Gummy Bear: Week 28

Gummy Bear: 28 weeks

Baby is: measuring 1 lb, 14 oz, putting her in the 36th percentile, as of last Tuesday. My pregnancy app says she's the size of iceberg lettuce and approximately 14.8 inches long

Cravings: Nothing really. Still prefer soft foods to anything that requires a lot of chewing though

Aversions: Meat by itself. Eggs.

Drinking: Water and Decaf Frappuccinos

Clothes: Comfy!

Gender: It's a girl! Full steam ahead on the hairbows, headbands and ruffly bloomers!

What I miss: My brain. My energy!

What I’m looking forward to: Wrapping up the last trimester!

Went to the doctor last week. They took a few pictures and said she is head down. Everything is on track. I'm healthy, baby's healthy. Blood pressure is good. AND, I passed my glucose test. This felt like such a huge accomplishment. I've been trying to be careful about what I eat. Making sure to get in some fruits and veggies. Staying away from sweets. Not 100% of the time, but mostly. I feel like pretty much everyone fails that first glucose test and has to take the 3 hour. I've been so carb conscious, even when that's all I wanted to eat. Plus my doctor...the fat people need c-sections doctor...I feel like she just wants something to be wrong. Like she's just waiting to say "I told you so". I may projecting, but that's how I feel. But after the ultrasound when we saw that the baby is smaller, she was like, I don't think you really have anything to worry about. You've been watching what you eat and the baby's size is good. I think you're fine. And then for the test results to come back and say everything is fine, on top of having a smaller baby...man that felt good. That felt like victory. And for the first time I think I started to unclench and think "I may just get my way". That test felt so huge to me. Like it was the last obstacle standing between me and having a natural birth at the birth center with the midwife. I know it's not. I still have to be good, drink my water, take my vitamins, all that jazz. And anything could happen at any time. But it feels like a big "I told you so" to everyone who didn't think I could do this because of my weight. Once again- fat does not mean unhealthy.

All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to be free

We held a memorial for mom this weekend. It's still really hard for me to believe she's just gone. I think it's harder for me to accept because she wasn't here and I didn't see or talk to her everyday. It's easier to imagine she's just over in Kilgore and I'll talk to her in a few days. It still just doesn't seem real.

I'm super thankful my for Big Sandy family. They took all of us in (even the dogs!), made sure everyone was fed, and took care of a lot of the preparations. I was thankful to not have to do a whole lot. What I did decide to do, was the memorial service. I decided I didn't want to deal with the hassel of finding someone to come out and having a stranger say something about a woman he didn't even know. The pastor who did dad's funeral was not only the hospice director, but one of dad's old customers. It meant a lot to have someone who knew him doing the service. It was more sincere. I felt like I just needed to do this.

The biggest problem, besides dealing with it emotionally? My (lack of) filter. I'm honest. I think you all know that. I'm not good at sugar coating things. I didn't want it to be disrespectful or inappropriate. But I did want it to be honest. Let me tell you- it's hard to find the right words to memorialize anyone I think. Have you ever thought about what you would say if you had to do someone else's eulogy? What about what your own would sound like? How do you eloquently sum up someone else's life? So I set off to accomplish the impossible.

Craig and my boss were the only two people to read it prior to Saturday. Craig thought it was sweet, but honest. My boss teared up a little. I was anxious to see what everyone else would think.

Saturday came. I was more anxious that I anticipated Saturday morning, but calmed down once things got busy. I was hoping I could fall back on my college speech skills and hopefully detach myself from it and make it through. When it was finally time, I could feel my voice shaking. I took a few deep breaths, but I made it through. Parts that I didn't expect to be hard were hard to read, and the part I thought would be hardest (the part I cried on when writing) wasn't at all. Afterwords, her husband came to give me a big hug and thank me. He thought it was perfect. He was crying. I was relieved. I didn't really care what her friends thought, but I hoped he thought it was ok. Then all night people told me how perfect it was. It felt good to know that I could honor my mom. I felt like I would have made her proud.

