Boardwalk

At the beach last week, there was one morning when it was too windy for us to get in the water. We decided to take the kids to the boardwalk where we saw a large number of fishermen/women casting their lines into the ocean water. The boys were eager to see fish come flying over the pier railing and were excited when one lady showed off her flapping bloody catch.

The wind was powerful on top of the pier, so we scurried off and played on a nearby playground.

Free Night of Theater

That's right, folks. Want a date night with your spouse that will cost you little money? To see this show, the tickets are free but you still have to pay that $4 per gallon for gas you'll use getting there. Theatre Communications Group is giving away a limited amount of free tickets to various city/locations in hopes of encouraging people to fall in love with the live stage.

Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the not-for-profit American theatre, developed this exciting and innovative national audience development initiative to attract new audiences and raise public awareness about live theatre. As TCG continues to roll out the Free Night program across an expanding national stage, the program provides a unique opportunity for theatres nationwide to collaborate on a project that provides access for new audiences to experience the joy of theatre for the first time.

Imagine how excited I was when I found out there is a free show in my city! My fingers are sitting on GO when the tickets are up for grabs on Saturday morning. Hope to see some of the locals there (Father of the Bride).

To find out if a free show is scheduled for your area, click here.

Lowe's "Build & Grow Workshop" for kids

If you are a parent to a child in the first through fifth grade, you might be interested in signing them up for a free Halloween craft clinic at Lowe's where they can make a wooden pumpkin or funny skeleton. Click here for more information.

Walgreens coupon

You betcha! It's time for another Walgreens $5 off $20 coupon. This one is good only Friday, Oct. 3, and Saturday, October 4. Click here to print yours.

It's a Meme (that sounds weird)

Becky has tagged me. I don't do these things often so it's kind of neat to answer the questions. I try to be fun like that...right, Bec?

1. Five names you go by:
Jawan
Jawanamo
J-One
Aunt Wannie
James-Wanda (get it?)

2. Three things you are wearing right now:
sandals
capris
black shirt

3. Three things you want very badly at the moment:
to be out of debt
to own our own house
to weigh less

4. Three things you did last night:
Blogged
made a fabric garland
read four chapters in a really good book

5. Three things you ate today.
scrambled eggs
chicken taco
slice of cheese

6. Three people you talk on the phone with?
My mom, Wanda
My sister, Angela
My college roommate, Libby

7. Three things you are going to do tomorrow?
mop the kitchen floor
play outside with my kids
go to the gym

8. Two longest car rides:
Georgia to Missouri
Georgia to Mississippi

9. Three of your favorite beverages
Diet Coke
Smirnoff Ice
Lynchburg Lemonade

10. What did you watch on TV tonight?
VP debate
some of the Phillies and Brewers baseball game
Fox News

Sand lover

Abigail loved playing in the sand at the beach. Can't you tell?

Anyone?

Ooooooo, this bag is pretty! Did I mention before that I can't sew nor do I own a machine? I think I have a friend who just got a machine (I'm not stating any names....Rosie). No, I don't want to make it. I'd foul it up royally. So.....uummmmmm.....anyone want to try the pattern out and let me pay a small price for the result?

Oh gosh, I can't believe I just stooped that low.

Thanks to House on Hill Road for showing off her beautiful work.

Freebies on your birthday

Click here to read all about what you can receive FREE (some almost free) on your birthday.

Free Razor for Men

Click here to get a free Schick Quattro Titanium Razor. It's for real! My husband got his in the mail a few weeks ago!

Thanks to Free 2 Be Frugal for sharing this offer.

Leaves, Leaves, Leaves

I love fall. I love how the leaves change their colors and then drop to the earth. I love making crafts with leaves....so....I think I'm gonna attempt to tackle these two leaf crafts with the boys this month.

1. Fall Leaves, by Maja*Made

2. Watercolor Leaves, by Mother Rising.

Free Movie

Click here to see how you can request a free family film delivered to your home.

Wordless Wednesday

Start Your Engines!

The boys got to ride with Dad in the race car last week at the beach.
Zoom, zoom, zoom!

Twig House

The weather has been cool this week. After dinner last night, I took the boys out to the yard to break a few small sticks into twigs. Then, we three worked together to construct their first ever twig house. They added leaves, rocks, and tree berries to the house and thought their final result was "so cool".


