Update...In Pictures

Uhm yeah so it's been a couple months...I've kind of given up on blogging. I still keep up with my blogger friends, somewhat...but as for updating my own eh it's too much trouble.


SSSSOOOOOO much has happened since I last posted, I'll try to summarize some of it...mostly in pictures so it doesn't get too wordy. BTW I finally got a new phone so I have a camera now! YAY! Which also means I can share stupid conversations like this with ya :)

(My friend works in the call center of a bank)

Oh the immature "dong" jokes went on for days after this conversation. Anyways back to updating...



*We Went to the Lake

Levi & Lexi on the Dock

You messin' wit me? You messin' wit me?

We did a little fishin'...

And a little boating...

"Mom stick a fork in me. I'm done."

We did a little of this...

And a little of this...

We ate LOTS of YUMMMMMY food!!

We went to some of our favorite places on the lake...

(Coconuts)

Note to self: Don't try to dance and take a picture at the same time. Mas stupido.

(Jolly Rogers)

And 2 days after we left they had a bad storm and this happened :(

*Kasi got married and Lexi got to be her Flower Girl :)

Rehearsal - Her and the Ring Bearer were best buds by the end of the night :)

*A Few Firsts for Lexi...

She loved her some bowling!! She got pretty excited :)

Her first Professional Pedicure :)
She loved the "sprinkles" on her toes...BTW sprinkles=sparkles :)

*I got these for our 7 year wedding Anniversary :)

*We've been having fun in the pool too :)

*Couponing ~ It's going...I'm not as hardcore about it as I started out to be. It's WAY too time consuming. I'll find just a few good sales on things each week and stock up, but I'm not trying to get my own TV show or anything. However, my weekly grocery/toiletries bill has cut down considerably...so that's pretty awesome!

*Dieting ~ For the past several months I've been content with just maintaining. I've been a little less restrictive with my food and have figured out how little I have to workout in order to just maintain. I needed a break. As long as I wasn't gaining I was perfectly happy. But we're going to the BEACH!!!! in 3 weeks so let the torture commence. The next three weeks I'll be hitting the gym like Jessica Biel and eating like Lindsay Lohan...juuuussst kidding.

Hope you guys are having a great summer!!

~Laci

P.S. Sorry about the crazy alignment and spacing...this blogger has a mind of its own and I'm tired of trying to fix it.

~Deals of the Week~

*Walgreens*
Sally Hansen Nail Polish, Clearance $1.09
$1.00/1 – Sally Hansen Nail Treatment Product
Final Price: $0.09

Colgate Pro Clinical Toothpaste, $3.00
Buy 2, Receive $4.00 Register Reward
Use 2 $0.75/1 coupons from 5/1 newspaper
Pay $4.50, Receive $4.00 Register Reward
Final Price: $0.25 each when you buy 2

Scotch Magic Tape, $1.99
Buy One Get Two Free, Limit 3
Use 2 $1.00/1 – Scotch Magic Tape
Final Price: Free when you buy 3!

Old Spice, Zest, or Gillette Body Wash, 3/$10
Buy 3, Receive $3.00 Register Reward
Use (3) $2.00/1 coupons from 5/15 newspaper
Pay $4, Receive $3.00 Register Reward
Final Price: $1 for all 3!

Lunchables/Sub Sandwiches on sale $1.50
Buy 2, get $1 RR
Use (2) $1/1 coupons from 5/15 nwespaper
Pay $1, get $1 RR
FREE after coupons & RR!

Sure Deoderant 2 for $3
Use 2 - $1 off coupons
Final Price: $.50 each

All Laundry Detergent on sale $6.99
Buy 1, get 1 FREE
Use (2) $1/1 printable coupons
Final Price: $2.50 each

Kotex Tampons, Pads, Pantiliners, 2/$6
Use (2) $1.50 off coupons
Final Price: $1.50 each

Gillette Deoderant
Buy one, get one 1/2
Use BOGO Free coupon from 5/15 newspaper
Final Price: $1.25 each


*Wal-Mart*

Black Flag Fly Paper $0.98
$1.00/1 Black Flag Product from 5/15 newspaper
Final Price: Free

Black Flag Fly Swatter $0.98
$1.00/1 Black Flag Product from 5/15 newspaper
Final Price: Free

Finesse Shampoo or Conditioner, $2.57
$1.00/1 Finesse coupon from 5/15 newspaper
$2.00 Mail-in-rebate
Final Price: Few cents overage!

