Heather's Heartfelt Stitches

My Coupon Journey

2012-02-14T17:51:00.000-08:00

I have really been cutting, organizing and saving so much money with my coupon binder this year so far! It's a very simple boring binder but CVS, Walgreens, Publix fear me when I enter holding my binder with my coupon match-ups..lol..

Really though I'm doing well saving on Health and Beauty aides, it's food that sometimes I feel like I just am not saving no matter how many coupons I use. Do You feel that too?

Here is my shopping schedule with coupons:

CVS- Health and Beauty aides (toothpaste, ect)
Walgreens- Same as CVS
Publix- B1G1 Free and Silk
Aldi- Everything else (meat, milk, ect.)

Here is a short video where I share with you my Coupon clipping routine, I even watch Youtube!

Please share with me how you save at the grocery store.

Courageous: The Movie

2012-02-12T19:51:00.000-08:00

Four men, one calling: To serve and protect. As law enforcement officers, Adam Mitchell, Nathan Hayes, David Thomson, and Shane Fuller are confident and focused. Yet at the end of the day, they face a challenge that none of them are truly prepared to tackle: fatherhood.

While they consistently give their best on the job, good enough seems to be all they can muster as dads. But they're quickly discovering that their standard is missing the mark.

When tragedy hits home, these men are left wrestling with their hopes, their fears, their faith, and their fathering. Can a newfound urgency help these dads draw closer to God ... and to their children?

Filled with action-packed police drama, COURAGEOUS is the fourth film from Sherwood Pictures, the moviemaking ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. Viewers will once again find themselves laughing, crying, and cheering as they are challenged and inspired by everyday heroes who long to be the kinds of dads that make a lifelong impact on their children.

Protecting the streets is second nature to these men. Raising their children in a God-honoring way? That's courageous.

My Husband and I watched this the other night, We haven't been able to buy it yet but it sure is on the list of things to buy in the near future, he was able to borrow it form a co-worker . I had heard and seen the episode where "The Duggar's" had a small role in this film during a funeral scene so I was aware that a child had passed in the movie and I wasn't sure if we would like watching this because of how sensitive we are but even though it still had both of us in tears it was nicely done and did not focus on the child as much as other movies have done/do. In our opinion this is one of their strongest more emotional movies yet! We both warn you to have a box of tissues next to you while watching this movie. We have all 3 of the Sherwood movies, Flywheel, Facing The Giants and FireProof and now very soon this one. I was glad to see that they had added a few comedy scenes to lighten the movie. I'm not sure if I will let the kids watch this one, maybe our 13 year old but not the 2 youngest.

Have you seen it yet and what are your thoughts?

Journey to Paraben Free: Skin Care

2012-02-08T13:33:00.000-08:00

I have found a Paraben free face wash from my local CVS. I have used it for about 2 weeks now and so far it hasn't broken me out which is Awesome!!

They are on the pricey side but CVS has these on sale often and there are coupons for these often in the Sunday paper.

I hope to try some of the Vitamin C line at their next sale.

Here is a video of my review of these products, take the time to comment after watching if you can.

All the Better to See You With My Pretty

2012-02-07T13:48:00.000-08:00

Abigail has received her glasses!

Isn't this eyeglass case they came in the cutest!!

She was so nervous about what the other kids woulds say in class today but she was surprised at how nice everyone was.

We knew that one day all 3 would need glasses since both of us wear glasses but we were not expecting to have some in glasses so soon!

Next up is lil guy's eye Dr's appointment.

Happy 13th Birthday Wishes!

2012-02-06T10:58:00.000-08:00

Today is Crystal's 13th birthday!

We had a nice party for her yesterday with Family and Friends!

Today she is watching Project Runway for the first time which is a complete surprise to me since she has caught and caged this guy...

A Rat Snake!!!!

You can take the girl out of the Country but you can't take the Country out of the girl!!

