Good mail day!

I'm so glad some of the goodies I have been waiting on are rolling in. Today I got:

- Bic pen (Facebook giveaway)
- Clif Bar Mojo bar (can't wait to try it!!)
- Degree 24 protection deodorant

SO worth the wait!!

A few weeks ago I had signed up for the Bodum Pavina campaign at Bzzagent. They sent out samples of the glasses to people who were in the campaign and yesterday I received mine! (I was starting to worry, as it took quite a while to receive and usually their kits come much faster) All I can say is, these glasses were SO worth the wait!!





I haven't had a chance yet to show them off to anyone but Z, but I can't wait to share them!! These glasses are simply amazing!!! They are a double wall thermo-glass, which means they will keep hot drinks hot for longer and cool drinks cool longer. Each glass has a little rubber "stopper" on the bottom that actually allow the glasses to "breath"! They are handmade, and you can tell they are very high quality. They are also dishwasher and microwave safe....and also safe for the oven and freezer, so even though they are high quality, they are completely versatile!!!!

I am so excited to be apart of this campaign and can't wait to Bzz about these glasses!!!

Weekend is almost over

This weekend actually didn't fly by!! Z had to work yesterday and today, so i'm assuming that's why it didn't go by fast. The boys and I have had a blast this weekend, though!! Thursday night Z brought home at least a dozen HUGE balloons for the boys to play with! (where he works puts up balloons when they have a sale, and they were just going to pop them so Z asked if he could bring them home to the boys. Both boys love them!!! Ty woke up Friday morning and came into the bathroom where I was brushing my teeth and said "I didn't know Chase could fly!!" I looked at him and said "What do you mean?!?" I was thinking he was still half asleep!! He said "I saw Chase on the ceiling in the living room...I didn't know he could fly!" Ummmm, are you sure that's what you saw? LOL He came out and saw the balloons and was SO excited!! He only got to mess with them a little before he went to school, but when Chase woke up the look on his face was priceless! He had a BLAST playing with them!!

You really have to look to see him in the balloons.....



One got loose.....



Ty loves to wrap them around his legs and run!!!



I just love how something so simple makes them both so happy and they have so much fun with them.

What happens when Chase is being too quiet......

He was playing with Ty in their room, but Ty came out to watch a movie.......after not hearing Chase for a few minutes we went in to check on him.....and found this:



Yes, he also put it on his lips, like lipstick.



And the best part?!? They are not washable markers, so I got off what I could with soap and water, but the rest will have to fade........

So far so good!

I know school has only been in session for two weeks now, but so far things are going great!! Ty is absolutely loving school and his teacher. He was a little upset that they changed some of his favorite lunch items, like the nuggets and chicken pattie. From what I had read, they were already fairly healthy for the kids so i'm not sure why they changed them?! They aslo switched milk brands and he said the strawberry milk and regular milk tasted nasty now. So it seems as though he will be taking his lunch more often this year, which is obviously not a bad thing! Also, the school has already sent stuff home for pictures (they are taking them on September 1st! WTH?!?) and they also sent papers home for their Scholastic book drive. I love the book drive idea, but i'm a little peeved about the pics so soon. They just freakin' started school!! And of course they are expensive. I think they cheapest packet is $13?!? And that's just for 8 wallet pics! We've stopped sending so many pics out, so we may just go with the wallet packet. Besides, they also do Spring pictures and I like them alot more....even though they cost ALOT more!! We'll start saving up for those pics soon. But then again, we may not get as many as our list of people to mail to has gotten ALOT shorter. (sorry, but it had to be done....same as our Christmas card list. We are tired of mailing cards and people not having the common courtesy of mailing a card in return. I mean, that's not why we send them, but it would be nice to show you give a damn a little bit...right?!? Ok, done rambling! LOL)

Anyhoo, Ty is doing amazing and we are so proud of him! So far *knock on wood* his stomach hasn't been bothering him as much in the mornings (nerves, poor kiddo) and he's been eating breakfast every morning! It's a good thing too, since they don't eat lunch until 11:50....that's a long time to wait to eat when you don't eat breakfast!!!

Wear Orange!!!