Pert Plus 2-1 Travel Size $.98
$1.00/1 coupon
Final Price: .02 overage!
These will be great for our vacation in August!

Huggies Pull-Ups Moist Wipes $1.46
$1.00/1 coupon from 5/15 newspaper
Final Price: $0.46

That's just a few of my favorites this week!

~Laci

CRaZy CoUpOn LaDy!!

Yep, that's me!! Or who I aspire to be anyways...yeah I never in my life thought I would be saying that!!! I've been watching "Extreme Couponing" on TLC and I'm TOTAL fascinated by how this couponing thing works. If there's a will, there's a way!! And I'm determined to figure it out!
It never fails, every week I take my weekly trip to Wal-Mart for groceries and what not. I check out and as I'm walking out the door I look down at my basket "full" of stuff and say how is that $(Insert dollar amount here)?? I am sick and tired of spending my left lifesavings (seriously this could be money going towards retirement, child's college fund, etc.) at stupid WAL-MART!!!
Sooooo with that said I have made it my goal to figure out how this couponing stuff works. I'm not looking to save a few bucks here or there, I want stuff for FREE or close to it!
Since we've had Alexis, I've started to clip coupons on diapers, formula, etc. Then I started printing a few other coupons off the internet...just a few nothing major. I'd save a few bucks here and there, but it wasn't anything that made a real difference. Recently, I've been studying websites* and trying to see what the secrets are to this extreme couponing deal. Finally, on April 24th I bought a newspaper and decided I was going to jump in feet first. WRONG!! Here's where my first lesson in couponing comes in (there's LOTS of lessons you will learn from beginner mistakes). April 24th was Easter...never buy papers on a Holiday...there's no coupons in them. So then Sunday May 1st rolls around. GOLDMINE!!!!! The 1st of the month always has the most coupons...this is a great time to start your couponing venture because you get a huge stock pile built up right off the bat. And buy more than one paper, you'll need it!
So, I got all my coupons clipped. Oh and BTW I clipped EVERYTHING, even brands I don't normally use, trust me just do it. Then I looked at all the sale ads and Walgreens seemed like the best one so I jumped in my car and headed that way...with no particular game plan in mind.
When I got there I immediately saw other couponers everywhere...one's with envelopes and folders full of coupons. There was one lady that you could tell knew what she was doing, so I decided to stand there in line and just watch her. She didn't mind a bit, she was actually excited to share her knowledge of couponing with me. Soon enough there were several other couponers gathered around and everyone was sharing the best deals with each other. Boy I got a HUGE crash course in couponing!!! It was mind boggling, overwhelming, and exciting! I grabbed several deals that the others told me about and got tons of advice and tips from them. I went home and tallied up how well I did, checked my receipts...make sure you CHECK YOUR RECEIPTS FOR MISTAKES!!! I made several rookie mistakes. I forgot to use a coupon or I didn't read the ad fully and forfeited a good deal because of it. I ended up returning a few items and doing it the right way and getting the deal after all. You have to be VERY precise. I learned SSOOO much in this one day of couponing, it was unreal.

Here's just a few of my favorite deals:
Noxema Disposable Razors on sale $3.99
Buy 1, get $3 RR**
Use $2/1 coupon from 5/1 newspaper
Pay $1.99, get $3 RR
FREE plus $1.01 overage after coupon and RR

Cottonelle Bath Tissue (12 roll) on sale $5
Buy 2, get $3 RR
Use (2) $.50/1 printable coupon
Use (2) $1/1 coupon from Walgreens May coupon book--located in the store
Pay $7, get $3 RR
$2 each after coupons & RR

Gillete Fusion Razor System on sale $9.89
Buy 1, get $5 RR
Use $4/1 coupon from 5/1 newspaper
Pay $5.89, get $5 RR
.89 after coupon & RR

Dawn Dish Soap on sale $.99
Use $.25/1 coupon
$.74 each after coupon

Bic Soleil Razors on sale $5.99
Buy 1, get $2 RR
Use $3/1 coupon from 5/1 newspaper
Pay $2.99, get $2 RR
$.99 after coupon & RR

Walgreens had SO many sales that correlated with the coupons in this weeks paper. I don't know if this was a usual thing, or a 1st of the month thing, or just completely coincidental this week...I will find out in coming weeks...however they did seem like the place to go for couponers in our area! There's even a lady that works there, Paula, who works at the Health & Beauty Aid register that all the couponers go to b/c she helps you get the best deal and she has folders of her own coupons behind the counter that she'll sometimes give you! She's super helpful and gets excited about this coupon stuff! LOL!
It has been very time consuming, but fun. I'm hoping once I get the hang of it, it won't take AS long. It's almost like a fun game developing a strategy to get free or cheap stuff! There's no better feeling than getting stuff for free or even getting PAID to take it out of the store!

