Look Grandma!

Present softball player.

Future softball player.

Nora can crawl.

Summer lovin'

Say hello to my little friends. A local welder does these adorable flowers and dragon flies. I LOVE them. Got some for my sister for her birthday. He's got some three times this size, too. Like 'em? Call Rion at 363-3184. Tell him Rani told you about his metal lawn art. The columbine has pretty much taken over this part of the landscaping. I need to do some moving around I think.

Can't remember what this is called but it has also completely taken over my landscaping near the garage. I do like the purple, though.

The big kids went fishing with dad today. See the BIG fish they caught? Squint if you can't. Yep fish appetizers here today:) Dad was cleaning it and Lee says, only two tiny pieces? Dad laughed.

One of my free perennials. Thanks Grandpa Geno! It's beautiful. It's a golden something or other.

Another freebie...no idea what it is but them yellow flowers sure are fancy.

This is called Yarrow, I think. Mom gave it to me. It has gotten completely out of control. I have no idea what to do about it. I hate doing plant abortions. I have got to find somewhere more appropriate for this stuff.

The garden in it's entirety, is that a word?

Rhubarb, spinach, lettuce and carrots and onions that need to be weeded, badly :( At the end past the peonies there is some dill growing and then some big onions.

Here's a shot of the cukes and the melons and more big onions.

Strawberries with feet? Wonky, I tell ya. Dern camera doesn't focus real well one -handed.

Double berry goodness!

Beautiful berries, if you look close enough you can see a critter bite on the red one.

The garden is sure filling out with this warm weather we're having. We have a strawberry patch and if we can get to 'em before the critters, they taste mighty fine. They are pretty wonky looking berries, we got double berries and footed berries but no real regular looking berries, hmmm.

Hope you are getting some sweet summer lovin' at your garden, too!

She slept

all night long!

I am sure it had nothing to do with;

• us not getting to bed before 10pm in a week
• a nice soothing bath before bed
• the constant hum of the fan all night
• eating small meals all day and going to bed on a pretty satisfied tummy (we tried a bun soaked in barbeque at the ballgame-yum)

I, of course, did not (sleep all night long, that is). I was checking on her every couple of hours not being able to hear her breathing noises over the sound of the fan.

Public Broadcasting Bans Religious Speech - Catholic Online

Public Broadcasting Bans Religious Speech - Catholic Online

Shared via AddThis

Beware the New Compassion - Catholic Online

Beware the New Compassion - Catholic Online

Shared via AddThis

70% off Sterling Silver Jewelry at Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&ref%5F=xs%5Fgb%5Fbd%5FD9D%21UgIAall-&tag=slickdeals&docId=1000391771

This is some really nice sterling silver jewelry. Think gifts!

Price is adjusted when you check out. Some pieces are as low as $8! WOW

Happy Shopping!

F.R.I.E.D

Why oh why can't I just follow my OWN advice?

One hour at the pool plus one and one half hours at Leah's game = red blotchy skin except for tiny sunscreen handprint smudges on my shoulders and arms.

At least none of the kids are red. They were all greased up and ready to go.

Muckdog Update

Website is up and running... check it out HERE.

Current Cornbelt League Standings
(6-22-09)

Canova 10-1
Flandreau 8-3
DR Mudcats 8-4
Salem 7-4
DR PBR 7-5
Madison 7-5
Harrisburg 6-5
Humboldt/Hartford 4-6
Lennox 4-7
Montrose 4-8
Colman 3-9
Canistota 0-11

Weekend wind down

The season of stay up too late, get up too early, no time for anything but a frozen pizza is in full swing at our house. I feel a step behind and a few days late for everything I do.

I tried my hand at couponing again this week. Thought I was prepared for the mega deals until my distracted mommy brain ran a red light. Luckily I was alone in the intersection but the guilt and the fear of the in the mail ticket sort of 'rained' on my coupon deal parade. Averaging the cost of a ticket with the amount saved didn't really help matters. I was in the red, literally. Then, in my guilty haste I bought my son one size one shoe and one size three. The shopping trip was doomed from the start when I forgot some valuable coupons at home and called a friend to try and print them for me. I should have just turned around right then and went back home.

Spent some time at the ball park chasing three kids while holding one. I was on the verge of becoming 'mean crabby mommy' when a simple compliment from a stranger completely reversed my mood. He said, "how old is your blondie, she is precious". Then he proceeded to ooh and aah about how wonderful toddlers are when they are mobile and you have to run around after them. He explained how he and his wife have a 18 month old girl who exhausts them. But, he went on to explain how joyful they are because they also have a 5 year old boy who was born with cerebral palsy and has never even rolled over, let alone moved his legs.

The lump in my throat was hard to swallow as my brain slowly processed what God was trying to tell me. Did I still want to complain about being worn out from holding and chasing my four beautiful, healthy, miraculously made children? Um, nope. I'm good. Thanks for the reminder, heavenly Father, I heard you this time, loud and clear.

