Piggy Tail Girl

Look at that expression!!! :) She looks upset at the cat, but she wasn't, more like startled at her noisy cat whining!!



ACK!!!!! I put the wrong picture in here!! I was trying to show you how tall she is compared to Martin's leg. But.....
Check out her adorable little piggy tails! When I first started doing her hair this way, she had just enough to pull back in 2 bands and leave a little curly bit. NOW... she has enough to put up in one pony tail!! (By the way, these are from early August)

Several weeks ago I jokingly told Steph that if Halie didn't start growing soon, we'd be passing clothes on to her rather than Halie to us!! But, that may very well be true! Emma has grown even more these past several weeks! We had moved into 18 month clothes a month or more ago and they were all loose fitting, but the onesie/romper that she wore this week just barely snapped!! Now 18 month shorts and skirts fall off of her, with her skinny little bum. Tomorrow is the day we weigh and measure, as she'll be 16 months... We'll let you know the new stats.

Today's Big Score

Today's bargains were found at Publix:
Almost all were BOGO (buy1 get1 free)

Yo Plus Yogurt BOGO 2.50, with 2 $1 coupons-50 cents
Spray & Wash BOGO 2.99, with two .50 cent coupons=1.99
Smart Balance Butter BOGO 3.49, with $1.75 in coupons and a $1 Publix dairy coupon= .74 cents
Gorton's Fish Fillets BOGO 5.49, with $1.55 in coupons= 3.94
Marzetti's Dressings BOGO 3.99, with $1 coupon-2.99
tuna 1.49, with a $1 coupon=.49 cents

I ended up spending $10.55 and saving $29.50 with BOGO's and coupons, which makes for a 74% savings!!! I had picked up the NOT ON SALE fish fillets and the Manager refunded my $ AND the coupon amounts!! The girl told him what I needed & had done and he offered to refund the amount PLUS coupons. Afterwards, Martin said "you realize that was like doubling your coupons?" :) I purchased the correct fish and came away with an extra $1.55.

P.S.
Now remember that you can use 2 coupons when you are buying a BOGO. AND most stores will allow you to use a store coupon AND a manufacturer coupon. Makes for even better savings, especially when grocery stores in Florida do not double coupons!!

Today's BIG Bargains

Today's Winn Dixie Bargains:
I spent $9.29 and saved $19.91!!


A picture of my purchases:

The sales included:
*buying 4 Kelloggs cereals & bars at 4 for $10 AND getting a gallon of milk and dozen eggs for free. I had $3.50 in coupons for those Kelloggs items. So, $6.50 for 2 boxes of cereal, 2 boxes of Special K bars, gallon of milk and eggs.
*Barrilla Piccolina pasta were on sale for $1 and I had a 50 cent coupon.
*Progresso soups were Buy 1 Get 1 and I had a 50 cent coupon. (Even at WD's mark up "sale" price, I still saved .70 cents over Walmart)
*Sun Crystals sweetener was on sale for $2 and I had a $2 coupon= FREE!!

So, spent $9.29 and saved $19.91. Gotta love it!!!

PS- This week Walgreens had OralB Indicator toothbrushes on sale 2 for $4 with a $2 register rewards given. I had a buy 1 get 1 coupon. So, essentially my 2 toothbrushes were free. I tell you I LOVE bargains!

P.S.S. Forgot to add, I also bought 2 cleaners at Walgreens (Pine Sol and 409). 2 for $5 (cheaper at Wal mart per item, but read on ...) I had a dollar coupon which made it $4. Add in the $2 register reward and I paid $2 PLUS got another $2 register reward for a future purchase! So, again, essentially free.

Such A Helper!!

Emma LOVES to help! She is at that age where she wants to do whatever Mommy is doing and she really does help do quite a few chores each day.



Such a ham!!!! She loves to put away the spoons and forks. It makes her quite mad when we are loading it with dirty stuff rather than emptying it!! She thinks that every time it is opened, she should be allowed to help put away!!