Journey to Paraben Free: Hair Care

2012-02-01T15:52:00.000-08:00

So Sorry to be away for the last couple of days even though I'm so excited about this new lil series of mine but I caught this nasty cold from my darlings..lol..right..sniffles, headache, chills...uughgh

So anyways..for the New Year I am slowly going to be trying new to me products that are Paraben free and or Natural/Organic. Now I can not afford to run out and buy everything at once and as you all know I shop with coupons most of the time so hopefully I can find most items at my local drugstore fairly cheaply

First one this month is my Shampoo/Conditioner. I was using this

I like how it made my hair shine and I liked the smell so really if it was Paraben Free I would still use it.

I have switched to this

I am in LOVE with how this shampoo makes my hair soft, frizz free and it smells Devine! I'm hoping that my hair doesn't up and decide that it hates this shampoo and I will post an update in about a month.

What Shampoo/Cond. do you use and do you worry about Paraben's?

Lonely Library Bag....

2012-01-25T13:11:00.000-08:00

This Library bag has been packed away since we moved from OH, It's stitched on both sides and has Lady Bug buttons on both sides as well, hand-stitched by me.

Can anyone use her, for $15.00

I'm Stitching again Ladies!!

Little Econ Trail

2012-01-24T15:59:00.000-08:00

On Sunday we loaded up all 5 bikes on our new bike mount (lil guy's bike had to ride in the trunk), It was our first time loading 4 bikes on the new bike mount for my car so it was a rather long and stressful 1/2 hour but at last we were off. The weather was beautiful!

We rode for about 3 hours and only had 1 mishap...Lil guy and I collided and we fell and somehow I jumped over him inorder to not land on him, then Crystal looked back to find out what was going on and hit the wooded fence and went over the fence...Surprisingly no blood was shed by all 3 of us!

This One Bites the Dust

2012-01-23T10:14:00.000-08:00

My Husband has gotten back into flying remote control airplanes since moving back to FL. I don't mind, I like to go and watch him fly, the kids like to watch him fly, we take snacks and make a day of it out at the field.

Except for this past Sat. Hubby went with a couple of his co-workers very early in the morning and the kids were just blinking their eyes awake so he went by himself.

This is an older plane and he did buy it used so he knew of only a few of the issues with this plane, turns out the receiver went bad mid-flight.

Poor thing is totally dead!

I should have went with him..lol...This doesn't happen when I'm there..

Crystal's Science Project: The Plant Cell

2012-01-16T11:00:00.000-08:00

Happy MLK Day!

The kids are home from school and we had a sleepover last night with some of their friends so today all 3 seem kinda sleepy...mmm Big surprise there! LOL

Last week Crystal had a Science project due on the Plant Cell. Daddy and she really got into it and I'm really loving the finished results!

A short video with Crystal explaining her project.

Great start to the week so far, the windows are opened and the house is airing out and laundry is getting done!

Enjoy your day!

Monogramming...Love/Hate Relationship

2012-01-11T12:57:00.000-08:00

When you Monogram your name, in what order do you do it?

First, Middle, Last names?

Last, First, Middle names?

I'm lost and clueless...

When you wear a monogrammed necklace does it matter if it's your first initial or last initial?

This public wants to know..lol..

Experimenting and No Training Wheels!

2012-01-08T16:47:00.000-08:00

So today my Husband Richard experimented with my Flip camera, he took it and mounted it to his bike after making a trip to Home Depot for the parts.

We tested it today while our lil guy road his bike with no training wheels for the first time today, we took the training wheels off before dinner last night and today he rode with only 3 falls. Thank goodness they were not bad falls!

This will be so fun for when we go on long nature rides. We wish we had thought of this while on our ride on Friday!

You can see the video of todays ride on my Youtube channel.

Linking up with Kristen's Creations

The Van Fleet Bike Trail Kicked my Butt

2012-01-07T05:42:00.000-08:00

Friday Richard played Hooky from work and we ran off together as soon as all 3 were in school for the day!

