9,582

Okay, I was wrong...and underestimating myself! It is 9:20 pm and I still have plenty of things to do and I've already walked 9,582 steps. I did walk for about a mile tonight when the rain let up. However, I guess chasing a 2 and 3 year old around all day does produce more steps than I thought!

10,000 Steps a Day?

Does anyone else out there wear a pedometer? I have been wearing this podometer all day long. I have walked only 5,000 steps (at 3:15 pm). Seriously, I have not sat down all day long...I have been on my feet walking around, cleaning, etc. I was just wondering if any of you wear a pedometer and walk 10,000 steps a day? I mean, if I walk for 2 miles tonight, I'm sure that's going to help, but since it's raining, I doubt that will happen. Anybody else on a regular old day take that many steps?

Misty

Migraines!

I have not had a Migraine in 2 weeks! Praise the LORD!!! And....thanks to Dr. Hemmer in Tuscola for your help!

Sunday Evening Post

Hi! I didn't leave a post last night with Deals of the Week because I didn't get home from church until late and I physically was just too tired to do it! Last night was our AWANA Awards night, which was great. It's been such a great year with AWANAs. 20 children accepted Christ as their Savior, which to me, is just amazing! Last night we honored all of our clubbers with their ribbons, trophies, awards, etc. It was fun!

I am tired because I don't think I've rested/slept/taken care of myself/exercised....or anything else that I should have been doing in at least 4 months! Today is a new day. I knew if I could make it through the last week that I'd be fine! Ryan's bday was this past week and we had the Mommy and Me Sale on Saturday, which was a HUGE success. I made over $500. Just in time for Disney :) City Council (Andy is on this) sold porkchops in the park on Saturday to benefit Newman's Summer Rec Program, and, we had the AWANA Awards Night last night (on top of ten thousand other little things that had to be done this week). I am PRAISING God that he helped me through the last 4 months, really....last 14 months! The Party Girls business was very tiring and we're taking a break on that! We still have weddings for this summer but are not trying to grow our business or book any more parties. We both are very busy with other things that are more important.,...family and church being two of those things. The business actually grew way faster than we were ready for. I suppose that is a VERY good thing in this economy. We just couldn't give any more time and the demand was very high! I have been way to busy doing too many things. I am tired and exhausted and I am finally going to relax. Have you ever been to that point? When you just say, enough is enough? Andy started calling me a robot because I never rest and now I feel like one too...I'm all stiff from being on my feet for all this time with no rest.

SO- today I slept in til 9am (thank you Andy) and now I'm getting ready to go get a manicure and pedicure....it's been almost a year since I had a pedicure and at least 3 years since I've had a manicure...this coming from someone who used to go every other month or so....As you can imagine, I am looking forward to this treat!!!

Next week, I'll be back with the Deals of the Week...but you'll have to listen to a little church too because we start our Revival next Sunday....I'm sure by Sunday night when it's time to post this blog that I'll be full of things to share with you!

If you want, come out to our revival. It's next Sunday, May 3- Wednesday, May 6. We would love to have you come!

Thanks for reading this rambling today! Have a GREAT week!

Don't Worry Blog Peeps........

I'm still alive and well!!! I know all my blog followers (which are to numerous to count!) have been worried since I haven't posted in several days. Just to let everyone know since I posted last I survived a night with just me and the kids, and have since had Easter and Ryans 2nd Birthday party at our house, as well as having Mistys nieces visit for a week, city council meetings, AWANA's and various other activities to keep me from meeting the demands of the blogging public. So I promise a new post will be forthcoming. Have a great night and don't forget we have JOY group tonight at 6:00pm! Attend if you can, pray for it if you can't!!!

Talk to you soon,

Andy

Praise!

I have to take a second to give some Praise to the Lord! I have not had a migraine since last Sunday. I have not gone without a migraine for a week in I don't know how long! Praise the Lord and THANK YOU for your prayers! The Lord answers us when we call out to Him!

Why pay more, when you can pay less? Is this someone's slogan already?

Funny slogan, but so true...who's slogan is this anyways? Is it Payless or someone else? I don't know. Anyways, here are the deals I've come up with for this week. Enjoy!

