Our Summer So Far

We've had a great summer so far. Of course...Casey's been really busy with summer school. He's taking 3 compact classes in 7 weeks. Besides work and school...we've been able to see some friends and we're going to Orlando in August. Yea!!! We can't wait to relax and get away from busy life for a week! Here are some pics of our summer so far! There are A LOT of pictures....so take a break if you need to!! Hee...Hee!


Out to dinner before the Braves Game



The Braves Game!! We won!

Valerie, Brooke, and me and Six Flags
for Atlanta Fest


Waiting for Third Day!!!


Hanging at Kai and Lisa's last weekend. We're
playing a little Balderdash.


The Skogman fam came over for breakfast and I got to meet
Jasper for the 1st time!!

Casey trying not to be freaked out holding Jasper!

He's a newbie!

Look at that cute face!!

The Jasper Hot Dog!!!

Aren't they cute?!?

I couldn't turn this pic around, but what a cute smile!

He's so sweet! I couldn't stop taking pictures of him!

Jasper's first roller coaster ride!

Jasper loves the ladies!

MC came to visit us too!!!

I'll try and be better with more blogs!! Hope everyone's having a great summer!!

edit from casey: Here is an animation I made. They actually make urinal mats like this with a little rubber ball hanging from the net .. that kinda bounces in and out if your aim is true.

The Grocery Game

Listen up ladies!! My sister discovered something I wanted to share with ya'll. The Grocery Game can save you LOTS of moola!! If you like saving money, getting GREAT deals, and grocery shopping like I do this game is for you! OK all you have to do is this:

1. Sign up and pay a small fee (which is WELL worth it)
2. Buy a Sunday paper or 2
3. Cut out all the coupons you want....it doesn't take long
4. Print a list (premade for you telling you the best deals you can get with your coupons)
5.Go shopping!
6. Save hundreds of dollars a month......thousands of dollars a year!!

Now I just started, but I'm so excited about all the money we're going to save. My sister, Ginger, has been playing the game a little over a month and she's already saved a couple hundred dollars!! WOW! That got me hooked. How it works is....The Grocery Game has a database that puts all the coupons and sales from grocery stores into it and prints a list that gives you the best deals. Ginger has bought several tubes of toothepaste for 13 cents!!! I bought pudding packs (I know, but I love pudding!) for 8 cents that were reguarly $1 You have to hold on to some of the coupons for a whilte so you can get the best deals. To begin you have to make a stockpile....piling up when the stuff is CHEAP!!! and only buying items that you need then if you can't wait until their cheaper. There are 3 different colored items on the list: Black-items to buy ONLY if you need them that week, Blue- items to buy at their cheapest to build your stockpile, and Green- items that are FREE.....that's right I said FREE!!! The list tells you what coupons to use from which coupon booklet in the newspaper and then you sign up for the store savers like Kroger Plus Card, Ingles Advantage, etc. Now you can add as many stores as you want that are in you area. I'm doing Publix, Kroger, Ingles, Walgreens, and CVS. I pay $30 every 8 weeks to have a variety so I can find the best deals of groceries. I tried to copy a list for you but the website won't let me. Go to www.thegrocerygame.com to see the lists. But I could copy peoples comments from the message boards....this really sold me!

shelf 2662.44
oop 1000.01 (what they spent....I don't know what OOP is...everybody puts it)
saved 1662.43 or 62.44%

Well thanks to all the great posts here I went to Target todayI got 6 Pantene Shampoos and 6 Pantene Conditioners for .46 each!I also got a Dove pro-age Shampoo and conditioner for .77 eachI got 12 pack lever bar soap for 1.482 Fruit chillers for .32 eachEnfamil 16 sticks each make 1 -4 oz bottle for 2.99 after formula checkand found my baby some pjs they were reg. price bt only 7.99 so not bad and he needed themLeft some coupons for the dpove products for someone to find--haha now that I think about it, it will probably be my sister she was going there after work!

Joined March 12
Shelf 5857.00
OOP 2095.00
Saved 3762.00 or 64%


Quote:
Originally Posted by Admin GroceryGeek
I guess I mention that to remind all of us that savings on food, particularly meat and produce, may not provide us the high savings %'s on our receipts... and while I do love a receipt that says you saved 84%, etc., that our lists do tell us when it is the best time to buy food items, even if they drive our percents saved lower. It it not so much about our %'s as the amount of money we are spending out of pocket - prior and post GG.This is a point that took awhile for me to get. Now I thankfully have a stockpile of food that consists of pretty much only foods we would normally eat. It's hard to embrace the fact that you don't have to shop so much because it's so fun to get a "good deal!"
__________________Gaming since December '06:
Shelf: $5597.00
Paid: $1787.92
Saved: $3809.08 (68%!)

