My Beautiful Mess

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Most people love finding a great deal and saving money, right?I am someone that does not purchase anything online without looking for a coupon code first.

Retailmenot is my favorite place to find coupon codes. In my opinion they are the best. The past 2 years we have seen Daily Deal sites explode. Here are a few for you to check out.

Dealnews I do love their motto-Where every day is a black friday. They have hundreds of the top daily deals and coupons for the day on this site. I have a hard time knowing where to look because there is so much going on. I wouldn’t give it a great score on being user friendly.

slickdeals is very user friendly it has the best deals, lowest prices, and hot coupons.

offers.com-Best deals and online coupons is their motto

I love Pricegrabber because you can shop by department and fid the best deal. They also have weekly specials  that you can sign up for to receive though email.

Gottadeal is my favorite. 1. It is user friendly 2. There is an app for it. 3.You can click on the side bar and it takes you to the deals of the day. 4. The sidebar also include coupons that are very easy to read and see. 5. Pictures come first then text-I love that.

**What deal sites do you use?**Leave a comment and let me know!

Need some Mom Candy in the form of a weekend getaway without kids? I have the perfect event for you if you live on the East Coast or Southeast area of the US. Becoming 2013 is a weekend designed to encourage and inspire women to live intentionally by becoming more creative, purposeful, and frugal. Last Summer I went to the BECOMINGconference. with my friend Lane. We went and got recharged as friends, wives, and moms. It was so much fun. One of the sessions on mothering/families was exactly what my heart needed to hear. The presenter Rachel talked about being All Used Up For HIS Name. i have kept that close to my heart this year. At the end of the day, week, month, year, my life…I want to be All USED Up for HIS NAME. I want every ounce of me to have been spent on making the most of what God has given me. The Nester (Nesting place) was also a speaker. My favorite thing that she said that I have read many times on her blog was “It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.” She was as down to earth as she is on her blog-Maybe a little more. Angela Statzer from Button Bird Designs taught us how to turn trash to treasure. If you love junking, yard sales, goodwills and thrift stores then you will love hearing and seeing how she created something beautiful out of junk. Jen from Balancing Beauty and Bedlam and Jenny from Southern Savers are the co-hosts of the main event. They also lead sessions at the event. I hope that you and a few friends can go to this fabulous event in Ashville, NC. The price is unbelievable as well. Hope to see you there!

This is my first insta-friday. I am so excited to share our day with you.

After 3 doctor visits and a hives outbreak my poor baby is over these meds.

Ella’s birthday invites were mailed today. The post master looked at me like I was a little crazy. The last time I mailed inflatables were in college. Ella told the confused woman they were for her “Happy” This is what she calls birthdays. It melts my heart because I do think they are extremely happy and my friends and families birthdays are a happy day for me.

This is where the doctor pricked ella’s finger. She refused to do anything with this hand. It was like she didn’t have a right hand. Finally at 5:30, I thought I wonder if I take it off? Sure thing, that girl said, “Boo Boo gone” and started using it again.

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The prius was packed to the brim for our vacation to Charleston, SC.

Eventually this almost 2 year old went to sleep while watching her newly favorite “Curious George”

I read this while she was sleeping and Matthew was driving. I absolutely love the lessons in this book.

What I read today that I liked so much was….

-stay calm, enter the moment, and give thanks.

-Life is brief and it is fleeting but it is not an emergency.

-Wherever you are, be all there!

• I want to slow down, taste life, give thanks, and see God.

As I held ella one last time before laying her down, I watched time slow down

As the 3 of us sang I’ve got a dream (from tangled) in the car, I tasted life.

While reading the story of Ruth to ella, I gave thanks over God’s promises for our lives.

And in the still of the ocean, I saw God.

My snack along the way. Ella knows that I love Cherry Coke. It is funny to hear her talk about it. The other day the Toys R us cashier said “I bet you could use a happy hour right about now.” (Ella was a little grumpy, but I didn’t think my face showed that I was tired or worn out) Anyway I immediately said without thinking…”Sonic Happy hour sounds great right about now.” He laughed and made some kind of comment that made me realize he was talking about another happy hour. Cherry Coke is my drink of choice what can I say. I know my kindred spirits-Phyllis malcom, debbie bagwell, lane moore, heather wall, and sandy martin can agree.

We stopped at Chicfila or Chic-way as ella calls it so this little chick could play. Had to share a favorite wardrobe item of mine. This dress was made by my aunt debbie. It is super comfy and I love anything with pockets. Ella’s silly face makes this picture all the better.

The party has finally been decided. I can’t wait for ella to be able to choose her party themes. I love planning for them but dread deciding what to do. The top four loves in her life other than her mom and dad and family are 1. Coloring 2. Toy Story 3. Mickey mouse 4. Sweets (cookies, cake, etc. ) Choosing between one of those should be easy right? I was set on having a sweet shoppe. I had it all planned out in my head. Bunting, candy buffet, blow-up play things in our yard etc. I even told my friend jill that was the theme yesterday. I was still hesitant though about invitations because I just wasn’t sure.

Some of you are thinking “Katie, does it really matter? Will she remember this?” I am not sure if she is like me in this area, but just in case, I want to make them super special. I remember every birthday I ever had. My mom has them all on videos. I remember my sisters dressing up for me as my favorite celebrities, going to Winn Dixie and picking out my cake, deciding on party favors and what we were going to eat. We lived on a very tight budget, but my mom always did her best to make it really special. That being said, I want to live up birthdays. I look forward for ella to party plan with me and to make the decisions.

Last week we went to visit Mimi and Pops and play with aunts and cousins. While Ella was sitting in her desk coloring before bed she said “mama, I color and I am happy.”

So there you have it, we have a theme. I want her birthday to be something that makes her happy!

Coloring, painting, using markers or a pen of any sort while creating a masterpiece-that is her happy!

Excited about the crafting and baking and all the fun food we are going to have.

This quote is a sneak peak into the party inspiration.