She can just barely reach the drawer to slip each utensil into. Mommy has to then place them in their correct place OR back in the sink, when she decides to put them in her mouth on the way to the drawer.

Here is THE fave part of the whole event... closing the door!! She gets quite put out if you close it before she gets there!!


Emma loves to help feed the cats twice a day; She helps me take the laundry to the laundry room; Puts away silverware; Gets her won diaper when it is time for a change; Cleans up her own toys after every play time; and she loves to take my shoes and put them away-even if I am wearing them!! BUT, my closet is usually closed while Daddy's is always open, so when I can't find my shoes I have to look in his closet. If I dare to kick one off for a few minutes, she is on it!!

Summer Yard Sale Finds

Here are a few pictures of some of our summer yard sale finds:

Emma was so happy to see this/have this stuff that she wouldn't stay out of the way for me to take the picture!! I absolutely LOVE wood toys(part of being a preschool teacher) and Martin and I have always said that someday we were "going to have only wooden, sturdy toys. No plastic junk." Well, that 'someday' has arrived and he has no job, so we have no income and we are happy to have what we can find!

BUT, we hit the wood toy jackpot on this day!! The first sale of the morning was a boys sale with loads of boy clothes & toys. But, they had wooden stuff! I got a wood pounding bench, wood car track w/ 3 race cars, wood bead roller coaster and was thrilled! We also found a waffle maker (wanted one all summer), clothes, books, Leapfrog ABC bus, See & Say, the drum filled with musical instruments, a leaf blower for Daddy and a metal candle holder/candelabra for the porch. We ended up spending $23 this day, with the $8 blower.

On this yard sale day, we found a set of wood puzzles and the metal rack to hold them, a bread machine ($3), box full of candy making molds/colors/sticks/supplies, books,mega blocks and the rocking horse. That horse was $2 and she loves it!! I think we spent about $10 or $11 this day.

Earlier in the summer we also found a Little Tykes kitchen set that is shaped in a circle, with the kitchen on the front half and the dining room area on the back half. It has one chair and was marked $5 at Goodwill AND was on sale!! Paid something like $3.50 for it and it was in perfect shape. Not faded. The stickers and labels were all still on it. We brought it home and stuck it in the attic, as she is not quite ready for it yet. Our first big sale day of the summer I found her a big bag of play dishes and plastic foods for $2 (stuck up in the attic too) and a large back of Mega blocks for $1.

I love, love, love finding bargains! No matter where they are! Coupons. Craigslist. Yard Sales. Clearance aisles. A deal is a deal.

Another Marmite Day

Emma does love her some Marmite! Daddy says this just proves she's English! :)

Daddy also thinks that I need to offer it to her more often as part of her meal or snack... NOT!! I told him that is his thing. He is the one who eats it and he can share it with her anytime he pleases. Mommy doesn't even wanna go there!!


I know some of you have no clue what it is, but those of you who do... Some are smiling and most are grimacing!!

M & M's Have Arrived

(Last month) We were at Nana's and Halie had left part of pack of M & M's. So, after Emma's dinner Nana gave her her very first one. Of course it was blue. You can see in this first picture that she is holding it and not quite sure just what it is all about...


Here we have the culprit!! The chocolate, candy introducing culprit!! :) I guess that is part of what Nana's are for, spoiling their grandbabies.


She is getting into it now! She's got blue candy coloring all over her hands and face.

She is signing "please" to Nana because she wants MORE!!! MORE!! MORE!!!


Well, at least her blue face matches her blue outfit!! We haven't bought any M&M's for her since this, as somebodies in this house wouldn't want to leave them alone. Cheerios make a better treat. Right??!!??

Fountains of Fun!

We went to our local Civic Center this evening, for an outdoor concert & car show. We wandered the vendor's booths, looked at cars, listened to music and finally walked past the fountain area. There were children and adults playing in and around and she was intrigued.



I had no idea that Emma would even be interested, as the last time we tried fountains she was terrified! (probably in May )

She marched right up and got friendly with another little boy and kept getting closer and closer. Getting splashed and splattered.

