THE LONAS 6

Introducing Molly Kate Lonas...6/22/11

2012-01-31T06:09:00.000-08:00

TODAY-7 MOS OLD

1 DAY OLD

OK, OK.....I know, this is a looooonggggggggg time coming...;)....Well, I finally updated my blog to include, not ONLY a new title (THE LONAS 6), but to also include our sweetest, newest addition....Molly Kate....who just turned 7 mos old...my how time flies by...Its hard to believe 7 mos have already gone by and she's closer to being 1yr old, than newly born.........ugh, [cue tears].....

Anyway, she has been the BIGGEST blessing in the Lonas clan....The kids ADORE her and Jake is the most adoring...(And this comes from a kid who DID NOT want another sister, but is totally in love w/this little baby, kisses her ALL the time-even when she doesnt want it ;)..........Audrey is like a little extra momma, changing diapers when Im not looking and taking her on Saturday mornings (occasionally) so mama can sleep in..:)...I have been blessed w/GREAT kiddos..

Lastly, if you notice under her picture and caption, it says "our little turtle".....She has ALREADY been given a nickname by our family of "turtle" because not only was she my smallest baby (6lbs 12oz), but she is JUST NOW accumulating enough lucious baby fat around her body/neck to be dubbed an actual "LONAS" baby ;)....but she's a turtle, because she has the longest neck Ive ever SEEN on a baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL....

Well, that was just an update, hopefully I'll be better about updating more!! God Bless you this week :)

FREE at Kroger, Ingles and Walmart this week!

2011-04-30T05:59:00.000-07:00

I got ALL THIS FOR FREE at Walmart, Ingles and Kroger this week!!!
I EVEN got paid alittle to take the Easter candy out of Walmart last night ;)

---If you havent already, Easter candy is 75% off right now, which makes for some
GREAT deals, if you have coupons to use on top of it! Walmart was about the only
store that still had a great selection (and shhhh,,they even took my expired coupons)
(For those of you who dont know this, alittle inside secret,,Kroger will take your expired coupons for up to 2 mos, before the register will actually boot them out).I learned this recently :)----

Well anyway, I realized I havent written in awhile about my deal shopping because life has been alittle hectic trying to get ready for this baby #4 in the Lonas bunch!! Were so excited to be bringing ms Molly Kate into our fun, sometimes crazy family ;).....But today were talking about ..................... FREE GROCERIES!! WOO HOO!! You didnt think I'd forget to update my blog, now did you?? lol...Ive started something kinda new,,,I now have a $50 grocery budget per week,,Ive been buying for 2 week intervals recently and found it works great! Between my drugstore, grocery, and last minute deals, I stick to my budget of $100 for 2 wks....:)....

First stop was Ingles--I was visiting my grandma (GG) in Powell, and since Maryville doesnt have an Ingles, I decided to stop and get my deals I'd seen advertised...Walked out w/7 packs Rayovac batteries, 16 packets Weber seasoning and 2 boxes Raisin Bran (paid $1.14/box for these), but the batteries and seasoning were ALL FREE!! Who doesnt like free batteries?? Spent a total of $3 OOP

Next was Kroger--I must admit, its getting harder to coupon at K these days, with all this new policy on ecoupons and everything..I even had a couple paper coupons they wouldnt allow, cuz I had already had an ecoupon for them...geez...but, nontheless, still got 5 Crest tp FREE and only spent $72 OOP there...

And on to Walmart---Im slowing liking Wally-world again!! As far as i know, they are the ONLY store left that will give you overage on a coupon, meaning, if you have a $2coupon for a $1 item, you make $1 to put w/the rest of your order, and actually Walmarts new coupon policy actually has to PAY YOU BACK this amt, if you want, so you can, believe it or not, make an income shopping w/coupons AND get free stuff too! Who'da thought? I believe I did the best here, got (5) Nivea bodywash and several Easter candy items, which were all free and I believe I actually made a couple dollars on some of the candy, and few other grocery items...Spent $15 OOP

So my Grand total for 2 wks before coupons: $240.00

Total paid OOP: $ 90.00 !!!! I still have $10 left, I think Im going to Target now to get some more diapers ;)

The BLESSING of having a stockpile :)

2011-04-16T05:35:00.000-07:00

Heres my current stockpile-Including 7-8 boxes of cereal,
9 boxes of spaghetti noodles, several cans of veggies
and enough beauty/healthcare items to last us a year!

I know I dont usually go around taking pics of my pantry, but I wanted to get down on a spiritual note, for a moment, and thank God for the blessing of a stockpile, as you see here.

I think its important, in times like these, to have enough groceries to last you at least 3 mos, and our family QUICKLY becoming a family of 6 soon, I wanted to have this simply for that reason....You never know what can happen to this ecomony or your family even, in the blink of an eye, so its always best to be prepared....

Im so grateful to God for allowing me stay home now--fulltime--and succeed w/my couponing to provide for our family (probably more than enough), and saving more than 50% on the groceries that I used to buy, and pay FULL PRICE FOR!!! never again! lol

So, for those of you who think couponing is "silly", "too time consuming", or even "hoarding" sometimes, just think of where our country might be in 5-10 yrs, I dont know about you, but the thought kinda scares me ;(.....Thank you for always reading my blog and I hope you can get a good stock going to....just in case of a "rainy" day :)

FREE at Walgreens!! (Our laundry should be VERY clean for awhile ;)

2011-04-09T07:37:00.000-07:00

Somewhat PROUD of my laundry stockpile!!!! WOO HOO!

FREE at Walgreens this week-only paid tax!!

I really just got my deals at Walgreens this week, and I just have to say, Kroger is on my nerves!! All this coupon policy change has me frazzled, but oh well...

Walgreens- Got 3 Tide stain release for FREE- you got $3 RR when you buy $12 worth of these products,,,,I had (3) $3 off Tide stain release coupons, and $3 (from previous wk), put them together, got them free, plus $3 RR for next wk!!
Got (2) Airwick scented warmers FREE ....I had a raincheck for these (btw-rainchecks are the greatest thing ever invented, cuz it allows u to STIll get the great deals, possibly w/better coupons later, AND they never expire!!)...They were B1G1 free-$7.99,,,I had (2) $4/off coupons,,,FREE!!

Disney "Tangled" movie practically for FREE~~!

2011-03-30T13:23:00.000-07:00

Target AND CVS both pictured
Liz Lange maternity shirt-paid $1.98 !!
Huggies diapers-paid $2.14 !!!!!!

Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhh, its kinda nice to venture from my "free food finds", and to something much more fun, like a movie! (Lets face it, it may be free food, but eventually...... ITS GONE! :)

My Target and CVS trips today, made it very, very easy to get out w/a 2 yr old in this cruddy weather we were having today, to get a great deal....

1st stop was CVS-I didnt list everything I got here, but in the pic I did get the "Tangled" movie for a really great price,,I was so excited,,,after my coupons and some CVS ecb's, I only paid about $4!!! ($9 was OOP, but I have a $5 rebate coming also!) and not to mention, I also got $3 back in extra care bucks to spend next time, so in reality, I got this movie regularly priced at $24.99 this week, for $1 !!!!!!!!!
Other items from CVS were-Skintimate shave gel-55cnts, Mars easter candy-FREE, Thermacare heatwrap-FREE, Palmolive dishsoap-38cnts, Kelloggs cereal-$1.20/ea

2nd stop-WAGS (what the coupon "pros" like to call Walgreens, I just learned this recently-;)---------Got (2) Folgers coffee canisters for 79cnts/ea with coupons

3rd stop-Target--still had $8.60 left to spend on my free giftcard, so I was able to find Huggies diapers on clearance for $7.64!!!---used $3 manf cpn and Target store cpn for $2.50-got them for $2.14!!!!!!!!!---also got (2) Frosted flakes-99cnt/ea, Liz Lange maternity shirt-on sale for $4.98-used $3 off LL cpn, got it for $1.98!

So, as you can imagine, I was super excited over my deals today!

Oh and to see how many of you ACTUALLY read this, Im gonna let you in on a little secret "sale" going on at Target today...remember the Circo socks I got for free w/my $1 coupon?? WELL, their clearanced even MORE, now 70cents on sale!!, so if you got to Target.com and get the Circo $1/off coupon, you can STILL get them for free and make 30cnts profit to put w/the rest of your order!!!!!!!!!! Do me a favor, lets make it fun, if your reading this, go back to Facebook and just put "WOO HOO!!" in the comment part, I'd love to know who actually reads this and gets the same deals as me!! GOOD LUCK!

Next stop-

FREE baby items at Target!!!

2011-03-23T14:18:00.000-07:00

CVS shopping trip-Only spent $10.54 OOP!!
And I still have $5 extra care bucks to spend next time!

Got ALL this free at Target today :)

Well Im starting to notice a trend w/myself,,,I tend to go to CVS and Walgreens to get my freebies and deals on Wednesday's, and Kroger to get my grocery deals on Fridays....I decided to try my hand at Target today, for the first time (hard to believe, I know ;) to get some freebies I was after....Turns out it was a good trip!!!

Regarding Target trip:

(I have to mention though, all this "free" was from my free $20 gift card for a baby registry, so this deal wont be available to everyone, but I did get another $5 gift card for buying the 2 Venus razors!! You can too, you need (2) $3/off Venus razors, pay $10 OOP, and get a $5 gift card, so its like getting them BOTH for $5!!!)

Next stop: CVS

PICTURED: (8) PineSol bottles
(8) Nabisco crackers
(1) Allegra allergy med
(1) Arm and Hammer power tb
(1) CVS jelly beans (note to self-quit taking 2 yr old w/you, these things end up in the cart ;-)

Unexpected Walmart trip!

2011-03-19T17:05:00.000-07:00

Got ALL this at Walmart-FREE, plus $4.18 OVERAGE BACK!!!!

Yes, again, thats right I got everything you see pictured, and they gave me back $4.18 after my coupons!! (which I used toward the purchase of some other things).

I went to Walmart tonight to just get a few things I needed for a consignment sale Im getting ready to do, like tape and safety pins, and of course my hubby wanted me to get a steak to grill also for dinner,,much to my surprise AND excitement, I had some coupons that were about to expire and thought I'd use them,,and couldnt believe what I made out of Walmart with! Most of these were "travel" size, but who cares!! They were FREE, plus I made $4.18 to go toward our steak dinner!! LOL....Heres what I had:

(2) $2 off Dove deo- travel size was 97cnts, made $2.06 for 2 deodorants!

(2) $1 off Purex 3in1 laundry sheets-97cnts made 6cnts

(1) $1 off Pert shampoo-97cnts made 3cnts

(1) Nature Made vitamins-this was the real $$ maker, had a $5 coupon (It was only $2.97!)-made $2.03

I also made a quick trip to Kroger, to get a FEW more Powerades (ok, maybe more than a few), and some other "freebies" I knew they had this week

PICTURED: 45 Powerades, 6 Heluva dips, 5 Maries glazes-Paid $9.54!

$116 in coupons!!!! my BEST shopping trip EVER!

2011-03-15T10:33:00.000-07:00

EVERYTHING in this picture was FREE, FREE, FREE TODAY!!!

Yes, I said free....I had my BEST shopping day so far yet..I couldnt wait til the end of the blog to tell you how much it actually was after discounts/coupons, so here it is:

KROGER-

TOTAL BEFORE SALES/COUPONS- $209.78

TOTAL SPENT OUT OF POCKET---$86.45 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (OK, I have to say this total should have been ACTUALLY lower than this, because I bought a few things for my MIL(that I ended up just giving her-I love that I can help family too by getting cheap food!), also got a $5 off my next shopping trip for buying Kraft products AND $2 from my previous trip that they overcharged me, but forgot my reciept to get the credit back---DUH!--So after this my total SHOULD have been $76.45!!!!!!!!!

Im hoping this will last us for 2 weeks, but if it doesnt, ok!! I mean I only would have spent $38 for a weeks worth anyway!!!!
So I know your dying to know what I got....HERE IT IS!!!!

