Weekend

We have had a wonderful weekend.  Nothing spectacular happened, but after feeling so blah for so long, it has been great to get back into the swing of things.

Friday night we had dinner at home followed by some story time for Elizabeth and an early good night for me.

Saturday we were up early and had donuts and juice for breakfast.  We enjoyed our day around the house and when Elizabeth got up from her nap, she helped me make some Easter garland.

 Ben picked up the eggs for us from Dollar Tree and I had some ribbon, so we tied the eggs together pretty easily.  Elizabeth helped me open all the eggs and put them in color order.

 Finished product!

Happy Easter!

Saturday night, Jessica and Noah came over for dinner and cards.  We made Breakfast for Dinner (and by we, I do mean Ben and Noah, thanks guys!).  We had waffles, chocolate chip muffins, blueberry muffins, bacon, sausage, and donuts.

After dinner we taught Noah how to play hand and foot.  Let me just say, he didn't need much help.  When Jess and Noah left a few hours later, they were beating us by 1,000 points.

Today is very, very rainy.  We got up and out early for 9am church and then went grocery shopping for the week (yes, we went back to Harris Teeter and redeemed more double coupons).

Now we are enjoying a quiet afternoon at home.

Hope you had a great weekend!

Hibachi

Yesterday, during my shopping adventures, I noticed a "Grand Opening" sign for a Hibachi restaurant near the grocery store.  I immediately began to crave having some Hibachi Shrimp and fried rice. 

When I got home from the store, I informed Ben that I wanted to go eat hibachi and that he should get ready.  To this, Ben looked at me very funny.

You see... for the last nine weeks I have eaten nothing but corn flakes, turkey sandwiches, and bagels.

Anywho, we loaded up the car and took Elizabeth to her first hibachi experience.

Here is our after dinner photo:

(yep, that's Elizabeth with her tongue sticking out)

Dinner was great!  We enjoyed our entire dinner and Elizabeth did great at the restaurant.

Happy Thursday!

We are gonna be super clean!

I've made no secret about doing a little couponing here and there.  :)

However, during this first trimester, I have felt like doing nothing, especially not couponing. 

But this weekend, I heard that Harris Teeter was going to have Super Doubles starting on Wednesday (today).  So... I decided to try to get back in the game.

*Full Disclosure*  While I have been laying on the couch in the afternoon (and night) (and weekend days) I have been watching a lot of Extreme Couponing on TLC.  So, I may have gotten the idea in my head, that I could improve my couponing and take it to the "minor extreme couponer" level.  I say minor because I only have 1 insert unless someone gives me another one, and the people on Extreme Couponing have about 100 inserts.

**Full Disclosure**  On Monday, I asked my students to bring in any extra coupons that they had around the house.  This is how I picked up more than one insert without having to pay for it.  :)
I had eight students bring me a variety of coupon inserts (some expired, some were just ads for target, and some were legitimate coupons).  Hence, I think I have become a "minor extreme couponer".

So, this morning I made my first trip to Harris Teeter while on my way to work.

I picked up:
(1) Bottle of Tresemme Hair spray
(2) Bottles of Tresemme Mousse
(2) Bottles of Tresemme Shampoo
(1) Bottle of Tresemme Conditioner
(1) Bottle Colgate Mouthwash
(1) Venus Razor
(2) Bottles of Suave Shampoo
(1) Bottle of Suave Conditiner

Total before savings:  $52.89

Total after savings: -$1.47

THAT'S RIGHT!  I HAD A NEGATIVE BALANCE!!!  
(That has NEVER happened to me before)

 (everything in this picture was FREE)

I went back this afternoon to Harris Teeter and also picked up:

(4) Boxes of Colgate toothpaste
(1) Bottle of Clear Shampoo

and then went to CVS and picked up:

(8) Snickers eggs

ALL FOR FREE!



