Mamaw and Peepaw Come to Town!

Last weekend, my parents came in town to watch Katelyn while Kristen and Dave had a night to themselves in Dallas. Don't think that my sister and her husband are spoiled and can call Mamaw and Peepaw whenever they feel like getting away. This is not the case. They originally planned to go away to China for one week for a conference, and my parents were going to watch Katelyn for 3 days and Dave's mom was going to watch her for the other 4 days. The conference was canceled, but they still wanted to spend time with Katelyn, and Kristen and Dave were not about to turn down a night alone. I knew that the maximum fun level would not be reached if I didn't spend time with Mamaw, Peepaw and Katelyn on Saturday. For their benefit (okay, mainly for mine) I joined them for a day at the park and McDonalds. I've recently gotten back on a Chai Tea Latte kick. I made one Saturday morning to jump start my day and brought it over. Katelyn asked for a "sip pease Bitty." Hmmm... "Sure, you can have a sip, Katelyn." She loved it! "Sip pease! Sip pease!" Okay, you can have another sip when we get to the park. You need to be patient. "Have patience, have patience..." "Yes, that's right Katelyn, have patience." She was all over that drink when we got to the park. I told her the name of the drink and Peepaw put some in her own cup when we got back to the house. The next morning, Kristen and Dave were back and mom and dad were still there, so I joined them for breakfast. My dad called to remind me to bring some bananas to go with our chocolate chip pancakes. "And bring some of that thai chi latte (he can't ever get it right). Katelyn's been asking for it all morning. I went to get her out of bed this morning and the first words out of her mouth were thai chi latte!" Oh no... what have I done?

I mentioned that we went to McDonalds. Katelyn calls it "adonalds" and yells it out everytime she sees those double arches. We sat in the play area so Katelyn could do her thing. If you've been to McDonald's or anywhere with an indoor playground, you've probably seen a door in the play area that says "EMERGENCY EXIT ONLY. ALARM WILL SOUND" on it. My dad is not very patient efficient with his time. My mom, on the other hand, is not. She likes to take her time. My dad doesn't like to wait on my mom, or anyone really. He would rather be sitting in the car, staring at his watch, counting how long it takes you to meet him in the car, so he can inform you of how slow you are when you finally get there. Sometimes this mind set does not play in his favor. Case in point. We were getting ready to leave McDonalds, but had to get Katelyn's shoes on her feet, pick up her toy, and her bag, you know, all of the things that come along with a child. Dad didn't have time for this. He wanted to get to the car and away from the screaming children as fast as he could. He proceeded to walk out the first door he saw. Mistake. Big mistake. He quickly jumped back and started walking towards the main entrance/exit. This was too good to not document.

Frugal Friday!

Let me first apologize for being MIA for the past couple of weeks. I apologize. Now, let me get on to my entry for this week!

It's the little things in life, not the big and extravagant ones, that I get most excited about. To give you one example, my dad and I have our father-daughter dates at Sam's Club on Saturdays and I'm giddy all the way to the store! We walk down the aisles and pick up all of the samples. If we are feeling really crazy, we'll get a hot dog and coke on the way out!

To further explain my excitement about the little things in life, I'll tell you about last Friday. Last Friday, "Enrique" and I went on a date. Not that dating him is a little thing in life, but many might not think of our date on Friday as anything exciting. I'm not "many" because it was actually my idea of the perfect date! That day, I wasn't feeling well and he had a long day so he decided to keep it low key. He picked me up and we went to one of my favorite places ever, Central Market. I could spend hours walking around Central Market - tasting samples, looking at the wide selection of fruit, alcohol, cheese, pretty much everything, and filling my cart with something from each aisle - I just love it! I am also a fan of music, especially live music. Lucky for me, Central Market has live music on Friday and Saturday nights. We looked around at our dinner options and each decided to prepare our own salad from the salad bar. We (by we, I mean he) paid for our salads and we (by we, I really do mean we) walked outside to listen to some really fun music. There were family friends talking and laughing as their children were running wild on the playground and all over, there were friends drinking coffee and others eating gelato. It was just a fun, yet relaxing, environment and a great way to wind down from a crazy week. We left Central Market after dinner and drove over to Town Square in Southlake. By this time, the stores had already closed so we just walked around and picked out our favorite things in the store windows. As much as I enjoy the thrill of buying a dress that I have fallen in love with at first sight, window shopping can be just as much fun!

