I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! Hope you all are able to get together with family and friends who love you to enjoy the season. Hope you are able to eat lots of food. Hope you get to watch people's faces light up when they receive a gift. I hope you experience all of this and more.

Corgan did so good opening presents this morning. He knew just what he was doing. It was so cute! He's playing with them right now and has been since he opened them. He's such a smart cookie. He got a gas pump that has shapes with it. He is doing so well with putting them in their holes. I love seeing him learn. He's getting good at me asking him where something is and he can point it out or go get it.

Marshall just bought Corgan another gift after watching an informercial today. He bought him Your Baby Can Read. I'm excited about it and can't wait till it comes in.

Wow it's been so long since I've posted. Sorry about that. We've been so busy. We celebrated Thanksgiving Day with my Dad's side of the family at my Aunt's house. Corgan had a blast! My cousin, his wife, and their 3 boys got to come so Corgan and the boys played....but 4 boys under one roof was CRAZY! hehe We then celebrated with my Mom's side of the family the Sunday after Thanksgiving at Ryan's Steakhouse. We weren't able to celebrate with Marshall's family. His uncle is in the hospital. He's not doing well. Please keep him in your prayers. His name is Glenn. He has 2 strands of staph infection and deading of his heart. Last I heard they're looking at moving him into a home and said he'll never be the same. It's sad. Marshall's grandmother has been up there a lot. His grandfather isn't doing well so he hasn't been going up there. We're going to visit with them for his grandfather's birthday on Sunday. Not sure what Christmas will look like for us. We won't be celebrating with my Dad's side of the family. We may have to start some traditions at home with just the three of us....while praying for our loved ones.

This past Friday I got my Photographer's business license and made my dream a REALITY! I've started my photography business. I'm so excited about it. My background stand, backgrounds, and lighting equipment is coming in today. I need to order my business cards. My website is being worked on by Marshall. http://www.daniellesmithphotography.com I LOVE it but can't wait till it's completely finished out. I have a session tonight. I'm doing family portraits and then 6 months portraits for the baby. I can't wait. This is such a photogenic family. Then I'll be doing a newborn session on Friday and another one next week.

I've been having problems with someone taking our newspaper. I'm tempted to call the newspaper to see what we need to do. It's upsetting to have your newspaper taken when you're a coupon cutter. I've made do though. I have several that I need to cut and put in my Couponizer (see link on right to order one!) to make the most of my savings.

Hope you all have a wonderful day!!!

Got this from Jordan's page and I thought I'd do it too!

Have you ever?

(Bold the things you've actually done.)
And I will elaborate on some for your viewing pleasure.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity -You can never out give God.
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo - many times...I love to sing.
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill - who hasn't? :)
24. Built a snow fort -Great memories.
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person - no but I want to!
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language - haven't taught myself but I took 3 years of French in HS
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt - no but DH has and we want to take Corgan someday
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater - at church
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business - about to start another one too
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check -unfortunately
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car - well I leased it but then we paid it off
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life - not that I'm aware of
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit - not really but sorta....just some of those where you get a letter than you could be involved. never had a reason to fully do it.
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee - nope just wasps

At playgroup today we had our attachment parenting topic which was toddlers and nutrition. I really needed to get help from other moms with ideas for nutrition for Corgan. It's gotten rather hard pleasing him to eat. There was lots of talk about eating organic. I've always wanted to eat more organic but was convinced it was too expensive. So when I got home I did a search on eating organic frugally. I was convinced there's a way to make it happen. I came across several articles on About.com by Erin Huffstetler. She has a page on organic coupons. I plan on printing out several of those.

I'm sharing next week at playgroup on saving money and using coupons. I'll share The Couponizer system as well. I am going to start working on handouts to share as well. I don't want to overwhelm the ladies since it's a playdate as well and our kids will have most of our attention.

Enter to win a free tutu! I thought this would be cute to have for photo shoots...and hopefully for a future baby girl (if God blesses me with a girl).

Looking for a Christmas gift that will save you money? I have just what you're looking for! With the way the economy is right now more and more people are turning to coupons. Coupons can help you cut your grocery budget in half or even more. I have recently gotten into couponing myself. However I came across the problem of not having a good system for them. I had coupons going to waste because I wasn't organized enough. It felt like I was throwing money away everytime I threw an expired coupon away. It is! Companies are basically giving us money to use on their product....so why aren't we using it?

