Boss Lady's Ruminations

Welll.... maybe I should end the hiatus :)

2011-12-13T09:54:00.000-06:00

I know, I know...... it's been since August! Where have I been?! Well I'll tell you. Quite a lot has been going on since then. I'm sure some of you won't care for the details but if you know me well then you know I'm a detail kind of gal. The more information the better :)

We started back with our homeschooling in mid-August. All three kids are doing schoolwork although the youngest is just Pre-K so it's not everyday just when we feel like it.   Along with homeschooling I decided to close G.R.I.T.S. Embroidery. It was a very tough decision, it's been like my 4th child for the past 7 years! It was difficult though to keep up. I couldn't update my website to add or remove products, choices or prices so I was using Facebook. But then you never know when you are going to get an order and the timeframe it will be needed in. I don't like unknowns all that much so I decided it was best to close up for now. I just didn't have the time to devote to it anymore. I still make Savvy Shoppers and sell them at the White House Walgreens, just check out the candy display at the main checkout.

Around this same time I was asked by our former Realtor to start staging houses for him when needed. Thus became Savvy Staging by Stacie. So far I've only consulted with one customer but we all know how the housing market is right now. The great thing about this is I'm mainly just a consultant so there are no supplies to keep in stock, it's just a couple of hours of my time when a client needs me to give them advice.

During all this I was having more and more pain with my kidney stones (I still have 5 keeping me company). The doctor ordered a CT Scan and said that there was only one large enough to blast and who knows if it's the one causing me the pain. You know I always find it very funny that after seeing doctors and speaking with nurses the pain seems to go away. So for right now and the past few weeks or more my kidneys have been playing nice :)

Along with this I was having some pretty severe pain in my right ear as well as some other anomalies. I saw an Internal Medicine doctor who ran a lot of bloodwork and pronounced me perfectly healthy. Going back to see him three months later and still with great ear pain he sent me to an Oatolarangology (sp?) doctor or an ENT!    He checked my hearing and looked at my ear and said it could be enflamed nerves so I got a $41 steroid cream to use for fifteen days. That didn't help and in fact the pain got worse so I saw him again yesterday. He used a light to look in my ear and said that the nerve is bright red and it is most likely per-erruptive Shingles!   Ouch! I don't want that! So now I am on two anti-viral medications and a cream for a week or a little more that he said should get rid of it. Whew! Close call, I'll keep you in the know about whether or not it works.

During all this I decided to become a Team Beachbody Coach. I know you have all seen the Infomercials about P90X?! Well I'm doing the 90 day challenge and while I haven't lost any weight yet I can definitely tell a difference in muscle tone (I'm 30 days in at this point).   So if you would like to learn more about getting healthy and fit you can go here or leave me a message here. I will be more than happy to help you!

It seems strange to start this in the midst of so many health problems but at the same time it is something I felt like "I can do this!" and it made me feel better instead of letting the other issues get me down.

Christmas is quickly approaching and I have all but a couple of the presents in the house. Before Christmas comes my baby's 4th birthday though. It's so sad in so many ways to think of how quickly they grow up!

Oh I almost forgot I've discovered Pinterest!    It is a fantastic place to find neat ideas, recipes and tons of other things. It's gotten my creative juices flowing more than once.

Well I hope you all have a very Happy Holiday. I'll try to post again soon!

Tell me what's going on with you?!

Love always,
The Boss Lady

My take on Outlet Malls

2011-08-09T08:17:00.000-05:00

So this past weekend I was blessed to be able to spend to fun filled days with my gal pals. We all me in Edinburgh, IN for a weekend of shopping, eating and of course gabbing! We had a great time although it was not near long enough.

Well of course when you visit an outlet mall you have to buy something right? You expect rock bottom prices with even greater discounts on top of that. I mean it is an OUTLET MALL right? You are not supposed to pay retail. So why is it then that when we visit an Outlet Mall we feel, for the majority of stores, that we are visiting a retail store? I don't know about you but I get very frustrated at this. I mean I come with a limited budget and a list of things I NEED for my family.

To tell you the truth I only went in one clothing store that actually had what I consider good prices. That was the Vanity Fair Outlet. I purchased a couple of Polos and a Nautica T-shirt for my husband for less than $16. (plus tax). In the Stride Rite Outlet I returned a pair of shoes that I had purchased on Friday. The manager tells me I have to buy them back because they were a final sale item even though it wasn't marked on my reciept. Then after I re-purchase them she tells me she's not going to mark them as final sale, she's doing me a favor she says, so that I can return them if I need too?! WHAT!? I really don't get it. We stood in lines for ages. Took 20 minutes or more at the actual checkout in a couple of stores.

My take on outlet malls:
1. Print out any online coupons you can get your hands on before you get there (in this case there was also a online coupon for a FREE coupon book for the entire outlet mall)
2. Go when it's not busy,
3. Window shop at all the stores you think you will purchase from first.
4. Make a list from those stores of the items you like and the final price you will pay for those items (You can ask if they will hold the items for you, they might until the close of day or possibly longer.)
5. Sit down with your list at your hotel or someplace quiet and decide what you plan to purchase.
6. Map out your stores and go back for your purchases with a back up plan in case they don't have the size you need when you make it back around.

With exception of the first one these are all thing I WISH I had done this past weekend. They are definitely all things I will strive to do in the future!

So good luck with your next outlet mall experience. For that matter these tips could be used on any shopping trip!

Happy Shopping
~The Boss Lady~

Target Black Friday Sale!

2011-07-15T12:48:00.000-05:00

Today only! Many things up to 50% off. Be sure to go through shopathome.com first to get 10% cash back!

www.target.com

Happy Friday!
The Boss Lady

Chick-Fil-A

2011-07-08T14:37:00.000-05:00

Can anyone say MOO???? Well today is Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A and you can score a FREE Meal!

Here's the details: Dress like a cow. Head to your nearest Chick-Fil-A. The more you look like a COW the more food you get free.

You know what they'll even provide you with the appropriate attire. Just click here to print your various Cow parts to make your cow costume and score a FREE meal!

Have fun!
~The Boss Lady~

You have to try this!

2011-07-02T07:46:00.000-05:00

I know this has nothing to do with coupons however if you are a coffee drinker it does have to do with saving you money!

I read The Pioneer Womans blog every once in a while when I have a free moment. Last week I came accross her recipe for Iced Coffee. Yesterday I decided to try it. Talk about YUMMY! I purchased Mocha Coffee and let is soak overnight. I only had a 1 gallon container unlike Ree so I only soaked 1/2 of my bag of coffee grounds. I fixed hubby and I each a glass this morning. Half coffee (strained of course) poured over ice with Half and Half and chocolate syrup. I used a little Stevia to sweeten. It is fantastic you've got to try it.

Here's the link to Ree's recipe!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/06/perfect-iced-coffee/

Happy Saturday!
Stacie AKA The Boss Lady

Great offers

2011-06-28T08:52:00.000-05:00

BOGO coupon for McDonalds

Just click the BOGO link above and it'll take you to the page shown above. Just enter your name and click to print!

Free 8x10 Canvas Print or $50 towards any size Canvas, by the Canvas People. All you pay is shipping and Handling! Sweet! Click here.

Free $2 Amazon MP3 Credit
Just enter the code CLOUDMP3 to get your free credit. Sweet!

Double Cash back with select retailers through Ebates!

Entertainment.com 35% cash back
Land's End 6% Cash Back
HP 5% Cash Back
Sears 4% Cash Back
Borders 8% Cash Back
Snapfish16.5% Cash Back

There are more retailers involved with the double cash back deal. Just head on over to Ebates to get the full list.!

Well that's it for now. I'll be on the lookout for more fantastic deals.

Have a great day!
The Boss Lady

Some of the great deals at Kroger this week

2011-06-20T19:52:00.001-05:00

Kroger week of 6/19 - 6/25 all prices reflect Kroger Plus Card Savings

Ball Park Beef Franks 2 for $5. with Kroger Plus Card
-$1/2 Ball Park product, RP 6/05
-.55/1 Ball Park buns, RP 6/05
-.75/1 Ball Park new deli style beef franks, RP 6/05
-.75/2 Ball Park product, RP 6/05

Best deal: Use two.75/1 on Deli Style Beef Franks (if included). Pay $1.75 per pack.

Powerade or Powerade Zero 32oz bottles. on sale for .69 each

Huggies Diapers or Pull-ups on Sale $7.99
-$1.50 off Huggies Pullups, SS 6/12
-$1.50 off Pull-Ups training pants , jumbo pk +, SS 6/12
-$2 off Huggies Pull-Ups training pants, jumbo pk, Kimberly Clark home mailer

With $2 off coupon, $5.99 a pack.

Cottonelle Bathroom Tissue on sale $4.99 each when you buy 5 ( or any 5 items marked with the Mega Event Tag Buy 5 save $5)

2 Liter Pepsi Products on Sale for 10 for $10 (can be mixed and matched with any other 10 for $10 sale items)

Check out Couponmom.com or Iheartkroger for a complete list of all the deals and coupon matchups this week at Kroger.

Stacie (The Boss Lady)

Sonicare Toothbrush!

2011-06-19T16:07:00.000-05:00

I snagged one for $11 plus tax!

I really wish I had discovered this sooner so that I could have shared it with you. My husband and I were kid free this weekend and while he was studying to teach the Sunday nigh Adult Bible class I went grocery shopping at Publix. While I was out I decided I would stop by Walgreens.

I had planned to get another Colgate 360 toothbrush with the $1 coupon from my July All You Magazine. Remember this was on sale for $2.99 with a $2 RR. With my 15% discount I paid $2.54 before RR. I also purchased another Bayer Advanced Aspirin 20 ct for $2.55 (that's with the 15% off discount) I used a $2 off coupon and scored a $2 RR making this item a $1.45 Money Maker!
Next on my list was a Schick Hydro 3 Razor on sale for $8.99 ( with discount I paid $7.64). I had a $4 off coupon and this one got me a $4 RR making this one a .36 MM for me.
I found a Jet Dry on sale for $3.99 ( with discount I paid %3.39) . It had a bonus Finish Quantum Tab attached! I had a Walgreen's coupon for this item for $1.50 off and it had a $1.50 RR making this only .39 OOP after RR.

Last but not least I had to pick up a last minute Father's Day card. No deals on this one but I did get my 15% off discount making the card.$3.82.

My total OOP for this transaction was $13.38 after tax and I saved $15.25 as well as earning $8.50 in RR.

Now here comes the big deal of the day! Walgreen's had an $79.99 Sonicare Essence toothbrush on sale for $39.99. Not such a great deal you say that's only half off. Well I get the 15% off discount because of my husbands job. That takes it down to $33.99. Then I had a MFR coupon for $15.00 off. Making it $18.99 then I applied all $8.50 of my previously earned RR! Now this would have made the toothbrush $10.49 but remember at Walgreens you can't have more coupons then you have items so I had to purchase 5 of those yummy Caramels they keep at the checkout in order to use all my coupons and Register Rewards. This made my total after tax $15.34.

Now that is what I call a great deal on one VERY expensive toothbrush!

What great finds did you have this week? Any great deals come your way??? I want to know about it!

This week at Walgreens!

2011-06-15T16:12:00.000-05:00

There are definitely some great deals to be had at Walgreens this week. If you haven't been you definitely need to check them out.

Here's what I did:

Transaction #1

Colgate 360, MaxFresh, MaxWhite or Total Tooth brush on sale for $2.99 with a $2 RR

Bayer Advanced Aspirin 20 or 24ct on sale for $3 with a $1 RR

Airwick Freshmatic on sale for $7.99 with a $3RR

Use .75/1 Colgate toothbrush ( or there is a $1 coupon in the July All You for the Colgate 360, this coupon makes this a FREE after RR item)

Use a $2/ Bayer Advanced Aspirin, FREE after RR

Use $4/1 Airwick Freshmatic (.99 after RR)

Total OOP $7.24 plus tax. Receive $6 in RR

Transaction #2

Blistex RPM for Men $2 receive $2 RR (FREE after RR)

Nestle Candy Bars on sale for .39 each

Dial Body Wash on sale for $2.99

Use .50/2 Nestle Candy bar coupon (makes them .14 each)

Use $2/1 Dial Body Wash

Use $2 RR from 1st transaction

Total OOP $1.27 plus tax (Receive $2 RR

Transaction #3

Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner BOGO with in-ad coupon $3 each (buy 4)

Betty Crocker Brownie Mix on sale .99

Jimmy Dean Breakfast Bowls 2/$4 (buy 4)

Use (2) $1/2 Lysol Toilet Bowl cleaner from 6/12 ( makes them $1 each)

Use .50/1 Betty Crocker Brownie mix coupon (makes it .49)

Use (4) .55/1 Jimmy Dean or Delights bowl coupons (Makes it $1.45 each)

Use $6 in RR from first two transactions

Total OOP - $4.29 plus tax

Total OOP $12.80

Total Saved $40.76

Tip of the Day!

