SO I'm very slowly getting into the couponing craze. I've gotten some great deals on food, but I'm hoping to start finding some deals on toys and such for the holidays. Well today... I guess Sunday actually I flipped through the ads in the paper and found some great deals at Smith's Marketplace. The first two that really caught my eye were for some playschool toys. Having a little one around, I've been looking at some toys for his age group that he'll enjoy. There was one I was planning on getting him because Ryan's Mom got Alex one when he was little and he LOVED it! I'm sure you've all seen the Busy Ball Popper from Playschool. There is also Playschool's Step Start Walk'n Ride. Here are the great deals on these two toys:
Regular Price $21.99
Sale Price $10.99
Coupon -$5.00
-----------------------
Final Price $5.99 + tax
***Almost 75% off!!!
My Smith's Marketplace was out of both of these toys because of the amazing price, but I was able to get a rain check for both of them. The coupon is good until the end of the year, and I'm sure they'll get some in by then. I may go back for another rain check just in case I can find someone to give one for Christmas.
My next deal was for My Little Pony's. Smith's Marketplace had them on sale as a buy one, get one free. Since I don't have any little girls, my nieces will now know what they'll be getting for Christmas and/or birthdays. The prices range from $5.99-39.99. Everything I bought was $6.99. This is what I did:
Regular Price 6 @ $6.99 = $41.94
BOGO discount -$20.97
Coupon -$5.00 ($5.00 off purchase of $20.00 or more on my little pony products)
-------------------------------------
Final Price $15.97 +tax
*** A 62% savings ***
The other deals weren't as great, but one that stuck out to me was the BOGO they had going on for Bakugan toys. Anyone that knows Alex, knows that Bakugan are his FAVORITE things right now. They have a special of Buy 2, get one free. They are about the same price as they are at Walmart, so why not save a little there.
Anyway, I was happy to get a little Christmas shopping out of the way and find some great deals while doing it. If anyone reads this that doesn't have a Smith's Marketplace nearby that would like me to help them take advantage of any of these offers, just please leave a comment. Happy Shopping!!!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009
One Year
This past Wednesday marked an anniversary for us that I wasn't looking forward to... in fact I was really dreading it. October 7th marked the 1 year anniversary of the day our little Ian died. It is quite shocking that it has already been a year. It doesn't seem quite possible. It was a really hard day. From the time I woke up, I replayed that whole day in my mind. From waking up to the phone call that told me my son was dying to the phone call that told me he was gone. Remembering how helpless I felt not being there to hold him and comfort him. Ryan and I holding each other and crying with each phone call that we got. Pleading with the doctor to keep trying, that Ian couldn't really be dying. Talking to the wonderful nurses and social worker that we had become so attached to. Grateful to have our amazing friends willing to be with Ian at such a terrible time. Being on the phone so we could hear Ian receive his name and blessing. Getting that terrible phone call to tell us that Ian had left this life. Looking at our little Darek knowing we were going to miss out on so much. Going to pick Alex up from school to tell him his baby brother was gone. Looking in the closet at all the "twin outfits", knowing that Ian was never coming home and would never get to wear any of them. And then having to make phone calls for funeral arrangements.
It's amazing how vivid those images are in my mind. I know I only had a couple weeks with him, but I loved him from the second I laid eyes on him. He is our son and we are so lucky to have had that much time with him.
I don't know if Darek and Alex will ever realize what life savers they are for us. They have helped me through so many dark times. I know that time is supposed to heal wounds, but I don't know if mine have started healing yet. Maybe a little. But I hope that Ian knows how much he is loved and how excited I am that I will see him again.
It's amazing how vivid those images are in my mind. I know I only had a couple weeks with him, but I loved him from the second I laid eyes on him. He is our son and we are so lucky to have had that much time with him.
I don't know if Darek and Alex will ever realize what life savers they are for us. They have helped me through so many dark times. I know that time is supposed to heal wounds, but I don't know if mine have started healing yet. Maybe a little. But I hope that Ian knows how much he is loved and how excited I am that I will see him again.
Life Is Good
I guess when life is busy and good it really is harder to sit and blog. It's been a really crazy couple of weeks. Not too much outside our normal stuff, but it's just been really fun and really busy.
