Christmas in Chico

We got back on Monday from our Christmas in Chico at my sister's house. My parents and sister, Mary, and her fam joined us there. It was great to be in our old stomping grounds and see some friends. Most of the time, though, Nelson played with these two cute girls:

Elle (3) & Macy (5) - Lora's two girls

And, I enjoyed watching him play with his cousins that he hardly ever sees and tried to get as many smiles as possible out of this cute little guy:

Kason (6 months) - Mary's little man

Richard, well, he enjoyed his time off reading, fixing Lora's computer, and watching movies with Adam, Mary's husband. (sorry no pictures of those things)

It was great to get away, be with family, and have warmer weather for a week. Now we are back to the snow and wondering why we came back... Just kidding, but the bad air quality is definitely taking a toll on Nelson's asthma.

Anyway, we hope you all had a very, merry Christmas! We did!

The Big 30!

I told you that I was a slacker on about everything right now! The slackerness has also included waiting a few days to write about Richard's 30th Birthday! Seriously, I don't know how it happened (him turning 30). One night I went to sleep with a 20-something man and the next morning a woke up to a 30-year-old! Crazy! How are we getting so old?! I'm glad that he is nine months older than me, so I can get used to the whole 3-0 idea. He still looks great, though, right?
Anyway, I tried really hard to make this day special. As most of you know, Richard and I have completely different interests so it takes special effort to do a whole day of "Richard things". It wasn't that bad actually. It was a day filled with books, food, more books, and more food. The two things he loves more than anything else in the world (besides Nelson and me)! He got his main present a couple of months ago when the new Joseph Smith Papers book came out. He had to get it early because we went to a book signing/lecture that same week that it came out. So, on his actual birthday, he got a book of pictures of Nelson and him with captions of "30 Reasons Why I Love My Dad" (a big hit with Nelson), some Church History site books I got for free awhile ago, and $20 from my parents (which has almost been all spent by books that he bought at Benchmark Books & DI). I told him that since he got 10+ books for his birthday, he only gets one for Christmas.

A couple of weeks ago, we celebrated his birthday with some of our neighbors. Spencer (who lives across the street) turned 30 at the beginning of November, so Brittany and I went in together for their surprise party! Our awesome neighbor, Mike, made these incredible invitations! At the party, I gave Richard a project I had been working on for quite awhile. I emailed a bunch of his friends and family members and asked them to write down memories of Richard and I put them into a book called "30 Memories (or more) of Richard". I loved collecting the memories (and they keep coming in). There's nothing better than reading memories that make you laugh, make you cry, make you say, "What?", or make you say, "Yep, I'm pretty lucky he chose me!" And, that's how I feel! I am pretty lucky! I get to grow old with this guy!

Nelson's Two!!

Friday was a very special day at our house! Our little boy turned TWO! He loved hearing us sing "Happy Birthday" to him over and over again. He loved all of his cars toys even more, though. He was in Heaven all day!

First thing in the morning:

Ready for his race car party (yes, the costume is way too big):

Playing race car with some of his besties:

The cake:

Eating cake with his friends and their Moms:

Later that day, we went over to Grandma & Grandpa Burrows' and had a pizza party with some cousins. He really did end up with a loot of car toys that will keep him entertained for a long time. Thanks to everyone who helped make my little boy's day special! I can't believe he is growing up this fast!

Loch Lomond Boutique

Gluin', Cuttin', and Arrangin'...

That's what I've been doing with my friend, Brittany, (thanks, Jackie, too) the last few days. Why, you ask? Because we are making incredibly awesome headbands, clips, and ponytail holders for the Loch Lomond Boutique on Saturday! Like I told my friends a couple of days ago, I'm not really crafty. I think I would consider myself somewhat artsy, though. I really did enjoy coming up with unique and cute headbands.

Anyway, if you are anywhere around my house on Saturday (it's going to be down the street at a friend's house), stop by and shop! Usborne Books and Back Home Decor will also be at the boutique!

Just some samples of our work:

Headbands

Holiday Hair Clips

Lucy modeling a headband!

Clips and Ponytail Holders

Shoe Party!

Open House Shoe Party!