2011-06-10T14:38:00.000-05:00

A great place to find coupons, the paper kind, is All You Magazine. It's available by subscription but otherwise you can only pick it up at Wal-mart. Besides having tons of coupons it has great tips on saving money and savvy shopping.

I received my July issue in the mail today. It contains %56.76 worth of coupons. (This is a low number, it is normally around $70 - $85.00)

Here are some of the highlights of the July issue.

$1.00 off any Coppertone Product

$1.00 off any Reach toothbrush exp. 12/31/11 (this will probably make for a FREE toothbrush at some point.)
$4.00 off a 30 dose MiraLAX exp 10/31/11
$2.00 off any One Smithfield Spiral Ham exp 9/10/11

This particular issue also issue also has a page of online coupon codes in the back. (don't forget to check Shopathome.com or ebates before making your purchases)
Not only does All You have a great magazine, but they also have exclusive printable coupons through their website, tons of giveaways to enter and Freebies everyday.

I hope you enjoy the magazine and it's website as much as I do.

Have a great weekend! Make the best of it!

Sincerely
~The Boss Lady~

Great deal on shirts at The Loft

2011-06-09T18:10:00.000-05:00

Right now at The Loft you can get 3 of their shirts or tanks for $35! Select styles only. Click on the 3 for $35 under the picture to see all the styles available. Sale is in stores and online. I love this store!

3 for $35

Win a Savvy Shopper from G.R.I.T.S. Embroidery

2011-06-07T14:31:00.007-05:00

What is a Savvy Shopper you say? Well it's a great way to organize your coupons for your shopping trips as well as keeping your coupons with you while you are out and about. Each Savvy Shopper, whether large or small has 10 slots for coupons. There are 10 erasable labels included with each Savvy Shopper so you can label each slot however you like. Whether it be by store or by aisle or both! I have Stores on one side and Restaurants on the other! It also comes with a 100 page 5x7 notepad for writing your shopping list with coupon matchups on before you go. To top it all off there is a large pocket for keeping mailed coupons, restaurant coupons, your coupon file, etc. with you at all times. Also included is a 13 tab coupon file, large or small depending on the size of your Savvy Shopper. All you have to supply is a pen and the coupons :)

Want to win a Savvy Shopper from G.R.I.T.S. Embroidery? I'll tell you how!

Simply do any or all of the following items and leave a separate comment here for each entry with your first name and last initial stating your method of entry. (if you aren't signed in).

1. Follow Boss Lady's Ruminations, blog, via Google Friend Connect, in the right hand column. If you already are following this way just state that in your comment for this entry.

2. Follow me on Twitter, tnmom0f3.

3. "Like" Boss Lady's Ruminations on Facebook

4. " Like" G.R.I.T.S." Embroidery on Facebook

For example:

For one entry you would leave a comment stating: "I like G.R.I.T.S. Embroidery on FB, Stacie B."

For another entry you would leave another comment stating "I follow via Google Friend Connect, Stacie B."

Ect. for each for of entry allowed.

Contest ends Monday June 20th at noon and the winner will be chose via Random.org. Winner will receive their choice of a large or small Savvy Shopper in Michael Miller's White Gypsy Paisley.

Large Savvy Shopper in White Gypsy Paisley, shown open and closed.

Small Savvy Shopper in Sweet Floral.

Small Savvy Shopper in Clematis Grey, open.

Large Savvy Shopper in White Gypsy Paisley, open.

Michael Miller's White Gypsy Paisley

Good luck to everyone!!!

~The Boss Lady~

Vera Bradley - Fantastic deal today only!

2011-06-07T10:59:00.000-05:00

Today only get the Morgan or Lisa B bags for only $17.99 (originally $63) I have the Morgan and I love it! The exterior pockets are great for keeping my cell phone and my keys in. Don't forget to go through shop at home to get 3% cash back. Shipping isn't cheap but with the great deal you get on the bag you'll still get a steal even after you pay shipping!

Lisa B

Morgan

Happy day!
Stacie ~The Boss Lady~
Helping you get the most for your dollar!

Walgreens!

2011-06-06T14:07:00.002-05:00

So I had a wonderful visit with my family in Alabama but it is always good to be back home. The kids and I missed Derek greatly despite all the fun we were having down south.

So todays mission is to tell you all about Walgreen's and how you can save a ton of money there! Yes I said SAVE money at a Drugstore! Who would've thought you could? I promise it is entirely possible and actually fun.

So here's the way it works. Walgreen's has what are called Register Rewards. This is Walgreens dollars that you get back when you purchase a specific product. For example this week:

When you buy a 45 ct Healthy Woman Soy Supplement for $8 you will receive an $8 Register Reward (RR) after you checkout. What does this mean? It means that you will pay the full price for the product but receive the RR basically Walgreen's dollars after you check out.

Now here's the thing about Register Rewards (RR) they don't have a long shelf life. Meaning they usually expire within a couple of weeks. The best way to cure this problem is to complete multiple transactions while you are in the store. First acquiring the RR and the using them to pay for items in your next transaction.

The next thing you need to know about RR. You can only get one RR per deal (per product) on a transaction. For example if you wanted to get two of the above products you would need to complete two separate transactions to get both RR's. If you purchased two of the same product in one transaction you will only get one RR.

A great way to really save mega bucks and sometimes get money off of your total bill is to stack coupons with RR deals. You should always try to do this if you can.

One other thing to note about Walgreens you cannot have more coupons than you have items. Coupons include RR's So sometimes you will need small filler items such as caramels that are very cheap in order to use all your coupons and RR's in a transaction.

Last thing. Walgreen's always has a coupon booklet out each month. It is available when you walk in where the Weekly Ads are displayed. These are great for stacking with manufacturer coupons and RR's. They also put coupon's in their ad each week which can be stacked with manufacturer coupons.

I hope this helps! I generally save over 60% when shopping at Walgreens. I hope you can too!

If you have any questions or comments please let me know :)

Have a great Monday!
~The Boss Lady~

Today's Groupon! Old Navy!

2011-06-02T16:17:00.000-05:00

Today get $20 worth of merchandise for $10 at OLD NAVY with today's GROUPON. Here's the link for the purchase. Great deal!

OLD NAVY Groupon!

Thursday's rock!
~The Boss Lady~

Coming Soon!

2011-05-29T14:58:00.000-05:00

I'm in Alabama this week. My mom was visiting with us this past week and she needed a ride home :) Thus we brought her home and thought we would stay for bit. My first cousin who is like a sister to me gave birth to a beautiful baby girl on Wednesday of last week so I'm excited to get to meet her. I most likely won't have much time to post much this week but my plan is to cover Walgreens next. Their Register Reward system is sweet if you work it right with coupons. Please let me know if there is a topic you would like me to cover. I am more than happy to go WWW exploring or store exploring if it's not too far away.

I hope you are all enjoying a beautiful Lord's day. It's plenty hot down here!

Take care now, ya here!
The Boss Lady :)

The LOFT

2011-05-27T21:34:00.003-05:00

Now let me just preface this by saying, I love the LOFT. It's my favorite store and they carry my favorite jeans. The Curvy cut. Also yes they are expensive but if you are a Savvy Shopper you can get a lot of bang for your buck!

I purchased a shirt about a week before Easter. I've only worn it a handful of times and washed it less than that. Well I noticed Wednesday when I had it on that it already had two small holes in the front of it near the waist. This should NOT be the case on a shirt from this store. I paid good money for it even with the sale they had going and I expect a certain level of quality.

Read more »

Readers Submission Day!

2011-05-27T20:50:00.000-05:00

Today I want to hear about your most successful shopping trip! The best deals you got and where you went shopping! Tell me all about it! If you can submit photos of your successful shopping trip. No savings is too small. So sock it to me! We all want to hear all about it!

~The Boss Lady~

Readers Submission Day!

2011-05-26T13:17:00.000-05:00

It's that time again!
Tell me about your deals of the week. I want to hear what great deals you've gotten and how much you've saved!

Happy Thursday!
~The Boss Lady~

Coupon Mom site Explored!!!

2011-05-24T16:17:00.001-05:00

So let me just say I am VERY excited to be sharing this site with all of you! If you already knew about it then I'm happy for you. I must say I knew about it but I had been put off by the amount of ads on the pages. Now after exploring it I have found that it will be a very useful resource and guess what it's FREE!!!!

So here's what I would like to share with you:

1. The first tab on the page is PRINTABLE COUPONS: This is a link to all of the sites that always have coupons available to print. Add TARGET.com to this list. They always have manufacturer and store coupons available to print.

Read more »

Coupon Mom

2011-05-23T16:20:00.000-05:00

Just discovered a really neat new site. I think it will be very helpful for my northern and midwestern friends! Go check out the www.couponmom.com. You search by your state and store! Very neat! I'll try and do an indepth overview of it later.

Love,
The Boss Lady

Great Deals going on NOW!

2011-05-22T14:57:00.001-05:00

Carters Stores

$5 Bodysuits at Carter's children's clothing stores. Over 20 styles to choose from!

Vera Bradley.com

My apologies

2011-05-21T09:18:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted much this week. I've been sick and now my little man has gotten an ear infection and an eye infection. To top all that off yesterday was our daughter's birthday and my parents are visiting this weekend. Thank you for your patience with me. I'll get back on top of things soon :)

Sincerely,
~The Boss Lady~

My Walgreens Trip

2011-05-17T19:11:00.002-05:00

Today I hit Walgreens and Publix. I hadn't done any shopping last week. We weren't in dire need but we did need a few things. One of the great perks of stocking up when everything is at rock bottom is not having to go on a major grocery shopping trip each week.

So I got my list and my coupons together and the kids and I headed out.
Read more »

Coupon Trading Post

2011-05-16T08:00:00.001-05:00

To the left you will now see a link to a page called the Trading Post. This is a place where you can request coupons that you need as well as post coupons you have for trade. No money will exchange hands we are simply helping each other out. Simply comment in response if you have the coupons someone is looking for or if you have some you would like to get rid of. It's that simple.

If you have any questions just comment below.

Happy Couponing!

~The Boss Lady~

Overstock.com

2011-05-15T12:50:00.001-05:00

Now as most of you know we spent the past year building a home. It is a very draining, fun, difficult, intense, and many, many more adjectives process. One of the reasons this process can be so intense is the desire to stay on budget and still get the look you want. This can be a very hard task. I did probably 80% off the selection process for our home.
Read more »

Making your list and checkin' it twice :)

2011-05-11T06:54:00.001-05:00

So far we've covered where to find coupons, how to file your coupons, understanding coupon jargon and well as how to stack your coupons and sale cycles. Believe it or not you now have all the information you need to get started saving $$$ on your grocery bill! One thing I want everyone to keep in mind. The big savings really comes from buying your items at rock bottom prices.
Read more »

I Just Won 24 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com

2011-05-11T06:33:00.000-05:00

I Just Won 24 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com

Today's Deals!

2011-05-09T16:20:00.001-05:00

Vera Bradley!

The Vera Bradley Hipster bag is on sale today only for $29! Normally $56. Shipping is about $8.00. Go through Shop At Home to get 3% cash back on your purchase! There are many different colors to choose from.

Cheap Birds Eye Veggies!

Birds Eye Voila printable coupon makes for a steal at Publix for another day! (if your ad goes through tomorrow night)

Go HERE and "Like" Birds Eye Vegetables. Then Spin the Wheel. You'll get $1, $2 or a $3 off coupon. Until tomorrow night Birds Eye Voila meals are BOGO at Publix making this a very sweet deal!

Free Movie Rental Code!

Today is Monday, which means another free Blockbuster Express rental!
You can get a free rental with promo code:
MONDAYFUNDAY
Keep in mind these usually only work on the movies that are $1 not the hot releases that are $2.99.
Thanks, myfrugaladventures!