Well I found the solution to my organizing problems and I wanted to share it with you! It's called The Couponizer. It was created by Amy Bergin - a SAHM who wanted to save money.

What is The Couponizer? It's a system that compiles of a wire-bound coupon holder that has a sorting chart, shopping list pad, coupon tracker (so you can see how much money you're saving), scissors and a nice clear carrying case so you can always have it with you.

How much does it cost? $19.95 + $5.75 S&H. You'll be able to earn your money back quickly when you shop with coupons.

I will be placing an order of these soon so please let me know if you're interested in purchasing one (or more for gifts). If you are local, send me a message and I'll get it to you. If you are not local you can order off of this website: The Smart Way to Organize Savings

Just a video of interest to share. I have the book that was written by her and I frequent her website. http://www.couponmom.com She's a smart woman!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TF8BKYtBX8Y

I took engagement pictures today of Flora and her fiance Anthony. It was my first time taking pictures of anyone like that. I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out. I hope Flora and Anthony are pleased.

That brings up a fact. I'm highly considering starting my own photography business. It's something that I love. Marshall said that if it's something I really want to do he will invest is more equipment for me. I think I may look more into it. First I need to learn more about my camera and how to use it better.

I need to get more experience so I'll probably be doing more photo shoots soon! :)

Another great giveaway!!!

http://walkwithmebyfaith.blogspot.com/
Such a cute market tote! Would make for great cloth diaper storage, toy storage, fabric storage, whatever you need to store or tote!

Giveaway alert!!

Coupon Bag Giveaway These are SOOOO cute! I just might have to buy one if I don't win. :)

Here are a few more pictures from our vacation.

Here's Corgan's new do... such a big boy! His baby locks are gone! I love it though.

At this moment I'm hearing Corgan fussing. Marshall is cutting his hair all off. I'm a little sad but it desperately needed to be done. I can't wait to see the final product!! I'm not allowed back there. haha

I promise more pictures are coming from our vacation. I'll try to get them uploaded and re-sized tonight. I have to remember to get the ones off of Marshall's CF card too cause there are some CUTE pictures of Corgan in the hot tub on his. Corgan LOVED the hot tub.

I need to meal plan today for the week. We have lots of meat left over that I bought for our vacation. We're having hot italian sausages tonight. Will grab some veggies to go with it.

Ok, so Wendy tagged me so it's time for me to respond. I'm still feeling tired from vacation...so bare with me.

1. I'm a total pack rat. Pair that with hating to clean and it's not a pretty picture. I still clean though....to make for a happy husband.

2. I love getting handwritten letters and cards but I don't send them myself.

3. Whenever my nails are long I constantly press them against my lips to see how far it goes.

4. I almost constantly have an ulcer on my ear. It's rather uncomfortable sometimes.

5. I hate buying groceries without a sale or coupons.

6. I play with my son's toys when he sleeps.

7. I love to sew.

I tag Florabeth, Wen, Samantha, Emily, Julie, April, and Lori.

I am writing to you from our cabin in the Smoky Mountains. We have a GORGEOUS view! The picture doesn't even do it justice. I'm in awe of God's creation. We've lounged around for a good bit. We got here Saturday afternoon. We went shopping some yesterday and out to lunch. The lunch was horrible but oh well. I got some good deals at the Carter's outlet for Corgan. I went out and bought myself some clothes today. Marshall gave me a limit of money to spend and told me to buy me some clothes. I bought 5 shirts and 2 pairs of pants. I then bought Corgan a few more pieces at another Carter's outlet....there are 3 here and they're having a GREAT sale! When I got back I made us some supper. I think we're going to drive over to Cades Cove tomorrow. I hope Corgan enjoys it. Hopefully we'll see some deer and get some good pictures to share.

Oh....Corgan popped tooth #16 yesterday! He got in the hot tub with daddy today. He's been wonderful on vacation! I'm so proud of my little man!

