Hello all! Sorry it's been so long but you know how it goes :).
Everyone is doing great... Dave quit TRW and is in school full time now. We all love having him home at night and on the weekends and the Honey-Do list is getting shorter every week. He has a lot of work with school... last week it was 3 exams and 2 research papers, but he is adjusting well.
Cadence is FINALLY completely potty-trained (thought that would never happen). Health-wise she couldn't be better. She is all princess/diva/drama queen, I can't wait to see what she does at the Fair Pageant this year. Her and Tatum do fight a lot, but they also love each other a lot.
Tatum is our little tomboy... she can fall flat on her face or get really hurt and never whimper! She'll just keep doing what she's doing. Her biggest issue right now is biting - the kid is a serious biter!

Since we are on 1 income we are spending a lot of time at home and we really don't mind at all :). I have been doing really well with my couponing and am able to save at least 50% on our groceries consistently - sometimes up to 75%. I love doing it even though it takes a lot of time. We also joined a new church a few months ago and have been SO blessed by that. We are there whenever the doors are open and the girls are just as excited about it as me and Dave. I never thought that I would find a Sunday School class that I would not be able to wait for Sunday morning for. Don't get me wrong - I have grown up in church my whole life... but I feel an extreme sense of satisfaction where we are now and have learned more than I have in the last couple of years at other churches. We love the members and are also blessed by the fellowship we have with them, and of course, they all think that our girls hung the moon :). Dave and I both helped teach Vacation Bible School this year (something he's never done) and were also blessed by that. Overall I feel an extreme since of satisfaction and peace with my life right now. The list of things that I want to do is still as long as my arm, but I feel completely contented with where we are at this moment. I wish that everyone had this sense of peace about their lives. :)

Head on over to the other blog now - I'm finally going to update it too! :)
www.lovelaughpaint.com

Love you all!!!

Praises

Haven't been able to blog because our lives have been up in the air the past few weeks... Just want to tell any of you that may not know... Dave was accepted into his program at school! I'll try to post a longer, more detailed account of this later, but I wanted to say thank you to all of you that have prayed for this with us. We wouldn't be where we are without the love, support, and prayers of our family, friends, and co-workers! Hope to tell you all about it soon, we have many exciting days ahead!

Quick Update

I really don't have time to be posting, but I can't help myself! Easter was great, the girls got more than they needed and hunted eggs like foxes :). Spray tan was a success. Church was great. Spring cleaning has nearly broken me down, but I'm determined to get my house under control before Dave starts his program (fingers crossed).


Now for the really exciting news. I went grocery shopping for the first time last night after my couponing class. We really needed groceries so I was going to go regardless. I only used Sommer's leftover coupons, and only on things we already buy, but even so - I SAVED $97!!!! Can you believe it? For my first time I was blown away! And I got $10 in catalina coupons printed with my receipt! Can you imagine what my savings will be when I'm actually getting the coupons first and really spending time doing this before shopping?!?!?! I am excited just thinking about how much more I can save. I saved big bucks on big ticket items too - like diapers and coffee (which are necessities at my house). Here are two pics that I took with my phone... keep in mind it's 10:30 at night :). I can't wait to go shopping again! (Not that I really need too since I got a month's worth last night).


Also, we are now 8 days from Dave's interview. Please continue to keep him in your prayers, he is REALLY stressed!

What a week :)

Blogging from home today, going to see how this works :). Today is the first day I've clipped coupons and I'm really excited. My bestie, mom, Mumsie, and a couple of other friends took a couponing class last week and learned some great info! Now I just have to put the things I learned into practice. I am really excited to see how much money I can save and how many items I can get for free. I'll keep you updated on my progress (especially if I make a really good deal) over the next few months. Also, I have been gearing up for a big clean at my house this weekend. Our wonderful cleaning lady is coming tomorrow for her usual magic, and after that I am going to go on a purge streak like no other! I have been looking at all our extra clothes, toys, and junk for too long now and I'm ready for a good old fashioned spring cleaning. Stay tuned on Monday to see how far I've made it. Goodwill is going to be making a killing in us this month! Also this weekend (since it is a long one) I am going for a Girls Day Out on Friday. We are going to see 'Water for Elephants',go out to eat, and to get a spray tan! I am really excited about all 3 of those things ;). Then of course Sunday is Easter and that's always cause for celebration. I hope everyone feels as truly blessed as I do this week. I can't believe Jesus died such a horrible death for someone like me. I am completely undeserving and thankful God sacrificed his son for us all. I couldn't begin to comprehend sacrificing one of my girls for ANYone else, much less EVERYONE else. Thank you Lord for your generous gift to me and my family.

Countdown!

It's time to get excited! In exactly 2wks, which is 14 days (since I'm on a daily countdown myself) David will be in his interview for the program! I am so excited and confident for him. The devil still tries to sneak his litte voice into my head - planging seeds of doubt, but I know that MY God is in control and his plan is bigger than ours. Please keep Dave in your prayers, ask for calmness and confidence. We are very blessed to have such great family and friends. Everyone has been so supportive over the last two years while Dave has been in school and working. I don't know how I would have stayed sane without so much help and support.

Here are a couple of pics of my sweet girls... I have never put Tatum's hair up, but I thought it looked cute like this :) My babies were both in a good mood and wanting to "Cheese" it up

Sorry Folks :)

Haven't updated like I should. The girls are doing well... I just signed Cadence up for gymnastics! She starts on April 27th. Tatum is more opinionated every day and won't stay inside, she wants to be outside ALL day EVERY day. Dave is still doing great in school (read earlier post). As for me... I am excited about all the orders I have coming in with my small side business... I was up until 1am this morning trying to get canvases painted. Please be sure to keep checking out my other blog - www.lovelaughpaint.com - for updates with that. Also, I am going to a couponing class this Thursday and I'm SUPER excited about that. When Dave quits working we are going to need all the extra pennies we can save. I'll tell you all about it later, and I'll do my best to get some stinkin' pics up :) . Hope you all have a blessed week!