Happy Monday!

~The Boss Lady~

Question for all of you out there

2011-05-09T08:45:00.001-05:00

Question for you: What would you like to read about on my blog? What topics interest you? Thank you so much for your input! It mean so much to me!

Sale Cycles and Stacking Coupons

2011-05-06T07:26:00.001-05:00

Sale Cycles:

Now that we've covered where to get your coupons and what all the coupon lingo stands for let's get into more of the nitty gritty. The best way to truly save money is to buy when the price of an item is at it's lowest. Most sale cylces run in 4 to 6 week intervals. Meaning If Cheerios are normally $4.00 a box there price will fluctuate over a six week period but only one week during that period will they be at their lowest. Our job is to find out when they are at their lowest and take advantage of that by using as many coupon as we can!

Read more »

Limited time savings on GAS!

2011-05-05T06:28:00.002-05:00

Now let's face it gas is outrageous right now and we would all LOVE to save on it if we can. Normally we think "There's not really any way I can save on gas." Well I'm here to tell you that right now there is. Not only does Kroger have an ongoing program that is pretty good, I'll post another time soon about it in depth, but this week Publix is doing one of their Gas Gift Card promotions.
Read more »

High Value Printable Coupons

2011-05-05T06:15:00.003-05:00

Right now there are two Huggies coupons available on coupons.com. One is for $3.00 off and the other is for $2.00 off. Go print them now before they are all snatched up. Then I would suggest you hold onto them until you fid a great sale and or store coupon you can stack them with!
Read more »

Just checking

2011-05-04T07:50:00.000-05:00

If you're out there and you're reading this let me know. I want to be a benefit to others to help them save money, I don't want to waste my time. So say hi and become a follower. "Like" my page on FB anything to let me know there's someone out there reading all these posts.

Thanks for reading!

~The Boss Lady~

Couponing Lingo

2011-05-03T07:37:00.001-05:00

If you're going to use coupons you need to understand what is meant by all the lingo or jargon.

For example if I told you:

Mott's Apple Sauce BOGO $1.99
use .50/1 from SS 5/1

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Couponing - Getting Started - Day 1

2011-05-02T08:11:00.001-05:00

Although I've been couponing for over a year now I realize that not all my readers have. Some of you may be very new to the couponing world. Since this may be the case I thought I would give you a run down on the basics of couponing.

First of all to answer the question: Where can I find coupons?

Well number one you won't just find them in the newspaper although that is an excellent source. Here is a list coupon sources:

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Reminders!

2011-04-30T06:53:00.001-05:00

!. Starting tomorrow new printable coupons will be available on coupons.com and smartsource.com.

2. The 2011 Entertainment Book is only $7.50 with cash back and free shipping right now. Only through tomorrow. You get (2) Entertainment Books for $25 with free shipping till May 1st, but when you got through Shop At Home.com you get 40% cash back!!!
If you have never used Shop at Home before you’ll also get a $5 bonus after your first purchase, so this makes it $5 each!

I get one of these every year, well worth money, especially when it's this cheap!
Don't forget to "Like" me on Facebook. There is a button on the right------>
Happy Savings~!
~The Boss Lady~

American Girl SALE at RueLaLa

2011-04-29T16:35:00.001-05:00

American Girl SALE at RueLaLa going on now! Use the link to enter. RueLaLa is by invitation only. The SALE includes mini dolls, 15" doll clothing and girls clothing. Good deals to be had. Go through Shopathome.com and get $1.00 back on your purchase.

RueLaLa invitation

Happy Shopping!

Day 4 of Money Saving Tips!

2011-04-29T06:48:00.001-05:00

Do you do much of your shopping online? Even the occasional birthday present? Then shopathome.com is for you!

Shopathome.com is one of my favorite websites. It's free, easy to use and will save you $$. It's simple really you sign up. ee the screen shot below.

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A Moment of Thanks

2011-04-28T07:25:00.000-05:00

I just want to take a moment to say how very thankful I am that to the best of my knowledge at this time all my friend and family back home are safe. I know there has been much devestation wreaked by multiple tornadoes. One that went through my families home town was a mile wide. I'm praying for those grieving over the loss of loved ones and homes and I pray the Lord will comfort them.

Be extra thankful for those around you today. For your family and friends. We can all be gone in an instant. Let's always strive to live each day for the Lord and live it as though there is no tomorrow, only if the Lord wills will we enjoy another day on this earth.

So take a moment and say a prayer of thanks for all of those you are blessed to have and pray for comfort for those grieving.

~The Boss Lady~

Swagcode!

2011-04-27T13:46:00.000-05:00

There's a swagcode in the blog. Use the swidget, bottom right of this page, and click on Blog. Find the Code and put it in the Gimme Box on the Swagbucks homepage. Good for 6 swagbucks!

Happy Swagging!

Day 3 of Money Saving Tips

2011-04-27T07:12:00.001-05:00

Swagbucks!

By request we're going to learn more about Swagbucks today. Swagbucks is a very easy way to earn pretty much anything. I'll explain first the ways you can earn Swagbucks and then we'll talk about what and how you can redeem them.

First things first. To use Swagbucks you have to sign up for an account. Don't worry it's totally free! Just go to Swagbucks.com and click Register/Create an Account. It's very easy and they don't send you spam. Promise. BTW you get 30 Swagbucks just for signing up. Sweet!

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Day 2 of Couponing Tips!!!

2011-04-25T07:39:00.001-05:00

Day two of Couponing tips! Sorry I haven't kept up with this. It will probably never be a "daily" contribution, but we've been fighting sickness for the past three weeks as well as soccer practice and games for two kids on the days we were well. There were many other things going on but that's two major contributors :) Day2 of couponing tips below!

Use your resources! We have the internet and most of us are on it quite a bit. Why not use it to our advantage? Let it help us save money. Can it do that for us? Oh yes it can and not just the occasional FB page coupon either. There are many ways the internet can help you save $.

Savvy Shopper Assistant

2011-04-07T08:56:00.002-05:00

Yep, That's it the name, at least on a trial basis, of my new product! I'm very excited about it, but hey I love couponing.

Here's some pictures and descriptions:

When open the Savvy Shopper Assistant has ten slots, with tabs, for dividing your coupons up by store, aisle or both. It also comes with a 100 page 5x7 notepad for writing your shopping list with coupon matchups!

Very, Very excited!!!!

2011-03-30T08:21:00.000-05:00

This probably won't be exciting to anyone but me but since I'm excited I'm going to have to share.

Some of you may know that not long after paid someone to redesign my whole website ( get it up and running, even added a gift registry) that this said web designer went "POOF" right after the checkout process broke. Yep you heard me right. I got to really use my new website features for a very limited amout of time, maybe 6 months if that. This has been very disheartening as a lot of thought and work went into the new website design. So for the past 18+ months you couldn't actually purchase anything on my website. Other things started breaking as well such as all the custom product attributes. (selecting fonts, trims, fabrics, etc.)

So what am I so excited about you ask??? Well It's not a new website, at least not yet, although once I have some revenue built up I do hope to change over to a new host with a new shopping cart system.

No what I am so excited about is a FREE app on Facebook! This free app is called VENDOR CART and guess what??? You can shop GRITS Embroidery once again!!!! Yeah!

This shopping cart app even has a really cool price structure:

Normal: The everyday price of the item for sale
Sale: The sale price of the item
Like: The price you get IF you "Like" the page (i.e. in this case G.R.I.T.S. Embroidery)

So very cool!

It also allows you to set up attributes for your items although they can't have a $ value. For instance you can choose from 5 fonts and 19 minky blanket fabrics to build your minky blanket from.

I LOVE IT!

I'm going to be changing the way I do things in my small business in hopes of actually being able to contribute to my household.

There will now be set fabrics for both Nursing Covers and Minky Baby Blankets. Currently the ones available are the fabrics I have in stock. (I have minky coming out my ears!)
However once I start selling off some of this stock then I am going to start purchasing all my fabric by the bolt. Great minky and designer prints. The fabrics I purchase by the bolt I will also be offering for sale by the .5 yard in my store! So much fun!!

So if you don't already go "LIKE" G.R.I.T.S. Embroidery. Send everyone you can over there, make sure they say who sent them. The person who sends the most people over will win a FREE minky blanket in the in-stock fabric of their choice!

Love it!

So go have fun and win yourself a blanket!

G.R.I.T.S. Embroidery on FACEBOOK

Stash Sale List:

2011-03-22T09:56:00.000-05:00

Photo album on FB

It's time to get rid of all that excess that I keep holding onto thinking I'll use it one day, when I know I most likely won't.

Here's what I've got (check back often as I will be updating, adding more as time allows)

Feel free to message me or leave a comment here with any questions you might have. I'll upload photos when I can. Most all minky colors are on my website. Let me know what you're interested in and I'm sure we can come to a very reasonable price.

Photos of all fabrics in the STASH SALE Album!

Happy shopping!

Minky Scraps

20" x 16.75" Espresso Minky

50" x 11" (at narrowest) Pale Yellow Minky

10" x 23" Navy Minky Dot

30" x 14" Pink Minky

27" x 9" Turquoise Minky

8" x 30" Pink Minky (with a wider section that is 9" x 14")

11" x 14" Pink & Espresso Minky Dynasty

61" x 5" Minky Zebra

26" x 8" Espresso & Aqua Minky Dynasty

Large L shaped Espresso Minky scrap

63" x 11.5" Orange Minky Dot

63" x 9" Red Minky Dot

Cotton Print Fabrics (mostly designer)

36" x 9.5" Micheal Miller Brown Daisy Dreams

26" x 15" x 11" x 8" Kiwi Patti Paisley L shaped

14.5" (at widest ) x 16 " Expresso Ironworks Micheal Miller

21" x 9" Pink and Purple Paisley

1 yard + 23" x 43" wide Green dots with attached strip that is 41" x 10" at narrowest

28.5" x6 Michael Miller Vintage Cowboy Print

34" x 16.5 (at narrowest) White Songbird

31" x 16" at narrowest Pink and Green Camo

9.5" x 10.75" Micheal Miller black dandy damask

Flannel

50" x 14" (at widest) Sheep and cow print

47 " x 40" Sheep and Cow Print

36" x 42" (1 yard) sun moon and stars baby blocks

2 yards pink flower print

Approximately 3.5 yards Yellow tractor print

Precut pieces for burp cloths

20.25" x 9.75 Pink (3 available)

20.25" x 9.75 Blue (3 available)

20.25" x 9.75 Green (5 available)

20.25" x 9.75 Yellow (7 available)

18.5" x 9.75" Yellow

39.5" x 9.5" Green

I line these with flannel for extra absorbency. They embroider beautiful and make absolutely gorgeous burp cloths!

Baby Blanks

1 White 100% Cotton Hooded Towel

1 NB White Side Snap Shirt (child of mine by Carter's)

1 NB White with pink Flowers Side Snap Shirt (child of mine by Carter's)

1 NB Purple Side Snap Shirt (child of mine by Carter's)

1 NB Pink Side Snap Shirt (child of mine by Carter's)

2 0-3 months Gerber Lap shoulder Tee White

2 Gerber 0-3 Months White SS Onesie

3 Small LS White Child of Mine by Carter's Onesie

5 White Cotton Top Knot NB hats

1 Pack0-3 months Gerber Tagless onesies SS White

4 Blue Receiving Blankets

2 Yellow Flannel Receiving Blankets

Miscellaneous

55 Jeweled lipstick pens ( lavender, pink, aqua and red)

Tote Bags

Small Canvas Tote Bag with nylon woven handles great for embroidery, painting or other craft projects. We use these for Bible bags for our kids!

Measures: 11" x 8 1/2" x 3"

Colors and Quantities Available:

7 Primary Yellow

4 Primary Green

2 Red

9 Lime Green

5 Purple

2 Natural Canvas

5 Aqua

Large Cotton Canvas Tote great for crafting. Use for embroidery, painting or stitching!

Measures: 13 1/2" x 13 1/2" x 4"

Sizes and Quantites Available:

2 Red

2 Blue

Cleaning out !

2011-03-17T09:29:00.000-05:00

My stash that is!

My new home has a new office for me..... however this new office is not very large. It is 9 x 9. I on the other hand have colllected WAY too many things over the years.

