It's official....I despise winter....ok, perhaps I can move it over to the "hate" category, although I really don't like that word. I mean, having snow is so much fun with little kids, but having to move the snow all over the yard is getting a bit tiresome. Heck, so far this winter we've had close to 35-40" of snow. And it's only December! Fortunately, handy Amy here (doesn't quite rhyme with Handy Manny, but oh well) finally figured out the snowblower. Since Jim's been gone so long, I had a choice: either rely on others to tackle the mountains or figure it out myself. So I went out one day and just decided it was time. The first time I fired that thing up, I felt like Rocky did at the top of the steps! Once I got going, away went the snow! We are running out of areas to put the snow. Our mailbox is almost covered (I will try to post pics when that glorious day comes) and the piles at the end of the driveway probably make it difficult for all to see while pulling out of the driveway. What are we going to do....agh!
This silliness we can winter snow has also ruined my parents trip up here for Christmas Eve/Morning. They are supposed to get several inches and we are as well. Might not even make it back to IA for the weekend with my family. Ugh.
On a very good note, a friend of mine from high school received wonderful news that they will continue to care for the little girl that they have cared for since August, for at least the next few months. There was much worry that they would lose her, so this is a wonderful holiday surprise! If you want more info, go to mkielliott.blogspot.com
The boys are so excited for Santa's arrival. With Jim being gone so much, our shopping has been rather erratic, but we feel like we got them the things they wanted regardless. Just a couple more days!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
deal fell thru and still waiting
Well, we had a verbal offer on our house last week....but it fell thru, likely a culprit of the poor economy right now and difficulty obtaining financing. I guess this is something that we can't control, but it's frustrating nonetheless. The right buyer will come along, but in the meantime, Jim and I are looking for positives in this situation. Not jumping and buying a house in IA means no double payment, no double prop taxes (ouch!) and no worrying about the condition of this house up in WI during the splended winter months.! Of course, it means Jim having to drive down to Waverly and stay in a motel each week, but things could be worse....like many Americans right now.
Had a great Thanksgiving. ALOT of driving over our five day sprint thru IA. We're talking about 800 miles on the Toyota! The boys did as well as one could expect. That's a lot of time in the close confines of the car and a lot of nights away from their own beds. They had fun at both sets of grandparents and had a special treat of staying at their cousins Emma, Luke, and Ella's house. Owen was a bit nervous about sleeping upstairs in Luke's room, so he ended up crashed in the basement with us. I'm sure we'll have years of sleepovers soon!
Christmas is coming. We still have quite a bit of shopping to do but do have the boys pretty much wrapped up. The big gift this year is a Wii. My sister has one and whenever we are there, we have so much fun playing it. Of course, we are disguising this as a gift for the boys, but really, it's a gift for us! :) That's the fun thing about playing Santa....sure, it's for the boys....not.
Winter is definitely upon us. I can say, with the rest of WI, that we are ready for winter to be done. Wait. It's not officially winter for another 9 days or so. Has the calendar visited us yet? We've already got16+" of snow on the ground! The mailbox is getting nervous...last year we could only see it's door! Fortunately we bought a snowblower last year and Jim has become quite acquainted with it again this year. Me? I'm terrified of the thing, but with Jim being gone so much this winter, I'm sure Mr. Craftsman and I will need to become friends. It's freaking cold right now as well. Can you tell I'm such a lover of winter? Jim and I have already discussed that we will be retiring (or wintering) in the south. :)
Hawks are playing in the Outback Bowl January 1. What a great year for them and especially Shonn Greene. It's been fun to be a Hawk up here in WI. Love to display the black and gold! (And have people look at me like I'm nuts. If the shoe fits!)
Hopefully I'll post again soon, as opposed to the once a month thing I have going on now.
Later from the Cheeseland!
Had a great Thanksgiving. ALOT of driving over our five day sprint thru IA. We're talking about 800 miles on the Toyota! The boys did as well as one could expect. That's a lot of time in the close confines of the car and a lot of nights away from their own beds. They had fun at both sets of grandparents and had a special treat of staying at their cousins Emma, Luke, and Ella's house. Owen was a bit nervous about sleeping upstairs in Luke's room, so he ended up crashed in the basement with us. I'm sure we'll have years of sleepovers soon!
Christmas is coming. We still have quite a bit of shopping to do but do have the boys pretty much wrapped up. The big gift this year is a Wii. My sister has one and whenever we are there, we have so much fun playing it. Of course, we are disguising this as a gift for the boys, but really, it's a gift for us! :) That's the fun thing about playing Santa....sure, it's for the boys....not.