FREE ITEMS: (20) boxes Ronzoni pasta-(49cnts/ea w/the mega sale Kroger's having, had (10)-$1/2 coupons) = FREE!
(1) Box Kleenex
(1) Breathright nasal strips
(1) McCormick taco seasoning
(1) Gillette mens body wash --------ALL FREE :-)

Now, okay, I know you all arent going to believe this, but Kroger actually paid ME 0.72 cents to take all this!!! haha, yes, I had whats called, overage, in my coupons that allows me to use whatevers left over on something else (ex-had $1 off coupon for McCormick seasoning, was only 55cnts-added w/other coupons, made me 72cnts!,,unbelievable I know :)

Heres some more good deals:

Dannon light yogurt-49cnts
Kroger frozen veg-40cnts
Lucky Charms cereal-$1.13
Powerades-16cnts/ea
Dr Pepper-34cnts
Honey Bunches/Oats cereal-75cnts
Chips Ahoy cookies-99cnts
Gortons fish sticks/fillets-$1.99
Dole fruit cups-49cnts
Nestle 24-pk water bottle-$1.49
Tyson pack split chick breast-$1.80 (these were a GREAT SALE)
Sargento cheese slices-99cnts
So, had a pretty good week.....................:))))))) I love helping others try and save this good every week, let me know if you ever have any ??..I'd love to help!

My big girl is growing up :)

2011-03-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

Audrey has had a writing assignment at school, the past few weeks entitled, "How (blank) changed my life".....Every week she has to fill in something new in the "blank" spot...well, this week my sweet 9yr old wrote this one, and I teared up reading it, it took me by surprise, just going thru her weekly work, as I usually do...grab the kleenex....my big girl is growing up :(....

"HOW CHRIST CHANGED MY LIFE" BY AUDREY LONAS

"In summer, 2008 on Monday morning Christ blessed us with a baby girl my sister Emma. I'd been wanting a sister since I was two and finally I got one. In one year she started to walk it was a miracle." (I have to admit, this part made me giggle)

"Me and my cousin were playing with her and she began to walk it was cute. In 2009 she changed my life, I looked at her Sunday morning and said Im going to get saved because of you, you changed my life. A few months later I actually got saved it was cool. And thats how Christ changed my life."

So, as you can imagine I was a little weepy after reading that....Praise God he still gets thru to ALL of us, ESPECIALLY his little children....Amen

Shopping trip 3/11

2011-03-11T18:25:00.000-08:00

This was the Kroger trip

Walgreens trip
Well, I decided to go to Kroger, Aldi, CVS,Target AND Walgreens this week to get some great deals, but I actually spaced it out in the matter of a week (You wouldnt actually think I'd drag my preggo belly AND my 2 yr old to ALL these stores in one day, would you???? LOL

Theres quite a bit to post, so lets get started...I also have to say, when I started this blog, it was to document my kids as they grow (which it still is), but now Ive been able to help many of you who say they cant believe their saving so much $$, even calling me on my phone for couponing advice....I LOVE IT!! anyway-here goes:

KROGER

The only freebie I got here today was: Dial soap 3pk

heres some of the rest:(2) Tide laundry det-$2.99, (2) Tide stain release-$2, Huggies diapers $4.43, Bounty 8pk papertowels-$3.99, (4) Yoplait Delights yogurts-.99cnts, Fiberone bars-.99cnts, Thomas english muffins-.84cnts, NatureValley granola bars-.80cnts, (6) Betty Crocker fruit snacks-90cnts/ea, and some others

Total before: $123.38

Total out of pocket: $55.41 !!! (I had (3)-$3 off next shopping trip from previous week)

Then on to....................

ALDI

got: produce, 5 meals planned for the week, and other "staple" items

Total: $25

Lastly on to Walgreens, where I thought I did the best, even if it was only a few items:

(2) Pediacare childrens bottles
(1) Always pads
(2) pantyhose...............only paid $2 !!!!

so, got my groceries for the week (plus a pack of diapers and Bounty pt 8pk) for.........$80 !!

CVS

Did pretty good, got: Revlon nailpolish, colorblast lipgloss, Schick hydro razor, 3 Benefiber products, 1 Ajax dish det, 2 Wisk laundry det, 4 packs Trident gum and 2 bags CVS candy

Total before sales/coupons/ecbs: $73.95

total after: $30.26 (well, this would have been alittle better, the cashier forgot to ring up another $2 coupon)-Also got $10 ecb to use next time!! so, really got all this for about $18.26!

Character day at school-2011

2011-03-11T05:17:00.000-08:00

Well, I thought I'd take a small break from posting JUST about my great coupon finds, for the moment...(Dont get too excited, Im going to post about todays shopping trip, tomorrow...hee hee)...Today Jake and Audrey dressed for Character day, Audrey being Malificent from Sleeping Beauty and Jake being Snake eyes from GI Joe.....they were too cute, getting ready this morning, Jake was showing me his kung-fu, Jedi knight moves, and Audrey just wanted me to get her makeup and hair done the right way...:)....It will be a fun day at school for sure...So glad to have a blog to document times like these cuz we forget how cute they are, when they're little :)

I LOVE FREE!!!!!

2011-03-09T06:08:00.001-08:00

Well I figured today was as good as any (its raining cats and dogs here), to tell you about last Friday and what an eventful day it was couponing!!!

And ironically MOST of what my freebies were was from fast food restaurants! This will be a short entry blog post, dont worry, it wont take too long telling you what I got....I have to say, I had a GREAT DAY!!

Started off the morning, garage sale-ing,,,Im new at this (believe it or not :) and thought I'd try my hand at getting something for a great bargain, so EG and I ventured out to 2 different sales, only one of which I did buy something, a little round endtable for $1, which I plan on painting and making "girly" w/bright purple/pink flowers to resemble a tea party table...so, I have a consignment sale coming up and am starting to put things on Craigslist to sell...but getting back to the "free" stuff...Here goes:

On this day we got FREE McDonalds breakfast, FREE Burger King Whopper for lunch, FREE french fries from Chickfila, FREE $20 giftcard from Target, FREE $10 giftcard from Babies R us, FREE groceries at Kroger,,,I honestly cant remember what all we got that day, I just know I was grinning from ear to ear all day....All because of COUPONS!! anyway, wanted to share that w/everyone, stay tuned to hear what FREEBIES Im getting this Friday, there's alot!!!

Kroger, Food Lion and Aldi,,,OH MY!!!

2011-03-04T17:59:00.000-08:00

Okay, so Im NOT the most clever person trying to make my great shopping trip this week, sound like a line from "Wizard of Oz", but nontheless, IM SO EXCITED to share w/you what I got!!! :)

Well, for starters, still got some nice (expensive) freebies this week after coupons and sales, but I did something I said I'd NEVER do, and thats go to more than 2 stores for a deal...But I couldnt pass up the deal I got on Pampers Diapers (obviously, cue picture ;)....Anyway, my favorite find of the week was the FREE Tide stain release ($5.99) and Pampers diapers for $3!!!! Heres the list....

FOOD LION:

(6) Pampers diapers (diff sizes-w/a 2 yr old still in Easy ups and another baby on the way, I needed a wide variety ;)

$7.99 on sale
Had (6) Food Lion coupons for $3 off (I also had other coupons I could use, but some stores wont let you "stack" coupons, meaning using a store AND manf. coupon together, but she did for the 1st, making it $3.24!!), the rest of the diapers were $4.99 after coupon, still a good deal though!

Total before : $48

Total after : $28.20!! For 6 Pampers diapers!!

KROGER:

Did pretty good here today, I actually went in w/a specific list to ONLY get the deals I was after, knowing I was headed to ALDI to get the real groceries..

Just to name a few, after sales/coupons:

(4) Totinos pizza rolls (60cents/ea)
(3) Yoplait kids yogurt and Gogurt (99cnts/ea)
(1) Charmin 12 pack tp ($2.49)
(1) Pampers baby wipes tub (7cnts)
(4) Chex mix (50cnts/ea)
(1) Pillsbury pizza crust (55cnts)
(3) Pampers diapers ($5/ea)

And my FREE items were: 12 packs of Butterfinger snackerz
1 Tide stain release (5.99 on sale-used $3 manf coupon and $3 ecoupon)

Total before coupons/sales: $104

Total AFTER: $40.31 !!!!!!!!! I had $63.06 in coupons,thats MORE than what I paid!

ALDI

Last, but not least we went and got our "staple" groceries for the week, nothing too special to mention, but I basically got food for the week, and 4 meals planned...Not bad, I love ALDI!

Total spent: $37

GRAND TOTAL for a weeks worth of groceries, some freebies and 9 PACKS OF PAMPERS DIAPERS!!!! (can u tell Im excited about this :): $105.51 !!!!! (Just so you know the magnitude of how much diapers REALLY are, $50 of that were the diapers alone, and thats w/coupons) So, I had a pretty happy day :)

CVS and Walgreens trip-LOTS of FREE!

2011-02-27T11:44:00.000-08:00

Well, I FINALLY got my camera to work to post pics on here!! (well, I should say my hubby did,,thanks my love!!)

I hit CVS and Walgreens today to get the deals I was after and was so excited to see what I saved AND what I actually got for FREE!!!

The best I did was w/the Oral B crossaction power toothbrushes (got 2)-only paid $1.11, for the tax!!
Also- 2 Motrin PM and Baby Magic lotion- $0.56cnts for tax!
Dove bodywash, deo, mens bodywash and Vaseline lotion (big bottle)- $1.70-you guessed it,,tax ONLY!!

So alltogether my total BEFORE sales and coupons---------DRUMROLL PLEASE---------

$127.64

Total AFTER coupons/sales:

$25.94 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thats a 74% savings!

(I actually spent $32.94 out of pocket, but I also got $5 extra care $$ to use again at CVS and $2 Registry rewards to use at Walgreens on my next trip!-so I considered those to be savings too!)

Ok, Im soooo excited to see what we get next week!! thanks to Southernsavers.com!

CVS and Kroger trip

2011-02-26T05:56:00.000-08:00

WOO HOO!!!! Well, Ive decided that I need to keep up w/my couponing every week, cuz lets face it, were gonna be a family of 6 REAL QUICK!! And anything we can do to save $$ at the grocery store and on toiletries, I have to be a part of, since losing my part time job...

My first trip was to CVS--not much this time, but still worth it, and I would have gotten more detergent, but they were already out :(

(1) Purex laundry det ($1)-what I spent
(1) Dial nutrium lotion ($1.99)-what I spent

total before coupons: $6

Total spent:$3..........not too exciting, but check back after SUNDAY'S shopping trip, I plan on getting a BUNCH of things, including 8 rolls Bounty pt, Pantene shampoo and Oral B power toothbrushes and Huggies Pullups!!...FOR FREE!! and much more :)

Okay KROGER--did MUCH better here, got alot for FREE this trip, but I have to specify the (2) Coffeemate creamers and Claussen pickles are not due to couponing...I had to call Claussen (which is actually owned by Kraft, who knew??), to get a free voucher, cuz the ones I bought were bad...and the Coffeemate was from Facebook...You'd be surprised, you can find ALOT of freebies on FB!! Coffeemate does this thing called, "Free Flavor Fridays" where they introduce a new flavor, and the first 200,000 get a free coupon up to $3.99!! Thats the BIG bottle, so I was excited, I put mine and Russ' email addresses in to get 2.....

SO..........Kroger deals

Heres what I got:

(7) Colgate toothpaste-FREE (on sale for 98c, had 7 -$1.00 off coupons, you should ALWAYS be able to get free tp, Colgate is ALWAYS on sale!!)-(I actually got all these for a charity were doing thru MOPS for Easter baskets--thanks Michelle!!)

(1) Sprite 2 liter- FREE (99cents on sale-had a $1 off Sprite coupon)

(3) Pillsbury Grands biscuits (8 count)- (57 cents/ea)

(2) Totinos pizza rolls-(40 cents/ea)

(1) Ronzoni spaghetti noodles-(29 cents)

(2) Ragu spaghetti sauces- ($1.15/ea)--that doesnt seem that good, but when their regularly $2 or more a jar, thats better!)