Fabric
Tote Bags
Onesies
Bibs
Ribbons
You name it.... I've probably got it.

I've posted a starting list on my G.R.I.T.S. Embroidery Facebook page. You can view it and make comments, requests here.

Cleaning Out Sale List
GRITS Embroidery's Etsy Shop

So it's time to clean out! If your interested in anything particular let me know. I'll see if I've got it. We'll work out a price and it can be yours! I am listing some items on Etsy. There is so much and I don't have a truly working computer to list pictures with so I'll do my best with what I can.

Happy, happy, joy, joy!

Stacie

Hooray for Mail!

2011-02-09T07:54:00.000-06:00

Not the fluffy kind either :) The hard, flat, readable, teachable kind!

I purchased most all my curriculum last Monday on line and slowly but surely it is making it's way to our home.
Yesterday we had five packages to open and the kids were so excited! It was almost as good as Christmas they said :)
So far we have gotten quite a few of the reading books that will go along with our Learning Language Arts Through Literature Program. This program has curriculum for most all grades so Lily will have a workbook and I'll have a teacher's book for 1st grade and we'll have the same for Caleb in 3rd grade.
We've also received our Mystery of History book! So very excited about it and I found out that there are Lapbooks that I can get to go along with it! Hooray!!!!!
Caleb's Singapore Math books 3A workbook and text book came yesterday. We started it today. Although we started almost at the back of the book with the multiplication and division. I knew this was probably going to be the case but they hadn't really covered division yet in public school and they hadn't finished multiplication yet. I'm sure we'll be done with it within a couple of weeks and ready for the 3B books. He LOVES math and is so talented at it! He definitely got that from his Daddy!
Our Apologia science, Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day hasn't arrived yet but I hope it does soon as I have also discovered there are lapbooks for it as well!

Can you tell I'm excited???? We've having fun and the kids are adjusting much better than I ever could have hoped.

Well my little man woke up at 10pm Monday night, 2 hours after we put him to bed, with a terrible dry, yucky cough. We gave him tylenol and a breathing treatment. He and I stayed up on the sofa bed watching Quest for Camelot (I love that movie and it's become his favorite) until a little after 11. Then we slept on the sofa bed together. Needless to say I didn't get much sleep. He slept pretty well considering but he still has the cough Tuesday morning though not as bad sounding as it was. I gave him three more breathing treatments on Tuesday and although he is still coughing he is sounding much better and not coughing near as much. I will continue with the treatment regimen again today.

This is a picture of our front porch taken Monday night after the snow. Derek took it from the boys window. Not bad huh? :) God's mighty power and the natural beauty he bestows upon this earth. Although I must say I've had enough of the cold and snow.

Have a wonderful day and stay warm!
Love,
The Boss Lady

Anyone give back rubs?

2011-01-15T18:39:00.000-06:00

I'm sure that's not what you expected to read but that's what I could really use right now. Let's recap the past two weeks:

New Year's Eve/ New Year's Day: My brother and his family come up that morning so that we can finish the electrical on the house. We finish on Friday and take Saturday to have some fun, despite the cold and the rain. Spend some time eating lunch and walking around The Opryland Hotel. They leave around 5 to head home.

Sunday comes and we have a great worship!

Monday: Our Cabinet Makers deliver the basement vanity that was a last minute decision. We had originally purchased a furniture vanity from Buy Floors Direct only to be incredibly dissappointed in the quality when it arrived. Having already had our custom cabinets installed in the house we just couldn't stomach paying $775 for a piece of junk. So we called our cabinet maker and believe it or not we got a much larger vanity with a beautiful wood top (waterproof). Including the cost of the drop in sink and faucet we saved $100 than if we had used the furniture vanity from BFD.

Tuesday evening: Derek digs the hole and buries the post for the mailbox, including pouring the concrete.

Wednesday: Electrical Inspector comes. We fail. 5 items. Not happy, at all. Could have cried. We decide we will just have our builders Electrician come and fix the issues so that we don't have to bother Jared and he doesn't have to make another trip up. Jared calls that afternoon to find out how the inspection has gone and offers to come up and fix everything.

Thursday: Our builders finish the small touch up work around the house.

Friday evening: Jared comes

Saturday: We spend the day tracing circuits and taking down a few light fixtures to make the inspector happy. We leave believing all is well.

Saturday evening/Sunday morning: I've eaten something that hates me, I am very, very sick. I stay home all day. Derek teaches the kids class for me since I'm sick.

Monday: The inspector is supposed to come but won't get out because of the weather.
I spend the day with the kids getting things for the new and old house. Items such as drapes and showers rods as well as staging items for our old house.

Tuesday: The kids are out of school again. The appraiser is supposed to come but can't because of the weather. The kids and I go out again to exchange and purchase some more items. My mom comes to town!!!

Wednesday: The electrical inspector finally comes. We have failed yet again! All because the Master bedroom Lights and the plug that is for a TV (if we ever have one in our room again) are on separate breakers and those breakers are not ARC Fault breakers. Let me just say that if he was sticking to code all breakers in the house that were not dedicated to specific items i.e. Wall oven, cooktop, etc. OR that had to be GFI such as Bathrooms and kitchens. ALL WOULD HAVE TO BE ARC FAULT BREAKERS. HOWEVER! HE ONLY INSISTED THAT BEDROOMS HAVE ARC FAULT BREAKERS and he was not specific!

(sorry, soapbox for a minute there)

The appraiser comes as well and I give her a tour of the house.

I don't leave the house until 3 and my quick stop at Kroger is lengthened since I stopped to jump some guys off whose car had broken down.

I teach Caleb and Lily's Bible Class that night because their Wednesday night teacher is out of town.

We talk with our builders and they have their Electrician come out on Thursday to fix the ARC fault breakers and just make sure there is nothing else the inspector is going to fail us on.

Thursday: Mom and I spend all day packing. Literally all day. We go to the house that night and hang the curtain rods and drapes in the Master Bedroom and the one for the Great Room

Friday: We pack all day long again. Around 12, text from my builder: We passed!!! The Electrical Inspector has finally passed us! Yeah! The building inspector is supposed to come at 4. If we don't get our Certificate of Occupancy we can't move in this weekend.

5:00 our builder calls. We have our Certificate of Occupancy!!!! Yeah we can move!!!! We leave around 6:30 and go hand the rest of the upstairs curtain rods and finally hit the sack around 10:30.

We were up at 7:30 this morning and going full throttle by the time everyone showed up to help around 9:30 and so on. We got all the packed boxes and small furniture items moved including the kids dressers, my sewing room and Derek's office.

The movers come on Monday to move our sofas, Fridge, Washer, Dryer, Buffet, Beds, TV and our Dresser. The rest of the furniture will stay for staging purposes until the house sells.

We are so very, very grateful for all the help we received today. It's been a very long process. Very rewarding yet very stressful at times. It's still not over, we still have to sell this house and sign the mortgage on the new home but the hardest part is behind us. We have tried our very best and will continue to try our very best to do what the Lord wants us to with what he has blessed us with. We pray you will all have the opportunity to praise Him and edify one another in our home.

If you've hung in there long enough to read all of this I applaud you.

Love to you all out there! You're great friends and I love and cherish each and every one of you very much!
Stacie

Painting,Lights and Cabinets!!!!

2010-12-11T19:55:00.000-06:00

Stairwell Sconces

Cabinet with Pantry pull-outs and bookshelves. The Fridge goes in the opening. Farmhouse sink Love it!

Kids Desk area with Natural Hickory top. It's gorgeous! I'll have to get a picture of it tomorrow!

Slide in Cabinet. For the catch-alls, purse, bills etc. as well as extra storage. In the future this cabinet is designed to come straight out and we will put in stairs to the attic area that will be finished. Great view of the finished Natural Hickory Floors :)

Another view of the kitchen with the stainless steel farmhouse sink.

Kitchen Island and most of the cabinets as well as pantry door and stairwell door.

Corner Curio Cabinet, still needs a couple of knobs.

Dining Room light, Hung up high to keep it protected.

Foyer Light

Great room ceiling fan and cans along with my blurry hubby :)

Master bedroom trey ceiling with ceiling fan and can lighting.

Laundry room cabinets above the washer and dryer.

Other end of the Laundry Room cabinets with counter tops and laundry sink ( plus main electrical panel)

Just pictures and captions for now, I'll try and right later. Just going to rest after a long day of painting. These pictures are for you Dad. I hope they cheer you up during your recovery. Love you!

Anniversary and house progress!

2010-11-18T15:08:00.000-06:00

Well today Derek and I are celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary. For those of you who shared that special day with us you will remember the crazy weather we had as well as the major Alabama vs.Auburn football game that was going on. Sorry about all that but then again not really :) I was ready to get married and that was the only day to do it! We've had a few bumps in the road but most of it's been pretty smooth and wonderful. We've made many lasting friendships along the way and grown not only physically ( I don't think I could quite fit into my wedding dress right now) but spiritually and emotionally as well. We've lost loved ones and welcomes babies into this world. Left a beloved home and made a new one. And now we have almost finished what some say is the biggest way to get a divorce: building a house. Well let me answer what everyone seems to ask us. No we really haven't fought over the house stuff. We've had a couple of disagreements but nothing earth shattering or even that we raised our voices over. We really don't fight much ever. Thank goodness. I think we got all that done the first year we were married.

Now onto other things. I could talk about marriage all day long! :)

The house is really coming along and we MIGHT be in it before the end of the year. Say a prayer for us!
They've finally gotten all the stone and cedar DONE! Here is the finished product. First up stone fireplace with cedar mantel:

Next up:
Interior of Front Door, Stained and 1 Dining Room Cedar Column with Stone Base

Third but definitely my favorite!
Finished front Porch with Stone and Cedar! (sorry about the scaffolding they had just finished the big v shaped design.)

Fourth:
Finished exterior, Front of the house.

We've been very busy painting in the basement. We've had many helpers here including my in-laws and my brother Jared as well as my cousin-n-law Rob. My FIL did a great deal of paining for us as well as our preacher/friend Shawn Bain. We've got then entire finished part of the basement primed. The garage, workshop and my sewing room are finished except for the final coat on the trim ( there is no trim in the garage). We've gotten some lights hung and all the tile is finished except for the tub suround and bench. They were working on that today. As well as the kitchen backsplash. That won't go in until the cabinets , fixtures and granite are in.

Here is a picture of the tile in the Master Shower before it was grouted. It looks phenomenal! We went with pale blue walls to pull out the blue in the glass tile. I can't wait to see it with the walls painted and all the cabinetry in, etc!

The painters have been there some this week and have gotten almost all the poplar stained thatis in the great room, dining room area. Most of the upstairs is primed and the ceilings are totally finished. My kitchen is black for the time being. I went with a deep red so they primed it with black. It looks cool! The HVAC guys have been installing and hooking up the units. The hot water heater is supposed to get put in any day and the garage door and opener were installed yesterday.

Well I guess that's it for now. I'm so glad that I don't have to pick anything else out! My picker is so finished! I had such a hard time picking paint colors!

Well I hope you've enjoyed the update. Leave me a note and let me know you read it. It'll make it worth the hour I spent working on it.

Love to all!
Stacie

2010-10-25T20:59:00.000-05:00

Guest Blogger this week/month is me again the project financier. DWB

Since last Wednesday the changes made are: tile, trim, decks stairs, the tub was delivered and a lot of dirt has been moved. We've been out of town, so it was interesting to see the progress from last week.

As you will see it poured the night before and of course we couldn't keep Mr. Bluejeans out of it while we filled nail holes, prepped trim, and calked for hopefully painting this weekend. He had about 2 inches of mud caked on his shoes, which caused a negative parental reaction. Does anyone make an 18' kids gate for our garage?

A moment of silence was taken for the remains of the giant dirt pile which was the kids favorite feature of the house.

Remains of the front door we thought had been stolen.

Master bath w/ tub framed and the tile just laid.
(Love the barrel ceiling)

The bubble free tub for 2.
Mechanical bubbles add a $1000. Swimming lessons = free

Slate tile around gas logs. (Awesome job Tony) We wanted a wood burning fp, but they require a massive 24" outlet pipe to provide the proper draft. We settled for vented gas, since the gas fumes stink and give me headaches.

Our simple trim. Stained in the great rm and dining rm but painted everywhere else. This picture also shows the electrical crews oops, where a post was supposed to be. I blame it on the littlest crew member.