Moral of the story: For me (and hopefully for you, too) dates aren't about how much money you spend, but more about how much fun you have with the person you are with. This is just one idea of a fun date for those of you who are on a budget, or just want to try something else besides dinner at a boring restaurant with mediocre customer service and a movie.

Got any other fun, inexpensive date ideas? Holler!

Pei Wei - 09.09.09

09.09.09 - TODAY ONLY! - Pei Wei is giving 50% off of their new Japanese Chile Beef Ramen to the customers who bring in a package of store bought Ramen noodles. Pei Wei will donate all of the Ramen collected, plus $1 per package, to a local food bank. Go get you some!

Frugal Friday!

One thing I've noticed (and love so much) since I started my Frugal Friday posts is that everyone always feels inclined to call and/or e-mail to tell me about their great purchases! I always get so excited and I feel like a teacher might feel when her student comes back and says, "Look Teacher! I did it all on my own! Aren't you proud of me?" From my fingertips to your eyes (maybe your ears if you are like my roommate and the only way you know what my blog says is because someone reads it to you), I am soooo proud of you! Keep it up!

I really enjoy blogging. For me it's an outlet, a great stress reliever. To combine that with something that I'm passionate about, bargain shopping and finding great deals, is so fun! Well, you know it's been a long and crazy week when you have been looking forward to Friday all week long and suddenly realize at 5:30 pm on Friday that it's already Friday! I was driving home and thought, "Oh crap! I forgot to do my Frugal Friday post last night! How did this happen!?!?" Lucky for me (and you), I got an e-mail today from one of my best friends, Bonnie, that said, "Put this on your Frugal Friday!" It was like she knew that I had been running around like a crazy person and didn't have time to relieve any stress by blogging about my frugal week!

Her e-mail said, "September is Volunteer Appreciation Month at Studio Movie Grill! As a reward for all the hardworking volunteers in Texas, Studio Movie Grill is giving away movie tickets! Simply click on this link to print out the coupon and enjoy a movie with a friend! The passes are good from September 8th through September 30th at any Studio Movie Grill location."

If you don't already volunteer at a local non-profit, what are you waiting for? This website will help you find volunteer opportunities in your area. What a fun thing to do as a family or maybe even for a girls day/night out!

If you're in the Dallas area, my vote for a non-profit organization to volunteer with is Camp Summit. Camp Summit's mission is to provide barrier-free outdoor experiences that promote personal growth and foster independence for children and adults with disabilities. Their campers range in age from six to adulthood and may be developmentally delayed, physically challenged, dual sensory impaired (deaf and blind) or have multiple disabilities. Camp Summit, like most non-profit organizations, is always looking for volunteers to serve the community alongside them. If you're interested in volunteering with Camp Summit, contact their main office at 972-484-8900.

Women of Faith

Let me preface this post by informing/reminding you that my mom is the greatest mom ever, and that's no exaggeration. She bought 10 tickets to the Women of Faith Conference and asked Kristen and me to invite some of our friends. Jessica was not able to come and it was bitter-sweet. Bitter because we obviously wanted her there for a super fun girls weekend, but sweet because she accepted a job as a 2nd grade teacher and could not come because she was in training that Friday. We are so thankful that the Lord provided her with that job - she's going to be one fun teacher! Kristen invited some of her friends: Jill, Jenny, Jessica and Kimberly and I invited some of my friends: Andrea, Bonnie and Naked Nancy.

We stayed at a hotel close to the American Airlines Center (where the conference was held), Hotel Lawrence, and although it wasn't the most comfortable place to sleep, we had a great time! There was actually a ghost crew there from Everyday Paranormal documenting some ghosts or something. Andrea, Bonnie, Naked Nancy and I made our own mockumentary, below.

