Tuesday, April 15, 2008

ten smile tuesday

the sun is shining....the girls are sleeping....and i'm sitting here with a ice cold diet coke...with oh so many things to smile about...
1. ordering my 15 free prints from walgreens. you too can take part in this smile...just go to the linked site, upload your photos, enter the promo code TAXDAY at checkout...and voila...15 free prints! if you are anything like me, this is a great incentive to actually get around to printing some of those photos i've been meaning to print for the past 4 or 5 months. once the girls wake up we'll be taking a stroll down to walgreens and picking up our photos (and a few other good deals perhaps!). tonight mike has a meeting, so once the girls are in bed i am actually going to start cropping pictures for kate's first year scrapbook!
2. finishing up these little shoes for kate...to match the outfits i finished thursday--thus making them count as a "this week smile" as well. (sarah...the shoes should give you a closer look at the fabric) i think kate is going to wear this little outfit for her dedication next sunday (and, of course, big sister will have to wear hers as well!)



3. freshly scrubbed bathrooms...and can i just note that it really is more fun to clean when you get the cleaners for free! i know, that sounds pathetic, but as i was scrubbing my shower yesterday i was smiling about the free cleaner that was working wonders on the soap scum.
4. a special shopping outing with elizabeth...not so much the shopping part, but the spending some time alone with elizabeth. we did, however, find a pair of pink croc-like shoes that were a great deal after our jo-ann's 50% off coupon. one of my favorite parts of the outing was watching my little cowgirl clomp around in the boots we'd found on clearance at kohl's the day before. she LOVES them and asked to wear them for our special trip. she looked so cute in her denim jumper and boot...i just wish i would've taken a picture.
5. checking the mailbox...a whole new adventure these days as my mailbox is frequently stuffed with free samples or coupons i've called to request. (a tip for those who have jumped on the cvs-train...i've been calling companies listed in the may extra care flyer and requesting coupons!)
6. another "at home date" with my hubby...the past two friday nights we've put the girls in bed a bit early and then enjoyed a late dinner just the two of us and a movie. (a FREE movie...from redbox--if you have no clue what redbox is, you really should check it out...$1 a night for new release movies...or most often for free with promo codes you can find all around internet world!). how thoughtful was my hubby to pick a "chick flick" and to stop at trader joe's to grab some dessert...coconut sorbet...YUM!
7. the greening of the grass...including the grass growing on the head of elizabeth's green guy (aka...our poor man chia pet!) we made at our MOPS mommy and me the other week. this picture was taken friday and i promise his hair has grown another 2 inches since then (and is twice as thick and sprouting out like eyebrows and a mustache!).

8. the incredibly encouraging time i spent last night when i couldn't sleep...reading ecclesiastes 3 and reflecting on the many seasons i am in the midst of right now...some full of joy, some strugglesome, some exhausting. God quieted my spirit and reminded me that He is sovereign over all of the seasons....and whats more...i am to enjoy each and every season, not just the easy and happy ones. i am so glad i got out of bed rather than laying there wishing i could just fall asleep...
9. making it three weeks before filling the van up with gas. this might seem trivial, but with the price of gas this is huge! i often struggle with staying at home, being content to simply "entertain" myself and the girls at home rather than running random errands, etc...and this was definitely taking its toll on our gas consumption. for the past three weeks i've made it a point to park the van...consolidating errands, etc...mind you, we have still enjoyed lots of fun outings..the children's museum, MOPS, the bounce place. honestly, i am amazed at how long we were able to go on one tank...and excited at the huge savings this is since it costs well over $50 to fill the tank!
10. grilling...yep...we busted out the grill for the first time this season. elizabeth chalked on the driveway and kate sat in the stroller while i fired up the grill. my favorite part of this "routine" is when daddy's car comes around the corner and turns into the driveway...just in time to join elizabeth for a little outside play while the grilling finishes up. how wonderful to think that we have a whole grilling season ahead of us!






9 comments:

Lisa said...

Grilling is by far my favorite smile, oh and siting outside too...
I love your smiles, they make me smile!

Rebecca said...

what wonderful smiles! i, too, am enjoying free prints from walgreens today :). the matching shoes you made for kate's outfit are adorable! how nice to have a little outing with just elizabeth..i love doing that with liberty! redbox sounds great, i will haveto check that out. the little green guy is too cute. we busted out our grill this week, too. oh how i love grilling! so glad to hear you had some good time with the Lord this week. what a blessing!

Leslie said...

we love love love to grill, and redbox too...
so glad you seem to be doing so well.

Carolyn said...

Just surfin' the blogs and stopped by for a visit.

Nice Blog!

Carolyn

Anonymous said...

How proud I am of my bargin shopping daughter! I can't wait until I am "trained" by her regarding this free cvs stuff! First I must use up my two households supply of stuff! I do know why she stretched a tank of gas so far...not as many trips to Grandmommy's house anymore. How I miss those girls and my "baby" too. Can hardly stand to wait the two weeks until we are reunited! I miss them all so much!
Love you, Mom, Grandmommy - at the lake!!

Wendi@EveryDayMiracles said...

Hmmm...Myabe I could learn a thing or two from you as well. :) I have several friends who I refer to as "the coupon quens". They get really into the 'game'. :) I have always done pretty well with grocery shoping, but never did alot with coupons and such. that could really help with my toiletries and cleaning supplies etc. :)
Love the shoes you made to match the outfits. SO many talents you have!

Anonymous said...

I can sooooo totally sympathize with you on filling up the van! It's such a bummer some days to have to stay home when all you want to do is get out! Lately we can go between 10 - 12 days before a fill up depending on our activities.
I love that you do the grilling at your house! So do I :) Hubby tends to crisp the food a little to often otherwise LOL
So glad you're still doing the 10 smiles, they are always an inspiration!

Amy's Blah, Blah, Blogging said...

We were actually going to grill tonight but by the end of the day we were so pooped we just decided to head over to good old Ponderosa, ah well, maybe this weekend. I am way too excited about the warm weather, hasn't it just been fabulous!!

Way to go on that whole 3 weeks not filling up the tank. I put gas in mine just about every day it seems. But, it's becauSE I only put a small amount here or there. Yeah, I trick my brain like that. LOL

I hope the dedication goes wonderfully, the booties are way too cute!!

Unknown said...

Thank you so much for the encouraging comment. It seems at first glance we are very much alike. Your words and wisdom came at a great time.

On another note, the outfits and shoes are too cute. I am making my daughter some as well. I am going to put that puff paint (the kind that those awful sweatshirts were made of in the 80's) on the bottom of hers to help with the non skidding.

Thanks again for your kind words, and great advice! I will be adding you to my blogroll!