DOOR BATTLE

Just this morning I was having a battle of my life. With what? With our downstairs hallway closet door. For some reason the sliding door won't cooperate on me. I hate and love sliding doors. No matter what I tried lifting the door and aligning the bearings it still wouldn't align properly. I was so close to loosing it and just tearing the door down, lol. Giving up was not a choice, had to think of another way. Finally I got a philips screw driver and just took the bearing out. I realigned it on top of the door and screwed it back it. Beaming with pride, I hopped off Kaitlyn's stool and almost did a dance. I was so proud of myself. Now that I know how to fix it by the end of this night I will have fixed the sliding door closet in our guest room.

BREAKING DAWN

Last Thursday I finally went to see the newest installment of the twilight saga. My gal pal Krista went with me. It was my first girls night out, lol. I was so excited to finally go out and see the movie. I had heard raves from people who had seen it already. Before going to the movies we went on a little detour. Actually Krista had to stop at Fashion Bug to get her outfit for her work Christmas party. We were almost late going to the movies. The good thing about going to the movies on a weekday is that its slow. It was almost deserted that I was afraid they were closed. We got in before the actual movie started. Missing some of the previews of upcoming shows was no biggie.

The movie was good but I thought they dragged some of the scenes to long. My favorite part was of course the honeymoon. It was funny and romantic at the same time. There were scenes in the movie that was different from the book. All in all it was great, I loved it. I cannot wait for the the last installment which i heard will be this coming summer. To those who haven't seen the movie yet, go see it.

BACK TO APPLE

Did I ever write about my husband frustration about his Cellphone? A couple of weeks ago he called me and ranted about his Iphone4 not working right. The home button key was giving him such a headache. I told him that I could take it to the apple store to have it looked at and maybe fixed. He didn't want to do that, instead we headed off to the Mall on his next day off to look at other phones. He got the newest Samsung Skyrocket complete with Cell phone accessories. It had a bigger screen and was almost the same as his Iphone4. He was excited about his new cellphone. In less than a week he got more and more frustrated with his new phone. The battery life was just ridiculous that he threatened to throw it against a wall. I had to remind him that we can still return it and get a refund so he can choose another phone. He ended up with the new Iphone4s. He said he is sold on the Iphone more than ever. I can't wait until the newest Iphone6 comes out next year. Having a smartphone has not only kept me connected to my family but it has also helped with my newest addiction, couponing!

DEALS AND MORE DEALS

Last week was not only full of good food and good laugh it was also full of good bargains. As a couponer I was excited for all the great deals that were out for people to grab. This year I wasn't so much into going to the malls. My sole purpose was to head on to our nearest Walgreens to score some serious deals. What made it more fun was I had my cousin to tag along with me. I taught her a few of the ropes and she picked up pretty quick. We had such a great time. My cousin was having a blast and so were her little girls. You wouldn't believe the screaming and the running around in our house the day of Thanksgiving and after.

We did go to the mall still since my cousin wanted to do some retail shopping specially with no sales tax in our state. We got to the mall afternoon of black friday. The Mall was still packed and people were still running around trying to catch good deals. I dread to think what it must have been like the morning the Mall opened up. There were more people out shopping this year than last. My cousin bought a couple things for her kids and I also got tempted. Yes, I to get tempted. With so many transaction going on It made me wonder. If the cast registry could say something they would probably call for a time out. With all the many transaction being dealt they better have a good receipt printer like the Epson TM-T88V. I am one of those people who is very anal about my receipt. For sure a whole bunch of people will be keeping track of their receipt just in case some of their purchases have to be returned. My cousin and I have already put our receipt in our wallet. I'll probably still have my receipt until next year,lol. This years Thanksgiving was amazing. Not only did a get to shop for the first time as a couponer but I also had the pleasure of sharing the experience with a fellow couponer who happens to be my cousin.

