New HOME and "extreme couponing"

Hi all!! I have exciting news!!!  We have made an offer on a house that has been accepted and unless any unforeseen circumstances arise we will be able to close on or before August 26th!! Personally, I am hoping it will be before then!!! We were very lucky and got an amazing deal on it. It was a short sale and we were at the right place and right time to find it.  Here is a link to some photos....Our new Home!!

It needs some updates in the kitchen and we plan on painting the outside white with tan accents....the gray is cute but a little dark for me.  It just needs some love and charming, home warming touches.  It is perfect for us!! Even Jake is excited about it, which for Jake, is big!! 


Speaking of Dr. Schmitt.... He starts his first day next Tuesday! He is so very excited to be working and has been extremely busy preparing so many important documents, meetings and setting up all the details to run a business.  I am extremely proud of how hard he has been working to make sure every detail is accounted for to run the business.  He has had to set up an account, insurance, apply for insurance boards, form a company handbook, set up payroll, etc. He told me that every time he gets one thing figured out, he has ten more things he needs to do.  


This past weekend my sister-n-law Jenny and I tried our hand at "extreme couponing".  We both had been watching the shows on TLC and looking at coupon sites and blogs on the internet but 2 weekends ago we decided to start clipping coupons.  We were both super excited and I know that I will be doing this on a regular basis after seeing what I was able to save!!! We went to walgreens for one purchase and then CVS for the next purchases.  We were able to buy 7- 8 packs of Bounty paper towels, 6-16(double roll) pk of Charmin, 8- boxes of Tampax pearl tampons, 4- Bottles of Arm & hammer laundry detergent, 3- bottles of Cascade dishwasher detergent, 4- Mitchum deodorant, 4-Old Spice body washes, 4-Free- old spice body sprays, 2- 5 pk-gillette venus disposable razors, 2-5pk-gillete Mach 3 disposable razors, 4- bottles of Herbal Essences shampoo and conditioner(free), 4-bottles of Aussie shampoo and conditioner (free), 3- 2 liters of diet coke, 6- Oral B advantage toothbrushes, and 3 reeese's cups all for $158.00 !!!!!!!!!! If I would have bought these thing straight off the shelf, not on sale or with coupons, I would have spent of these things would have cost $445.71!!  That's a savings of $287.71!! 64% savings.  The key to doing this is combined the items they are running a sale on with coupons and special promotional offers.  For example, 
CVS was running a sale on Charmin 16 pks for $9.99
There was a manufacturers coupon in the sunday paper for $0.25 off
CVS had a special promotion...Spend $30.00 on certain products...like the Charmin and Bounty I bought and they will give you a $10 gas card for Shell or BP.  So you could buy $30 worth of Charmin and really only spend $20.  If you were to buy the Charmin at CVS at regular price, you would spend $15.99 plus tax for one pack.  Something that work normally cost $51.34(tax included) now only cost you $20 plus tax.  Once we figured out how to combined these offers to maximize the savings it was quite addicting.  
Here is a picture of some of what we bought...Extreme Couponing round one!!

The toothbrushes were free because they were on sale for $3.00, we had a coupon for $1.00 and if you used your CVS Extracare card, they would give you $2.00 in "extra care bucks" to spend back in the store.  They are worth $2.00 you can use towards your next purchase in the store.  We clearly used our extra care card bucks on more purchases.  


My next challenge is to keep clipping and try and save more at the grocery store.  It is really interesting to me to see where this is going to go.  I feel like I can only improve my "maximizing" and save even more money.  Jenny and I are going to try and make every saturday or sunday morning a coupon clipping session and plan our shopping trips.  If I can make any big suggestions or recommendations, they are, DO NOT BRING your little kids. I sure do love Liam, but he is not one to sit still in a cart.  He came with us on one trip and was not very helpful. Between the sugar high he was on from the donut and a half he had eaten before we went and his extreme random screeching which he thought was great, on a weekend morning, for all of CVS to hear, or him being able to push the cart.....DO NOT TAKE your little ones. Two, would be have a plan and figure all your totals as close as possible. Organize your coupons and get a CVS card for you, your husband, and as many as you can get. The offers are limited to a certain number per CVS card.  Me, Jenny, Jake, and Blaize now all have one.  This is another way we were able to get so much. 