Hosted by: Jeanne-Marie Burrows

Date: Thursday, November 5, 2009

Place: My House

Time: between 6:30-8:00pm

Come see the newest and hottest

shoes at the lowest prices!

Shoes are in stock and ready to buy!

Womens, juniors and childrens shoes available

and we have purses and clothes too!

We accept credit cards, checks, and cash.

www.shoeparty.com

(amy’s shoe selection)

I've been to a few of these parties and they are the best! No pressure, no presentation to sit through. Just come and try on shoes anytime between 6:30 - 8:00. The shoes are way cute and the prices are great, too! Besides, don't you deserve a new pair of shoes?

TWO

I have always loved even numbers. I think that I prefer even numbers because that is what I was surrounded by as a child (I got a BS in Psychology to figure myself out). Seriously, I was born on an even month, even year, and I have two even numbers in the date (day). My phone number growing up ended in four even numbers (and when I was younger, you only had to dial the last four numbers when calling around town). My home address was an even number on 6th Street. I probably could come up with some other reasons, but you get the point. I was born to like even numbers, and I like it!

Nelson is turning two in two weeks! You know I love that cute kid of mine all of the time, but I am pretty excited for him to be two. I'm not excited about the "terrible two" stage, but I am excited for him to learn so many new things like sleeping in a big boy bed (he's getting a race car bed for his birthday - er, it's already in his room), talking more, doing more "chores", learning to ride a scooter, and even potty training (ok, I probably won't be excited in the middle of it, but I wish he was right now because I cannot handle the smell of poop right now)!

All of these things that a two-year-old does is coming just in the nick of time because "SURPRISE to some of you" #2 is on its way! Today I went to my 9-week/2-month appointment where the nurse asks you a bunch of questions and then drains you of blood.

We are excited! You know, it's a little strange for me because I hate being pregnant (I don't like being sick or people looking at my stomach instead of my face), I don't get baby hungry - ever, and I like the "comfortable" place we are at right now. But, I do know that this is the right time for us to have another child, we are stable and good parents to raise children, and I would feel bad if I didn't bless the world with more cuteness like Nelson! So, off we go on continuing our adventure of life! I can't wait for there to be 4 of us!

Blog Worthy

Last weekend, during the Saturday session of General Conference, our neighbor Mike helped Richard put decorative rock on the front of our house around the garage door. They blasted conference on the radio and away they worked. Our brother-in-law, Adam, came and helped during the last session, so they were able to accomplish a lot. I think it looks great! So great that I told Richard it was blog worthy great! You can see for yourself...

Before (pic taken a year-and-a-half ago, but you get the idea):

After:

I know I should have put the garbage can somewhere, but I didn't think about it. Anyway, don't you think it looks great? They did an awesome job!

Burrows Family Pictures

Like I said in the post below, last week was the first time Richard's whole family has been together since before we were married. Here are some of the shots taken before the wedding open house at Richard's parents' house. It's hard to find a place for all of us to fit and to get all of the babies happy.

The whole family:

Mom & Dad Burrows with their 9 kids!

The photographer was nice enough to take a few pictures of each family.

Finally, Nelson is smiling!

I love this picture! Weirded out face, crumpled flower and all!

Lots & Lots of Family

Whoooo! We made it! The past three weeks has been full of family! Both Richard and I have lots of siblings, so when there is a family events, there are a lot of people.

Two weeks ago my sister blessed here baby in Orem; so my older sister, brother and family, and parents where in town and all stayed with us. Then the next day, we went with my parents up to Rexburg, Idaho, to visit my brother and his family. While there, we went to Yellowstone since my Mom was the only one of us that had ever been there. It was great to see Old Faithful and the other beauties of Yellowstone, Grand Ti-tons, and Jackson Hole.

The day after we returned, my parents left and Richard's family started trickling in. Richard's oldest niece was married in Seattle that Friday but there was an open house in Orem the following Monday. A few members of the family made it up to Seattle, but everyone made it to the Orem open house. And when I say everyone, I literally mean everyone. Not one person was missing from Richard's family. It was the first time this has ever happened since I joined the family (a brother-in-law had work and a sister-in-law was extremely pregnant when we were married). We had family pictures taken, of course, and the open house was beautiful.

It was great to see so many family members and meet the ones I had never met before. I am so grateful for families!

