Our Trip to Europe-Pictures....

I had a little time on my hands this evening and as I was going through some pictures on our camera, I came across some pictures of my family and I in Europe.

Really no description needed; except that we went to London and Romania, stayed for a month, and it was a good, educational experience. Enjoy!

A New & Fresh Start!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sometimes when life just bites you on the arms, you have to bite life back. I haven't been posting as much as I'l like to but that has changed.

I decided to start fresh..with a new template, colors, and wording. Its also a chocolate theme, which I absolutely love. Besides, I miss chatting with all my blogging ladies.

On a much, much happier note...I am preparing to go on vacation next week and am so excitied. It'll be nice to just get away.

Also...my daughter will be turning 3 next month...on September 11th..I know right?! But we believe that GOD had turned a day of sadness into a blessing for us through our daughter. We are still trying to figure if we should give her a nice birthday party with all the trimmings..or take her and her 3 other girl cousins (ages 2, 3, 4) somewhere where they will tire themselves out and then go to bed when they get home..(our daughter LOVES to run, jump, play). Any suggestions??

As for gifts, we have 2 in mind...a magic doodle board & tricycle. She already has a brand new barbie bike that her grandpa bought for her with all the trimmings..but it's a little too advanced for her and it has training wheels!

We still have some time...so we'll see.

Until next time,
Peace Be Unto You.............

10 Interesting Things About Me............

1. I LOVE Thunderstorms! I don't know why exactly, but I love the color of the sky. I like the pouring of the rain and the dark, puffy clouds!

2. When I was a kid, I used to eat the white tips of matches. Yep, I used to eat those suckers like crazy. Thank God for Jesus, cause I could've busted with all the flammable stuff in me.

3. Again when I was a kid, I once swallowed a whole peppermint ball! Man, I cringe just typing about it.

4. Despite being 24, I get told often that I act like an older woman. My mother and sister says it all the time.

5. I cry watching the lion king. I admit it, I cried.

6. I am addicted to soda. I love it soo much. I gotta stop though, and drink more water.

7. Sometimes I have an urge for french fries, raisin bran, & peanut butter and jelly..all for lunch in one day. No, not preggers..just weird..LOL

8. My favorite movie of all time if Lord Of The Rings; I'm a christian and can separate fiction from the truth!

9. I can only take a nice, hot, candle lit bubble bath alone for 5 min and 39 seconds exactly...before daughter and hubby start knocking, asking when am I gonna come out. Since I lock the door, they just camp out right outside of it, asking me questions, etc...LOL..(lets me know I'm loved..lol)

10. I've always wanted to play in the rain. Just go out, jump in mud and water puddles and let loose. I guess I can only hope...LOL

What Are Your Thoughts On........

.....this quote heard on a radio station:

"Poor people spend money, middle-class save money, and rich people invest money".

I'll save my comments until you all have posted yours.

I'm Here........Just So Busy.....

......but the sky looks cloudy.....I hope it thunderstorms; I don't know why, but I like them. I also LOVE the color of the sky....dark grayish/blue color.

I should be back in the groove of things tomorrow, hopefully.

Enjoy the rest of your evening!

Free Stuff!

Free Stuff

We have tons of free stuff that we will/have been getting via gift cards, gift certs., coupons, items, etc.

The free stuff we have already & will be coming within a few days are:

- FREE Hallmark Card
-4 coupons for FREE KFC Meals (already got 3 meals, will get rain check for last coupon)
- $10 Dairy Queen Gift card
-Best Buy $20 Gift Cert.
-$5 Kohl’s Gift Cert.
-FREE $99 VOA Pocket Video Camera (pink)
- FREE Pirates of the Caribbean’s DVD
-Papa John Gift Cert. for FREE Pizza & 2 liter soda ($20 value)
-$10 Target Gift Card

Total amount of FREE Items = $168.00!!!!!!!
Praise GOD for Jesus!!

My Favorite Mother's Day Gift Would Be.............

hmmmm....my favorite mother's day gift would a night in a nice hotel, by myself, with a full spa treatment, all preparing me for my favorite GIFT of all...a FULL NIGHT'S SLEEP...yes about 10 hours!