(2) El Monterrey frozen taquitos-(69 cents/ea)

(3) Chef Boyardee cans-(46 cents/ea)

(6) Healthy Choice frozen meals ($1.66/ea)-had a "buy 5-get one FREE"-so thats what they ended coming out to

**So, all together a pretty good week at Kroger-and w/the Mega savings event their doing, I also got (3) $3 off my next shopping trip-coupons, thats $9!!!

Also one common misconception---Kroger takes DOUBLE coupons up to $1, so if somethings on sale for $1, its FREE!

Im going to (hopefully!) keep up w/my savings each week, so check back....And you can become a "follower" also here on the blog...HAPPY SHOPPING!

Its a Girl!!!!!!!

2011-02-24T07:03:00.000-08:00

Well, its been exactly a month since I last updated....(sorry Katie ;).....But I just wanted to tell you all whats been going on in our lives the last month....we found out were expecting our 3rd GIRL!!! which most of you already know now, but might not know were going to be naming her Molly (not sure of middle name yet)...

We also had a birthday day yesterday,,my little "Jakie-boy" turned 6 yesterday! I still cant believe my baby boy is that old, I still remember him getting his first teeth (yes, I said TEETH)....He literally had 4 of his baby teeth come thru at once, all at 5 mos old!! Now, were just trying to predict when they'll fall out :)....Yesterday started w/some errand running, including picking up some cupcakes and a balloon to take to Jake's class, his class was in the hall, coming back from lunch, and met us....All I saw down that long hallway, was 20-6 yr old all poking their heads out at once trying to see who was carrying the bright colored birthday balloon, then I see my Jakes sweet face, grinning EAR TO EAR, like you all know he does,,,was too funny and cute,,he just beamed, he felt like a million bucks!!so we left and after school I took the kiddos to Baskin Robbins for ice cream for his bday.....btw- the kids cone is only $1.29!!! Thats a great deal, much cheaper than going to Marble Slab....so we ended the day on a good note, and Jake has a fun baseball game party to look forward to on Saturday...

Well, just updating the week for ya, I also had a garage sale this past weekend, that went well....We made $365!!!! Thank you Lord for my life!!

Back from the Dead

2011-01-24T16:28:00.000-08:00

Hello all! yes, I know its been awhile, and w/the absolutely, positively NO comments on my last 3 or 4 blog posts, its become apparent, I havent been on here in ahwile....LOL....nontheless, HERE I AM AGAIN! Well, the pregnancy is going great, Im now 16 weeks and feeling good, eating EVERYTHING in sight and loving this little baby belly Im starting to grow....Theres nothing sweeter in this world, than feeling your baby move around, and seeing it on the ultrasound just proves that GOD is miraculous!! Ive been to several ultrasounds since 13 weeks (thanks to my sweet friend Tara,,thanks sister!) to see what the sex of this baby Lonas is, but not to my surprise, its a stubborn Lonas at that...lol....we havent been able to find out what it is yet, the cord keeps getting in the way and baby is being alittle too modest these days...BUT, I go for my 18 wk appt and u/s next week, so hopefully (fingers crossed) we can find out then,,Im so excited! Jake REALLY wants a brother and wont even fathom the thought of another sister, Audrey wants a sister and Emma Grace changes her 2 yr old mind everyday....well, gonna go now, just wanted to update!!!

Kroger and CVS deals for the week

2010-11-13T05:47:00.000-08:00

Well, I think I did better at CVS than at Kroger, for some reason...Trying to do all this couponing, while dealing w/morning sickness, is a proving to be a challenge for me, but is well worth it when I get home and see what all I got:)

CVS-

(1) Finish powerball detergent
(3) Lysol disinfecting wipes
(2) Lysol kitchen spray bottles
(2) Glade Sense n Spray refills
(2) Glade 4oz jar candles

Total after coupons and ecbs-$6.59
Still have $15 ecb to spend next week!

Kroger-

(2) Right Guard defense deodorants (FREE)!
(1) Poise pantyliners (FREE, not too thrilled w/this one, but nontheless still free)

Practically free items after coupons:

(1) Johnsons/Johnsons baby shampoo (58cnts)
(4) Pringles chips (49cnts ea)
(4) Swanson chicken broth can (19cnts ea)
(1) Dannon danimals drinkable yogurts (49cnts)
(1) Dannon Lightnfit yogurt (80cnts)

There wasnt much this week, as you can see, but I still saved like crazy!

Kroger total before sales/coupons- $134.75
total coupons- $53.10
Total spent- $81.65

#4 is on the way!!!

2010-11-05T12:32:00.000-07:00

Well, this past weekend was very busy for us......First Fall Festivals, basketball games, Halloween and oh................ANOTHER BABY ON THE WAY !!.....Talk about cramming alot into a couple days :)...We were so ecstatic to find out we're expecing another baby that I took pics of the kiddos in their Halloween costumes holding a sign that says "#4" on it, to put on Facebook....and the header read:

"Audrey, Jake and Emma Grace have something they want to say,
Little Lonas #4 is on the way !!"

so, as you can imagine, the kids are REALLY excited and Audrey and Jake argue DAILY over wether its going to be a boy or girl....And I havent been able to escape speculation, that this could be #4 AND #5 !! Although twins DO run thru my family RAMPANTLY, I really feel like it could just be one little "bean" in there, but it would be a total blessing if it was the other way around....We have our first ultrasound next week (6 weeks) and are blessed to see what God has in store for this little one He is, so graciously, giving to our little family of 5....PRAISE YOU GOD for you abundant blessings...Love you..

Audrey's 9th birthday

2010-10-22T11:31:00.001-07:00

Well, my baby turned 9 this past weekend, and Im STILL in shock!! I cant believe it, wow, 9 yrs REALLY goes by fast...Prepare yourself Andrew and Sarah :)) !!

All of a sudden Audrey just seems so grown up now and likes to make sure her hair and clothing is "just right" and theres no stains on her pants or anything....Shes becoming such a young lady, until she hits the basketball court or softball field, then her inner "tomboy" comes out :))

This year, for her birthday, she and some friends went to Skatetown (aka Smokey mtn skate center) and they had a blast!!! I can still remember having birthday parties at OUR local skatetown when I was a little girl....As expected, the facilities werent "up to par", but we didnt care, WE HAD A BLAST !! Even Emma Grace skated for the first time....Birthday cake, skating,a few bruises, gifts , $$ and 3 gift cards later, we ended the afternoon on a happy note, and Audrey informed me this was the BEST birthday she'd ever had....Love my babydoll...Happy Birthday my 9 yr old :)

PS-TAKE A LOOK AT THE LAST PIC, THAT WAS HER FACE WHEN WE TOLD HER WE WERE GETTING A DOG FOR HER BIRTHDAY TOO !

Shopping Trip #2- More FREEBIES!!

2010-10-16T05:53:00.000-07:00

Well, went for my 2nd shopping trip this week, using my couponing skills, after finding this website, (southernsavers.com) and , again, did VERY WELL!! I got some more "FREEBIES" this week @ Kroger and CVS....

KROGER- Obviously to me, having a husband and 3 kids makes couponing worth the patience...(scratch that- 4 kids, lets be honest here, my hubby eats as much as the kiddos do :)...So I ventured out (w/Emma Grace this time, so it was a "quick" trip lol) and here's the deals I got THIS week, pretty similar to last week, they extended that "Mega Event" at Kroger for another week....

**Total in groceries before taxes/coupons: $193.41 **
**Store coupons/manuf.coup/Kroger card : $95.90 **
**TOTAL SPENT: $97.51
so to recap, again, I basically got $200 worth of groceries for $90 bucks!! Yay Me!

(5) Coffeemate liquid creamers (FREE)
(4) Land O Lakes butter tubs (FREE)
(5) California Pizza Kitchen frozen pizzas (w/coupons-$1.99)
(2) Sister Shubert Rolls (w/coup-$1.25)
(8) Coke products (79cnts ea)
(1) Huggies diapers ($4.77 after coupons!!)
(1) Pampers babywipes (80cnts after coupns!!)
(2) Kelloggs cereals-Cinnabon and Apple Jacks (50cnts & $1.25)!!
(2) Juicy Juice 46oz ($1.50 after coup)
(2) Simply Orange-Juice ($1.49 ea aftr coup)

And a few other things...so it was a good week!....Now, remember, Kroger only has their Mega Event every so often, so its a possibility I wont get this good of deals, next week, but lets hope!!

CVS- wasnt really a great week here, but I ended up w/some high value face products (I may end up returning them, cuz dont think I'll need them)

Total before coupons/extra care bucks- @ $25

(1) Garnier Nutritioniste 3in1 - $6.89
(1) Garnier Nutritioniste Defining moisturizer - $16.99

Used: $10 ecb
$1/$2/$4 coupons

after taxes total out of pocket was: $10.19---BUT----Got $10 back in extra care bucks to use next time!!

Im addicted to couponing !!

2010-10-10T14:45:00.000-07:00

Well, I have a new favorite hobby....COUPONING !!! I've starting "stalking" this website Southernsavers.com (thanks Sarah!!) and I cant BEGIN to tell you how much $$ Im saving at the grocery store and drugstores too....My favorite places to save at are Kroger, CVS and Walgreens....Couponing is something that requires alot of time, organizing and patience, but in the end you'll be glad you did it...Getting the coupons is pretty easy, you have coupons from the paper, ecoupons, printed coupons from internet sites and manufacturers coupons from their sites and its so easy to get very cheap groceries or even FREE like I did this week!...I recently discovered a hidden treasure called CVS extra bucks too!! Why have I never done this before!! Its a couponing system in CVS that gives you extra "bucks" to use in the store after youve made a purchase...

Ok, so lets cut to the chase....Im gonna tell you what GREAT deals I got this week..First:

KROGER- Are you ready for this? I got $200 worth of groceries for $86 !!!!! I used ALOT of coupons and they have this "mega event" that saves you alot of $$ too...I also got MANY free items just because of this sale! FREE ITEMS-20 Nabisco snak packs w/oreos,chips ahoy,etc (they were 49cents and I had several $1 off 2 Nabisco items coupons, so they were FREE!) (3)Idohoan mashd potato packs ($1 this week, had 3 $1off coupons), 5 Philidelphia cream cheese(on sale for $1) (used $5 off 5 Kraft products coupon)....those are just the main freebies!! I also got Chiquita apple bites and coffee free too!! Here are some of the "nearly" free or discounted items after coupons and discounts-Michelinas frozen meals 57cnts, Caprisun juiceboxes 49cnts, Sister shubert rolls 49cnts, New York garlic bread 49cnts,Triscuit/Ritz crackers 68cnts-99cnts, Nestle breakapart cookies 99cnts, Progresso soups 50cnts, Coke products 79cnts......so as you can tell, was a good trip!!!

CVS- had $10 extra care bucks (instore coupons)-ok, I basically got
(2) Colgate toothpastes
(2) Quaker Oatmeal boxes
(2) Dawn dish det
(1) Dial 3pk barsoap
(1) candy bar
(1) Brach's candy corn
ALL FOR.....................FREE!!!! yes, free...w/coupons and my extra care bucks, the total was tax only!....See, when you use your "bucks" on certain advertised items, you make "bucks" back, like for instance, Colgate was on sale for $2.99, and you got $2.99 back in ecb, and I also had a 75cnt coupon, so I had enough overage to get a candy bar too!! Also, when you walk in the door, you scan your card at the coupon center (another perk) and you get coupons good in the store, so today I got $1 of Brach's candy corns and they just happend to be on sale for $1, so its FREE!! And guess what the best part is......in addition to getting ALL OF THIS for FREE, I got back $10 extra bucks more to use again the next time I shop !! WOO HOO!! It definitely "pays" to shop at CVS!!

