Migrating South!

I know that I've mentioned it to a few people, but I decided to make a post on my blog so you all don't wonder where I am these next couple of weeks! A few friends and I are migrating south! We booked ourselves a ride on "The Rock Boat IX"! I've never been on a cruise, so I'm pretty excited! The rock boat is a 5 day cruise to the Bahamas. Lots of bands will be playing on the boat. It's just a fun time to mingle with the bands and meet new friends and have a nice fun vacation!

My friend Amanda and I are leaving on Tuesday night and heading to Orlando, FL. We're going to stop at Disney World while we're there. On Friday we will drive from Orlando to Miami and board the cruise on Saturday. We will return on Thursday morning and head back to Ohio as soon as we hit land!

If you're interested in learning more about the rock boat, visit http://www.therockboat.com. I hear it's lots of fun and I'm sure we will want to go back next year!

One thing I'm excited about are the themes on the boat. They will be having a "Trucker's Formal," which I don't know what to wear to that, I assume something flannel or plaid lol! Also a St Patty's Day theme night, which I have lots of Green! Also there is a door decorating contest. I need some ideas!!! They give out prizes on who has the best decorated cabin door. I know, I'm a creative one, but I honestly can't think of any creative ideas for a door! Please help me out with any ideas!

Also, if you have any cruise tips or stories, I would love to hear them! Since this is my 1st time on a cruise, I'm kind of wondering what it's going to be like!

World's Shortest Fairytale

I was going through my email this morning, getting rid of old messages, and I found this one that I had saved from my Mom. It made me laugh a little and I thought I'd share!

Once upon a time, a girl asked a guy, "Will you marry me? "The guy said "No" and the girl lived happily ever after and went shopping, drank martinis with friends, always had a clean house, never had to cook, had a closet full of shoes and handbags, stayed skinny, and was never farted on.

The End

New Years Resolutions Goals

Ok, so I'm a few days late posting this, but it's better late than never! :-)

I have decided to post my resolutions... ahem.... goalsfor this year! I think the term goals fits better since resolutions are almost ALWAYS broken right away! Note: Beware of the pictures in this post! They are of my VERY dirty house! I am almost ashamed to post them, but I want to update later with my progress!

1. Lose weight. That's an ongoing goal, every year, and it never happens! This year I am going to stick to it! I have to. I'm so unhealthy! My daughter was born in November 2007, and I have yet to lose any weight since having her! Come Monday, I am starting the "Thin & Healthy" diet. I did it 2 years ago and stuck to it and lost lots of weight. After that diet phase is over, I am going to stick to eating healthy, watching my portions, and sticking to the food pyramid! I also need to start an exercise plan, which is hard with a 1 year old, since I can't get out of the house too much to walk because of the weather, I will use my resources here at home! I have stairs, I have a tv to watch workout programs (I got hip hop abs, pretty excited about that!), so there should be no excuse for me! I need to build my metabolism so I'm not so tired all the time!


My Scraproom

2. Organization. I need to organize my home & my life! My home is a mess, I never know where anything is, I pile bills and papers and then don't find them when it's time to send in bills, etc. It's just a mess. Organization systems cost a little, but they are worth it! My scrapbook room is also a mess, it's actually a disaster. I have an organization system there, but the organization system needs to be organized! I'm going to go through everything and get rid of what I don't need.


My Kitchen ( that's only 1 days worth of dishes, they are usually done!)


The laundry gets done, but hardly ever put away! eek!

3. Clean. I need to stay on top of things when cleaning! My laundry always piles up on me and it shouldn't! It's just me and the baby here! My husband comes home every other week or so, that means his laundry is only here to get done during the weekends he his home. There is no reason for me to let things pile up to where I have days worth of cleaning to do instead of hours.

4. Create. I need to create more! I always say that I don't have the time, but really I do. I have all the time in the world, I just never get around to it. I need to make more albums to sell, create more scrapbook pages, etc. Reagan's whole first year still needs to be scrapbooked! I plan to attend many crops this year to get some albums finished!

5. Prioritize. My priorities are always backwards. I always spend money on what I don't need before paying bills. That's a big NO NO! I'm going to make a budget for our family and stick to it! Like many of my friends, I feel that I am swimming in debt, but I have only myself to blame. This year I am going to work at having my debt to a minimum (we have 2 new cars so it's almost impossible to have 0 debt by 2010).