So here it is- the draft of my speech. (BTW- my step dad's name is also Craig)

First I’d like to thank you all for being here today to celebrate the life of the person I called Mom. I know she would have appreciated the special attention for each of you. The family and I appreciate your support.

My mother had an unmistakable presence. She had a way of making sure people knew she was there. She didn’t blend into a crowd. She was never one to do something quietly. You definitely knew when Lori was involved with something. She made sure she wasn’t overlooked.

For this reason, it’s ever more apparent that she’s not here anymore. By now, I should have had at least 4 of 5 calls from her. Some of you may be missing even more. Craig is probably so lost without her nagging when he gets home from work that he probably can’t fix dinner for himself without her telling him how she wants it done. I can tell you no Mother’s Day, no Thanksgiving, no Christmas, no Birthday will ever been the same for us. No benefit, no rally, no accident will be the same without my mom there to send food or make sure that people are being taken care of. She had so much concern for people around her that it was like she was experiencing exactly what they were going through. She felt deeply and loved fiercely. Her absence has been, and will be felt by each of us in this room.

She could be loud, she would talk your ear off, and had a special way of making a scene when things weren’t going her way. She loved music, particularly listening to husband Craig play. She loved to dance. She loved to have a good time. For many of you, this is the Lori you know and love. Cherish the good times you had with her.

Some of us, however, knew a different side to Lori. This side struggled my whole life with emotional battles that sometimes got the best of her. Sometimes the emotional battle manifested itself physically like when she had her last car accident. Battling physical and emotional wounds can be a heavy burden to carry. Those of us closest to her often had to stand by while she suffered- unable to offer assistance or relief. It was a heavy burden for us to carry also.

I’m here to tell you today, than for maybe the first time in my life, my mother is truly happy and pain free. She isn’t suffering. She is finally free of all the burdens she carried with her on this journey here on Earth. For that, I am thankful. Thankful that he knee doesn’t hurt, her ankle doesn’t hurt, her head doesn’t hurt. Thankful that she won’t call me late at night because she’s worked herself into a tizzy, dwelling on something until she’s blown it out of proportion. Thankful that all her wounds, both physically and emotionally are finally healed.

But I’m also sad. Sad that she’ll never get to reuse the dress from my wedding that she loved so much to attend my brother’s wedding. Sad that now Craig, who has built a life and home with Mom for the past 10 years, has to carry on by himself now. Sad that her brothers don’t have a big sister anymore. Sad that her dad has lost his only daughter. Sad that she won’t be there the next time I want to call her for one of her recipes. Sad that she won’t be here in November to meet her first grandchild.

For those of you who don’t know, Kyle and I lost our father to cancer almost 3 years ago, just 6 weeks from the time he was diagnosed. We can’t help but compare the two situations. As heartbreaking as it was to lose our father, we had time. We had time to tie up loose ends. We had time to make sure he knew how much we loved him. We had time to say goodbye.

There is no sense of closure for us right now. Craig feels the same way. It’s all very surreal to think that she’s really not here anymore. We didn’t get to make sure she knew how much we loved her. We didn’t get to hold her hand. We didn’t get to say goodbye.

The fact is, she’s gone too soon. She still had a lot of living she intended to do. We all still had a lot of plans that included her in some form or fashion. We never imagined we’d wake up that morning to find she had gone.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 says:

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.

July 20th was unfortunately my mother’s time to die. Today, for us, is a time to remember. It is a time to weep. Right now, is the time to mourn.

However, it’s important for all of us to know this is just a season. We are not meant to linger here. In a few moments we’ll lead anyone who wants to go to the cemetery to give us time to say goodbye. We’d like everyone to stick around though and have a bite to eat with us so we all have a chance to mourn together. A time to share stories. I know you all have a good story about my mom that I haven’t heard yet! Tonight, we remember.

But then, it’s time to heal. Time to laugh. Time to dance! Celebrate who my mom was. Each of you are here because she touched your life in some way. Focus on that. Focus on the light. Focus on the good. Carry on her legacy by making too much food at the holidays for your family. Help your brothers and sisters in need, even when you think you don’t have anything to give. Call family you haven’t talked to, even if you don’t get along. And then, when your good deeds are done, take a shot and shake your ass on the dance floor. That’s what Mom would do. That’s what Mom would want.

