Fun at Green Bluff and the Fair

Shopping Trip and Salsa

So this is the start to homemade salsa. We had lots of vegis and so I made zucchini salsa. You would never know all that zucchini was in there. So yummy!! I will have to grow a bigger garden next year and get more canning gear. Good Christmas presents, hint, hint!

This is my most recent shopping trip to Albertons. Not that we were in great need of cereal or cookies, but I did need the 2 cans of olives and can on cream soup. The reason that I got all this stuff is that I was PAID $3.03 to take it out of the store. We will, however, eat the cereal and cookies, of course!!

After all coupons the total was $21.97

Minus my catalina coupon -$5.00

Minus the new catalina

coupons for my next shopping trip -$10.00

Minus the Kellogs Fuel for School

Rebate -$10.00

Grand Total will be a profit of $3.03.

These types of shopping trips can't help but make me smile.

Family Pictures at Manito Park

One of Bobby's co-workers took family pictures for us this last week. We had some really good ones, but it was a challenge with Mia. She just wanted to run away and play. The best ones of her are when she got to do that (especially in the water around the park). Good thing Bobby's parents were there to help keep Mia entertained and smiling. Maybe next time she will sit still for longer!!

Such A Big Girl...I can't believe how much she is growing...must be the summer heat

July 4th outfit.

Funny hat that she actually wore for a little bit.

Playing Memory - well at least putting the pieces in and out of the box.

"I'll do it myself, thank you!"

She loves to help vacuum, and turns it on and off if she isn't the one doing it, so I can't get it done.

She looks sooooo long sleeping in this one.

More shoes - she did this on her own and walked for a bit.

What is this??

Well I know this may look like a weird pic, but I thought I would share my shopping trip with you. I have been logging onto frugalchicliving.blogspot.com a lot lately to get tips on free things in Spokane (yea for the free 20 oz. smoothie at Orange Julius, A&W rootbeer float, a can of paint, and many other things) and also coupon tips. As some of you know, Albertons has been running double your coupons in their weekly ads. So you take in a $1 for an item and they double it to $2. I just wanted to share my $ .13, yes 13 cent transaction today at Albertons (all 4 items in pic above). I have missed out on several things due to not going into the store at the beginning of the sale, but I have gotten some great deals. It pays to coupon clip. Bobby doesn't bug me so much about it anymore, especially after trips like today. Just don't get in line behind me if you are in a hurry!

What have we been up to?

Not even half way done digging.

Hmmm...I don't know if this floor is going to recover.

We just burried the concrete!

Since school has gotten out, we have been doing a lot of major home improvement projects. I don't have pics of everything. We did finish the shower downstairs. I will later post before and after pics (such a relief to have that one done). We have been working a lot on the backyard. It is still not to the beautiful stage, but still in process, so I will also have to wait on those pics, but what I am posting is the process of the basement. If you don't know, we live in a split level house and we used to have a kitchen down there. In the last two years we have slowly torn that out. Now that it is gone, so is all the wood paneling and everything else in that room. We decided to put in an egress window to let in the light and make it a little safer down there. So my dad and Bobby dug the 6 foot hole, two guys came and cut the concrete, and then Bobby and my dad put the window in, put in the metal egress thing outside, we all filled in the hole and now it is just waiting for a small fence so Mia doesn't go wondering off into this huge hole we now have near the back patio. I will post more as it goes along. Oh yes, I should also post the pics of the beautiful fan and can lights we got installed in the living room - best money we have spent on this house!

What has Mia been up to?

Finding the dirty clothes basket and burrying Daisy in the clothes she pulled out. At one point you couldn't see Daisy at all.

Building with her blocks all by herself.

Making her Father's Day present. ( I actually did this after I bathed her!?)

Eating (but not unless she has total control!)

Loving on Daisy (or as this pic does not show - beating on Daisy and getting time outs)

Wearing mom's sunglasses

Clapping to music.

Playing at the park and loving the swings.

Getting used to the slide (and as this pic doesn't show - getting a bloody mouth from hitting the side trying to climb up the slide)

Being obsessed with shoes and carrying them around the house. Now we have to leave our dirty shoes outside so she won't find them.

Back when it got really hot, Mia loved playing in the sprinkler. Since then the water has been

cold so she has been playing with her water buckets instead.