Speaking of fathers... hope all of you daddy's had a wonderful day. Chase your kids for a few minutes to remember how awesome they are, will ya?

Fun in the sun...finally!

Poor Lou Lou missed all the fun, she was napping inside with daddy.
the final stretch...

thirsty?

Today was HOT! It was so sticky out, my goodness. We just HAD to play in the water. Ad was pretty skeptical at first. She wouldn't even let me put her suit on for a long time. Then she wanted to hold the hose while the pool was filling. An hour later she was playing in the muddy grass by the slipnslide. Of course I put the pictures on last first because that 's how I do it. I am using my new, I mean dad's new camera. It is a lot different than the old cybershot. I am trying out all the new settings. I'll get the hang of it, sooner or later.

Happy Wednesday!

It's Hip to Save!: Schwan's: $5 Off ANY order = Almost FREE Food!

It's Hip to Save!: Schwan's: $5 Off ANY order = Almost FREE Food!

She got a single

Now showing...

Attack of the toad, the itty bitty toad.

Shopping online? Remember this...

If you do any shopping online I hope you do a google search for coupon codes and promotional codes. It's just a good idea, sometimes you can get free shipping or a percentage off your purchase.

I also wanted to remind you all about Ebates.com, a shopping site that gives you up to 26% Cash Back every time you shop online. You can shop at over 1000 stores including Avon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, Gap, Target, Buy.com and Expedia. Plus you get additional savings with exclusive coupons, free shipping offers, and limited-time sales!

Sign up with Ebates today and we'll each get a $5 bonus when you make your first purchase!

Right now I have a little over $12 in my account. They will send me a check every 3 months with whatever I have, over $5, or you can have it automatically deposited in your pay pal account or if you are feeling generous - donate your cash back to your favorite charity. What are you waiting for? Sign up and make a purchase.

I just bought my hubby these cool recycled shoes for father's day. I paid less than $10 and got 4% back for buying them! I love the soles, they are made from recycled tires!

Click here to sign up:

http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=FYmE13mwYunRyWlEWraYLQ%3D%3D

Happy shopping!

My new name

The new gig is going great. I already earned enough to buy a whole gallon of milk! Now I'm shooting for a can of formula.

Thanks everyone for your page views and comments. Friends and family are the bomb!

P.S. I just changed my name to frugal family, you should really check this out. If you are interested in starting your own gig you should, I am having a blast. Oh, and the old link still works so don't fret.

Here is the link if you can't click on the one above...http://www.examiner.com/x-12939-Sioux-Falls-Frugal-Family-Examiner just cut and paste into your browser.


...still raining here

Update

It STILL raining like cats and dogs.

The kids have decided to move out of the house and live in the camper.

They took all the blankets and a box of gogurt.

I wonder how long this will last?

Current CBL Standings

Current Cornbelt League Standings
(6-15-09)

Canova 8-1
DR Mudcats 8-2
Flandreau 6-3
Madison 5-4
Salem 5-4
DR PBR 5-5
Harrisburg 4-5
Humboldt/Hartford 4-5
Lennox 4-5
Montrose 4-5
Colman 2-8
Canistota 0-8

It's Monday and it's raining...again.

My neighbor got across his yard two times this morning before the rain started. I noticed he was sorta rushing it. Poor guy, his lawn is starting to look like the set from Jurassic Park.

It's really coming down now and has been for almost an hour. I can see the water pooling on the roofs of the houses near mine.

The rain made an appearance at yesterdays ballgame. But, the Muckdogs pulled out a win against Lennox (CD, if you are out there - I am so sorry the Muckdog site is not up and running I will try and post the standings when I get them), thanks to a particularly handsome pitcher. I think they ended up winning by 12 or more. I don't really know, I was too busy picking up my babies from the ground. True story, I had baby Lou Lou wrapped up like a taco in her blanket (off topic: I KNOW it was near 80 degrees after church so I dressed everyone in tanks and shorts for the ballgame where it was raining and felt like it was 40 degrees). I was pushing my baby taco in the stroller on those pointy pink rocks and she popped right out of the stroller on to the ground. I felt certain that everyone who saw it was saying to themselves, "What kind of mother...?" and I was saying the same thing under my breath. But she lived, she has a tiny bruise on her forehead to constantly remind me of how dumb I was not to buckle her in.

In other news;

Addison has been cleaning up her messes. In fact she loves cleaning so much that anytime she sees a drop of water or something on the ground, she struts over to the drawer where my kitchen rags are and takes one out where she proceeds to put her foot on it and swish it around on the floor (they are little mirrors). It is a sight to see. I giggle every time she does it. One day this week she went through a whole drawer of rags...