Thank you.

How am I doing?

That's the million dollar question right now. How are you doing? How is your brother? Do you need anything? If you're reading this, you probably know why. Saturday morning I planned to sleep in. Bruce had other ideas, as usual. So I got up to let him out and was too awake to go back to sleep. I laid in bed and played games on my phone. Then I remembered the consignment store in Bossier was having a dollar sale. I decided to head over there to pick up some cheap clothes for Lorelai. Put the dogs up, hopped in my car and decided to treat myself to Starbucks for breakfast. As I'm leaving Starbucks, my phone rings. It's my cousin. She had called me on Monday but I was in Miami and didn't answer so I assumed she was calling about whatever she called me about on Monday. I asked her what she was up to. She said she WAS getting ready to head to a baby shower. I asked her what was wrong. My mind starts racing. What could be wrong that my cousin would call me about? Then she says "Oh God Ali, you don't know. No ones called you." And she's crying. "I can't believe I have to be the one to tell you this. I can't believe no ones called you." Now, the last time I talked to our grandfather in Ohio, he sounded horrible. Very weak. Could barely talk. I just knew she was calling to tell me Grandpa died. "Your mom died last night." And all at once, the world stopped again. Except, this time I was driving. And it didn't stop. And I'm almost 6 months pregnant. And this was not the time or place for me to freak out. So I concentrate on breathing. In. Out. Think. Think. What do you do? You need to go home. No, you need to tell Kyle. You need Craig. You need to stop driving. You need to stay calm. You need to breathe. At this point I'm about halfway between my house and my brothers. I decide to go directly to his house. Meanwhile, I call Craig, who works on Saturdays, and tell him he needs to come home. So I get to Kyle's house. His roommate's wife is leaving. I ask where Kyle is and she says "asleep". I said, well, I'm going to wake him up. I knock on his door, I enter the room. I'm shaking. Breathe Ali. I tell him everything I know. Poor thing was still half asleep when I laid everything on him. And all at once, here we were again. Back at Kyle's house. In the same house my dad died in. Grieving. But this time it wasn't Dad. It was our mom. And I just kept thinking, I can't believe we're here again doing this. It didn't make any sense. I literally could not wrap my head around what was happening. But this time, I wasn't there. I didn't KNOW know. Was it real? Was someone mistaken? Maybe... I was supposed to go to Dallas the next day for work. I called my boss. "I don't know if I'm going to be able to go. I just don't know what's going on right now." Is this real? Is my mom, my only surviving parent, gone? So how am I doing? Well, honestly, there's still a pretty hefty dose of denial I'm working with. It feels so unfinished. With Dad, I had time. I knew it was coming. Every time I left, I said goodbye like it was the last time. I had time to accept what was happening before I had to deal with it. I got none of that with Mom. Saturday night I had a really hard time sleeping. I didn't fall asleep until 3 or 4. I was dreading the next day. Going to the funeral home. Seeing mom. That's when it became real for me with Dad. I needed to see him, in the coffin, not breathing, to know that he was not coming back & that was not him laying there anymore. I didn't know if I could handle that with Mom. It felt like too much to take in. I wasn't ready to face it. I wasn't emotionally able to handle it. I was scared that that would break me. And I just kept thinking- I'm 28 years old and I don't have parents anymore. My mom and dad are gone. Worst of all, I'm pregnant. And my kids will never know my parents. This, above all, is the hardest thing for me to deal with right now. They're not going to know where I came from. Really see them. But you know, that very thing is also somewhat of a blessing in disguise. I'm not going to pretend my mother and I had a good relationship. My mother was very, very troubled. She's been miserable my entire life. She's threatened to kill herself since I was very young. She took every pill she could get her hands on. She drank so much she started hiding it from me or waiting until her husband went to bed to go to the store. My mom had 3 DWIs in a 5-7 year period. 3. She could have killed not only herself, but someone else, with the way she behaved. She suffered from depression and God only knows what else. She had this incredible victim mentality where everything in the world was about her and everyone was out to get her. She was the type of person who would call and talk for 30 solid minutes about herself then say "well, I just wanted to see how you were doing" when she never asked me a single question about myself. My mother and I lived in two different worlds. It caused a lot of tension between us- mostly on my part because I was the only one lucid enough to remember everything. I kept her at a distance. I screened her calls. I didn't visit often. I couldn't deal with the crazy. I could not watch her self desctruct. That's not to say my mom doesn't have any redeeming qualities. They just became buried in a haze of drugs and alcohol to where that good person didn't make an appearance much anymore. I remember the person who visited my great grandmother in the funeral home and painted her toe nails and held her hand and watched TV with her, even when she didn't know who we were anymore. I remember the woman who baked countless dozens of cookies at Christmas time. I remember the person who drove to ETBU when I was in college because I was sick and I didn't want to go to the doctor by myself. But the more she drank, and took pills, and did drugs, the less I saw of that person. She had ups and downs and that's why I had to screen her calls- to see how sober she was. And that's what's so odd about this whole thing. She wasn't on a down cycle. Our last conversation was fairly pleasant. She hadn't been super depressed or crazy lately. I wasn't mad at her. And now she's gone. So I said all that to say, Lorelai doesn't have to know my mom like that anymore. She doesn't have to wonder why I don't want her spending the night with Grandma. She doesn't have to wonder why I won't take Grandma's calls or here me fighting with her. All Lorelai will know, when she's little, is that Grandma and Grandpa are two angels looking out for her from heaven. Sort of a blessing in disguise. As to what happened...we don't know 100%. They're assuming a heart attack. It sounds like whatever it was, her body just gave up. You can't live that hard for that long without consequences. My mom and dad both lived the way they wanted to and wouldn't let anyone else tell them differently. Unfortunately, it was at my, my brother, and our children's expense. They both died at the age of 56. So as for me...I'm ok. Still a little numb. Still in a little denial. Still a little shocked. Sad for what could have been.

