Monday, October 31, 2011

So spooooooooky...

So back in the summer when we were reading every Clifford the Big Red Dog book we had to Jovie, once reading the Cliffords Halloween book...the verdict had been made. Jovie WANTED to dress up like a ghost for Halloween, just like Clifford. Obnoxious...sort of. But kind of awesome too. It kind of makes me proud that she doesn't want to be a princess, like every other 3 year old. (Don't worry if that is what your 3 year old girl is going to be, because chances are, that will be her costume NEXT year!! Besides, princesses are TOO cute!) So, trying to figure out HOW to do a cute ghost costume was going to be a trick (trick... get it?? I'm lame) I didn't just want to throw a white sheet over her head and cut out eye holes...I'm a little classier than that...but just a little. My friend Susan recommended making a white tutu and putting felt black eyes and mouth onto a white shirt. Sounds good to me. I constructed it all in one day and here it is...

Ghost (but not a "spooky" ghost, a "friendly" ghost)


And of course this year I had several places to dress up so I HAD to think of something clever...and one night when I couldn't fall asleep, I thought of this...



Did you figure it out?? No? (I'll give you a hint...it's NOT from a book or movie)

Break it down....

Look from the neck down...what is it?

Then the neck up? 

Put it together... Got it??!!!! 
II
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[_      _]
V

A Knight (night) Owl.... haha, get it??

(I'd like to think it was clever, but you really have to know ME to know that I'm a late night kinda gal for this to really make sense. Regardless it was fun to make the mask- I've got the hot glue burn mark to prove it- make the shield and bedazzle the foam sword. And then throw together a couple of clothing items I already had! All in all, a success in my book)

I know, I just CAN'T do something "normal"... hence the last several Halloweens
("Seeds of the Tree of Souls" from movie Avatar, the "things" that Calvin (& Hobbs) pees on, Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head, a Devil'd Egg, etc.)

Other fun things we did on Halloween included:

Our church put on a neighborhood Halloween party- IT WAS HUGE! There were about 1000 people there, but SO much fun! And yes, we lost Jovie...multiple times.
Here is one of Jovie's pals from nursery Gavin...


We also carved pumpkins...




      

Went to "The Groves" Halloween block party (Blake's parent's neighborhood does this every year)



Jax, Parker, Davis and Jovie "smiling"


And Jovie's first year Trick or Treating!!! 



Jovie LOVED the concept of trick or treating, but started getting scared with the spooky noises and screams. The last picture was so funny- when Jovie knocked on the door, the witch started this really spooky cackle and talked and lit up and Jovie got so scared she dropped her pail and started back peddling away from the house- it was so funny, but kinda sad too.  After that point we were really cautious about the houses we chose to visit, and Jovie too was EXTREMELY cautious! She would say "house scary noises??" and we'd have to reassure her that it wasn't scary. Every time we tried to get her to be done Trick or Treating she'd cry that she wanted to do more, but then would be scared to go up to the door. 
Such a funny kid. I'm hoping next year will be easier! Happy Halloween!

Oh, and here's a little throw back to my childhood!!


Thursday, October 27, 2011

Pumpkin patchin' it...

This year we went to Vertuccio Farms in Gilbert, AZ for some fall fun and I thought it was quite lovely. I didn't mind spending $7/ adult since kids were free. Jovie loved the freedom of running from one thing to the next and it wasn't so crowded that we couldn't keep track of her- and that's quite miraculous!



 There were a plethora of animals to see...Jovie LOVES animals...



This was right after Jovie moooooooooed with gusto!
 She especially loves the "SHickens"...and I wouldn't mind getting a few myself...


 Jovie liked the sweet little donkey...
 And Daddy doing what Daddy does best ;)...he was photo documenting on Instagram. 

 Jovie LOVED the little train ride...

She even milked a (wooden) cow...
 Jovie LOVED riding on the pedal cars with Daddy...
 The sky at dusk was looming...it down poured about 5 minutes after this shot...
 "Dis wayyyyyy"...evidently she has her mothers keen sense of direction :)...
 "So tall"....Jovie loved the corn maze...


 Jovie measured right in at 41 inches tall!
 We had a great time hanging out at Vertuccio Farms...unfortunately it started pouring after we finished the corn maze so we didn't get to pick out any pumpkins...not a big deal though. We can always go back and get one later!!

Monday, October 3, 2011

Walgreens 10/03/11 haul...

Not a huge haul today...made some small errors (yes, it does happen) and overall, still did pretty great.



3- Mars brand fun size candy $2.99 --> $1.83 ea. (I didn't calculate this right- hence why it is so expensive)
3- Hershey's brand fun size candy $2.99 --> $2.00 ea. (another one I screwed up on)
4- Nature Valley Granola Bars 6 pk $3.99 --> $1.12 ea.
8- Nivea Lip Care $3.99 --> $.50 ea. (I freakin LOVE this stuff- and I use it A TON!)
1- Cepacol Throat Lozenges- $4.99 --> FREE!!
2- Cold Calm 60 ct. $9.99 --> FREE!!
2- Kleenex Cool Touch Tissues 50 ct $2.99 --> $.49 ea.
1- Bengay Pain Relief 4 oz. $9.49 --> $.99


These items I used for filler items since I had a BOAT LOAD of Register Rewards from last week:
6- Halloween activity books/pads $.69 --> $.33 ea.

RETAIL: $110.68
SPENT: $23.96
SAVED: $86.72


SAVED 78%

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Walgreens 09/26/11 and 10/01/11 haul...

This week was a doozy!!! Holy smokes I got some great deals and did the best I've ever done. Hopefully I didn't overdo it and have more Register Rewards than I can chew on for the next 2 weeks! 
(I got $98 in Register Rewards = cash cash cash!!)

So I decided to go on Monday- they had SOME of the things I wanted, but not all...so I headed back today to maximize my savings (This is usually a no-no for me- I usually just leave it at one trip a week, but I was feeling lucky!)


Here's the combined haul total:

10- Hershey bars $1.19 --> $.30 ea.
4- Colgate Optic White toothpaste 4 oz. $4.50 --> $1.02 MONEYMAKER ea.!! (Plus, on Saturday they gave out free pocket sized mirrors for each tube of toothpaste bought= 4 FREE mirrors!)
8- W Maxi Pads 24 ct $3.50 --> $.50 MONEYMAKER ea.!!
4- Zantac Acid Reducer 24 ct $9.99 --> $.99 ea. (One box even came with an additional 8 pills!)
9- Zarbee's Cough & Sleep Drink 6 pk $7.49 --> $.55 MONEYMAKER ea.!!
3- Windex Multi-surface 26 oz. $4.49 --> $1.32 ea.
6- Remington 5 Blade Razors (+3 bonus cartridges in each) $5.99 --> FREE!!

RETAIL: $214.90
SPENT --> EARNED: $.08
SAVED: $214.98

SAVED: 101%

This is a first for me!!! Coming out of WAGS making money on the WHOLE TRIP(s)! Needless to say, I was extremely giddy today. I love firsts...I hope it happens again because it was worth the good mood!! :)