School Supplies & 1st Day of School!

Yes, I'm still around! I just took a couple of weeks of an unplanned blog vacation. Hopefully I'm back now with my several posts a week. I've missed it!

A couple of weeks ago after Allison's physical, we went school supply shopping. We ended up going to three stores because we couldn't find everything in one and also to price shop. They were all in the same plaza so it wasn't too bad. I didn't realize that we had gotten mostly pink or variations of pink until I put everything together for this picture. The red notebook is the color the teacher requested or it would have been pink too! We found this really cool thick plastic folder in hot pink of course for her papers. She wanted to decorate it with Princess stickers. Is that cover a scrapbooker's nightmare or what? Can you say STICKER SNEEZE! Ugh! I tried to guide her in another direction but it's her folder and she is so proud of it. Missing from the picture is her scissors. They are hot pink too!

This is her lunch box. She picked it out. I'm not too thrilled with it. I don't like how it opens. She LOVES it so I chose not to fight that battle.

This the first day of 1st grade which was yesterday. Since school was only 3 hours long on the first day, I thought I could get away with putting her in a skirt. I was wrong. As soon as she got off the bus she said they went out on the playground. She said she was embarrassed because she thought people could see her undies on the swing. I guess that was the last day she'll be wearing a skirt! Speaking of her skirt. It is such a pretty color pink but looks faded out in the picture. Actually my daughter looks faded out too! Must have been the morning sun!

One last pose before she's off to school. She's really excited about the bus because her friend Anna is on her route this year. Luckily we have the same bus driver. Garry keeps a good eye out for my little one. He reminds me of my Dad. He barks a little but has a heart of gold!

After I put Allison on the bus, I drove to the school for the first day. They always kick off the school year with chapel and the parents are invited. Immediately following chapel, they bring the whole school out for a picture. Allison is in the second row from the bottom and the fourth one in from the right. Her teacher this year is in the pink on the right. She is the Principal's wife and they celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary yesterday too!

This picture is from this morning, the second day. We took this picture for Aunt Alesia. I wouldn't have bought her blue. I tend to buy mostly pink with some purple thrown in. It's just what I gravitate towards. I did buy one yellow and one green shirt this year! It was a big step for me! Anyway, doesn't she look so grown up? I know this is her second year of school but I miss her! I know she drives my crazy sometimes but it is too quiet in this house without her! Does it ever get any easier to send your baby off to school?

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I've been tagged!

My blog friend Jolene has tagged me! The challenge is to write 8 of your blog friends (including the one who tagged you) in a unique and creative way and then post them. I'm going to take it one step further and challenge all of you to write why you like their blogs. I used the same site Jolene did to write their names. It is Image Chef and http://www.imagechef.com/ will get you there.

I hate to admit it but I read quiet a few blogs. I don't read them all every day. Some I read once a week. Then there are others that suck me in and I check them every day to see if there is a new post. The ones I've chosen to share are those that I enjoy the most. I pick them because there is always a lesson or idea or tip that I learn from them. If you have the time, I suggest you check them out.

1. Jolene. She loves the color pink so this name tag is perfect for her. Jolene is the Mom to 5 sons. Yes, I said 5! She also has a grandson and another one who is due to be born any day now. I found her blog from a link on another scrapbooker's blog. Jolene is a talented scrapbooker, great decorator and loves to entertain. She is one busy lady!


2. Sophia. I also came across Sophia's blog because she's a scrapbooker. However, that is not why I keep reading. She is one lady that I would love to sit down with and have coffee. She is on her second round of parenting as she raises her three "babes" after her first three were grown. Even though Sophia is just a couple of years older than I am, I want to be like her when I grow up! She is an awesome Mom, wife, daughter, friend, scrapbooker, decorator, organizer and hostess.


3. Heather. Yes she is another scrapbooker but she is so much more. She is a superstar and has more energy than anyone I've ever met. She is a young Mom to two little ones. Heather's mind never stops pumping out creative ideas for every occasion. I don't know how she does it. She also posts awesome recipes. Actually, I've tried more of her recipes than anyone else's. Check out her recipe for Lemon-Butter Red Potatoes!