Walgreens- ok, Im just getting startd there, but still ended up w/some freebies..
-bought Huggies diapers (on sale $8.99) used $2.50 off coupon-total was $7.38-still cheap (earned $2 registry rewards-what they call them)

Noxzema 4pk razors ($3.99) used $2 off coupon and $2 registry rewards-- (Got them FREE AND earned $3 more RR)

Halls refresh cough drops ($1-on sale) used $3 RR and GOT 3 HALLS COUGH DROPS FOR FREE!! (Earned back $1 RR)

Well, I have to say Im so excited about this website, I hope you'll take some time to check it out and maybe YOU CAN get some freebies the next time you go shopping!!

Happy Anniversary !! 12 yrs of wedded bliss :)

2010-09-28T05:38:00.000-07:00

Well, this past weekend was mine and Russ' 12 yr wedding anniversary! WOW, doesnt seem likes its been that long, I still remember the nervous quivers in my stomach, right as I was getting ready to walk down that aisle, my flowers were shaking all over the place, and I still recall what my dad said, right at the last minute, "I dont look at this as losing a daughter, but more like gaining grandchildren"...Ha Ha, just like my dad to lighten the mood, cuz I was a bundle of nerves at that point, but that definitely put me at ease...Well, the wedding day went great, everything was PERFECT....

Fast forward 12 yrs....You know, its amazing what all you can accomplish in just 10 yrs or so, I teased Russ one time, saying, we got married, had 3 children, built a house, and traded at LEAST 7-10 cars in that period of time....LOL....He agreed w/me....Well, THIS anniversary, we went to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge to spend our weekend....First off, I apparently didnt get that great of a hotel, was kinda old fashioned, but CLEAN...as long as its clean, I dont care HOW old it is...but was still nice :)....We had reservations for The Peddler (and for those of you who know about Ye Olde Steakhouse, the Peddler is right up there w/it). Well, our reservation wasnt til 8p, so we decided to go to Calhouns for an appetizer, and everyone that knows me, knows we eat at the Lonas house by 5 or 6p during school time...so I was STARVING by then...Well, 7p rolled around, and Russ and I decided since we were already there, and were hungry, we'd just stay and eat at Calhouns..lol...so needless to say, we saved an extra $50 that night, and STILL got to eat Prime Rib! You cant get much better than that...:)....We walked up and down the Gatlingburg strip and assumed we were getting "old" in our married life, when we decided to walk back to our hotel room at 9p, following behind the 60yrs+ crowd in front of us...lol...I guess we ARE getting old...All in all, it was a fun weekend..I love you honey, and cant wait to spend 12 more yrs of "bliss"..:))

Don't Cave In

2010-09-20T10:41:00.000-07:00

This was my Journey women's devotional for today...It spoke VOLUMES for me, I really needed to hear this...And I really NEED to be reminded DAILY to "Pray WITHOUT ceasing"...Afterall, doesnt God command us to do so?? I hope you get as much out of this, as I did..

"Jesus told them a parable on the need for them to pray ALWAYS and not become discouraged." (Luke 18:1)

A woman once came to Jesus with a desperate plea for Him to rescue her daughter from demon possession. And Jesus, who was always compassionate, didnt answer her. But she kept asking. Finally, Jesus told her that since she was a Canaanite and not an Isrealite, she was really outside the scope of His ministry right then. When He suggested that helping her would be like taking Isreals food and giving it to the dogs, she said, "Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table" (Matt 15:27). Jesus answered by calling this "great faith". Then He did exactly what she had been asking-all because she had enough faith to be persistent.

Desperation and persistence are given as examples of how to pray with GREAT faith. Hannah was completely desperate before God, and He gave her a child (1 Samuel 1). Even Jesus offered "prayers and appeals, with loud cries and tears" (Hebrews 5:7). Something about our deep desperation and stubborn persistence MOVES God to action.

So if you gave up on praying about something because you assumed God hasnt answered, THINK AGAIN. Scripture ENCOURAGES you to pray AGAIN and AGAIN. The examples in the Bible seem to indicate that God might NOT answer if you dont follow your requests all the way through to the end.

Alot happens when you pray this way. Your faith gets clearer, and God may help you adjust your request until it fits His will. But alot also happens outside of you when you pray this way. God is MOVED by your persistence and your intensity. When you pray and nothing happens, thats an invitation to KEEP praying and not a sign to stop! As Jesus said, pray and dont give up.

Father teach me to be persistent in prayer and to trust You with the timing and the results.

FUN WITH EMMA GRACE :))

2010-09-15T05:59:00.000-07:00

We were alittle bored one morning and I decided to ask my 2 yr old a few random ??'s....Enjoy...

Where's the moon?---"At my house"

How old is Mommy?---"2"

Who's the president of the United States?--"Jakie" (Jake)

How many legs does a dog have?-- "5"

Whats your favorite food?-- "green"

Whats your favorite cartoon?--" Um, t.v."

Whats your favorite dessert?-- "popcorn"

Where do you like to go?--- "that way"

What did you do at the park yesterday?--"I not hit boys"

Whats the best thing about being 2 yrs old?--"the beach"

As you can see, I was giggling all morning, it was a fun day :)) LOVE my Emma Grace.

BOOMSDAY-2010

2010-09-06T05:48:00.001-07:00

Well, it was that time of year again for the awesome display of loud, booming fireworks for all to see at Labor Day..Every year, Knoxville holds a "Boomsday" celebration complete w/hot dog vendors, various radio DJ's, and a MILLION people venturing out on Neyland Dr in Downtown K-town, to witness the most spectacular fireworks show EVER!!

We had a blast!! We met up w/our friends, The Keebles, and faught the crowd to get to a good spot, and boy did we!! Russ works for Knox County, so we got to park at the City Co bldg for FREE!! And got some great seats along w/it...The fireworks show started and, if you've never been to a "real" fireworks show (and I dont mean your neighbors in the backyard shooting 3 or 4 at a time), I mean several HUNDRED going off at once and the booming SO LOUD you can feel it pumping your chest, THATS the show you want to be at!!

So, fireworks lasted about 30-40 min, we started to pack up our things and head to the van, said goodbye to the Keebles and went on our way. We all got in the van, seatbelts fastened, pulling out, and then we literally went about 10 ft, thats the last thing I recall, because after that, we were so tired all we really wanted to do was GO HOME!! The Knoxville Police had our parking garage blocked off for "street" traffic for 1 HOUR AND 15 MINUTES!!! It was pretty ridiculous, it took us 2 hours to get home, what would normally only be a 35-40 min drive....And for those of you who know my husband, we also had 2 of Audrey's friends in the back laughing and carrying on, so to recap, thats 5 KIDS....needless to say, we FINALLY got outta there, and got home, but it was a most memorable Boomsday for us...

Count your blessings...name them one by one

2010-09-01T04:54:00.000-07:00

"HE is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am the tree...Then all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by Glory, then I realize just how beautiful YOU are and how Great your affections are for me,,Oh, How HE loves us...."

God has a way with me, sometimes, that just makes me remember He is STILL there and that no matter what my "plans" are, the timing is NEVER as important as His.....His timing with HIS plans are PERFECT....so, what I thought I'd do today is post some of my favorite promises of scripture, as a reminder, we HAVE a God who adores us, we HAVE more blessings than we can count, and we HAVE the most wonderful blessing to look forward to....Our eternal home of Heaven...We love you Lord and thank you for all that you are, and your reminder to just "Be still" and know you are God........

"No eye has seen, No ear has heard, and No mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him" 1 Corinthians 2:9

"What is impossible with men, is possible with God" Luke 18:27

"Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you, for everyone who asks receives,he who seeks finds and to him who knocks, the door will be open" Matthew 7:7-8

"Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" Matthew 11:28

"Let the little children come to me,and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these" Matthew 19:14

A conversation between me and Jake..

2010-08-19T04:37:00.000-07:00

** The names and corrections in spelling HAVENT been changed, so we can fully understand what a conversation w/my son is like..LOL...Enjoy ***

Jake (holding his stuffed animal, "Buster") said, "Now Buster, Im gonna haf to go to school now, so you haf to stay here, ok?". Jake took Buster and asked me to undress him out of his pajamas from the night before. (They were actually Jakes pj's, but to him, it didnt matter that the legs/arms of the pjs went well past Busters limbs, they were still his)

Jake then proceeded to undress him, himself..I said, "Buddy, your gonna be late for school, you'd better go.".."But Mama, I dont want to go to school today"..me- "well, you know I always pick you up, dont I??"...Jake- "Well, ok, I"ll go, but I want you to pick me up before four-furty (4:30), Ok??" Me- "Well, ok, I'll pick you up before then, more like 2:45"...Jake- "How about one-furty", me- "No Jake, I cant negotiate this fact w/you, you get out at 2:45", "How bout two-furty??"...We all knew where this conversation was headed, nowhere FAST! So for the sake of time and sanity, I told him he was close enough and I'd see him this afternoon....I just love my baby boy, God knew I'd need a laugh , once in a while, being a mommy...

Baby Caitlyn's baby shower

2010-08-15T11:39:00.000-07:00

BABIES, BABIES, BABIES!! Well, it was time for another wonderful baby shower...It seems like all the women in my life are having baby girls, or getting ready to, lately!! ITS SO EXCITING ! I recently had the excitement of hosting a baby shower for my sweet friend Michelle Deck, who's due w/baby Caitlyn in Sept...This is Michelle's 4th child and 2nd girl, so I would consider her a "pro" at this point...lol..We had a blast, complete w/chicken salad, chips,pasta salad, and fruit for dinner and topped it off with a white cake, welcoming baby Caitlyn, for dessert...Michelle was so happy getting her gifts and holding them up!!(you know as women, it doesnt feel "real" that were carrying these sweet bundle's of joy, til we get those sweet little pink and white frilly baby girl outfits that confirms baby will be here soon!!)---or blue, if its a boy :)))...We had such a great time gabbing about everything, from babies and pregnancy to softball and dress-up clothes!! (Thanks to Jake, Ty and Emma Grace for making us laugh with your rendition of "superhero warriors", your mommies were proud!!)...We we're so caught up in all of that, that we forgot to play the baby word search game, for a door prize!! All in all, was a fun night! We're anxiously awaiting your arrival, baby Caitlyn!!

Jakes 1st day of Kindergarten

2010-08-10T05:55:00.000-07:00

Well, my baby boy is going to Kindergarten...Can't believe we're already here, at this place...I was just thinking yesterday how small and soft and "new" he seemed laying in my arms, going home from the hospital...He had what we called "spider fingers" cuz his fingers were so much longer than his hands...Lol....So, the first day was actually, kinda the opposite of what I expected...We walked Audrey to her hallway, she is in the "big" hall now where the 3rd-5th graders go, its almost like walking her into the "upperclassmen" section of hs....Wasnt ready for that also...Anyway, we walked Jake back to his K room. (when I say we, I mean Emma and I, in her stroller, cuz theres no way Im letting her loose in a school w/hallways a mile long..lol) He was soooo excited, immediately found his cubby hole to put his backpack, lunch and napmat in, then proceeded to find his name tag and desk...Mrs Murr and Mrs Vickie came over to greet him, and hand him his scissors and pencils and told him to start cutting out his craft...He did just what they said, he was on a mission to start school and get his work done...I think at one point, he actually forgot I was in the room, well, I guess it was time for me to go at that point, so I kissed him at least 12 times on the cheek, and we went on our way...What surprised me about this day being the opposite of what I expected, was when I got home and noone was looking, I started crying....It was then that it hit me, and I realized, my baby boy was all grown up and I had 2 kids in school now.....WOW, makes me tear up now, just thinking about it....Im so proud of my "little man" and cant wait to see him grow and learn the rest of his schooling day.....Well,,,,,,maybe I can....

Charlotte Mae is here!!

2010-07-27T13:05:00.000-07:00

Well, my neice, Charlotte Mae Mcaffry made her way into this world last night @ 10pm....She weighs 8lbs 4oz, 19 1/2 in long....It was a wonderfully, long, long, long day for most of us,,,ESPECIALLY my beautiful sister in law, Sarah, who, in my opinion was the MOST gorgeous, laboring AND delivering, new mama you would ever see!! She did soooo great and Im so proud of her for experiencing that with such dignity and grace....Everyone woman thats been there knows what I'm talking about,,can I get an AMEN!!! LOL....I wont post much about this experience because I know the best is YET to come, when Sarah updates her blog, about this beautiful little baby born to us from Heaven, named Charlotte Mae.."Children are a gift from God". Thank you Lord for making me an aunt, again....