The boys went back inside and came out with a small ninja man and green slimy looking thing to place inside and around their little house. Andrew said that the ninja man was trying to kill the slimy thing and protect his house. Oh, the stories they told while they were building!


I thought it was neat that Andrew decided to make a road from our front door to the twig house. This is the kind of play-time I enjoy most.




In a few years, Abigail will join us and the boys will have to incorporate dolls and such into their manly home. That will be interesting.

A good friend

One of our best friends...we visit him often.
Coralie, I hope this post makes you smile.

Ummmm......

Stuart...what happened?

Pictures

You'll notice some of the pictures from our vacation at the beach have white space around them. This is because I saved all the pictures to a CD on Mitch's laptop while in Florida. I came home and transferred them to my online service and have had to save from there to post to here. Getting them directly off the CD is too much work. I usually save my pics directly to my home desktop from my CF card which allows pictures to be larger with no white space. I'm sure you all really cared to know all that....blah, blah, ramble, ramble.

Anyway, if you wish to view any beach-trip picture at a larger size, just click on it.

Putt Putt

Tiger Woods needs to bring his training camp to our hometown. Just kidding. The beach wouldn't be THE BEACH without some time on the putting green. The little guys hit the ball too hard, too often. We lost one in the water but Mitch was able to retrieve it. I think the average stroke for Andrew and Luke was eight...wait, ten...no, it was nine....oh, who was really counting!?! Mitch got a hole-in-one...you go, Baby!


Frustration came easy at times (for all of us, photographer included) but we kept our cool by playing with the safari animals and posing for MORE pictures by Crazy-Mom.

"No dessert for you!"

Luke went to bed tonight without dinner. Well, it was his choice. We had lasagna (yum!) and garlic bread for dinner but he decided that he didn't want what I had prepared. Instead, he begged for crackers and ice-cream. I know - what a weird combination. Luke doesn't surprise me anymore. He is probably our most finicky child but I'm no longer caught off guard by his tantrums and flip-flopping of choices.

So, I stuck to my guns and told him that he wasn't going to get any other food until he took one (one!) bite of his lasagna. He refused. When Andrew asked for jello as a small dessert snack, Luke chimed in and asked for one, too. When Abigail got a few bites of yogurt, Luke wanted some, too. Each time, I gently reminded Luke that his plate full of delicious lasagna was still on the kitchen table. And each time, he slumped over, moaning about how he didn't want to eat a bite (one!) of lasagna.

We'll see how hungry he is in the morning. Muffins are on the menu for breakfast (processed and straight from the bag, CC) so I won't be surprised if he scarfs two down in one gulp.

Potty 101

Luke is 100% potty trained. He did it all by himself. I can't take any credit. He won't be three until December. I don't know how it happened as fast as it did.

Abigail has already shown an interest in sitting on the potty. She'll be fifteen months old next week. She laughs when I put her on the potty and gets mad when I take her off.

My silly girl

Usually, I get at least one morning, sometimes two, a week where it's just Abigail and me. During that time, we pretty much stay on the floor playing, laughing, chasing, or pushing toys. Sometimes we take a walk in the neighborhood or go to the gym. This week, however, was busy and full of appointments for a lot of family members. I missed my one-on-one time with Abigail so we made up for it today.

First, I painted her toenails.

Next, we discussed her Halloween costume.

Then, we went outside to swing in the cool weather.

Finally, after dinner, our family drove one mile to get the best ice-cream in town.

We're pooped!

Walgreens coupon - $5 off $20

Click here to print another coupon to Walgreens for $5 off a $20 purchase. This coupon is good only on Friday, Sept. 26, and Saturday, Sept. 27.

Dates for The UNITED Tour (w/ video)

Click here to view a video of Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael W. Smith together, promoting their UNITED Tour. Below the video you'll see their tour schedule.

Disney = free in 2009

Disney has just released the news that they will give a free pass into their Florida or California parks on your birthday in 2009! Click here for more information.

It's free!

Want to browse a HUGE list of freebies? The best thing about most of these freebies is that they are direct from a person and not from a company....no phone calls or harassing emails! So, get to it! Just make sure you read each giveaway's directions carefully.

