We Are...We Are...

Thankful!

Last week was Olivia's Thanksgiving program at school. One of the older classes sang a song to the tune of "We Will Rock You" and I just can't get it out of my head. So I am sharing so maybe I won't be the only one...

We are, We are...Thankful

We are, We are...Thankful

We're thankful for our moms

And we're thankful for our dads

We're thankful for our food

And we're thankful for God

We are, We are ...Thankful!

We are, We are...Thankful!

We took video of the program. (I once again lost the "still" camera.) In true Olivia fashion, she was the ONLY (and I mean ONLY) child that did not participate in the singing and dancing at the program. She stood there with her hand in her mouth staring at the audience. Oh well!

New Shimmer Sister Item

UT Longhorn Tutu Set

modeled by Avery Heiss

Yes, I Did That!

I took pictures of Olivia getting her teeth cleaned. This was her 3rd time getting her teeth cleaned, but she was scared this time. She is becoming more aware of what doctors/dentists do and is always worried about a shot or needle. I took pictures to remind her that the dentist is fun and there is no reason to be scared. She did great!

My Frugal Finds

There is a Goodwill Store down the street from our house. We pass it everyday and often drop our gently used things off at their drop off station. My mother-in-law has made some great finds at her Goodwill store in Oklahoma including the large Dora castle and all the furniture and characters for $10. So I decided to take the girls and see if there were any treasures. We found the things pictured below. Our total was $11.56. I came home and washed and disinfected everything and then decided to see how much we had actually saved. (Everything was working and in good condition. The rocking horse makes sounds and moves his mouth when you press his ear!)

The rocking horse was $29.99 on Toys R Us.com. (We paid $4.99)

The bubble bath was $7.99 on Amazon.com. (We paid .99) (The bottle was empty. Olivia just liked the Dora and plays with her as she would a doll.)

The maracas were $14.99 on Little Tikes.com. (We paid 2.99)

The shower invitations still had the $11.50 original price tag on them. (We paid 1.99)

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Approx $64.50 before tax and we paid $11.56 with tax for a savings of approximately $53.00.

The kids love the new toys and we didn't break the bank!

4:45 A.M Wake-Up Calls

Amanda has been waking up around 4:45 a.m. every morning for at least the past week. I decided to use the extra time to start watching some DVD's. I have hardly seen any movies in the past 4 years, so the Red Box has been my new best friend. Here are a few that I have watched and my, unbiased and movie critic-esque, ratings!

"B" Pretty cute movie. It kept my attention. I like any movie that has Christmas caroling and a cute love story!

"C-" I had high expectations for this one. It disappointed but maybe it's because I was folding laundry, baking peach cobbler, and watching a baby all at the same time.

"B-" I had no expectations for this movie at all. I sort of just rented it for background noise, but it was actually kind of cute!

"A" This is my favorite of all the movies that I have watched so far. What do you expect? It's got Matthew McConaughey and it's a love story!

"B+" This movie was good. It held my attention most of the time and has beautiful scenery. (It takes place mostly in Alaska!)

"A-" This movie is like the movie BIG with Tom Hanks only in reverse. Zac Efron is so talented and super cute!

November in Texas

We sat outside tonight at our new picnic table (thank you Grandma) on our patio and had homemade bean soup for dinner. I hate the hot Texas summers but I absolutely love our fall and winter seasons. It was about 65 degrees outside. We all had on short sleeves, except Amanda, and the soup was just enough to keep us warm. After we ate Adam pushed Olivia on her swing and I sat there thinking...life is good.

Bean Soup

2 cans pinto beans

1 can black beans

1 can kidney beans

1 can diced tomatoes

1/2 onion sauteed

1/2 cup cilantro chopped (I like more, add as much as you like!)

3 slices of bacon cooked and chopped

dash of garlic powder

salt & pepper to taste

*I also add 3 tbsp Pinto Bean Seasoning made by Fiesta Brand Seasonings

Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Great with corn bread!

Love! Love! Love!