Winter is definitely upon us. I can say, with the rest of WI, that we are ready for winter to be done. Wait. It's not officially winter for another 9 days or so. Has the calendar visited us yet? We've already got16+" of snow on the ground! The mailbox is getting nervous...last year we could only see it's door! Fortunately we bought a snowblower last year and Jim has become quite acquainted with it again this year. Me? I'm terrified of the thing, but with Jim being gone so much this winter, I'm sure Mr. Craftsman and I will need to become friends. It's freaking cold right now as well. Can you tell I'm such a lover of winter? Jim and I have already discussed that we will be retiring (or wintering) in the south. :)
Hawks are playing in the Outback Bowl January 1. What a great year for them and especially Shonn Greene. It's been fun to be a Hawk up here in WI. Love to display the black and gold! (And have people look at me like I'm nuts. If the shoe fits!)
Hopefully I'll post again soon, as opposed to the once a month thing I have going on now.
Later from the Cheeseland!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
A new start
It's been over three months since I last blogged with the daily going ons of our life. Frankly I forget to do it! (I've been consumed by facebook when I'm online....and deal finding!)
Many things have changed in our life in the last few months. The biggest change is our impending move back to Iowa. Granted, we are extremely excited to get back "home" but we've just gotten into life in WI and especially the Madison area. There is so much to do up here and I know that we haven't even scratched the surface of it all! But, we are excited to head back and be much closer to family and friends. Now comes the fun part....selling our home! If you are interested, or know someone who is, please check out www.1001vistaridge.com to take a peek!
Right now, I'm single parenting it with the boys. Each time Jim is gone, I am reminded of how lucky I am to have help. Owen and Gavin are very busy little guys. Being 18 months apart, they are either best friends or best enemies. They have such a love/hate relationship! Right now, it seems as if the more time they spend together, the more they fight. Yesterday, my goal honestly was to keep them separate, as to limit the fighting and therefore limit the stress level in the house! Today we will head to Olbrich Gardens, which is an inside garden which feels quite tropical. Owen loves to show me all the different things that are there, including the little birds and the fish that call Olbrich home. Gavin? Well, I just try to keep him from tearing leaves off the plants and joining other patrons groups! I swear we will lose that kid at some point!
Many things have changed in our life in the last few months. The biggest change is our impending move back to Iowa. Granted, we are extremely excited to get back "home" but we've just gotten into life in WI and especially the Madison area. There is so much to do up here and I know that we haven't even scratched the surface of it all! But, we are excited to head back and be much closer to family and friends. Now comes the fun part....selling our home! If you are interested, or know someone who is, please check out www.1001vistaridge.com to take a peek!
Right now, I'm single parenting it with the boys. Each time Jim is gone, I am reminded of how lucky I am to have help. Owen and Gavin are very busy little guys. Being 18 months apart, they are either best friends or best enemies. They have such a love/hate relationship! Right now, it seems as if the more time they spend together, the more they fight. Yesterday, my goal honestly was to keep them separate, as to limit the fighting and therefore limit the stress level in the house! Today we will head to Olbrich Gardens, which is an inside garden which feels quite tropical. Owen loves to show me all the different things that are there, including the little birds and the fish that call Olbrich home. Gavin? Well, I just try to keep him from tearing leaves off the plants and joining other patrons groups! I swear we will lose that kid at some point!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
The boys swimming lessons
Well, the boys started swimming lessons today! Hooray! I was such a proud mom:) It was different being a parent at SwimWest as opposed to an employee watching other parents bring in their children for lessons. I found myself jockeying a bit for "position" to see the boys swim. I was up and down and I'm sure that one gal in my row of chairs was getting a bit annoyed so I'll have to work on that a bit. Owen is a true fish in the water and Gavin, well he'll get there. I'm moving Owen up a class and he is excited about that! If I was a "good" mom, I would have brought the camera and snapped a few shots. Oh well....maybe another day!
Sunday, August 3, 2008
The family reunion
We spent the weekend back home at my parents house in Clinton and went down to the Sorenson reunion. It was warm, not as warm as we were thinking, thank goodness! Lots of good food and almost everyone was able to make it to the event.
Some of the highlights....seeing the new babies, Dawson and Ella. They were awesome! Not a fuss out of either of them. Ella discovered a new love, cherry cheesecake, thanks to Grandpa. Dawson amazed us all with his amazing noggin, which many of us just had to rub over and over again! I was happy that he finally made noises to me! Next year, those two little buggers will be crawling all over the place and climbing up on things. Nuts.