Now it's time to get Nelson back to a normal sleeping schedule...

Here are some pictures (mostly of Yellowstone). We haven't been very good at taking pictures this summer, so this is about all we had!

Old Faithful

Lower Falls

Nelson with cousin Lucy

a sneak peek into the family photos

I Wanna Rock 'n Roll All Night and Party Every Day

I have the best friends EVER! Seriously, how do I get so lucky? Everywhere I move, I seem to find awesome people around me. Birthdays are a big deal to me, and the awesome people around me always seem to make it extra special. I remember a few years ago when my BF and a couple of old boyfriends drove me around Provo blind-folded, took me out to dinner and then brought me back to my old apartment complex to a surprise party. I was floored! Then, my first year married, Richard got a group of friends from our single ward in Chico together for a karaoke party. It was a blast dressing up and singing my guts out! Well, last night, my Loch BFs got together and threw me the best of both parties mentioned above: a surprise karaoke party! It was great being together with the girls and singing and chatting! Richard even kept the party a secret for a few days... and I normally get all secrets out of him.

Well, yesterday was just the start of some good partying this week. Not only am I getting lots of free food from restaurants (I signed up for like 10 different restaurant birthday clubs - we ate at Red Robin & Chili's yesterday), which I consider a party, but I also get to have some fun with lots of people I love!

Today is the book party (mentioned in the post below).

Tomorrow I am having a get-together with my old Dixie college roommates.

Thursday, my parents; sister, Lora; and brother, David, and family are coming into town.

Then throw in another brother coming sometime Friday, we will have a great party for my nephew, Kason, who is getting blessed on Saturday.

Another party is happening on Saturday as well. From noon until 11:00 p.m., there is a special fundraiser going on at Mountain View High School in Orem for a special friend in my ward. There will be a boutique, auction, live entertainment, and an outdoor cinema with all proceeds going towards this awesome couple and their road toward becoming parents. Click here to read more about their touching story and all the happenings of the day.

Whew! I am tired already thinking about my week. I think I'll need a vacation when it's all said and done. Oh wait, I am going on vacation when this week is over. That's right, I am going on vacation! My parents are taking us (us includes Richard this time - yippee!) up to Yellowstone and to visit my brother and family in Rexburg. I can't wait!

Birthday & Party

HIP, HIP, HOORAY for birthdays! I may be one year older and wiser, too, but I'm also a lot more styling, too, because of these awesome presents my hubby gave me! Growing up I always got school clothes for my birthday and now that I don't go to school, I still get them! It's when all of the cute clothes come out in stores, and I can't help myself (or hint to my husband). I think he did an excellent job this year. I picked out the shoes, but he picked out the scarves and surprised me with them and a cute plaid shirt.

OH, did you forget my birthday? And, to get me a gift? Well, don't worry, just come to the Usborne Children's Book Party that Michelle B. and I are hosting tomorrow, and it will make up for your forgetfulness. ;0) So, here's the deal:

Tuesday, August 25

7:00 PM

Michelle's house (call if you need to know who Michelle is & where she lives)

If you can't make it, check out this link for our party online. They are way cute books, and this is our friend, Mary's, first book show as a consultant so we want to support her!

By Popular Demand...

So, last week I taught a mini-class on couponing to my friends in the neighborhood/ward. I am no expert, but I do seem to find great deals every week. Those at my class asked if I could post the good deals that I find on my blog. I am hesitant because I don't want to be known as the "crazy coupon lady", but I do want to help my friends find good deals. So, I decided that I am going to put a deal of the week on my sidebar every week.

This week's good deal will be posted here and then I'll work on the sidebar. So, are you ready?

I know lots of people have already seen this, but Smith's is having a Kellogg's sale this week. Watch out, though, some stores have a better deal than others. SS's Smith's sale is 4 for $6, but if you venture up to the Smith's Marketplace in north Lehi, their sale is 4 for $4! What's better than getting cereal for $1/box? $ .25/box!

Go here for a $1.50/2 boxes of Frosted Mini-wheats, Raisin Bran or All Bran coupon. Print it out twice and you get four boxes of cereal for $1.00! AND, I always look for the cereal boxes with special prizes or token for prizes on them. Yesterday I bought boxes with tokens on them for "collect five tokens for a free movie". The boxes all had a bonus token (two token on one box), so after spending only $1.00, I almost had enough tokens for two free movies! Now that's a great $1.00 spent!

