Guess what?

I’m knitting again! It’s not much, just a dishcloth/towel (not sure which one it will be yet!) but it’s something. After this is done, I want to knit a top for Natalie. I’ve been drooling over some of the newer patterns on Ravelry, and I want to make about a dozen things all at the same time! But first things first…my dishcloth

Triple Coupons at Harris Teeter

Over the past few months I have become a coupon fanatic! I have always loved saving money and catching great sales, but this is on a whole new level. I have a shockingly pink 3-ring binder full of baseball card holders that are stuffed full of coupons. I never leave home without it, because you never know when you are going to need a coupon! My local grocery store, Harris Teeter, offers double coupon savings (up to $0.99) EVERY day. This in itself is a fabulous thing, but occasionally they throw open the doors and offer TRIPLE coupon savings up to $0.99. I love this. Yesterday kicked off another week long round of triples, and my Mom, my brother and I were there first thing in the morning to take advantage. I picked up the most items because I had several non-sale things I needed at the house (my car has wheezed its last wheeze for the moment, and I have to take advantage of being at the grocery store when I can!) but I still managed to save a whopping 86% off my total. Yep, 86%! I don’t remember the savings percentage for my family, but I know they each paid under $5 for several bags. I picked up many items that ended up being totally free, like bathroom cleaner, deodorant, marinades, sour cream, salad dressing, the list goes on and on. Several of my items were also very, very cheap, like Dial hand soap for $0.04. I pinch every penny I have, so being able to get cleaning supplies and personal care items for free or super cheap is a wonderful thing.

I cannot wait for the Sunday paper to come out, I hope there are a few more freebie coupons for triples in there

Memorial Day

A big thank you from the bottom of my heart to the men and women who have fought and died for our country. You are not forgotten.

Yard Sale Saturday!

Got up at an ungodly hour this morning (after only 4 hours of sleep, it was tough!) and went to a couple of yard sales/thrift stores with Mom and Kacee today! We had a great time hanging out together, and found a couple of good deals. I was excited to come across 6 bowls that match my vintage Pfalzgraff collection- I hadn’t found a piece in a while. I also picked up 6 new V.C. Andrews books for a quarter a piece, I’m trying to rebuild the collection I had to leave behind in VA. Oh, and a new (old) VCR for my bedroom. Jack mortally wounded mine a few days ago, and then delivered the killing blow when he tried to “fix it”. Such a man, even a 2 years old. He was totally convinced he could get it to work again The kids cooperated and watched movies all afternoon so mama could nap, which was greatly appreciated! And so now they are in bed, and I’m enjoying the relative peace and quiet. It’s been a good day.

Earth Day 1 Million CFL Light Bulb Giveaway

April 19 Only -
Earth Day 1 Million CFL Light Bulb Giveaway
The Home Depot will be giving away 1 million CFL bulbs in support of our environment on Earth Day 2009. Receive a free EcoSmart 14w CFL bulb from participating The Home Depot stores on April 19, 2009. Quantities may vary by store. Limit one per customer while quantities last. No purchase necessary. Offer cannot be combined with any other promotional offer or discount. No credit if offer refused.

Who can resist free? And such a good freebie too, helping the earth and all that jazz

Conjoined Fish!

Roughly 6 weeks ago I purchased a fish tank on craigslist, and filled it with a few brightly colored fancy guppies. Yes, I know they are prolific breeders, but with the interest my children have in science, I knew it would be an exciting adventure. We had 7 babies about 3 weeks ago, and over the past few days the remaining preggo mamas have popped and we now have upwards of 40 newborn fish.

Tonight the excitement over baby guppies grew to a fevered pitch when we discovered our conjoined twins!! I’m not sure how long these little ones will be able to survive, I have seperated them from all the other fish, but they can’t seem to swim, they just flip around on the bottom a whole lot. We will enjoy them until the end, and my brother Scott (who is a biologist with a special interest in fish) has asked me to preserve the fish for him if/when it dies. All I have is vodka, no rubbing alcohol at the moment…. Conjoined fish on the rocks, anyone?

We’re very excited to be fish owners in the winstongang household tonight

Meet my new nephew!

Jaiden Devon…isn’t he dreamy??

A sweet surprise

I have recently been re-organizing and downsizing my life, and have come across many forgotten treasures. Old books buried at the back of my closet, a missing slipper under the bed…until today these finds- while pleasant, haven’t really been fabulous. Then came the moment when I found a roll of undeveloped film, and a undeveloped disposable camera. I brought them into Target this morning for 1-hour processing and wondered what they would contain. I figured probably some random shots of the kids from a couple of years ago (I’m REALLY bad at turning film in!) or something like that. After all, I haven’t had a film camera since the lovely Thanksgiving of 2006 when I was robbed. My camera bag that held my much loved GII Rebel also held something more precious- several rolls of film that I had taken when I was in the hospital after giving birth to Jack. Losing those rolls of film is what hurt me the most from the robbery. I would have gladly let the burgler keep the camera if he would just give me my film back. I do have several shots of Jack moments after birth, taken by my Mom with her digital camera, but only 4 or 5. Well…back to today. The disposable camera held pictures of Christmas 2006 (no camera, so had to do disposable!) and those are great. The roll of film? It has pictures of Gabriels first day of kindergarten, a few shots of the kids at our house in Virginia before we moved, and 8 precious, precious shots of my sweet baby Jackson in the hospital. What a gift fate has given me today. I have no idea how this little roll of film ended up outside of my camera bag, but I am so very, very happy to have found it.

I’m back baby :)

I swear I’ve spent more time away from this blog than on it the past year or two! I have internet at home again though, so I”m back for good Kids are fabulous, doing well in school and growing every time I blink.  Jack has taken on a new persona lately…he’s the reincarnation of Darth Vader! Complete with lightsaber and sound effects…it’s quite amusing. How has everyone else been lately?

Our last summer weekend

School starts on Monday. HOORAY! My house will now be *almost* quiet during the day, except for the terror that is almost two year old Jack! That kid has some lungs, let me tell you. We are spending our Saturday morning cleaning house and doing mounds of laundry. In addition to preparing for the start of school, my younger sister Mallory is coming for a visit tonight. Did I tell you- she’s expecting her first baby!! Her boyfriend of several years proposed to her last time she visited him (he’s in the Navy, works on the ship that Demetryus used to be on, and is currently in California, soon to be Japan.) and she is just glowing! I can’t wait to see her, she is coming to look for an apartment, since Devonte (fiance) will not be back for the birth of the baby. Such is military life. So anyway, we are getting ready for her visit today and our big picnic tomorrow. Hopefully I will remember to bring my camera this time to share kid pics! They are getting so big, I can hardly believe it. Gabe will be 8 in November, Natalie is 6 and Jack is nearly 2. Where on earth did the time go??