TURKEY AFTERMATH

I am so exhausted. My cousins family just left last night before 12 midnight. They were going to stay one more night but decided against it. Her husband wanted to be on the road so that they won't hit to much traffic. They had a long drive ahead of them going to Chicago. I hated seeing them go but in a way I gave a sigh of relief. Don't get me wrong, I didn't want to get rid of them but I wanted to rest, lol. The few days that they spent with us was great. My cousin and I had so much fun, we connected in a different way this time. I guess its because we are both mom and marred. We talked about a lot of things ranging from our kids, our husband, our childhood and most of all our couponing, lol. Yes, my cousin was ecstatic to find out I was already couponing. She is more of a newbie than me so I taught her some of the things I learn along the way. It was a great few days and I can't wait to have them here again. Now, I just need a few days to recharge my batteries. I don't feel like blogging at all. All I want to do is go to sleep for a week and not do any chores! How was your Thanksgiving?

A TIME TO THANK

Just a quick note :

Happy Thanksgiving to all of us. Let us take this time to reflect. To say what we are thankful for. I am thankful for my family, and for all the hardship that we have surpassed. I thank my family for taking the time to come down and celebrate Thanksgiving with us. It means a lot to me.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

SO MUCH TO DO, SO LITTLE TIME

A few more to go and its going to be Thanksgiving. Its our turn this year to host the Thanksgiving dinner at our house. Its going to be a loooooooong few days for me. I have so much to do but with very little time. I won't be online much as I have to clean, organized, go food shopping and cook before Thanksgiving. This is going to be extra special for me this year. Why? My cousin and her family from Chicago are driving down. She is also picking up her parents and sister is New York. Its going to be a full house. My kids are already very excited to see their cousins. I feel so overwhelmed and stressed. I just want things to be perfect, but perfection is to much to ask, lol. I am really looking forward to having my side of the family again. The last time they were here was 3 years ago also for Thanksgiving. I just hope my family will have a great time!

NEED GLASSES

Its been literally days since I indulged in my latest addiction, couponing. What's great about couponing for me is I get to kill two birds with one stone. I am saving and I am also getting my exercise. How? I walk like 2o minutes going and coming home. The only thing that really sucks is when I see a great deal but the store is no longer a walking distance. I have to rely on my MIL or husband to drive me around, most likely my MIL. She is an angel and is literally my driver, takes me where I go. However, she hasn't taken me out as of late. Her glasses have been bothering her. As a retiree and depending on her social security she is on a tight budget. With that I was off in search for decent glasses at an affordable price. One that stood out is www.glasses.com where they work with renowned lens specialist, has competitive pricing and most importantly with a 24/7 customer service and free standard shipping. Now I haven't really ordered anything but I would not hesitate to recommend an online store when I see a 24/7 customer service.

I have checked it out and it seems to have an easy layout and system of browsing and ordering. They even have the virtual try me on. Where you can upload your photo and try on as many glasses as you want. That is a big deal. You can now see for yourself what you would look like. Check out the picture below, thats me trying on one of the glasses. I tried on the Paolo Visconti GLU05 with the matte brown frame for $49. Not only do they sell frames, they also have a varied selection of womens sunglasses which I think is great. I am actually on the lookout for a new pair of sunglasses specially with the winter months coming. Check them out and try the Virtual try-on to see which glasses is for you, I did!!

COUPONS GALORE

I have been neglecting and procrastinating on writing post on my blog. I have just been so busy as of late and almost all my time is spent couponing. Its almost like a full time job and I have to keep track of all the coupon online and print them out. If my printer could talk it would probably tell me to give it a breather,lol. Since I started couponing almost 2 months ago I have used over 500 sheets of paper and used so much ink.
I have also clipped a whole bunch or coupons from news paper inserts and magazines. I never understood why those women who are on the Extreme Couponing show why they do this. Its the high and adrenaline rush that keeps you addicted. You feel your heart racing and pumping, your hands gets so cold and clammy when you see those numbers go higher and higher. You wonder how your are going to pay for it and start to get all nervous and scared. Then as you hand in your coupons you pray that you have a smooth transaction. The first beep of the coupon being scanned is like a tranquilizer. Calming you down little by little and then when you see that you have cut the cost to more than 50-90% , that is where you get a rush, an adrenaline rush like no other. It makes you smile from the inside.