1. GM Cereals are 2/$4 at IGA (8.0-12 oz) and at Meijer's (8-14.2 oz)
2. Strawberries are 3/$4 at Meijer's (1 lb container)
3. Gound Chuck (85%) is $1.99 at Meijer's.
4. Lots of clothes, shoes, pillows and drapery are Buy 1, get one for $0.88 at JC Penney's.
5. Coke Products are 4/$12 at Target (12 packs)
6. One Gallon of Milk is $1.98 at Meijer's
7. Power Wheels Barbie Jeep and Jeep Rubicon are FINALLY $219 at Toys R Us...after I already bought one at Wal-Mart last week and burnt the box it came in.
8. Large Eggs are $0.98/dozen at Meijer's.
9. Yoplait Kid's or Trix Yogurt are 2/$4 at Meijer's.

Only Nine this week are worthy of mentioning.....If you have any others that are great in your opinion, please feel free to post them! Hope this helps and hope you have a GREAT week!

Misty

Top Ten Deals of the Week!

Happy Easter!!!

Okay, I have to clear a few things up...First, I do a "monthly" shopping trip. By that, I don't mean that I only go to the store one time a month. By that, I mean a make a monthly menu and then go to the store and get all the main ingredients for those items. Then, every week, I go to the store and get milk, fruit , bread and some meat. I will not eat bread or milk that's been frozen so I have to go every week. Still, I am not going to the store every other day and I do go in with a very specific list every time I go in.

Next, you can buy milk because it's on sale and stock up. However, milk is on sale every week at Aldi, so I never buy extra. However, if you choose to do this, pour about a cup out of the gallon before you freeze it because the gallon will expand. Then freeze it and you have several days after it's thawed to drink it.

Okay...here goes...

1. Milk is $1.99 at Aldi's.
2. Kellog's Cereal is 5/$10 at Meijer's (up to 16.9 oz)
3. Kellog's Cereal is 2/$4 at CVS (up to 15 0z) (I just thought you might not need 5 boxes)
4. Smart Ones Frozen Meals 6/$12 at Meijer's
5. Canteloupe is 3/$5 at Meijer's
6. Green Grapes are $1/lb at Meijer's
7. Blackberries are 10/$10 at Meijers (5.6 oz - this is a GREAT deal)
8. Hunt's Ketchup is 10/$10 at Meijer's (24 oz bottle)
9. Hellman's Real Mayo or Light Mayo is 4/$6 at Meijer's (15 oz)
10. Rold Gold Pretzels (up to 16 oz) or Cheetos or Fritos (up to 9.25 oz) are 3/$5 at Meijer's
BONUS - I always get extra thirsty after shopping...or maybe I'm just addicted to diet coke, but fountain drinks are HALF PRICE at Sonic and Steak and Shake from 2-4 every day.

I hope you had a GREAT Easter and have a GREAT Week!

Misty

One Wild and Crazy Guy!!!

So Misty is down in Southern Illinois for the night helping her niece celebrate her 16th Birthday. And I am here in good old Newman, IL watching the kids. And how does one spend a gloomy friday afternoon/evening with his two kids??? Well for starters as soon as Misty left I sat in bed and watched a scary movie (Silence of the Lambs to be exact....still awesome after 18 years and numerous viewings) which if anyone knows Misty knows that the viewing of a scary movie can only take place when she is out of the house!!! So after that I had an exciting dishwasher unloading/reloading session, followed by an equally exciting bill paying extravaganza (Jealous yet?). Once the kids woke up I made supper and tried to hold back my looks of disgust as they basically ate nothing but ketchup with a spoon for their entire meal! So next on the agenda is kitchen cleanup and then I am going to call up to the Sugar Shack (the local ice cream shop in Newman which is awesome!) and hope that they decided to open early! After that we are looking at bath time, bedtime, and house clean up time. Then I am debating between watching another scary movie, or busting out the x-box 360 and/or wii for a mad video game session. I'll keep you posted at to which one wins out..........Here's hoping your night is as exciting as mine.