Well I hope you have found this helpful and enjoy reading.  My one camera memory card is packed away and our other camera battery charger broke so I will try get some new pictures up soon.  


Seriously, I felt like I had won an Olympic Gold Medal after doing this!!! I know some people might think I am a dork or stupid, but those people really need to take a look at how much money they might be throwing away.  When Jenny and I sat down to do this, we were a little overwhelmed with how to get a method to the crazy couponing.  We want to get things we know we will need, are none perishable and that save our family money.  I don't want to waste my time buying things I am never going to use and will go to waste.  My idea is to save where I can and maximize where I can.  

The BIG Move to Indiana!!!

WOW....I think to say I am a bit overdue on posting on our blog is an understatement!! In our defense, we have had so much going on!  Since my last update, Jake has graduated Optometry School and applied for his Indiana license so he can practice here in Indiana, I have left LeBonheur and will begin my new job in a few days, we packed our house and moved to Indiana and thankfully it looks like with a few details left, we will close on our house in Memphis by July 15th.  Did I mention I put an offer in on a house in Indiana and we are patiently awaiting the bank's approval of our offer because the house is a short sale.....since it's a short sale, it could take a month or more to hear a response.  I am so relieved that we found someone to buy our house in Memphis and feel blessed that we have such wonderful family friends in Evansville that have let us rent their home until we are able to find a permanent one.
Moving truck packed to the brim
We owe a big THANK YOU!! to my dad and my sister n law Jenny.  They came down last weekend to help pack up our house, watch Liam, and move us home.  I really don't know what we would have done without them!! Jenny, god bless her!!!! Was AMAZING!! Not only did she get to experience all this craziness, but she got to experience how much I hate being disorganized and without stability.  She was absolutely amazing and I owe her lots of help in the future. My dad was the one who moved me to Memphis and I was glad he was there with us to end that chapter of our life.
Leaving Memphis and moving back to Indiana was such an emotional experience.  When I moved away to Memphis, 3 years ago, I was absolutely home sick!! I hated everything about Memphis but my job.  I never imagined how amazing Memphis would become to me.  It truly feels like home because it's where Jake and I bought our first our home, had our first baby, started our life together, I started my career as a nurse, and for me, all these huge things our what make a family, marriage and form bonds in life together.  When I left Indiana, I wasn't married, I was living with my parents, I wasn't a licensed nurse yet, and I wasn't a momma either.  Every beginning was made in Memphis.  So coming home and feeling like it's "home" doesn't really feel like it yet.
I didn't expect to form real, true friendships....I am not a person who has a million close girlfriends and call everyone a best friend.....Memphis changed that for me.  All of these amazing women I became friends with  are so different from each other yet they are all so close.  You don't often find people who are so opposite in some ways have so much in common and appreciate each other for their differences.  I just love it!!  From the very beginning, they were all so welcoming and nice and took me under their wing.  I think that because of these amazing people, Memphis feels like home.
I am glad to be back home with family around and we can drive 10 minutes to see them instead of 5 hours. Liam absolutely loves being around everyone and I know they love him being home.  There is a comfort in being back home.  It's so nice to know where everything is and how to get everywhere.  I feel blessed to now have 2 places to call home.
I will be bringing several traditions from the south.....I hope Y'ALL know that every season I will be having holiday signs that say "Happy Fall Y'all"  Merry Christmas Y'all" hanging from my front door or mailbox!! I will be bringing some of those sweet smocked dresses when I have a little girl and some monogrammed gifts will be given from the Schmitt Family : )  Watch out Indiana!!!

Happy Easter!