Until finally she was just right in there getting soaked and splashing in those jets of water! Not just the small ones either! Having a ball!


She is such an independent child and was so happy to run out into the fountains and play and occasionally come back to me and touch base. Or even just to look at me and make sure I could see her and she could see me.

Having no clue that she'd be interested, we weren't prepared for a soaking wet kid on the ride home! I stripped her down,changed her diaper and wrapped her in my jacket that is kept in the car. Hadn't used that jacket in months, but surely glad it was still in there tonight! I'm thinking that visiting the local fountains this week is on our "To Do List" now, with a swimsuit and a towel, of course!!

Just For Grammy In England!!

Mommy has wanted to take pictures with me in this romper for quite awhile and she somehow seems to forget. Well, today was the day...

These are taken especially for my English Grammy!! I know that you aren't here to see me grow and change, but soon I'll get to meet you! Until then, know that we do think of you often, talk about you...


...include you in our bedtime prayers each night and look at your picture. I have a vinyl photo album that I look at and carry around and included in that is your picture. Mommy tells me "that is Grammy and Gramps. They live far away in England and they love you very much"! I can't wait for October to get here so I can meet you and love you too!

Our Latest Fun with a Box...

Here we are trying out our latest Pampers 2009 hot rod! Daddy is taking Emma for a fast ride all around her room and she is loving it! They went 'round and 'round until she wore Daddy's arms out!

We've got to take some of our fave toys along for the hotrod ride!! Here is Mr. Frog.


She had to learn how to get out of the box this time. It took her a few minutes and several attempts, but she got it figured out! Such cheap entertainment in a box!!


LOL!!! Check out her hat! I had bought it on sale for Halie last year and she passed it back to us and we forgot to actually use it on her birthday, so now it is just part of her dress-up stuff. She will bring it to me and want it tied on!

Check Out the Face!

She has started making some funny funny faces lately! Here is a great picture of one of them! That wrinkled up nose and pursed lips. Then, she blows out of her nose and mouth making silly breathy noises. She's quite the ham!

She's wearing one of her many 4th of July outfits here. She ended up with about 5 or so, between Mommy & cousin Halie.

Miami Area Viewer

Just curious, but I keep having someone in the Miami area who views my blogs. Who are you? Please leave me a comment.

Independant Play? Or An Emma Whirlwind?

Emma has Independent play time each day for about 30-40 minutes, at least once and sometimes a second time. She used to do it in her Pack & Play, but has now graduated to "Room Time". This usually works really well, so that she learns to play without Mommy being RIGHT there and Mommy gets to get chores done that don't need a tag-a-long. Today's play time became quite the adventure...


Check out the drawers open and the doors hanging wide and her clothing baskets looking empty.. Much less all of the toys & books everywhere.

She had the bin/waste basket dumped, the basket of "extras" scattered (wipes, lotions...), towels & wash cloths and bibs out, AND was quite proud of her work! Wouldn't you say? :) She is now learning that the drawers & baskets are a "no".

But, Emma learned how to clean up after play time quite awhile ago and it didn't take us too long to clear away this tornado. She is really great at dumping, but also at "put it back". Hand her an item and tell her to "put it back" and she'll take it to the shelf or basket where it came from.

Aside from that, she does love her hats, purse and necklaces. She'll bring me a hat or the necklaces and want me to put them on her. Quite cute for a 13 month old!!

Marmite Baby!

First off let me begin by saying that I am finally blogging events and happenings from the month that we are just barely still in!! LOL!! Think I am a bit behind?? We downgraded our internet connection and it makes my photo upload time longer and it gets a bit frustrating for someone who is soooo very patient... I mean, impatient. :) Anyway, here is the next one:

Martin LOVES Marmite. It is an English thing. Australians have Veggiemite. Martin insists they are different. (Like we would differentiate between Coke & Pepsi.) It is definitely a love it or HATE it kind of thing!!! (Right Hancock family???) Daddy loves it. Mommy hates it. Emma... well, what do you think?