Cades Cove bike ride-11miles

2010-07-23T06:56:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday this Lonas clan ventured out w/another family to ride the Cades Cove loop (in Townsend, Great Smokey Mtns) on our bikes.The loop is right at 11 miles long, so as you can imagine, this was no small feat for me!! We went w/the Keeble family (Jason, Deidre, Kailey and Ty; we were missing their eldest, Calvin), but they were so supportive and very helpful as to what it takes to ride this trail w/endurance and of course, enough rest stops (looking back, Im thinking those were meant MOSTLY for me, but we'll just say EVERYONE needed it..lol)...We started off, it was a BEAUTIFUL morning, not too hot yet, just perfect...Now, to recap, there was probably about 10 of us, cuz remember we both have pretty big families, so we had to pace ourselves....The loop has many uphills and downhills, but very equal, so everytime you were pushing yourself, struggling to get uphill, you knew in the back of your mind, there was ALWAYS a downhill waiting for you somewhere...thats what saved me..ha ha...So, were going at a pretty good pace, on our bikes, and then about a 1 1/2 miles into it, I hear Jake crying..Now, this is not a sound you want to hear about 100 ft in front you, and not able to see..He wrecked, and it was not pretty, according to my husband, he couldnt control his speed going down a BIG hill, and apprantly wiped out, flipping off his bike about 4 or 5 times...Well, a few crocodile tears and a couple bandages later, we were back to the trail..I have to admit, I was getting tired by the 8th mile, then miraculously my 2nd wind kicked in...By that mile, we ran into a park ranger who said there was a black bear not too far ahead of us, that was spotted...We never did see the bear, but we saw several deer, one of which , was right next to my friend Deidre...All in all, we finished the whole 11 miles...And did I mention, my kids did it too!! They were such troopers....Glory be to God, we have this kind of blessing to look at everyday, in our little East Tennessee dwelling...It was a GREAT day!!

New Family Pics!!

2010-07-19T19:46:00.001-07:00

Well, my sweet "SIL"..(Thats what I call my sister in law, Sarah) has come, once again to take some pics of our family...But this time its for my long awaited niece thats due this month, Charlotte Mae!!...Sarah's idea to put pictures of the family in Charlotte's nursery is a GREAT way for her to get to know us, by seeing us everyday and recognizing her cousins, that love her dearly already!! Sarah is a very talented photographer and I know working with THIS family is no easy task...lol...but she always does it w/patience and grace....and tonight, I was thinking we'd add labor contractions to the list!! Charlotte is due to arrive anytime now...Cant wait to meet you, sweet neice, and show you your family!!..

The Twins are Here!!!

2010-07-16T05:48:00.000-07:00

Well, My cousin Amy in California had her twins a couple days ago....From what I hear Mother and babies are doing just fine...and big sister Allie!! Im so excited for them, what a wonderful blessing, to have 2 !!! "Children are a heritage and a blessing from the Lord"....Amy and Robert are a beautiful and amazing example of Christian love and marriage and I pray for them as the embark on a new and exciting adventure...They went from 1 to 3 children in the blink of an eye!! Isnt God neat??....Now, all I can say cousin, is were tied.....LOL...Love you and God Bless you always w/these sweet little ones...

The Tooth Fairy

2010-07-12T08:46:00.000-07:00

Well, my baby boy, Jacob Ryan Lonas, has lost his FIRST TOOTH!!! Alert the press!! It had been loose for awhile, probably about a month or so, but this past couple days, it was just dangling!! It was ready....So Jake, as he usually does, somehow retreived a sucker from Monie and Pops (Russ' mom and dad),without asking, and as he was pulling it out of his mouth, it pulled his tooth out as well!!! OH BOY, WAS HE EXCITED!! He KNEW the tooth fairy was going to swoop into his room that night and pay him a visit, when I say "pay", that means something else...lol...So he got his shiny dollar from the tooth fairy and all was right in the world of a 5 yr old that night...

CHEETAHS ARE #1 !!!!!!!!!!!

2010-07-11T06:43:00.000-07:00

WOW!! All I can say is WHAT A DAY!!...The Cheetahs played their very, very best yesterday in Crossville, and came out VICTORIOUS!! Despite a hot, tiring and exhausting day, full of tears, sweat (including the parents side), a little drama, a pinch of frustration, some physical illness, and being so nervous, sitting in your chair was no longer an option,,,we STILL came out and became the CHAMPIONS !!! I know Ive said it before, but Im SO PROUD of these girls, they played so well, gave their all and they SO TOTALLY DESERVE THIS!!! And I couldnt mention them, w/o mentioning their Head Coach, my hubby, Russ..(ok-cue mushy-ness)..My husband is the most hard working, dedicated, passionate and loving man any wife could ever ask for..His heart is bigger than anyone REALLY knows, and he loves these girls SOOO much, he fights for them and sometimes fights WITH THEM, but ALWAYS out of love for them to be the best they can be and see it to the end, so that they know they will ALWAYS be winners, no matter what...I love you honey, you're the best coach and husband, and Im VERY proud of what you've accomplished...A special thank you to Jason Keeble, Jason Deck, Lance Fuson and Cora Woods, you know Russ owes you his life (in softball land, anyway..lol). You all were the DEFINITE backbone of this team, and NONE of this could be accomplished w/o you, so thank you...Thank you to all the parents for their support and love for the game, and a special thank you to Shannon Hughes for supplying alot of the pictures of the team, Lord knows they'd be 21 and grown by the time I had MINE developed...Renee knows what Im talkin about,(note to self:change Emma Grace's pic once in awhile, she ISNT 6 mos old anymore, and has blonde hair now)...Last, but DEFINITELY not least, the girls...These girls are AMAZING....COURTNEY-"speedy", always willing to run 1/2 mile in 1.2 sec to get the ball there, Congratulations on winning 2nd place in "fastest runner"!!....KAYLIN-our mighty 1st-baseman, you are the "heart" of this bodily team, the body cant function w/o the heart, and you were always there to get the out for the team, great job..KASSIDY-All I can say is you might be the "cub" of the team, but underneath is a large FIGHTING CHEETAH! You never ceased to amaze me w/how tough you are, even after a broken nose, you got out there and finished the game..so proud of you, and I know coach is too...KAILEY K- YOU GO GIRL,, MRS. MVP!!!..You amaze me w/ your athletic ability , at such a young age!! Can I get your autograph now, before you become famous and its really expensive??? lol....LAUREN-This girl, Ive known for awhile, and how good she is @basketball, but now I see her playing softball, WOW! A consistent hitter, way to go girl, thanks for playing w/us!! HALEY- This girl just cracks me up!! Despite being a great catcher (way to go on that pop fly too!), she is also a sweet ,sweet girl, instead of practicing w/the girls, she was more content to walk around giving everyone a backrub!!..Too cute..KAELEE- every team needs a great outfield, or they cant do the job, you showed your true talent out there yesterday, and one more thing, ALWAYS listen to your mother, she can teach you ALOT about this game..SYDNI-"Cindy-Lou"-Ive know this girl since she was born, and dont let that red hair fool you!! SHE'S FIESTY!!..Much like another daughter to me, Syd and Aud have ALWAYS been together, like sisters, and now they get to play softball, as well..GREAT hitter and GREAT at catching pop flys!!....AUDREY- my babydoll, wow, I cant believe you've been playing now for almost 5 yrs!! 3rd base is hard, but you field it well, Im so proud of you, and I know its hard sometimes, but listen to your daddy, he knows what he's talking about(well, most of the time..lol)...KELSEY- you prove at every game, you were meant to play 2nd base...your thinking is ALWAYS quick and ALWAYS very calculated, and THATS what it takes to be a great 2nd baseman..great job!....JAYLA-Our secret weapon!!-This girl can HIT the ball, even though she just started w/us at the tournament yesterday, she proved already she's a Cheetah.....And last but not least, it wouldnt be right w/o mentioning the few players who didnt join us yesterday, but were still w/us in spirit, and who helped in making this team who it is, and thats OLIVIA, ALEAH, AND APRIL...We STILL love you girls and are proud of all you've accomplished on this little Cheetah team from Eagleton..thanks for being apart of this team...Well, thats all I guess..More than just winning, may we ALWAYS remember this as a wonderful time in our childrens lives...These girls sure do LOVE their softball........Thanks for the memories girls.....

Crossville, Here we come!!

2010-07-09T09:01:00.000-07:00

Well, the Cheetahs are heading to Crossville this weekend, to play in the ISA World Series Softball Tournament, AND I couldnt be more proud of these girls!! (esp. the 3rd basemen, who just happens to be my baby girl #2)....Anyway, they were invited to come play w/4 other teams, after placing 3rd out of 10 teams , at the last tournament...Russ is the head coach of the Cheetahs, so there's much pride at our house right now , not to mention numerous trophies...Pop's gonna have to build us a trophy case now!! LOL...Im so excited for these girls, they've worked sooo hard and sooo deserve this, as does coach Russ!! Please pray for the girls and their safety during these games, because unfortuntely, last time, we had a horrible accident, when our left fielder, Kassidy, was reaching for a fly ball, and was hit directly on top of her nose which made one terrifying "POPPING" sound and broke her nose....Let me tell you, as a mother, (and I speak for all the mamas that day) that is NOT a sound you want to hear over 500 ft away, coming from your baby...The force of the ball hitting her was so hard, that it knocked her head back, and knocked her to the ground...All the moms had their hands over their faces, crying for sweet Kass...But she went to the hospital, was healing well, and was at our practice last night, like the little fighting Cheetah she is, and back on our team...So, please remember these girls this weekend, they sure do LOVE their softball!!!

Fun in the Sun

2010-07-01T13:34:00.000-07:00

Well, apparently Maryville (where we live, for you California folks), has a new water spray park on the Maryville College campus, for the kiddos to run thru, much like Splash Country (again, for California family, thats Dollywood)....Anyway, we ventured out, as we usually do, in search of this new found treasure for my kids, and much to my dismay, an employee there said they were closed temp for insurance reasons....Maybe a kid fell, or something, who knows....Well, my babies were all upset over it, and dissapointed....So we took our fresh cheese pizza we had just got from Little Ceasars and headed back home to just sit,,,,when I realized our wonderfully giving neighbor, Frank Mimbs, told us the day before we could go swimming in his pool anytime!! YEAH, YEAH, YEAH! The kids shouted!! So we did just that, Emma Grace slept most of the time in the van, w/the doors all open to feel the airy breeze we were fortunate enough to have, even in July , and just swam and enjoyed ourselves for a couple hours....Thanks for the fun day Frank!!

Wow, time flies !!

2010-06-18T06:08:00.000-07:00

I cant believe its been since Feb that I was on here....THATS TERRIBLE!!....Well, Im here to tell everyone, I'M BACK!! Im going to start updating my blog, hopefully everyday!! Because in some ways, its also a great journal for me and my kids, I love to look back at what Ive posted, sometimes sweet, sometimes sad, but its our life!! Well, whats happening this week....Audrey's been extremely busy w/softball, we have atournament coming up next Sat. in Crossville, very exciting! And it just HAPPENS to be on Emma Grace's 2nd birthday!! We'll have to find a Chuck e cheese or somehting,,you only turn 2 once!! the night before, we will have a birthday party for her though, at the Carl Cowan water park....I cant believe my BABY is 2...wow...I cant fathom it yet...Sarah my advice to you- Take LOTS of pictures, enjoy EVERY moment, even the messiest ones, and dont forget to look back every once in awhile, cuz it IS like a blink, then its gone...Looking forward to what the Lord has in store for us this week...BLESSINGS TO ALL!!

