Quick run for milk turned into a savings trip. :)

I ran in to Publix to grab some milk and eggs... and came out with this. :)

I used coupons for the magnum ice cream bars (man. and a store coupon per box), two man. coupons for the Yoplait smoothie mixes (man. coupons). Everything else I bought was strictly BOGO deals (besides the milk, eggs, deli meat---it was on sale though, and yogurt).

My son (18 months old) drinks chocolate milk, so this Hershey's syrup was a GREAT deal for us.

My total today before savings was $61.45

With coupons and BOGO savings, I paid $34.77!

Great Publix run this week! Even saved on gas!

This week, I thought, was just going to be a quick run to get a few things since my hubby and I are on vacation. But it turned out to be a pretty good and I even got to save on gas!

Because I bought $85.00 in groceries, I was able to get two gas cards. So, my total for this trip was: $165.56 ($80.00 of it being the gas cards)

This list of my good buys include:

BOGO deals:

4-Green Giant frozen vegetables: $.90 each

2-Land O' Lakes margarine - $1.30 each

2-Barilla pasta - $.77 each

2-Post Honey Bunches of Oats - $2.00 each

2-Wishbone Dressings - $1.43 each

2-Barilla pasta sauce - $1.30 each

4-Hunt's Diced Tomatoes - $.70 each

2- 4 pack Bumble Bee Tuna $2.00 each

2- 100% Whole Wheat Bread - $1.40 each

Other sale priced items:

Publix pre cooked bacon - $2.50

Publix shredded cheese - $2.50

2-Stouffer's Lasagna - $3.99 each

Publix drawstring trash bags - $2.99

Coffee Mate Creamer (flavored) - $2.50 ($.55 coupon)

Coffee Mate Creamer (original) - $3.29 ($.55 coupon)

Publix dressing (with coupon, .01 item!)

Oreos - $2.50

Quilted Northern Toilet Tissue - $6.49

Brawny Paper Towels - $5.99

Items at full price, but Publix brands:

2-Milk - $3.89 each

Publix Tomato juice - $1.69

lettuce - $1.69

Bananas - $1.69

eggs - $1.69

deli drink (hubby was thirsty :) )- $1.39

Groceries: $85.56

Gas cards: $80.00

Total (including gas cards) $165.56

Total saved: $69.52

I think I did pretty good this week! :)

In and out for half the price! :)

So this week's run was for some extra items. All bought with coupons... even the milk!

Air Wick Freshmatic: $5.99

Man. coupon: $4.00 off

Total: $1.99

Milk:$3.69

Pillsbury cake mix: $.99

Pillsbury icing: $1.50

Totaling: 6.18

Publix coupon: $2.00 off milk WYB cake mix AND icing

Total for these items: $4.18

Nestle Toll House cookies: $3.29 each

Publix savings: BOGO ($1.64 each)

Man. coupon: $1.50 off two

Total: $1.79 for two

Combat Roach Gel: $5.19

Publix Coupon: $3.00 off

Man. Coupon: $1.00 off

Total: $1.19

(I had the $3.00 off from the Publix flyer, then I found the $1.00 off in an automatic coupon thing beside the product! YAY ME! :) )

Coffee-mate Creamer: $1.50

Man. coupon: $.55 off

Total: $.95

Voskos Greek Yogurt: $.90 each

Man. coupon: $.75 off (one coupon for each)

Total: $.30 for two

Diet Coke: $1.39

Man. coupon (from Facebook): $1.00 off

Total: $.39

Before coupons/store savings: $33.63

-Vendor coupons: $8.05

-Store coupons: $5.00

-Special price savings: $5.26

+$1.00 donated to the Miracle Network

Total out of pocket for this trip: $15.32

5-20-11 Publix grocery run

This is mostly groceries for the next two weeks. Other than meats.
Toothpaste was BOGO at 2.99. Each tube had 1.00 MFR. coupon on them!

So, I got them for .99 each!
Total before coupons and store savings: $153.72
Coupons: $24.65
Special Store Savings (BOGO): $45.03
Total out of pocket: $84.04

5-19-11 CVS buy...