A Post About Nelson

Nelson has been LOVING Summer! He loves to play outside with friends! He loves to play at the park! He loves to go on rides in the wagon! If he had his choice, we would be outside all day.

This Summer he has grown up so much! He is learning more and more words. I thought it would never happen, but he is finally imitating me... occasionally. He already has such a strong will. He only does things when and how he wants to. Lately, this has been the conversation we have multiple times a day: N: "Ma" J: "Yes." N: "I three." J: "No, Nelson you are one." N: "No, I three." J: "At least say you are two." N: "No, I three." Well, obviously his favorite number is three. And, it shows that he has heard me count to three way too many times... it's all those times he is in the middle of the street.

Anyway, I haven't posted anything about Nelson in awhile, and I wanted to share some of our cute stories about him. We love him, lots!

Quite Peculiar!

To some of you, this comes as no surprise what-so-ever! But, as of late, I have had conversations/experiences that made me finally realize that I am one of those peculiar Mormons - and most likely more peculiar than most. Do I think that I was innately born that way? Well, possibly, but I mostly want to blame it on my upbringing.

You see, I was raised in a small, pioneer town in South-eastern Nevada. The population has never hit over 1,000. My ancestors were some of the founding fathers of this town. Although the population is low, there was never a lack of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (we have two wards just for our town). I was always surrounded by members of my own religion, which I'm sure influenced lots of my choices. But, I'm really sure that my "not-quite-in-the-real-world" Mom influenced me the most.

You know my Mom spends money every month on expensive cable just so she can watch the BYU channels. I don't know if she knows there are other channels. She and my Dad also volunteer/work at the St. George temple every Friday and Saturday and trying to get them to take time off is like pulling teeth. I swear you have to have a baby or do something drastic to get them to come visit on the weekends. She loves her genealogy, too. We all have many books and charts that she has created for us, so we can know our family history. I'm not making fun of her at all by telling you all of this. She amazes me at how she can live in the crazy world and not even see most of it because she is focused on what is most important. I admit, though, she is quite peculiar. And, after these experiences I've been having, I realized she rubbed some of her peculiar-ness off on me!

First off, Richard has been planning a Youth Conference the past couple of months for all of the youth in the ward. Up until last night (the conference is this weekend), he was still gathering permission slips from the boys. I was talking to one of the girl advisors, and she mentioned how hard it was to get them to commit to going to this conference. I mentioned that that was so weird to me because I never questioned going to something like that when I was younger. There's an event for church, okay, I'm there! Still to this day I don't question whether I should be supportive to a church event. It wasn't a choice growing up, and it's not a choice now. I grew up thinking that it was my responsibility as a member of a church to support everything I could. I seriously only remember missing church once because I was sick when I was living at home with my parents. And, I felt horrible for missing it!

When I started dating Richard, one of the first questions I asked is if he was an Eagle Scout. No, he isn't. His Mom gave us his scout sash last year and there are two merit badges on it. To tell you the truth, this surprised me as well because in our family all of the boys had to get their Eagle Scout awards before they could get their driver's license. I now am less judgmental of those who don't hold scouting as important as my family did, but I definitely think it is a super great program (well, maybe I don't those nights Richard is stressed out about scouts). I want my boy(s - if I have more than one) to get their Eagle Scouts. My town benefited greatly from my brothers' projects - mapping out the town and giving street numbers to all houses for the first time, putting up street signs, painting the rodeo grounds, putting in play equipment and picnic benches at the park. And, I think that it is important for the youth to learn responsibility and a variety of different things (which the scout program does). Am I really old school? Because I totally thought my Mom was and now I am thinking her same thoughts.