Now, while picking up my free toothpaste and shampoo, I also picked up a few other items:

I picked up:

(12) boxes of pasta ( on sale, and 8 boxes were free)
(3) jars of fruit (saved $6.00)
(1) gallon of fruit punch (on sale, and paid 37 cents)
(1) package of pull-ups (on sale, and saved $3.00)
(2) cans of soup (on sale, and saved $2.00)
(1) package of string cheese (on sale, and saved $2.00)
(1) box of contact solution (on sale, and saved $3.00)
(1) box of goldfish (on sale)
(1) 1/2 gallon of milk (full price)
(1) box of donuts (full price)
(1) box of granola (paid 25 cents)
(1) barilla pasta meal (paid 25 cents)
(1) apple crisp dessert (paid 15 cents)

From CVS:

(4) M&Ms eggs (on sale and saved $2.00)


Total before savings today from three trips: $176.18

Total spent today after savings from three trips: $43.50

Just the basics are FREE!

This week at CVS you can pick up a FREE roll of paper towels!

The paper towels are on sale for 79 cents.

If you go to the coupon printer and scan your CVS card, you will get a coupon for 79 cents off.

This makes the paper towels totally FREE!

(If you are anything like me, and have small kids, you probably go through a LOT of paper towels)

Enjoy the paper towels!

Hair today, gone tomorrow

I have been in desperate need of a hair cut and highlights. 

 It's been somewhere between 12-14 weeks since I got highlights and a trim. 

So, Saturday I went to a new salon (I'm still trying to find one) to get my hair done.

 My "before" photo.

My hair was so long with tons of split ends.

I needed hair help!

 My new hair!

I'm blonde again!

And... no split ends!

I saw a wonderful lady name Jennifer and I have already made a follow-up appointment for May.

Hopefully my salon search is over.

Yay for highlights and a hair cut!

Happy Monday!

Four

Ben, Elizabeth, and I are excited to announce we are becoming a family of four!

Baby Novak is due October 1st.

We are beyond excited and happy to finally share our good news.

Happy Wednesday!

St. Patrick's Day

Our St. Patrick's Day turned into a snow day.  We had about seven inches of snow from Sunday night to Monday afternoon.  Once the snow stopped coming down, Elizabeth and I went out to play.

 Elizabeth trying to decide which direction to walk.

 Investigating the snow.

 Having fun!

 Checking out the snow.

I love this girl!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Weekend

We have had an unusually busy weekend and I have enjoyed every minute of it.

Friday night, Ben and I started off the weekend with a date night to see the new movie, Veronica Mars.

I liked the TV show (a lot!) and have been looking forward to this movie for months.  My fabulous cousins, Jessica and Noah, were nice enough to babysit for us so we could go see it.  Let me say- it did not disappoint.  I enjoyed every. single. minute. of this movie.  And, it was wonderful to have a date night with Ben.

Saturday morning we got up and Ben made delicious Sara Lee Coffee Cake for breakfast.  Elizabeth and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Sara Lee makes two different kinds of coffee cakes, butter streusel and pecan.  I think the butter streusel is way better, but everyone is entitled to their opinion.  :)

After breakfast we hung around the house and played a lot.  While Elizabeth napped, Ben watched PITT play in the ACC tournament and I went and got a pedicure.

In the afternoon we went outside for about an hour.  We went to the playground and took a long walk around the neighborhood.  Elizabeth LOVES playing on the playground and went down the slide dozens and dozens of times.

On Saturday night, Adam and Shelley came over for dinner and to hang out for a bit.  We had a lot of fun catching up and Ben made a delicious dinner.

Today we have been taking it easy and hanging around the house.

We hope you had a great weekend too!

The books I am reading

Today on Kelly's Korner, she is doing a link up about the books you have been reading lately.  I love Kelly's Show Us Your Life Fridays because they are usually great topics for discussion or I get a ton of new ideas on decorating or recipes.

For my birthday in November, my husband bought me a kindle.  Now I have always been a "book girl" and did not immediately warm up the the kindle.  But... then I had foot surgery in December and I used my kindle non-stop and now I am addicted.

I always download James Patterson books to my kindle.  I love the Alex Cross Series and I have started and finished the Private Series as well.  I have not really read his other series, but if you love good cop books, those are two great series to read.