Another highlight was the impromtu water event that took place amongst Owen, Gavin, and Luke (who happened to turn 8 that day)! After trying most of the afternoon to keep Gavin out of the water, we looked over only to find Luke and Owen just drenched. Needless to say, Gavin wasn't too far behind. And, thanks to Uncle Bill (who took a bottle and poured it all over Luke's head) all three decided that they should continue this little activity! They had a lot of fun, and hopefully I'll get some pictures on this blog for you to see.
It was a great day to spend with family. Everyone was in stitches as Jill told the story of the goat who was the lawnmower. Which was funnier, the actual story or seeing Jill pretty much cry from laughter the whole time? I think I made my cousin Tim cringe when I told of my obsessions with coupons, as he works in a grocery store and I think gets frustrated with crazy couponers like myself. Hey, no ripoffs here, just honest moneysaving!
Now we are getting ready to head back to Wisconsin to return to life as we know it. I'm wondering if some of our tomatoes have finally turned red! Owen and Gavin will surely be excited if that is the case. Phone calls will be made to Grandma and Grandpa for sure:) I'm also wondering if we got any rain up there. No lush grass for us, just some crunchy stuff. Ugh.
For those who have giggled at the coupon deal.....I will be getting some PopTarts and Rice Krispie treats (good for the boys snacks come school) for about 20 cents per box. I'm laughing to the bank! Just kidding. I've also seen a deal where I can score a free candle and some 66 cent Windex and Lysol cleaners. I'm working on building a big Easy Saver Rebate for the month of August as well which means free stuff in September! (so very sad......)
Enough for now. Keep smiling, keep clipping, and keep reading Hawks in Cheeseland! (Maybe I'll actually post more often now that Betsy and Laura have both given me flack about my rare posts)
And, if you need any Tupperware....you just let me know! (I'll be ordering the lettuce keeper for you Betsy!)
Amy
Some of the highlights....seeing the new babies, Dawson and Ella. They were awesome! Not a fuss out of either of them. Ella discovered a new love, cherry cheesecake, thanks to Grandpa. Dawson amazed us all with his amazing noggin, which many of us just had to rub over and over again! I was happy that he finally made noises to me! Next year, those two little buggers will be crawling all over the place and climbing up on things. Nuts.
Another highlight was the impromtu water event that took place amongst Owen, Gavin, and Luke (who happened to turn 8 that day)! After trying most of the afternoon to keep Gavin out of the water, we looked over only to find Luke and Owen just drenched. Needless to say, Gavin wasn't too far behind. And, thanks to Uncle Bill (who took a bottle and poured it all over Luke's head) all three decided that they should continue this little activity! They had a lot of fun, and hopefully I'll get some pictures on this blog for you to see.
It was a great day to spend with family. Everyone was in stitches as Jill told the story of the goat who was the lawnmower. Which was funnier, the actual story or seeing Jill pretty much cry from laughter the whole time? I think I made my cousin Tim cringe when I told of my obsessions with coupons, as he works in a grocery store and I think gets frustrated with crazy couponers like myself. Hey, no ripoffs here, just honest moneysaving!
Now we are getting ready to head back to Wisconsin to return to life as we know it. I'm wondering if some of our tomatoes have finally turned red! Owen and Gavin will surely be excited if that is the case. Phone calls will be made to Grandma and Grandpa for sure:) I'm also wondering if we got any rain up there. No lush grass for us, just some crunchy stuff. Ugh.
For those who have giggled at the coupon deal.....I will be getting some PopTarts and Rice Krispie treats (good for the boys snacks come school) for about 20 cents per box. I'm laughing to the bank! Just kidding. I've also seen a deal where I can score a free candle and some 66 cent Windex and Lysol cleaners. I'm working on building a big Easy Saver Rebate for the month of August as well which means free stuff in September! (so very sad......)
Enough for now. Keep smiling, keep clipping, and keep reading Hawks in Cheeseland! (Maybe I'll actually post more often now that Betsy and Laura have both given me flack about my rare posts)
And, if you need any Tupperware....you just let me know! (I'll be ordering the lettuce keeper for you Betsy!)
Amy
Friday, July 18, 2008
Return from Door County
Well, we returned from Door County....a hard return because it was so incredibly beautiful up there! The boys had a great time as did Jim and I. Below are some pics from our trip!
