Family Fun

  • Family Celebrations: Graduating Kindergarten

    We were excited to celebrate our girls kindergarten graduation. It is crazy just thinking that they are finished with kindergarten and will be starting first grade in just a couple months. All our friends said time will go by quickly, I didn’t realize how fast!  Here are a few pictures from their fun celebration:

    Brina and Karlie ready for their Kindergarten Program!

     

    Karlie getting her diploma from Mrs. Boyles (AKA Principal or "Boss Lady")

     

    Brina getting her Kindergarten Diploma from Mrs. Boyles

     

    Brina and Karlie happy to get their diploma with all their friends!

     

    In celebration of the girls graduating Kindergarten we went to the Greenville Drive Game that Night!

     

    Let's PLAY BALL!

    We ran into a lot of friends at the game.  The tickets were purchased through the Playcation Package we bought.

  • Fresh & Healthy: Our Garden – Leafy Lettuce, Zucchini, Summer Squash, Purple Beans, Strawberries, Tomatoes, Green Beans, and Snow Peas!

    We are loving the fresh vegetables from our garden!  This week I did better at taking pictures of the items our family picked.  We were traveling for a few day.  Hopefully my brother who was watching the house was able to get a few items out of the garden to use for their family.

    Here are some of the fresh veggies we were able to eat and share this week:

     

    Fresh from the Garden - Leafy Lettuce, Zucchini, Summer Squash, Cherry and Roma Tomatoes, Strawberries, Green Beans, and Purple Beans.

    We got two more big bags of leafy lettuce before we had to pull the stocks because they were flowering.  The zucchini and summer squash are starting to picking.  We’ve been getting a few strawberries and a couple handfuls of cherry tomatoes more regularly now.  We have both green and purple beans producing now in the garden.

     

    Big Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Purple Beans, Summer Squash, Leafy Green Lettuce, Snow Peas, Strawberry and Green Beans from the Garden

    The snow peas have been amazing and delicious to eat fresh for snacks and in baking, however, they are pretty much done producing.  The lettuce is slowing down too but we hope to get a few more salads in before it completely wraps up for the season.  On a more positive note the tomatoes, beans, and squash are still going pretty strong despite all the storms.

    We were able to share some of the veggies this week with family, friends and people at our church.  During the summer months our church does a “Corner Harvest” where people can share fresh produce from their garden.  It is neat to see what other families are growing and share our produce.

    What are you eating out of your garden this week?

  • Summer Activities: Fun Family Day at Home!

    School’s out and the summer heat is here. We love spending time as a family outside, however, some of that time involves finding cool activities to do during the summer heat.  There is always something fun to do during the girls summer vacation away from school.  Below are some of the fun adventures we did on a recent Saturday together.

    Swimming in the Pool

    Brina and Karlie Swimming in the Pool!

    Eating Ice Cream

    Daddy, Karlie, Brina and Skipper enjoying a bowl of ice cream on the front porch!

    Napping in the Hammock

    Karlie snoozing in the shade on the hammock after a swim in the pool!

    Playing Under the Jungle Gym – Sand Fun

    Brina "cleaning" the sand off the Jungle Gym after swimming in the pool!

    Science Experiments

    Growing Rocks in a Rainbow of Colors! Since one of the girls is into "sharks" I choose a shark background for this experiment.

     

    Brina and Karlie watching the rocks grow! It was an interesting experiment over a couple days!

     

  • Save A Lot: Deals for the week of June 22 – 28, 2011

    The Save A Lot weekly ad deals are listed below for your convenience.   There are a lot of great deals that are continued this week at Save A Lot for $1.00. Sign up for the Smart Shopper Club, by doing so you will get a $5.00 off of $25.00 coupon!