I haven't done many trips shopping for groceries lately. We've been eating off what we already had in the house. That needs to be done every now and then. It frees up space in your pantry, fridge, and freezer plus saves you money. I have a LOT of coupons that expire soon. I need to look through them and see what I can use before they expire. Otherwise I need to pass them to someone who will use them.

I'm getting really excited about our vacation! It's finally almost here! We leave on Saturday morning!!!! Pigeon Forge here I come!!! I have a good bit of cleaning, straightening and packing to do in the next two days to get ready. I need to make sure that we have everything we need for Corgan. We'll be gone for a week. I'm just hoping and praying that he sleeps and is in a good mood. Anyone have any suggestions on how to make the drive and time up there a happy time for a 15 month old?

Here are pictures as promised!

This is HEAVEN to me right now! Lots of fabric to choose from! The cow print is no-pill fleece. The rest of it is flannel. My favorite thing to do now is look through the clearance fabric and finding flannel people didn't want for 50% off. It's a deal to me! hehe I made one baby wipe last night with double flannel. I like it so far. I'll see if I can make a few more with the flannel scraps from making diapers.

I'm not only frugal in my grocery shopping. Lately I've been on a sewing kick. Sam, you'd be proud of me! I'm quite proud of my handiworks. Right now I've mainly be working on making cloth diapers for Corgan. I want some come up with some things I can make with my scraps from that. I'm looking towards making some baby wipes or unpaper towels. It's leftover flannel so either of those would work great! I plan on trying to make a Mei Tai baby carrier soon too. I need to buy the fabric for it. I'd like to get that done before we go on vacation next month so we can use it. Not sure what all else I'll make up. I need to get pictures of my diapers so far so I can share.

We went to visit Marshall's grandparents yesterday. We took our cooler and got it filled with frozen veggies and fruits. We also got several canned items and then cans of pork and beans and green beans for Corgan. I did a quick trip last night to Publix to get some meat, cereal, pasta sauce (for my Bertoli pastas that were .49 and .19 last week), and maybe a few other odds and ends. We'll be eating meat and veggies for the next couple weeks. This will save me a LOT on groceries as well. We may save some for our vacation next month.

I've scored lately with my groceries. Kroger has had some really good deals with the Nestle Instant Rebate. When you buy $20 worth of participating items you get a $5 instant rebate.

On Friday I went to Kroger with Jenny and got 8 bottles of Juicy Juice. I used 7 coupons for $1 off.
OOP: $9.60

Then last night I went again and got some odds and ends and spent $33 I think.

Today I met up with my mom at a different Kroger than usual. I was not happy with them though since they wouldn't take my competitors coupons. So on the way home I called my Kroger store and they said they'd take them. They gave me $14 cash for my coupons.
Here's the rundown:
*12 boxes of Lean Pockets - used 10 $1 off coupons from Target plus $5 instant rebate
*10 boxes of Lean Cuisine - used 3 $1.50 off coupons plus $5 instant rebate
*box of Puffs tissues for my snotty nose boy - used $0.25 coupon doubled
*1 South Beach pizza - used $2 IP coupon
*4 boxes of South Beach Tide Me Over Drink Mix - used 4 $2 off IP coupons (earned $3 catalina - used on this transaction since I paid for the SB stuff first)
*Sobe Water drink (FREE with catalina coupon someone left last night hehe)
OOP: $18.41 Savings: $57.20 (may be a little off cause I couldn't find my SB receipt)

We have PLENTY in our deep freeze now! We're going to get frozen veggies from Marshall's grandparents' house tomorrow to add to it. This will help me even more in the next couple weeks for groceries.

I'm not sure of the technical name. It's my nephew Cody's recipe. Basically it's just spaghetti wrapped in cresent roll dough. YUM!

What you do is make the spaghetti like you normally would.

I used the recipe creations dough by Pillsbury. 2 cans of it. I pinched them together in the middle to make one long sheet on the cookie sheet.

I then put spaghetti in the middle of it going from left to right.

Then from the top and bottom cut strips to kinda tie over the top of the spaghetti. I just really did my own thing there cause I couldn't really follow my SIL's directions to understand what she meant. haha

I cooked it on 375 degrees until the cresent was light brown. You can put whatever extra you want with the spaghetti. I just did whole grain spaghetti noodles with chunky mushroom sauce and hamburger meat. I added cheese over the top of it after it was cooked.