What would your favorite MD gift be?

So Busy......

These past few weeks have been busy ones in my household. We have been entertaining a lot, getting settled, and other house stuff.

This week is no different. Even today. I have folded up 4 loads of clothes, and still washing some as well. I also cooked breakfast this morning, got hubby off to work, put daughter down for a nap, and I still plan to pick up a FREE KFC meal and go to the children's museum with a cousin of mine. But before that, I need to tidy up the basement, put the dishes int he dishwasher, & get both myself and my daughter dressed. I'm preparing for a special event for Mother's Day, as well.

I can't complain though. I'm blessed and happy with my life. I'm still sticking with my plan that for the whole month of May, not to buy any paper products (i.e. toilet paper, paper towels, etc), cereal, etc..because we have a ton already stocked up.

I also plan to make up some business cards and take them with me when I go shopping. I get people who ask me how get so much for so little, and instead of not knowing what to say or writing down my e-mail on a piece of paper..I can give them a professional business card.

We'll since my baby is napping..I'm going to rest until 12:40 (30mins)..yep...mommy needs a coffee break..LOL.

Enjoy your day!

The Weekend

We had some beautiful weather this past Friday and Saturday. Highs in the mid to the upper 70s. It felt just right; not too hot & not too cold. I wanted to take advantage of this nice weather by completing some work out the outside of our new home and spend some time as a family out doors.

I took our daughter to the playground both days so she can run, ply, yell, and get some exercise. She played her little heart out. I swung on the swing, and boy, did it bring back some good memories. In fact, that was the very reason I went to the playground as a kid; the swing! Even my hubby got on!

We also went out Friday evening to Home Depot to pick up a lawn mower. Our grass was growing like no body's business, and needed to be cut badly. Our budget was $200, including tax. I was hoping we could get what we need in that price range, and we did! The total came to $140 and change including tax (I had a coupon, of coarse!). It was easy to put together as well.

We also heard some strange sounds with our car, especially when the gear is in reverse and we back up. I was hoping that it wouldn't be expensive, since we had an older car, but it wasn't. My husband took it to the machine first thing Saturday morning and they drove the car. Once they got back to the shop, they lifted the car up and the mechanic saw the the front bumper had been hanging off..underneath..where you can't see. And every time we backed up, it hit against the tire causing the noise we heard. He took 4 screws, tightened it back on and solved our problem. A $22.00 job! Praise GOD! We all know how much cars can eat into any body's budget and can have some VERY, VERY costly repairs. But, I thank GOD that he made a big situation into something small and inexpensive!

Saturday, we also went to the playground, out to lunch at Chick Fil-A (Great Food, Very Pricey), visited the mall, got some ice cream, and came home to play the Wii. It was a nice ending to a wonderful day!

Well, I'm gonna get ready to get off of here....I'm hungry and ready to eat dinner. We are having Long Grain rice, string beans, chicken, and Sweet Potato Pie for dessert! Yum!

Enjoy your day!

Update on Shopping Outing Yesterday & Today's to-do list

Yesterday, I ventured out to Marshalls, Target, and the Post Office. I wanted to go to Bed, Bath, & Beyond..but didn't since I left my coupon home by accident.

I came out with some really good deals. I'll post a more detailed version later.

Today, I need to wash some clothes, work on our budget/savings accounts, plan a menu and my grocery store list/match coupons, pay bills, take hubby's suit to dry cleaners, go to bank, and some other things.

Also, mess around with some make-up..experimenting with different shades of colors and the like. Also conditioning my hair. It's VERY important to me to look good for for myself, but more importantly for my husband. Besides, I love when he can't stop looking/touching me...and not wishing his wife kept up herself.

The weather outside..is cold, rainy, grey, and wet and it's a Wednesday. The day is moving very slowly.

But........can't complain..the LORD is is good anyway! I'm Thankful.

So Much Was Going On & Random Thoughts............

Things are a little slower now.