    Meats and Seafood

    Eckrich Hot Dogs or Bologna (16 oz) – $1.00

    Carolina Ground Turkey (16 oz ) – $1.00

    Butterball Turkey Bacon (6 oz) – $1.00
    Use $0.65/1 coupon from insert 5/22 Smart Source (Expires 7/10/11)
    $0.35 each after coupon

    Gwaltney Pork Sausage (12 oz) – $1.00

    Center Cut Beef Spare Ribs – $2.49 per lb

    Ground Beef (1 lb) – $2.49

    Sugardale Bratwurst – $1.99

    Smoked Sausage – $0.99

    Chicken Breast Strips – $0.99

    Meatballs (8 oz) – $0.99

    Pick 5 for $19.99 promo on going: Pick any 5 specially marked packages of your favorite cuts of fresh, frozen or smoked meats and pay just $19.99 (about $2 per pound).

    Fridge and Freezer

    Oscar Mayer Lunchables – $1.00

    Reser’s Assorted Salads & Coleslaw – $1.00
    Use $1.00/1 printable coupon from Coupon Web
    Free after each coupon

    Minute Maid Lemonade or Fruit Punch – $1.00

    Tony’s Crispy Crust Pizza – $1.00
    Use $1.00/3 coupon from insert 5/22 Smart Source (Expires 7/31/11)
    Use $1.00/5 coupon from insert 4/17 Smart Source (Expires 7/9/11)
    Use $0.50/4 coupon from insert 5/22 Smart Source (Expires 8/13/11)
    As low as $0.67 each after coupon

    Totino’s Pizza Rolls – $1.00
    Use $1.00/3 coupon from insert 5/22 Smart Source (Expires 7/31/11)
    Use $0.50/4 coupon from insert 5/22 Smart Source (Expires 8/13/11)
    As low as $0.66 each after coupon

    Banquet Dinners – $1.00

    Fisher Boy Fish Sticks – $1.00
    $0.75/1 printable coupon Fisher Boy
    $0.25 each after coupon

    T. J. Farms Sweet Potato Fries – $1.00

    Party Treats Ice Cream Sandwiches (4 count) – $1.00

    World’s Fair Orange, Grape and Cherry Popsicles – $0.99

    Lemonade – $1.99

    Home Churned Squeeze Spread – $0.99

    Bright & Early Beverage Drink – $0.99

    Household

    Poly Steel Sandwich Zipper Bags (50 count) – $1.00

    Joy Dish Liquid – $1.00

    Produce

    Fresh Express Coleslaw (16 oz) – $1.00

    Fresh Express Salad Mix (12 oz) – $1.00

    Baby Carrots (16 oz) – $1.00

    California Cherries – $1.99 per lb

    Roma Tomatoes – $0.89 per lb

    Red & White Grapes – $1.29 per lb

    Grocery

    Knorr Side Dishes – $1.00

    Hamburger Helper Dinner – $1.00
    Use $1.00/3 coupon from insert 5/22 Smart Source (Expires 7/16/11)
    Use $1.00/3 coupon from insert 5/1 Smart Source (Expires 6/25/11)
    Use $0.75/3 coupon from insert 5/1 Smart Source (Expires 6/25/11)
    As low as $0.67 each after coupon

    Save A Lot Apple Juice (64 oz) – $1.00

    Sundia Fruit Cups (8 oz) – $1.00

    Red Gold Ketchup (40 oz) – $1.00
    Use $0.50/2 printable coupon from Red Gold
    $0.75 each after coupon

    Woeber’s Mustard (24 oz) – $1.00

    Kurtz Sweet Relish – $1.00

    Shasta Soda (4 pack) – $1.00

    Deer Park Spring Water (3 liter) – $1.00

    Crunch & Munch Butter Toffee – $1.00

    Dippables – $1.00

    Mantia’s Pasta Sauce – $1.00

    Shelby’s Grove Sliced Peaches – $1.00

    J Higgs Pretzels – $1.00

    Chicken of the Sea Chunk White Tuna – $1.00

    Allure Zero Calorie Sweetener – $1.00

    Jade Dragon Soy Sauce – $1.00

    Kraft BBQ Sauce – $0.88

    Bugles – $0.79

    Harvest Select Juice Cocktails – $0.99

    On the Go Powder Drink Sticks – $1.00

    Crisp Lemonade – $0.99

    Swift Mac – $0.75

    Toast Em Strawberry or Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Ups – $0.99

    Malt O Meal Cereal – $0.99

    Remember you can use the $5/$25 printable coupon to sweeten these deals!  Plus you can earn up to 5 additional $5 off $25 coupons for sharing the coupon with your friends.

