Things I'm Thankful For #2 (In no particular order!)

I voted today! Did you? I loved what everyone was writing on their facebook and twitter accounts as the day went on. "If you don't vote, you can't complain!"

So today, and everyday, I am thankful that I have the freedom to let my voice be heard. Does my one vote make a difference? I don't know. I do know that there are thousands of men and women right now giving up everything so that I can have the freedom to vote. I am going to honor their sacrifice and exercise this freedom each chance that I am given.

Things I'm Thankful For #1 (In no particular order!)

It has been a crazy day in the Newsome household! Plans changed for me today and I was forced to go to the grocery store after the kids went to bed. When I went outside I was smacked in the face with the reality that winter is quickly approaching. It was a brisk 42 degrees according to my van. Not really the weather for the flip flops that were on my feet! Needless to say, I was cold. As the van warmed up I realized how very thankful I was for heated seats. When my seat is turned on high it is like I am snuggled up in my recliner with my favorite quilt. I love my heated seats!

While I was thanking God for this small little luxury in my life, I was overwhelmed with all that I have to be truly grateful for. I decided that in the month of November I am going to blog about one thing that I am grateful for each day. Some might be silly, like heated seats, but there will be plenty that are serious too. Feel free to join me. What are you thankful for?

Notes

There are notes I love to write:

(Disclaimer: Yes, I asked Kaden if he smiled pretty. I know he is a boy and handsome is a more appropriate word choice. We were joking about him being pretty this morning. Also, Carter's note gets an "IYL" on it each day. It is his code for "I Love You" so that his friends don't make fun of him.)

There are notes that I have to write:

What kind of notes are you writing?

I Finished Something

The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. So here goes . . . My name is Amee and I am not good at finishing things. There are random projects and tasks half done all around my house. Good intentions mean nothing when I stare at empty frames, old foot lockers that beg to be spray painted and put to good use in the boys' room, unfinished chairs, etc. You get the idea!

So, this past weekend when I realized I had some free time, I was determined to finish a project that had been haunting me every time I went downstairs to do laundry. Enter an empty picture frame, some reading cards, and a little spray paint and I have a cute piece of art on my wall. I even hunted around to find some fall accessories and cleared out some clutter. It feels good to cross something off of my to do list at home.

BEFORE

My cluttered corner in the living room. The dresser holds the Wii games, board games, and random things the kids play with. They were stacking their bookbags and the couch pillows there as well. I also realized when I took this picture how bad the knobs on the dresser looked.

SUPPLIES

I had all of these in my basement already. They called to me whenever I would see them while I was doing laundry!

a picture frame, spray paint, and word cards from a reading curriculum that I found at a yard sale

All I did was spray paint the frame with pink first (because I didn't have enough red to do multiple coats) and then red. I sanded it down a little to let some of the multiple colors underneath show. Then I simply taped some fall words onto the cardboard backing. I liked how it made it seem simple.

AFTER

I love it! It warmed up this corner so much! I added a pumpkin and a little red basket with fall books in it. A little black paint on the knobs and a new location for bookbags and pillows and I now have a pretty and decluttered corner in my living room. (Emilee brought me the flowers from a green house she visited with a friend. I have officially killed them so they are no longer on the mantle.)

My next project will be to finish up those foot lockers for the boys so they will have a place to store all of those lego creations I keep stepping on!

A New Way To Use Bouncy Balls

Nick's sister was in town for a visit this past weekend. Emilee LOVES Keisha! She gets so excited anytime that she is going to see her. When she leaves there is usually uncontrollable sobbing and time spent all alone to deal with her grief. I'm sure that most of these emotions are valid expressions of Emilee's genuine love. However, I also know that part of these emotions are because Keisha spoils Emilee rotten.

This was the case on this visit. Emilee's birthday was at the beginning of September and Sissy, as we refer to Keisha, had promised a shopping trip to pick out whatever Emilee wanted. So after a dinner out we headed to Wal-Mart to pick out Emilee's birthday present(s). Of course, what trip to Wal-Mart would be complete without picking up a few things that we need. On this journey Keisha had to pick up some underwear for her boyfriend who had forgotten his. Stick with me here. It's about to get good! While Keisha begins her search for the brand, size and color that had been requested Emilee begins to dig through the selection as well. Being the good mother that I am, I left her there to look at men's underwear with Keisha while I went to check for something else. I returned to my precious, innocent, six year old laughing at a pack of men's briefs. (I do not know why men would choose to make these their underwear of choice. They are borderline disgusting in my opinion. Let's go with boxers and leave a little to the imagination gentlemen.) I ask Emilee why she is laughing at these underwear. My precious, innocent, six year old replies . . .

"It looks like he is wearing underwear with bouncy balls in them."

Oh, how right you are Emilee. Needless to say, I will be keeping her out of that section of Wal-Mart from now on.

Shopping with Emilee and Coupons

Okay, this may not impress everyone as much as it did me. Food Lion is having triple coupons this weekend. Now I don't regularly use coupons when I shop because I buy too many generic brands and they are just cheaper. However, I have a little stash thanks to my mom. I went through and pulled out the ones that I thought would be good and went shopping with Emilee. She was helping me load the cart and she got to keep all of the coupons that I didn't use. Here is what I ended up with. (I know this may not be as great as those of you who coupon regularly and use all of the rebates and such but I was proud of myself. Don't burst my bubble!)

• 2 Yoplait Yo Plus yogurt 4 packs
• 2 Gogurt 8 packs
• 4 Mahatma yellow rice
• 4 Dole fruit cups 4 packs
• 1 Ocean Spray Cran-Pomegranate
• 2 Colgate toothpastes
• 2 Colgate toothbrushes
• 1 Hot Pockets panini 2 pack
• 1 McCormick Whole Peppercorns
• 1 Skintimate Shave Cream
• 1 Tampax Tampons
  
• 1 Pop Tarts 12 pack
• 2 Chex Mix 8.75 oz
• 2 Lysol 4in1 Bathroom cleaners
• 2 Lysol Toilet Bowl cleaners
• 1 Bounty paper towel
• 1 Electrasol Finish 32 dishwasher tabs
• 1 Electrasol Quantum Finish 25 dishwasher tabs

All of this for (drum roll please) . . . $35.26!!!!! Christy, the toothpaste was almost FREE!!!!! The pepper and toilet bowl cleaners were!!!!! It brings back Kroger memories.  Oh and included in that total was $7 dollars worth of body wash, candy and cotton balls that I did not have coupons for.  So everything in that picture was $28.26.  Listen, do you hear it, yes I'm tooting my own horn!!!

Sorry, I'm a little behind:(

Sorry to my faithful two or three readers!  I have fallen behind in my blog world.  I will catch up soon, I think.  Until then, here is what I learned from Emilee this week.  

We were in the car talking about various exciting things from their day at school.  Out of nowhere Carter asked me if we were allowed to marry our cousins.  I told him no that you shouldn't do that, brothers and sisters can't marry each other and that boys should marry girls and girls should marry boys.   Emilee very quickly chimed in with one marriage rule that I had clearly forgotten.  In her best serious voice she said that no one should marry Satan! How did that one slip my mind?  I asked her why and she said because you would go to Hell!  Good enough reason for me.