Missing from picture: (1) 12 pack of Diet Pepsi... Matt took them to work before I took this picture. :)
Total before coupons/ECBs: $19.99
Coupons: $.50
ECBs used: $8.00
ECBs back for next purchase: $2.00

Total: 9.99

My new hobby...

So, I have a new hobby! I'm actually quite obsessed with it! lol At first, I was skeptical of this type of thing, but NOW, I can't get enough of it! I'm OFFICIALLY a COUPONER! LOL

I started a couple of weeks ago trying this lifestyle out, and I'm hooked. Being a stay at home mom and wife, it has been difficult to make ends meet. So, instead of choosing to find a full time job (as if cleaning, cooking, wiping a snotty nose ISN'T a full time job!), I chose to save us money by trying to buy the things we need at a fraction of the cost. So, I have slowly stepped into this couponing deal and I LOVE IT!

THIS purchase was actually my second CVS purchase. But this trip was my first REALLY successful one. :) I am going to try to blog every purchase each week and keep up with my savings. Maybe someone will find it as amusing and fun as I do! ;)

$32.69 before coupons/ECBs
-19.00 ECB
-3.75 coupons
TOTAL: $9.88 paid out of pocket
TOTAL ECBs back from these purchases: $13.54
So, ACTUALLY, they paid ME $3.66 to take this out of their store!
I LOVE YOU, CVS!!!!

Zion is almost 2 months old!!!

Can you believe it?? Zion will be 2 months old next week!! It's so amazing how much he's grown and changed! It's hard to believe that he's been here 2 months already! What really makes it hard is that he's been in NICU the whole time and we're just NOW getting close to bringing him home! But he's doing so great! He's amazing the doctors and nurses everyday with his strength and independence! He's the most precious little baby I've ever seen! But I'm a little partial! hehe
He had a little set back this past Thursday where his tummy and abdomen swelled up quite a bit and he was spitting up his food all day. So, they ran tests on him and thought he might have an infection of the intestines called Necrotizing Inter-colitis. But all the tests they did came back negative! PRAISE THE LORD!!! The only thing the doctors could figure out was that he just had bad gas and he just needed to get some relief from it! He was definitely a trooper during the whole thing! They stopped feeding him from Thursday night until last night (Tuesday night)! He cried quite a bit because his little tummy was growling! But they started feeding him again last night, and he's MUCH happier! :) So, hopefully he'll be coming home soon!!! Thanks to everyone for the prayers and support! He's doing MUCH better and getting stronger everyday! I just can't WAIT to have him home!!!!

27 weeks!! And it's Christmas! What a great week!

It's been a few weeks since I've posted. It's just been so busy! So, Zion, or Little Z as we call him, is very active and moving and kicking around! It's so amazing! I just love the feeling! Matt's been able to feel him more and more lately. He is just totally in love with it as well! He talks to him all the time and loves on my belly. hehe So sweet! Since I'm not built very big, I'm pretty much all baby in the front. I've only gained about 20 pounds (according to my last dr. visit), and it's all in the belly. That's a good thing... I just hope it stays that way! :) But whatever happens, happens! It's all worth it in the end! :) I just can't WAIT to see what he looks like and to hold him! I just can't imagine what his precious little face will look like! But he's going to be adorable! I DO know that! :)

They've started my dr. visits every two weeks now instead of once a month. I just can't believe how fast it's flown by! IF I go to term with him, I have 13 weeks! Kind of scary! But exciting! I feel like I've not gotten anything done to prepare for him though! I've got all the furniture, but there's still tons of stuff in the nursery that has to be done away with and gotten rid of. That part is overwhelming, but it'll all get done in plenty of time. I'm sure.

22 weeks... 18 weeks left and counting!