24 Weeks! Not sure where the last 4 weeks went!

20 weeks! Halfway there

Gummy Bear: 24 weeks 

Baby is: Baby is the size of a grapefruit! Almost 12 inches long and from 1-2 lbs. I get to see her next week so I'll have some more accurate measurements

Symptoms: Sensitive gums still. Ever growing belly. And FINALLY some movement! It's the weirdest feeling, but it's comforting to know she's doing ok in there.

Cravings: Nothing really. Still prefer soft foods to anything that requires a lot of chewing though

Aversions: Meat by itself. Eggs. 

Drinking: Water and V8 V fusion (baby needs fruits and veggies!)

Clothes: Maternity pants and dresses. I'm all about comfort.

Gender: It's a girl! Full steam ahead on the hairbows, headbands and ruffly bloomers!

What I miss: My brain. My energy!

What I’m looking forward to: Seeing her on Tuesday

We got back from vacation this week. If you've never been of a cruise, I highly recommend it. I'm a planner. I need to have an idea of what we're doing and where we're going each day. I hate the "what are we doing today" moments. I like to research and read online reviews. For someone like me, the cruise was probably the only way I'd ever really relax on a vacation. I didn't have to think about anything. I didn't have to deal with traffic or rental cars or "what are we doing for dinner?". 

I don't necessarily recommend it for pregnant women. I was WORN OUT!. There's a lot of walking compared to my normal routine (hello desk job!). Not to mention swimming! But I took naps, I slept on the beach, I slept by the pool, I slept on the ferry, I slept on the plane. I rested. I didn't stress. I had nothing to worry about, no decisions or plans to make. It was amazing. Craig and I both agree...we're definitely going back!

On a side note, I'm also very glad we waited. We decided to buy a house instead of going on a honeymoon. Between then and now, we learned a lot about money and budgeting and we were able to pay cash for every single piece of our vacation, from passports to souvenirs. That felt like such an accomplishment, especially after paying off everything but our cars and house in May. We wanted to have a little more time to save before going on the cruise, but we found out I was pregnant about a week after we bought our passports and the cruise line won't let you turn 24 weeks pregnant at any time during the cruise so this was the absolute latest we could go. 

