Pinterest

Pinterest is my new obsession.  It's a personal online bulletin board where you can "pin" pictures of things you like or want to try or remember.  It's A.W.E.S.O.M.E.  I could spend a LOT of free time on there...assuming I had a lot of free time.

The pins link back to the original source (most of the time) so its a great way to find new blogs too...like you need a few more blogs to read.  It's like the motherload of blog ideas and tutorials.

Here are some of my favorite pins to date.

Source: houseofsmiths.blogspot.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: ediblecrafts.craftgossip.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: lollyjaneboutique.blogspot.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: organizewithsandy.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: laurathoughts81.blogspot.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: polyvore.com via Amanda on Pinterest

I am on the hunt for green ballet flats like these if you happen upon any :)

See how awesome it is?  You can download the pinlet tool that allows you to pin any image you see on the internet.  I didn't download it though because I hate downloading stuff.  I just repin the pins of others.  I've yet to find something that I wanted to pin that wasn't already pinned by someone else.  But maybe I am just generic like that.

Oh.  And you can follow me on pinterest @ www.pinterest.com/amandarj

Happy Fall Y'all!!

Triple coupons at HT

Its triples week!!  I went today and got all this (plus 4 cups of greek yogurt not pictured) for just under $25!  I'm afraid its quite addictive.  I've only been collecting coupons since August so I'm still learning the ropes. 

You can only use 20 coupons per day and I am already thinking about going tomorrow like a coupon junkie or something.

Without the sales and coupons, the total would have been $86.45.  I saved over 71% which is my personal best so far!

On a side note, a cricket has found its way into one of our vents and it is driving me mad! 

Stool Makeover

Disclaimer: What you're about to see is ugly.
Really ugly. This footstool was a freebie from a yard sale and was in need of some love. McKenna had been dragging it around the house and using it to climb up on things since we moved in November.

I couldn't take it any longer. It either had to go or get a makeover. So I took the thing apart and whipped out my trusty spray paint and went to it.

It says on the can not to use spray paint if the humidity is over a certain point. Being the impatient person that I can be I decided to proceed despite the monsoon outside.


It took 2 coats of spray paint and a little touch up on a couple spots I missed.

I had fabric that matched the shower curtain in the girls bathroom leftover from years ago. I used the old fabric that I took off as a template for the new fabric.


I really wish I had marked where the screws for the hinge went before I stapled it down. I ended up having to get Chad to drill new holes in the board as I couldn't find the old holes once the new fabric was on. I also bought new screws as the old ones were about stripped out.

I think the final product turned out pretty cute! It makes a great place for me to sit during bath time too!


Total Cost = $5.98 ($5 for the spray paint and .98 for the new screws.)


I'm linking up to Home Stories A to Z and Primp and I <3 naptime!

Zoo

It is sad that I am just now getting around to blogging this when we actually went to the zoo in mid-July? That was only two months ago. At this point...why bother? But we had such a FANTASTIC time that I can't just pass it over. (And I happen to be in Chicago on business with a lot of free time at night.)

We picked the perfect weekend to go. It was the coolest weekend in July that I can remember. By cool, I mean it was in the 80s. Chad got off early that Saturday (by early, I mean 5pm...on Saturday...welcome to the farm). We left around 7pm and had to pull over twice before we made it the first mile. We arrived at hotel in Asheboro a little after 11pm. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express and it was fine. The kids got an animal balloon and animal crackers so they thought it was the bomb.

The zoo opens at 9am on Sundays. We got up early and were there a few minutes before they opened. In retrospect, this was crucial. By getting in there early, we missed the hottest part of the day and the largest crowds.

We started in North America and just went to it. The girls loved it! I loved it! Chad loved it!

My little "catographer" took this one. It looks like we are the ones that need to be in a cage! Don't tell Chad about that one.

The seals (or manatees or whatever...I'm not a marine biologist people) were really cute. They were racing each other around and around the exhibit.

The zoo was a good mix of stuff (aka animals) to look at and things for the kids to play on. They also have a couple of playgrounds.

And a carosel...

And a 3d Dora the Explorer simulation which was a big hit with the Jones' girls.

In case you are thinking about going (and you should), we got the combo passes which included admission and 3 bonus tickets that you can use to ride the carosel, go on the Dora ride and feed the giraffes.

My favorite part of the entire day was feeding the giraffes. I was down with the girls holding the leaves and the giraffe's tongue kept coming and coming. All I could think was "How long can it possibly be?" Both of them hit the road when it got close. This was a baby giraffe by the way. You could also see the zebras and ostrich from the observation deck.

McKenna's favorite was seeing the elephants. The baby elephant was eating close to the fence.

McKenna informed me that the elephants were Avery's favorite as well.

We carried the double stroller which was also crucial. They have strollers that you can rent but they have a limited supply. McKenna was happy to nagivate our map from the stroller between exhibits.
Notice the bling she brought with her. It also provided a good napping spot for Avery.

The zoo is pretty spread out so it is a lot of walking. A lot. And the terrain is not flat. I will admit that it took Chad and I both to push the stroller uphill at the end of the day. We were pretty tired.

Thanks Daddy for taking us on a great trip!

p.s. I'm linking up to Home Stories A to Z favorite post of the year party!

The sign says it all!

We are officially back to school!  I dropped McKenna off for her first day of preschool (this year) and she did great!  I had my doubts because she said she didn't want to go yesterday.  Mom didn't cry either for the record but I did feel a little sad to leave her.
I'm so proud of my big girl!

Sweet Baby Girl

My sweet little angel was fast asleep when I got to Mom's to pick her up.  She was all worn out from a trip to the park.  Doesn't she look so peaceful?

She's starting to talk all the time now!  She repeats everything you say to her like its a question and frequently refers to herself in the third person.  If she had her way she would watch "taw-bear-e" and "do-a" all day long.  {Translation: Strawberry and Dora}

Small Town Saturday Night

We rode out to where Daddy was picking corn to take him supper.  The girls had a blast running up and down the path and the cotton rows.  They also sqeezed in a little time with Daddy on the tractor.  I had my camera with me but could not get a good picture of my girls to save my life.  McKenna was blinged out in one of her cutest outfits and rainboots.  Averycakes was wearing a mixmatched outfit and her pink pearls.  But they were the best dressed on the farm!

The only bad thing was the girls got DIRTY!  They were so dirty that Avery was asleep by the time we got home and I still woke her up and gave her a bath.  And I do not believe in waking up a sleeping baby.

Just another wild Saturday night on the farm!