A City Life For Me

Harris Teeter is having triple coupons this week, and I scored some great deals.  You are limited to 20 tripled coupons per day, so I will make a second trip tomorrow for a bunch of free yogurt with Yoplait coupons that I have.  Here’s what we got today: Total value: $57.81 (before store sales) Total Coupons: $38.56 Total Paid: $10.70 Savings: 81% Items lost: one pacifier

I was “inspired” to take these pictures when I saw some similar ones decorating the bathroom at the portrait studio.  They were all babies, wearing only a diaper, and playing with a roll of toilet paper.  “How cute” I thought!  It didn’t work out so well with Elaine, but we tried.  I usually just let the natural light come in through the windows.  I took the pictures first thing this morning, and apparently there wasn’t enough light.  Many came out blurry because I had turned the flash off.  They aren’t what I was aiming for, but I still got a few good shots.  Take a peek… “Is this the look you want, Mom?” “Okay, how’s this?”"   “Look at the mess I made!” “It rips!  Cool!” “Can I eat it?  Please” “It tastes like…peas.  Can you tell from my face?” “Okay, I’ll pose again.” “I want to play with the hairbrush.” “I’m tired of sitting up.  Can I try to crawl again?” (No, she hasn’t crawled yet…but she seems ...

Elaine wore this fabulous dress on Sunday, and she really did look like a princess!  I tried to take a picture, but she couldn’t keep her eyes off Daddy.  Here’s what we got… Just a side thought…whose bright idea is it to make baby clothes “Dry Clean Only?”  You know they’re going to drool, and spit up, etc.  Good thing I only paid a buck for it! We made it a total Daddy Day by letting Elaine help Daddy with the dishes.  She kept sticking her feet in the dishwater!

With May just around the corner (already?!?), Ben and I have decided to do a “No Spend Month.”   I was inspired with the idea from a blog I enjoy reading, Small Notebook .  I especially enjoy this blog because the author and her family live in an apartment, and they enjoy a simple life.  Apartment living is definitely in my future for a while, and I love new ideas for organization, de-cluttering, and saving money. Back to No Spend Month.  The challenge is to spend only $250 for an entire month.   We are doing this because we need to simplify some things, and save some more money toward our big move to Brooklyn.  We are leaving our debit cards at home, and we have $250 in cash.  When it is gone, it is gone.  Here are the details: The $250 is for: Food Gas Entertainment Personal items Household items Not included: Tithe Gifts (already purchased) Rent & bills Medical expenses Moving expenses (the moving truck, boxes, une...

Not to bombard with pictures of Elaine today (though I’m sure the grandparents don’t mind), but I couldn’t resist putting up another post.  I got some cute shots after I published my Wordless Wednesday .  So I guess this is the worded edition! Elaine sat up in the bath by herself for the first time today.  She really enjoyed “touching” the water, splashing, and the floating rubber ducky.  But what she really wanted was my camera!  Anything that Mommy or Daddy is holding or doing becomes something in which Elaine wants to participate! It can be challenging, especially of liquid is involved! I couldn’t decide which picture was better, so I had to put them both up.  You’d never know that yesterday she was a snotty, stuffed-up, cranky, teething emotional mess, would you?   I picked up this little jean skirt at a tag sale on Saturday.  I thought it was adorable.  But alas, I can’t take a standing-up picture and hold onto her at the same time...

Here are a few things to smile about: :: Starbucks chai latte and vanilla scones for breakfast :: :: Free Mary Kay facial and new makeup :: :: Tag sales with 25 cent shoes :: :: Enough sun for sunglasses, but not enough for air conditioning ::   :: Carrots for the first time :: :: Cupboards stocked with Special K for 89 cents a box :: And if you need a reason to perk up, just consider this: you could have to clean THIS up!   (yes, some of it did actually get in her mouth!)

“What?  Starting on solids doesn’t include potato chips?  But they’re ‘Reduced Fat’!”

We now have an apartment in Brooklyn.  We haven’t officially signed the lease, but they want us for renters and we want to rent from them!  It is on the third floor of a brownstone house in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.  This is not the same neighborhood as Bethel Baptist Fellowship , but it is within a reasonable distance. The landlords live in the first and second floors.  It is a lady, her brother, sister-in-law, and eleven year old niece.  They have a cat named Rocky that roams the house. These are the steps to the front door.  It enters on the second level.  There is another entrance under the steps to go down to the first level.  When you walk in the front door, the steps up to our apartment are immediately on the left, and a hallway with living room of the landlord is on the right. Following is a video.  Here are a couple of notes to clarify things (I made the video fast).  When you come up the stairs there is a hall leading to the ri...

MoneySavingMom is having a “Clear out the Clutter” challenge in preparation for her annual garage sale.  The timing couldn’t be better!  I already have a garage (or “tag”) sale stash, and now that I know what my apartment in Brooklyn has to offer for space and storage, I can make better choices in clearing out my clutter.  Here’s what I accomplished yesterday… My goal was to clean out from underneath our bed.  That will be pretty much our only storage space in NYC, and there are several unneeded items currently “living” there.  I also wanted to reduce my crafting supplies.  I started in the living room and emptied these: It’s an entertainment center that we have been using for decor, and we are not taking it to NY.  I condensed, threw away, and moved the stuff into the cabinet under our bookshelf. Scrapbooking and stamping supplies – from this: (double wide four drawer cart) to this:   (single wide three drawer cart) It was actually a tra...

I’ve been absent here for a little while…sorry.  We made a fast trip to Brooklyn on Friday night to view an apartment. Wordless Wednesday Game On Wednesday I asked you to guess what Elaine had on her head in the pictures.  I never posted the answer.  It is the top to her shape sorter that Grandma Godby purchased.  Denise Sweede guessed on Facebook, and got it right!  Here’s a picture… Apartment I am 99% sure we are going to take it, but Ben has one other thing to check on first.  I will post pictures and a video once we know for sure. Faith This apartment is both an answer to prayer and a rebuke to my faith (or lack of it).  I have been praying specifically for a wash machine, though I know it is a rare find in NYC.  We use cloth diapers, and while it is possible to do them at the laundry mat, it would be very expensive because of the frequent washings.  I was looking into a portable washing machine when people told me I was crazy to hop...