Wear orange to support Pat Summit

Furniture saga

So last February (2010) we purchased a new sofa and love seat. They are made by Lane, and we got a really good deal on the pair. After having it for a few months, we noticed one of the seats on the sofa appeared to be sunken in. No biggie, since we purchased the extra warranty. Someone came out to "fix it", but it took her almost 3 weeks to make it out. And then when she did get to the house, she realised she had the wrong part to fix it and would need to order the part and come back to repair it. 2.5 weeks later she came back out and fixed the sofa. Fast forward to earlier this year. One of the recliners on the sofa lost a HUGE spring. And it's one of the recliners that hardly ever gets used! So we called where we purchased the furniture and spoke with the manager. We told him what was wrong and he said someone would get it fixed as soon as possible. Ok, that works. Several weeks later we realized no one has contacted us about it, so Z called the store yet again. The manager once again assured us he was working on it, and that he would check into getting the part at the warehouse and would call us back. Several MORE weeks pass and we hear nothing. This goes on for quite a few months, and then we are finally told "The part is in the warehouse and someone from there would contact us to set up a time to come fix the sofa." So we waited all week and no one called us. Hmmm, sounds like the store and the warehouse people don't believe in calling people back! We waited the week and decided to call back the store. The manager then tells us "Oh, the guy who was supposed to call us was on vacation the whole week." Ummm, so NO ONE else works there that could come and fix it?!? He then told us he would "call us back" and to give the guy who is going to fix it a chance to call us the following week. Guess what?!? Yep, no one called us!!! Z and I had FINALLY had enough, and after giving them plenty of time to get the sofa fixed we wanted something done ASAP! So Z told the manager we were done with the run around, and we either wanted a new sofa or our money back, and that NOW a recliner on the love seat was not working properly! He assured Z we would get it taken care of and that he would "call him back." Yeah, no call back. So Z called and spoke to the managers boss and we finally got things rolling. Z rold him how the manager was always saying he would call and never did, and that he felt he was ggiving us the run around and we were done. He said he would talk with the manager and call Z back. And he actually DID!!! We are now getting a new sofa!!! And, he said he would have someone come out and look at the love seat, but we are going to tell them it's not worth it and we want it replaced as well. All of this mess has been going on since APRIL!!! It's been so frustrating and I am beyond pissed at the customer service we received. I mean, how rude and umproffesional is it not to call someone back....and not just once, but LOTS of times!!! I told Z if it comes down to us getting our money back we will NOT shop at that store ever again.

Whew, if you read all of that ramble you SO deserve a cookie!!!! Hopefully we will have our new sofa next week!!!

Tooth #2 is out!!!

Yesterday when Ty got home from school he was telling me he could feel his new tooth coming in behind his loose tooth on the bottom, so I looked and sure enough there it was! His baby tooth was SO loose, I don't know how it was hanging on! So last night he kept messing with it and it finally popped right out!! He was so excited, and couldn't wait to show me the tooth....and of course the bleeding gum.

Z CT scan update

Z saw the cancer doctor today to find out the results of the CT scan he had last week. The doctor increased his cancer meds, and he'll have to have another CT scan done in 3-4 months. (he'll need repeat CT scans to keep track of the growth of the tumors left) They also said that was his first CT scan since his surgery, so they don't know if the tumors have grown any with nothing to compare it to. BUT.....he had a CT scan done in the hospital after his surgery, before he was released!!! Ummm, can't they use that scan to compare to last weeks scan?!? Oh, and he now has a hernia from the surgery that was done, and will most likely need surgery to correct it.

Weekend? What weekend?!?!?

Whew, I honestly don't know what happened to the weekend!! Z had to work Saturday, and we did all of our running yesterday so i'm assuming that's why our weekend flew by. :( Like time doesn't go by fast enough?!? And this week Z has to work 6 days, with three late nights so i'm thinking this week will fly by as well. WAHH!!! I just wish time would slow donw a little, please!

Last Thursday Z had his first CT scan, and today he see's the cancer doctor to find out the results. I guess in a way i'm glad this weekend went by fast.....waiting for the results has been tough!!! I'll update once I hear from him this afternoon......

Well, I need to get things ready so I can take Ty to school........hope everyone has a wonderful week!!!!

New plant!

Yesterday was Z's day off, as he had his CT scan to make sure the cancer isn't growing that he still has. ( we should know the results next Monday when he see's the cancer doctor) Well, after he had the scan, he made a few stops and came back home. It was nice to spend some time together, since he has been working some long hours with his new job. Well, we left to pick up Ty from school and to get a little running done. We went to Sam's Club and got a few needed things.......Ty and Chase LOVE the pizza at Sam's! (well, we ALL love it! LOL) So Z got a slice of pizza for the boys to share and we picked up what we needed and left. Next we went to Walmart to get some new fans for the bedroom. We all have our own fans we use when we sleep! Well, I actually now have two!! (I know, i'm so weird....but I can't sleep without a fan blowing in my face and on my feet!! LOL) So we basically now have two floor fans, one small fan on my night stand and a small clip on fan for Ty. (he's still sleeping in our room, basically because the boys bedroom is still full of boxes from when we moved last year and will most likely be that way until we move again :() Anyhoo, when we went into Walmart we went in through the garden section since the fans were right near there. Once we got the fans we got in line to check out, and Ty and I went to look at the plants they had. I am SO glad I looked, because I found a plant that I had been looking for for quite some time!! It's called a Purple Passion. I had had one many, many years ago and just loved it! In fact, one of my sisters had given me a piece of her plant, and mine grew so much from that tiny piece that I had to break pieces off for my mom and she took her's into work and it grew like crazy!!!! Mine actually got damaged and finally died off. :( I had been looking for another one for awhile, and actually found one at Home Depot but it was a little pricey. The one I found at Walmart yesterday was only $2.75!!! I picked one up and Ty was asking me about it and asked if he could have his own plant to take care of, so we talked to Z and he said go ahead and get two.....Ty was so excited!!!! I just love the color and feel of these plants.....



