Friends & Family

Alright everyone.......GAP FRIENDS AND FAMILY has begun. It started today, Thursday the 13th, and runs untill Sunday the 16th. If you would like to save 30% let me know. The catch is... If you want it you must come get it!!! Sorry, but working 40 hours a week doesn't really make me want to drive all over town. Just let me know because I have a ton to give away.

Pumpkin Patch

We went to the same Pumpkin Patch that we visited last year and had a great time. My sister, and her 2 children joined us along with my Mom. We had such a great time. Abbey got to pick out her very own pumpkin that was just her size.

I snapped this picture of her walking and it turned out so CUTE!!

Grammy bought her this very CUTE pumpkin shirt to wear.

What a cute drooley face!

Oh how I love this Face!

When Animals Take Over

During Abbey's lunch I wondered into our bedroom to get my phone to call Joel and see how his day was going...... When I returned to the kitchen, this is what I found......

Apparently Lucy was hungry too and wanted to partake in some lunch: or she was just tired and wanted a place to sleep? Either way I had to take some pictures and then scald her for her bad table manners.

Abbey just thought it was hilarious
Abbey thought she needed some love, so love she got!

This is our life on a regular basis.... I guess you just have to learn to laugh!

I know I haven't been keeping you updated lately, I guess that is what happens when you work and have a 1 year old. So tonight I decided to get you up to speed! I have more posts below.

Enjoy!

Swimming With Daddy

For Abbey's birthday Abuelito y Abuelita Dimas sent her many neat presents, one of them being this cool swimming pool for the back yard. It has an elephant slide that squirts water from its trunk.

For those who know Abbey she is a FISH. She loves to play in the water, she becomes fearless!

Abbey will climb the stairs all by herself and slide down with ease. She absolutely loves it!

Abbey and her Daddy, they have so much fun together!

Bliss

The week after Abbey's birthday we found ourselves bound to a hotel. The hard wood floors in Mom's house were being redone while she was in California, so Joel, Abbey and I packed up and went to a hotel. We stayed for 5 days, which to most people would have been great. Free breakfast, a whirl pool tub, someone to come make your bed in the morning and bring you fresh towels, sounds great right? For Joel and I it wasn't so great. We have a 1 year old who can not for the life her sleep through the night. Plus, a hotel room = one large room. No where for Abbey to be alone and go to sleep by herself. It was 5 days of no sleep so when I saw this....

It was BLISS!!!

Webster's Dictionary definition of the word bliss is; supreme happiness; utter joy or contentment. When I found my baby sleeping like this.... It was all of the above, happiness, utter joy, and contentment!

It's moments like these that make life worth the havoc.

Isn't she just so cute?

Helping Mommy Unpack

When Abbey and I arrived home from California she decided to give her Mommy a helping hand. For all of those who don't know me all that well, I usually leave my suitcase on the bedroom floor until I need or use all the items in it. I know it's pretty sad, but I absolutely hate to unpack. I find it a gruelling process.

Her helping turned into throwing the contents of my suitcase all over the floor. Not to helpful, but hey at least the girl tried.

Abbey's 1st Birthday Party

August 16th was Abbey's first birthday party. Can you believe that my baby is alreay one? We had a Luau Party for her with hawaiian burgers, fruited hawaiian salad, and Flip Flop shaped birthday cakes. It was so much fun!

I have to give a special Thanks to Aunt Kelsey for flying all the way from California to share in Abbey's special day! We love you!

Here she is hitting her Palm Tree shaped Pinata

Abbey LOVES water. She jumped in her pool before we could suit her up

All wet with her Luau dress on from Hawaii

Flip Flop shaped birthday cake! They were so darn cute! I just love how they turned out!

Abbey making her birthday wish

My Girl knows just how to do it. She jumped right in the cake with no hesitation.

The final result~ All messy! Her brand new high-chair from Grandpa and Grandma Dimas had to have its first washing within hours!

We had a great day and I am so proud of my little girl. She is walking (running), talking, and playing so well and we could not LOVE her more!

Happy Birthday Muffin~ Love Mommy

Happy Birthday Pretty Pretty Princess~ Love Daddy

California Love

Abbey and I went to California for 2 weeks and did so many great things. I won't completly tell you everything, mainly because I don't have that great of a memory and it would take forever. Our first week there it was just Abbey and I then the last week my sister and her two children where there with us. We stayed with my Dad for most of the time and then with Aunt Kelsey for the last few days. We can't wait to see Aunt Kelsey at Abbey's 1st Birthday. We miss you already!!

On Thursday the 17th, Kelsey and I took Abbey up to Emigrant Gap, where we went to Girl's camp as young girls. I was so amazing to be back there. Abbey loved to play in the dirt and go sooo messy. Abbey met such wonderful people who have completely impacted my life in so many ways. It was such a great day!

Stream at Girl's Camp

My baby playing the dirt. I can not tell how much she enjoyed getting dirty. I have no idea where she gets that from, I hate the dirt! She was such a mess, dirt was everywhere!

Abbey with Grandma #3. She is pretty much like my mom, actually I call her Mom. It was the first time she had ever met Abbey.

On Monday the 21st, Aunt Kelsey and I decided to take Abbey to the Zoo for the 1st time. I don't know how much she liked it, but we were there for a little over an hour. I would say successful!
Abbey loves to watch the ducks

She is just too darn Cute!