Couponing is not as easy as it seems. It takes skills, concentration and keen eye for a good bargain for it to work. I am still a newbie and I do not claim to be good at it yet. But with trial and error and support from other couponeers I will become successful. In almost two months of couponing my stockpile has grown and will keep growing,lol.. Next time I will post a picture of my growing stockpile, lol

GRANDPA ON ALL SOULS DAY

This post is for my Grandpa who died last July,2011. He was the rock in the family. A man who was not afraid of honest hard work. A man who dedicated his life taking care of his family. Lolo instilled good values in me. I miss him so much and until now, I still can't grasp the enormity that he is gone. I know he is with our creator but deep inside I have not fully accepted it. As we were driving into the development yesterday when all of a sudden I felt like crying. Missing him so much is painfully. Crying was my outlet when I found out about his death a few months ago. So much tears was shed for him but it wasn't enough. It will probably hit me hard when I go home and visit my grandparents house. The thought that he won't be eating with us, laughing with us and sharing stories with us. I miss you so much Lo, it hurts. But I know you are looking down on us. At least I have a lot of memories to remember you by. I will miss you forever!

IN THE AIR

Its November and the air smells like Christmas already. I can almost hear the sleigh bell from Santa's ride. Trick or treat went without a hitch. We had both girls this year they had a good time. They also got more candies this year than last. It was a colder than last year but that didn't stop my girls from knocking on doors and saying "trick or treat". We brought along flashlights so we can see the kids and light their way. Did you go trick or treat with your kids? I think going as a group is much better, its more fun and more eyes on the kids.

WILL I FIGURE IT OUT?

Finally after a more than a week I got a call from my cousin apologizing for the cancelled family visit. She happened to call on Ralph and Kaitlyn's Birthday. What was funny about this call was she called me by accident. She was trying to get hold of someone else but dialed my number instead, lol. With her being so busy home schooling her two kids and running an online business I wonder which calling services she has. To my knowledge she has clients from Europe and other countries. And with her husband being computer savvy I am pretty confident she has the right calling services. I wonder how those things work. Is it the same as Skype? I haven't even figured out how to do conference call on our house phone. At least I finally figured out how to do conference call on my iPhone,lol.

DONE AND DONE

The weather in the past few weeks have been totally crazy. One minute we are still having Summer life weather and the next its raining cats and dogs or its freezing like a sun of a gun! I was hoping and wishing for a long winter but the day we closed our pool for this season was a big indication that the warm weather will not be sticking around for long. At least we got our pool covered and winterized without any incident, lol. The only thing that made covering and winterizing the pool hard was the safety pool fence around it. It kind of got in the way or putting the tarp on but we managed it and both Ralph and I gave a big sigh of relief! The kids were sad that they will no longer be swimming but they are looking forward to the winter months while I am most certainly not!!!!

CELEBRATION FOR TWO

Today two important people shared not only a special relationship afforded by a father and daughter but they both share the same birthday. To this day I still can't believe that our youngest was born on her daddy's birthday. Both of them will never forget each others birthday. The only person missing in this photo is our oldest Kayla. She was at her moms for the weekend. It would have been extra special has she been there to celebrate with her dad and younger sister.

To my husband and daughter, Happy Birthday and I hope that Ralph had a good time even though he didn't get anything. Like I always say to him every year on his birthday and special holidays " Kaitlyn is my gift to you for the next 18 years!"..... And to my princess bruiser, I hope you had a blast on your special day!

NO SHOW

I was right! My cousin and her family didn't show up. I am not upset or anything but I was hoping for a call from her to let me know if they were coming or not. Good thing I called my Aunt and was told that they did visit her in NY but they had a very tight schedule and had to leave. Oh well, there is always a next time. Now that October visit is out I wonder if a November visit would happen. Possibly on Thanksgiving? We haven't even decided yet where to have this years Thanksgiving. Will we be hosting this year or will it be at Angelo's house. I have got to ask who is hosting so plans can be made and I can do my Thanksgiving shopping properly. October is almost coming to an end and preparation need to be done. Will you be hosting this years Thanksgiving?