Okay, one more rant... yesterday at church there was a sign-up sheet that went around for those women who wanted tickets to go to the General Relief Society meeting in September. Okay, so this is like the Super Bowl/concert of the year for our awesome women's organization for our church. This is the one time a year experience we get to hear words meant for all of us women in our church all over the world! United together - awesomeness! The only time I have ever missed listening to this meeting was when I was in Romania far away from any satellite that could transmit it to us. Anyway, I was one of the last people to get this list AND to my huge surprise I was the second person to sign it. I was very surprised! WHAT?! We get the chance to be in the actual building where this event is happening and no one wants to go? I would never pass up going to the Super Bowl or an awesome concert! Okay, now that I've offended everyone that was in Relief Society and didn't sign up for tickets, I know there are good reasons to not be able to go to the actual building (Michelle, you are allowed to fly home from your Grandpa's birthday party that day without me having hard feeling towards you). It will be awesome whether you are in the Conference Center or not. It just made me start thinking why I think it is so totally incredible to be in the actual Conference Center for events like this... and then I realized that I have a peculiar Mom... and she made me peculiar, too!

Love you, Mom!

Feet, Kidney Stones, & Lost Wallet

This past week was quite an emotional roller coaster for me.

First of all, my feet are doing a lot better! I can walk pretty well. As for running and getting up from the floor, well, that will take some time. I do want to give another shout out, though, to my wonderful friends who brought food to us, cleaned my house, and sent words of support. I was also very blessed to have my Dad and awesome niece, Destiny, come and stay with us for a few days to help out with Nelson. Thank you!

So, the day after my surgery, Richard came to me and told me he was in a lot of pain and discomfort. My first thought was, "Really? This is my turn to be the injured/sick one! Take your turn when I get better!". Well, we sent Nelson over to the neighbors' and he went to instacare. They said they couldn't find anything wrong but gave him an antibiotic for what they expected to be an infection somewhere and to come back on Monday when the test results would be back. He went back in on Monday and nothing. They gave him some pain meds to help with the pain, and he went on with his life. Fast forward to this past Thursday... Richard calls me at 6:30 a.m. to tell me he is in even more pain. He is letting out screams and saying he's going to throw up. I start looking for the nearest hospital to his work. I find one in West Valley City and start giving him the directions. The whole drive there he was still yelling in pain. As soon as I knew he was at the hospital, I got Nelson dressed and took him over to the same neighbors' that watched him before (Carver's, we owe you big time) and headed out to the hospital. By the time I got there, it was pretty much determined that it was kidney stones. In the CAT scan, it only showed one on its way out. I'm pretty sure, though, that he probably passed at least one other one three weeks ago when all the pain started happening. They pumped him up with morphine and gave him a prescription for loratab. We think the stone finally passed yesterday morning since he woke up in pain before taking his medication. But, he hasn't taken a pill since then and feels fine.

Now on to the lost wallet... right after we left the hospital, we went to the Harmon's across the street to fill Richard's prescription. When we went to pay for it, I realized that I didn't have my wallet. I don't misplace my wallet ever, so I was quietly panicking without freaking Richard out more. I convinced myself it was on the counter at home and that I was in such a hurry this morning I didn't see it. Well, it wasn't on the counter or anywhere else in the house. I racked my brain to figure out where it was. We called the hospital and it wasn't there. I called the last store I went to the day before, and it was there locked up in their safe (which I was happy it was there instead of the hospital - it was a pretty ghetto hospital)! Sigh or relief! I got it back and everything was in it! It had fallen out of my purse on the way out to the car.

So, there you go! When it rains, it pours. I'm ready for a vacation! Although that won't happen anytime soon since we now have a million medical bills to pay...

Girls Night Out!

ASHLEE SCHOLES IS COMING TO TOWN!

Ashlee is coming to pick up her little kiddos and will be here for a couple of days. So, we are going to go out for dessert and chat it up with her!

Here's the info:

Thursday, July 2nd @ 8:00 p.m.

Chili's , American Fork

Quick Catch Up!

Now that I have plenty of time to just sit here and do nothing, I decided to play catch up on our blog. We have had a pretty busy Summer already, and I don't know what to think now that it has come to a screeching halt. I guess I will just enjoy thinking about all the fun things we have done already like:

GOING TO THE AQUARIUM AS A FAMILY!

GOING WITH FRIENDS TO THE ZOO, DINOSAUR MUSEUM AND FARM COUNTRY!

TOURING THE NEW CHURCH HISTORY LIBRARY!

AND, PLAYING WITH LOTS AND LOTS OF COUSINS IN PANACA, ST. GEORGE & OREM!