After a few big weeks, we're ready to slow things back down and watch the money build up. We put down new floors in most of the house, bought the crib, a dresser and a recliner for the nursery, and paid for vacation. It's been an expensive few weeks! Now it's time to save save save until Lorelai is here. 

20 weeks! Halfway there

Gummy Bear: 20 weeks 

Baby is: Baby is the size of a banana. 6 to 6.3 inches crown to rump. Baby weight approx 10 oz at our last ultrasound. 

Symptoms: Sensitive gums. They bleed every time I brush my teeth. I'm also easily fatigued. Other than that,   and the fact that my clothes don't fit right- I'd really never know. The ultrasound tech confirmed that I have an anterior placenta. Right now, the placenta is bigger than the baby. Until baby gets bigger, I won't be able to feel any movement. 

Cravings: Nothing really. Saturday I barely ate anything. Sunday however, I ate 3 whole grain blueberry eggos for breakfast, a chicken sandwich and hashbrowns from Waffle House for lunch and steak, beef rice, salad and asparagus for dinner. And I ate all of it. That's the first time I've cleaned my dinner plate in a long time. And I finished steak! Yay protein. 

Aversions: Food in general, haha. Eggs. Meat by itself. Pork, unless in bacon form, is totally out of the question. Chicken is a close second. I do better when meat is mixed into my food, or in ground form, like sausage or hamburgers. (Maybe this is finally passing though?!)

Drinking: Water and V8 V fusion (baby needs fruits and veggies), the occasional Sprite or ICEE

Clothes: Maternity pants and dresses. I'm all about comfort.

Gender: It's a girl! Are you surprised? I was! I knew she was wrong when she told me because it was a boy, but there I was, looking at the screen, and knowing there was no way I was looking at a boy. Now that I know it's a girl, it's full steam ahead on the nursery! 

What I miss: My brain. Sleeping any way I want to. Not having to be so careful about everything I eat.

What I’m looking forward to: Finishing the nursery! We ripped up the carpet last night so I'm already looking forward to having flooring again. 

New Beginnings

I thought it might be good for me to pick this back up. It's obviously been a few years, but if you're reading this you already know things have changed a lot since my last post anyway. I'll just pick up with the present :) Baby Gummy Bear I'm currently 19 weeks, 3 days pregnant. Yes we were trying. No, we really didn't tell anyone. No it didn't take long. Yes I want to have the baby naturally. I'm seeing a midwife and an OBGYN. Plan A is to have the baby in Texas at a birth center with the midwife. If things don't work out that way, I have a backup here in Sheveport with the OBGYN. Yes I want to know what the sex is. Yes I'm going back to work. Now that we have all the nosy questions out of the way... April I hope you don't mind me stealing your format, but I think it's a great way to update everyone on what's going on. I love reading yours! Gummy Bear: 19 weeks Baby is: Baby is the size of a mango. 5.5-6 inches, crown to rump, or about 10 inches if you count legs. Should weigh around 7 ounces. Will find out tomorrow how close to that baby looks. Last time they said I was measuring 6 days behind. I don't put a lot of weight into it though. Symptoms: Sensitive gums. They bleed every time I brush my teeth. My stomache is sticking out more- but I don't exactly look pregnant. But it makes it uncomfortable to bend over and sleep none the less. Cravings: Bland carbs. It's been that way for most of the pregnancy. All that really sounds good are potatoes or rice. Mexican food always sounds good, but I don't crave it. Sushi occasionally sounds good. As does anything else I'm not supposed to have (lunch meat, hot dogs, soda, and anything with alcohol in it). No real "I have to have this" cravings though. Aversions: Food in general, haha. Eggs. Meat by itself. Pork, unless in bacon form, is totally out of the question. Chicken is a close second. Even last night I couldn't finish my steak. I do better when meat is mixed into my food, or in ground form, like sausage or hamburgers. Drinking: Water and V8 V fusion (baby needs fruits and veggies) Clothes: I've switched to mostly maternity pants because they're so comfortable! Seriously wish I knew that a long time ago. I can still wear a lot of my regular tops, but I pull at them more. Gender: Unknown- but at this time, boy is looking like the clear winner in the wives tales competition I've been doing. What I miss: Bending over. Sleeping any way I want to. Being able to walk and breathe easier than I can now. Having energy. My brain. Seriously slow on the reaction times now. What I’m looking forward to: Finding out the gender! Finishing the nursery! Picking out a name! Feeling the baby move! So much to look forward too! I feel like this is just getting really exciting! I'll try to keep this up and keep everyone informed. Craig and I are both looking forward to this adventure!

