Getting my money's worth

Deal Alert

Those of you who know me, know I love coupons. So when I saw that I could get the Entertainment Book 2009 for $1.25, I ordered it right away since this is the best deal I've seen on it all year. Even if you only use a few coupons out of the huge thing it is worth it. Here's how:

1.) Click HERE to register with Cashbaq. Cashbaq (a cash back portal like Ebates) is offering a $5 bonus to all new registered members. Be sure to edit the “My Account” page and enter your address so you can get paid.

2.) Once you’ve signed up for a Cashbaq account in Step 1, select the Entertainment Book store from the “Shop by Store” drop down window. The current offer for the book is 35% off PLUS $10 cash back from Cashbaq.

3.) Click the “Use Coupon” link to be directed to the Entertainment Book website. Enter your zip code on the Entertainment website and order the corresponding book for your location (~$16.25).

4.) Receive the 2009 Entertainment Book plus $15 in Cashbaq!

Between this and eBates, you should NEVER buy anything online without getting some cash back.

V-Day

One of our malls has a great collection of ride-on cars, trucks, trains and a space shuttle like this one that Charlotte just loves. She doesn't mind that I don't make them move ($1 for 30 seconds - are you kidding?), she just hops from one to the other and has a great time. I was hoping her car obsession would take the place of the shoe obsessions my friends have warned me about with their little girls. Nope - she is a shoe girl too now. On and off. On and off.

This weekend my parents came to visit us and my mom, Charlotte and I went to JCPenney for a photo shoot. Charlotte lost patience with the whole thing very quickly, but they did capture some good shots and we'll have to go back there to get a family picture because I was actually impressed with JCPenney's quality and prices. But I can't imagine doing this without a "handler", in this case my mom, which is probably why I've only been once before to get her picture taken. In that situation, I only ended up getting the two free 8x10s that came with my coupon, because Charlotte was screaming to get home and I had had it too. Thanks Mom! And thanks to Dad for staying home and fixing our toilet, refrigerator and rocking chair. It was a great Valentine's Day - we were stuffed with pizza, donuts, frozen custard and sugar cookies!

Full grown Char

This week Charlotte got her first official haircut! A few weeks ago I hacked off some of her baby mullet but that trim was having a rough time growing out. I didn't know how she would react to this situation but she behaved amazingly well and we both had a great time.

Waiting patiently for her turnPracticing moves on the catwalkBeing a model client and feeling very grown up in the high chairAll done!

Book worm

I know, I haven't blogged in forever! Here is the reason. As I looked at last year, I was disappointed in the number of books I read. I love to read, and making that statement while only reading one or two books a year just isn't right so this month I went through everyone's Goodreads and picked up some books at the library and read - ALL OF THEM.

Let's start with the worst.


Luckily this one only took me a few hours to read. The main character, who is an avid Jane Austen fan and unlucky in love inherits a trip to Austenland, where people go to experience what this time period would be like. She goes so that she can finally put the notion that she will find her own Mr. Darcy out of her head. This almost happens (she starts to realize that she is attracted to losers who aren't confined to the US or her own time period) until the worst ending possible emerges: the actor portraying the Darcy type runs after her to the airport and professes his [real] love. Needless to say, happily ever after. Yikes. I think a smarter ending would have made the book much better.

This historical fiction centers on Sarah, a young, spunky, seemingly fearless girl growing up in the Arizona territories in the rough 1800s who keeps a journal of her family's wagontrain journey to Texas and back and their establishment in Arizona. Her story drew me in immediately - the characters are vivid and real, the situations they face heartbreaking and the way she is able to survive and grow amazing.


First of all, this epic is 1000 pages. So the fact that I finished it in one week tells you that it is riveting! This is also historical fiction about English 1800s - plague-era and the decline of feudalism. The story focuses on several characters whose lives are intertwined in a village housing one of the largest cathedrals in England. Ideas, customs and ways of life that have been around for hundreds of years are on the verge of radical change and it is so interesting how each character embraces it or doggedly fights it, leaving outcomes that drastically change lives.

Anyway, last week we had some great weather and enjoyed the park thoroughly. Charlotte insisted on taking her purse. Of course, it was filled with Hot Wheels to send down the slide.

White Christmas!

This year Helaman and I celebrated our first white Christmas together. We stayed with the Ericksons in Sandy, Utah and took advantage of the close proximity to the ski slopes. I'd never been before! It was fun.
At least I didn't spend too much time sitting on the snow like that person on the left...

Action shot of H on the bunny slope (note the little kids)

We weren't the only ones out in the snow. I couldn't resist this snow suit on sale at Kohl's. Charlotte was nervous about the snow at first, but came to love it and still asks where the snow is now that we're back in Texas.This feels weird!

Deal Alert/Tip. Gap/Old Navy/Banana Republic has a price adjustment policy within 14 days. I bought Helaman a great wool coat for our trip to Utah (and the fact that all he has are ghetto coats). I knew the price would go down after Christmas though, so I saved my receipt and brought it back to Gap on the 14th day and got a $17 credit even though the store didn't have any more of the coat. This even worked for a Halloween costume I bought for Charlotte this year (for next year). I brought back the receipt and asked for a price adjustment after Halloween and sure enough got one, though the clerk gave me a hard time. You can't argue with policy, though. :)

Anyone else get any good deals for Christmas? We were snowed in the day after Christmas, so we couldn't snatch up as many post-Christmas sales on decorations and such as I would have liked, but at least I have enough wrapping paper for next year...

