville, AL to see his sister Gina and her husband Wade.  We had never been and we were so excited to hang out.  We spent the first two days hanging out and having fun.  Sunday morning we were woken up early by Dylan's dad calling his phone.  He told us we needed to come back to Jackson because the hurricane they were predicting was going to be a Category 5.  We had planned to get up, go to church and have a relaxing day in Huntsville but that all changed.  In less than 30 min we were in the truck heading south towards Jackson.  We had been through many hurricanes in Jackson so we were concerned but not really worried.  Mostly we knew we needed to get back to pick up our dog, Roscoe so he would free up a space for a dog that was fleeing from the storm.  I remember stopping at a gas station a few hours from home and seeing all the cars full of stuff with people from the coast.  We were going to opposite direction they were and I remember the eerie feeling being the only person driving on the south bound side.  I had already received a call from a good friend asking if she could stay with us but having to turn her down because we lived in a trailer and I knew we couldn't stay there either.
Sunday afternoon we were back, hanging out and watching the weather channel.  We went to bed Sunday night waiting for it to roll in.  Monday morning it was really dark out and you could tell the storm was coming.  We watched the TV a little longer hearing them saying over and over that people in mobile homes need to find somewhere else to stay.  On that note we decided to go to my sister's apartment.
Here is what we brought:
Dylan - playstation, computer hard drive and Roscoe on a leash
Amy - 3 t-shirts, 2 pairs of shorts and our wedding album

Of course we all know how Katrina turned out and the stupidity of what we thought we should bring has stuck with me.  Jackson was nothing like the coast but it felt like a post war environment.  Almost everyone didn't have power.  Trees were down everywhere and the shock of what happened to the coast made everyone somber. Going back to work felt wrong and thank goodness my employer was more than sympathetic.  I worked for the department store Belk.  I'll never forget the weird feeling of there being no gas at the gas stations.  When gas was available we were allowed to leave work immediately to wait in line and see if we could get some.

The whole experience will always be with me and I think about it a lot.  We were so blessed not to have lost our lives or everything we owned.

Swagbucks!

I was introduced to Swagbucks.com by a good friend Kristen.  It works just like Google except you get swagbucks for certain searches.  You can also earn swagbucks by doing the daily polls or surveys.  You accumulate swagbucks and can then purchase items with them.  So, because you are never putting any money into it, you receive items for free!  I like to save up my swagbucks and purchase $5 amazon.com gift cards.  They are 450 swagbucks each but just by searching and doing the daily polls (only 1 swagbuck per poll) I earn around that per month with no effort.  I am hoping to save up my swagbucks and buy at least $50 worth of gift cards.  I'm trying to be good and keep saving to use them on Christmas presents.  However, I'm sure I won't be able to resist the $50 for amazon.com that long.  :) There are also lots of other items and gift cards that you purchase so go and check it out using the link below.


http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/BabyPeepsMama

Baby laughs are the best!

Photos from my life...

Our wedding!  Loved my bouquet!

Family vacation to San Diego

 

July 21, 2009  Michael Isaac Peeples was born!  Sweet love!

To shop or not to shop....

It's tax free weekend and there some amazing deals out there. However, the question is, are the deals really worth the hassle and time? Everybody and their brother will be out with kids in tow I'm sure. The stores will be a wreck and probably be out of the sizes I need, aka 18 mths.

I will probably venture out some just to see what's out there but try and stay clear of the moms on a mission because I know I'll be one of them one day.

To those who are venturing out, Good Luck and happy shopping!

Missing some good TV

I was thinking today about how there's not a lot on TV right now and I'm really looking forward to certain shows coming back.

• First Private Practice - Love it. I can't wait to see how everything unfolds this season.
• How I Met Your Mother - No words can describe how perfect this show is. Hilarious!
• The Biggest Loser - I've seen every single season but I have to honestly admit, I prefer Losing it with Jillian now. More about just losing weight and changing your life, than the drama. I will still tune in though.
• Flash Forward - I have never been into anything science fiction but this is so good.

There have been some shows on this summer that have been good but not as good as before but I will always watch.

• Entourage - It's soooo slow this season, almost boring. Ari is still the best character but the 30 min. time is just not enough this season to bring me in.
• Top Chef - I seriously love DC so I'm into the DC thing. The challenges have been good but I feel like the chefs are not as good as past season.
• Friday Night Lights - Sadly this season is already over and I really liked it but I can tell they are gearing up for the last season next year.

Some guilty pleasures that I love are The Kardashians and Kendra. As a new mom myself I can't help but crack up at Kendra.

Hopefully there will be some new cool shows this fall that I'll DVR and obsess over. :)

The famous Apple Dip!

So, I am constantly getting requests for parties to bring my apple dip. It's a super delicious dip and really easy to make, especially since it's even better if it sits over night.

(1) 8 oz. package of cream cheese (softened, not microwaved) I actually use the reduced fat.

(1) cup of powdered sugar

(1) cup of brown sugar ( I like to use dark brown)

(1) tbsp of vanilla (yum, Haitian vanilla is the best)

3/4 of a bag of toffee chips (the non chocolate kind) Add these last.

Mix it all together and it's so good. I've actually been buying the pre-cut apples because it's just plain easier.

Enjoy!

Umm..Yeah, not good at keeping up with this.

So, it's been forever since my first blog. My experiment to see if I could keep up with it has proven me right, I can't. :)

Lately my family has been trying to cut back on spending. I'm totally addicted to reading other people's blog about saving money. It's amazing what people can get with coupons. I love to use coupons so I'm always looking for ways to get them. One of my favorite sites right now is www.zulily.com. There's not anything I need to be spending money on, on the site but it's has some fabulous things. I did buy Isaac some cute new sneakers from there. They are Mooshu trainers. http://shop.MOOSHUTRAINERS.NET/Velcro-Canvas-Sneaker-Brown-VCSB.htm I haven't received them yet but I know they will be great for him now that he's beginning to walk.

Isaac starts a new class at day care this week which involved getting a sleep mat for nap time. I was able to get one for $6.99 at Target which I thought was a great deal. Now we'll just have to see if he actually sleeps on it.

Lastly, I was dying to get to get my good friend a bunch of adorable headbands and bows for her new baby girl. I found www.nalagrace.com. She had 50% off and I was able to get her a ton of bows, headbands and hats.

Hopefully I'll be able to post more often and share some more fun findings.