i always saw in you my light and my strength

well, another month has passed without an update. i think about updating a lot, if that counts, haha.

so much has happened since i last updated. lots of changes at work. we've done some restructuring and i think it's really paying off. i'm in a better place and building my confidence back up but theres still work to be done. we're in a good place now though and i'm happy to be a part of it.

on the home front theres been a lot going on too. but no wedding planning, haha. the credit card hasn't even been taken out of the envelope for the jewelry store. you'll all know when we're ready to move forward :)

even though i'm not getting married yet, one of my friends did. it gave us the opportunity to get away from town for a while and head back to hot springs. we missed that town. ate lots of good food, did some shopping, played in the mineral water. but most importantly got to be there for one of my friends on her big day. the venue and ceremony were absolutely beautiful! out on lake hamilton. craig and i had a great time. lea looked amazing!

i had something catch me by surprise that night though. after dinner we go outside to get the dancing started. she and kyle, her husband, share their first dance, aww, yay, happy. then they call her father to the dance floor for the father daughter dance. i go from being perfectly normal and happy to hysterical almost immediately. even i couldn't believe it. i mean, i knew it was coming (the dance that is). i saw her father walk her down the aisle and made it through that ok. all of the sudden it just hit me and i told craig i can't do this. luckily we were outside and i could slip back into a corner where craig let me cry into his shoulder. it just hit me so fast and so hard. i hadn't cried that hard in a long time. i didn't expect it to effect me like that.

honestly that's always been one of the hardest things for me to cope with. little girls dream of having their daddy walk them down the aisle. they dream of that father daughter dance. i imagined my father crying as we got ready for the wedding. in middle school when that song, butterfly kisses came out i imagined us dancing to it at my wedding one day. how could my daddy possibly NOT be a part of my wedding day.

so as craig and i have looked forward to our future that's been a big question mark to me. i told craig during our first year together that he had to ask my dad for my hand. that's just the way it is. i don't know if he ever did but daddy gave me his blessing one day on the way home from one of his dr appointments. he said he was so glad i had finally found a good man. he thought craig and i were good together. since dad's death my future wedding has been a big question mark to me. how will i handle it when i get married? will i have an episode like at lea's wedding? who will walk me down the aise? should i go alone? what do i do about the father daughter dance now? how can i honor his memory without being overly sappy or bringing the mood down? lots of questions i don't have to worry about answering now, but things i think about none the less.

i did some research online one time and found lots of bad ideas, haha. but as i got ahold of myself at the wedding i could actually take in that moment and the song she chose was actually pretty perfect. she played faith hill's "there you'll be". it was a song i'd never thought about but i don't think it could be more perfect for a girl who's father is no longer physically here (although i'm sure she means it much differently). i've thought of the song often since. and since the day after her wedding marked 6 month since he passed, it's weighed heavier on my mind in the quiet moments. his funeral was 6 months ago today.

and easter makes me think of him too. dying eggs at his house. when kyle and i were little, our parents hid our easter baskets in the house as our first thing to find. that's a special memory for me. something i want to pass down to my kids. once we were too big to dye eggs easter hasn't really been a big deal for us anymore, but it's still fond memories from childhood. the last easter i remember spending hunting eggs was with him out at the lake house. fun times for sure.