The Pampered Chef

2010-02-09T06:26:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone....Just wanted to let all my friends and family know I've started selling The Pampered Chef and I love it so far!!! I get to go into women's homes and demonstrate a cooking show for them w/the products, show them how to make delicious and time efficient meals wether their retired age or have young ones at home (like me!!)....I love the recipes and the fact that I get to "party" once a week w/other women, get free products and eat amazing food and get PAID for it!! I have 5 shows booked for this month, but if anyone at anytime EVER wants to order anything, I will be putting orders in almost weekly...And your always welcome to have a show, you get TONS of hostess credit, 1/2 price items, 60% off items and YOU DONT EVEN HAVE TO LIVE HERE!!" (Thats right, Im talking to all my family that DOESN"T live in East TN..lol)...Im on Facebook,or my email is mslonas@yahoo.com...Go to pamperedchef.com to see the latest catalog....Thanks for all your help!!

MOPS playdate-Great American Cookie Co

2010-01-25T18:46:00.001-08:00

Jake, Emma Grace and I had our 2nd playdate w/the MOPS group this morning....We got to tour the Cookie Co , see how the cookies dough was stored and baked...and..they got to decorate their OWN cookie w/icing and had a coke...all for $1....We had a blast and got to eat lunch at Cancuns mexican restaurant w/friends...The highlight of the afternoon...Eating in the room (w/noone else thank goodness) , where the bar is, letting the kids sit at the bar to watch cartoons on the bar tv....I cant decide which is worse, the kids sitting at the bar, or the bar tv playing cartoons....go figure....Anyway, it was a fun day to say the least!!

BAKE SALE FOR HAITI VICTIMS

2010-01-22T10:07:00.000-08:00

Audrey and I, like most of you, we're watching all the devastation undfolding in Haiti from that horrific earthquake last week on the news....Right in the middle of the interview on CNN, a reporter heard what sounded like a baby crying, so he put his mic in the crook of his arm and starting digging in the rubble, only to find an 18-month old baby girl...ALIVE!!...He immediately started pouring his half drank bottle of water over her dusty looking head, then into her mouth, she was ,at first, in shock but soon started guzzling the water like she hadnt drank in days...literally....that was enough for me, I started crying, and immediatly thought of Emma Grace, she is too 18 mos old....that could have been HER....my heart went out to those people, and right away, Audrey and I were concocting a plan to raise $$ for this poor nation....We decided to have a bake sale, and sell all the goodies at mission friends/Awanas Wed night....I baked Tues night and ALL DAY Weds....from 8a-time to go!!--WE had 200+ cookies (Nestle TH Choc Chip, Double Choc chip, Snickerdoodles, Lemon Iced and plain cookies) @50 brownies and 50 rice krispie treats!!! Thanks to our friends at our local Food City for donating a $25 gift card toward supplies!! And.......Im proud and priviledged to say Mt.Lebanon Baptist Church showed their true giving spirit Weds night,and we were able to raise $340 to send to Haiti!!!!!!! Praise God!!! We will be giving this $$ to World Vision (a Christian org that helps missionaries and disaster relief).....God is Good, All the Time!

Christmas-2009

2010-01-04T08:49:00.000-08:00

I love the different seasons God made, in his infinite wisdom...I have to admit though, after Christmas is over, it seems like theres just no point to having Winter anymore, ya know?? Its almost kinda depressing...Anyway, we had a wonderful Christmas, though, filled w/wonder, joy, complaining (of course), but most of all excitement....Santa was plentiful this year, bringing the kids a Wii to play with...(It was either that , or a real puppy, per Audrey's request--the Wii sounded more "economical" lol).....Jake got a bow-n-arow, nerf gun, 2 remote control monster trucks, Emma G got clothes, mostly and a baby stroller...Audrey got clothes, puppy calendar, boots, barbies, polly pockets...But most of all, we wanted to instill the REAL reason for Christmas, this year...And thats the precious baby boy, Jesus that was born to be our Saviour....Praise be to God for his unfailing love...Hope all of you felt that this Christmas season too...

MLBC CHRISTMAS CANTATA-2009

2009-12-14T07:42:00.000-08:00

Well, we at Mt Lebanon Baptist Church brought the house down (or I should say the church) after singing the last 2 nights....But, seriously, God received ALL the glory those two nights....The music was beautiful and breathtaking!! Ronnie did such a great job directing us, and me!!! Yes, "yours truly" had a solo w/the choir that was called, "Here comes the bride", talking about how, when Christ comes back for his triumphal return, and takes all his people home to Heaven, how there will be a wedding celebration and feast!! It was a lot of fun and a much praise-worthy night....Merry Christmas to all....

Kids say the darndest things..part 2 (Christmas version)

2009-12-02T05:10:00.000-08:00

* Jake oftent tells me that he hasnt done something since "lasteryear"...(translation- yesterday and last year).....

* Emma Grace thinks its funny to be eating the REAL candy canes off the Christmas tree, that have been in the ornament box for the last 4 Christmases...

* NOTE TO SELF---REMIND YOUR 4 YR OLD THAT ITS CHRISTMAS, NOT VALENTINES DAY...

* Jake LOVES to hang ornaments on the tree, too bad he put them all in the same spot, now that part of the tree is wilting...

* Jake decided to put on Audreys dress-up cat outfit, and said, "Now Im Black"...Then proceded to change the image w/a santa hat, to be a Christmas elf....Do they have African American elves that look like cats in the North Pole???

* Last, but certainly not least, the homemade presents....my kids are ALREADY utilizing their giving skills for the Christmas season...So far, Ive received a pencil holder (made of cardboard), a Christmas calendar (made of cardboard), oh and a wrapped present from Jake that was daddys bible ...( I wonder if Russ knows that)....I LOVE MY KIDS!! ARENT THEY THE SWEETEST!! MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT !!

3 OUT OF 3..

2009-11-10T05:36:00.000-08:00

Well, its been a hectic week at the Lonas household...between Friday morning and Saturday evening, ALL 3 of my children had fallen ill with the stomach bug....and this one lasted 3 days !!!!...It was awful, ALL the washing I had to do with laundry AND linens, it was AWFUL!!! (Did I mention, awful??)....anyway, all are better now, and to make matters even MORE upseting,we had 3 birthday parties to attend...(Sorry to Lexi, Grace, and Nigel, better luck next time)...BUT.......there is a bright light at the end of this tunnel,,,WE GOT IT ALL OVER AT ONE TIME!!!!....There is nothing more challenging, I believe, for a mother, than to take care of her sick child....I was OVER IT and DONE by Saturday night, I was utterly EXHAUSTED.....but......... God helped me through it...Thank you Lord....

Halloween-2009

2009-11-04T06:44:00.000-08:00

Well, it was an eventful night, filled w/whining, crying, excitement,,,,,and of course lots and lots of RAIN....Big rain, little rain, sprinkling rain, no rain (for about a minute) I know I sound like Forrest Gump, but Im pretty sure it comes in 3's...Every 3 yrs it has to rain on Halloween...but, nontheless, we still had a great time....Audrey was a snow princess, and wore it VERY well, she even sang Taylor Swift's song, "Love Story", w/it on and I video taped it (as soon as I figure out youtube, I'll put it on there)...Jake was Batman (the dark knight) I didnt seem to get pics of him at church, he saw the inflatables, and we lost him from there....MY precious Emma Grace was a perfect pink/white bunny rabbit (Audreys old costume, Im suprised it held up, after 8 yrs!!).....It was fun though!!!

MOM-THE LIFE OF A ROCK STAR

2009-10-22T09:42:00.000-07:00

This is hilarious and soo true........I received this from my recent MOPS meeting...ENJOY!!!

I have wild hair and makeup w/frequent costume changes. Everywhere I go, I have an entourage.People are constantly yelling my name. I look out into the crowd and they're actually crying for me, reaching for me.

I have NO privacy..I'm watched when I shower, when I'm cooking, EVEN when I use the restroom..for my own protection, of course..

When I go places I must do so quickly before my fans get out of control and start a riot. Every night a different guy wants to sleep w/me..Each of them seems genuinely hurt when I turn him away..

Occasionally, I get dirty undergarments whirled at me w/a whoop and a smile..It's even hard sometimes to walk through my own home w/o someone spotting me and trying to grab my legs or my clothing..

Oh and dont forget about the stalkers !! You know those crazed fans that follow you everywhere??

Why, I cant even talk on the phone in the pantry w/o an eye or two peeping in at me..I have my own paparazzi!!

Yes it's true---I live the life of a rock star!!!!

Happy 8th Birthday Baby Girl

2009-10-20T10:34:00.000-07:00

8 years ago on October 17,2001, I became a mommy....I like to tell Audrey that, cuz she immediately hunches down into this fetal like state, and says she wants to be my baby again...She is, she just doesnt realize it...She will ALWAYS BE MY BABY....okay, before I tell you about the chaotic slumber bday party she had, I have to make everyone weepy-eyed 1st...That lets me document these feelings I have right at this very moment, to cherish..anyway, back to 8 yrs ago............it was a BEAUTIFUL sunny fall day, much like today, and I couldnt wait to take my 8lb 9oz, 20 3/4in long baby girl home to stay...She was breathtaking, w/her strawberry blonde/brown hair and her fair peachy colored skin, she was mine,,,all mine....(well, we gotta give some credit to daddy, of course)....I never understood how love can come so quickly when you met your baby for the 1st time,,,,,,,,until I had mine....I believe God equips us w/so much love , that its immediate....When my mommy eyes met her newborn eyes, it was love at first sight, never has that feeling left me, I still look at her eyes that same way, and I know I will for the next 30 yrs, if God allows...She was my baby, and now she is this sassy, loud, sweet, beautiful, life of the party, 8 yr old that STILL steals my breath away everytime I look at her sweet pretty face....(cue-sobbing)....She will never stop being my baby.....................................................Anywho, enough of that....So Friday night was "The Sleepover" (sounds like a horror film, right??) right on target..lol.....Audrey had 6 of her closest friends over...there was pizza, cake, ice cream, popcorn, movies, charades, board games, and of course running wild and screaming out loud, as 8 yr olds tend to do, so by 10pm , I was spent...At approx. 5:30pm (30 min before party) Russ brought a bottle of wine home, and said "you may need this later"...I laughed it off and said how much fun we were going to have.....approx 10pm---was working on my 2nd glass of wine....okay, so it wasnt THAT bad, it was fun, my favorite part of the evening was Audrey smiling at me and saying "thank you mommy, I love you"....Happy Birthday, Sweetie....

3 TIMES BLESSED

2009-10-15T09:22:00.000-07:00

You know, thats what I was going to name this blog when I first started it, "3 times blessed" or "thrice blessed", but for some reason, it never fit...This week has been exciting, joyful, happy, optimistic, shocking, surprising, a blessing,scary, uncertain, sad, distraught, and just plain hard...I'm sure your probably scratching your heads as to why the week went from so happy to so sad in a matter of days...Well, the weather doesnt help, for one thing...Sometimes God knows whats best, even before we do...I know he is ALWAYS with me and thats never going to change...I know he has a plan for our family and THATS never going to change...Without much or even that being said, Ive come to a place this week, where Im DEFINITELY blessed 3 times, and Im DEFINITELY blessed ONLY once (thank goodness) w/an AMAZING husband, who wholeheartedly supports me 100% in EVERYTHING, and last, but MOSTLY not least, my God....who loves me enough to make me wait...for his will...I just want to say my 3 kids are THE BEST KIDS ON THE PLANET and mommy loves them so much more than they know....Thank you Lord for this.....

Thats SOO Highschool!!

2009-10-08T05:54:00.000-07:00

I had a chance to get together w/my best friends from high school last night...We met and had dinner at Ruby Tuesday and proceeded to sit there for 2 1/2 hours eating, talking, sharing, but mostly just cracking up and belly chuckling thinking about the past....Isnt it so funny how you can be a successful business woman, or a stay at home mom, or whatever, and as soon as you get around your friends, you turn into a giddy 16 yr old again....thank you ladies for a much needed, yet, enlightening evening....love you guys....Dont forget to play some cornhole today....