Last week, I did go to Barnes and Noble and purchase a book I have been waiting for for months.  I wanted to actual book in hardback because as I said earlier, I am a "book girl".  I have been reading Uganda Be Kidding Me by Chelsea Handler.  I have all of Chelsea Handler's other books and I DVR her late night show.  It is my guilty pleasure for sure.  I think she is so funny and I love her honesty.  Do I agree with everything she says?  Heck no!  But I can appreciate the fact that she has an opinion and she is honest about it.

If you want a good laugh, and like to travel; then you should really pick up her latest book.  I am almost done with it and I have laughed through the entire book!

Elizabeth, my two-year-old, is into two specific books right now.

She loves to ready Are you my mother?  which her Great Aunt Barb gave her for her birthday.

She will ask me to read it and then turn around, walk across the room to her Dad, and ask him to read it.  She thinks it is the funniest book and just laughs and laughs as we tell the story.


Her other favorite book is On the Farm.


She reads this at bed time.  She has about 50 books on her bookcase in her room and every night she picks this book.  It doesn't matter where I "hide" it on the shelf, this is the book she wants to read (and she finds it every night)!


Well, that's what we are reading/ have been reading.  I hope you try one of them soon!

Happy Monday!

I am trying to cut diet coke out of my diet for good.  I am down to about half a can a day.  I am replacing my diet coke with lots and lots of water.  However, I enjoy a little flavor in my water.  For the last two weeks, I have been squirting some lemon juice into my water from the lemon juice bottle we have in the refrigerator. 

This weekend, Ben picked me up some lemons and so tonight I enjoyed freshly cut lemon in my glass of ice water.  So refreshing!

We enjoyed another walk today after Elizabeth got up from her nap.  The weather ended up getting very nice in the late afternoon (around 62 degrees) so Ben suggested we go play outside.  We decided to pull out Elizabeth's wagon and we took her for a long walk around the neighborhood.  By "we" I do mean Ben pulled the wagon and I walked behind or took pictures :)

(I thought the snow was funny in the 60+ degree weather)

Happy Monday!

Weekend Review

We have had a great weekend around here! 

It started off great because all of us are healthy and no longer sick!!!

Saturday we enjoyed our time around the house but in the afternoon went out and explored the neighborhood now that most of the snow is gone.  It was about 65 outside and felt wonderful. 
Of course, I had to snap a few pictures of my loves.

I also wanted to compare our walk from Monday to our walk yesterday...

  Here are some more photos from our walk yesterday.  Check out Elizabeth's outfit, she picked it out.

Saturday night we went to our neighbor's house to celebrate Drew's birthday.  It was a good time and all the kids enjoyed playing with each other while the adults hung out.


This morning, Ben got up and went to Panera and picked us up a delicious coffee cake for breakfast.

This afternoon, while Elizabeth has been napping, I have been reading my new book.  Elizabeth and I went first thing yesterday morning to Barnes and Noble and picked up Chelsea Handler's latest book: Uganda Be Kidding Me.  I am about half way through and find myself laughing out loud all of the time.  She is such a descriptive writer that I feel like I am there on the adventures with her.  You should definitely pick up this book if you like Chelsea Handler.  And yes, I have a kindle, but I wanted this book in hardback.

 Hope you have had a great weekend too!

Peaches and Turn Around

I have captured Elizabeth's fun in a couple of videos over the last few weeks.  Her happiness is infectious and I love having a record of what she is like at this age.

This first video is from dinner a couple of weeks ago.  She had grilled chicken and peaches.  As you can see from the video, she wants every bit of peach available.

The second video is after Elizabeth came home one afternoon and was having fun enjoying her new favorite activity: "turn around".  She spins in circles over and over saying she is doing "turn around".  She loves it and she is so happy!

I hope you enjoy the videos!

Elizabeth likes snow!

Since February 17th, Ben and I have been fighting horrible, horrible colds that have kept us out of commission for over two weeks.  Well Sunday, we finally started to feel better, and then woke up on Monday to snow and ice and being stuck inside all day.

We got about six inches of snow and once Elizabeth got up from her nap (and Ben was done working) we went out to play.  We didn't stay out too long because it was about 15 degrees outside.  Brrrr....

 Elizabeth following Ben up the street

 

 She LOVES snow!

 Our backyard

 She wanted to "walk in the snow"

 I love these two!

Happy Snow Day!