It was great seeing my brother's family from Australia, my sister's family from California, and Richard's sister's family from Maryland. We loved running around seeing everyone and playing all day long! We also threw in some church calling outings and, of course, neighbor time to fill up the last month!

Now I am down for the next week-and-a-half. I had surgery on both of my feet last Thursday. Nothing big, just preventative to try to help my feet so they don't get as bad as my Mom's. I haven't had a lot of pain so far, just discomfort and pressure. I go to the doctor tomorrow and hope he says I can walk around a little more... it's hard being confined to the recliner! My awesome Dad and angel niece, Destiny, are headed up this direction right now to help me out this week while Richard is at work. I am so thankful they are coming! I also have to give a huge shout out to Richard! He has been an incredible husband and Dad this weekend. He has been so good with Nelson and hardly ever gotten annoyed with all of my requests. I'm so lucky to have him by my side!

Happy Father's Day!

I know, I know, I've been a major slacker with blogging. I have been busy and will hopefully catch up soon.

But, I couldn't pass up Father's Day without giving a shout out to two of my favoritest men in the whole wide world!

Richard is an incredible loving father to Nelson! And, my own Dad knows how much his Daddy's girl loves him!

Happy Father's Day!

Three Years!

Yep, three years ago today I married my hottness in the St.George Temple!  I have to say that it seems like we've been married way longer than that... in a good way.
I remember when we got engaged, I knew he was the right choice and I loved him, but he wasn't my best friend yet.  I love to collect friends especially best friends, but I felt like I had known my other friends longer and had more experiences with them.  I remember telling him that I couldn't wait for him to become my bestest friend of all!  And, it really didn't take that long at all!  Really, it just took us living in the same state together and some alone time... (Cancun below, on our honeymoon).
Three years and three states (Nevada, California, Utah), I would have never imagined our first home being in Utah.  (Richard told me when we were engaged that he would NEVER live in Utah.)  Now I can't imagine living anywhere else right now.  Choosing a job and place to live, buying a house, and having our first child have definitely brought us closer together.
And, all of those fun times!  He caught my eye boogying down on the dance floor, you know.  And although life is full of too much seriousness, my Richard proves to me time and again that he can have a good time... even if it requires some begging from me! 
We celebrated this past weekend with lots of fun!  

On Friday night, we went to the opera "Don Pasquale".  This really was a fun and entertaining opera.  If you've never seen an opera before and are afraid of it being too serious and boring, go to this one!  

Yesterday (Monday) we took Nelson to the Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy and liked it so much, we bought a year membership.  

We've also had lots of good food and are going to go do sealings in the St.George temple this weekend.  We know how to stretch out a celebration!

Thanks for three great year, Richard!  Here's to lots and lots more!

A Couple of Tips

Okay, a few of you want some tips or a better explanation on how I coupon - shop.  I promise to give more of a review and explanation later, but I wanted to give a heads up to all of you Utah Moms out there that have kids/husbands that eat crackers like crazy.

This week at Albertson's they are selling Wheat Thins, Triscuits, and other types of Nabisco crackers for $1.47.  This is a great price by itself, but there is also a coupon on-line (print it from your computer, you don't need to buy a newspaper) for $1.00 off Wheat Thins and Triscuits. 

Go to coupons.com . Click on the coupons (the box next to the picture that says "Clip" and print... and you can print each coupon twice.  It really is that easy (okay, you have to cut out the coupon, too).  But, then you get crackers for $.47 a box!

Other coupons on this site that you can get excellent deals at Albertson's are:

- Ritz cracker chips: $1.99 - $1.00 off coupon = $.99

- Kraft salad dressing: $1.50 - $1.00 off coupon = $.50

- Kraft BBQ Sauce: $1.00 - $1.00 off coupon = FREE

Other coupons on this site that you can use at Smith's are:

- Kool-aid canister: $.99 - $1.00/2 off coupon = $.98 for 2

- Country Time Lemonade canister: $.99 - $1.50/2 off coupon = $.48 for 2

I could go on and on and give you other tips, but I want to take this slow so I don't scare people off.  Actually, just one more... Walmart price matches, so if you take in your Albertson's and Smith's ads, you can everything up there except the Ritz cracker chips (I don't think it's in the ad, just on sale at the store).  I go to the actual stores because of other little hidden deals and to support them for having such good deals.  But, if you just want to go to one store, that is an option.  