Life is too short

2009-09-18T07:04:00.000-07:00

This is for Bobby Bean.......................
Never take for granted: your ability to breathe...for God gave us breath
Never take for granted: your ability to move...for God gave you legs to walk
Never take for granted: your ability to love...for Love comes from God
Never take for granted: your ability to serve...for Gods own son came to serve, not be served
Never take for granted: your ability to pray....for God hears every word
Never take for granted: your ability to give....for God loves a cheerful giver
Never take for granted: your ability to see.....for God gave us eyes to see..."Men see the outward appearance, but God sees the heart"....Praise you God for the here and now, because life IS too short....Bobby Bean was my friends brother who became sick w/the swine flu last thursday, and by the weekend, had double viral pneumonia, and was doing well by, Weds morning, then just 2 hours later, died suddenly...

Emma Grace "Houdini" Lonas

2009-09-15T05:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I as a mother had my first real scary moment w/EG this past weekend....I had just drove back from W Knoxville, and she was asleep in her car seat...I do this often, if she is asleep coming back from a trip, as she usually is, I just leave her in it to finish her nap...We were about an hour from picking sissy up from school, so I figured it would be pointless to get her out....I always leave all doors and windows open, so I can hear any cries that come...About 40 min went by, about time to pick sissy up,,so I went downstairs to check on her, and much to my surprise, I opened the door to the garage to find her STANDING in the front of the van between the passenger and driver seat wearing the cordless DVD headphones, smiling and laughing at me!!! (At this point, Im in utter shock, I mean, a 14 mos old that can get out of her 5-POINT HARNESS CAR SEAT...AND....walk around the van checking everything out!!) For those of you who dont know, EG just learned to walk this week, so that was a shocker too...needless to say, I now have a Harry Houdini on my hands now...I just have to say, Thank You Lord that she didnt discover the windows were actually down!! praise God for that...

TWO WORDS

2009-09-01T08:05:00.000-07:00

SERVE HIM

there are many ways to serve our great God..here are a few:

1. Take care of your sick child..."come to me,all who are weary and burdened, and I will give rest"
2. Send an encouraging letter to a hurting friend..."A harsh word stirs up anger, but a kind word turns away wrath"
3. Give your child EXTRA attention today..."children are a heritage and a gift from the Lord"
4. Trust him w/the little things, as well as, the big things..."If you have faith as little as a mustard seed, you can tell this mountain to move, and it will move"
5. Love your enemy in some way today (prayer, kind word or gesture).."what is impossible w/men, is possible w/God, therefore all things are possible"
6.Watching my 14 mos old cram a powdered donut in her mouth after telling her, "no", just watching the satisfaction and joy on her face afterwards..."Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these"....

May we praise and serve God with the big things, and ESPECIALLY with the little things...He is always pleased with the little things....

Are there Redvines in Heaven??

2009-08-25T17:40:00.000-07:00

My kids and I took a trip to Target after picking sissy up from school today, we had to exchange some towels..anyway, as I always do when going to Target, I HAVE to have some Redvines licorice...they are the only store that sells them!! I was so excited to be leaving w/my sugar fix, so I was generous w//my kids, giving them 2 each, which they had eaten before we even reached the van....Anyway, we got home, visited Pop and Monie, where Pop proceeded to eat 3 of them, followed by Jake and Audrey "sneaking" around and eating about 3 more each(after I had told them not to, I obviously didnt know they had)...So I had the package in my hand ready to eat my 3rd piece, when I look AND ITS EMPTY.....so my ?? is,,,,Are there Redvines in Heaven, cuz Im getting my OWN package.....

MYRTLE BEACH-2009

2009-08-21T13:51:00.000-07:00

Sorry it took so long to blog about our beach vacation...I was waiting to see if the pics actually made from my camera to the computer....no luck....something about not having a scanner, or something..I think its my cord...anyway....We had a blast....Emma Grace made it thru 4 hours of driving and the last 2 were less than peaceful....and to this day, she REFUSES to ride in her carseat...go figure....she LOVED the beach...I put her in the sand to see what she'd do 1st, she just pushed her chubby baby fingers beneath the warm, rough sand and was good from there...as long as there was sand, she could have stayed there the whole day!!...Jake was more interested in the hotel pool and water park, oddly enough, and couldnt wait to put his lifejacket on every morning around 9am, so he could jump off the deep end...Audrey was ALL about the ocean water and collecting seashells..We must have brought about 200 lbs of shells back home...she took all her classmates one , as a souvenir...my baby girl, always thinking about others...Daddy just enjoyed playing w/his kids in the ocean, by dunking them, or riding them on his back, or boogie boarding together...they had fun just being able to play w/daddy ALL day, instead of just at night..........Me........R E L A X A T I O N................... Russ was kind enough to take the kids for me alot of the time (which he hardly does..lol) so I was able to enjoy God's peaceful creation and get a good tan at the same time..ha ha....we did have one mememorable moment we will NEVER forget...on our last night there we decided to eat at Shoneys, because we were getting broke at that point, and a nice cheap dinner sounded good...As we sat down to eat our food from the seafood buffet, our "neighbor" at the table next to us kept saying something...we couldnt understand, till he spoke the only clear word I heard him say which was, bug....oh yeah....it WAS a bug,,,a Palmetto cockroach to be exact...he found his way to the top of our table and was crawling thru our plates !!!!! I was horrified...I marched directly to the Mgr, and the rest was history..other than that particular experience, we had a marvelous time at the beach!!!

Were back in business!!

2009-08-11T06:05:00.000-07:00

Well, our internet has been down for 2 weeks, due to a freak lightning strike...so, were finally back....Alot has transpired in the last 2 weeks...$300 van repair, $135 A/C repair, 2 kids in Fall Ball, singing at church, planning a beach vacation (which we are leaving at 4am tomorrow morning), Russ being gone on business for 4 days...so weve been pretty busy,,what else is new for this Lonas bunch!!! lol....please pray for us for a safe trip to Myrtle Beach, Ill write more later....

"Motherly" Advice

2009-07-17T05:16:00.000-07:00

I've learned a few things over the years, since becoming a mother, that I think you would like and benefit from...My need to "save a nickel" has really gotten worse the older I get, and also with the more babies I deliver...And you'd be surprised to know that even if your financially stable or "okay", everyone still needs to save today, given our economy,,,esp... mothers...So, here are a few suggestions, as a mother of course, to help you save a few pennies....

1.Place a paper towel in your salad bowl to use the next day, the paper towel soaks up the moisture from the lettuce, so it stays crisp.
2.For a bee/wasp sting, rub a paste of baking soda/water on it...takes the sting away.
3.When using your coupons at your store, wait til the item is on sale or buy one/get one free, not only will you get better savings, you might get 2 items..
4.For mothers with babies, save your baby wipe boxes, I use them for my sons cars,blocks,Audreys polly pockets,cotton balls,qtips,etc.
5.Im not really advertising, but Food City does the fuel bucks program, where if you buy so many Food Club items, you get fuel bucks,worth a $1 to use at their gas pumps...you'd be surprised how much you save by getting generic items PLUS free gas...once I spent less than $100 on groceries (for 5 of us,including diapers), and still got $10 in free fuel bucks! Its worth it..
6.Buy block cheese, instead of shredded...not only are they cheaper, but you can use them other ways, like sliced for grilled cheese...
7.Having a garage sale once a year puts money in your pocket, and junk out of your garage, so my my hubby says..
8.Instead of buying the fresh chicken, buy the bigger bag of frozen chicken...you can take out as much as you need, and sometimes I can get 3 meals out of it..thats about $2 per chicken meal...
9.When having dinner guests over, plan your 3 course meal to include one or two of the same ingredients, so its more useful in your dishes, and you dont feel like your buying a big tub of bread crumbs to use once, and the rest to sit in your pantry.
10.Last but not least,,,,(and this one is comical, but hey, it saves $$)..If you have a baby and a potty training age child, buy only one big pack of diapers..when the baby gets to a certain age, they will be in the same size as the toddler so they can use the diapers too for "nightime" potty training, and your not having to buy pullups!!!!

The Tooth Fairy was very busy............

2009-07-10T05:17:00.000-07:00

Well, it was that time again for the semi-monthly visit from the Tooth Fairy at our house....Audrey had this one tooth on the front, the big ones, that we tried and tried and tried to get out for almost 2 mos now...thats how long that sucker had been hanging on for!!! anyway, the night before last, Audrey had her little ziploc bag w/her tooth and a note for the tooth fairy that read, "Deer Tooth Fairy, here is my tooth , I hope you like it, I work really hard to get it out.I Love you, Love Audrey"....She had it placed, ever so neatly , under her pillow that AFTERNOON,and was ready for her when she swooped in from "fairyland" to give Audrey the 5 dollars she was soooo longing for...Yeah.......did I mention WHEN she put the tooth under her pillow?...It wasnt until the next morning that I had to see and hear the worst heartbreaking phrase I believe I've ever had to deal with out of one of my children...With a glazed look over her eyes and the ziploc bag in her hands, she muttered the words, "The tooth fairy forgot about me"........................okay, I know,,,,bad mom and dad award....my heart sank right w/her...So I made up this story about how Santa Clause has a sleigh and can visit all the children of the world in one night, but the tooth fairy has lots of kids to visit on a daily basis, so she didnt forget, she was very busy and would be back tonight---with a vengeance---..needless to say, Audrey was happy w/that response and this morning Im looking forward to seeing the joy on her face when she finds the 5 dollar bills the tooth fairy left for her.....

Happy 1st Birthday Emma Grace !!!

2009-07-01T09:36:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, on Friday morning at 7:18am to be exact, my baby girl turned one yr old...WOW,, time really flies by...I made a comment recently that when Audrey's 1st birthday was approaching, I was ready for it...I really had a whole year to enjoy her, and it felt like it lasted that long!! I still remember her 1st rollover, 1st sitting up,1st crawling, 1st walking (late-14 mos)...everything seemed so cherished...I wrote EVERYTHING down...and pretty much the same went for Jake, except I had a 3 yr old helper in the mix....back to Emma Grace, as she is the "queen" of this post today...I feel like the last yr was a blur, but nontheless we had a wonderful time on Friday night, we took her to Chucky Cheese for the 1st time...She was terrified, from the "chucky" puppets, to the rides, to the actual Chucky himself coming out to grace the kids...(we have the fearful pic to prove it)....It was fun though...Sunday---party day---also happened to be my b-day, but we wont get into that..I said from now on, I have an excuse to celebrate someone elses bday...anyway, we had about 30 people over for BBQ, beans, and all the fixins..followed by a rented dalmatian bounce house and slip-n-slide......EG had all kinds of wonderful gifts...Thanks everyone!! all in all it was a wonderful day!!

KIDS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS-PART 1

2009-06-17T06:40:00.000-07:00

1. "mommy, it was an 'asscident'.."
2. "I have a scratch on my headache (forehead)"
3. I overheard a conversation on the playground yesterday between two 6 yr olds that went like this, girl- "come to the beauty shop now" boy-"no, I am an awcheologist now" (try to visualize him saying his "R's" wrong)...girl- "oh, you do art now, okay"
4. "I went to the playground next year"...everything to Jake is in year intervals
5. "thats super ridiculous"
********* Thats all I have for now..I should have more material later, thanks to my precious children*************

funny, little moments.........

2009-06-15T07:21:00.000-07:00

Jake has had a busy morning, this morning, bugging his sisters...A brothers job is never done....I had sent him to timeout 2 times, by 10am this morning for first bugging the baby, then turning to Audrey by taking baby Emmas b-day invitations and ripping them up (not all of them, thank goodness)...anyway, the last time (3rd) was it for me,,I grabbed him, pulled him in to me about an inch from my face and proceeded to scold him for not leaving his sister alone,,when I was finished he looked at me w/such love and said, "Are your eyes green?"...me and Audrey laughed, and I said yes, same as yours...He's a ladies man in the making...

too many pics,,,sorry!

2009-06-13T10:47:00.001-07:00

GO CHEETAHS, GO !!!