We loaded up our bikes and drove an hour away to try our riding skills on the Van Fleet State Trail.

We rode a total of 30 miles with stops for water and our new fav. snack, CLIFF bars.

We almost didn't make it to pick up the kids in time but even with the rush to get back to the car It was worth being sore today!

It was so peaceful out there, we saw 2 turtles, cows and people were stopped along the trail taking pics of this otter that was down in the wet bank.

Today I'm sore but planning on riding again tomorrow but this time for a shorter ride around home.

You can read more about this trail here Van Fleet State Trail

Enjoy your Weekend!

Bike Riding in Style

2012-01-05T17:02:00.000-08:00

My Christmas present from my Husband Richard was a very nice new bike! It's a "Giant" brand bike and it's the color Mint...Yup like Mint ice cream..lol..

I love it and it goes along with my Resolution of getting back into shape, I shall not use the word "Diet" as I fail at that year after year. We are just making smarter choices in what we eat..which I'm finding very hard since I love to grab something Yummy after the kids are in bed at night. Any suggestions for low calorie but tasteful snacks?

We are riding our bikes about every weekend, if it' just us 2 then we go for a long ride around 20 or more miles but if the kids are along than we just ride for about 3 or so...They all have bikes and love to ride and see the turtles on the bike trail.

Here I am with my new bike, the sweater makes me look pregnant but let me assure you, I am not!..lol..

I'm finding bike riding to be alot of fun which I never thought it would be!

Learning Life Skills Early...

2012-01-04T15:02:00.000-08:00

He wanted to make his own Turkey sandwich so he learned how to do it all by himself today...I was/am nervous about letting him use a butter knife but I was told that "6 years old is old Mom"..lol..

Lake Woodruff Wildlife Refuge Day Trip

2012-01-03T17:51:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we met my Sister and her family out at DeLand's Lake Woodruff Wild life Refuge where we walked for about 2 hours.

We saw a tiny snake that my Sister was brave enough to hold but I passed on..lol..

We did see a 5 ft alligator that was sunning itself across the bank and he kept an watchful eye on us but never moved, Thank Goodness..lol The above pic is NOT the guy we saw though, he is from the webpage.

You can read more about the Wildlife Refuge below or google it. We plan on going back next weekend, it's free to park/walk and the kids love to see what pops around every corner.

The Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge System, located in north central Florida, twenty-five miles west of Daytona Beach, off U.S. Highway 17 in DeLeon Springs.

The Lake Woodruff Wilderness Area is part of the refuge, and consists of 1,066 acres (4.31 km²) or 4.9% of its total area. It lies along the western boundary, between Honey Creek and the St. Johns River. On the river's other side is the Alexander Springs Wilderness Area.

Happy New Year 2012!!

2012-01-01T15:01:00.000-08:00

We are enjoying Family and Friends today!

Hope you are doing the same on this fun day!!

Christmas Re-Cap

2011-12-30T06:45:00.000-08:00

Christmas was a very nice time here at the Graves Household, both G'mas came over along with my sister and even though there were moments of drama mixed in, the kids had a great time. I decided to not film them opening their presents this year like I have done last year because I got some very rude comments about how we had not given the oldest daughter enough presents..I'm not going to even acknowledge them since my oldest daughter is very happy!

We went over to my Step-Sister's and helped her bake/frost cookies and we had a blast!

We ate and ate and today I'm happy that Husband bought me a new bike so we can step up our riding this year! I'm having a great time riding with Husband, great excercise and we get to spend time together outside, something I have missed since moving from the farm.

On Christmas day my Scentsy lightbulb blew out and I bought a Wal-Mart Limited Edition Peppermint candle and we were so disappointed in the scent throw of this candle, even being in the same room with it and we could hardly smell it. What are your fav. store bought candles? I can't always run to BBW for their Slatkin candles or Yankee Candle store.

I leave you with a few pics that I was able to grab with my Iphone as the kids were grabbing seconds of Christmas dinner and one of us at my Step-Sisters frosting cookies.

