shopping online

Shopping online can be annoying at times, but then again it can save tons of money. Especially when you save so much in gas! If you are like me and shop online some then you should totally check out ebates.com. Here is our referral link, please click on it when you are ready to sign up http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=qTqTVbDRfBHOfND2Ehz7Bw%3D%3D
It's a free site! It gives you coupons and discounts and rebates, just for shopping online. Todd and I have become hooked. Although we can't think of things we "need" to buy sometimes. Ebates has a daily bouble coupon and like just the other day they had it at an ink store we were able to get $15 bucks back and free shipping & a discount with their already low price ink (we spent $57 on 11 cartridges). You can even use it to buy things on ebay, shutterfly, and vacation/travel stuff, etc. Well I'm just pretty excited about it and hope to help start saving you some money by shopping online. Another site is MrRebates.com here is our referral link to it Mr. Rebates sometimes you will find different coupons or discounts on this link.
Happy shopping!!

excited

I'm going to put the beach behind me for a couple weeks and go to Missouri. Yes another trip. I can't believe it myself. God has blessed me with a wonderful husband and a family that misses me. Mom is going to put me to work to help customize her website. So this trip will be a working one. However I do plan on seeing as many friends and family as possible! If you are in the Springfield/Cabool area and want to see me, give me a call. Same phone as always.

Another reason for my trip is to see old High School friends as the class of 2000 is having our 10 year reunion. This makes me feel old. Shouldn't I have more things accomplished by now? I should travel more, pray more, and love more. It's a time of reflection and all I can think about is my waistline. lol but seriously it's true.


On another note. Since I'll be away for a few days, Todd and I went to the beach. We found a very RICH but quiet spot to relax. The water was beautiful, clear, and cool. The homes along the shore are amazingly insane there. We will be going to that beach again. In fact this is the beach we will take my family. Crystal, Mom and Dad will be heading this way in June. Shane, Rachael, and Elsie will be here in July. And when you ask my why I don't work yet.....my answer will be because I'm having fun with family at the beach! And I love being home when Todd is home. I'm still so in love with that man!

Coin Jug

Growing up my parents had this really cool big glass bottle full of coins. My dad would throw the change from his pockets and my mom would empty out her coin purse in the big bottle. Every so often Dad would get the coin bottle and dump it out on the floor and us kids would sort through it. Pennies, nickles, dimes, quarter, half dollars piled up waiting for us to separate, count and roll. Dad would have us check for wheat pennies and check the year. It was so neat to see how multiple coins could turn into dollar bills. Looking back I wonder if this was Dad's way to get us to quiet down at the end of the day or so he didn't have to roll the coins by himself.

It intrigued me enough that I have always tried to put my change somewhere. In a vase, a jar, and car cup holder but I would always dip my hand in there so I could wash the car, do laundry, pay for toll roads, Sonic Happy Hour, important purchases! We now have a bigger jug and my hand doesn't fit inside! It's a little harder to fill up since we don't use cash much, but we are on our way. Saving for something, we just don't know what. Any ideas?

beachy moments

My husband has got to be one of the most thoughtful husbands around. As you all know we live near the beach. What some of you may not know is that my husband doesn't like sand. A day at the beach, with sand everywhere, is not something we do. Unfortunately for me, because I could spend all morning, all afternoon, and all evening on the beach with sunscreen, an umbrella, water, snacks, and a friend...oh and we can't forget the snorkel gear, and possibly a game or two.

That's right, my perfect day is an entire day ON the beach. However since we live near the beach, I don't have to have an entire day to sit and soak up the salty air. All I need, yes need, is a few hours every few days. Which works out well because my husband can handle a few hours. A couple days ago we slept in a bit, puttered around the house for a bit, then took a little walk on the beach before the crowds came rolling in and before Todd went to work. It was such a wonderful time to spend hand in hand, sand in the toes, just watching people and the sea.

Yesterday was even more amazing. Todd called me from work and ask if I be ready when he gets home because he was going to take me to the beach down 30A. He said I could plan out all the details. So my eyes popped open and a huge smile covered my face! Ah we are going to the beach! It's like magical words. So I began to think and plan out our evening. Oh I know a picnic. No I don't want to mess with packing all the food and carrying it. Ok so next idea. Fruit! I love fruit and strawberries are in season. Um hello Florida Strawberries! So I went to the store, bought some strawberries, washed them, picked the greens off, and put them in a bag. Oh I just love planning this. And the simplicity of it all makes it even better! Salt Life at it's best!

The beach time was wonderful. A few gusts of wind, a few waves, only a handful of people and us. The strawberries were delicious and did a great job of calming our hungry bellies. The water was full of jelly fish, and so was the shore line. We sat and rested for a bit, then took a little walk. We stopped a few times to see all the jelly fish in the water. Like hundreds of them everywhere, each one a few feet away from the next. Crazy. Good thing we didn't plan on getting in the water.