The Zoo had a place to pet all the farm animals and Abbey had a hay day. Here she is with a goat.

Abbey's first ride on a Carosel at the Zoo

On Wednessday the 23rd, we layed pretty low at my Dad's house and went swimming in his hot tub. It abviously wasn't heated at the time. The kids loved it!

On Thursday the 24th my Dad took all of us down to San Fransico for the day. We walked all along the Pier, went to Ghirardelli square, and had lunch at Bubba Gumps. It was such a fun day! It was actually real air with the delta breeze!
Abbey, my Dad, and I on the Pier with Alcatraz right behind us

On top of the parking garage at Pier 39

The Golden Gate Bridge in all its Beauty

I know it is foggy, come on it's San Fran, when is it not foggy?

We parked the car and walked up to a hill where this was our view.... Can I say AMAZING!

Garage Sale

Since Joel and I are living with my Mom we decided that it would be best to sell all of our extra items we had around the house. I started doing the coupon thing in January because Joel and I moved out on our own and had to pinch pennies. Now, that Joel is going back to school we are continuing in that pattern. I had so much extra coupon stuff that it was driving me crazy, and my Mom crazy. We just don't have that much space in our bedroom and half of Abbey's room. Our stuff started to pile in the garage where our furniture currently is and that was turning out bad.

In conclusion, we decided to have a Garage sale last Saturday, while my Mom was in Canada to cut down on added stress. We got off to a late start so I figured that would ruin our turn-out considering it was supposed to be 106 degrees that day, but OHHH NO!!! We were so busy. We sold a little more than half our stash. Our grand total for the day was.... Are you ready for this????

$704!!! Yes you are reading that right.

So to those of you who think I am a little crazy with the coupons... You are right, but with that kind of profit I am fine being crazy. So make-fun of me all you want! I am still ahead!

Becoming A Favorite

So I have received a fabulous new recipe from a gal in my neighborhood and I thought I would share with everyone!

Very easy to make...... For every Mom our there!

Ingredients:

One sleeve of Saltine crackers

1 Package of milk chocolate chips (I have also tried with semi-sweet chocolate chips and they taste just as delicious)

1 cup sugar (I use the Pampered Chef stone bar cookie sheet, which I find to be a little smaller so I cut the sugar to 3/4 cup)

2 sticks butter (when using the bar cookie sheet I use 1 stick and 5 tablespoons of butter)

Melt butter and then add the sugar (I melted the butter in small sauce pan on low). Line a cookie sheet with a sheet of tinfoil, and then Saltine crackers. Pour sugar/butter mixture over crackers. It'll look soupy when you do it. Then cook in oven on 350 degrees for 15 minutes. when you pull the cookie sheet out of the oven, sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Once they start melting, spread them to cover the entire top of the cracker mixture. I also toasted pecans before hand and sprinkled them on top as well.

Refrigerate for 1-2 hours (or you can be like me and pop them in the freezer to shorten the time). Once the candy has set up, pull the cookie sheet out and start peeling back the tinfoil and gently break crackers apart.

That's it!!!

Enjoy!

Thanks Cari!

Quick Trips

So I usually do not post my shopping trips unless I find some really great deals at a fantastic price!

Joel and I had a few hours to ourselves on Sunday because Abbey was napping and my Mom said that she could stay at the house with her. Yay for Joel and I!!!

We made 3 stops....

Target

Total Out of pocket...... -$4.01

That's right, they gave me $4.01 back. That has never happened, they usually make me add items, but not today!!!

CVS

Total Out of pocket.... $0

I couldn't pass up the Revlon BOGO deal. The cheapest are nail files for $1.79 with $2 in coupons. making $.21 in overage. I bought 8 of them!
I had to put a little more then a wanted onto my gift card because I needed the pictures for my Scrapbook Retreat at the end of the month. They were a little over $5. Goodness they get more expensive every day!

Big Lots

Total Out of pocket..... $15.91

I love running into Big Lots and seeing what they have. I found Gerber Beef/Carrotts and Pears/Chicken baby food for $.25 each. I couldn't pass them up so I bought 12. I found a Playtex sippy cup for $2 and then a Baby Einstein meal time gift set for $6. Joel found Anger Managment for $3, not bad for a DVD. The Zebra Cakes are for Joel's lunches, he loves them.

Too bad Big Lots doesn't take coupons

All in all I think I did pretty well on todays shopping trip. Not a bad total for everything I got. 72 items for $11.90!

Before And After

We all know that life can get a little CRAZY, right? I have come to realize that with work, cooking, shopping, laundry, staying organized, and trying to stay sane, Joel and I's bedroom has turned into the ultimate dumping ground. Left over shopping items and bags, unfolded clean clothes out of the dryer, dirty clothes that have never made it to the hamper, the messy diaper bag, and toys that just do not have home all end up on our floor or even worse, our BED. My Mom had a friend coming from California so it became the perfect opportunity for me to start cleaning.

Before

View from the door way
From the closetFrom the closet

My Desk. I was trying to finish a scrap page, didn't really get too far.

With a few hours behind me, many paper towels and cleaner later, and a lot of elbow grease this is what our room really looks like! I have come to enjoy a clean room.

After

You can actually see the CARPET!

View from the closet

From the bathroom door. Don't you love Joel watching BIG DADDY on the TV?!

Finally the view from the entry door. I can't believe it can actually be this clean!!! Yay for US!