chuck was home!!!

he was actually home all weekend
and we sooo enjoyed his company!!

saturday morning i took off and ran some
errands WITHOUT the kiddos!!!
oh... as much as i love my kids
i truly enjoyed shopping without them =)

i started at kohls and
bought two kitchen rugs.
ON SALE for 55% off!!
i am unable to find pictures on the internet to show you
nor am i willing to take the time to take pictures
and post them right now.
sorry =(
maybe you can just come and visit and see them yourselves!
but... i do really like them!!

then i headed to joann's.
this store is amazing!!!
sooo much bigger than the fresno one,
plus it is connected to the mall.
although i did resist temptation
and didn't enter the forbidden mall
i am looking forward to one day enjoying this luxury again.
i am going to attempt to sew.
yes... i am very excited and a little nervous.
past attempts have only been 1/2 successful.
i can construct a beautiful quilt top
and... well... that's about it, lol
the middle and backing stumped me.
i'm going to start on smaller, easier projects
before i attempt my quits again.
did i tell you... i'm excited!!!

after finding a great deal at joann's
i headed to ace hardware.
during this budget crunch we are experiencing
i'm determined to save as much money as possible.
i no longer buy boxed food
and i home make as much as i can.
i've found this has saved us tons of money,
takes out a bunch of sugar and preservatives,
and we actually prefer the taste
of my homemade food much more!
granola is a newer one we are all enjoying
along with my homemade biscuits,
salad dressings,
my cornbread recipe flopped but i'm excited
to try my husband's grandma's recipe i recently found.
the list goes on and on for new, cheap and yummy recipes
but when a cousin of mine started making her own laundry soap
i knew i had to jump on board.
yes... my husband is going to say
i've gone hippie but honestly
i don't care.

so... back to ace hardware.
believe it or not
ace hardware is the only place in town where you can buy
all the ingredients to make your own laundry soap.
i walked in,
spent 7 dollars and walked out.
my goal is to make it this week.
i'll let you know how i like it
and how much it costs with the good deals i found.

then the rest of the day was spent together.
we went to a locally owned surf shop
and learned tons of local tips.
sting rays are actually in the waters over here,
you must do the stingray shuffle so you are not stung.
and there is also a really fun tide pool
about a mile down the road.
i'm soo looking forward to going there!!

sunday was filled with a morning walk
then lots of unpacking.
hoping to be done unpacking
with the major stuff, this week.

blake's birthday is coming up
and we will be having company over!!
super excited about that!!!

well... that was our weekend.
what did you do?