Michael's Craft Store coupon

Click here to print a coupon to Michael's for 50% off any one regular priced item. This coupon is good through this Saturday, September 27.

Theme Song

I always lay next to Andrew and Luke upon tucking them in at night and sing a song of their choice. They usually choose Amazing Grace, Jesus Loves Me, Amazing Love, or And Can It Be.

When it came Andrew's turn tonight, he said, "Let's sing the Star Wars song. Let me teach it to you." So, he proceeded to teach me the theme song.

When finished, he turned to me and said, "Do you know it now? Let's sing it like Yoda 'cause he was a good guy."

He's so cute. Andrew, that is....not Yoda.

I love "The Office"!

I love "The Office"!

PCA renewal

I love church history...especially when it involves my own denomination. I have many PCA readers who might find this article interesting.

HT: Justin Taylor

Back from vacation!

We had a blast on our week long vacation to Destin, FL. Oh my, what a dream it was. The days were full of water, laughter, food, and various fun nighttime activities. It truly was a blessing from God to be able to spend seven full days in the Florida sun as a family, away from all responsibility and duty. We enjoyed one another so much.

Every morning we woke at 7 a.m., ate a light breakfast, and then headed to either the ocean and sand or to the amazing pools of our condominium complex. Lunch followed in our room and then a few took naps while others went back to the pool or beach. More water in the late afternoon, right up until dinner time. We brought our own food so we ate all but three meals in the condo. Very little TV was watched, the wireless Internet connection didn't cooperate (I was not disappointed), a lot of books were read (mostly aloud) and funny conversations took place. We also ventured out and rode the race cars and played a mean game of putt-putt golf.

Andrew loves taking pictures so we put him in charge of the waterproof camera one afternoon in the pool.




Then we realized that we should encourage him to share the camera (it wasn't cheap, mind you) so we could capture him in our memory making.







You might be asking, "Where is Jawan in all these pictures?". There was one picture of me that made the roll of film but it was far too embarrassing to post. Let's just say that Andrew took it and my face didn't make it into the picture....other parts of my body did. And the water wasn't at all flattering to these areas. I'm just sayin'......

Wanna know why I'm NOT voting for Obama?

Click here.
Enough said.

ToysRUs party, Saturday 9/27

From noon-3 p.m. this Saturday, 9/27, ToysRUs will be celebrating Geffory the giraffe's birthday. Free gifts will be given each hour to children ages three years and older. Click here for more information.

25 free prints at Rite Aid

Click here to print a coupon for 25 free prints at your local Rite Aid Drug Store.

Thanks to Money Saving Mom for this information!

Book Review

I just finished reading Same Kind of Different As Me...and loved it. I don't normally find myself with my nose constantly stuck in a book because I just don't have the time to devote to it...that is until I went on vacation. Responsibility no longer hovering over my head, I spent almost every spare moment (moments that came only while the kids were sleeping) reading this book. I wouldn't recommend it in regards to its theology but it is indeed a sweet TRUE story. You can click here to read more about it. Below, I've included a small tidbit of information regarding the story line.

A dangerous, homeless drifter who grew up picking cotton in virtual slavery in the 20th century!

An upscale art dealer accustomed to the world of Armani and Chanel.

A gutsy woman with a stubborn dream.

A story so incredible no novelist would dare dream it.

It begins outside a burning plantation hut in Louisiana . . . and an East Texas honky-tonk . . . and, without a doubt, in the heart of God. It unfolds in a Hollywood hacienda . . . an upscale New York gallery . . . a downtown dumpster . . . a Texas ranch.

Gritty with pain and betrayal and brutality, this true story also shines with an unexpected, life-changing love.

Challies also reviewed this book and his words are definitely (as always) worth reading.

I Love Dirt

I know Holly will be so thankful for her two little clean, neat, tidy girls while reading this post.

I think I'm gonna soon purchase this book: I LOVE DIRT

I Love Dirt! presents 52 open-ended activities to help you engage your child in the outdoors. No matter what your location—from a small patch of green in the city to the wide-open meadows of the country—each activity is meant to promote exploration, stimulate imagination, and heighten a child's sense of wonder.