You know what people say about coupons, that if you don't buy what you don't need they will save you money. Well, I had a coupon for Oscar Meyer cooked bacon and I used it. I didn't need it, but I used it. Now I am hooked on a product I don't need. It is wonderful. You pop a piece in the micro for a couple of seconds and viola, hot crispy bacon. Put one on eggs in a tortilla. Crumble one up in your chicken salad sandwich, use a couple on a BLT. SO convenient, so not messy and so not going to be cheap without a coupon. Sigh. I am trying to find things that precooked bacon cannot do like this, to argue myself out of purchasing it again.

This whole not having a camera thing is hard on me, but I am dealing, I am finding my words.

So the sunshine today got my spirits up until I started sweating and then I didn't like it so much.

It seems I can't post unless I have a goofy picture of my kids or I find a good deal.

The kids are attending another VBS this week, it's in the mornings and we are carpooling and with the babes, the Suburban is FULL. I use to giggle at people who had families that filled those big vehicles. Of course I use to laugh at women who had babies right in a row, too. Now the joke is on me.

Leah is LOVING softball. At the game the other night she got five balls hit right to her. She just kept running up to the ball and throwing it to first base. It was sort of weird, like I was watching groundhog day or something. After the game the little first basemen ran to her mom and said, "Mom, can I have a treat? I am SO tired from getting five outs!" I just had to giggle.

The garden is coming along nicely. I have spinach and onions and broccoli and carrots and tomatoes and peppers and cukes and squash and my strawberries are full of little green fruits. Oh, and my spices are looking good, too. The basil is slow, not sure if she will make it, but the parsley and cilantro and dill look great. Thank you Lord for the rain!

Ad is getting her eye teeth. The fevers and the rash on her bum should be evidence enough but of course she has to add a little drama in there, too, and be all grumpy and crabby. My only hope is that after these teeth we get a break for awhile, a long while.

Little Lou Lou is eating veggies and fruits and loves a good Ritz cracker. She is getting a little personality. She is weaning from the jumper, finally. She enjoys rolling around and getting stuck under the piano bench or behind an end table. It won't be long, now.

The other day I took Leah and Ad to the doctor and I had them all along so I just took two umbrella strollers instead of the big bulky double monster wheel stroller with impossible steering. The big kids had matching team shirts on and the babies had their Muckdog jackets on. I thought to myself, I am sure there are people who think I have two sets of twins. Leah and Lil' G are almost exactly the same size. Both size 7 in clothing and 3 in shoes. The babies can wear the same size, too. They are much closer in age and I am sure I will be buying two of the same size for them as well.

Part of me can't wait to see them all grown up and part of me wants them to stay little forever.

SCORE!

Man, I scored this weekend.

I sold over $100 of stuff at the garage sale so I bought daddy a couple of really cool father's day gifts.

Wanna see what he got?

Check it out, here!

You know I got him the pink one, don't you? Don't tell him, it's a surprise.

I miss my camera.

My camera died this week. I think it had something to do with an adorable 19 month old. But, I am not 100% positive. It was over 5 years old and I abused it a lot.

I would have posted a TON of pictures this week if I only had a camera. I missed so many wonderful photo and video opportunities I almost want to cry, these are just a few:

• 80+ children and 50+ volunteers singing and dancing and praising God at VBS
• Pastor playing Gideon at VBS, he pretended to snore so loudly I could hear him a mile away, his wife had a baby this week so he was only able to help the first half of the week, but he was AWESOME
• half of my garage full of items for the group rummage at my church
• my son helping me load the trailer full of garage sale stuff to drive across the street to the church...twice
• my son putting a HUGE box of books on his skate board (ingenious) to get it across the street for the rummage (think physics people, it was amazing!)
• Ad putting garage sale stickers all over her body
• the fellowship hall so full of treasures it could burst
• baked goods so yummy you could taste them through the photo
• the first garage sale-er at 630 am Friday morning (I didn't think we'd get one that early, but we did)
• the lemonade stand my kids sat at and made enough money to buy cameras from the church rummage
• Lou Lou up on all fours
• my buddies who helped run the rummage (you guys were great, it was so nice having adults to talk to face to face)
• Lee's tonsils that were so swollen last night they were touching her uvula

It was an awesome week, but I am glad it's the weekend. Today it's cold and rainy and my sister is coming. I can't wait to see her.

I sure hope I can keep these memories in my brain filing cabinet for awhile. I don't want to forget them any time soon.

I am live.

Okay friends, family and faithful blog readers.

I am now a writer, officially.

I would appreciate your support by clicking on my webpage. Every time you click on my page or comment on my articles I get credit. With enough credit I get paid and I can buy milk!

Yeah, milk!

So, you know, please bookmark my page and check it often. I will be posting at least three times a week. Thanks again for all your support:)

Thanks Karen for lighting a fire under me about this. I am excited to get started.