Well, this week, Zion is the size of a papaya! He's growing like a little weed! I just can't believe it's been 22 weeks so far! But more than that, I can't believe we've only got 18 weeks left!! It's flying by! I'm so excited! I can't WAIT to see him and hold him in my arms! It's such a sweet little miracle!
The only complaints I have is the back pain I've had for the past two or three weeks! It's a constant, stabbing pain in my back, and it just won't go away! Being pregnant, there's VERY few things I can do to help it! And I've tried them all! I've been taking Tylenol every 6 hours (as needed), I've taken warm showers/baths, I've laid on a heating pad, I've even tried getting Matt to massage! The only two things that seem to relieve it temporarily, is the massage, and the heating pad. But those two things only relieve it for a few moments.
The other problem I'm having is the top of my tummy is REALLY sensitive to the touch. I can't even stand for my clothes to touch it! Just sends chills up my spine! I called the dr. about these two problems, and all I got was "well, there's not much you can do besides what you're doing now." SO, I'm stuck with this for who knows how long! I hope it gets better soon! But if not, it's all totally worth it!

I finally got the computer desk cleaned out in the nursery! SO, now all we have to do is move it to the bedroom, clean it up, and put the books back in it. I'm just hoping that I can get it done this week. I really want to start putting up our Christmas stuff this weekend! So, maybe I can get started on moving that tonight.

Well, that's all the updates I have for now! Grow, Zion, Grow!

21 weeks... and it's a BOY!!!!

Sorry it’s been so long since I posted! As you can see, our little munchkin has grown QUITE a bit since I last made an entry! I am now 21 weeks, and growing like a weed myself! Matt has taken a couple of belly pics of me, which I am including in this blog today. The first one is at 14 weeks, and the second one is at 20 weeks.

We found out October 15, 2009, that our little baby is a boy!!!! We’re so excited! His name is Zion Matthew Futral!! We’re already so in love with him! And he’s already spoiled beyond compare! Haha

We’ve got the nursery started too! I have the bed, the armoire, and the changing table already in there! We’ve registered for everything to decorate with, so we’re waiting to see what we get as gifts before we start buying stuff. Even though it’s hard for me not to just go buy it all! Haha I will be taking pictures soon of the progress we’re making!

We got SUCH a great deal on the furniture! All from different places, but it all blends so perfectly!
The bed: A friend of the family gave it to us for free! She bought it for her granddaughters to sleep at her house, but they never used it, so it’s practically brand new!
The changing table: came from Babies R Us. It was a floor display that was being discontinued, so they had it on clearance from 179.00 to $125.90, with 30% off of that price. But underneath the top of the table has a broken piece of wood (completely fixable though!), so Matt talked them into dropping the price to $70.00. The manager said she couldn’t give us the 30% discount because she had to go so low, but when we got up to the front, the cashier did anyway! SO, we got a 179.00 changing table for $44.00!!!! WOW!!!
The Armoire: Is an antique we picked up at a consignment store in Pelham called Encore Sales or something like that. It was only $250.00 and basically in mint condition!

I’ll post pics as we make progress in the nursery!

17 weeks this week!

The above picture was taken at 14 weeks while we were in Gatlinburg. But, I will be 17 weeks this coming Thursday! I'm so excited! We also find out NEXT Thursday what we're having!

We went and bought our changing table this past weekend! It matches our bed that we got from a friend of the family very well! We got a great deal on it. I paid $44.00! The original price was $179.00! And yes, it was brand new! It was a discontinued display item that was on clearance, but was also broken underneath the table part. So, Matt haggled them down to $70.00 and the lady ended up taking 30% off THAT price PLUS an extra 10% because I opened up a credit card! So, I paid $44.00 for a $179.00 table! It was GREAT!!! So, now we have the changing table, the crib, the mattress, mattress cover, changing pad, and some doo-dads I bought for $1.00 a piece that I couldn't resist! :)

Everything's coming together, and we find out next week what we're having, so we'll be registering next week as well! :) SOOOO EXCITING!!!!

Surprise! We're 13 weeks!

Yep! We're pregnant again! We're so excited! I've held it in as long as I can! I finally posted on Facebook about a week ago, and now it's time to update my blog! :) We've kept it mostly family and close friends that we told to start with, then we started to slowly tell people at church, then our facebook friends. So, I'm finally taking the time to update here! :)

I can't believe I'm 13 weeks! It's so exciting, yet nerve racking! We've made it past the point where we had our miscarriage before. The doctor said everything looks and sounds normal, and he's VERY optimistic about this baby!

We heard the heartbeat for the first time two weeks ago. It was 173!! They SAY that's a girl, but we'll find out in mid to late October! I can't wait!

