Saturday SCORE! :: GF Pasta

SCORE!!!! ---- Yesterday, I bought 23 packages of Tinkyáda brand (brown rice, gluten-free) pasta for a TOTAL of only $23.31!!!!

If you are anyone who has ever bought any wheat/gluten-free items... you KNOW what an amazingly exciting deal this is!  Coming out to only $0.94-$1.07 a package... this is a major STEAL!!! 

---YAY!!---

Note from Mom and Dad on Christmas…

Note from Mom and Dad on Christmas…
This is for those of you who have asked what kind of things [we and] KB would like for Christmas:

Vera Bradley...

Vera Bradley.... the relish & even somewhat of a guilty pleasure of all us girls: sisters, cousins, & sister-in-law, alike... just released four new patterns for Spring 2009!!

Cupcake Pink, Cupcake Green (neither of which, do I care for!)
Hope Garden (the new breast cancer color) & [the long awaited]... Purple Punch!!!

Of thrift store & lemonade..

Whew! What a busy day!! My dad came by this morning, and asked if we wanted to go to Goodwill (his favorite!) to do a little shopping. Here are just a few goodies I found...

Two summer dresses for KB

Some adorable Gymboree clothes (for less than $3 a piece!)

(Don't you just love those colors???)
L to R: a skirt, a dress, and a jumper...


I also got an awesome [deep] stainless-steel mixing bowl, two skirts, two cami/tank tops, and a sun dres for me, and few books that looked interesting (Little Men, Devil Wears Prada, and Princess Diaries)... the glass pitcher & rose colored dress you'll see in the later pix of this post... and this *adorable* dress (that I so wish was big enough to fit me!!) for my sister, Becca...


Then, after the shopping & a delicious & filling meal of
soup, salad & bread sticks at Olive Garden (Yum!!!)....

We headed home, to get back to preparing more lemons for the freezer...






And of course, we couldn't resist making just one batch of fresh lemonade!!
(in the Goodwill find I'm probably most excited about.... my glass pitcher!! ~
which is a kitchen item I have been wanting for a long time!! yay!!!
and this pitcher is SO beautiful, too! Unfortunately, the picture doesn't do the detail on it a bit of justice... )

What a deal!

Steve & Barry's in the mall is going out of business, and everything in the store has slowly been marked lower, and lower. When my mom & sisters were here, I got three shirts, two skirts for KB, and a new bathing suit for under $20! Not bad.... Well THEN ,we decided to stop in there, today... and everything was down even more - to $2.00 & under! (t-shirts were 60¢!) Though the store was a disaster... and the selection, not nearly as vast as before.... there were definitely deals to be found! We ended up with two shirts for B, four shirts & a pair of pajama pants (pictured above) for me, a shirt for my sister, a shirt for a friend, and a baby's sweater vest for a friend. The grand total? Only 9-dollars & change! :-) The funny thing is, the receipt shows your savings... and it said we saved like close to $60!! Isn't that crazy?! I just love finding a good deal!

BTW, Huntington Beach, CA (t-shirt in picture) is were our friend JAmes lives now. B & I thought it to was quite funny (& ironic) that there would be a shirt of the same place... so for such a price, I got it! ;)

Note from Mom and Dad on Christmas…

I know this is a little late coming... but given the very recent requests for gift suggestions (it seems like everyone !is a bit behind this year!) .. I thought I'd just throw it out there....

Note from Mom and Dad on Christmas…
This is for those of you who have asked what kind of things [we and] KB would like for Christmas:

We hope to raise KB to know what the holidays are all about. Help us to balance the wants with the needs and present them with what will help her to grow in the way we want her to go. Let's bring in toys that are responsible – even in this small way our monies will shape their future, both in where the money goes and what it brings home to them.

When it comes to gifts, please keep in mind "less is more". A few quality items that will last are a much nicer way to go. Also, the more simple the toy, the more the imagination is used – and the more use the toy will get! Here are some ideas:

Things we love:

• Things made of natural materials (wood, cotton, silk, wool).
  
• Toys that use the imagination rather than toys that use batteries.
• Waldorf or Montessori style toys – toys that are real things (musical instruments, gardening tools, art supplies) or that encourage creative play (play food/dishes, cloth baby doll, wooden blocks and cars), push/pull toys
• Books!! (esp ones with real pictures!)
  
• Magazines like “Ladybug”, “Wild Animal Baby” or “Little Kids National Geographic”
• Things we can do as a family like: Annual passes to State Parks, Jungle Gardens, the Children's Garden, etc
• Hand-made things (if you aren't crafty, www.Etsy.com is a wonderful place to purchase everything for adults and kids.
• Clothing, sizes 12M & up (please note, we only wear dresses & skirts - so no shorts or pant sets please!)
  