Have a good night!

Andy

We're Goin to Disney!

WooHoo! After years of NEEDing a vacation, Andy and I decided today to take the kids to Orlando. We were planning to wait for 2 more years to go there, but where else can you go on a vacation with kids that small and actually find something for them to enjoy? Seriously, there is almost nowhere that they would REALLY enjoy. AND, if they're bored on the vacation, you know they're going to drive you crazy being bored and whining the whole time! Of course, you all know that Disney has a lot of big rides and a lot of Hannah Montana junk for the older kids. SO, we decided to stay at the NickHotel. Dora and Boots are there as well as all the other Nickelodeon show characters and they have huge waterslides, which Ryan will LOVE! And of course, we're going to go see where Mickey Mouse and the Princesses live! We can't wait for that either! We are going May 18-22 and we are SO excited if you can't tell.

Another piece of advice for you. We booked our trip through a lady from our church who is a travel agent. She has a business called Stellar Tours and Amish Adventures. Her website is www.ytbtravel.com/stellartours. She is about the same price as Travelocity, but the advantage is that I KNOW her and if I need anything I can call HER and not an 800 number. So, if you're planning a trip, need a hotel room, etc, check out her site.

Okay, I better get back to clipping coupons so we can have money for our trip...Hahahaha!! Just kidding! You know I've turned into a Frugal Frannie, so this is quite exciting for me! WooHoo!!!

Deals, Deals, Deals!

Okay, it's Sunday night and it's time for the Deals of the Week! Let me first start by saying a few things...

1. God is good...if you treat your money like it is His (which it is), He is going to take care of you! Andy and I have been very, very careful with our budget this year, in order to be able to give more back to God. You know, you can never outgive God. If you don't currently tithe (give 10% of your income) and give offerings (gifts over and above your 10%), then I'm going to challenge you to do that. God says He will provide for us and that if we give, He will take care of our needs. Now, I'm not saying if you put a check in the plate that you're going to get a new Mercedes and the Publisher's Clearing House van is going to show up at your door....I don't expect the Cadillac dealership to drive up and give us our car back...BUT, God says He will supply ALL of your needs, according to His riches in glory...so try it out! God has been amazing to us, throughout our marriage - how many of you reading this can say you've never actually had to write a rent check? We've saved money we've gotten as gifts, we've worked for our rent, we received generous gifts from our parents and family, we've done all kinds of things, we live in our business we pay for, but NEVER have we ever had to write a rent or mortgage check! Thanks to generous family members on both sides for allowing God to use you to supply our needs for the last NINE years! God is good and has been amazingly good to us in recent days and we just want to praise Him for that! Thank you Lord for supplying our needs and being so wonderful to love us. You are the creator of the universe, You WERE, before there WAS anything. You are the Beginning and the End and YOU care enough to supply our needs! Amazing!

Okay, back to the deals now...thanks for hanging on there with me through my Praisefest! Next on the list of things to tell you....
2. BUY a Sunday paper or two. If it's too late, go to the newspaper office and pick one or two up. In the Champaign paper, there are 4 sets of coupons today and there are some GOOD coupons!

Disclaimer: Before you go out and buy all of these things, please see my original post from last Sunday...it's silly to go to multiple stores - SO-price match, use coupons, go to Wal-Mart! It's going to save you money!

Drumroll please.......here are the deals of the week!
1. Strawberries are 3 for $4 at Meijer's (1 lb containers)
2. Coke 12 packs are 4 for $10 at Meijer's
3, Nabisco Triscuits or Wheat Thins are 3/$5 at Meijer's (7.5-10 0z)
4. Milk is $1.99/gallon at Meijer's
5. One dozen eggs are $0.88 at Meijer's
6. Coke 2 Liters are $1 at Dollar Store
7. Oreos and Chips Ahoy are 2 for $4 at Dollar Store
8. Cheerios are 2 for $4 at Dollar Store
9. All DVDs are on sale at Toys R Us, Buy 1, Get 1 Half off (athough Walmart does not honor Buy One Get One Sales) Some games, blocks and toys are also Buy One Get One 1/2 Off, too.
10. Step 2 Neighborhood Wagon is on sale for $39.99 at Toys R Us (Normally $70). This wagon has 2 seats, seatbelts, and cup holders...it's very nice!