Greetings

Happy Holidays from us

I hope someday to get a professional picture done. For now we will assign credit where it is due - our mini tripod on top of the mailbox.

Miss Charlotte sitting still for 2 seconds in the rocking chair my grandfather made for me.

Christmas came early for Charlotte, who is giving her new baby a kiss. Thanks Grandma! The stroller has yet to stop making laps around the house.

I can't believe how fast time has gone this year. Last year at this time I couldn't wait until January to find out where we would spend our next 6 years. It is nice to relax and not be anxiously awaiting news or graduations or moving and just be able to focus on fun things like teaching Charlotte what Christmas is all about.

What's it about?

I am embarrassed to admit that until this day I did not know that Thanksgiving was established in this country by President Abraham Lincoln. Our Sunday School teacher read the speech below, and I felt more than a little sad that only 155 years later, such a beautiful speech has little chance of being delivered today by a national leader.

The following is the text of a speech that Abraham Lincoln gave on the day that he signed the Thanksgiving Proclamation.

It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the LORD.

We know that by His divine law, nations, like individuals, are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world. May we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war which now desolates the land may be a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole people?

We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown.

But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to, feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.

--Abraham Lincoln - October 3, 1863

Thanksgiving capers

We had a great Thanksgiving in Houston this year. By the day I left, I had finally gotten over my cold I'd suffered through for a week and a half. I think getting up at 4 a.m. for Kohl's Black Friday sale helped immensely. Nothing like fighting a crowd of 300 cranky people in the middle of the night to clear the sinuses right up! I will definitely not do that again. I really thought we'd be the only ones and it would be a fun adventure. But, we did get the $29 KitchenAid knife set that I came for. Since we knew everything else would be gone after we got that, we grabbed a few more. Anyone need a knife set for Christmas?

In other deal news, we got tickets to Hawaii for our trip in March! I've been watching the prices for a while and they dropped a ton last week. Clicking through to Priceline from Ebates also got us $17.50 cash back - at least enough to pay for one of our bags! Seriously guys - if you haven't signed up for ebates yet, do it! It pays off (not that it costs anything) even if you just use it for the airline tickets.

Charlotte was glad to get out and enjoy a fresh set of books, toys and parents for the week.

Now we're back in Frisco, loving the fall weather that was noticeably absent in Houston. No matter how many Christmases and Thanksgivings I spend there, I can't ever get it in my head to pack shorts and flip flops!Anniversary flowers

Before and After

1982

26 years later...Long live the little people!
(and the Mom who hung unto my stuff that long)

5 Years!

5 years
2 apartments
1 house
2 cruises
1 Bachelor degree
1 D.D.S

1 booger picking cutie

10 seasons of ER watched on DVD
Hundreds of cartons of ice cream

I can't believe it's only been 5 years - I feel like you've always been a part of my life. Happy Anniversary Helaman, I love you!

Uncle Mark

In September, Charlotte had a good time playing with her Uncle Mark.

How quickly they forget... we went to see Mark when he was interviewing in Dallas last weekend and she was a little shy.But, warmed up fast when he took her over to see the "Baaas". She can't say fish, so she always says Baaa (bath) for fish since she has fish in her bath.

our little lady

At her 19 month checkup, Charlotte recently weighed in at 24 lbs (50th%) and 32.5 inches tall (75th%). She's now feeding herself...

Driving from a choice of no less than four vehicles (is it considered spoiled if I paid practically nothing for them? I've gone a little garage sale crazy lately)...

and stealing Mommy's shoes at every opportunity to practice walking in heels.

What a cute little lady!

Halloween Part I

Halloween Part I because we're only half done with our Halloween activities. We're making up for the fact that last year Charlotte sat out the event altogether in favor of an early bedtime. First we hit up Frisco's "Safety Town" trick or treat festival along with ten thousand other Frisco-ites. Charlotte was the cutest chick there.

Hailing a cab home

As successful a group shot of the ward kids as we could muster

Eyeing the cute shark next to her

The next night we hit up the ward "Fall Festival" and Charlotte went as a poodle. This costume didn't fit her last year (too big) and didn't really fit her this year either (too small!) but we stuffed her into it and she was super cute but her attitude wasn't as good, at least until the pumpkin pail filled up with candy.

Take your family to work day

Helaman had some patients in Gainesville, Texas to visit. It is about an hour north of Frisco, where the gas is $2.50. Charlotte and I went along to keep him company and visit the local outlet mall and zoo. The outlet mall, or what was left of it, had seen better days. Nothing is more depressing than a food court devoid of vendors except for a Gap Outlet with nothing on sale - are you kidding? I give it two weeks to live.
The Frank Buck Zoo was fun to enjoy on this cool day and just our size. Charlotte loved the petting area and got to know some goats pretty well.

We thought this camel had died but it was just asleep. Looks comfy.

Our family shot - look closely and you can see a giraffe between the fence.

Dallas Arboretum Punkin Patch

Today we went to the Dallas Arboretum and their pumpkin patch with some friends. As you know we are huge pumpkin fans and will always remember our Pumpkin Festival in Boston in 2006. It was not the New England picturesque cool and crisp fall day we enjoyed there (think super humid and warm instead) but we had a great time playing in the pumpkins and seeing the petting zoo and gardens. We'll have to get carving soon.

sippy cup action shot by the lake