Now that Easter is over, I can slow down a bit with entertaining, getting unpacked, etc. I know Mother's Day is approaching, but I hope to do something low-key this year. My hubby usually want to know what I would like for Mother's day....this time I'll just tell him, flowers (I LOVE FLOWERS!), Dinner (don't wanna go out on mother's day..no many people, plus I would rather order in..so I don't have to cook), and a label maker. We'll probably do the same with Father's day as well. Plus, by the time we get home from church...we are tired.

Still planning our Anniversary Outing in June; as well as our family vacation in August. In addition, I'm hoping we can make it to the beach, go to an amusement park, and at least 2 picnics in the park this summer; of coarse I will be using as many coupons as I can for these trips...already have some.

I saw a Papa John's special...lg pizza, 3 topping for $10.40 (supposed to be a tax special..good until This Wednesday) that I would like to have. I have been wanting pizza since last week...not homemade or frozen...but papa johns or pizza hut pizza. I'll combine this with a free move rental and we'll have dinner and a movie Wednesday evening.

We are still putting money away in our ING accounts....I believe we have 4 now....I most certainly recommend ING as a method of saving. Although we had to take out a large sum to pay a bill, we know and believe GOD is in control of ALL and he'll see us through.

One of our cars in making some kind of noise...although i don't really hear it, but my hubby does. Side note: both of our cars are older...94 Honda civic 2 door & 98 Honda Accord...4 door... We realize our cars will have more problems than any newer car..but we oh so love have no car payments and a low insurance policy...around $580 for BOTH cars, which we can pay in full....so no monthly insurance payments either.

We finally received the deed to our home and boy does it feel great!

My garden is coming along great. I planting some flowers and cutting some weeds..but we need to get a lawn mover. We have a nice size side and front yard but it isn't big though. Another expense, but it is OUR lawn, so it makes it a little better..LOL

5 Trivia Facts:

In our church my husband has many jobs. He is a Deacon, Sunday School teacher, plays key board, sings, a usher, and the Lord has ordained him to be a minister and he'll have his own church in the future.

When I was younger, I used to eat the white tips of matches....lol

My husband choose our daughter's first and middle name.

Daughter is being potty trained. She knows how to wipe herself, wash and dry her hands..but pees on the carpet in front of the toilet..instead of in it..LOL

I love the show Family Guy


Enjoy your day...I gotta tidy up and head out to Marshall's....Got a $25 gift card and I have to return something.

Emergency Planning...Am I Prepared?

I have been thinking about this for sometime now and it has been tugging at my spirit more and more nowadays. Something is about to happen. I don't know what, but I can feel it. It's very heavy and it demanding I pay attention.

With all the greed/corruption going on in our country, the rate of crime will only increase if more and more bad decisions made by our leaders are made. I trust no man as much as I trust God; therefore, I believe no man as much as I believe GOD. As a result, I will follow his lead.

It seems like our leaders are getting worse and worse. They are cheating, taking advantage of, and have no respect for regular citizens. They already are millionaires but they'll get caught stealing $10,000. It doesn't make sense, but then again it does. The eye of man is NEVER satisfied,, NEVER. Solomon said that and he was and will be the richest man to ever live. Our leaders have to put a stop to being selfish and give to others...but of coarse I can only hope.

As a result, I will be starting to assemble an Emergency kit. I plan to have a detailed, well organized kit that will provide what my family will need to get through a crisis resulting from a revolt, crime, natural disasters, etc.