Did a good shop at Publix yesterday! They have great BOGO sales!

Here's the rundown:
*Bread
*2 Voila Chicken dinners BOGO plus $1 IP
*2 Pillsbury Creations Doughs used coupon
*3 cans of Chef Boyardee BOGO plus coupon
*1 box of Whole Grain Spaghetti BOGO
*1 jar of Publix Chunky Mushroom Spaghetti sauce
*4 boxes of Eggo Waffles BOGO
*1 box of Stove Top Stuffing
*1 Crisco Spray used coupon
*2 boxes of Mayfield Ice Cream 2/$6
*2 boxes of General Mills Cereal BOGO plus used coupon
*10 lb bag of sugar
*6 4 packs of fruit BOGO plus used Kroger Catalina coupons
*Reusable shopping bag - was penny item

OOP: $41.66 Savings: $38.01

We had one of the Voila Chicken meals tonight and it was pretty good. I bulked it up with some yellow squash and squacinni (it's a squash and zuccinni mix). Was a hit for all 3 of us. Tomorrow we're making my nephew's recipe for a Spaghetti Stromboli. It's yummy! I'm going to take pictures and share the recipe tomorrow. I'm going to try my first meatloaf this week as well.

We decided to work with a $200 budget for groceries and toiletries for a month. We have a stockpile of soap and deodorant so far. We're slowly adding to our stockpiles as we can get good deals. I have several sites that I keep an eye on regularly to get the best deals for our money.

I'm a little bummed! I bought 2 extra papers along with our regular delivery paper for Sunday yesterday with the hopes of the Kelloggs Back To School Flyer being in them. Come to find out my paper didn't even have it! I'm on the hunt to find them but too bad it'll be too late for the sales at Publix.

I've become a Walgreens shopper! I went in there yesterday to take advantage of my coupons for Olay Body Washes (Ribbons and Botanicals) before they expired. Plus because I spent $10 worth on them (they're 3/$10) I earned $3 RR (register rewards). Here's the rundown!

1 Botanicals (used $2 coupon)
2 Ribbons (used $1.50 and $2 coupons)
pack of straws
pack of bowls
2 boxes of Hawaiian Punch individual packets for H2O
Replacement heads for toothbrushes ($2 instant coupon in Easy Saver)
Large vacuum bag (will be FREE after rebate)
One Touch Ultra Mini in PINK!!! (FREE with coupon)

PLUS I used the $5 off $20.

OOP: $23.90 Savings: $36.46
Earned: $3 RR Rebate: $5.99

Okay first I have to say that I used IP (internet printable) coupons yesterday to earn a catalina. The coupon indicated that you'd get $3 off Planters when you buy 3 items from Nabisco, Kraft, or Oscar Meyer. I was only able to print out 5 coupons so here's what I got:
15 packs of Kool Aid - $0.19 each
5 cans of Cocktail Peanuts - $2.99 each/ FREE with coupon
So because of that I earned $6.50 off my new order. I used that tonight along with coupons.

Here's the rundown:
*Small bottle of Tide - saved extra $1 with P&G Buy 3 Save $3 plus I used a coupon that was doubled - total price: $4.29
*Pantene 2 in 1 Beautiful Lengths Shampoo & Conditioner - saved extra $1 with P&G and used $2 off coupon - total price: $0.34!
*Excedrin Back and Body 24 count bottle - used $2 off coupon - total price: FREE! PLUS I got a $1 off your next order catalina (So I got paid to buy it!)
*Pizza flavored Pringles Stix - saved extra $1 with P&G plus I used a coupon (ask me for some - I have a bunch from Tupperware) that doubled - total price: $0.79
*2 boxes of cereal - used $1 off coupon - total price: $1.49 each box
*2 boxes of Kroger brand cereal bars

Used $6.50 catalina along with coupons.

Total OOP: $7.42 Savings: $21.71

I'm totally amazed at how well that turned out! I'm trying to get my hands on more Planters coupons to earn more catalinas. Maybe I can get some by tomorrow before the promotion ends.