* http://www.frugallivingnw.com/ - Sign up to receive sales via email
http://www.thekrazycouponlady.com/
http://www.hip2save.com/
http://www.discountqueens.com/

** Register Rewards - It's Walgreens rewards program. They're basically coupons that can be used for anything else in the store.

There's SO many more tips, but it's too much to write in this blog...you'll learn as you go as long as you read the ad and your receipts thoroughly. Good luck!!

~Laci

Mexi Egg Sausage Muffins

I got this recipe from the Biggest Loser. I enjoyed it. The only thing I changed was the name :) I would also recommend making a smaller batch considering how many people you're cooking for.

What You Will Need:

3 (6-inch) stone-ground corn tortillas
12 Jennie-O Turkey Store® Turkey Breakfast Sausage Links, cooked according to package instructions and cut in half widthwise
2-1/4 cups liquid egg white or egg substitute
12 Tablespoons roast tomato salsa (or your favorite salsa)
1/4 cup (1 ounce) finely shredded low-fat Cheddar cheese
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup sliced ripe olives
1 non-stick muffin pan
Low-fat or fat free refried beans (optional)
Extra salsa (optional)

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Stack tortillas and cut into quarters. Cut quarters in half so you will have 8 wedges for each tortilla (and a total of 24 wedges). Spray each muffin cup with olive oil cooking spray.

To assemble place one tortilla wedge in each muffin cup, with the widest side at the bottom of the cup. Place a second tortilla wedge on the opposite side of the muffin cup so that the wide edges will be overlapping in the bottom of the cup, by about 1/2 inch. The tortilla wedge points will extend outside of the cup, about 1/2 inch straight up. Repeat for the other muffin cups.

Place two sausage halves (from one whole link) in each muffin cup, on top of the tortilla wedges. Place a tablespoon of salsa on top of the sausage. Measure 3 tablespoons of egg white (or egg substitute) into each muffin cup.

Bake 10 minutes or until eggs are just set and no longer wiggle. They will be slightly puffed. Carefully remove "muffins" from pan and place two on each serving plate.

Working quickly, sprinkle each "muffin" with one teaspoon of cheese. Top each muffin with few olive slices and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro. Serve hot with low-fat or fat free refried beans, extra salsa and/or light sour cream if desired.

Nutrient Information for one 2-"taco" serving:
Calories: 231
Protein: 20 grams
Carbs: 6 grams
Fat: 12 grams

*Running Buds & Small Goals*

First off I am excited to say I "think" I may have some running partners!! I've never been a fan of having workout buddies, because it's normally difficult to schedule your workouts around each other. I'm sort of impatient and when I'm ready to do something especially exercising, I don't want to be waiting around on someone else to meet me. However, it gets a little lonely and I need a switch up in my workouts...something to give me a little bit more motivation!!

My best friend, Erica has decided to start walking/running with me a few days a week. It has taken us a couple weeks to get a routine down between shuffling her kids to soccer practices/games and just the hectic day to day routine with kids, work, and life in general. It looks like we'll be meeting up 3 days a week. Then I'll just go to the gym the other days. I'm excited to have someone for support, motivation, and most importantly someone to talk to and make our workouts fly by!!

I said partner(s) right?! The other girl is actually someone I barely know, which is VERY different for me, but GOOD! I'm a pretty shy, introverted person, so it's fair to say I usually stick to what I'm comfortable with. So when this girl hit me up on Facebook to run I was caught a little off guard since we've never really hung out, but I thought what the heck?! I can use all the motivation I can get! PLUS, it's time I branch out a little and get out of my comfort zone!

I'm just hoping we can get in a good routine and it works out! One problem is that we all have different levels of endurance...these girls have never really ran before, but they're both in good shape and will probably be out running me in no time. I'm thinking all of us starting on a Couch Potato to 5K running plan might be a good idea to get us all at the same pace and get our endurance at around the same level. I also think it would be pretty neat to eventually get a women's running group together...hhhmmm maybe I shouldn't get ahead of myself just yet.