Wal-Mart also has some AMAZING deals this week...Philadelphia Cream Cheese is $0.89 per package. That's a really good deal! I don't list Wal-Marts prices because I shop there and know that's where I can save the most money...I just compare everyone else's prices to theirs.

So, this week, I did list some non-food items, but it's almost Easter and the Easter Bunny comes to our house....so I had to add some toys. We already have a wagon, but it was such a good deal that I couldn't resisit putting it in in case any of the rest of you needed it.

A LOT of you don't live where there is a Meijer's, but there might be a Kroger, Save A Lot, Aldi, Piggly Wiggly, whatever...just get their sale bill and compare it with Wal-Mart's. Wal-Mart will match the competition's ad! Try it and you will get GREAT satisfaction knowing that you just saved that money and all you had to do was tell them about the sale.

Happy Shopping and Happy Easter!

Golf Clubs, Easter Bunnies, and Spiderman Jeeps

What a great weekend we had, and we still have Church tomorrow to look forward to. Friday we decided to take a spontaneous trip to Champaign and eat lunch at Chillis. We followed that up by paying the Easter Bunny and visit at the mall. The kids were really good and excited to see the EB. Today for the first time in forever we had nothing to do on a Saturday so I took advantage of the nice weather and golfed for the first time this year. For those who care I didn't shoot to bad for the first time out. My goal is to be under forty this year! We will see and I will keep everyone posted on my progress (because I know you care!!!!). Then tonight we were able to further take advantage of the nice weather and take the kids outside where they got to ride the jeeps outside for the first time as well as try out their set of mini golf clubs we bought for them last year. What a great weekend and praise God for the nice weather!!!

Andy

Add another one to the Book!

Add another one to the book? I am referring to the Lamb's Book of Life. That's the book that God will or won't find our name in when we have to stand in front of Him. Either we chose to confess our sins and commit our lives to Christ on earth or we didn't...it's that plain and simple...if you did, your name is in the Book, if not, you're not there and God will say, "Depart from me, I never knew you."

Just wanted to let you all know that a little boy named Christian asked Jesus into his heart tonight. His name is now in The Book! He looked right at me and told me he knew he was a sinner and he needed to ask Jesus in his heart and then he was going to get baptized! This little boy is in the third grade and just started coming to our AWANA program about 3 weeks ago. He's learned over 20 verses already- in 3 weeks! That's incredible! I am so proud of him. God is really moving among us at FBC Atwood! If you're counting, this is 22 salvations since February! That's insane! That's only something God can do! We're going to have another baptismal service on Easter Sunday. I am asking you to pray for Christian and the other boys and girls who have been saved recently in our church. We have 3 weeks left before Awana lets out for the summer. Please pray that we have an opportunity to lead at least one more child to the Lord in each of the next three Awana meetings. I could handle 25 to round out the year! Thank you for praying for us and for the kids at AWANAs. Please pray for our Children's Church program and our Church Camp this summer too... we can always use your prayers. Besides, you know that camp and I just don't always mix...bugs, sweat and heat...Gross! But it's going to be great and we're actually staying at a camp that has mattresses this year! Yippee!!!! Thanks to all of you for your prayers and support! We love you!

P.S. If you don't have somewhere you're going to church on Sunday, come with us! We would love to have you! God is moving, don't miss out on the action :)

Misty

+ 5

So, last night was the Biggest Loser! I knew from the previews that a previously eliminated contestant would get to come back into the game so I was looking forward to tonight. I had even told Misty that this could potentially change the entire game! Nicole got to come back after losing a ton of weight at home and everybody seemed to view her as Tara 2.0 (including Tara 1.0) and it seemed like it would be a whole new game...............Until she got on the scale and gained 5 pounds and got eliminated!!!. So after all the excitement we are right back to where we were. I still have my money on Tara and am looking forward to the home stretch! Let me know what you think.

Andy