Well, I'll post more later. Just wanted to let everyone know that we're so excited and thanking God everyday for this precious little miracle!!!

Matt's new found hobby...

Well, I don't have much to post about myself... same stuff, different day! So, since I'm boring, I'll share something new about Matt! :) He's gotten into amatuer photography now. My parents bought us a Nikon camera for Christmas this past year, and he's exploring his new found love! haha I can only post a few pics, because he'll kill me if I post too many. He doesn't want people to "steal" his ideas. lol Anyway, here are some that he's taken recently. I think he's doing very well with this little hobby. I just hope one day it turns into a money making hobby! ;-)

My Mother's Day...

First of all, I hope all of you had a GREAT Mother's Day. Some of you had your first Mother's Day and I know that was very special. And I'm so happy for you! Mine was bittersweet. My parents and grandparents came over and I cooked lunch for them and we just enjoyed each other's company. Matt was feeling a little under the weather, so we didn't go to church that morning, which was a blessing to me because I didn't really want to face Mother's Day. Too many emotions for me. So, being able to just spend it at home with my hubby and getting lunch ready kept my mind off of it for the most part.
Even though my Mother's Day was rough and I had mixed (mostly sad) emotions that day, I hid it pretty well and enjoyed the day and made it special for my mom and grandmother. I'm sure next year, I'll be celebrating with all of you beautiful new mommies (and mommies-to-be). Until then, I'll just enjoy all of your pics and stories. :)
I hope God blesses everyone of you this next year! Love y'all!

Pics of our trip to Orlando...

We took a well deserved trip to Orlando, FL April 2-5. It was a youth trip that we chaperoned, but nonetheless, we had TONS of fun! We took quite a few pics, but mostly just enjoyed our trip. It's hard to enjoy a trip when you have a camera strapped around your neck! hehe But then again, when you get home, you don't have any memories to look back on if you don't snap some shots. Gotta love the two-edged sword of that situation. Anyway, here's some pics we took. I have some more at home on the laptop, but this what I have here at work. ENJOY!

This is the whole gang... minus Josh who was taking the picture

Us going into Universal Studios: Islands of Adventure

Us after 7 hours of Universal Studios: Islands of Adventure... lol

Courtney, Leslee, and Bradley

This was my riding buddy- Anna Beth- she calls me Cafeesha! lol She's adorable!

All of us at Downtown Disney

I was trying to keep her occupied so she wouldn't whine :) It worked! hehe

This was quite possibly the longest name I've ever seen for a church! WOW!

The group being crazy in the back of the van

I think she likes that face. lol She was wearing "Cafeesha's sungasses". lol

Can't really title this one...

Honestly, it's not very easy to start this blog back up. I dreaded signing back in and looking at my last post. For those of you who don't know, we found out we lost our baby March 25. I had a D&C the following Friday (March 27). This past three weeks has been the biggest emotional roller coaster I've ever been on in my life! We actually lost the baby at 8 weeks, but we didn't find out until I went to the doctor when I should've been 11 weeks. Talk about feeling lost and empty! They couldn't find the heartbeat on the 25th, so, they did another ultrasound. They found the baby, but no heartbeat or movement.
I've been an emotional basket case for 3 weeks. But through all of this, I have realized what I already knew from the beginning: God is always in control. He will never give us more than we can handle. The only control I have is over how much I give God to handle. And I've learned through this that, that's not much control! Matt and I have given it ALL to God. There's nothing to big for our God! It's not going to make things all roses, but it sure helps to know that He's got it all under control. All we can do is patiently wait on Him.
Please keep Matt and I in your prayers. It's been rough, but we know who holds tomorrow!
"Be still and know that I am God" Amen.

In the third month already!!

Time is flying by! I'm already 9 weeks! My morning sickness has slightly increased just a little. I'm hoping that will end soon! I still get queasy when I get hungry, but I'm sure that will be the case for a while. I've been very good and have refrained from buying ANYTHING for the baby! (except some things I've bought pre-pregnancy) I've just kept in mind that I don't want to buy too much gender neutral things because I want it to be a girly girl or manly boy. :) I don't want it to wear too many of the yellows and greens and people wander what gender my child is! haha

We go back to the doctor March 25 and we'll get to hear the heartbeat then. I can't wait! I'll be 11 weeks by then! Man! I can't believe I'm this far along already!