Hope this wasn't too confusing... Happy Shopping!

Confessions of a Coupoholic!

Okay, I'm just going to come out and say it... I'm addicted!  I am completely addicted to couponing!  My friend, Crystal, introduced me to it a few months ago and after dipping my toes into the couponing world for a couple of months, I jumped in!  And, I haven't looked back once.  You don't know how exciting it is to plan out the most incredible shopping trip, get everything you wanted on you list, and come home to show your husband how much you really saved.  If you want to get a glimpse of my excitement, come along with me as I explain the past two weeks worth of savings.  Look at this picture and guess how much I spent:

Did you guess $7.58?  And then did you guess that I got $12.00 worth of voucher money for my next shopping trip at Albertson's?  That's what I thought!  Now you might be thinking, I'm pretty good at this couponing thing, but I'm just getting started....

Okay, so I have $12.00 worth of vouchers and the new week starts, so I make my plan to conquer the whole store!  In the end I come out with: 24 boxes of cereal, 2 gallons of milk, 2 blocks of cream cheese, one small block of cheese, one French Vanilla coffee mate (for orange julius), and a cake mix.  For all of this, I used my $12.00 in vouchers and paid just under $8.00.  And, I left with a voucher for another free gallon of milk.

You may be thinking that I need to live off of other things than cereal and bandaids.  Don't worry, every week I stock up on different things.  And, I still have money left over for the other food that is necessary.  

For example, after only spending $8.00 at Albertson's this past week, I headed to WalMart and Kohler's (both pretty close to each other and on the way home to my house).  At those two stores, I spent another $20 on: two pounds of turkeyburger, two pound bad of mini carrots, a dozen eggs, a pork roast, cottage cheese, paper towels, two frozen orange juice concentrates, a bottle of apple juice, two boxes of Electrasol dishwasher tabs, a bottle of barbeque sauce and a kid plastic outdoor chair.  

Later that week, when I was at my in-law's in Orem, I stopped by Sunflower Market and spent another $8.00 on watermelon, bananas, peaches, pears, tomatoes, lettuce, and two ears of corn.  Then, I had just enough money left in my $50/week budget to head to Costco to stock up on Clorox wipes.

You see, I really am addicted to clipping those coupons and saving.  Go ahead, laugh all you want, but I'm saving tons of money and building up my food storage!

And speaking of clipping, I took my scissors to more than just my coupons last week.  After giving Richard his monthly haircut, I took my scissors to Nelson's hair.  I knew he needed shorter hair for the summer, but it still took me a couple of days to get used to my baby's older look.  What do you think?  Doesn't he look so much older?

Free Chocolate Fridays!

I just found this website that is giving away CHOCOLATE every Friday now until September 25, 2009.  Go to this site http://aws.realchocolate.com , fill in your information and they will send you a coupon (I think) for a free candy bar.  It's through the M&Ms/Mars company.  Why not try it out, it's free and chocolate!

My Moms!

Since it's Mother's Day, I wanted to give a little shout out to my Moms!

I don't know how I got so lucky, but I was born to the best Mom in the whole-wide world!  Seriously, it is hard for us daughters not to be a little envious of the perfection that preceded us in motherhood!  At least we got to benefit from the perfect.  Although it will be really hard to repeat.  Some of you that don't know my Mom may be asking how she could be so perfect.  Well, not only did my Mom have nine kids, but she also welcomed any of our friends to be her kids as well.  I think the last count was 1,268 kids in all (including the missionaries she and my Dad served with in the mission field).  She not only had a lot of kids, but she made/makes each one of us feel like we were her favorite.  Although, she will never admit that I really am her favorite!  She is kind to all.  She thinks of others first.  She has the most faith and spirituality of anyone I know.  She works hard to overcome her weaknesses (her silly feet - I know, how would it be to only have your feet as you weaknesses?).  She is always in the service of others.  She was the only person who could get me out of my darkest times in my life by building my confidence and testimony in Jesus Christ... I am crying thinking about all she's done for me.  She really has taught me through words and actions how to be a great Mom.  Although, I never think I can live up to her greatness, I will try!  I was named after her, you know.  A year before I was born, she received a Priesthood blessing that said she would be blessed with a daughter who would bring honor and glory to her name.  Knowing that, when faced with choices in my life, I have always thought, "Will this bring honor to my Mother?".  I hope to continue to make her proud.  I love the picture below.  It was taken hours after Nelson was born.  You can see the love she has for me and Nelson in her eyes.

