I've been tagged!!!!

Well, my friend Sara has decided to give me a friendly kick in the pants to start posting again and so she has tagged me to tell you 5 random things about myself. I am not sure how creative I am feeling, but here goes!!!!

1. I have always wanted to learn fluent Spanish by living overseas and being emersed in the culture! I have had a fascination with the Spanish language and culture since high school. I originally was going to get a minor in Spanish from Purdue, but I quickly learned that the classroom was not the place to get fluent in Spanish and I switched to Special Education. My how plans change!

2. If I could visit anywhere in the world, it would be Italy! I know this may not make sense with comment number one, but there is something so appealing to me about Italy! Maybe it is my love for pasta! :)

3. Though I have always loved school and always did very well in school, I have NO desire to continue with any type of formal education! Is that bad! :) I think I got burned out by the end of my time at Purdue and my mushy mommy brain would have a very hard time functioning in a student capacity anyway!

4. I have a special weakness for anything mango!!!!! MMMMMMmmmmmmmm!!!!
Along with my love for this tropical fruit, I also am passionate about palm trees! They just make me happy! Can you tell I am living in the "wrong" climate!? :)

5. One of my all-time favorite tv shows is Gilmore Girls. Oh, how I miss it!!! The characters are so random and funny and the constant dialogue between Lorelei and Rory is quite comical. Maybe I just relate to all the talking!!!

If you feel so inspired to do this on your own blog, please let me know and I will come check it out! :)

The Yosts are CELEBRATING!!!!

We just found out that Isaac is going to be a big brother!!!! I am estimating my due date to be somewhere around January 19-25th. I am so excited!!!!!!!!!!!

Garage Sale Extravaganza!

HOORAY!!!! I went out last Friday with high hopes of finding a few outdoor toys for Isaac! He wants to be outside every second of the day and that means a lot of bubble blowing for his mommy! I definitely don't mind blowing bubbles and it is really fun to watch him get so excited over simple pleasures, but at some point I need him to have some outdoor toys to keep himself busy!

I did not expect to do as well as I did!!!But you can see from the pictures that I was ridiculously successful! In addition to all that is pictured, I also got a full size inflatible mattress, a jumping toy that you inflate and fill with little plastic balls, a couple of really neat puzzles, and some clothes for Isaac and a few friends' kids. I am so excited about all of my great finds!!!!!

Isaac has been so delighted to find all of these fun new things in his yard and garage!!!!

My latest project....

I am so excited, because I just finished making 7 homemade mother's day cards! YES, I said 7! Jamie has a mom, 3 grandmas, and a great aunt who is like a grandma to him and then I have my mom and my grandma. I really, really wanted to make them myself, but wasn't sure how long it was going to take. I was very excited to finish them today during Isaac's nap! One of my goals this year has been to make birthday cards for all of our family and then to make as many thank you cards and others as I can! YEA! Of course, I probably should be working on my scrapbooking, since I am sooooooooooo behind, but one project at a time!

A Moment of Peace and Quiet!

Ah, the beauty of silence! Isaac feel asleep really early for his nap and has been sleeping for 3 hours!!!! Those of you who have heard my tales of sleeping woes with this little boy can appreciate what a miracle that is! And not only do I have a break, but I have been wonderfully productive. I got to play around with all my new stamping ink that I will be using to make all of my cards. Then I decided to be responsible and I did all the picking up required after being out of town (unloaded and loaded the dishwasher), went through all the mail, and did some picking up! Then I made chocolate and white chocolate chip cookies!!! YUM YUM!!! And Isaac is still sleeping!!!! Ah, God is good to me! He just knew I needed a break and to fill relaxed yet productive!

So tell me what do you do when you get a moment to yourself? Do you use it to be productive (cleaning, laundry, etc) or do you treat yourself to a moment of relaxation and read, scrapbook, watch TV, etc???? It seems to be a constant battle between knowing that I only have a few moments to get things done without a "helper" and knowing that I need a few moments for myself to recharge! I cannot wait to here from you and while you are at it, tell me what your favorite type of cookies are.........and for those of you who are feeling extra generous- share your favorite cookie recipe with us!!!

This is my current favorite recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies:

2 sticks of butter

3/4 c sugar

3/4 c brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teas vanilla

Cream together and then add the following dry ingredients-

2 3/4 c flour

1 teas salt

1 heaping teas baking soda

Add a bag of your favorite chips- chocolate, white chocolate, butterscotch, etc!!!

Bake at 375 degrees for 11 minutes and enjoy!

Today, I double the recipe and did half chocolate chips and half white chocolate chips!!! YUM!

And the WINNER is.........