Laundry room tile

Perfect set of stairs for the kids to fall down now.

Time to get dirty painting this weekend.

2010-10-20T21:35:00.000-05:00

Guest Blogger this week/month is me the project financier. DWB

Well we have been a little busy working on the house, playing soccer, attending church and taking care of school work, so the blog has suffered. Things on the house have changed just slightly. All the siding is done and they have begun backfilling the front yard. The exterior is mostly done except the stone now and staining the porch, deck and cedar posts. The gas line is in after having to go under the hwy, a fiber optic line, and two water mains. You would think we would have gotten to tap into the gas main in the back yard, but that isn't the case. The water line is also hooked up, so we can at least wash some of the dirt off the kids now. Stacie and I also laid the electrical service entry conduit yesterday, but it was dark when we were done, so no pictures.

Trim is going in and our tile guy has started laying tile. The budget is looking pretty good and we think we will be under budget, but not by a lot the way things "pop-up". Below are the latest pics.

Cedar Shutters and 8x8 cedar posts

The cedar is all done, we just need to finish backfilling and building the steps. (10' wide steps)

The deck with a big first step and the inspection crew.

4" Unfinished Hickory Hardwood. 2' to 8' lengths -final finish will be a clear polyurethane. I was concerned about the wildness of variety of the wood, but since we used the big wide boards that were long it looks good. BTW we love heart hickory. It looks a lot like walnut which we wanted, but costs way to much.

We put the hardwoods in ourselves with Stacie's parents help in 3 days which saved us about $1000. After doing it we recommend good knee pads, a big bertha flooring hammer (Stacie loved), a miter saw with a new blade (I finally replaced the blade dad) and a pnuematic flooring nailer. Thanks to our neighbor Oliver who works for a flooring company who took care of us. We appreciated his help greatly, plus the kids love playing kick ball with him.

Note the 8x8 cedar block. There will actually be a 10x10 post there. :-)

The kitchen was a little more challenging due to all the angles. Luckily all the angles were 45 degrees. Also see all our trim. (4" & 6" MDF)

We would have loved true panel doors but with them being double the $$$, we opted for these molded interior doors.

The drywall guys going to town. They rocked the whole house in 3 days and then mudded/sanded it in 4 days. Most impressive was the guy hanging drywall by himself on the walls. Drywall mudding is most definitely an acquired skill that I don't have and the drywall dust went everywhere when they sanded it. What a mess.

Well that's it for now. Up next is painting, which we hope to do some of ourselves in the basement and maybe getting some grass seed down. Until next time. Later DWB

House Update

2010-09-16T19:56:00.000-05:00

I know it's been quite a while but there really hasn't been much to show you. The electrical has been finished and passed inspection. Also the HVAC has been finished and passed inspection. They've also inspected for codes: framing, plumbing, roofing, etc. Last week the masons came and bricked up the basement portion of the house. We really LOVE the brick. Today they started installing the Hardie Board/Certainteed siding. This is a wood looking, fiber cement board with a baked on paint finish. It looks fantastic and gives us the look we were going for without the expense of Cedar or another wood.

One they finish all the Hardie Board and vinyl they will start insulating. While they are insulating the backfilling will begin. I really hope we can get the front porch down to only 4 steps but we'll just have to wait and see. When the insulation is finished then it's time for drywall, then Derek will install the hardwood floors and the tile will go into all the bathrooms, then paint and so on. Hopefully while these things are being done on the inside the front porch will get all of it's decking, cedar posts and stone.

We've been having a very tough time picking out the granite for the kitchen and bath counter tops. It's been difficult and brain racking but I finally finished it all today and I was able to get a price I was happy with.

Here's the final choices.

This is Giallo Ornamental Light, it is for Lily's bathroom.

This is St. Cecilia Light, it is for the boys/hall bathroom.

This is Steel Grey, it is for the perimeter countertops in the kitchen and the master bath vanities. The cabinets in all the bathrooms and the perimeter of the kitchen are all (almost) white.

This is Luna Pearl, it is going on the Island. The Island will be painted an almost black color with light distressing.

The Master Bath Sinks and faucets came today. We have two of these in the Master Bath. Vessel sinks! Love em'!!!

The Master Bath Sinks and faucets came today. We have two of these in the Master Bath. Vessel sinks! Love em'!!!
(Love my little cheeser in the background) He keeps me smiling.

On other fronts the kids are all healthy and the oldest two are doing great in school. It is really hard to believe I have a 3rd and first grader! Caleb is playing soccer this fall and that along with house building is definitely keeping us busy. Derek and I are both teaching Bible class this quarter as well. October will be a nice break.

I'm working out daily. I started with The 30 day Shred by Jillian Michaels. Hardest workout video I've ever done. My friend, Erin, comes over every Tuesday and Thursday to workout with me while Levi naps. This week she was a workout superstar. She worked out every single day and 3 times on Thursday! I workout by myself on the days she isn't here. It definitely keeps me accountable when I know she will be her depending on me. We started the Shred it with Weights DVD by Jillian Michaels on Tuesday. I did it last Saturday and Sunday and thought I was going to kill over and die. My hamstrings were killing me for days! However on day 3 of it with her yesterday, day 5 for me, we made it through the whole DVD without stopping! We were so excited we woke up Levi. Trust me if you do this DVD you'll be happy to do the same.

I haven't really lost any weight yet but my muscle tone is definitely improving dramatically. I'm happy with staying the same weight if I'm really lean and tone.

I'm headed to Alabama this weekend with my little guy. One of my first cousins is getting married tomorrow and we are going to the wedding. Derek will have a busy weekend here with the other two.

I hope you are all doing wonderfully! Leave me a note and tell me what you've been up too!

Have a wonderful weekend!
Love,
The Boss Lady

Current GRITS Embroidery Promotions!

2010-09-10T10:34:00.000-05:00

Back to School Special: Take $5 off of every $50 you spend. Ends Sept. 30th

Birthday Special: In honor of my upcoming 32nd birthday the "Jessica Bag" is only $15! That's a 50% savings! Comes in Color Choice 1: Cherry Linen

Morning Glory Linen exterior

with Full Moon Dot Cherry interior.

And last but not least go support my friend Jessica over at Vanilla Stitchin'.
"LIKE" her on Facebook and mention that GRITS Embroidery sent you. When you do this you will receive either $5 off your next order or FREE shipping off your next order.

Happy Friday!
Stacie
www.gritsembroidery.com
G.R.I.T.S. Embroidery on Facebook

Fabric Voting Results!

2010-08-27T09:35:00.000-05:00

Results!!! I know it's taken forever! Although we didn't have all that many participate on the fabric voting we will still have a winning fabric. Drum Roll please.......... Lotus Morning Glory Linen!

The Prize! The next two people to place an order will receive the Jessica bag in this fabric for only $20!!!! That's a 33% savings! ...To place an order just e-mail me at gritsembroidery (at) yahoo (dot) com or send me a message on FB. Thanks for your participation!!!

Happy Shopping! Love, Stacie

2010-08-10T19:40:00.000-05:00

Master Bath electrical. For my vanity.

Can and Pendant lighting in the kitchen.

Front of the house with windows!

Front of the house with windows! Front Door isn't here yet.

Back of the house. We have windows!!! and exterior doors~! Yeah

y
The electrical crew: Top row: Derek, My brother Jared and My cousin-in-law Rob
Levi, Me, Lily, Caleb and my nephew Jaden.

The electrical is almost done. Derek and I and anyone we can recruit to help will be running the cable and phone. HVAC goes in the end of the week and Brick is scheduled for the end of next week.

Me, Jonna and baby Macy. She's precious!

I'll try to write tomorrow. We are very busy. At least I got pictures up :)

A very busy week!

2010-07-10T22:18:00.000-05:00

Well it's been one very busy week. My parents came up on the 3rd with 3 of my nephews. They all belong to my brother Jared and his wife Ellen. Strangely enough I didn't get a picture while they were here. Thankfully they will be back in a couple of weeks when Jared comes to wire the house for us! They celebrated 15 years on Wednesday and today was Jared's 36th birthday!

We had a great week! My dad was able to stay until Monday morning then he went back home to work at my Mee-Mees and his own backyard. Mom stayed and she and I managed the 6 kids everyday with Derek helping out in the evenings. They were all very well behaved and played beautifully together. Tuesday night they all, minus Levi, helped Derek build a track for his RC truck up in the back of our neighborhood, coined the Junkyard by Derek, Caleb and Lily. We enjoyed going to the local Splash Pad type place and having a picnic lunch on Wednesday. Of course Bible class that evening. Thursday we met a friend and neighbor with her three kids at Check E. Cheese and let the kids play games then we went on to a great local Italian restaurant for lunch. That afternoon we all went to see Toy Story 3 at an old nostalgic theater and had free kids meals at Captain D's. I love free kids meals and I now have a list on my phone of which restaurants have them each day of the week.

Friday I spent 4.5 hours at the new house, the majority of it with my builder and my cabinet maker. The rest with both of our builders. They are a husband and wife team. I am very thankful the kids were very well behaved for mom while I was gone.

During the week they finished framing the house and roofed it. There are a couple of small things that have to be fixed but nothing earth shattering. We are very happy with how everything is coming along and I LOVE the house!

Here are some updated pictures!

This is a side view of the front porch.

View from Great room into kitchen.

View of Great room through to Master bedroom (straight ahead) and master bath ( back left) and foyer and dining room front left.

Framing..... and Vacation

2010-07-03T08:42:00.000-05:00

Well we've been in Peoria since last Saturday. Thanks to the Randlemans we had a great place to stay and fantastic company. Of course Jonna and I did plenty of shopping. There was plenty of food involved and great friends to catch up with. It was a very busy week but well worth it to catch up with everyone from our old stomping grounds. If only we could have the best of both worlds. Our friends from Peoria here in TN!

While we were gone the framers got very busy working on the house. This is what we came home to:

From Left to right this is what is says: Master Bath, Front Door, Dining Room, Laundry Room, Boys Room

Here's the back of the house:

From left to right, top row: Lily's Room, Bathroom, Kitchen, Great Room, Master Bedroom
From left to right, bottom row: Garage, Workshop, Bedroom, Unfinished basement.

There is a bathroom between the workshop and the bedroom. There are also two offices and a storm room in the basement on the front side of the house.

They are out there today framing again! Yeah! Have a happy Fourth!!!

~Stacie~

2010-06-25T08:16:00.000-05:00

Heading to Peoria this weekend! Can't wait to visit everyone!

In the meantime here is a look at our most recent decisions for the house. We've been working on the front door for at least 6 weeks.

Front Door:
It will have matching sidelights and a shoulder transom. It will also have two dividers in the glass to create three panes of glass.

Here's the tub:

The tub faucet:

The Master bath sinks and faucets:

Kids bathroom sinks and faucets:

They are pouring the concrete floor in the basement today and installing the septic system tomorrow and Monday. They also start framing on Monday. Hooray for progress!

So what's up in your world??

Love to all!
~Stacie~

We have walls!

2010-06-21T14:30:00.001-05:00

100 Tons of gravel! They delivered another 20 tons a couple of days later. WOW!

The Basement walls!

The front of the house, basement walls! Yeah!

Yeah! We finally have basement walls! It took 120 tons of gravel and a couple of weeks between digging the footings, getting the gravel, compacting the gravel and getting the Superior walls in place, but they are in! Last week they finished up and the plumbers came to do the preperatory plumbing before the concrete floor is poured for the basement. That should get done this week and then they should start framing! Last week for me was also spent picking out plumbing fixtures. Fun!

I made a short trip by myself to B'ham over the weekend. Please pray for my brother Jared and his family. Especially his wife.

Well here are some new pictures! Enjoy! (For all of you in the PIA area can't wait to see you next week!)

My Older Brother Jared, He tells the BEST stories!!!

My Goofy Dad! Always has something to say :)

My oldest brother Bryan, he's a braniac, in a good way :)

Have a wonderful day!

Miscellaneous Pictures

2010-06-04T14:54:00.000-05:00

Me and My hunny at the Daughtry concert!

The brick we chose for our house.

Lily doing what she does best, being goofy! Her last day of school they did a few songs for us and this is one of them.

Caleb driving the CASE with a little help from Daddy.