We'll be going to Florida on April 2-5 and I'll be 12 weeks then! WOW! 4 months exactly! Crazy how time flies!

I haven't taken any belly pics since the first one I took when I found out. But I will be snapping some pics here soon and will be posting them. So, be watching! :)

My best friend Megan Peek is having her little girl today! So, if you read this, please say a little prayer for her, the daddy (Ben Peek) and baby (Peyton Neeley Peek). I'm awaiting the news that she's arrived, so I'll post as soon as I hear. I can't wait to meet that little girl! She's going to be spoiled rotten!! :)

God Bless!!

7 weeks and 2 days!!

Our first ultrasound










Hearbeat:122








7 weeks 2 days








We're so excited! The doctor said everything looks great! I go back to see him in 4 weeks!!
Still don't have any sickness besides when I get hungry... and when I eat Italian food! Something about the Italian food makes me really sick! I'm hoping that subsides because I LOVE me some pasta!
In case your wondering, the circle to the left of the blob... aka the baby... :) is called the Yolk Sac. Doctor says that will disappear as the weeks progress.
GROW BABY FUTRAL GROW!!!! :-)

Quarter of a century old! WOW! Where did the years go???

So, I celebrated my 25 birthday Saturday. I feel old now!!! haha My friend (whom I share my birthday with-we were born same day... same year) so graciously reminded me that we are now a quarter of a century old! haha I can't believe it! It seems like just yesterday I was fighting with the kids on the bus for the back seat because that's where the "cool" people sat! haha
It seems like only yesterday I was playing with my dolls like they were real, changing their diapers and outfits every 10 minutes---feeding them---bathing them---the list goes on and on! I played with them as if they were alive and I was the mommy! Now, 20 years later, I AM a mommy to be and I'm about to be playing house all over again! hehe But this time, it's for real!

Speaking of the little butterbean, we get to see and hopefully hear the heartbeat Wednesday morning! We're so excited!! We can't wait! I probably won't sleep a wink Tuesday night!! It's real to me right now that we're pregnant, but hearing and seeing the heartbeat will make it that much more real!

I haven't had too much morning sickness at all. Still just nauseated when I get hungry. We went to eat at Brio's (Matt and I) Friday night, and apparently the little butterbean doesn't like Italian! Or maybe it's just some spices, but I was up all night! BOOO!!! So, I think I"m going to have to lay off the Italian for a while!!! Which, by the way, is EXTREMELY hard for me to do since I LOVE Olive Garden, Cafe Trentuno, and ANYTHING Italian! (sigh) oh well, it's all for the best. I think I can hold off on the Alfredo for nine months.... keyword... THINK!!! haha

ok... enough writing now... I'll post what we find out Wednesday! Pray everything is growing like it should!!!

Monday already? Man, the weekends fly!!

Well, not much has happened since I posted last. As far as I know, everything is still growing like it should, and I'm 5 weeks and 4 days today. We go the 25th to see/hear (hopefully) the heartbeat! We can't wait! Can't wait to see what this little jelly bean looks like!

I am extremely sleepy all the time. I fell asleep last night around 9:00 and didn't wake up until 5:30 this morning. And I could've slept longer than that! haha

As far as morning sickness, I've been VERY fortunate! The only day I've had anything really bad was Saturday night/Sunday. I think it was something I ate Saturday night though. May have been just because I'm preggo and whatever it was didn't agree, or I may have had a touch of a bug. Not sure which. Either case, I thought I was going to die yesterday! I didn't sleep much at all Saturday night/Sunday morning. I went to church anyway, but couldn't stay through service. We left right after praise and worship, and I slept from 11:30 until about 3:45. I felt a little better after my nap, so I got up and went back to church Sunday night. Today, I feel soooo much better. I chalked it up to just being morning sickness, but not sure why it lasted all day like it did. Any case, I am 100% better today! I hope I stay this way the whole 9 months. But we'll see! I'm not banking on it! haha