in totally unrelated news, to paid for the aforementioned future plans, craig and i have really been needing to tighten up our spending. hands down the biggest thing we spend money on is food. between my working late and us eating out (no fast food-more expensive) and our spontaneous grocery store trips that involve only buying low fat (more expensive), no fat (more expensive), healthy (more expensive), organic (more expensive), whole foods, our food bill was a little out of control. a few weeks ago brookshires had a sale on several items we use a lot, buy 1 get 1 for a penny. i went and stocked up on a few things and saved $50. i was pretty proud of myself. well then i saw that show "extreme couponing". it was like, a personal challenge. i HAD to do that. not all crazy like those people, but if it worked on a big scale, it would work on a small scale. i HAD to save lots of money on my groceries. i just had to. so that sunday i bought 3 newspapers. it looked like my work had already paid off because in each paper was a coupon for $5 off my dog's $28/bag dog food (have i mentioned it's also expensive for animals to not eat junk food). $5! i wanted craig to go get more papers but he said no. i picked up another 3 papers last sunday and this week craig and i made our first big, money conscious trip.

the key to making coupons work is saving them and a) only buying things on sale and b)only using your coupons on sale items. that way you get the most bang for your buck and never pay full price for an item. stores put items on about a 6 week sale cycle meaning that every 6 weeks or so, items are are their lowest, rock bottom prices. when they are, that's when you strike!

see i always looked at that $.25 off coupon and thought, big deal, a quarter. but, if an item is on sale then you take that $.25 coupon to a store that will triple it, you might end up with something for free. a lot of stores douple coupons up to say, $.30 and double from $.30-$.50. until that show, i never saw that coupons could really work. they really can save you money! we saw someone this week get like $1800 worth of stuff and walked out paying less than $15. its fascinating to me!

now don't get me wrong, theres a fine line between genius and insane and those people have crossed it. one lady buys cat treats and doesn't have a cat. another lady buys diapers but doesn't have any children. coo koo for coco puffs. and why someone would buy 65 bottles of mustard is beyond me. i don't think i'll use that in my entire lifetime. but, if you go and buy 6 weeks worth of something, just enough to get you through to the next sale, then voila! you're saving money!

so on our first big trip, craig and i went looking for sales. we only bought 3 items that werent on sale and only bought sale items if they were a good enough deal. some items advertised as a sale were only $.01 cheaper than their normal price. you have to pay attention! and we didnt buy anything we dont want, need, or use. we had an overflowing buggy. we went a little canned goods happy, but the del monte ones were on sale 5 for $3, even the no salt added ones. then the skinner pasta was on sale for $.89/bag and for some pastas that meant half price. all in all we save $91 (32%). we were really pleased with ourselves. and i only had 2 coupons that time! imagine if we had more coupons!

well then i had a few coupons that will expire soon for kroger (you can load coupons directly onto your kroger card) so we went to use them. while there we saw they were having a 3 day special on brisket ($1.49/lb) that made the briskets half off. well we love to grill so into the basket 2 went...on the kroger trip we saved a little over $50 and upped our savings to 37%.

then today, i'd been thinking about what to make for easter dessert tomorrow. i bought some refrigerated pie shells on sale at brookshires so i wanted to make a pie but all the pie recipes i saw were for graham cracker crust type pies. but i remembered brookshires had those on sale and we passed on them the last trip. i also knew they had cool whip on sale because we also passed on it and all these pie recipes called for that too. and since i needed some cheese for the bread i wanted to bake i decided to go pick up a few things. i bought only sale items again and saved over $25 finally bumping my savings to 40%!

i love it. we have plenty of food stocked up, something craig has been wanting to do. he's very interested in self reliance and being prepared for an emergency of the biggest kind. so into it i almost bought him a rotating can storage system for our anniversary. well, after this week's sale we bought one of the shelves. i've always loved it because i'm a sucker for organizational gadgets but buying lots of canned goods on sale really forced us to find an effective way to store them. it's a little one so i'm not going all food hoarder on you guys, but we definitely have enough corn, peas and green beans to keep us from buying anymore for like, the rest of the year, haha. also got some storage bins (using my bed bath & beyond coupons!) for our pasta and baking goods because 4 bags of whole wheat flour can be hard to store, haha. im looking forward to seeing this make a big difference in our bottom line too!