Obviously the boys weren't too interested in getting their pictures taken, as they were watching the land go farther and farther away. They LOVED the Washington Island Ferry, especially the fact that we could take the Toyota on it! Little G was up and down, up and down, all over that boat. I got a little seasick on the trip to Washington Island, but after having a bit to eat while there, I felt better on the way back.
One of our mornings was spent at THE Farm, which is located just north of Sturgeon Bay. If you are ever in Door County and have small children, I highly recommend heading up there! These little lambs decided to make a run for it. Actually, they just wandered around the farm. Of course, our skiddish little guys were just terrified whenever they got too close. O and G love animals, but at a distance (unless it's a cute kitty).
Another favorite thing was the Door County Maritime Museum. The boys just loved looking at all the different types of boats. Normal people could probably spend an hour or more in there as there are five different exhibits. Our family? Well, we blew thru that place in about a half hour, including a quick trip thru the gift shop, which yielded two Packers pencils. Nothing ship related, but Packers pencils. Of course, with me being a huge Bear fan, it was a tough buy, but at 60 cents a pop as opposed to spending much more on something else, I could swallow that!
Monday, June 23, 2008
Saving money
(Ok, I admit it sis, I've been a lazy slug when it comes to this blogging thing....)
Since our move to Wisconsin, we've had changes in our financial situation. I'm now staying home, which cut our income quite a bit. I'm trying to make up a bit of it by my new pasttime, excessive coupon clipping/deal finding. I'm sure that my family is sick of hearing all the bargains I've found, but with the help of some awesome websites and some hunting of my own, I've been able to get some very useful items (I will not buy something that we do not use) for a very useful price!
My most recent "find" was cheap cereal at Walgreen's. Yesterday, I went and purchased 3 boxes for $7. I had a coupon for $1 off of 3, taking the price to 3/$6. A few weeks ago I earned a Register Rewards (RR) coupon for $3 off a future purchase. Now, make that 3 boxes for $3! Wanna hear something even better? With this purchase, I earned $2 in RR, in a way taking my purchase to 3/$1. That's about 33 cents a box! Not bad eh? (Yes, I realize that I'll have to walk into the store again to use the $2, but don't rain on my parade!)
Another discovery that I've made with Walgreens (once again, with the help of the other blogs) is how to use the EasySaver Rebate system. I've earned $10+ back so far this month....hopefully more! I'm still practicing with maximizing that.
So, that's what I'm trying to do right now.
Next post: My silly coupon strategies......
Since our move to Wisconsin, we've had changes in our financial situation. I'm now staying home, which cut our income quite a bit. I'm trying to make up a bit of it by my new pasttime, excessive coupon clipping/deal finding. I'm sure that my family is sick of hearing all the bargains I've found, but with the help of some awesome websites and some hunting of my own, I've been able to get some very useful items (I will not buy something that we do not use) for a very useful price!
My most recent "find" was cheap cereal at Walgreen's. Yesterday, I went and purchased 3 boxes for $7. I had a coupon for $1 off of 3, taking the price to 3/$6. A few weeks ago I earned a Register Rewards (RR) coupon for $3 off a future purchase. Now, make that 3 boxes for $3! Wanna hear something even better? With this purchase, I earned $2 in RR, in a way taking my purchase to 3/$1. That's about 33 cents a box! Not bad eh? (Yes, I realize that I'll have to walk into the store again to use the $2, but don't rain on my parade!)
Another discovery that I've made with Walgreens (once again, with the help of the other blogs) is how to use the EasySaver Rebate system. I've earned $10+ back so far this month....hopefully more! I'm still practicing with maximizing that.
So, that's what I'm trying to do right now.
Next post: My silly coupon strategies......
Monday, June 9, 2008
Hawks in Cheeseland
Hello everyone who is taking the time to read my first blog. First of all, a quick explanation of the title of this blog: Hawks in Cheeseland. It's actually pretty simple: We are native Iowans now living in Wisconsin. Lots of creativity went into that, eh? (See, I'm already picking up this northern thing)
So, the intent of this blog is so incredibly complex, I could not even put it into words. Just kidding. First and most important, I'll give little updates on our family, as most of our friends and family live at least a few hours away. After that, who knows.
In a nutshell, this is a way for me to say hello and keep in touch!
So, hello and keep in touch!
So, the intent of this blog is so incredibly complex, I could not even put it into words. Just kidding. First and most important, I'll give little updates on our family, as most of our friends and family live at least a few hours away. After that, who knows.
In a nutshell, this is a way for me to say hello and keep in touch!
So, hello and keep in touch!
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