2009-06-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

Thursday night was Audrey's last season ball game,,and unfortunately they lost (to a not-so-great team, needless to say, Russ was a little agitated) Anyway, Audrey played her heart out, as she often does...Jake couldnt care less, unless you mentioned one of the million times we have to take him to the concession stand..(I hate that place)....As for Emma Grace, she was just concerned w/Aunt Sarah providing enough Cherrios in her two little grubby hannies, so she can ever so eloquently SHOVE THEM in her tiny mouth....(she eats like her daddy,, haha)...Today we will be celebrating the Cheetahs team during a trophy ceremony at Eagleton ballpark...they will get a trophy, due to being in 2nd place out of 4 teams...Go Team!...I will show some pics of that w/my next post...have a blessed day everyone!!!

Im on Facebook now !!

2009-06-11T07:41:00.000-07:00

Im excited to be on Facebook now...FINALLY....be sure to check it out !!

VBS-2009

2009-06-05T12:11:00.000-07:00

Well, this week has been a hectic and fun week for me altogether...our church had or annual VBS and this one was entitled "Crocodile Dock"....I was signed up to do outdoor recreation, then at literally the last minute (3 days before VBS) our director asked me to do preschool music for 2's,3's,4's,pre-k and K....I had to learn over 6 songs and motions in 3 days....It was a daunting, but fun task, and the kids did so well and learned all the songs and motions faster than I was spiting them out !!....we had a program today, and they did wonderfully....Audrey, Jake and Emma Grace had a ball !!....I'll write more later when I can post some pics from it....

Saying Goodbye to Mike

2009-05-25T05:33:00.000-07:00

I'm posting this one , on behalf of mom and dad...we have had quite a rough,past 4 or 5 days....Mike was mom and dads neighbor, directly across the street..You always knew who he and his wife Kathy were, because they would think of any excuse to get out in their front yard and BBQ, place horseshoes, fellowship w/the neighbors, play music, let their dogs run free....They were the ideal "fun" couple , Mike ALWAYS,ALWAYS,ALWAYS had a beer in his hand,,(I stress ALWAYS, ha ha)..He just seemed to always be glad to be alive , take everyday and REALLY enjoy it to the fullest extent....Whenever me and the kids would come over, the 1st thing I'd set my eyes on getting out of the car, was Mike, in his "beach bum" shorts and t-shirt..He would start waving at us, even before my feet hit the ground, he was that kind of friendly neighbor and spirit..he'd ask, "hows the baby?", and of course i'd say, "shes great"...It wasnt anything for him to walk on over to moms and come in and talk to everyone, he'd ALWAYS give me and mom a hug and kiss on the cheek,,and we'd walk over to his house and let the kids play w/his 2 dogs, Mickey and Tony...........and his wife Kathy...he loved her, after us, he would always save the best love and kiss for last, for her, almost like they were in high school again,thats the kind of love that was evident in them....but something changed all that....................Early Thursday morning (1am), Mike took his own life...The life he loved, the life God gave him to cherish, the life he and his wife were sharing together, the life we thought he wanted....Sometimes LIFE is too hard, and too tiring, and too messy, and just too much..............BUT, we have hope...to CLING to.........and THAT hope is JESUS CHRIST....I dont know for sure if Mike was able to realize that wonderful hope, or not, I pray w/all my heart, he did...but I did learn something from him, when he was here on this earth...Live EACH day to the fullest, THANK GOD for each day that we have, and CHERISH the ones in our lives, he has blessed us with....We love you too Mike and we miss you........RIP.......

THE CHEETAHS PREVAILED !!!

2009-05-15T05:02:00.000-07:00

AUDREY'S BALLTEAM DID SO GOOD LAST NIGHT!! IT WAS ONE OF THOSE GAMES THAT LEAVE YOU ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT, AND YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE HANGING IN THE BALANCE...(I THOUGHT RUSS WAS GOING TO HAVE A CORONARY LAST NIGHT,,HA HA)
IT WAS THE TOP OF THE 4TH INNING ,SCORE WAS 13-15, THE ANGELS WERE WINNING(AT THIS AGE, THEY ONLY PLAY TIL ABOUT 5 INNINGS, DEPENDING ON HOW BAD THE OTHER TEAM IS KILLING YOU) AND THAT WAS THE BALLGAME, BUT MY HUBBY, SEEING THE GLASS HALF-FULL, TOLD THE UMPIRE WE HAD EXACTLY 3.5 MINUTES LEFT, WE COULD PLAY ANOTHER INNING..THE UMP AGREED, AND WE HAD ANOTHER CHANCE (ANGELS HAD LAST BAT)..WE DID WELL, SCORING 3 RUNS MAKING IT 16-15,,BUT IT WAS CLOSE, THEY HIT GOOD TOO...TOP OF THE 5TH, ANGELS UP TO BAT......WE GOT 2 PRETTY EASY OUTS,,NO RUNS YET....AND EXACTLY 39 SECONDS LEFT IN THE GAME,,,LITERALLY, WE WERE SUPPOSE TO BE DONE ALREADY.....BALL WAS HIT, 3 FT IN FRONT OF HOMEPLATE, OUR GIRL THREW IT TO 1ST, TAGGED THE RUNNER , GOT HER OUT, AND WE WON THE GAME BY ONE POINT !!!!!!! IT WAS A GOOD NIGHT............

2009-05-10T20:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T19:57:00.000-07:00

I Love all the women in my life, my mom, my mother in law, my sisters -in law,my daughters, my grandmothers,etc.....I love that all us women, having different backgrounds, interests and lives really, can all proudly say we get to celebrate the same day together....Only God could orchestrate that, dont you think? Well, we had a wonderful day today at the Lonas house, well my morning started off very well, my kids all got ready for church, w/o too much grief, and we spent the afternoon w/The Lonas' and grilled hamburgers and all the fixins...My Audrey and Jake disappeared to her room for 2 hours to make my mothers day gift, I must say, I was a little scared, but was happily blessed when they came out with the sweetest pictures, homeade braclets and cards for me, they worked so hard, Im getting emotional just talking about this, because the rest of the day , they kept saying how much they loved me and how they wanted me to have the best mothers day...Kleenex, anyone?? Later in the day NaNa and GaGa came out w/Maddie, and we all went to Audrey's "GPS" (Gods plan of salvation) musical @ church...(My baby sang a solo, she did soooo good !!), when I figure out youtube, I'll have to put it on there...ha ha....anyway, I hope all you mothers out there, and mothers in training,,,SARAH,,,had as blessed and wonderful a day, as I had...God Bless all the ladies in my life............

A DAY IN THE LIFE.........

2009-05-07T06:04:00.000-07:00

Russ - Well, my dear hubby this week had the pleasure of winning his 1st ballgame by a landslide (head coach of Audreys team), 22-7....He is such a good coach w/those girls, so its hard to see him get frustrated when they throw it to the 3rd basemen, when its suppose to go to home plate...ha ha....He also had an overwhelmingly PROUD moment as a father, when his youngest baby, EG, decided it was funny to, after mommy said, "say MAMA, Emma Grace", she actually said DADA, with a BIG smile on her face....Priceless to him,,,very unfair to mommy....Melissa - Well, my garage sale went off w/o a hitch,,,EXCEPT FOR THE TORENTIAL DOWNPOUR OF RAIN !! No, it really went good, I actually made $100, and its so funny to see these avid garage sale people come out in, literally, the POURING rain...nontheless, it was fun...... not cleaning up, though.I also sang special music at church Sunday...I prayed about what to sing, and it wasnt til Friday (cutting it short, I know) that God answered me..With my recent new found FREEDOM from the Esther Exp.,,I felt him nudging me to sing, "Amazing Grace, My Chains are Gone"....and.....................................................Acapella, at that........God showed up that morning, as he usually does, and many came up to me after saying how much it meant to them, they were teary-eyed and at peace...thats what its all about...Audrey - My big girl,,,,she had 3 ballgames this past week, and shes pretty good !!....She has also been practicing for her 2 solos coming up (I know, a Diva already)....one for the school talent show (HSM) and one for the church childrens choir, which is on Mothers day, if anyone want to attend)...but my baby still has time to make me mothers day pics, like the one at school, which says, "my mommy is special to me because....................(audreys response) "She takes me everywhere....SOMETIMES".....I love that, to be taken ALL OVER, EVERYWHERE,,,only sometimes...ha ha...priceless....Jake - Oh, my Jakie-boy......never a dull moment....Just this morning, he managed to fill the sink up w/water about 1/4 in from the rim, just enough to splash some water all over, to which he said,, "it was an asscident, mama"....an ASSCIDENT, I love it...but my baby boy has those hidden moments, when noone else is around, with his mommy, like the other day I was doing the dishes, and he asked, "mommy, can I help you rinse the dishes for mothers day?"...and he stood there and rinsed the dishes just so proud to do it,,,(well, until he discovered the sprayer)...........Emma Grace - my sweet baby girl, who right at this moment is pitching a big one (a hissy fit, that is)....her ear infec is getting better, and she is getting so smart, she already knows a few words, "baby,dada,bubba(brother),and mama" occasionally, as in the previous post....and she has this thing, NaNa calls her "manerisms" where she presses down w/her hands on her belly, when someone is holding her...confusing, I know....well, thats it for this Lonas Clan for now...have a good week

Life in the FAST lane.................

2009-04-30T08:27:00.000-07:00

This week, this Lonas clan, has/has had 5 ballgames, 3 birthday parties, 3 church events, 2 garage sales, 1 double ear infection, 1 solo at church,,,,,,,,OH...........and a partridge in a pear tree...ha ha (I couldnt help it)...........Our life is never dull, not to mention, never crazy from time to time, and oddly enough, I didnt mention my 2/day week moms day out that I run ( which in all seriousness is my escape time because Jake has his "buddies" to play with)...Emma Grace is battling, yet another, ear infection (x2)....Do any of you mommies seem to have this problem??...Her pediatrician said that antibiotics are just not good anymore, and now the pharmacies are starting to skimp on the doses !! Can you believe that??...Leave me a comment about your medicine troubles.......see you next time...

THE ESTHER EXPERIENCE-2009

2009-04-27T05:03:00.000-07:00

Amazing, Amazing, Amazing..............My life is forever changed, this past weekend was truly an EXPERIENCE..........God is so awesome and mighty, he showed up at Grace Baptist Church, and he showed up IN A BIG AND OVERWHELMING WAY !!! God really spoke to me , and Im sure Im not doing him any justice ,, when I say he SHOWED UP.....Lives were changed, heavy burdens were laid to rest-FOREVER-, Joy was restored, and FREEDOM was finally proclaimed for some, including me...God got thru to me so heavily, that when I woke up Sunday morning, He was STILL there waiting for me to proclaim that freedom so much that I did something so bold, so NOT me, that God was the ONLY one working thru me that morning,.....I gave my testimony that morning, in front of the entire church, both services, and this is how it went............I am FREE....FREE, FREE, FREE...............satan can NO LONGER hold me captive from what the Lord is calling for me..........For a very long time, I thought I wasnt good enough, smart enough, or "spiritual" enough to handle what God had planned, you know, forgiven ENOUGH, forgivING ENOUGH, but..........God said, "If you have little faith, like a mustard seed, you can move mountains"...I no longer feel like a mustard seed, but more like the mountain now....I shared w/my church that we are all called to DO something for him in this life,,,but what I learned was that we might be called to DO something, but we are all called to BE FREE.....They wanted for our bucket, this weekend, to be so FULL of the Lord, that we were "sloshing" Jesus all over the place..(I shared that analogy also, but it wasnt so eloquent) Dont be held captive any longer,,,satan has no hold over you, in fact he has no POWER over you, only God has the power to make YOU a mountain.......God Bless

We've finallly arrived !!!

2009-04-23T10:44:00.000-07:00

Well , we haven't actually ARRIVED, persay...We've been here for quite some time, but me being blessed with non-computer skills, only a monkey could be proud of,, I have yet to do anything on the internet, let alone a blog...but nontheless it has arrived, and Im proud to say , I too can work a computer...ha ha....