Lily riding the CASE with Daddy! She even got to help drive.

My fearless two older children.

Levi riding the CASE with Daddy!

Caleb petting a Kangaroo at Kentucky Down Under

Caleb being Caleb :)

My Hunny!

Me and my other best friend, My mom!!! She's the world's greatest!!! I Love You Mom!

Me and my favorite Cuz, Amy!

My Twin :) Love you Jonna! We were separated at birth LOL!

Me and my Princess! She was Shirley Temple for the day, or at least her hair was :)

A picture taken by my oldest, I thought he did a great job!

Lily getting her nails done by Aunt Ellen over spring break. She thought it was the best thing ever!

Levi and Dakota

Where to start?

2010-06-04T14:38:00.000-05:00

So much has been going on it is hard to know where to start! Between house decisions, vbs and coupons. Not to mention the end of the school year and having three kids at home full time again. Oh and I can't forget the Daughtry Concert Derek and I went to. Things have been very very busy! But all is good. Things are definitely moving at a snails pace with the house. They finished digging out for the foundation and the driveway then we find out that we have to have the soil tested. It was part of the original quote from the Superior Wall company but none of us realized things would be delayed because of this. The Soil Engineer was supposed to go out there today to test the soil. I don't know if he has to wait to get the results back but I sure hope not. Hopefully, and I say this with as much optimism as possible, we will have a basement in two weeks time. However I am not holding my breath.

We have picked the stone, brick, Hardie Board colors. As well as decided on windows and the front doors. We've also met with the Cabinet Builder and decided on the kitchen, master bath and kids vanities. I have no idea what to do with the laundry room but hopefully I will be able to figure something out. I want all the spaces to be highly functional and organized.

Derek gave me tickets to see Daughtry for my Mother's Day present! We went Sunday night after services. One of the wonderful young ladies from church watched the kids for us while we went. Cavo and Lifehouse were the opening acts. I hadn't heard any of their music until the last song by Lifehouse, " Hanging by a Moment". They were good though. Daughtry was awesome! I have both of their CD's . Kelly Clarkson came on and did "Fast Car" with Chris. You can search on You Tube to see/hear it. He also did a Phil Collins Song. A famous one although I can't think of the name of it. He did another song with the Lead Singer of 3 Doors Down and yet another with the lead singer of Lifehouse. Not to mention singing most of the songs off of their albums. It was great but my ears were ringing all night and I didn't sleep much due to the music running through my head. :) Totally worth it though!

The kids have been having a blast playing on the enormous dirt pile at the home site. Filthy as can be afterwards but hey, their kids, right?

School has ended and both are moving on. Caleb will be in starting the SEARCH program. It is for the gifted kids. I believe it has a different name every where you go. He is excited about it as are we. We are very glad he will be challenged.

Our VBS is next week. We are studying the Parables of Jesus. I'm teaching the 12m to 3 year class with another young mother. I think we've got it all ready to go and the kids are excited about it. Last year was the first time we've had one at Skyview and I think it went very well.

Well I've got to go. I'll try to post a variety of pictures later this evening. I hope you are doing well. Please drop me a line or two and tell me what you've been up to.

~Stacie~

There's a hole!

2010-05-21T07:44:00.000-05:00

Okay I promise not to break into song...... well maybe not promise. You can't hear me so I could be singing at the top of my lungs for all you know! :)

We have a hole!!!! Howbeit a small one it will be getting bigger!!!! Yesterday my little girl turned six and they started digging the basement. Actually where they started digging is under the front porch but still there are tractors and dirt and a HOLE! I'm sorry, you probably are tired of hearing about the hole already but what can I say, we've waited a long time for this small step in the home building process.

Hopefully by the end of today the whole basement will have been dug!

Well on another subject my little girl is 6 now. It is very hard to believe! She is growing like a weed with fertilizer! She is a very dramatic child and cries over everything. Opening her presents last night she was freaky hyper and almost cried over the Bride Barbie my mom gave her. I don't know what to do with her most of the time. But I love her. She brings plenty of life to our lives. Happy Birthday Baby girl! Momma loves you!

We had a small party at the house yesterday afternoon. 7 girls in all, although one was only able to stay for about 30 minutes. Caleb did really well considering he was the only big boy there. Levi wound up watching Nemo to keep him out of the girls and Calebs hair. We had Little Ceasar's Pizza, Ice Cream cake and brownies. All in all it was a fun and tiring evening. After that Derek and I settled down and watched the season finale of FRINGE! Can't wait till next season!

I hope you are all having a wonderful day! What are your plans for the weekend? We have a congregational singing this evening and a few odds and ends to do tomorrow.

Later today I'll try to post pictures of all the house decisions we are trying to make. Front Door, stone, brick, hardie board...... lots of decisions. Not complaining though.

~Stacie~

Today's Shopping Trip

2010-05-20T13:39:00.000-05:00

Target:

2 Big Boxes Huggies Diapers
2 Bags Hershey Bliss Chocolate
2 Hershey Bliss Bars
6 CFL GE Energy Smart Light Bulbs
1 Pack Nexcare Kids Bandaids
1 Pack Bandaid Brand Kids Bandaids
5 boxes Market Pantry Fruit Snacks
1 Bag Nature's Valley Nut Clusters
1 bottle Air Wick Spray3
3 2 Liter Cokes
3 Small Haagen Daz Ice Cream
1 Small Eucerin Daily Skin Care
1 Roll Bounty Paper Towels
1 Bottle Dove Shampoo
1 Bottle Suave Kids Shampoo
1 Small Bag Tidy Cats Liter
1 Bag Welchs Fruit Snacks
1 Tide 36 oz Stain Release
1 Large Pack Huggies Wipes Refill
1 Up and Up Childrens Liquid Tylenol
3 Packs All Beef Oscar Meyer Franks
__________________________
Total Before coupons and earned gift Cards: $172.41 (includes tax)
Total after coupons and redeemed gift cards: $111.00 (includes tax)

Total savings: $61.41

Gift Card Savings comprised (earned by purchasing certain products) $15.00
Coupon savings comprised $46.41

Publix:

This was not by any means the best I have done at Publix but still a good savings.

1 Birthday Balloon
1 Publix Milk
1 Hillshire Farms Kelibasa (5 pack)
1 Hillshire Farms Smoked Sausage (5 pack)
1 Silk Soy Milk
2 Betty Crocker Supreme Brownies
1 Wesson Oil
2 Ruffles Potato Chips
1 Publix Whole Fryer Chicken
2 Motts Apple Juice
2 Fiber One Bars
1 Land O Lakes Spreadable Butter
1 Publix Salted Sweet Cream Butter
2 Right Guard Total Defense Deodorant
1 Publix Wheat Bread
2 dozen Egglands Best Eggs
2 Bordern American Singles
1 Knorr Mexican Rice Side
1 Off Skintastic Spray
1 Athena Canteloupe
1 Welch's Grape Jelly
_____________________
Total Before Coupons: $91.89
Total After Coupons: $57.50

Savings of: 34.39
Vendor Coupons comprised $10.20 savings
Store Coupons comprised $3.75 Savings
Special Price Savings comprised $20.44 savings

If you have any questions I'll be happy to do what I can to help. I'm still learning but it is definitely paying off!

~Stacie~

Hmmmmm

2010-05-17T11:50:00.000-05:00

What's been going on? Well we've been very busy. Especially last week. The kids were out of school for two days after the flooding. Thankfully I am not aware of any major damage here in our town. I've seen some in another area nearby though and Nashville and Bellvue are in bad shape.

The house is still coming slowly but I think it will be picking up soon. Due to all the septic/house placement issues we had to change the structure of the basement. The side of the house we thought would be under the ground won't be and vise versa. The Superior Wall company we are using to build the basement will also be doing the excavation work and I hope will be starting on it this week. I'm optimistic. Hopefully once the basement is in things will really start to pick up. I've been looking at Hardie Board, brick and stone as well as front doors, windows and interior doors.

Derek has gotten a 31 year old Case lawn tractor from his parents. They've been saving it for him. They still have the original receipt! He is excited about fixing it up. I guess there are plenty of people who devote time to restoring them. He won't be doing too much work on it until the house is finished mainly just making sure it is running good.

Caleb had a field trip last week to Kentucky Down Under. It was really neat. He was able to pet a Kangaroo!! We did lots of other interesting, educational and fun things. I was very glad I was able to go with him. I was also able to go to a mother's day "tea" held at the school for the moms of the kindergarteners. Lily did a great ob singing her song and on all her crafts she had made for me. It was precious!

Well I guess that's all for now. I've had quite a few successful shopping trips lately. I'll try to post about them soon.

What have you been up to?

~Stacie~

Updates.....

2010-05-03T15:34:00.000-05:00

Well let's see what's been going on....

The septic system fit on the lot! Hooray! We will get our septic letter tomorrow. The impact fee has been paid to the county and the city fee will be paid tomorrow. The driveway should be going in by tomorrow. With all the rain though I wouldn't be surprised if it is delayed a day or two. The electrical permit has been pulled. Derek and my brother, Jared a master electrician, put up the Temporary Electrical in the rain on Saturday. They were soaked but it was the only time Jared could come up and get it in due to his sons ball schedules. Jared and my cousins husband, Rob a Journeyman Electrician, will be running all the electrical on the house. I am very excited by this. Not only will it be done to perfection but I will get to spend time with all of them!!!

We did get 13 inches of rain over the weekend. There was major flooding in many areas and also some deaths I am told. It is so sad! Everything was pretty normal today other than super slow traffic in some areas and of course all the debris from the flooding.

The kids are out of school today and tomorrow is Caleb's field trip! I am to go with him as a Chaperone. I'll tell you all about it later.

I spent four hours with one of my builders, the wife of the husband and wife team, on Friday. We scoured the area, looking at houses, trying to pare down what we like for the brick, stone and HardieBoard for the house. She says we should have the basement in by the end of the month and then by the end of June we should have it in the dry!!!! I can't wait!!! It is finally starting to roll. I pray for good weather and for things to go smoothly. I don't have any new pictures to post but once they start digging I'll be sure to get some up!

I have started a couch to 5k program with my neighbor. We walked/jogged for 30 minutes last Monday and 35 last Tuesday. We are planning to go again this evening. On top of that I started the new Atkins diet last Wednesday and I've already lost 3.5 lbs! Only 12 more to go!

Well that's all for now. How is everything with you? Would love to hear from you!

Love
~Stacie~

The Jonna Bag!!!

2010-04-20T13:13:00.000-05:00

This bag is named after my wonderful friend Jonna. We have been called twins at times and I think we must have been separated at birth! :) She is a wonderful Christian woman who inspires me in many ways. I am very, very thankful for her friendship and example.

She LOVES big, bottomless pit, bags so this one is for her.

It measures approximately 21.5" X 28" (Handle Included)
The bag includes two interior pockets and a magnetic closure.
The handle is very unique in that it is three strips braided together.

Shown in Cherry Linen fabric combination. Choose from any of the four fabric combinations or create your own!

Price: $45.00

This pattern was designed by ithinksew.com

The Narey Bag!!!

2010-04-19T18:05:00.000-05:00

In Cherry Linen!

Back View:

Interior:

I love this bag! This one is done in our Cherry Linen Fabric combination. Amy Butler fabrics are wonderful! Mine is the one posted a couple of weeks ago in the Wallflower Slate combination.

Available in 4 different fabric combinations or create your own! Only $32.50

To order... yours today simply e-mail me at gritsembroidery [at] yahoo [dot] com

Septic tank systems, gas lines and easments....

2010-04-17T19:32:00.000-05:00

Well let me just start out by saying our lot is 2.25 acres. It is a triangle and has huge road frontage on a local 2 lane hwy. However on the left hand side of the lot runs two gas lines. One of those gas lines requires us to have a 50 foot easement on that property line. Then of course there is a easement on the road frontage of, I believe, 25 feet. Now before we purchased our land, January of '07 we had it perked for 4 bedrooms. In order to do this we had to stake a house out on it. Of course we didn't really know what we were going to build. At the time we had only lived here for 6 months and we were thinking we would build this house, but bigger. It needs a laundry room amongst other things. So we laid out a 70' x 70' square. Huge right? That's 4900 sqft. We think there is no way we will need that much room, especially since we planned to have a basement. So we think, " we're good, we'll never have any problems putting a house on here." Fast forward 3 plus years. We have designed a house that is 2352 sq ft on the main floor with a full, partially finished basement underneath. However the house is not a square or a rectangle. It has an angle in the middle of it that causes the house to turn. It also has a large front porch and a back porch. This makes our house 80 feet long and 54 feet deep (front the front of the front porch to the rear of the back porch). Now when they did the septic layout 3 years ago, due to easements and house size they discovered we only have about an acre of land for our septic system. Now that we have a house designed they tell us that is you have a basement that adds 30' around the perimeter of the house.