One major accomplishment for me was holding my very first stamp camp with my wonderful friend Tammy. Although we didn't get a huge turnout, we still had a few people come and it helped us learn the ropes and figure out how to work things a little better for next time. But since our stamp camp, things have seemed to take off a little for us. This has been so exciting and we're so happy and a little overwhelmed that people seem to love the things we are doing. A couple things we have on our plate for the next few weeks... 1. We were asked if we would provide a give away basket for ladies night at Deseret Book. This was nice, because it will be a way for us to not only show off some of the things we can do, but we were also able to leave a sign up sheet there for anyone interested in coming to our camps or holding their own class. There are over 400 ladies that come to ladies night, so hopefully we'll get a few interested in us. 2. We were also asked to do two pretty big projects for Super Saturday in our ward. I am really excited and a little wary of how much work this will be. We already have the projects made to show the ladies in our ward, but we don't know how many people will want to do one. So we're preparing ourselves for a big order, so that we won't be too shocked if it is. 3. We are already getting ready for our next stamp camp. We were planning on having it the 14th of November, but that happens to be the date of the Super Saturday. So we're going to have it on the 21st instead. Hopefully that isn't too close to Thanksgiving. But it's about the only time that will work. We're going to have some adorable Christmas cards and projects at this camp and I really just can't wait. I'll hopefully be going down to St. George to hold a camp down there, but haven't scheduled a date with my sisters yet to do that. Anyway, I really am happy that this is taking off for us, especially with the time and energy we've put into it. We hope that it continues to be a success.
After we held our first stamp camp, Ryan and I took the boys to Lagoon for the 5th ??? time this season. I've kinda lost count. It was the first night of Frightmares and we had a blast. The crowds weren't too bad and it was nice being there in the evening after it had cooled down. Of all the times we've been there this summer, I don't think we've gotten many, if ANY, pictures there. It was dusk and we only had our little camera, so lighting was TERRIBLE. But we finally got at least a few pictures there. Alex has been on most of the rides now, including Wicked. He's not quite tall enough for the Rocket and I have a hard time with thinking about him going on the Samurai. But he is a little dare devil and loves going on all the rides. And Darek just loves being outside. I really cherish that family time. It's very rare that we all have a night where there are no activities going on or Ryan's not working.
My birthday was on the 29th and I turned 28. Still a few more years until the big 3-0. I had a great birthday though! I got a few surprise people that came over to wish me a happy birthday and my two best friends took me in the evening down to Boondocks! We first went to eat at Chuck a Rama and then went to Boondocks. It would have been perfect if not for the awful wind storm that evening. While riding the race karts, we were eating dirt and having it fly into our eyes. Not incredibly comfortable, but still fun! After we had our share of laser tag, arcade games, bumper boats and race karts, we headed over to IKEA to look for any ideas for upcoming stamp camps. We came up with a few ideas and bought a few materials. We ended the evening with a slurpee and headed home. I got home a little after Ryan had gotten home from a long day at work. He was upstairs getting the boys from my parents when I came home. I came downstairs and found that he had gone out and bought me roses, a huge bag of gummy bears and a new movie "Away We Go". He let me know that he still wanted to buy me a few books, but hadn't had the time to go search for them. But it was such a wonderful day and I'm grateful to all those who took the time to remember me on my birthday. I really do have the best friends and family.
My parents left for Ireland, Scotland, etc. They will be gone for two weeks. That means that I have moved my stuff upstairs for two weeks so I can watch my little sister and take care of all the animals. It has been really difficult so far. The first couple days were manageable, although it's hard to turn my back on my sister even for a minute because of the trouble she gets into. We've already had many issues with lying and stealing. Only a few screaming fits that haven't lasted too long and last night had to have a conversation about gossiping. I've always had respect for my parents in dealing with my brother and sister, but being in this position has made that respect grow by leaps and bounds. After 1 week, there have been several times I have wanted to yell and scream and kick her butt because of the nasty things that she says and does. Somehow I have held back. 1 more week...
We are (kinda) looking forward to this coming week. We will be leaving on Thursday night to fly out to the San Francisco area. My grandma is very sick and we don't know how much longer she has. So this is a "going to say goodbye" trip, which are not easy. I'm glad I'll have that chance though. She has not met Darek yet and I haven't been able to see her in a few years. We'll also have the chance to visit some of San Francisco, at least walk around the Oakland temple, and visit some old friends in Sacramento and family in Napa. I love going back home. It has changed so much, but there are still so many people there that I love so much.