Things we love to avoid as much as possible:

• Toys made of synthetic materials such as plastic - and *especially* battery-operated ones!
• Items depicting cartoons/companies (ie - toys/clothes/books with cartoon/TV characters such as... Sesame Street, Dora, the Wiggles, Backyardigans, Carebears, Barbie, Bratz, etc.)
• Any edible items which contain dairy or sugar!

Some great places to shop:

• KB's Amazon Wishlist!

• www. rosiehippo.com, www.oompa.com, www.threesisterstoys.com, www.babyworks.com, www.novanatural.com, www.willowtreetoys.com,
• http://www.babymoonflower.com (local Sarasota mom… love the blocks &Toddler Zoom Cars, she sells!)
• Locally: Toy Lab, Funtoysia, [Baby & Kids at] Bennetts, and Learning Express all carry these types of toys.
• "Melissa & Doug" is a good toy brand that I've also seen locally - at bookstores and even Home Goods
• Don't forget, buying USED saves money & prevents waste! www.Ebay.com, www.Craigslist.com, www.Amazon.com, & 2nd hand stores (locally, Pitter Patter & Snappy Turtle Consignment stores are awesome!) hold many treasures...

We thank you for your understanding!
~KB's mommy & daddy <3

Silly Sister Shopping Spree..

One of our favorite pastimes... window shopping tonight... trying on random outfits... and not buying ANY of it!! These awesome dresses were from GAP... and were SO elegant & comfortable! - it's too bad we couldn't afford them.... heehee...

Tada!
Umm... don't ask... I have NO idea...

So cute!

Sisters!! <3

Unmentionable deal...

No, the deal itself isn't unmentionable.... the deal is for unmentionables... you know, underwear!

www.victoriassecret.com

1. First add two of the VS Cotton Bras in the 2 for $40 section.

2. Then add one of the cotton panties for $7.50 (prints don't seem to work) works on colors: buff, pink, ivory, and black.

3. Check out - make sure to check the box that you have promo codes.

4. Enter and apply this coupon code:
25PTY for $25 off any two full priced bras and free cotton panty.

And you'll get 2 bras, and a pair of panties for only $15.00 (plus shipping)!

KB's new shoes

Carrying on a tradition she started with my BIL.... Nouna took us to Stride Rite today, and bought KB her first official pair of walking shoes!! And the great thing is... KB will actually walk in them!! They are not soft-soled... but are super flexible - as they are made to mimic barefoot walking and give babies the flexible stride path and natural propulsion they need to grow into strong walkers... they are *super* cute on her!!

Of bean dip and rainstorms...

Tonight we are going to Karabeth's friend Zoe's 1st birthday party. It is a potluck, so I planned on making a Mexican bean dip... the problem being, I only had half the ingredients in the house to make it. I look out side. It's getting more overcast by the minute, and the wind in starting to pick up, like there is definitely going to be rain in our near future. I debate if I want to risk it or not. I decided that there was no choice... I *needed* that stuff, and had to get it, have it assembled and chilled before 5pm. I look at the clock... 2:30. Not much time. I go and find my shoes, say a quick prayer that the Lord hold back the rain, load the bare necessities in one of our reusable grocery bags (my wallet, a spare nappy, wipes, a pacifier, & KB's cup), put KB in the Babyhawk, and start walking. Wow it's humid out. I make it almost to corner when I hear my name being called. huh? I turn around and it's my Aunt Heide and cousin, Brooke. They give my a short lift the rest of the way to the grocery store. Ahh... the air in the Honda Element feels good! We bid our farewells, and I head into the store. My list isn't very long, so other than not being familiar with the layout, I find everything pretty quickly. Now it's time to head home. I look up to the sky... still cloudy, and *oh*so*hot*.... but no sign of rain, yet. I say another prayer, as I walk across the big parking lot area to Burger King. A nice cold ICEE sounds good right now! I order an ICEE and a spicy chicken, for which I had a free coupon! I quickly eat it down, soaking in all the AC that I can... and then with KB still on my back, my bag of groceries on one shoulder, and my ICEE in my other hand... we start walking home. Once home, I set about unloading the groceries and assembling the yummy bean dip... when I suddenly hear pounding on the kitchen roof. I look outside, and the rain is coming down in a torrential downpour... the wind is howling & whipping around... it's really nasty looking. But I am inside perfectly dry... with a tasty bean dip all made and ready to go! Thank you Lord for hearing my prayers and holding back the storm!!