4. Jennifer. I "met" Jennifer on a scrapbooking message board that we both frequent. She deserves a blue ribbon for the talent she possesses. She not only is a great scrapbooker but a great Mom to a 7 year old son who is going to be a 2nd grader. She is another one that has yummy recipes that she shares on her blog. Like me, Jennifer loves to find old treasures in second hand stores. It's probably a good thing we don't live close to each other. I would probably be broke!


5. Cindy. Her blog is called the Romantic Home and it lives up to it's name. I found it while looking for cottage style decorating. Cindy is a single Mom who has a son in college and a daughter at home. She is amazing at what she does to her home on a limited budget. It's my kind of decorating! She is a thrift store shopper. I love seeing how she takes her finds and transforms them into something beautiful in her home. Check out her blog. I promise you'll receive a warm welcome!


6. Kim. She is living her dream in Daisy Cottage which her blog is named after. Daisy Cottage deserves to be in the movies. It's so adorable! Red, yellow and white never looked so good! Kim is another thrift shopper. She has taught me how to look at those finds differently and to use them for something other than their intended purpose.


7. Tina. I would love to move right in to her Cherry Hill Cottage if I only knew the way. It's so cozy and warm. Tina would probably hand me an old country apron so we could make one of her yummy recipes. You can almost taste them from just looking at the pictures! This is another lady that has the decorator's touch for the cottage style. Simply amazing at what you can do with your imagination!


8. Meg. Her blog may be called "my little cottage" but it's big on style! She offers up a ton of cottage inspiration so be sure to slow down and take your time at her blog. I want to live next door! Check out her before and after pics on the left hand side. You are sure to say "WOW!"


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Pepsi Love!

My blog friend Jolene asked on her blog recently if you prefered Pepsi, Coke or Other?
I guess Princess is giving her answer!

Gotta run and get ready for work! I'm working extra today since I took yesterday off!

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Ba Ba's Bowl & A Brownies Recipe!

Curtis and I went to a drag race exhibition on Saturday. It's about 4 hours away so we take food with us. Food that we normally wouldn't have around on a daily basis...because I would be the only one who eats it! Anyway, one of our traditional drag race food is cheesecake brownies. When I made them this time, I grabbed my Ba Ba's (grandma's) Pyrex bowl that has been passed down to me in the last year or so. It's the bowl that I grab most. Even though my Ba Ba passed on when I was young, I remember this bowl. I don't know what it is about this bowl but it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside every time I use it. Maybe because I imagine my Ba Ba using it herself to make her awesome rolls that we'll never taste again because the recipe was never written down. Maybe it's because she's up there watching down on me while I use it. Maybe it's because I feel close to her while I use it. Or maybe it is just because I'm a sentimental fool and anything that is old and once belonged to someone I love makes me happy. Who knows?However I do know this bowl will be passed down to Allison one day whose middle name (Victoria) was chosen because it was my Ba Ba's first name. I am hoping she will cherish it as much as I do!

Mmm! There is something about brownie batter that says "Stick your finger in me and taste me!"
The recipe is below but this time I sprinkled milk chocolate chips on top. It was a perfect addition!
Can you almost taste it? They are such a moist brownie!
Philly Cheesecake Brownies

1 pkg of brownie mix (I used the basic Betty Crocker mix.)

1 pkg (8 oz.) Philadelphia cream cheese

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. Prepare brownie mix as directed on package. Pour into greased 13 x 9 in baking pan.

2. Beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add sugar, mixing until well blended. Ad egg and vanilla and also mix until well blended.

3. Pour cream cheese mixture over brownie mixture; cut through batter with knife several times for marbled effect.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until cream cheese mixture is lightly browned. Cool and cut into squares. Makes 24.

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I'm an AUNT again!