Congratulations to Adrienne at the Austell Family blog for winning my scrapbooking care package!!! Hope it comes in handy as you catch up on your daughter's scrapbook, Adrienne! Congrats on expecting your new little girl! God Bless Your Family!

Isaac's First Flight to Colorado!!!

Pics from Top to Bottom- 10 week old Baby Tori, Isaac's first trip on a plane, Isaac adores baby Tori and is kissing her toes!, Isaac loves hiking on his harness with his auntie Mel, Isaac on mommy's shoulders (drumming on my head), Isaac and the mountains

So here is the story of my first flight and trip with Isaac!!!! First of all, I have to say I have great admiration for all moms who fly alone with their kids! It is not easy! I am pretty sure that if there had been a hidden camera I would have been on some bloopers show! Going through security- take off my shoes, take off Isaac's shoes, take laptop out of bag, take toiletries out of bag, put carseat on belt, fold up stroller and put on belt only to find out it is too big to fit through the scanner, take harness off Isaac.....all while trying to make sure Isaac doesn't run off and then walk through the metal detector and do it all in reverse while Isaac is determined to climb behind the counter and help airport security!!! Next try to board airplane with a huge toddler carseat, a large carryon and a toddler who does not want to walk in front of or behind you as you struggle to find seat on a plane without knocking anyone out with a giant carseat. Yikes! Fortunately, my fears of the plane ride itself were nothing like I had feared.....it went really well and Isaac was very good for mommy!

We had a wonderful trip visiting my best friend Melanie, her husband Jeff, and their beautiful 10 week old baby girl! Mel and I haven't been able to spend that kind of quality time together in 4 years, so it was a much needed time of reconnecting! However, we found things to be much different from when we were both single now that we both have kids! Trying to figure out a time to go to the mall between both of their nap and eating schedules was rather challenging! Isaac adored Baby Tori and gave her alot of attention! This kept mommy very busy, because even though he was very sweet and gentle, you never know what a 20 month old boy might decide to try! The only downside of the trip was that Isaac decide to stop sleeping, oh yes!!! It was very interesting- he slept through the night on the 6th and final night of our trip! I am very glad to report that he is sleeping just fine now that we are home!

Do you have a popular name?

So as I was signing up for tons and tons of giveaways, I came across this cool little tool. If you click on the link below it will tell you how many people have your first name, how many people have your last name, and how many have your full name in the US. It's pretty cool!

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 85 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Bloggy Giveaways!!!!

*** This giveaway is now closed! Winner to be posted shortly! Thanks for participating!

Hurray! It's once again time for the mega bloggy carnival giveaway hosted by Melanie at Bloggy Giveaways! This time I will be giving away several different scrapbooking goodies! It will include some Creative Memories stickers, photomats, page completion kits, etc!!!! I will be shipping it free to the winner (only in the US though!)

All you have to do is comment on this post! Please tell me about what scrapbooking project you are currently working on in your comment! I am currently working on my little boy's album! I have an entire album just for the 1st three months! Yes, I am a bit obsessed with pictures! :)

Once you have commented, head on over to Bloggy giveaways http://www.donttrythisathome.typepad.com/bloggy_giveaways/
to sign up for hundreds of other giveaways! Yes, I said hundreds!!!!
Good Luck and have fun!!!!

More Great Deals!!!!

CVS has an Extra Care Card that you can sign up for on their website or in the store. Using this card helps you save lots of money and will also give you coupons for money off your next purchase! Here is what I got today!


First, I picked out $30 of Proctor and Gamble products, all of which were already on sale, so that I could get $15 back in reward credit. I also had a coupon for the diapers. Then I had a $4 off a $20 purchase. So my total before tax was $30-$5.50= 24.50. Then I did a separate transaction for the toothpaste, soup, and detergent. The soup was on sale, B1G1 free. I had a coupon for a $1.00 off the toothpaste and $1.00 off the detergent. I used my $15 in reward credit from the previous transaction and paid 54 cents with tax!!!! I also have $4 from reward money on the toothpaste to use the next time I got! I got another print out for an additional $4 off of $20 on my receipt as well!!! YEA for bargains! Let me know what bargains you all find! Happy shopping! See my Walgreens deals below!

Bargains Galore!!!

Who loves free stuff!!??? I do! I do!!!

Ok, so I just had a fabulous day of finding amazing bargains! I just have to share my success with you all! I am especially doing this so you all go get some of these great deals before they are over! First, I must say that I got most of my inspiration from a great blog I recently found called Money Saving Mom at http://www.moneysavingmom.com/. She posts all the great deals that she and other bloggers have found so that others may profit from them. She also has some very helpful posts for beginners called CVS 101 and Walgreens 101 to learn the ins and outs of bargain hunting!