I have a list of items

1. Water
2. Can food
3. Manual can opener
4. Utensils (fork/spoon)
5. Non-perishable snacks
6. Well stocked Medical Kit
7. Scissors
8. $100 Cash
2. Emergency contact list-written
3. Breathing masks
4. 3 blankets
5. 2 Flash lights
6. Light sticks
7. Candles- a least 2 long candles
8. Tin can
9. Water purification tablets
10. lighter
11. Gloves (work and latex)
12. AM/FM radio
13. Batteries (AA/AAA/9V)
14. Mini sewing kit (needle, thread, safety pins, etc.)
15. Set of warm changing clothes for hubby, daughter, self
16. Extra socks and underwear
17. Extra glasses for me
18. Pen/Pad
19. Whistle
20. Pocket knife
21. Map or atlas
22. Laminated birth certificates
23. Laminated social security cards
24. Passports
25. Credit cards (including copy of front/back)
26. Will (draft)
27. Financial statements/copy mortgage docs.
28. List of passwords - not including
29. Health records for daughter
30. USB drive with important electronic docs.
31. Anti-bacterial hand sanitizer
32. Deodorant
33. Soap
34. Toothpaste
35. Toothbrush
36. Toilet Paper
37. Wipes (moist, sanitizing, disinfectant)
38. Pads
39. Brush, mirror, hair supplies
40. Jumper cables
41. Ice scraper
42. Bible

I know it looks like a lot but in the case of an emergency, I would be able to be at ease knowing there was a detailed emergency kit in place. Now of coarse I have a budget set $100..not including the cash. The good thing is that we have many of these items already!

Do you have a Emergency Kit in place? Feel Free to use the above list, if you like.

Happy Spring & Free Water Ice!

Happy Spring Everyone! Don't forget to go and get your FREE Rita's water ice today.
What's your favorite flavor? I love Mango, Cherry, and Blueberry! Yum!

50 Random Facts About Me

Got this idea from Heather over at What What You Have. She is such a real and down to earth person and I enjoy reading her blog very much.

So here we go; 50 Random Things About Me (some of our answers are exactly the same!):

1. I love God, and I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and personal Saviour.
2. I believe that the Bible is the inerrant word of God.
3. I’m passionately in love with my husband.
4. I have one daughter. She is 2.
5. I used to eat the white tips of matches when I was a child..LOL
6. We bought our first home this year and it feels great!
7. I'm addicted to soda....any kind really, except diet.
8. My hubby and I met through a chatroom. Yes, the Lord works in mysterious ways. He spoke to Moses through a burning bush, didn't he?!
9. My favorite color is purple.
10. My favorite number is 4.
11. People say they love my cakes; I LOVE to bake.
12. I used to participate in pageants as a teen. I even won a city and state crown/trophies.
13. I love neatness and order. I can’t concentrate when the house is a mess.
14. I am 24 years old & my hubby is 29; most people think were much older..lol
15. My hubby proposed to me 1 month after we met and I said YES!
16. Been to Orlando twice and I an I'm LOVE with it.
17. I prefer to stay home; although at first I despised it...lol
18. I absolutely LOVE make-up and I wear it often.
19. When I was a child, I was in love with Michael Jackson...not anymore though...lol
20. I've been to London and Romania....I loved the experience.
21. I love sales and couponing.
22. Hubby has been to many cities in the US.
23. I care about me and my family appearance. We represent GOD and we should look and act like it.
24. I’m organized and thrifty.
25. I'm a stay at home wife and mommy; although we plan for me to go to law school in 1 1/2.
26. I LOVE sweet potato pie. My mouth waters up just thinking about it.
27. I LOVE the Christmas season; just everything about it.
28. I love the movie Lord Of The Rings...my all 3 extended version, soundtrack, and behind the scene stuff.
29. I love listening to old gospel. I love the feeling I get from it.
30. I am a quiet person and prefer to keep to myself.
31. I love FLOWERS and plan to start a garden soon.
32. I love everything chocolate; cake, ice cream, regular chocolate, cookies, etc.
33. My favorite stores are Macy's & Target.
34. I love family get together's.
35. My favorite subject in school was History.
36. I have a BA degree in History/Politics.
37. I studied at 3 colleges/universities, starting in the 10th grade.
38. I remember the exact details the first day I met my hubby; what we were wearing, where we went, how shy I was, etc.
39. People say I'm sweet!
40. My favorite junk foods are chips, soda, cookies, pie, and cheese...yes..cheese.
41. I don't like tomatoes, squash, peppers, raw onions, or anything diet.
42. I love water ice, especially mango, cherry, and blueberry.
43. I have 3 younger sisters....19, 16, and 10.
44. I love the show, Everybody Loves Raymond.
45. I love high heel shoes (not the exotic dancer kind)lol
46. My hubby still says he's attracted to me just like when we first met.
47. I like to watch the Food Network Channel.
48. I love to watch Rick Steves' Europe.
49. I LOVE going to church every week and being with ALL my family.
50. I love being married and a mommy; and wouldn't changed it at all!