She was having a cracker snack and Daddy decided to smear a small bit on her cracker to see if she would eat it. She ate it on 2!! Smeared all over her cute face! Startin' out bad habits young? Or adding to her flavor palette?

Martin will just spread it on a piece of toast, bread, crackers... and eat it! UGH! You have no idea how "ugh" it is!! But, to each his own. His family and friends all bring him jars of it when they visit. It is not the easiest thing to find over here and when you do it is not cheap!

A tiny jar, about half this size was $6 at Publix, where I had never seen it before, but they do have a small English section. We're talking about the size of 2 of those mini jam/jelly jars that come in holiday gift baskets. Tiny.

He has been given a Marmite cookbook and we have tried 2 of the recipes from it. And to be quite truthful, they are both delish! Used as a flavouring, it is ok, but simply smeared on toast is awful!! Martin is happy that his half English daughter is liking his favorite snackfood.

Learning to Stack the Nesting Blocks

Here Emma was just messing with the nesting blocks, but soon started to try putting them inside one another. It didn't take her too long to figure it out. I watched her go through the process and clapped when she was done. Then, as with any other new skill... She had to do it over and over.

Here we are working on it the 2nd time around.

All while watching Baby Einstein, too!! Multi tasking at age 1!!

We're getting it...

TAH! DAH!! Done! She did it!

She was quite proud of herself!! But, of course, she had to go for it a third time...

She doesn't look too thrilled with her 3rd accomplishment. I think she was a bit perturbed that it "nested" when she wanted the inside block turned a different way. What a smarty she is getting to be!

Job Interview

Martin has a job interview with a local bank Tuesday afternoon and we covet your prayers. We have been calling upon the Lord and waiting on Him. Maybe, maybe this is what we have been waiting for....
Thank you so much!

P.S. The interview went really well. He actually had 2 of them that day, with the HR dept. and the technology dept. Now it is a waiting & praying game. Please continue to hold us up in your prayers!

Father's Day 2009

Martin's 2nd Father's Day:
I went in to get Emma up and she came toddling in to Daddy with a Symphony candy bar. One of his favorite American chocolate choices. But, she soon started chewing on the corner and got the taste of it in her mouth and didn't want to give it up!!


She was not happy when I made her give it up!! But, it was for Daddy- not Emma.

Martin, thank you for being such a good Daddy for Emma. Willing to play with her, change diapers, clean up her messes and take over bath duty. Thank you for all your help and willingness to occasionally take over and let me have a day off here and there. I love you!

We decorated the dinner table with a golf theme, so Martin wore his Dockers and a polo shirt (golf type clothing). For some reason I did not take any pictures of the table or the guests. Bob & Gina Cantrell ate dinner with us. Mom, Gina, Steph & I each made 2 dishes/desserts and we had a great meal together.

My Daddy, my daughter & me.

Stephanie, Dee Dee & our Daddy. Such a great Dad he has been to us. Thank you, Dad.

DeLamarter Family Reunion

Here we are at the DeLamarter Reunion. Sorry that Martin's head is cut off, but this one was the best of the girls!! It doesn't look it in this picture, but there is only 2 or 3 inches and 2 or 3 pounds difference between the 2 girls, but there is 10 months age difference.

We used the Snack Shop at the HSBC campus for the day. Everyone helped bring the food and Mom supplied all of the cups, plates, etc... Mom & I brought our table cloths and made it look nice. I spent a long day with setting up (and Mom & Dad), keeping everything going smoothly and then the clearing up! I picked up soooo much trash left all over the room the entire day! Was so incredibly tired that night!

Here is Robert & Stephanie Cantrell with Mom D. Steph was the photographer for the reunion.

Here we've got Nana & Halie Dawn.

Steph was the 'official' photographer and I have included the address for her pictures taken that day. You need to cut & paste the address into the address bar at the top of your page. NOT simply click on the address I have listed. Enjoy!

http://picasaweb.google.com/kuntrybumpkin7/DeLamarterFamilyReunion?feat=email#