Like all goals, these need to be done one step at a time. My husband told me last week that I have TOO MANY projects going on and I need to focus on one at a time. So instead of diving into everything, I'm going to try and be more focused this year so that i can meet every one of my goals!

What are your goals for 2009?

Yay! I got an Award!

My sweet friend Kimberly gave me my first award! Make sure you check out her blog (http://seriouslydaisies.blogspot.com), it rocks!

First the Rules:

1. You must be a true lover of the New Year to receive this award.
The person to whom you give the award must also be in love with the New Year.

2. List 5 things that you love about the New Year. If you can't limit it to 5 things, then keep going till you run out of space.

3. Pass the award along to as many people as you like. That can be 1 or 50. It's up to you! But keep the New Year cheer going.

4. Let your recipients know that you have tagged them by leaving a comment on their site. Also, link back to the person who gave you the award.

*******

Here are the five things that I LOVE about the New Year!

1. I love the fact that last year is now in the past, good or bad, it's always time to start fresh with a new year!

2. I am not one for Resolutions, those always get broken, but the I love the new year because I can set goals for myself for the whole year, then at the end of every year see all of the goals I have met that year.

3. I also love the new year because that means tax time is right around the corner! Yay tax return! Merry Christmas to me! :-) (lol)

4. I love the new year because that means the stress of the busy holiday season is OVER!

5. Lastly, I love the new year because all of my favorite stores have AWESOME sales! :-)

*******

Now I get to give this award out!

I'm going to give this award to 2 people...

Margaret- She's my co-leader at MLDT and she's great! I love her to death! We finally got to meet up last month and she's just as sweet in person! What a talented lady!

Dee- She's a sweetie and she makes awesome cards! I used to be on a design team with her and she is one of the few that I got to meet up with in person!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays!

Ok, I know I haven't blogged in quite a while, I also know that the holidays are now officially over! So I'm a little late getting to this, but I thought I would share my holiday fun with everyone!

It started out a little crazy for me! One of my best friends called me 2 days before Christmas with bad news. She lives in Chicago and couln'dt get a ride back home to Cincinnati for Christmas. All of the bus tickets were sold out as well as rental cars. Flights were too expensive for coming home just for a few days. I couldn't let my bff sit alone on Christmas! That's just not fair to anyone! So another one of our friends and I decided to drive to Chicago to get her! We got about an hour or so into our trip and the weather started to get bad. We were bound and determined to get to Chicago, so we were extremely careful. I had left my house at 11am that morning, needless to say, we didn't get to Chicago until 10pm. A 6 hour trip one way turned into an 11 hour trip! I didn't realize that the winter storm was as bad as it was! Finally when we got to Chicago, we got Amanda, and turned around aand headed home! We made a pit stop at Steak & Shake for some late night dinner.



We finally made it to Cincinnati at about 7am. I didn't get home until around 9am, so a 22 hour car ride for me! It didn't matter though, because I did a good deed and I also got my best friend home to her family for Christmas!

Once I got home and slept for a little bit, I woke up and headed to my mother in law's with Reagan for Christmas Eve dinner. Adam was coming from his job in northern Ohio so he decided to just meet us there. Reagan sure was happy to see him!



After dinner, we all got togehter and opened gifts. It was fun to see the kids opening their gifts. They were all so excited! Once all of the gifts were opened, we watched A Christmas Story and then went to bed.



The next morning, we went to my father in law's. My husband was in for a surprise. I had him to help Reagan open her presents, he didn't know, but one of her presents that was wrapped was actually his big gift from me. He asked for a gun for Christmas, but didn't think he would get one because I'm not one to buy stuff like that. I decided that since he does so much for Reagan and myself, that he deserves soemthing that he wants. He was very surprised when he opened his gift! Even though at first he was confused because it said "To Reagan." I didn't get a picture of him opening the gun, my camera died right before he opened it. I did however get pics of it on my sister in laws camera, but I just don't have those yet.



I know when I was little, Christmas was all about getting cool gifts. Now it is about so much more. Being with family and friends means the most to me, especially during the holidays. Christmas isn't about what gifts you get, it's about who you get to spend it with. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

New Layout!

FINALLY I have my layout finished! I had in my mind what I wanted to do for a layout, but I never found the time. I think that I now have this blog where I want it. All that is left to do is add more sidebar content and posts! I will try to update daily on my life, post photos of my creations, and post lots of other interesting and fun stuff!

My baby girl is turning 1!

