moot point.

i've finally just about had it. i'm 37, so i guess it's about time. tired of being a "yes-woman." so i finally said no.
i won't say it felt great, but it didn't feel bad, either.
after feeling very un-appreciated in a slapped-in-the-face kind of way, i separated myself from some folks. and only after doing so did i realize just how much their presence in my life had drained me. they were work. real work. i guess i didn't realize just how much i was doing for them until it became so blaringly obvious how little gratitude they had for my efforts. and how much they had come to expect my service, as though they had some sort of right to it. and how utterly shocked they were that i would dare say, "enough."
i'm no psychologist, but if you have to be reminded to be a decent, thankful, and appreciative person, then i'd say you've got issues.
actually, it kind of did feel great. buh-bye.

today's damage...

i love shaw's. it doesn't love me, but that's another post. today i spent a whopping $1.11 total on the following:

transaction 1:
6 quaker rice quakes in various flavors (retails for 1.99 each, on sale for $1 each)
1 finish quantum 15 pack (retails for 5.29, on sale for 4.39)
2 salsa chips (retails for 2.99 each, on sale for buy one, get one free)

total retail price: 23.21
total sale price: 13.38
total coupons: 13.50
6 x 1.50 for quakes (.75 coupons that doubled)
2 x 1.00 for salsa chips
1 x 2.50 for quantum

total out of pocket: -.12!!!! the quantum coupon reduced the tax owed, so i ended up making 12 cents on this deal!

transaction 2:
6 quaker rice quakes in various flavors (retails for 1.99 each, on sale for $1 each)
1 finish quantum 15 pack (retails for 5.29, on sale for 4.39)
6 thomas pez dispensers (retails for 1.49 each, on sale for .37)
x-mas clearance??

total retail price: 26.17
total sale price: 12.61
total coupons: 13.50
6 x 1.50 for quakes (.75 coupons that doubled)
1 x 2.50 for quantum

total out of pocket: 1.23

so there you have it! my kids love the quakes snacks, and peter even sort of likes the nacho flavored ones since he's on a diet. i think i'll end up eating the salsa chips if emily doesn't beat me to it. i run my dishwasher every day, so we always need the quantums. i'll save the pez dispensers to use as party favors for ryan's birthday.

all in all, i had a great shopping day. now if i can just stay away from the gap and old navy. they are both having a killer sale, but we really don't need any clothes, so even a good deal would be a waste of money.

happy shopping!

singin's not your thing, baby...

i'm cracking up watching american idol. how does a person not know he is that awful?! and they waited in line to get up there and make fools of themselves. wow.

abby and nana...

simplify

today, i've been very busy. i shoppped, i treadmilled, i cleaned, i conquered. the kids are fed, pajammed, and will be far and away very soon. all is well.
except it isn't. i miss nana. driving into town today, i cried and cried with the missing of her.
i've felt it coming for a few days, though i'm not sure what it is about this week or this day that has me sadder than sad. maybe it's that i would have been doing a few errands for her today, and then visiting for a time, but not staying to sit nearly long enough.
i think often of the last time i sat with her. and how the room had been so full of her, and then how quickly it emptied.
i try to think more often about how she made her way in the world. alone a lot, stubborn, and proud. eager to say a kind word and offer a hand to help, and the first to offer harsh advice if that's what the situation called for.
simply. she lived simply. the fanciest thing about her was the china in her cupboard. i have it now. carefully displayed, with her favorite flower placed above, and a picture of her happy and smiling tucked behind that. i see her face every day. and yet, i ache with the missing of her.
i think of emily, who remembers playing with her, spending the night, laughter. and ryan, who insists that nana is still in the hospital -- i guess since heaven is a place too far away for a four year old to contemplate. and abby. abby who will never remember meeting nana.
that thought, quite simply, steals my breath.

i love to shop!

so, thanks to many wonderful friends in cyberland, i have a hobby that actually affects our bottom line -- i am a coupon geek. there, i admit it. i love a deal, and if isn't on sale and i don't have a coupon for it, we ain't gettin' it. that's right, i said ain't.

my faves? shaw's and catalina deals. oh baby. and rite-aid rewards (but only because my husband's discount makes our out-of-pocket dirt cheap), and cvs extra bucks. having once slaved (um, worked) at cvs for a couple of years, the joy that comes from walking out of there with a bag full of free stuff almost brings me to tears.

anyhoo, i'm no expert by any means, but i'm quite pleased with my results. today especially. i spent $12.88 on everything pictured here (retail value is $104.43). in case you aren't impressed with the picture, perhaps a list with retail prices will convince you of my stunning achievement:

1 fiber one muffins (abby loves these) 4.49 for 4! what the heck?!
2 two packs of playtex insulated sippy cups 7.99 each
3 boxes of golden grahams 3.29 each
3 boxes of build a dino fruit snacks 2.50 each
2 boxes of mini fruit roll-ups 2.99 each
1 nature valley granola bars 3.49
4 nature valley nut clusters (yee-um!) 3.59 each
1 pedialyte 5.99
2 huggies diapers 11.99 each
2 12 count cottonelle ultra double rolls 8.69 each

fantastic, no? validate me, please! i need your approval!

they're driving me insane.

that's all. i haven't posted in a long, long while because i just sat down. yep, since last year, this is just about the first time i sat down. it feels like it anyway.