Birthdays and Coupons!

Last week Paul turned the ripe age of 28 and we celebrated with a night out. We had a nice dinner at Red Robbin with a free Birthday meal coupon and then headed to the movies to see Date Night. We loved the movie and laughed our faces off; we were quoting it the rest of the night and week! We ended our evening at Iceberg for a free Birthday Milkshake. This is Paul's faaavorite dessert ever and I stealthily put a candle in it before it was served to him! It was a lovely Birthday night out and we saved money too!!

Using coupons and freebies shouldn't be a sign of cheapness, it is a sign of being money savvy and money smart. I prefer to make home made cards too! My cards often rhyme and have stick figure drawings-- Hallmark has nothing on me! Homemade cards allow for personalization and can save a few bucks that you can spend on the gift. I also reuse gift bags and tissue paper, but that's a whole other blog on Reusing & Regifting!

My Birthday is coming up and I made a little wish list with coupons attached for Paul! Not all of us are blessed with the desire to seek out coups; hopefully at least one member of the household is and can pass them along. Also, remember to give a gift from the heart: a homemade card!!!

My perfect Heaven will be full of coupons and buy one get one free offers!!!

To Tame A Wild Beast

Little Mr. Knuckles is quite the escape artist. We put him in an antique trunk wrapped in chains, put it in a bathtub full of water and he made it out in 4 seconds flat.

Well, I bet if we tried it, this little Houdini pup could do it!

The other day he managed to greet us, nubbin tail wagging, at the front door after work. This would have been a really sweet greeting after a long day at work...but that dog was locked in his kennel when we left the house. His kennel was fully intact, locked shut, no signs of struggle and there was Knuckles ruling the roost while we where away. He had jumped on counters and shredded the toilet paper supply in the closet. Little did he know he would get his a few short days later. Mr. Knuckles Lopez was fixed on Friday the 16th of April. They say once a dog is fixed they will be calmer, more compliant and friendlier toward other dogs, etc. Well this little doggy has an agenda! I think he is mad at us and has been shredding things on site to get back at us!! That is until we give him his pain meds and he practically passes out in an angelic face plant. Yesterday was his final puppy class and graduation. Our little pumpkin decided to sass me and not even sit! That is his favorite command and he always loves a good treat. But nope. Nothing. He wasn't having it and I think he knows my biggest fear is for my kids to have bad grades!! But our trainer took pity and gave him his diploma (a dried ribblet!) and it was a glorious day after all! So congratulations to our little guy, he survived being fixed and graduated puppy school all in one week. They grow up so fast!!

Recalculating!!

My Nephew's baseball team lost on Friday, cutting the tournament short for the Salt Lake Saints. This left some of the 12 year old boys in tears prompting my nine year old nephew, Tristan, to pipe up and say, "There's no crying in baseball...unless you're really, really hurt!"

We almost missed the game because my father in law's GPS system had us on a recalculated whirlwind that took us in loops and through hoops. Why do we put so much faith in these electronics? Is it the sensual voice? It seems as though we are willing to go against our instincts and better judgment to follow commands that can lead us to industrial dead ends instead of to freeway entrances or to a ball field. Well, lead on voice of wonder, I am no good with a compass...which way is north again? I suppose in a round about way, we did reach our destination.

The rest of the trip involved swimming and some slot playing. Darn you Sally Shrimp. Your tempting shrimp shack bonus left me with only lint in my pockets at the end of the day!! We had a great ride, though.

All together it was a really nice getaway. Better luck next time, Saints. Farewell Sally Shrimp!

My First Blog!

Well here we are. It is March 2010 and it's time for me to get my blog on!! I have always enjoyed writing; I have some journals that I started when I was 8 that make for a good laugh. This will be great...there is spell check and no need to squint and tilt your head in trying to decipher the handwriting. So here we go.
Paul and I love to vacation and go on little trips here and there. First up this year is a trip to Mesquite and St. George this weekend to watch our nephew, Gavin, play in a baseball tournament. The weather is to be in the upper 70's and the pools are open! Time to wake my flip flops from hibernation. Our 4 month old pup, Knuckles, will be staying with Uncle Nelson and cousin Wednesday (their play date is pictured above) for the weekend. It will be our first night apart and I am excited to not wake up to Knuckles eating something he shouldn't or to him making his stuffed alligator his girlfriend. Bad Knuckles!!!
In other news, we recently purchased an old tent trailer. We plan to fix it up and use it all summer; we're looking forward to our many camping adventures.