    For more information about Save A Lot’s coupon policies go here.  If you find additional deals or savings please let me know and I will add them to the list.

  • Pampers Gifts to Grow – 5 Free Points (Expires Tonight)

    Receive another 5 free points from Pampers with the a new Gifts to Grow code!

    This code is different from the previous codes I have given.

    Use Code:  TWITTERKEYWALET

    The code expires on 11:59 PM EST  on June 21st so make sure to add it to your account within the next few days!

    You can save up the rewards to purchase gifts!

    For more information about the Pampers Gift to Grow Program and how you can start earning Pampers “Gifts to Grow” Rewards for your family go to Pampers Gifts to Grow!

  • CVS: Spent $0.99 and Got $6 ECB’s Back!

    Hershey Bliss Deal at CVS this week!

    I had to run into CVS real quick to check on another item and picked up this deal. Today I was able to get the Hershey Bliss for $0.99 plus tax ($0.00) making my out of pocket cost $0.99 and received $6.99 ECB’s to use on my next CVS purchase.  Here is what I purchased.

    • 1 –  Hershey Bliss Dark Chocolate for $5.99

    Here are the coupons I used on the items.

    • Used $1.00 Hershey Bliss Manufacturer Coupon

    I received $6.99 ECB’s back today:

    • $5.99 ECB’s for Hershey Bliss Products
    • $1.00 ECB’s for Green Tag Reward (every 4th visit you use your Green Tag you get a $1 ECB)

    Today I was able to save $5.00 at CVS by purchasing these items and using coupons.

    When you shop the CVS sales regularly and have ECB’s that you can roll over toward future purchases the bonus ECB’s start adding up (Green Bag Tags and Beauty Club).  As you can see from my shopping trip today you don’t have to purchase a lot to save money when shopping at CVS.  Plus you can use the additional ECB’s you receive towards your next purchase.  You can pick and chose what is best for your family.

    I would love to hear your CVS shopping story for this week!  For those of you who shop regularly at CVS please share how you were able to save this week!  Although the weekly ad sales are similar every family and situation is different so you may have found items better suited to your household.  In your comment please feel free to share a link to your blog article showing us how you were able to save shopping at CVS.

  • Fresh & Healthy: A Refreshing Twist to Ice Water

     

    Summer Time Favorite Drink - Ice Water with Fresh Lemon Slices!

    One of our favorite inexpensive, easy, and refreshing summer drinks we like to serve at our house is Ice Water with Fresh Lemon Slices!  Lemonade is delicious but can be a little too sweet at times.  Many times on the hot summer days the kids just want ice water so to add a little more to their drinks we will buy lemons when they are on sale, slice them up and add them to the water pitcher.  It is very refreshing!

    Refreshing and delicious - Cool lemon water on a hot day!

    I need to look for some more lemons on clearance!  The girls and I drink this a lot since we spend some time almost every day outside!

  • Pampers Gifts to Grow – 5 Free Points (Expires Tonight)

    Receive another 5 free points from Pampers with the a new Gifts to Grow code!

    This code is different from the previous codes I have given.

    Use Code:  TWITTERDIPEWIPE

    The code expires on 11:59 PM EST  on June 20th so make sure to add it to your account within the next few days!

    You can save up the rewards to purchase gifts!

    For more information about the Pampers Gift to Grow Program and how you can start earning Pampers “Gifts to Grow” Rewards for your family go to Pampers Gifts to Grow!