One major accomplishment for me was holding my very first stamp camp with my wonderful friend Tammy. Although we didn't get a huge turnout, we still had a few people come and it helped us learn the ropes and figure out how to work things a little better for next time. But since our stamp camp, things have seemed to take off a little for us. This has been so exciting and we're so happy and a little overwhelmed that people seem to love the things we are doing. A couple things we have on our plate for the next few weeks... 1. We were asked if we would provide a give away basket for ladies night at Deseret Book. This was nice, because it will be a way for us to not only show off some of the things we can do, but we were also able to leave a sign up sheet there for anyone interested in coming to our camps or holding their own class. There are over 400 ladies that come to ladies night, so hopefully we'll get a few interested in us. 2. We were also asked to do two pretty big projects for Super Saturday in our ward. I am really excited and a little wary of how much work this will be. We already have the projects made to show the ladies in our ward, but we don't know how many people will want to do one. So we're preparing ourselves for a big order, so that we won't be too shocked if it is. 3. We are already getting ready for our next stamp camp. We were planning on having it the 14th of November, but that happens to be the date of the Super Saturday. So we're going to have it on the 21st instead. Hopefully that isn't too close to Thanksgiving. But it's about the only time that will work. We're going to have some adorable Christmas cards and projects at this camp and I really just can't wait. I'll hopefully be going down to St. George to hold a camp down there, but haven't scheduled a date with my sisters yet to do that. Anyway, I really am happy that this is taking off for us, especially with the time and energy we've put into it. We hope that it continues to be a success.
After we held our first stamp camp, Ryan and I took the boys to Lagoon for the 5th ??? time this season. I've kinda lost count. It was the first night of Frightmares and we had a blast. The crowds weren't too bad and it was nice being there in the evening after it had cooled down. Of all the times we've been there this summer, I don't think we've gotten many, if ANY, pictures there. It was dusk and we only had our little camera, so lighting was TERRIBLE. But we finally got at least a few pictures there. Alex has been on most of the rides now, including Wicked. He's not quite tall enough for the Rocket and I have a hard time with thinking about him going on the Samurai. But he is a little dare devil and loves going on all the rides. And Darek just loves being outside. I really cherish that family time. It's very rare that we all have a night where there are no activities going on or Ryan's not working.
My birthday was on the 29th and I turned 28. Still a few more years until the big 3-0. I had a great birthday though! I got a few surprise people that came over to wish me a happy birthday and my two best friends took me in the evening down to Boondocks! We first went to eat at Chuck a Rama and then went to Boondocks. It would have been perfect if not for the awful wind storm that evening. While riding the race karts, we were eating dirt and having it fly into our eyes. Not incredibly comfortable, but still fun! After we had our share of laser tag, arcade games, bumper boats and race karts, we headed over to IKEA to look for any ideas for upcoming stamp camps. We came up with a few ideas and bought a few materials. We ended the evening with a slurpee and headed home. I got home a little after Ryan had gotten home from a long day at work. He was upstairs getting the boys from my parents when I came home. I came downstairs and found that he had gone out and bought me roses, a huge bag of gummy bears and a new movie "Away We Go". He let me know that he still wanted to buy me a few books, but hadn't had the time to go search for them. But it was such a wonderful day and I'm grateful to all those who took the time to remember me on my birthday. I really do have the best friends and family.
My parents left for Ireland, Scotland, etc. They will be gone for two weeks. That means that I have moved my stuff upstairs for two weeks so I can watch my little sister and take care of all the animals. It has been really difficult so far. The first couple days were manageable, although it's hard to turn my back on my sister even for a minute because of the trouble she gets into. We've already had many issues with lying and stealing. Only a few screaming fits that haven't lasted too long and last night had to have a conversation about gossiping. I've always had respect for my parents in dealing with my brother and sister, but being in this position has made that respect grow by leaps and bounds. After 1 week, there have been several times I have wanted to yell and scream and kick her butt because of the nasty things that she says and does. Somehow I have held back. 1 more week...
We are (kinda) looking forward to this coming week. We will be leaving on Thursday night to fly out to the San Francisco area. My grandma is very sick and we don't know how much longer she has. So this is a "going to say goodbye" trip, which are not easy. I'm glad I'll have that chance though. She has not met Darek yet and I haven't been able to see her in a few years. We'll also have the chance to visit some of San Francisco, at least walk around the Oakland temple, and visit some old friends in Sacramento and family in Napa. I love going back home. It has changed so much, but there are still so many people there that I love so much.
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