It doesn't seem like a year has gone by, but it sure has! My baby girl, Reagan, turns one on Wednesday the 26th, but we had her party yesterday, which is funny because my actual due date to have her was the 23rd. She just wanted to stay in there! It was a hard time for myself and my family last year because my uncle passed away the week of Thanksgiving and I prayed that I wouldn't go into labor until after his funeral and everything because I wanted to be there to support my family. I ended up going into labor the night after his funeral and I had Reagan the next morning. She was a wonderful blessing to our whole family, after an incredibly hard week, she was there to put a smile on everyone's faces! She's been the highlight of my life this past year and I'm sure from here it only gets better! I couldn't have asked for a sweeter baby girl! I'm so thankful for her! Here are some photos from her first birthday party.
Reagan's princess cake
Reagan's personal mini cake
Dig in princess!

Yum Yum! Birthday Cake!
The aftermath
That's a lot of presents for a 1 year old!

Reagan & her cousins helping her open presents
Daddy showing her the toys

She was happy that the party was over! lol

Oops!

I feel like I've neglected my blog! Don't worry, I haven't! I've just been incredibly busy! Let me update on my life...

A few weeks ago I posted a blog about my husband being gone and my depression. That weekend, my husband came home and surprised me! I was waiting for him to call me on his lunch break and at that time, he showd up knocking on the door! It was the best surprise! He got to stay home and work around here for about 2 weeks, and just this past Sunday, he left again for his next job destination. The good thing is that he's only 4 hours away now, so hopefully he will come home on the weekends, or at least every other weekend.

Along the lines of my busy life, I have had computer troubles! Let me start by saying that I HATE Windows Vista!!! Apparently I let it install an update which had something to do with deleting spyware and stuff, well, that update caused me to not be able to run pretty much anything on my computer besides Internet Explorer, how convenient! So this week I went ahead and backed up everything and did a clean sweep on my computer. So I'm still working on putting everything back onto my computer.... it's a long process!

As for my internet life, I'm working on some cool stuff! First, I'm working on a new layout for this blog. I want to design something that describes me. I got some digital elements and I've been working on something, so stay tuned for that! Also, I'm working on a blog for couponing and deals! I have found so many useful resources and also have found such great deals and I love to share them! So if you're a fan of finding deals (especially this time of year!), make sure you stay tuned for Creative Couponing 101! Hopefully it will be up soon!

For now, check out these sweet pictures of my little Reagan. We took her for Halloween and Birthday photos and here are a few of them, I think they turned out great!

Tinkerbell

I have been wondering for quite a while what the big thing was with Tinkerbell. I mean, she's super cute and I love everything that is being made with her on it... but she was just the little fairy on Peter Pan, right? Not anymore! She now has her own movie! Now I usually don't buy movies since I have a netflix membership, but I splurged and bought it for Reagan this week since it came out Tuesday and was on sale. I figured it might get watched more than 2 or 3 times (and it has already). I must say, it's a very cute movie! It's a must own for those of you who have a young daughter! I even liked it! The colors are beautiful in the movie, and that is something I am always looking for when I get movies because Reagan isn't quite old enough to understand the concept, but she loves the vivid colors! The storyline to the movie is pretty good as well, so for those of you on the fence about this one, go ahead and splurge a little!

Blog Candy!

House Party!

If you haven't heard of houseparty already, head on over to houseparty.com and check it out!!! I had the chance to host a Gerber house party this past summer and it was awesome! I got a package full of Gerber organic baby food to share with friends and family. This stuff isn't cheap! They also sent a ton of coupons to share as well! It's a great way to try new products, and also a good reason to have a fun little get together! Give it a try!

While you're at it, CLICK HERE to enter and win a free arm & hammer house party gift pack!

Birthday Invitations

Ok, so a few weeks ago I posted a few samples of invitations for Reagan's 1st birthday. I wanted to thank everyone for the input, here is the final product! I can't believe my little princess will be 1 in a month!!!

What better to do on a Sunday evening?

I've been sitting here pretty much all evening... just sitting here in front of my computer... cutting... cutting coupons! I'm pretty much addicted! A few months ago I saw an interview on my local news channel with a lady who would go to the store and buy a whole cart full of stuff for under $20. I decided that I needed to be more like this woman. With our econemy the way it is, why not? So I went to her website () and it opened up a whole new door to me! I began reading her blogs, clicking away on the links, and then I was hooked! I immediately signed up for The Grogery Game () and decided to try my hand at couponing. At first, I thought I was doing pretty good, only spending $50-$80 per trip which normally would cost me over $100. Now that I look back, that wasn't the best I could do. The trick to the grocery game is to get a stockpile going. If something is on sale, stock up. Combine sales with coupons for the best deals. I began buing 4 Sunday papers every week. Coupon clipping became a job to me. After a few months, I got my stockpile built up pretty good. Now I am only buing 2 papers every Sunday, unless there are some must have coupons, then I will buy 4-6 papers.

