Flashback Friday!

Awwh, thinking about my pretty crazy sister!  

This was taken last year in September. The month their to be married in freakin' Mexico!!  

A proposal maybe?....to be continued

Remember my blog from a couple of weeks ago 'A Proposal Maybe?' well it happened!!! I guessed right!! Actually, we all, meaning my entire family knew it would happen. My sister came back engaged with ring on hand. I love my sister to death and wish her the best. I'm happy for her if she's happy. That's it. I think she's a little crazy at times and she's a fly by the seat of your pants kind of person. But that's what makes her my lively, loud, doesn't think things through spontanious sister Eunice. Yes, her name is Eunice, get over it. We were all named after bible names and well, we can't help it that our names are so old fashioned. Any ways, my sister is getting married in 3 months and is moving to Mexico temporarily. Yep, you read right! 3 months and is moving to another country. According to her she's got it all under control. All I can do is try to talk sense into her, but she won't listen to me because she is madly in love. When someone is in love like she is, their heart thinks first rather then their brain. She's pretty confident about everything so I'm leaving it at that. If that's what she wants to do then go for it. I'm helping her in what I can and also trying to talk to her. 3 months people!!! 3 months. That's just crazy!  And you're probably thinking, why the heck in 3 months...well, long story turned short, the entire Ruiz clan is going to Mexico (it's been over 10 years since we've been) in September. Something we've had plans for-for a long time. Any ways, since it's so dang expensive to fly out there (I'm talking $2k for our family not to include expenses), we can't just get up and go to Mexico when we want...hence her getting married in 3 months. Jaime's entire family lives in Mexico too so that's why they are taking advantage. We're all there (people who matter the most) and his families there. My sister's BFF is also flying down with us so she doesn't miss her short planned wedding. Any ways, here are a few pictures of her crazy self.

 This picture tells it all! :) I love her though!

 Arianna is not happy to hear she's leaving the country and not seeing her aunt for a year.

 Her pretty ring. He did good on her ring. It's actually really cute.

  Let the 3 short months of planning begin.....

Please pray that in someway or another a miracle will happen. I'm a worried and a very protective sister.

Eye Awakener today

I've been thinking a lot today! My life has really taken a turn. A good turn may I add. As you know I am now a full time stay at home mom/maker. I prayed for this for FOUR years and God opened doors. Things always fall into place in God's timing. It would never have worked four years ago and God knew it all along. Any ways, I've got to say though, it's been hard adjusting. It really is. I'm not sure how to make it work right now, but I'm determined too. I'm trying to find a routine-schedule that'll work for me and the girls. People ask me if it's too many hours in one day and I say just the opposite. There are not enough hours in the day for me. I'm so consumed with cleaning, organizing my house, running errands, fitting in my part time hours, etc.... that I've sadly forgotten the main reason I really wanted to be home. I'm going to be honest now, take a moment and breath because I'm about to sound like an absolute horrible parent....I've forgotten about really focusing and taking the time (to spend quality time) with my girls!!!! {GASP} Yes, there, I said it! Because of me working so much prior to me being home, my house has never really been organized or decorated. Really, it's embarrassing. Now that I'm home I'd like to take this on and get this done. I have started by the way. :)
Now, just to clear things up a bit and going back to the girls...I've spent plenty of time with them. Don't get me wrong here, it's just not the time they so desire and the time I need to spend with them. Every.single.day Arianna and Avonlea want me to play with them. As I should. However, I then start thinking about what I could be doing around the house or what other things I should be doing that I am just sitting there with them rather than actually enjoying them. My priorities are wrong obviously. This very morning, Arianna looked at me as I was supposedly playing and said, "Mommy, play with me!" I then said, "yes, I am honey. I'm playing" She then looked at me and said, "No mommy, what are you looking at? Are you thinking? You're not playing with me."
Gosh that hit me hard. Really it did. Poor girls. At that moment when she said that I felt like an absolute horrible parent because this was the main reason for me staying home all along.
My girls are quickly growing before my eyes and I really do need to take the time to cherish them as they are now. Time flies and like everyone says, "before you know it, they'll be teenagers not wanting to spend anytime with you at all." This crossed my mind as soon as she said those words to me because I seriously thought, "I'm so consumed with everything around me but them and right now, both my girls want my full attention and before too long, they're not going to care or ask to spend time with me. They're going to want their friends, they will lock themselves in their rooms, as a parent I'll be wrong all the time while they're the right ones, they'll always prefer to be out and about, etc..."
So I realized right then and there that before they grow out of this stage where they do want me around, I will cherish them. I will love the fact they want me, that they really really want me, the fact they want me to read to them every night, the fact that I bathe them, dress them, sing songs with them in the car, the fact that they want to hold my hand, say prayers outloud with them, tuck them in every night and say over and over again how much we love them, awwwhh and the fact that I can still hold both of them in my arms somewhat and cuddle.
I know that when they're older we're not going to be doing most of these things. So now that I'm home, here with them, I have to take full advantage! I will appreciate them as that was the point from the beginning and thank God daily for them.
Thank you God for my beautiful girls that You've put in my life and that have brought complete joy to my life. I honestly could not imagine my life without them!

and to end this, I thought I'd throw in this beautiful song that pretty much sums up more of my thoughts. This song is sung by Steven Curtis Chapman and makes me cry EVERYTIME! It's more a daddy's girl song, but seriously, if you haven't heard it, please listen...BEAUTIFUL!