A New Way To Bring In Some Funds

With so many people losing jobs or seeing a decrease in their pay, more and more thrift stores/consignment shops are seeing an increase in shoppers and as a result their sales. Since we have so many of our daughter's clothes, shoes, etc. just taking up space and collecting dust, I'd thought I would give the whole consignment sale a shot.

I was fortunate to find a church in my neck of the woods that is having one. I had to register a few weeks ago and they sent me tags, an inventory sheet, and other registration materials. The sale starts this Friday and Saturday. It actually was kinda fun being able to price items and writing up an inventory sheet, but it's a lot of work.

Being that this is my first time selling clothes through a consignment, I wanted to start small. I will be selling some of her baby clothes such as shirts, skirts, dresses, shoes, onesies, etc. I have to say that it was bittersweet going through the her old clothing. I was thinking, "gosh, my baby is growing up so fast"! I remember someone telling me when I first had her to cherish these times because they grow up fast, and boy was that person right. I can remember when she was born, exactly! Now, she's going to be 3 years old in a couple months! Man, time sure does go by fast!

The only thing I DON'T like about consignment sales is that you only get 50% profit of your items that's sold. I kept that in mind as I was pricing the items because I do want to make some kind of profit on those things, but not over charge at the same time.

I guess we'll see how my first experience goes. I will drop off my things on Friday evening and whatever doesn't sale, I will pick up Saturday evening. To be honest, I'm hoping not to pick up anything because that means all my items sold!

I'll let you all know how it turns out. Wish us luck!

Enjoy your evening!

Laughter, Fun, Headache = Quality Family Time Together!

What a weekend I had. Hubby is changing our daughter while I'm writing this. Before I started though, I had to use the restroom and who do you think was banging on the door, whining and crying for me?! Just guess! Yep...you got it, my daughter. But I'll open the door and then she goes on about her business. What is with that. I can't have 3 min of private time in the bathroom before I'm become the HUNTED..LOL. At least I can say thank God for door locks...LOL.

Moving on.....We had some family over for dinner to thank them for their help with helping us move. They babysat, painted, help remove wallpaper, move t.v.'s, etc; so we wanted to have them over for dinner to show our love.

I served Chicken Breast and Shrimp Kabobs with yellow, orange, and red peppers; Tomato and Basil Rice Pilaf, and a garden salad (my hubby is a healthy eater...I'm slowly coming around..lol). We also had a nice fruit tray for them and for dessert...Chocalate cake, strawberry cake, and Ice Cream...it was soooo good!

When we were done we talked for a little while and then it was game time! We usually play board games but my hubby bought a WII and we played Guitar Hero and Tennis for 2 hours! Yes, everyone from the young to old. It was so funny watching my mom trying to play tennis with a blanket tied to her back (she gets cold often; very often..lol) or my dad playing tennis and on the first try beat all of us. Yes, we were shocked! LOL

Everyone left around 9:30pm so we could prepare for church the next day; and with day lights savings time, losing an hour would make things harder to prepare for. Even setting my clock right, I still woke up late...I somehow manage to always mixup the daylight savings times every year.

I did go with my hubby to Best Buy like I mentioned in another post and I really tried not to complain; really!LOL. I was quiet for almost 30min...LOL....Then I started the "honey, how long is this process going to be?"...LOL...

We'll that pretty much sum my weekend up. I hope you all had a nice one as well!

Enjoy the rest of your evening!

What In The Name of Pete is going on here for Pete's sake!

That line is from Pete on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse;

I may never understand my child.