Well...sorta. My sister, Alesia, after YEARS of talking about it, finally got a puppy! Her name is Ginger and she is an English Springer Spaniel.

Isn't she cute? I think she was about 8 weeks old in this picture. Looks innocent, doesn't she? He he he! She is an active one! I think she took my sister by surprise! I think she's going on her 4th week with her and boy has it been a ride...for all of us! My sister is a perfectionist. That's not a bad thing because so am I...to a point. She likes things to be how she likes them. She's not a roll with the punches go with the flow kind of gal. I got that gene. Just as an example...my sister and my Mom went looking for dogs and when they got back into my sister's car from seeing them at the shelter, my sister picked a dog hair off of herself and said something like "Yuk, a hair!" At this point my Mom new this was going to be an experience for us all! So as you can imagine, this puppy rocked her world! However, I think this dog will be a good thing for her. She needs something to relax her and to teach her not to sweat the small stuff. It'll be an adjustment for a little while but the rewards will be so worth it!

Here are a few more pics of the little cutie and remember you can click to enlarge them!

This one is when she visited Aunt Cindi. Do you think Ginger and Princess liked each other?

Probably about 12 weeks old here. Look how big she's gotten!
And this last one is how she was when my sister picked her up from doggy daycare! Poor baby! I think the big dogs wore her out! Hey! Maybe I should take Allison to doggy daycare!

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Coupons! Coupons! I Love Coupons!

Yes, I LOVE coupons! Who doesn't? Right? Well lots of people apparently. Did you know that of the $300 billion worth of paper coupons that are distributed every year, only 2.8% of coupons are actually redeemed? Isn't that sad? Seriously! They ARE money! If they saw a dollar bill laying on the ground, would they pick it up? Yes! I am SURE they would! In all honesty, coupons can be time consuming. It does take time to cut them out and organize them. At least that is the part that I hate about them. Yes, I said hate! I know it's a strong word but time is precious. Thankfully, I've worked my coupon time in while I watch a little t.v. in the kitchen. It is usually while watching some decorating or cooking show. It takes my mind off of the boring (Allison's new favorite word) task. Now organizing is a whole other story! I have used the same coupon organizer for years. You know the kind. It's one of those accordion type wallet things. The only problem with those types is that you have to sort through the stack in each section to find the one that you want. This takes extra time! Again...time is precious. Well about 6 months or so ago I received my email from Get Organized Now.com. I am on their mailing list. Great site! Check it out! Anyway, Maria (founder of Get Organized Now!), shared about a coupon organizer she found. She raved about it. She said it saved her time and money so I had to check it out! She was right! It is awesome! I was on the fence about ordering it because it is a little pricey but finally after months and months, I splurged. I am so GLAD I did! The first time I used it, I saved 52% on my grocery bill and yesterday I saved 45%! Of course it's not all because of the coupon organizer. But it did make it so much easier to match the coupons with grocery ad. Okay! Okay! I know you are anxious to see what all this talk is about. Aren't you? Okay then, can you just humor me? ;)

Here it is: Mrs. A's Grocery Coupon Organizer!

and here is the inside! Pretty, isn't it?

It will tell you on the website that it comes with one coupon insert page per section. What you see in the above picture is 2 inserts per section. I purchased more so each section will have 4 sides to put coupons. 2 inserts with 2 sides equals 4 sides. Right? Does that make sense? I hope so. Sometimes I confuse myself so I know I could confuse those of you out there too! Oh, I have some good news too! They are on sale at $5.00 off right now! AND...putting "getorganizednow" in the coupon code will get you another $2.00 off! Woooo Hoooo! Who doesn't like a bargain?

I probably should put a disclaimer on here that I have no affiliation to Mrs. A (if there is a one) or the company. I just LOVE my new organizer and had to share! If any of you get one, please let me know. It would make me happy to know if I help you organize your life a little!

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Like Mother Like Daughter!

I bought Allison her own pair of Crocs the other day and she wanted to take a picture of us both wearing them. Do you think I have a future scrapbooker on my hands?

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