What we did this summer…..

We had a busy summer!  I know that for some people they don’t consider it to be over quite yet, but at our house summer is unfortunately over.  Natalie started first grade on Monday.

 

So here is a quick recap of a few of the activities that we did this summer:

Megan turned 4 in June! 

She asked for a birthday Barbie and was so excited to get one from my parents.

We went to the beach with my entire family.

 

The girls got their hair braided as a beach souvenir.

(They stayed in for a little over 2 months!)

In July I catered a wedding reception (with lots of help from great friends!) for a couple from our church.  I only have a few pictures that Steve took before the ceremony.  We were just a little busy during the reception. 

We covered a big piece of styrofoam with “pretty” lettuce and then filled it in with the veggies.  My friend Rebecca made a mini radish bouquet in the center.

Another one of our amazingly talented friends, Stephen, (not my husband), spray painted and stenciled watermelons for the centerpieces.

We had a beef tenderloin carving station and a mashed potato bar.

We also had a flavored water bar – cucumber mint, mixed berry, citrus, or plain water were the options. 

Steve & I ran in the Color Me Rad 5k.  It was a lot of fun – and yes all of the color came out.  The blue was the hardest to get off, but we looked normal after a much needed shower.

Michael turned 2 in August!

Natalie & I both participated in the $10 school supply challenge this year the school supplies went to the Henrico Education Fund.  The school supplies we gathered went to Donahoe Elementary and Henrico High School.  Natalie’s total was a shelf price of $58.47 that she got for $10!  (She was excited to pose with her purchases.)

 

 

This is a picture of my haul.  I technically won the challenge with a shelf price of $178.97 for $10, but this year prizes were randomly awarded.  It is nice to have bragging rights. :)

Steve and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary in August and were able to get away to The Homestead Resort for two nights – I snagged a LivingSocial Deal.  Steve took this picture of me when we went to the complimentary afternoon tea on Saturday.

Thanks for checking out my summer pictures!

~Ann

I am not going to share MARTIN'S deals any longer....

I have decided that I am no longer going to post weekly match-ups for MARTIN'S.  It was a decision that I have prayed about and weighed the pros and cons for the last several months. 

Steve and I have recently been evaluating how we are spending our "free time".  We have been looking at things that we are involved with and things that we do on a regular basis and asked ourselves if it something that is helping to build the body of Christ.

I realized that sharing coupon match-ups, although it was hopefully helpful to others, was not something that was the best way to spend 3-4 hours a day.  (Yes - that is on average how long it took me to sit down to look at the sales flyer, look in a coupon database for potential matches, verify the available coupons, and type everything out).

We have also decided that we need to step away from some of our responsibilities at our church and instead, work on investing and building relationships with people who we come in contact with on a regular basis.  This includes neighbors, co-workers, people who we routinely see at a restaurant that we frequent, and even the ladies who I see for my nails and hair.   We truly want to be salt and light in the world.

My plan is to keep my blog still up and running and instead of it be about coupon match-ups, be what I originally wanted it to be - a blog about the crazy life of a mom with young children.

If you are looking for a replacement for my MARTIN'S deals there are two blogs that I would encourage you to check out - Young and Frugal in Virginia or For The Mommas. 

Thanks for checking out my weekly top deals posts and sharing the deals that you found.  I have enjoyed interacting with fellow deal seekers.   I hope you will continue to visit my site and get to know me and my family better. 

~Ann