Easter was quite different than I had hoped it would be.  For starters, I had to work all day. Liam had been running a fever all day the day before and I was worried that he had an ear infection.  I was worried because the last ear infection he had was pretty bad and happened overnight.  He was pretty pitiful, he just snuggled with Jake all day on Saturday and ran a fever of 102 all day long.  He gave him tylenol and ibuprofen which helped until it wore off.  I really wanted to take him to his pediatrician but  since it was going to be Easter Sunday, that would be impossible.  I didn't want Liam and Jake to sit in an ER or urgent care for hours on Easter Sunday, so luckily one of the amazing physicians I work with was on and I sent him a text when I got home saturday night to see if he would look at him in the morning.  He said he would, so Sunday morning started off with Liam, Jake, and I driving to my work and going up to the unit.  Liam is normally a very friendly, smiley little boy who will interact with anyone.  As soon as we got in the elevator, he looked around at everyone as they were all saying hi to him and he just started crying....bless his heart.   He stopped for a minute when I held him and then when we got in the Dr.s room in the unit, he started crying and was so scared.  He normally does great when we go to the pediatrician, he lets Dr. Mathis do whatever to him.  He lets him look in his ears without any issues, but that day was a sick sad Liam, not happy interactive Liam.  I felt bad bringing him up to work but it gave me peace of mind to find out that it was just a virus and not his ears.  I love my job but it's hard to take care of someone's sick child if you don't do something for your own sick child.  I am so thankful for Dr. Bugnitz for letting me bring him up there!! Thank you Mark!!!

After Liam and Jake left the unit, Jake got lost finding his way out and then he discovered a parking ticket on our car.  I made myself think about what day it was and tried to put all things in perspective.  So I smiled and worked the rest of my shift.  All I wanted to do that day was to see Liam hunt eggs and open his Easter Basket.  I rushed home and it was almost dark outside but I got to see him hunt eggs and it made my day.  He  got so excited for each egg.  We had been practicing earlier that week.  His face was priceless and precious!!! He was so genuinely excited and would gasp with excitement.  He knew there was candy inside and was so good about opening  the egg and bringing the candy to us to open it for him to eat.  He loved opening his Easter basket. He might not of worn his Easter outfit that I had planned but he enjoyed Easter and that's all that matters.  Jake and my mom made Easter dinner and it was great.  I wanted to make these little easter chick cakes, and Jake was so sweet, and baked the cakes so I could make them.  We decided that to make them the next night since we were running out of time but I really appreciated him making the cakes.  My mom got us all a big family Easter basket and she got me some shirts and a beautiful orchid.  After all the mishaps, Easter was fun for Liam and he enjoyed it.  We enjoyed watching him hunt for eggs and had a great dinner.  I hope next year I will be able to be home and enjoy the whole day together as a family.  Hope you enjoyed this post!!

Liam with all his Easter goodies

Checking out the goodies 

Easter decoration

Basket number one

Our Easter Tree

Our Easter basket from Nonnie

Night egg hunter

chocolate in one hand and an egg in another

I love this book!! This was part of his Easter goodies

Spring has sprung and Liam is springing everywhere!!

Wow! It's been way too long since my last blog entry.  There have been so many things going on the past month, it's been hard to get much of anything done.  Since the last blog entry, we have finished the floors and put our house on the market.  It's been on the market for 22 days and hopefully won't be on there much longer!  Jake has 18 days left of clinic!! After 8 years of his hardwork and dedication, May 20th will be his pay day!  Even though sometimes I want to ring his neck, I feel amazingly blessed to have him as my best friend and husband.  I often look at him and am in awe of all the things he has accomplished.  We have been together since September 14th, 2003, his 18th birthday.  I have watched him transform from a teenage boy into a man and father.  He truly is my best friend and I am so proud to be his wife.  I can't wait to watch him transition into the next chapter of our life. 

Loves his boots!

First pair of flip flops...so cute

He loves his brother puppy

Best friends!

sweet little expression

Huh mom?

Focused face

This isn't supposed to be neatly rolled up...

He is such a little picker and explorer

Looking for our neighbors bulldog named pepperoni

Jake, Liam, and I will be traveling home in 2 weeks so he can sign the contract to purchase an optometry practice in Evansville, Indiana.  We are so grateful to be able to move back home so close to family and have the opportunity to purchase the practice.  I will be starting my new job at the end of June and Jake will be probably be starting around the end of July after he gets his license.  Moving to Memphis included so many transitions at once. We purchased our first home, I graudated nursing school, got married a few days later,  moved away from family, started a new job, and then started our married life.  It took me quite a while to adjust to life here in memphis, but now that it's getting close to leave, it will seem so weird to be back in Indiana.  This will be such a bittersweet chapter in my life.  I truly can't explain with words, how humbled an thankful I am for all of the amazing friends I have made and experiences I have been through.  The people I am so blessed to work with every day, are amazing and have become my second family.  I can't explain how much I will truly miss each and everyone of my friends.  They have each touched my life in their own way and I will never forget it!!

