A Fabulously Flawed Life

This year for Thanksgiving we joined our "vacation friends" and headed over to Branson, Missouri . We rented this huge cabin and the 4 families all stayed in it together. It made the vacation a real one since we were able to put the kiddos to bed and the adults stayed up and played games . It's seriously the ONLY way to have a family vacation. It has completely changed the way we travel. Friends for the kids and friends for me! {{brilliant!}} It's also nice that we're all together in a cabin because the kids are free to roam and explore together. This was our view from the back porch. Thanksgiving morning the boys had their Turkey Bowl. Laurie & I (yes we have the same name) took the younger kiddos on a hike to the lake. Getting to the lake was a breeze - hiking up back to the cabin was a doozy. :) I was in charge of Thanksgiving activities with the kiddos. We made apple turkeys, and Oreo turkeys. This is the kids table with little Chippy . The adult t...

I tried the Target coupon stacking system from The Krazy Coupon Lady last week. I've lost my receipt but I saved a ton and it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Basically, Target accepts manufacturers coupons as well as their own (which you can print out). Every week The Krazy Coupon Lady posts the links to the coupons as well as the deals you can get.

I've had the Etsy Dallas Jingle Bash on my calendar ever since I was unable to go last year. I just love seeing so many women selling their handmade goods all in one place. Geeze the products were breathtaking. Lisa , Chanda and I had several little adventures that day. I bought myself a little Christmas present that I just got in the mail. I wrapped it and put it under the tree. It's fabulous and I can't wait to show it off. {{Merry Christmas to me}} It was packed full of fun people watching which kept Lisa busy and completely entertained. My bad luck struck again and I got a parking ticket for parking on the grass. Who knew?!? Next we headed over to West End and for dinner. This guy's artwork was seriously so cool and turned out beautiful. We had a short wait for dinner so Chanda challenged us to a game of the "Famin' Finger". Lisa lost. I lost. Twice. Chanda won. {{of course}} We are SO going go have to have a rematch. Thanks for a fun day girls. I re...

Man, it's been a crazy month {{again}}. I feel like I start every post this way. HA! At any rate, Jen , Lisa , and I went to the midnight premier of New Moon. {{when ever that was}} We now have a tradition of grabbing cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory and smuggling it in to help pass the time. It's seriously the BEST way to wait for a movie. It was yummy. I'm referring to the cheesecake, of course! {{evil laugh}} New Moon was my favorite book because I loved the villains. Victoria and the Voltry - yeah baby! I'm all about the action and this movie didn't disappoint. {{two thumbs up}} I'm glad they down-played Bella's depression. That would have seriously been annoying to watch. My only compaint really was the make-up. Talk about yuck. I felt like their faces were too white and their eyes too gold. They would have stuck out - they looked completely alien. I didn't like it. Although, I think I just may have to switch and head on over to "Team Jac...

Dude. I love these blog-things! You Are Thanksgiving You don't need a lot to make you feel happy during the holidays. You already feel very blessed. It is easy for you to be thankful. You think the holidays are the perfect time to express your gratitude. You are definitely not a materialistic person. If anything, you feel like the holiday season has been infected with greed. An indulgent meal in a warm home surrounded by those close to you is more than enough. Anything extra is just whipped cream on your pumpkin pie. Are You Christmas or Thanksgiving?

You Are a Girl or Guy Next Door You are as all American as apple pie, and you're so normal that you belong in a TV sitcom. And really, that's a pretty great thing. You're a solid person, and you pride yourself on being quite down to earth. You value your friends and family, and you don't need much in life to be content. You feel grateful for what you have. You are honest and you have a great work ethic. You believe in giving back as much as you can. What's Your Stereotype? Blogthings: 100's of Fun, Free Quizzes and 3 Stupid Ones

I've been reading all kinds of frugal blogs lately and thanks to Alyssa for helping me make sense of it all, I'm now a couponer. {{again}} About every 2-3 years I pick it back up. Then I get burned out and stop, next I run out of supplies, and then remember how much money I used to save and what my 3 month supply used to look like. Apparently, it's a revolving process. This week I spent $75.21 and saved $131.13 at Kroger. I only bought things I knew my picky eaters would consume. Whoohoo!! As you can tell, it's a ton of meat. Luckily for us we're carnivors. If you're interesed, here are the blogs: Krazy Koupon Lady Deal Seeking Mom Kingdom First Mom Surviving the Stores Money Saving Mom Drake has been having nightmares about flying saucer spiders with wings. It's been a week of crying and interrupted sleep. He fell asleep in the car and I was able to trick him into thinking I was still snuggling him - thanks to a lot of pillows. {{sneaky}} However,...