Need I write anymore!!! The REALLY good thing about this website is you can trial it for a month for $1.....yep ONE DOLLAR!!! And if you get 3 referrals sign up you get 12 weeks free!! So we could ALL probably get 12 weeks free with referrals. If this is confusing I'm sorry...it is after midnight! But just go to the website....it will explain EVERYTHING! I'm telling you....it's worth it....even just the $1 trial! I wanted to let ya'll know right away so you can start saving money, but I'll be sure and give you a 1 month update in July!!!

Happy Shopping!!! And SAVING!!!!!

Some Beach Fun

I can't believe how quick 2 months go by before you realize how long its been since the last post!! Not much has been going on. Casey's out of school for a month for his summer vacation then starts back to his hectic school schedule in June. I can't believe that this time next year we'll have a college graduate and teacher on our hands. Our lives will be so different. I know Casey is ready to get out!! God has really blessed us and provided during the last few years. I'm so thankful for a great job (even though it's at night) and for Casey to be able to go full time and finish early!! Anyway....we were able to have a quick summer vacation to Destin!! We went with my parents and 85 year old grandparents. It was very relaxing and interesting considering the wide generation gaps. We had a lot of fun laying in the sun, eating yummy seafood, and Casey even tried his hand at deep sea fishing.....he caught a 15 lb grouper!!! There were a lot of pics but here's a few to have a look at.
Isn't Destin beautiful? It looks like the Carribean.



We were on a walk to the beach

Three generations of girls




The boys getting ready for deep sea fishing!


Coming home from a long day. Nobody got sick the first day but Casey and my dad had some tummy trouble the next day. That didn't stop them from catching A LOT of fish though!

GOT FISH?

Out to dinner

My Grandad's crazy!! Hee-Hee!

Gotta Love Spring

Springtime is sort of here. I love the days when it's sunny and warm. Although we've had some FREEZING nights lately....I know the real Spring weather is on it's way. I'm so excited about all the flowers, plants, and veggies we're going to plant. And spring means summer's around the corner which means....pool time!!! I love getting in the pool with a float or laying beside it with a good book. Just a thought about what I'm looking forward to!

Snowshoe

We went to Snowshoe last week for Spring Break/Our Anniversary. It was Bee-utiful!! It snowed the first 2 days we were there...I'm talking snowflakes bigger than me! You had to wear everything but the kitchen sink to keep warm in the 20 degree weather. It was great just to get away from the real world for a few days and spend some time together. Here are a few pics of the trip. We don't have any of us actually skiing and snowboarding because honestly we were just trying to not fall on our booties!! I fell and hurt my knees the 2nd day so after that I hung out at Starbucks drinking coffee and reading by the fireplace...Not too shabby for the injured!Casey snowboarded and probably enjoyed going down the mountain at warp speed without me.

Look at all that Snow!!!! You can't even see the other chairs because they're covered in the white stuff!

We drove up earlier and spent the night a couple hours away so we would have more ski time. This is what our car looked like the next morning.

This is our studio room with a great view of the mountains.

We warmed our feet and backsides by the fire.

What if?

I know it's been WAY too long since we've blogged. We've been having loads of fun with Kai's new laptop. Hope you enjoy.

Kai, Casey, Lisa, and Kelly

Lisa...yes that's really her!

Kai the professor

Kelly. Woah!! Now that's scary!

Talk about a big mouth!!

Kelly with 3 front teeth

Casey the Sumo Wrestler

My personal favorite of Casey...can you imagine him laughing?!?

Casey the Mountaineer

Casey the eyeball head

His friend...Lisa the eyeball head

Kelly and Casey! Hah!

Kai and Lisa!

Smile!

good - evil

drew this in ps tonight. took 2 hours.

cloud view

Drew this tonight in photoshop when I should have been writing a paper. Reminds me of Black Rock Mountain in North Georgia.. there is this campsite up there a few miles out on a loop trail. My first camping trip alone I woke up there above the clouds.

I think I'm going to keep working on it later.. it's fun adding buildings and stuff.. maybe a lake. I definately need to take the text off though.
EDIT:

I keep deleting things that I added.. it's hard to know where to stop. I started to put in a whole city sticking up out of the clouds on the left, but it just cluttered the landscape. I'm still undecided about the stars. They're hard to see on this small version. I like them, but they don't really fit the lighting. any suggestions?

modifications: I worked on the character a bit, added to the city, took out the text, added stars, and added the seascape on the left.

Edit:

modifications: had to add reflection of light house in water, saved a blue version too

You think you can play

Lot's of people I know play guitar. Perhaps you.. yes.. you my friend. Perhaps you have dreams of being a great guitarist. Today I would like to show you a couple videos that will help you. It will help you by CRUSHING your hopes and dreams of being an exceptional guitar player. Try not to make out with your monitor as you Watch this nobody kid send you into another world.