Liam is just growing and becoming a little boy more and more each day.  He is so sweet and funny.  I just love watching him explore and discover the world around him.  He is obsessed with being outside and will stay outside playing for hours. He is really starting to talk more and more.  He is currently in love with the words "yes", "this", and "sis-sissy"-for our dog sophie, he calls her sis.  He says yes, no, milk, juice, ball(another favorite), yah, "uck" or yuck. He is able to show you where his head, ears, nose, mouth, belly, and toes are.  He loves making animal noises and is really in love with dogs!  He points to them wherever we are.  He likes music and loves to dance.  Jake and Liam went to a crawfish festival a couple weekends ago.  There was a live band that was playing and so Jake let Liam down to walk around and Liam ran right up to the front of the stage and started dancing like no one was watching.  Jake said everyone thought he was so cute but Liam was having the time of his life and was oblivious to the people around him.  He said he had not a care in the world except that he wanted to dance.  I love how innocent and carefree he is.  He just loves being Liam and having fun. 

I am excited for Easter this year.  I unfortunately have to work Easter Sunday, but will be excited to get home in the evening to hide eggs for Liam to find.  He loves any time of ball and so I got him easter eggs that looks like sports balls.  He has a sweet tooth like his momma and will be so excited to find candy in them!! His PDO has an easter egg hunt on thursday and I think that if the weather permits, we will be attending. Hopefully by Easter he will get the hang of it!!   I will be posting photos and more updates in the next day or so....Hope you enjoyed reading!!

Under construction....

Liam's room with the stain on it

Our room with the stain on it

 Liam has been really good. He has limited play space and we have been working really hard on the house and haven't had a lot of extra free play time.  By no means do we ignore him or not play with him, but he just hasn't been the center of attention the past few days.  He has really been interested in helping.  As you can see in the photos below, he was trying to get going on the living room floors.  He would pick up a pair of pliers or a tool and start imitating  what we are doing.  I think he likes all the activity but wishes he could get a hold of the sander.  Jake and I started yesterday morning by renting the equipment at Home Depot. We started with a less aggressive sander and after several hours of sanding with not as much result as Jake expected, he made another trip back to get the Drum Sander or the more aggressive sander.  I did sanding with the non-aggressive one and Jake was in charge of the aggressive sanding.  Liam and the dogs really followed me with every pass of the sander. We were able to sand and stain the floors by the 7:00 pm last night.  The next step will be to apply the poly-urethane.  The stain definitely had a odor but we had the windows and doors open.  The poly-urethane is more volatile so Liam and Jake will probably be staying somewhere tonight while it is drying.  I think they look great so far and can't wait to see the finished product.  It will end up costing us around $211.00. This includes renting the equipment, buying the stain and urethane, and then after 9-11 hours of work we have managed to save ourselves a couple hour dollars.  Hopefully this will be done by friday and we can get the furniture back and get the house ready for the realtor to come and take photos.  Please know that my house is normally very clean, and pretty organized.  The photos below are not usually what our house looks like.  It's really insane that anyone could ever live like this, I feel like our house looks like we are hoarders.  Hope you have enjoyed the photos and the update! I will keep posting as the house comes along.  Happy reading!!

Jake's dust coated self..His hair looks like he is going grey on the side

 

Jake applying the first coat of stain

The hired help...Serious about sanding

He really prefers to wear a diapers and shoes only

The drum sander..aggressive sander

This is what Liam's floor looked like after  I removed the carpet

It had lots of paint stains and spills

Liam was trying to work on the living room floors

Cute little thing!

Jake working on our room

Liam's room carpet

 
Lately we have been working on our house to get it ready to sell.  We initially were going to do some minor fixes and paint the bathroom,replace the bedrooms carpet, minimal landscaping, and stage the house.  Well, that has changed, we have now added a little more on our plate.  We decided we could save money by refinishing the floors underneath the carpet and we needed to paint the "man room".   I also decided to paint out bedroom furniture and then we had to paint the room trim too.  We have been moving from room to room and the house is in complete disarray!! We are hoping to be done with the house by this weekend.  Here are some pictures off the floors and of course Liam!!

Non-aggressive sander... Liam was very curious