Well until Todd spotted what looked like a big seashell in the water about 10 yards out. Oh do we risk it (by we I mean him risking getting stung and me risking well you know what you're suppose to do to jelly fish stings...) After I talked to him about his fears, he thought he would show me up and out he went. Leaping back to shore without a sting, he in fact captured a big seashell. Now for those that don't know, seashell collecting is a picky sport. No broken edges, not too many holes preferably no holes, and it has to be the right color (sometimes). Well Todd picked a dandy. The biggest one we have found so far! So we called it a night, and headed back to our place for dinner and a couple tv shows.

But so much fun! I love the beach!! Thanks Todd for taking me! It was such a wonderful relaxing fun night!

I hope you enjoy our pics, it was fun to goof off a bit.

Paige"made" Granola Bars

Have you ever made homemade granola bars? Well I tried it and it was spectacular. It took a little prep time, getting all the ingredients together, but it was worth it. A healthier dessert/snack for us to enjoy. Plus less expensive than the store bought granola bars. Here is the recipe. Just note that it was a bit crumbly when warm, but once it cooled it didn't crumble as bad. Be sure to eat over a napkin or plate so you get every last crumb.

Paige"made" Granola Bars

2 C Old Fashion Oats
½ C Flax Seed or Wheat Germ
1 ½ C Mixed Nuts chopped (pecans, almonds, peanuts, sunflower seeds, etc)

½ C Peanut Butter
½ C Honey
¼ C Brown Sugar packed
2 Tbls Vanilla Extract
½ Tsp Salt
1 ½ C Dried Fruit (raisins, cranberries, blueberries, bananas, mango, pineapple, coconut, etc)

½ C Chocolate Chips (optional) Place over top of granola and heat for 5 minutes or until melted.

Preheat oven to 350ᵒ.

Mix together Oats, Flax Seed, and nuts. Spread onto sheet pan. Toast in oven for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a Medium Saucepan, combine Peanut Butter, Honey, Brown Sugar, Vanilla, and Salt and stir together over Medium Heat. Cook until sugar dissolves and mixture is creamy.

Take Oat mixture out of oven and combine with Peanut Butter mixture and Dried Fruit. Mix together then place in buttered 9x13 glass dish. Bake at 300ᵒ for 20 minutes. If using Chocolate Chips, place over top of granola and heat for 5 minutes or until melted. Then once melted smooth over the top of the granola before it cools.

Let cool and cut into squares. Be sure to cut while it's still a tad bit warm.

NOTE: Place parchment paper in glass dish instead of butter. Parchment paper reduces fat and makes it easier to take the granola out of dish to cut into squares.

Enjoy!!! If you dare to take on the granola challenge.

Surprise trip to MO

Such a blessing! What a great surprise! I pulled it off! After 13 hours on the road I was able to surprise my family and show up at the door! Their faces were priceless! So much love!

This first week I have been to Springfield, and Oklahoma, and Cabool. And I am sooooooo tired. And now I get to work at the florist the rest of the week to get ready for Valentine's Day. I love working at the store for Valentine's Day, it's so much fun.

Emma celebrating her 1st Birthday! It was such a blessing to be able to be here to celebrate with her and the family. She is such a doll; a sweet little girl.

Elsie is now 3 months. She is getting stronger and now she laughs and smiles. Before long she will be crawling all over the place. She's so cute and such a joy to be around. I'm thankful that even with Todd not around they still let hang out with them...lol.


I have been able to see lots of friends and family so far on my trip. But there are so many more faces I want to see. Hopefully time will be on my side and I will be able to see more people I love and miss.

What a fun surprise this has been so far!

TWO

Family photo January 2010. This is us, just the two of us. Married for 7 1/2 years and always planning something new. Most couples by now would have a baby, a dog, a mortgage, and 2 car loans. We are happy to report we have none of the above. Although a new car would be nice, it's just a want (until the nugget dies forever and then we get a new/old car!!)

Things we enjoy as a married couple:
-Coffee. Being able to enjoy a cup or two in the morning before the day begins is just so relaxing.
- Taking walks on the beach. Todd hates the sand but he does love being with me, so we go to the beach.
- Road trips. We love nothing more than driving a few hours to explore a new city. A stop at the local mall is always on the to do list.
- Acting like we are kids again. This is usually done with our friends, as we loving just being complete fools and laughing till our stomach hurts.
- Sitting in the same room or at the dinner table with nothing to say because being together is enough.
- Shopping. We can walk around the mall and not buy anything and have a good time.
- Cooking together. Creating meals complex or simple makes the dinner more enjoyable. Todd takes all the credit on teaching me how to cook. I would have to say that Mom and Grandma taught me a lot of the basics, but Todd did encourage me to try new foods. Thank you! Green food is good too!
- Sleeping in. Nothing is more relaxing or more sincere than cuddling in each others arms in the morning.
- Laughing together. We do this often since, well, face it, we are funny people. Stinkin hilarious!
- Being comfortable in our own skin. We don't have to put on a happy face if we are sad. We don't have to watch what we say. We just have to be our own self around each other. No secrets. No insecurities. Simple understandings. Just Love.