We have a beautiful view if we can place the house where we want it. The surveyor staked it based on the septic layout of 3 years ago. It is only 65' off the road. We were planning to put it more like 120' off the road. We're not so thrilled so they say we can rotate it to face the upside of our property. We loose our view and are now looking at a neighbors garage. After much time spent trying to stake out the new location of the house we decide to leave it where it is. It will be a little noisier on the end where the kids rooms are but we can add more sound insulation for that. The thing is why have a big front porch if you never want to sit on it??? Hopefully Monday the man who does the septic layout will come out again and lay it out on the property and we will know for sure that everything is going to fit. Who ever thought you would have this issue when you have 2.25 acres??? Not me.

Here are some pictures of the property as well as a picture of the house we have designed the exterior of our after.

This picture is taken from the (if your looking from the road) left side of the property about two/thirds of the way back.

The mow line on the right is our property line. Our grass, weeds, field whatever you would like to call it is not mowed. yet. The view I'm talking about...... beautiful huh?

This is looking across at our property. The land in the bottom of the picture belongs to our neighbor. Sorry I can't describe/define it better.

Here is the picture of the house that inspired ours. Our will look very similar with a few changes and we won't have a cedar exterior. We are planning to use Hardie Board or Certainteed Fiber cement siding.

Spring Break

2010-04-13T06:18:00.000-05:00

Well the kids received a two week spring break this year. It started on Good Friday and will end this Friday. Derek had the day off so he helped tremendously in getting the kids packed for our trip to Bama. We were able to leave around 11:15 that morning. It was a hard day. Not long into our journey I was informed that Brother Paul Collier, a great Christian man, very dear to our family, had passed away. I had known this was most likely going to happen and had decided to go anyway. The kids love him and his family so much and I couldn't bear to put them through the funeral. I finally told them the news after we arrived at my parents around 3:00 pm. They took it pretty well but we all have moments when we get choked up.

The trip was a safe and uneventful one. My mom was waiting when we got there. Of course the kids immediately dove into the toys. Later that evening, after dinner and my dad had arrived home, mom and I ran down to Toys R Us. I was able to get Operation, Twister and connect 4 for $16.00 after a $5 gift card. I know there is a rebate to submit but I haven't found it yet. Once I submit the rebate my total should be around $2 a game!

That evening we went to see the fireworks at my nephews ball park. The kids had a blast but Caleb's allergies were already starting to get the best of him. Let me just say that with a double dose of Zyrtec and Eye Drops he was still miserable and had to stay inside the whole trip. My poor baby! That was torture with the weather so beautiful and cousins to play with.

Saturday was a birthday party for Kelly's three kids. It was great to get to visit with her and her family. I hadn't seen her grandmother in years and it was wonderful to sit down and chat with her. The kids are adorable and I'm looking forward to spending more time with them. That evening both of my brothers and their families came over. We enjoyed pizza and each others company. Sunday we enjoyed a beautiful Lords Day. Mom, the kids and I visited at Mt. Olive church of Christ where I grew up and it was soooo good to visit with most of those loved ones who still worship there and are still living. The congregation has lost a few over the years. Monday was spent getting great deals. My sister-in-law went with my mom, the kids and I to Target, KMart (it was was doubles week there, they doubled up to 5 coupons per customer, per day, up to $2 in value!) CVS and Walgreens. We got some excellent deals including $ .01 pens at Walgreens!!!! Got to love that! Most of the rest of the week was spent visiting with friends and family and trying desperately to help Caleb feel better.

Thursday after lunch we left for home. We had a safe trip and arrived home around 3:15. Our Gospel Meeting began that evening with Brother Gardner Hall. We had a very good turn out each night with many visitors. He preached wonderful lessons on Evangelism and one on the work in New York/New Jersey where he lives. I dealt with migraines from Friday through Sunday and was not able to attend worship Sunday morning.

We had a showing Saturday afternoon but we aren't sure if they ever came or not. I'm going to have to ask my Realtor about that. Once migraine finally left me I was able to enjoy a lazy, Sunday afternoon with Derek while the kids slept and then services again that evening. Monday was also a lazy day with only a short trip to the doctors office to see about allergies and to check on Levi's ear drum. It has healed beautifully! As well as a trip into Target for a few items. Levi needed new shoes desperately and I was a able to find him two pairs of sandals.

In house news they have staked the property and will be staking out the house today!!!! I'm meeting my in-laws so that they can have Caleb and Lily for a few days and I will definitely be dropping by there on my way home. Well I thinkI've rambled on long enough. What's going on with you and your family??

~Stacie~

Trips, Gospel Meetings, coupons.....

2010-04-12T07:43:00.000-05:00

I don't have time to right it all now but I will later today, kids co-operation required :)

Enjoy this beautiful day the Lord has made!

~The Boss Lady~

Finally.

2010-04-01T13:04:00.000-05:00

Finally, today, this afternoon, we will sign the construction loan for our home. It's been a long, frustrating journey so far and it is only going to be longer and more frustrating however rewarding it will be. I will hopefully be able to go out to the property and get a before shot up very soon. Our builders have already contacted their surveyor and he will be going out there soon. They are also talking with someone (I don't know his job title) about getting a driveway/entrance cut into the property.

We have two concerns right now. One is that our house plan, being a house with a basement, is not going to work with the septic layout. We had the land approved for septic 3 years ago when we purchased the land to make sure we could put a 4 bedroom house on the property. However we didn't know what kind of house we would be building at that point. We simply laid out a 70 x 70 square, much more house than we would ever build, and then had the septic installers make sure there was enough land for a 4 bedroom septic system. Now, going back and looking at the septic layout we aren't sure if it will work with our house plan. Lord willing it will work out, if not we are definitely going to have to make some major changes to our house plans.

Two is the appraisal value. Not only did the original appraisal that we had to have done in order to get the loan, come back very low. It seems that many final appraisals have been coming in low. Lower than even the construction cost of the home. Our builders informed us of this when they finished another home last week and it appraised signifigantly lower than it's construction costs. It's all because of the economy, unfortunately.

In other news, Levi seems to be feeling much better now that he has had antibiotics for a couple of days. The kids and I will be leaving tomorrow to head to Alabama for a few days. I don't know how long. Originally we were going to stay until next Thursday but that may change.

We're going this afternoon after we sign the loan and eat dinner to Publix. I've got my list laid out with all the sales and coupon matchups. Hopefully it will all work out as planned.

GRITS Embroidery News:

I've sold the first Jessica Bag! The one I completed first has been sold! Yipee! I'm loving my tie front bag (hopefully it will be getting a new name soon). I'm going to be making one of these!
It already has a name. I'm calling it the Jonna Bag!!! After my amazing friend Jonna! She happens to be the SIL of Jessica! LOL :) She has chosen the Cherry Linen fabric combination for her bag. I can't wait to get started on it but it's going to have to wait until after our gospel meeting. BTW that begins next Thursday night the 8th and runs through Sunday. We would love to see you if you are in the area.

Well I think that's all for now. Have a wonderful day!

~ The Boss Lady ~

Another one!

2010-03-30T16:00:00.001-05:00

Here is my next addition to our Handbag collection. It's still without it's formal name as of right now. It's the Tie Front Tote!

Dimensions are:

8" tall
11" wide at base
16" wide at top
5" deep

Shown in Wallflower Slate.

Available in 4 different fabric combinations or create your own!

Price: $32.50

Fabric Combinations are shown HERE

A Bag is Born.....

2010-03-26T20:51:00.000-05:00

Thanks for those who gave me suggestions for bag names. After much consideration and rolling it off my tounge I've given the newest addition to GRITS Embroidery a name.

THE JESSICA BAG!!!!

This bag is named after my friend Jessica (B), you know who you are, and most of you know her. She has been very kind to me and my business over the years. Very supportive and always giving constructive criticism and rave reviews. Thus I dedicate this bag to Jessica. She helped pick the design and influenced me in my fabric choices over the years. Thanks Jess!

I'm working on the next one and hope to have it done tomorrow. I'm posting a picture here of the design and fabrics it will be made from. Let me know if you like it or not and maybe I'll name it after you!

The top fabric is the lining and tie fabric. The bottom fabric is the straps and the main body of the bag.

Still looking for color combination suggestions for the 5th fabric option on these bags.

Have a wonderful evening!

~Stacie~

A busy week....

2010-03-25T20:27:00.000-05:00

Well this week started out pretty nice I must say. Despite the fact that I sound horrible, cough a lot and use plenty of tissues it's been a good week. Thankfully I'm slowing down with the tissue count. We had two great services Sunday. I spent the afternoon clipping coupons and working on my Bible lesson. Derek spent it finishing up his studying, he is teaching the Adult class this quarter. All three kids took a good nap. Whew! We did eat lunch at a new Mexican restaurant call Las Agave's. It was just as good as our favorite here in town, Las Maracas. I'm sure we will go back.

Monday I went to the doctor. I told her of my list of ailments, migraines, digestion issues and a head cold that I thought had turned into a sinus infection. Thankfully I was wrong. She prescribed Zyrtec for my head, Nexium for my digestive issues and some Mat-a-somethin' for my migraines. I'm to take it when one starts. I can't say for sure the Nexium is working. I'm supposed to take it once a day before my largest meal. However my mother has done lots of research and says I really shouldn't take it if I don't have too. So instead I am chewing Papaya. It's a dietary enzyme I purchased at the local Health Food Store. It tastes like mint and I chew 3 around each meal time. (I'm not sure what the bottle says, but this is what I do) Anyway. I did take the Nexium Tuesday night when I starting having all the gas in my chest again. I also took the Papaya. So far so good. Let's hope the Papaya does the trick and I don't have to be on Nexium.

As you all know, if you read the previous posts, I've been very busy picking patterns, fabrics and sewing that adorable new bag. I'm very, very excited about it!!!! Now if only the ordering process actually WORKED on the website. If any of you know a website designer that is good and won't go poof hook me up! Girl is havin' issues, if you know what I mean.

I've been asked about making diaper bags and I have found a cute pattern. Here it is: Diaper Bag Pattern All you mommas out there share your thoughts. We still have got to come up with a new line of names to go with all the new bags I plan on adding. I need your help, my creative juices are dry in the name picking area. I also would like to offer one more fabric combination. I will be happy to post maybe 5 more and let you vote on your favorite? Let me know what you think. Even color combinations are fine and I can find some fabric combinations to include with those color combinations. Did that sentence even make sense? Oh well, maybe you got it.

I'm finishing up a cute burp cloth order from Stephanie H. Most of you know her and her adorable little girl. I'll post pictures of the adorable burp cloths when they are done. I'm also finishing up the big order for my friend Kelly.

Last night I managed teach the baby class without too many coughing fits. Let me say though, definitely NOT the best singing I've ever done. At least the babies aren't tellin'. Today was a busy day of sorts. My friend and neighbor, Leigh, had her gal bladder removed today, OUCH! I kept her two year old from 8-4:45 ish. He's sweet and bigger than Levi and not talking too much yet. Then again he doesn't have two older siblings talking his ear off! I managed to keep them from making each other black and blue over things like balls, toy computers and wooden puzzles. The real accomplishment came however when I got both of them down for a nap at the same time! And they both slept for over three hours! Yipee!!!! When Derek got home all four kids were playing, chicken fingers and okra were frying and apple dumplings were in the oven. BTW if you haven't tried these you must!!! You cannot, I mean, CANNOT live your life without having tried them. They are phenomenal. And easy to boot! I can't wait to eat more, I'm holding back till tomorrow....... tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow, you're only a day away...... Sorry I broke out in song there for a minute, Little Orphan Annie, right?

