My 15 minutes of fame today

Here you go :

http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070726/COLUMNIST0401/707260312/1112

Updates and Such

You'll be happy to know I've solved two of my problems- my sister in law is going to IKEA this weekend and will pick up a new lamp for us. I have to write a letter to request a refund on the missing lamp, since no one turned it in. Hope someone out there is enjoying their free lamp! And some friends loaned us their HP book (they already read it) so Dave is now busying reading in his non-existent free time.

I've been working on Daniel's fall wardrobe for next year. I work a year ahead so I can buy most of his clothes on clearance and buy out of season when things are less picked over in thrift stores. I only buy name brand things (gap, polo, tommy hilfiger, children's place) and they are usually dirt cheap and barely worn. I've found two problems though: Daniel sees the cool stuff and thinks he can wear it now even though it's too big, and secondly, now he thinks I actually want his opinion when I am shopping for him. Today he picked out the most hideous long sleeve shirt with squirrels and acorns on it and another sweatshirt that looked like it was from 1985 with snowmen and candy on it. I had to hide them and distract him with a toy car. I can only hope his taste will improve over time.

Big excitement for the grocery girls this week- tomorrow starts Harris Teeter triple coupons for the next three days. Also, we will be in the paper tomorrow in an article by Ms. Cheap and I will post the link.

Pictures from Atlanta

Here are the pictures-there are quite a few more than I usually post, but they were all really good:

July- Atlanta

Back from Adventure 2007- Atlanta

We just spent the last week in Atlanta. It was our first big long trip since having Wesley. We only had to pack 1/2 the house for this 8 day trip. What did people do with all of their stuf before minivans?

Our first stop was (where else?) IKEA. The boys did great, and we managed to work through a lot of our list. We did have to make one additional trip the next day. From there, it was all fun. We went to a Braves game (left Wesley with a babysitter), visited the awesome Georgia Aquarium, and the Children's Museum. Daniel loved all of it. Dave and I took turns visiting the High Museum, where I really enjoyed the Annie Lebowitz exhibit.

Oh, and the real reason we were in Atlanta, the Gideons convention, was great also. We heard many testimonies from around the world and listened to Henry Blackaby. And we were among the youngest people there, so our kids were admired by many family friends and strangers alike. Grandma and Grandpa enjoyed having us around.

It's good to be home. Wesley decided not to sleep the last two nights we were there, so last night was our first full night of sleep in awhile. Today there are massive loads of laundry and lots of stuff to put away. Somehow we left something we bought at the IKEA store so I'm not sure what to do about that. And I think I need to order a Harry Potter book for Dave. We did actually make it to the movie before we left, a minor miracle, thanks to a babysitting swap with some friends.

Pictures to follow (when I find the camera)....

HSM 2

If you are going to be home on August 17 and you get the Disney channel, can I come over and watch "High School Musical 2"??? Please????

Updates

I haven't blogged in awhile with any news, so here are some updates:

We have been doing some furniture re-arranging around here. We got a new leather sectional for our downstairs living room which solves some of our tv viewing problems (we could not get a good view from the couch). The new couch is quite contemporary which means we need some IKEA type accessories to go with it. Yet another excuse to visit IKEA this year.

We are eagerly awaiting the new Harry Potter movie this week.... we may not get to see it for another 2 weeks but that would still be record time for us. Dave saw "Transformers" on July 4th and loved it.

Daniel smacked his face into the corner of the new desk we bought for our kitchen and has a black eye. This was one of those times I was glad he is not a girl because I would have taken "her" to the ER because it was a potential facial scar injury.

I'm going to be in the paper again on Thursday July 26. Another grocery shopping feature by Ms. Cheap, my new friend. Today was the photo shoot in our local Publix which was quite the party with my 2 fellow bargain hunting friends and our 6 kids.

Due to the late freeze which caused our nearby blueberry patch to lose its crop, I dragged my mother to Aldi's in Hermitage where we bought pints of blueberries for 99 cents to freeze.

Then we also made a trip to my favorite thrift store where I picked up bargains like a $1.80 Nautica shirt and $1.30 Gap pajamas. I find all kinds of dirt cheap name brands in there every time I go. I am shopping for the future- looking for size 4-5-6 at this point even though Daniel is in 3T. This just makes it easier for me later. If Daniel won't be able to wear it, Wesley will. Boys clothes don't really change style either. Another plus for having boys.

The irony is the thrift store is in the exact location of my first real job at Woolworth's in Donelson Plaza 20 years ago. Ahhh, memories.... I will never forget I got robbed at the cash register in there but that is a story for another time, my friends....

Family Pictures

Well, we did it. We finally got our act together and took a family picture. Click on the album below to see all of the results!

Family Pictures Summer 2007