Ok, so on to the fun stuff! Here are my deals from Walgreens!!!


Walgreens has all of the Jane brand makeup on sale for Buy one, Get one FREE! In addition to that, the company has a coupon online for $2 off!
http://www.janecosmetics.com/coupons/coupon%20only.pdf You can print and use as many coupons, as you want! So even though it is B1G1, I got 10 items and used 10/ $2 off coupons! It gets even better if you buy mascara! The Walgreens rebate flyer (available at the front of the store) has an additional coupon for $2 off Jane mascara that can also be used. Depending on what makeup you buy, you will basically get it all for free or they may even owe you money! In addition, the rebate flyer offers a full rebate on the new Venus Embrace razor at 9.99 and on Garnier Fructis shampoo or conditioner for 4.29. So you get those for free too, once you get the rebate back in the mail! I also had a $2 off coupon for the razor from the newspaper coupons! I also got my Chapstick Naturals for $2 with a $2 register reward printed for $2 off my next purchase, so it will be free! My total savings comes to $57.01!!!

**** This deal is good through February 23rd!

Individuals from the Start!

Every since Isaac was a tiny baby, he has had an extreme love for music. His interest in rhythm, music, and dancing amazes me everyday. It just continues to develop as he grows! Last night, Jamie got out his guitar and was playing for Isaac! He was so delighted. He has never seen daddy play the guitar before. Isaac loved sitting on his daddy's lap and helping him strum!

I just think it is so cool to watch Isaac's personality and strengths develop at such an early age! You can see God's hand on his life as he begins to develop into what God has for him! Tell me about your kids! What have you seen as strengths or interests developing early in their lives?

Awesome New Contest!

Check out this new contest!

The winner will receive a brand new Hamilton Beach 4.5-qt. Eclectrics Stand Mixer, Pineapple Yellow!!
About the mixer:
From Hamilton Beach’s “Eclectrics” line, this all-metal stand mixer comes with a host of accessories - a Flat Beater for cakes and cookies, a Dough Hook for bread and a Wire Whisk for whipped cream or pudding. The 4.5-qt. stainless steel bowl comes with a Pouring Shield that helps prevent splattering while in operation. The pouring shield has a built-in chute for adding ingredients. Powered by 400 watts, the stand mixer has a two-way mixing action to ensure all ingredients are incorporated into the mix. The quick-release, tilt-up head assists when removing the bowl. 9 x 14 x 14-in. When you’re ready for a kitchen re-do, don’t call in the carpenters! Instead, “counterscape” your kitchen with Hamilton Beach’s retro-designed, affordably priced electrics in happy, sun-saturated colors. Their “Eclectrics” line includes updates to those classic appliances from the 1950s. All of their “Eclectrics” are available in six colors: Apple Green, Moroccan Red, Pineapple Yellow, Intrigue Blue, Sugar White and Licorice Black

Isaac in His New Wagon

Jamie's mom got Isaac this really cool wagon for Christmas! It has seats that can fold up with seatbelts and cupholders or can fold flat into the bottom of the wagon! Talk about cush! Since when do wagons have cupholders??????? LOL!

Sixty-Four Degrees in January!!!!!!!!!!!!??????????

Whoo Hoo! It was sooooooooooooooooo fabulously warm today! Weather in Indiana has a reputation for very quick drastic changes, but this is crazy!!!!!!! It was sooooooooooo nice outside today! Since I am not at all a winter weather person, I was so happy! Isaac and I went to the park today! He was very excited to be outside and was going down the slide all by himself! My baby is growing up! Then when he got up from his nap, he was once again begging to go out! So we went in the backyard and he got to swing! It is so fun to watch how excited he gets to be outside, he was laughing so much today!

Mommy Sanity!

Well, a sigh a relief is breathed as all of the present have been unwrapped and put away, the decorations have been taken down until next winter, and the kids are slowly settling back into a normal schedule.................but then again, it's kind of sad.............all of that excitement and tradition and now what???????????? Here in Indiana, winter is quite gloomy and blah!!!! What do you do as a mommy or just as a working gal to fight away the winter doldrums??? Share your brilliant ideas with me!

Free Stuff Is Awesome!

I am sure you all love free stuff as much as I do! Though I suppose I will be lucky if anyone reads this since I have been such a slacker about posting! I just haven't felt inspired, I guess!

Anyway, FlipFlopMamma is giving away 4 Lands End Diaper bags! I would love to win this, my poor bag has about had it! Go check it out! http://flipflopmamma.blogspot.com/2008/01/lands-end-give-away-for-you-but-first.html#links