My multi-talented* friend Crissie generously offered to take photos of my family this past Sunday. Yippy for getting my Dad in front of the camera! This is our first family portrait since the mid 80s…we were definitely overdue.
*By multi-talented I mean my friend has way too many gifts…I wish I had one of hers. Check out her photog shots here and her jewelry here. She also does graphic design, but not sure what that site is. Sorry Cris!
Today Carson Jace Barto joined our lives around 12:30pm. He weighs 7 pounds, 9 ounces and is 20 1/2 inches long. What a precious little boy he is. I could have just cuddled and stared at him all day, he definitely had me at hello!
My wonderfully fun little nephew Drake turned 2 on the 16th so The Rutz family had a fun BD celebration on Saturday. Both sets of his grandparents went together and got him a very cool mini-size trampoline. Let me tell you, it looks awesome. I was even tempted to get out there and give it a whirl.
Drake LOVES it. The entire party was spent either jumping on the trampoline or tossing around his new ball.
It is amazing that he is already 2 years old. How time flies by. And every day it seems he has a new word or sound he is making. I can’t wait until he can talk with me about what goes on his little mind. That boy is a smarty pants for sure.
Love you Drake!! Happy day to you!
Now that Fall is around the corner, I have only 4 months left to finish 35 books…can it be done? Not sure, but I am going to try. I have picked out my reads for the remainder of the year and I have to say I am most excited to read The Lost Symbol which comes out September 15th. I have already pre-ordered, can’t wait! For those of you who are anxious to read it as well, Walmart has the best deal online price wise. Only $17.34 with tax and shipping. I am also looking forward to all the holiday books in December, they always help set the spirit right for that time of year. But you never know, one of the books in between may blow my socks off. I’ll keep you posted.
Here’s to happy reading!!
Books to read:
The Purpose Driven Life
The Glass Castle
Digital Fortress
Syrup
The Devil in the White City
Bright Shiny Morning
The Lost Symbol
The Memory Keepers Daughter
Three Cups of Tea
The Time Traveler’s Wife
Thirteen Reasons Why
The Emporer’s Children
The Mercy Papers
My Sister’s Keeper
The Giver
The Thirteenth Tale
East of Eden
The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao
Jane Eyre
Are you there Vodka? It’s me Chelsea.
Eat, Pray, Love
The Sheltering Sky
Life of Pi
Crime and Punishment
Water for Elephants
The Secret Life of Bees
I was told there’d be Cake
The Purpose of Christmas
Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals
A Map of the World
Prep
The Christmas Box
The Christmas Shoes
The Christmas Blessing
TBD—I’m leaving one open spot for a surprise book I may find
Completed Reads:
1. The Last Lecture (Jan) A-
2. Lucky (Jan) A-
3. Strengths Finder 2.0 (Feb) B
4. Little Earthquakes (Feb) B
5. The Relationship Principles of Jesus (March) B
6. Tales of Beetle Bard (March) C
7. The Shack (April) A-
8. The Almost Moon (April) C
9. Angels & Demons (April) A
10. Sellevision (April) B
11. The Lovely Bones (April) A-
12. Confessions of a Shopoholic (May) C
13. My Horizontal Life (May) A-
14. The Five People You Meet in Heaven (July) B
15. LA Candy (July) B-
My fabulous sister Bridgette has introduced me to the crazy world of couponing. Today was my first day at it and I have to say I am pretty pleased with myself.
First stop, Victoria’s Secret. After all was said and done, I received 4 pairs of undies, 1 oz. lotion and a gift set. The total value of these items is $60.42….I got them all for $7.95! That is a savings of $52.47. Wowza.
All items I purchased were either on sale or I had a coupon for them. Bridgette has told me the secret to couponing is to stock pile items while they are at their lowest price. I will need some adjusting to get use to this…but I am going to give it my best shot.
I bought all of the items below for a total of $85.35. Originally the cost would have been $145.45. So, all in all, I walked out of Alby’s with a savings of $60.10
I won’t list out all of the items, but it included 12 pork loins, detergent and a few cleaners, all which add up pretty quick. I am hoping I only get better at my coupon skills and if starting off saving $60 is the beginning then I am super happy.