The verse for the weekend was “The Lord's love never ends; his mercies never stop. They are new every morning . . .” Lamentations 3:22-23. It was such a refreshing weekend, and a much needed time of reflection, fellowship, encouragement and laughter. The whole conference was great but one speaker, Lisa Whelchel (The Facts of Life), said something that really encouraged me. To give you some insight into my life, my prayer every day is that my thoughts, actions, and words would be glorifying to God. I go to work and get caught up in all of the chaos. When I get home, I can't recall doing or saying anything that might have been pleasing to God. To be honest, I feel the weight of my sinful heart and I pretty much feel like a failure in life. Just being honest. So Lisa talked about "the facts of life," saying that there are both good and bad things that accompany this thing we call life. She said that despite those bad things, the dirty sin that we constantly battle with, God still whispers to his children, "I love you. You delight my heart." It's just crazy to me that the One who puts stars in their place and calls them each by name (Psalm 147:4), the One who mountains and rivers praise (Psalm 98:8), the One who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand (Isaiah 40:12), delights himself in me (Psalm 18:19). I'm filled with awe and joy that Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice and came to save sinners like little 'ol me.

Be encouraged that the Lord's love never ends. He loves you right now, wherever you are in life. He doesn't love the past you or the future you any more than he loves you right now.

Here is a picture of our group. Thanks again, Mom, for providing these tickets to us so selflessly and allowing us to experience a weekend that encouraged our hearts!

P.S. This was also a special weekend for my mom and dad - They celebrated 38 years of marriage on August 21st! Mom and Dad - Thanks for displaying to us such a sweet marriage filled with ups and downs, yet constantly holding tight to the love you have for Christ and each other.

Frugal Friday!

Sunday, August 23rd: My strapless bra continues to fail me and that makes me sad. I'm sad mainly because I am not a fan of shopping for new bras, for a couple of reasons. One because it's really hard to find one that fits you just right and does its job. Two because they are expensive. I have not been looking forward to buying a new one, but alas the day has come and I must get it over with. I remembered that one of my best friends, Callie, said she got her favorite one at Kohls. I took her advice and headed over to Kohls. I found the brand Callie recommended, Lilyette, and it seemed to fit pretty well, but I had to do two tests. The first test was putting on a fitted shirt to make sure everything looked right. Pass. The second test was jumping. I had to make sure that it really would stay in place like the tag boldly proclaimed. Pass. I walked to the front of the store and found out that it was on sale. The goodness does not stop there, no. Not only was it on sale, but I got $10 off my purchase just for signing up to receive coupons and promotions in the mail! AND it is tax-free weekend. Perfect!

Regular price: $32.00. My price: $11.99. Total Savings: $20.01 or 63%

My First Haircut!

I did something last week that I have never done before. I cut someone's hair. What I did to make him feel like he could trust me with clippers next to his head, I'm not sure. I told him I was down for it, but he had to first acknowledge that he understood my disclaimers and ground rules:

1. I have confidence that I can cut hair using clippers. I do not, however, have confidence that the end result will not look like you were attacked by Edward Scissorhands.
2. I have never cut anyone's hair before and you are waiving your rights to be upset with the outcome of your haircut.
3. No crying or yelling allowed.
4. This experiment might consist of cutting your hair while watching a handful of youtube "how to" videos.
5. If I cut your hair, you are allowing me to blog about it and post before and after pictures.
6. If you don't mind the thought that you might look like you've enlisted in the army at the end of the session, I'm all for it.
7. If I cut your hair and it's so bad that I can't even look at you, I'll take you to dinner and consider the tab my punitive damages. You will not be awarded any monies for compensable damages.

He said he would sign my disclaimer if #5 was deleted to "protect my family, sort of like names have been changed to protect the innocent." I convinced him to let me blog about it if I changed his name and somehow concealed his identity. He agreed. He wanted his name to be "Enrique" and suggested that I put a black square over his eyes. Works for me.

Even though he agreed not to be upset with the outcome, I was still pretty nervous. He would have to explain himself to inquiring minds and I definitely didn't want to be known as the girl who gave him a jacked up haircut. It was way easier and more fun than I thought! I can't take all the credit because he did the front and I just did the back. Who knows, maybe I'll invest in some clippers and start a side business.

Here are the before and after pictures of Enrique.