And I can't wait to see how they grow!!

Finally an amazing mail day!! *edit* pic added

Whew, what a GREAT mail day!!!! I got:

- Febreze Set & Refresh (from Facebook promo....I honestly didn't think I made it in in time!)
- Venus Embrace razor (I think from Facebook? or a text offer....and it came at the perfect time, as my razor has had it!)
- cute diabetes awareness magnet

And the best part....Z and I both got survey checks, totalling $110!!!! I can not stress how these checks came at the perfect time!!!!

A great day!!

The first day of school was a success!!! When Ty got in the van today I asked how his day went and he said "It was fantisimo!!" I said "It was what?!?" And he said "It was great!!" He said they didn't do alot, but mainly got to know each other and did a few papers. He said he really likes his teacher and is so glad he got her. All the teachers in his school are just amazing. Because his school is so small, it's like a close-knit family atmosphere and they really seem to care about the kids. I am so glad the year has started off great for him!!

He's ready!!!!

First day of school!!

Well, it's here.......ugh, I am having such a hard time with this! LOL Ty has been ready to go back for over a month now....me, not so much. He is such a big help during the day with Chase, and of course Chase LOVES playing with Ty. I know he will do just fine and obviously so will I! Just need to be strong, tell him I love him and wish him a great day and cry when no one is looking.........LOL!

Will post first day pics when I get back from dropping him off......I am SO glad today is just a half day!!!!

Layout

I'm waiting for some scrapbook paper to finish up Chase's first year scrapbook, so I decided to just go ahead and get started on the next album. I was going through pics I had printed and found some recent pics I took of Chase doing a somersault........well, I just had to scrap them!!!



I'm not 100% sold on this layout yet....I know it needs something still. I need to go through my scrap stuff and see if something catches my eye to add to this......

I also need to get pics taken of Chase's first year album and get them uploaded!!

Long overdue updates

I keep meaning to post updates about the boys, but keep getting sidetracked!!! Ok, on to the updates!!

Ty is doing great!!! As you already know, he starts school this coming Monday, August 15th. He is beyond excited about going back! I am so very thankful that he loves school so much and hope it continues as he gets older. I did horrible in school and hated it so much. :( (I was ubber shy and got picked on quite a bit, mainly in the higher grades....) I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that he is going into second grade. How is it I have a 7.5 year old?!? He is so amazing, though. He has his moments where he can be so mouthy and rotten, but what kiddo doesn't go through that?!? I still wouldn't trade him for anything.....not even peanut butter! LOL I checked his height and weight and he is well over 4 feet tall and 56lbs. Getting tall and skinny!! He loves to stand in front of me to see how tall he is compared to me and this morning he did it and said "Look mom, i'm now past your boobs!" Considering i'm so short, I knew he would end up being taller than me and it looks like he's right on track for that! LOL

Chase is also doing great!! He is starting to say more words now that I can actually understand! His list of words are:

- mama/mommy (depending on his mood depends on what he calls us!)
- dada/daddy
- Bubba (Tyler)
- MeeMee (our cat)
- nana (Z's mom)
- poppop (Z's dad and my dad)
- pee (please)
- tee-tee (thank you & bless you)
- me (excuse me)
- neenee (Ernie from Sesame Street)
- mo-mo (Elmo)
- owwww (sounds like E.T. saying "ouch" LOL)

That's about all I can think of, and spell! LOL Some things he says I have no idea what it is but he will show me what he is trying to say and i'll figure out what he means. Also, I can not get over this child's manners!!! He regularly says "please" and "thank you" and if someone sneezes he will say "bless you" (tee-tee). And whenever he burps he covers his mouth and will say "me" (excuse me) and he also says it when he passes gas! I'll ask him if his hiney burped and he'll giggle and say "Me!" I don't know of many 2 year olds who have manners like he does! We are so proud of him! He loves to play with his Bubba (Tyler) and tries his best to keep up with him, but poor guy is so clumsy.....just like his daddy! His little legs are all bruised up in the front, and he has at least 3-4 scratches on him, not to mention a little bump on his forehead from falling yesterday! :( I really wish I could wrap him in bubble wrap sometimes!!!! Chase is going to have such a rough time when Ty goes back to school. And i'll of course miss having Ty home with me as well.............this summer went by way to fast!!! :(

School Open House

Yesterday we went to Ty's school and met his teacher.....I have to say, I love the whole staff at Ty's school, but his teacher is SO nice!!! I liked her instantly, and so did Ty! Well, to be fair Ty sort of knew her since her classroom was close to his first grade classroom last year. He also saw who is going to be in his class and is super excited that some of his good friends will be with him. Now he is even MORE excited about going back to school!!!