Mom Burrows is a woman of many talents.  While waiting to find her eternal companion, she educated herself and developed these many talents that would help her future family immensely.  When she found her eternal companion, she was a saint and took on his six kids as well.  She then added three more children to the bunch.  While taking care of nine children, she also found time to teach at the local community college and be involved in other community groups.  I am a busy body like her so appreciate her outgoing nature and friend-making abilities.  Because of this,  I appreciate her even more for her willingness now to drop events and socials to be the full-time caretaker of her husband.  Mom, we really do know you sacrifice so much for Dad's health and well-being.  Thank you for taking on and tackling this hard challenge.  I am most thankful for the way in which my very own eternal companion was raised.  He is so well rounded and educated.  He is so kind and willing to help.  He is so spiritually minded.  And, I know he became the man that he is under your influence.  

I have so many other women in my life that I think about this day.  Women who really have been "Moms" to me.  To name of few: my older sister, Lora; my only aunt I had my whole life, Marietta; my YW leader, Lin Hansen; my Dixie roommate's Moms; my mission Mom, Sheila Hanson; my BYU Mom, Susan Orton; and many, many other amazing women that I've been proud to call "Mom".  

Becoming a Mom has definitely helped me realize that Mom really do deserve this special day.  So to all of you Moms out there that babysit, clean, cook, shop, pay bills, wrap presents, kiss hurts better, play games, run kids to soccer practice, and countless other things on a daily basis; sit back relax and just soak in the love you are given today... you will need it to get through the next year!

  

Family Time!

This past weekend my Mom; sister, Mary; and two of my nieces, Destiny and Elexis, came and picked Nelson and me up on their way to Rexburg, Idaho.  We went up there to see my oldest brother and his family.  His wife had their NINTH child in March, and they blessed her this past Sunday.  It was great to see their family (since I haven't seen them since they moved from Panaca a year ago) and meet my new little niece, Brinlee.  Nelson had so much fun playing with his cousins.  The pictures of little Brinlee and Shawn's family are really small, so I hope you can click on them to see how cute they are!

We came home on Monday, and Mary stayed with me for a couple of days.  Last week was a huge week for her... she celebrated her 1st anniversary, turned 24, and graduated from Dixie State with her teaching degree.  Not to mention, she helped pack up everything so her husband could drive out to Minnesota to sell security systems for the summer AND she is seven months pregnant.  She had quite the week and month, so on Tuesday I gave her an hour-long massage for her birthday/graduation present.  I also threw her a little party Tuesday night and had my nephew (who's going to BYU) and the Warner's (since they're friends with her) over.  Here are the cupcakes I made for her  party.  You would think I would have taken a cute picture of her pregnant, but no, I took a picture of the food!

Now she is off to Minnesota!  I will miss her this Summer, especially when she has her baby a million miles away from me.  But, I am super excited for them to move closer in the Fall.

Oh, and because I'm obsessed with my son, I need to throw in something cute that he has been doing lately... or two things.

First, he learned how to say "Jesus" the other day.  I was so happy because I would point to the picture and he would say "Jesus".  So cute!  Well, now he calls everything "Jesus".  Last night after getting out of the bathtub, I put him up by the mirror and asked, "Who's that?"  He replied, "Jesus!"  

Second, he learned how to stomp his feet.  It's so funny because he lifts his feet so high in the air and does it at the most random time.  He'll just be walking along and then does it!  So funny!

Tulip Festival

On Tuesday, my great neighbor and friend, Britt, invited Jackie and me to go with her to the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point. I've never been to the gardens there, so I was definitely surprised by what I have been missing out on. It is so beautiful! And, the kids had so much fun feeding the fish, trying to climb into the fountain, and getting a little too close to the flowers (at least Nelson did, he's all about picking flowers). It was a great afternoon hanging out with two of my great friends and the kids! I'm definitely going back to there soon... with some allergy meds.