Secondly, there's always areas of my life I can improve upon. I think setting small weekly or monthly goals could be benefitual to my health and overall happiness. There's several small things I can think of that I would like to change, for instance getting more sleep, drinking more water, doing at least one good deed per day, etc. One thing in particular that has been driving me nutts lately is the amount of TV that I watch! It's ridiculous! My name is Laci and I'm a TV-aholic. I have a love/hate relationship with my DVR. It's great because I can watch an hour show in probably 30 minutes or less, but it's bad because it allows me to watch EVERYTHING under the sun! And boy do I record alot of junk! RuPaul's Drag Race seriously Laci?! That's when I realized I had a problem. It ESPECIALLY drives my husband nutts lol bless his heart! I think if he's forced to watch another episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County I may find him on the roof ready to jump. I just get sucked in...it really is a sickness lol! The biggest thing I hate about my TV watching is the time it takes away from Alexis and Derek. Even though I've made healthy lifestyle changes, I've always held on to my couch potato tendencies. Don't get me wrong, when I get home after work and working out I'm usually running around the house like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get stuff done, but the minute I get it all done the first thing I want to do is hit the couch and turn on the tube...when I know I should be spending QUALITY time with my family.

Here's the Rules:

• No TV after 10:00...GO TO BED CRACKHEAD!!!


• Delete AT LEAST 3 shows off the DVR...the amount of shows you follow are redonkulous!


• Only 30 minutes of TV while Alexis is awake


• Can watch as much TV as you want from the time Alexis falls asleep till 10:00...which is probably 30 minutes if any LOL

~Laci

Wordless Wednesday...Kinda.

I don't want to be skinny, I want to be strong.

The Secret Life of a Twenty Something Fat Girl...

When I read this on One-Twenty-Five's blog, it hit so close to home I had to repost it. I'm still trying to shed these thoughts/characteristics as I shed the pounds.

• she’ll tell the sales assistant she doesn’t need help looking for a size, “I’m just browsing,” because she doesn’t want to say XL or size 18


• she believes all other people see is her weight and everyone thinks she’s lazy


• the thought of people describing her to someone, is one of her biggest fears, “you know who… the fat girl”


• she’ll eat more when her mom suggests she eats less. she doesn’t know why this is


• she’ll lay in bed at night and grab her stomach and wish deeply it would disappear.


• she’ll feel like such a failure working hard everyday to change her body, yet nothing ever changes


• she’ll always be the one with the camera at parties, that way she can delete all the ‘fat photos’


• her tagged photos are private on facebook, because what if someone tags a fat photo of her, and she’s not there to delete it?


• she is convinced he does not like her because of her weight


• she will have a good day or a bad day depending on the scale


• she waits for everyone to leave the jean area, so she can crouch down and look for the biggest ones at the bottom


• she constantly envies skinny girls and wishes she could be one


• she’ll wear long hoodies to cover the fat spilling over her jeans


• she’ll swear to herself everynight, “tomorrow will be different” but she’s already thinking about breakfast


• she’ll claim she doesn’t want to go to the school dance, but she does, she just doesn’t think she’ll be able to find a dress that fits


• she’ll stare at herself in the mirror, in her underwear, and wonder what it’s like to be skinny. always sucking in her hardest.


• she’ll be consumed with thoughts of the warm bread on the table, fighting the urge to reach for it, pretending to listen to her friend’s story, but all she can think about is the bread


• she is obsessed with having pretty hair and perfect skin to at least be, ‘the fat girl with a pretty face,’ or better yet, maybe she can trick people.


• she’ll know every trick in the book to hide her lumps with the right clothes and how to angle her body for photos


• She'll miss out on all the fun shopping trips with her girlfriends because she would just die if they found out her size


• she’ll fake not caring, never show her weakness, even ordering anything but salads to show she doesn’t care. but she does.


• she sneaks food the whole time, but then wonders why her diet isn’t working


• after a few pounds lost, she’ll be naive and think losing weight is easy, she now knows how and then she’ll reward herself with food


• she’ll “accidentally” forget her bathing suit for the lake


• she’ll lie and tell her friends she can’t afford the march break trip, because of the whole bathing-suit-in-front-of-people-thing


• she’ll wonder how different her life would have been, had she been skinny


• she thinks of being overweight as having something wrong with her. and thus accepting herself is failing

It is the best feeling in the world for these thoughts/feelings to disappear from my mind. However, it's scary to think that no matter how much weight I lose, I may always have these thoughts going through my head. I feel for anyone else that shares these same feelings. It's like being a prisoner in your own life. I wish I would have made healthy lifestyle changes a long time ago, because no food is worth having these feelings.

~Laci