So on top of all this business this week I have to tell you about the biggest deal I got this week. Walgreens has Oscar Meyer Bacon on sale, 2 for $6. I had a coupon for 1.50 off of one package and another .75 cents off coupon. You also earned $1 RR (register rewards, walgreens money) when you made this purchase. So $6 - $ 3.25 = $2.75 for TWO Packages of bacon!!!! Whoo, Hoo! Sorry but I LOVE bacon, most especially good and cheap bacon!

So that's my week. How's yours been? Don't forget the ideas for bag names and color combinations!

Love
~Stac~

New Item at GRITS Embroidery!

2010-03-23T13:18:00.000-05:00

I'm very excited to be offering this new addition to my shop. I've always wanted to do more with these beautiful cotton fabrics. Honestly I just didn't have the time to try the patterns out. I was very absorbed in the patterns and choosing the right one as well as which fabric combinations to offer. It was very fun but very hard to choose. There are tons of great patterns and fabrics out there. I hope you like what I've picked. I would love to hear all your comments and suggestions. I do plan to add more bags as time allows. We're starting with this beautiful Shoulder Pleated Tote. (It needs a new name, be creative and give me your suggestions!)

I've done this one in Espresso Iron Works and Pink Dumb Dot by Micheal Miller. It has one interior pocket and pen slip as well as a magnetic closure. The bag is fully lined and interfaced for durability. I've got some great color combinations available and I'm looking for one more. Please give me your picks! Finished Bag shown is available!
Starting Price is $30.00

Here are the dimensions of the bag:
11.5" (top) - 15" (bottom) wide
15" tall

Color Combinations:

Fabric Combination 1: Cherry Linen
(top fabric is interior/lining, bottom fabric is exterior)

Fabric Combination 2: Kelly Swirls
(fabric shown is exterior, interior in white or black)

Fabric Combination 3: Camel Pink
Top fabric is interior lining, bottom fabric is exterior)

Fabric Combination 4: Sky Blue
(top fabric shown is interior lining, bottom fabric is exterior)

What I've done.....

2010-03-20T16:49:00.000-05:00

Please keep the ideas coming and feel free to scroll down to the last post to see the items I had found.

Here is what I've purchased so far.

Pleated Shoulder Bag
Tie Front Tote
Olivia Clutch

Here's the fabric I'm going to use for the first one I make. The Pleated Shoulder Bag.

I'm excited!!! Share your thoughts!

~Stacie~

Poll:

2010-03-19T15:33:00.000-05:00

I need your help. I've found all these beautiful fabrics and I need some new items to make out of them. Here are some patterns I've found. Let me know which ones you like. Feel free to suggest others as well!

Okay I better stop now :) I'm having too much fun!! Let me know if you like any of them and which ones. Feel free to make a favorites list.

Thanks!
~Stacie~

A new, not advised way to lose weight.

2010-03-18T13:21:00.000-05:00

Well as some of you know I returned home sick from the Ladies Getaway in Lafayette, IN a couple of weekends ago. At the time I thought it was food poisoning. I still feel it could have been. However over the past months I have had bouts of the same symptoms. My mom feels it could be reflux but until I see a doctor we can't be sure. Well over that weekend I lost 4 lbs. as sick as I was. I had a very similar bout yesterday and today. I'm now down another 4 lbs. Putting me at a weight I haven't seen since before Thanksgiving. I don't mind the weight loss, it's just the way I lost it that I don't prefer.

With the way I was feeling yesterday I was unable to run all the errand I had scheduled. We did get a call though to show the house. They came at 6. I haven't heard feedback yet but I did finally get feedback from last weeks showing. Turns out they didn't care for having another living space off of the family room. They did buy one of the houses in the neighborhood, the most expensive I believe. I feel like this will be good for us.

I finished a couple of orders Tuesday. One was for some clearanced aprons with names only. Thanks Bekah! The other was for minky travel pillowcases. This was a new customer. Yeah! I will be posting pictures.

I did get to finish my errands this morning. They included dropping off our house plans at White House Building Supply. They are giving us a quote on our lumber package. I also made a trip to Rite Aid. I scored Right Guard Men's Deodorant and Glade Sense and Spray (Starter Kit) for just $6.10!!! (including tax!) I had two coupons, totaling $3.50 for the deodorant, a $3.00 coupon for the Glade and a $3 off of $15 Rite Aid coupon. I am quite happy with my deal.

Walgreens was my next stop. I purchased two boxes of Children's Chewable Zyrtec. Caleb goes through this like crazy during spring time. It was on sale for $9.99 a box, I had two $2.00 off coupons as well as my 15% Caterpillar Discount Card. My total was $14.64 and I received a $5 off my next Walgreens Purchase Coupon! Sweet!

On to Al's Foodland where I scored Pepperidge Farm Sourdough and White Bread for .99!!! What a deal! I also love there pick 5 for $19.99 (I picked 2 packages lean ground beef, a boston butt, boneless pork chops and chicken tenderloins!) I didn't buy any Blanco's this trip though. :( Next time for sure!

After that I swung by Sonic and Levi and I some lunch. My neighbor was very sweet and offered to watch him while I ran my errands. She has an adorable 2 year old son as well and they get along great.

Now I've spent naptime watching a recording of CSI:NY, painting my toenails and just relaxing. I hope all of you are having a wonderful day.

Be sure to let me know if you are interested in participating in the coming GRITS sweepstakes and such. Read my previous post for more information.

~Stacie~

Not what we hoped

2010-03-16T13:56:00.000-05:00

Well we got the appraisal back. To say the least it was not what we were hoping for. I won't go into the boring details but we will be talking with our builders tonight trying to come up with a solution for our problem.

I enjoyed my first day of true Coupon shopping.

Here are the deals I scored:

TARGET:
2 pks Huggies Jumbo pack diapers on Sale $8.50 2 - $2 off coupons & 1 $1.50 MFR coupon. Total $11.50 for both packs.
Softsoap on Sale $1 used .50 off coupon. Total spent. .50
Pop Tarts buy 4 for $10 receive $5 Gift Card used $2.00 off coupon. Paid $8 received $5 gift card.

I'm pretty happy with my finds. I'll be sure to let you know how the other deals pan out.

So for now I'm blogging while my little man sleeps. Then it's on to fixing dinner and finishing up that minky pillowcase order.

I'm hoping to use this avenue for some GRITS Embroidery sweepstakes, polls and such. Let me know if you would be interested in participating. Also if you have a GRITS Embroidery product send me your pictures and I'll post them on the customer photo page!

Have a great day!
~Stacie~

I purchased a couple of other things as well but they weren't excellent deals.

Hopefully...

2010-03-15T06:37:00.000-05:00

Today will be the day. The day we hear from the bank. The day they say, " You are good to Go, come sign the papers." I pray today is the day. The past week we have been waiting to find out if our new house will appraise for enough so that we can get our construction loan. I won't go into too much detail but basically they will only loan us 80% of the appraisal cost of the house since we still owe on the land. They said it would take a week for the appraisers to get the job done and we were hoping to find out Friday but the man handling our construction loan was out of the office until today. So hopefully today will be the day! I know it will ease my mind considerably but most especially Derek's. He is teaching the adult Bible class right now, Sunday nights only, and for him it is like he has two full time jobs. He puts so much time and thought into it and it adds to his stress level. So..... knowing the house is a go will definitely make him feel better.

I feel like I am slowly getting over my cold. Being able to sleep at night has come down to taking two of my nightime Sudafed instead of just the recommended dosage of one. Caleb is still coughing but he is definitely better. Lily seems to be pretty much over it. Levi has never gotten to bad and Derek is on the upside as well.

Business has been good lately. At least I consider it good. I doubt many other business owners would :) Thanks to my sweet friend Steph I seem to be getting an order about every two to three weeks. She sent me another order on Saturday for four cute burp cloths. My friend Kelly, from back home, place a big order for a blanket, two minky pillow covers and two birthday bibs. Her sweet children all have birthday in the beginning of April. They will be 4, 2 and 1. Lord willing the kids and I will be at their birthday party. I am excited to go and be there but sad at the same time as their family is moving near St. Louis. I'll miss seeing her whenever I go back home to visit. We've been great friends now for over 16 years!!! Wow, I never thought I would see the day when I could say that about anyone! I'm feeling my age this morning.

I've spent a lot of time researching my "grocery" deals for the week. Although most of the items aren't groceries. I'll be sure to post my deals after I snag them! I really hope it works out the way it's supposed to!

Today will be spent picking up the house, cleaning the tub and vacumming the remaining grout particles left from the tile installation. In other words making sure the house is in showing condition. I've got another order for two minky travel pillowcases I need to knock out today. I will hopefully post pictures of the finished products.

I'm also making a few new recipes this week from PW or her Tasty Kitchen so I will plan to blog about them as well. I hope you are all having a wonderful week! Give God the glory!

~Stacie~

Health, Tile and Groceries

2010-03-13T19:31:00.000-06:00

Well this will be my first attempt at a real blog. If you choose to begin reading it I won't be offended if you don't finish.

I started off this week with food poisoning and after a very brief "well" spell my children have gifted me the cold bug. Although I took a nighttime decongestant I still found myself sleeping with my mouth open. Boy am I glad Derek doesn't sleep with one eye open. I can't imagine how horrible I looked.

Other than my health and that of my family it has been a very busy week. I spent Tuesday watching the plumbers destroy my bathroom again. After all the water damage we had due to our burst pipe they had "fixed" our jacuzzi tub. Only Derek discovered a couple of days after the fix that it wasn't working properly and it was leaking. Not a good sign. So three weeks later they get the part in they needed to fix the leak and hopefully get the motor working correctly again. They came Tuesday to install this new part. Well of course due to the size of our tub and it's exceedingly tight fit in our bathroom they had to remove the tub once again to install the replacement part. One problem, this time they couldn't get the tub out. After hearing quite a lot of loud banging I enter the bathroom to discover two of the back splash tiles around my tub have been smashed to smithereens! I was not a happy camper. We already knew we couldn't get the tile anymore after searching high and low for replacement tiles to go near our back door.

So here I am, supposed to list our house that night and I now have a big hole in my tub back splash. Again, I am not a happy camper. Thankfully the tile man that our Real Estate agent had told us about was supposed to come by later that day. After looking at our new hole he came up with a solution. I was about ready to hug the man I was so happy! He suggested we put in an entirely new back splash and of the old tiles he would clean up three to place in front of our back door.

Of course this takes a few days to complete. He was unable to come back Wednesday to work but did bring the tiles by to show me what the back splash would look like. In the meantime we did sign the papers to list the house. Come Wednesday afternoon around 4:15 I received a phone call from the appointment schedulers for showing the house calls. They want to know if the house can be shown between 5 and 6 that night! Ah! No! I've got biscuit dough on my hands and the kitchen isn't a complete mess but it definitely needed work. I had boxes I was filling on my bed and don't forget the whole in the tub back splash. So of course I tell them Friday would be better since I knew the tile was being laid on Thursday.

A few minutes later our realtor calls and says he has received an e-mail saying we refused a showing. Come to find out the couple was from out of state and leaving the next morning. To make this long story a little shorter I'll leave out all the phone calls and just say that while eating our dinner and getting ready for Bible class, Derek and I ran around picking up the house. They showed up as we were leaving around 6:10. We still haven't gotten feedback but I hope we will.

The tile man laid the tile on Thursday and since he was coming back on Friday to grout it and lay the tile at the back door Lily and I went grocery shopping Thursday night. That day I had truly delved into the grocery game or couponing, whichever term you choose to use. I planned my trips to Target and Publix. My lists included all my coupons, including details, coupons attached to the list with binder clips. Of course my reusable grocery bags were in hand. I wound up saving $15 at Target and came home with a $5 gift card to use next time. At Publix I saved $33 dollars. I was quite happy with my first time out. I hadn't fully grasped all there was to truly playing the "Grocery" Game or couponing at it's best. Friday I did even more research. Thanks to my mom I delved into Southern Savers and My Frugal Adventures. I ordered this: Coupon Organizer . Isn't it so pretty?! I can't wait for it to get here.

Today we went out as a family and at KMart I purchased a zippered three ring binder, 10 plastic pocket dividers and one pack of baseball card holders. It's mostly full of printed coupons right now. I did my research this afternoon and already have one good deal planned for RiteAid. I can't wait to get the paper tomorrow and dig in! I'll let you know how it goes. For now I guess I've rambled on and bored you long enough. If you lasted till the end congratulations!
Let me know you were here.

I love all of you my friends!

~Stacie~