Toddler Interlude: Halloween

Dad decided that I would be a boxer for Halloween. That is today. He did not consult with me as much as he probably should have. Why? Well, here ya go ...

He put my new boots on. They are too big and I was not even about to walk around in those things. Dad said the boots are not too big, but I said they are. Mom just looked at us.

He put tape on my hand. That was too tight. I wanted it off. Dad said boxers wear tape on their hands, but I didn't want it on mine. He got his boxing gloves for me. Mom just looked at us.

Dad made a championship belt for me. I like it. There are Angry Birds on the inside. {Cardboard needed a little reinforcement so dad used the Angry Bird tape.

Oh did I mention, I have on 3 layers on bottom? How am I going to got to the potty all by myself? When I went this morning, I forgot to pull up the shorts under my pants. That didn't feel good.

Well, I made it to school. Mom had to help me down the stairs cause I can't really carry the boxing gloves down stairs.

Here's what I should look like for our school Halloween Parade:

And yesterday, Granny Gran carved my pumpkins. Look:

Happy Halloween everybody!

Homemade Goldfish & Coupon Brag

Y'all ... these past few days have been a score for me! Why? Well, I scored a huge deal on one of my coupon-ing trips, I spent a few hours with a young lady who ALWAYS lifts & encourages my spirit, I made 3 dinner entrees in one night, AND I made homemade goldfish crackers! AWESOME!! SO here's the scoop: backwards style.

Goldfish Crackers:
I made homemade goldfish crackers and ooohhh they are delicious. For the recipe, go here. I didn't take pictures of the process because I forgot. I was so excited that I was just trying to get to the end. See ...

Did you see? Oooohhh ... yeah. Anyway, I made one batch of these and then made cheese straws because I just couldn't take making those lil fish anymore. See, I don't have a fish cookie cutter so I made one using this method. I was not as careful as I should have been (ie. no gloves, no measuring, no drawing) so mine wasn't perfect and it was still fairly sharp on both sides. I also may have a small scrap from not cutting evenly. Anyway ... you should make these or be around when I do. MMMMMM!! And I will be experimenting with different cheese & flavors because that recipe was amazingly simple. These may show up in the form of trains at a certain lil person's birthday party.

{Just found this: DIY-Cookie-Cutters Instructables .... YYYEEESSS!!! I will be all over this!}

Dinner Entrees:
I LOVE my slow cookers. Yes, there is an s there and I will gladly take more. So I made some barbecue shredded turkey from some leftover turkey (did I tell y'all about me cooking an entire turkey all by myself for the 1st time last week?), some bell peppers, and one of those Kraft Recipe Makers that I got for just $.49 (ha! another coupon-ing plug). It was delicious. Made sandwiches for lunch & then added some rice for dinner. I also browned some chorizo before added it with peppers and some tomato sauce for another meal (will probably add some noodles and corn). And the other meal was a roast with peppers and some balsamic vinegar dressing (will probably put with some greens and potatoes). Today, I'll put those greens in the slow cooker with my turkey leg so they'll be all set for tomorrow. I get excited when I have that may meals planned already.

Sister Friend Evening:
This is pretty well self-explanatory, but yeah had a lil meeting set up with my dear friend to plan her 40th bday party and time flew right on by. We discussed everything under the sun and laughed for hours shutting Panera down for the night. I love that lady cause she is a ball of joy despite everything and I need that in my life something terrible. So here's my plug for her. She's all about the Kidney Foundation so I'll definitely have a post soon about that for her.

Coupon Trip (CVS):


So since I started this coupon-ing thing, I have been non stop wanting to ensure to get everything on sale with a coupon or two. I loosen up from time to time, but I'm enjoying the hunt for great deals and saving money for our family. So here ya go. Here's my brag photo.

I got all of this for $30.33 saving myself about $28 with the fact that CVS had a sale and I had coupons for everything in the picture. I'm sure it could have been better, but hey - ya gotta start somewhere. Oh I did buy some sponges, but they only added like $1 to the total.



Well, that's all I got for this post. See y'all on another great posting day.

{Challenge Update: Slacked last week, but Coach Moore will get me back on schedule - I'm sure.}

My Experience at Victoria's Secret

Good Day my friends,

Yesterday, I took something back to Victoria's Secret to exchange it for my wife. Before I get into the story, remember who this is writing this...

Before I even get into this story, let me say that I am very confident in myself and my manhood.  I have never been the guy to shy away from doing things that would otherwise shame others.  So walking through the middle of Briarwood Mall, carrying a "dainty" pink Victoria's Secret bag had no effect on me.

So I walk into the store, with all bravado and confidence in the world.  I walk right up to the counter (there was no line at the time), place the bag in front of the lady working and hand her the receipt and look her in the eyes and, confidently, say "I would like to exchange this bra for a different size for my wife."

She took the receipt and said "ok".  She then proceeded to take the bra out and asked what I would like to exchange it for.

I, still smelling myself, tell her the color (yeah, I know my colors), style and explain that I do not know where this particular bra is kept, but if she would be so kind as to point me in the right direction, I will go get the replacement myself.  I was THE MAN!

The exchange quickly took a 180 within the next few moments:

Clerk: Oh, it's ok - they're right behind you, but I can have another associate bring it up here for you.

Me: Great. Thank you.

Clerk: Now, what size do you need?

Me: (Checking my iphone to make sure I gave her the correct size) XXXX (I'm not gonna put my wife's business out there)

Clerk: Oh, I'm sorry, this style doesn't come in that size.  Would you like the sister size XXX?

Me: (losing my bravado & confidence in one fell swoop) - huh?

Clerk: The sister size - It fits the same, it's just a different number.

Me: Um, sure.  If, um, if that one, um, that didn't work, could it be exchanged or some-something?

Clerk: Oh, sure.  Tell her that if it doesn't work after trying it on, just to bring it back and we work to get the right one for her.

Me: Um, ok, I'll let her know.

Now by this time more people have started to line up and they were calling associates to help ring the others out.  I HATE being the reason for the hold up, because I just feel like everyone is looking at you smackin' their lips, wondering what in the world is your problem.

Needless to say, I was very relieved with the new bra was brought up and the exchange was completed.  The clerk was even nice enough give me a new bag and wish me a great day.  All my Bravado came right back, like there was never any problem:

Me: Hey! You have a Great day too!

As I walked back out the mall, carrying my new "dainty"pink Victoria's Secret bag.  As soon as I got home, I had to share this experience with my wife.  You know what she said?!

Wifey: Ohhh, I knew there was something I meant to tell you...

WHAAATTT?! Even if you don't know the exact numbers, you could have alluded to the fact that I might hear something about a "sister size".  I'm trying to do you a favor, and you're gonna let me walk into a fire fight blind?!  I just got ambushed by the Vicki Secret Angels, and all you can say is "I knew there was something I meant to tell you"...

I'm a guy.  I deal in logic (most time).  I know that a 5/16's & 11/32's are close but they are not the same. Two different numbers are two different sizes, period.  I was not ready for that curve ball...

So fella's, next time you decide to go into a store for women, remember, be prepared for anything!