How disappointing! I made a run to Kroger last night because Corgan was almost out of milk plus I wanted to make the crackers that we made at the Tupperware rally last night! I was too cheap to pay $3.99 for a gallon so I got a half gallon. Not exactly the smartest but oh well! I was disappointed though cause I didn't save not even a penny! It has been so long since I've paid full price for anything.

So I'll leave you with the recipe that caused me to pay full price.

Firehouse Crackers

1 1/2 cups of canola oil
2-3 tbsp of crushed red pepper
1 packet of dry ranch dressing
3 sleeves of Premium crackers

Combine oil, red pepper and ranch dressing packet in Quick Shake. Put the crackers in the Season Serve Container and pour the oil mixture on top. Place the seal on the Season Serve and flip it a couple times to allow the mixture to coat the crackers. After it's nicely covered, open and enjoy!!

Beat The Heat Summer Contest

Just a simple contest to win the ultimate bumGenius starter kit!

First, the best news is that I have promoted back up to manager for Tupperware!!! YAY!! So I'll be getting a nice commission check in a couple weeks direct deposited to my account. Woohoo!! I sure love commissions!

I did my Sunday Publix run today! Here's what I got:
*3 boxes of General Mills cereal BOGO FREE plus I used a coupon
*1 16 oz package of Tennessee Pride sausage - used coupon
*penny item - bag of tortilla chips
*new razor for me - used coupon
*shaving gel for me - used coupon

Total OOP: $16.03 Savings: $16.68

Looks like I've got saving 50% taken care of. Now it's time to step it up and see how much I can get for the lowest amount OOP.

I am a proud babywearing mom. Both Corgan and I benefit from it. There is a special contest going on right now and I'd LOVE to win so I'm posting the info here!

Win the Essential Babywearing Stash from Along for the Ride (one Beco Butterfly, one Hotsling baby pouch, one BabyHawk Mei Tai, one Zolowear Ring Sling, and one Gypsy Mama Wrap)

To boost my sales for my Tupperware business I'm offering my 25% discount until Friday June 27th! This offer is only available through me! You can shop through my website but do NOT place your order on the website or you will not receive 25% off. To order, reply to this post or send me a message through the website.

http://www.guidinglightsales.com

Made a trip to Kroger last night! Here's the rundown:
*2 boxes of Scooby Doo Snacks (used coupon)
*2 bags of Dove Chocolate (used BOGO free coupon)
*1 trial size Gillette Body Wash/Shampoo (FREE with coupon)
*1 tub of Lemon Frosting
*1 box of Cake mix (FREE with coupon)
*1 bottle of Lawry mesquite marinade (FREE with doubled coupon)
*10 cans of Chef Boyardee pastas ($3 off at register and doubled coupon)
*10 containers of Yoplait yogurt (used $1 off coupon)
*1 tub of Mayfield Creamier Ice Cream (used $1 off coupon)

So total with my doubled coupons and automatic savings.
OOP: $22.38
Savings: $21.79

I'm getting better at this!!!

I did good on Sunday stocking up! I always make a run to Publix on Sundays so that I can use my penny item coupon. They have a coupon in Sunday's paper that is for the penny item of the week when you spend $10. This week it was a bottle of Apple Juice. YUM! Here's what all I got on my trip to Publix this week:
*Penny item - Apple Juice
*Small box of trashbags (since Sams is out of the big box we normally get)
*3 lunchables for Corgan (used $1 off coupon)
*1 large bottle of Kraft Ranch dressing (FREE with my coupon)
*1 tub of Sugar-Free Kool-aid mix
*2 packs of bologna (BOGO FREE)
*4 boxes of cereal (BOGO FREE PLUS one has a rebate on it so I'll almost be getting 4 boxes for the price of 1!)
*1 box of Publix brand crackers that are like Ritz
*1 16 oz pack of cheddar cheese slices (FREE with a coupon)
*2 boxes of pasta (BOGO FREE)
*King size Reeses cups. mmmmmm
*2 loaves of Publix Premium bread

OOP: $31.94
Savings: $25.28 + $1.99 rebate

Just getting started over here! This blog will be for my budget and how I'm saving money....but maybe mixed with lots of other things. My life is a hodgepodge so I'm sure this blog will be too. I still have my Xanga blog. Also updates on Corgan are on his website. So don't forget about those too!