She begs me for Grapes, so what did I, a nice mommy do? I gave her some nice, cold grapes in a little bowl so she can eat them. Well, I guess she didn't plan on eating them because she threw them on the floor and at the cabinets in the kitchen. Maybe the grapes make good sling shots or little cannon balls, who knows..lol.

Or when she only writes on our T.V. with her crayons, not hers, but ours!

Or unrolls all the toilet tissue from the rolls. Yes, she figured how to take it off the toilet roll holder we have nailed on the wall...lol

I guess if I knew the answer to why children do these things, then having world peace wouldn't be some far fetched idea. LOL

What are some crazy things the kiddos in your life do? I would love to hear them.

Gotta loves the kiddies!

Have a great day!

Better or NOT......Gotta get up!!

Today is my last day of rest.

Even though I still have a cold, I have some important errands to run tomorrow. I have been in the house for the last few days trying to recover. I am feeling better, tough...Thank God!

My husband has been a HUGE help. He cleaned the kitchen, vacuumed, changed the baby, got me dinner, tidied up and let me and our daughter have the whole bed to ourselves while he slept in her room. He's just the BEST! I'm thinking of something special I can do for him. He loves Best Buy (the store) so maybe we'll stop by as a surprise and he can pick out something and he can stay as long as he please without hearing one complaint from mommy regarding time!

Anyway.....I just took some medicine and I am hoping I feel much better tomorrow; cause frankly I don't have a choice. My wifely/mommy duties are calling! LOL.

Have a good evening!

This is what happens when you go outside without a coat on.................

"Sniff, Sniff"

You have to stay in the bed with a cold, running nose, sneezing, and coughing because of a wrestling match with a 2 year old as we are leaving the mall!

Yes........I'm not feeling well....I absolutely dislike being sick. It's worse than cramps! And now the 2 year old has a cold, which means any rest I'll get is when she's sleep.

Thank GOD for my supportive husband, a laptop, cable t.v., Puff's Plus tissue, a waste basket, hot tea, water, and Vick's 44 cough and cold!

Please pray for me!

Februrary was costly BUT it could've been worse..........

Sometimes we cannot see unforeseen events. Sometimes we just have to roll with the punches. But sometimes (with planning) these "surprises" can be almost done away instantly. February was such a month.

We bought a house, had to renew car insurances on BOTH cars, have homeowners insurance, get BOTH cars inspected, and a host of other things. What we didn't plan on was the battery dying in one of the cars. I guess we could see why since it was the original battery and the car is 11 years old! We had to get a battery from an auto store which cost about $100 including installation. Then a couple of days ago, the same car wouldn't start; we knew it wasn't the battery this time because we'd just replaced it. So my hubby said it could be the starter and he was right. Cost: $435 for part and labor & $55 to tow the car to the auto shop!!! Yes, that's almost $500! But this is another reason why I am a TRUE believer in saving money. Having a savings account allowed us to take care of this issue right then and there. It felt good not having to worry or wait to fix the car. Since we had some extra money coming in this month; we only used $150 of our Emergency Fund and we still have over 4 months of living expenses saved up!!

Also, the same car got inspected and passed but the mechanic "suggested" that we get the filters changed and fix something regarding the fuel injection; needless to say, we didn't want any problems with the car so they were able to fix it for $222 included the inspection, parts, and labor. We took this from our regular savings account the but the money will be replaced by the end of March.

So now we have our homeowners insurance paid up until next year, our car insurance on BOTH cars paid for six months, both cars inspected, we have moved into our new home and are settled, and both cars are up and running. Thank GOD for Jesus!

I'm looking forward to March...warmer weather, no more gigantic bills, hubby's gets a bonus, a promotion at hubby's job is in the works, he will be going to Europe again but just for a week! (we went last year for a month; so we are grateful for a week this time!), and might have to travel to SLC, Utah. I look at this as good news because with so many people losing their jobs, hubby's company trusts & depends on him enough to pay for him to travel to other states/countries to train their staff for them. Thank GOD!

So March/April should be interesting! Am I ready? Is my hubby ready? I guess we'll see!

Enjoy your day!