Ok.. you still think you can play? Well then watch these 3 fliptards go off like their up against the devil! There are 3 of em.. THREE in one spot.

Happy Halloweenie Dogs

Yeah, it's a silly holiday. Not to be taken seriously. We had a record number of trick or treaters this year. Most notably was my newphew Zack... I mean.. Lord Darth Vader. Strangely enough, the infamous sith lord was accompanied by a beautiful young lady (Ginger, my sister-in-law) and 3 halloweenie dogs. I thought it was hilarious.. I mean scary how vader gets red eye when you use a flash.

Since Kelly and I don't have any children.. and our friends never throw Halloween parties for some reason. (Maybe we can work on that next year).. we really have no reason to buy costumes or anything. However, my mother-in-law loves our dog so much that she went out and bought a pumpkin outfit for her. Chloe acts like she really likes it. Kelly was working all night, so I was home to hand out candy alone. I bought almost $20 worth of candy and I promise you it's all gone. Except for one handfull in the bowl.. that I was saving for that one creepy 19 year old guy that comes up to your door at 11pm even though your lights are out. I hope you guys had a fun/safe Halloween.

Bare Fisted Texas Hold Em' Champion

Every year some friends get together at Darrell Skogman's for the Bare Fisted Texas Hold Em' Championship. Daniel Tritt, the reigning champ had won 2 out of the 3 tournaments held. It was just Daniel and me left at the table after 9 other guys (and a girl) had been eliminated. On the final hand they both were "all in" after the flop. It was basically even with Casey as the chip leader by only a tiny margin. Casey had a pair of aces with a seven and Daniel had a pair of kings with a four.
Darrell had been dealing the whole night after punking out early. Only two cards left to fall. As long as Daniel didn't get a 4 or a king... Casey would be the new champion. Darrell put down a four to give Daniel "2 pair" on the turn and the house went bananas. It was a good thing the women and children were all safe over at the Tritt's house next door. Only the river card left to flip over .. everybody knew Daniel would be etching his name on the trophy for a 3rd time. The unthinkable miracle had already taken place... lightning never strikes tw.... wait.. what's that card?!?! Darrell dropped a seven giving Casey a higher "2pair".. giving the tournament an ending that the World Poker Tour would salivate over.
Later, after a corny reenactment for the girls, it is rumored that Daniel shouted threats at the new champion and his wife as he pulled away from the premises. "Enjoy it because you won't have it long!"

Renewable Energy

I guess the only thing holding the US back from taking advantage of an unlimited supply of renewable energy are the political lobbyists in Washington. Oil and auto companies are rich right now, and they have a firm hold on our politicians. I was thinking about underwater wheels that take advantage of ocean currents as a source of energy. I thought it might be a new idea, but apparently it's been done since the 1700's. The NEW way to harness power from the ocean is brilliant. They have these things called wavefarms. Basically a wavefarm consists of giant flexible tubes that take the kenetic energy from the waves and convert it into electricity. 472 square miles of ocean could power the entire United Kingdom! That's amazing. Mix these ocean powers with solar power and we can change to a world that uses mainly renewable energy sources instead of fossil fuels. We need to do some research and find a way to invest in whoever has the patent.

self portrait in photoshop

Uncomfortable Bed

Chloe needs a man.

Peace in the Middle East

Man, this guy is Dr. Peace. Try to pinpoint the part of the video in which you become uncomfortable.

A Crash

Ok...picture this scene...it's the middle of the night. Everything's pitch black. The dog's sound asleep....Kelly and Casey are sound asleep....dreaming wonderful, peaceful dreams when all of a sudden......CRASH...THUD...GLASS BREAKING******* loud sounds from the living room made all three of us jump 10 feet off the bed....Casey....the hero that he is runs out of the bedroom, turns the hall light on and as he's banging his fist against the wall to scare whatever made that crash he's yelling, "May I help you?? Get out of my house!!!" in a very scary tone. I....the girl that I am....am frozen standing still in the bedroom...waiting for a gunshot or screaming...something. What seems like forever in silence was only a few seconds...I go down the hall into the living room to find Casey searching the house and theN we spot it.....the picture above the mantle has fallen and a crystal bowl has been shattered all over the floor. Phew!!!! My heart can now get out of my throat and back down to where it belongs. Let me tell you.....to think someone is breaking into your house is the most frightening, helpless feeling I have ever had. Casey of course says...he was ready to go in there and I quote, "tear their eyeballs out and slam their head through the wall." My hero!

Casey's Birthday....a little belated!

Here's some pics from Casey's BIG 3-0!! We had so much fun with the people who could come and we missed everyone who couldn't. Check out the pics!!

They love their Falcons and their video games.

Woah!! Where's the fire department???

This was a surprise on our camera! Darrell....we KNOW you did this!!! Poor thing....she's scared to death!