CUTE!!!!

Today I received a super cute mini tote bag from Allure! (you had to enter a upc code from certain P&G products)

Last week of summer break

Wow, this summer just flew by! I still can't believe this is Ty's last week off. He's super excited about going back. We go this Thursday for the school's open house, and i'm actually looking forward to that! I can't wait to meet his teacher and see who else will be in his class. I hope some of his friends from last year will also be in his class. :)

Well, this weekend was nice. Yesterday I made some really yummy peanut butter cookies! I didn't have any Hershey Kisses to put in them, but I did have some Hershey Drops, so I used those and boy were they G-O-O-D!!



Also, Z fried chicken last night for dinner and I can honestly say I have never had chicken that tasted so amazingly yummy!! We switched to using buttermilk instead of eggs and that has made a HUGE difference. (we were leary about trying buttermilk, mainly because regular milk makes Z so gassy and we didn't know what buttermilk would do to him) The breading/coating on the chicken is so crispy and has some excellent flavor!! And the best part, it wasn't greasy at all!!!



Yum-Yum!!!

Well, I really need to get off of here so I can get things done around the house. Hope everyone had a great weekend!!

Back to school shopping

Well, I think we are just about done with back to school stuff! This weekend is tax free shopping, and boy were the stores packed!! We got him several pairs of shorts, some tshirts, new undies and socks. He didn't need a new backpack, since we got him a new one this past January.....and he still has shoes so he didn't need those, either. We got his other supplies earlier this week, so we *should* be all set!! He has 2-3 pairs of jeans that still fit, so we'll hold off on getting more when the weather turns colder. Now all that's left to pay is the fee they ask for every year. Oh, and today in the mail he got a postcard to let us know who his second grade teacher is!!! Next Thursday his school is having an open house so we can see the classroom and meet his teacher, plus take his supplies in......I tell ya, he is SO excited about going back to school!!!

Tonights dinner....

Chicken pot pie!



Ready for the oven.....



All done!!!



YUM!!!!

Had a fantastic day!!!

With the way this year has been for us, we ALL were needing a getaway. Obviously we needed to do something that didn't cost alot of money, but would be something to get us out of the house for a bit and be fun for the boys. Well, we ended up going to Pigeon Forge! We hit a few stores, Dollartree was first. I got SUCH an amazing deal there!!! I love the body mist that Dove makes, but it can be so expensive. Well, we were checking out and I saw a lady in front of us had a bottle of the Dove spray and I quickly told Z I wasn't done in the store yet and set off to see if I could find that body mist!! And I found it!!! WOOHOO!!! It sells for almost $4 at Walmart!!



I still can't believe I found it! After Dollartree, Z surpised me by taking me to the Scrapbook Outlet store in P.F.! There is a HUGE outlet store there, but there is also a second outlet store that is part of the regular outlet store that has even more savings. I've been wanting to get some cardstock, but didn't want to spend money on it that we just didn't have. Well, I found some super cute paper that was marked .10......



I figured .50 for some paper was a decent deal and wouldn't "break the bank" (I got 5 total sheets).....when it rang up, the total was .27!! And that's with tax!! Apparently, they take 50% off the total purchase!!! I can't wait to build up some survey money and go back over there again!!

After we left the Scrapbook store we took the boys to the Amusement park. Ty had a blast, but Chase wasn't a happy camper. :( It was so warm out, and the rides he could get on he cried when he was on them. Also, Ty is just getting too big for the rides which makes me sad. :( I did get some good pics, though....



Ty loves the rides so much over there! Chase, not so much.......LOL



I think the big thing with Chase was the heat. It was SO flippin hot!! But all in all, it was SO nice to get out of the house and it was GREAT seeing the boys enjoy themselves! We really needed this outing.....and it didn't cost alot of money!!!

Couldn't resist

Amazon had an amazing deal on a book I thought Chase would love. (well, I knew Ty would like it as well!) It was Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar Finger Puppet book!! Both boys love the original book, and with this book being under $3 I just had to get it for them! (and honestly, can you really have too many books?!? LOL)