Flashback Friday!

There's a guy in Europe who's building an ark/this because of a nightmare he had. 

Well, it reminded me of this scarry nightmare we did have in our backyard!

People in other nearby cities did need a boat and we were super close to it! Wheeww, close call!

Publix shopping = Couponing

I never go to shop shop at Publix. Publix is my couponing store. That.is.it. Really! I run in and out of the store with the deals. Every week Publix puts out a different ad for BOGO free deals. So the day I go shopping is Wednesday. Why Wednesday you ask? Because every Wednesday is when the new 'buy one get one' deals come out and that's the day they have their penny item. What's a penny item? A penny item is one publix brand of food or item that is only a cent. Yes! One cent. You spend $10 to get a penny item and because this is the day I do my couponing, I take full advantage. Today's penny item is Apple Juice. Now, you must be thinking, "Who cares about applie juice?" Well peeps, it's only a penny and I DO! I have two little girls who drink like crazy and what couldn't be better than 100% Apple Juice???? I love it when the penny item is something we could really use. Sometimes it's things like vanilla wafers or sweet tea which none of us in this household care about, however, I give away what I don't care for because heck, it's only a penny. I can't stress on that enough.

Check out all I bought today

Pretty awesome. Here is where I wish I had some mad blogging skills with the arrows pointing to the different things describing with bolded words in the picture what all I bought, but sadly I have none of those stupid skills because I'm blogged challenged. So let me tell you what I bought. Everything listed is bogo-take that into mind.

• 4 bags of doritos (no coupon for this but at $1.99)
• 1 box of Nutrigrain bars (normally $3.49, but at $1.74 with a coupon of $.50 which Publix doubles anything under .50 cents)
• 4 boxes of betty crocker mashed potatoes (normally $1.73, but at $.86 each and then with a coupon of .50 for two making it .$36 cents)
• 5 powerade Ion stuff -Only for Robert! (normally $1.25 each, but at $.62 each before coupon. $1 off 5 powerades making it $.42 each)
• 4 cans of Del Monte Tomato Sauce ($.65 normally at $.32-no coupon for this one)
• 1 frozen snack box of Alexia Bites with 3 cheeses (first time so only bought one-normally $3.59 but today on sale for $1.79 after coupon of $1 off made it at $.79)
• 1 container of Sweet Baby Ray's Shredded pork (first time so only bought one-normally at $5.99 today on sale for $2.99 after $1 off coupon=$1.99)
• 2 Wet ones Moist wipes (at $2.59 normally, sale was $1.29 but with a coupon of $1 off of 2 wipes=$.79 each)
• 2 Lysol Disinfecting wipes (at $4.99 on sale today for $2.49 with $1 off coupon made it $1.49)
• and last but not least my penny item: Apple Juice.

All this my friends totaled $25.32. Pretty good huh?! Well you see, had I not used coupons and or bought the bogo's, the total would have been $64.85. My total savings at Publix today was $39.53. I love it when my savings comes out greater than my actual payment. So cool! All this with the help of Southern Savers. This website let's you know exactly what's on sale or the buy one get ones and then you create the list of stuff you are interested in and find the coupons (keep in mind you have to keep your weekly coupons!). It really has helped our grocery bill. I spend about $20-30 weekly on Publix and then do my regular grocery shopping of neccesities at Kroger...meaning meats, milk, eggs, etc... We've been doing this now for a few months and now that I'm home, it's a must. I've got to get better. Our monthly grocery bill totals a little over $220 a month now because I do this couponing thing. I think that's pretty good for a family of 4. Or is it not? I know there's ways to improve and I will get it down! I hear and know for a fact that CVS is a gold mine! Pretty soon I'll take that on.

test post again

What's your favorite cereal?

Seeing that I'm trying to keep up with blogging, I thought I'd bore you with my favorite breakfast cereals. What is your absolute favorite cereal and what is your most favorite 'kid/unhealthy' cereal? I'll start with the healthy ones first.
My #1 must have in pantry cereal always! :)

Love love love

Don't have this one often because it's so expensive! When I do though, it's a treat!

Always in our pantry for the girls not only as breakfast cereal but on the go snack and a decent good healthy one at it too.

And now for my favorite UNHEALTHY hit the spot kid cereals that I every once in a while will buy if I have a coupon and it goes on sale and I'm just craving.
I am a peanut butter fanatic...really...this is my friends is my weakness. I pass it in the stores and drool! I could eat this all feakin' day long if I allowed myself.

A great one as well that the entire family loves

Everyonce in a while I'll be in the mood for this, but it's not a must have as my #1.

I have this in the pantry now and will open when I feel crazy/hyper and want some popping.

So what's your favorite cereal...healthy or unhealthy!