An Early Christmas Present, Reading....

2011-12-24T06:27:00.000-08:00

This Christmas I was surprised by my Husband with an Kindle Touch, a early Christmas present, My new toy that I'm having so much fun with!

I have already loaded her up with a few FREE Kindle books from Amazon. My Husband surprised me by buying and loading the new Diana GaBolden book "The Scottish Prisoneer". She is my all time fav. author and I'm eagerly awaiting her next book in the Outlander series. I still love hardback books but this is oh so easy to slip in my purse and my nightstand is looking clutter free since I don't have a stack of books on it..I found a nice candle to put in their place!

I am looking for a pretty cover for my Kindle's safe keeping...Do you know of any Etsy shops that sell these or maybe pretty ones in a store?

I'm linking up with Flip Flops & Pearls for her Christmas Party!

The Tree is Trimmed

2011-12-21T17:54:00.000-08:00

So we finally trimmed the Christmas tree, It was a nice evening with G'ma Terri and Christmas music playing in the background.

It has been hard for us to get into the Christmas Spirit this year since FL is still in the 80's and it's getting colder in OH. We are putting our Smiling faces on for the kids though and hoping that next year will be a better year.

I have enjoyed looking at everyone's Christmas decorations and seeing what ya'll have bought this year and the baking I have seen...Yum!!

Am I the only one that will be out finding the last Hot toy of the season? Yup..not done yet with the Christmas shopping...lol..Every year I swear I'll be more prepared but it never works out.

I did receive a Christmas present early and I'm having so much fun with it, I'll share more on this tomorrow!

Crystal's Christmas Band Concert

2011-12-14T07:47:00.000-08:00

Last night Crystal had her Christmas Band Concert. She did really well, She brought home her Saxophone and practiced Jingle Bells many nights.

She gets her musical talents from her Dad, not from me..lol..

We are very proud of her!

Enjoying the Body Shop...Small Haul

2011-12-13T07:08:00.000-08:00

Can you believe I've never shopped at "The Body Shop"? I have always ran into Bath and Body Works for my goodies. With all the fab. sales going on right now I was able to get 3 body washes with free shipping for less than $15.00.

All 3 smells really good and I can't figure out which one is my fav. My oldest daughter is trying to steal one of them...lol..

What are your Fav. products from "The Body Shop"?

Kristen's Christmas Give-Away

2011-12-10T18:32:00.001-08:00

You may go here : Kristen's Creations to enter her give-away.

I LOVE her frames and I have wanted one for the longest time now!

The Christmas Singing- A Romance from the Heart of Amish Country

2011-12-09T13:21:00.001-08:00

After Gideon coldly broke her heart, can the warmth of the season revive Mattie’s hopes?
Mattie thought her childhood sweetheart adored her until he abruptly ended their engagement on Christmas Eve.

Three years later, will learning the truth behind his rejection restore her Christmas joy – or open the door to even deeper heartbreak?

Spend Christmas with the Amish in this story of love, romance, heartache, and restoration.

You may read the very first chapter here : Chapter 1

Many of you know that I LOVE to read books about the Amish, there is something so enjoyable about reading a story about simple times. This Christmas enjoy this new Amish Christmas story for 30% off Plus free shipping using promo code CHRISTMAS11 at waterbrookmultnomah.com .

Let me know if you read this and how you liked it, Happy Holidays!

Do You Choose Organics?

2011-12-06T13:45:00.001-08:00

I'm researching Organic beauty products. I hope to start the New Year off with new products that are better for our Family. Everything for Bath and Body and some foods, right now we can't afford to go all organic in the pantry so we will start off with health products.

Some items I can pick up at Wal-Mart.

But today I have just confused myself with the choices and variety of items that call themselves Organic.

What do you use, if any, Organic products in your home that I can look at?? With 3 kids and 2 dogs it has to be safe,proven and for me Smell good :)