So where am I going with this? Well, after several months of the grocery game, last month I decided to live off of my stockpile and not grocery shop at all except for the must have items like milk, eggs, cheese, etc. So I've just started grocery shopping again and getting in the hang of couponing again. I decided that since I already have so much stuff in my stockpile, I don't need to buy much unless it's an absolute can't pass up deal, or if it's free. Today, I've been sitting here looking at deals, clipping coupons, and matching sales with coupons. Now, I'm ready to go shopping!

Here are some of the deals that I have found this week:
Sally Hansen Nail Polish - FREE
Scotch Brite Nail Saver Sponges - FREE
Nesquik Flavored Milk - FREE
Excedrine - FREE
Celestial Seasonings Tea - FREE
Cottonelle Toilet Paper - FREE
Brut Deodorant - FREE
Pantene Styling Product - FREE
Pantene Shampoo - $.65
Green Giant Frozen Vegetables - $.50
Yoplait Kids Yogurt Multi-pack - $.89
Snack Pack Pudding - $.50
Pampers Swipers Baby Wipes - $.99
Gilette Shampoo - $.25

And lots more deals!

It's so simple to find these deals! It just takes a little time. While getting a little r&r on a Sunday evening, sit down with the paper and look through the ads and coupons. I find it relaxing. It's actually addicting to me now! I have to see what all I can collect for free each week! If it's something I don't use, I usually give it to my mom, my sister, or my grandparents, one of them will usually use anything I can get for free! Since starting the grocery game in August, I have enough shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, and face wash to last me probably 2 years! And I only bought it because it was a deal that I couldn't pass up!

I urge everyone to give it a try! The Grocery Game has a month long trial membership for $1! If you decide to give it a try, please put me as a reference (email: emfine99@aol.com) I would appreciate it!

Shop away! :-)

Halloween Frenzy

Ok, so I have been searching ebay for the past couple of weeks for a Halloween costume for Reagan. It's her 1st Halloween so I wanted something cute for her. Gymboree has some incredibly cute costumes, but they are kind of expensive. Last month I saw one that i liked on their website, it was a bumble bee and it had a tutu and stuff and was just really girly and adorable. A few days later I went back to their site, and it was gone! UH OH!!! They are completely sold out of that costume! So I searched ebay and saw a few going for around $50.... too much! I have been searching ebay almost daily for this costume, and used ones that were going for $25 last week are now going for close to $40! So I decided.... maybe a ladybug from Gymboree.... I had one in my watch list that was buy it now for $20, of course, it sold really fast.


With Halloween in a few weeks, I decided to get on the ball because prices of these sold out costumes are only going to be going up each week! So I decided to google it, not too much luck.... however I did stumble across a craigslist posting... BINGO!!! This woman not only had the Bumble Bee, but she had the lady bug as well for $20 each! One is 12-18 months, the other is 18-24 months, so I'm not quite sure which will fit her best, but I decided to be safe and get them both! They are so cute! If the larger one doesn't fit, there's always next year! I think I might just have to take her to JC Penney and get some pics done in her costumes as well :-)

1st Birthday Invitations

Ok, so I need some help. Reagan's 1st birthday is November 26, I am having her party on the 23. I booked the building for it (I don't want to have to worry about cleaning my house after, plus my house is too small). Now I'm ready for the invitations. I have decided to go with Disney Princess since she is just a little princess! :-) I was going ot make the invitations myself, but that takes too long, and it's too much money really to put in for a 1st birthday. I have a few options that I have found on ebay..... I need suggestions if anyone has found anything else!

Here are the choices I have found so far:

This one is just a file that I can buy on ebay and she will put a picture in it for me. I have to take these to a photo develepor (Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, etc) and have them printed, but I can do as many as I want. I thought these were cute. This is $10, plus the cost of prints.

This one is $5 for 10 invitations plus shipping ($5.50).

I also thought of getting the cards that they have at walmart that you can order. They have disney princess photo card invitations for .33 cents each, but I can't fit all of the words that I want on them.

Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated!