My sweet, sweet laptop...

New to our way-too-technological household as of Sunday, I finally have a laptop that can keep up.

And as of today, I get to use it!

My amazing husband took possession of it for the first 48 hours so he could do whatever super-secret things computer geniuses do to make them work. I frequently gave him the hairy eyeball because I wanted to use it so desperately, but there is no fast-forward button when it comes to setting up a new 'puter.

But as I walked into the office this morning, I saw it. *imagine celestial light and triumphant music* It was sitting alluringly on my desk, patiently awaiting my love and affection. Ooops... I mean my speedy and impatient demands. (Heehee!)

With 4 GB of RAM, there's finally enough memory to run the applications I need for work. Wahoo!

I won't have to sit and wait... and wait... and wait... while the computer debates if it should work. And, almost as important, the heels of my hands will no longer get burnt from the heat of its desperate attempts to keep up!

My last laptop, an ancient and well-loved machine, had decided to retire. No retirement party thrown, though, since I was so disgusted at the constant "not responding" message.

So here's a toast to the newest computer-based device in the D___ household. *clink* And to my saved sanity, my increased production as an employee and the loss of sore shoulders from carting around an ancient clunker. *clink clink*

In a bit of a fog...

My parents left this morning after a quick weekend visit and true to form, as soon as they left, I collapsed into bed for a three hour nap.

Now I'm up and moving, but I'm not sure I'm awake. I seem to be moving in slllloooowwww motion and doing an awful lot of staring into space.

I think dinner is going to be scrambled eggs. Maybe pancakes. Something so easy I can make it even when I'm mostly asleep. If I happen to perk up a little? Well, then we might just get some bacon out of the deal. LOL

On the art of blogging...

Someone out there is reading. To someone, I'm making a difference.

I didn't rob the grocery store... really!

It just *feels* like I did!

"Why?" you ask?

Because... I brought home $50 of groceries today for the grand total of $8.90!!

That's a savings of 81%!

Yay, me! (Doin' a little happy dance!)

I bet you want to know how I did it, huh?

Super Couponing, baby, Super Couponing. Go to www.supercouponing.com to find out all the details, but basically, it teaches you how to keep track of sales so that you can use coupons for maximum savings.

It also talks about using more than one coupon per item, Internet coupons, tracking the pricing cycles, etc.

At first it sounded completely overwhelming to me, but once I saw all the tools available online, I realized it's totally doable. There are some really fantastic sites that link coupons to sales at your favorite stores, so *you* aren't doing most of the work!

Coolio!

I also did the Super Couponing thing at Rite Aid. It was more challenging than at Alberston's because of the mail-in rebates, but when all is said and done, I spent $5 for $30 worth of goods.

Totally worth looking into, my friends, so go click on that link above.

Thanks to MommaSchoob for telling me about this! (MommaSchoob, get on it, girl! You know about it--now you have to do it!)

Perfect Day, Perfect Photos

Saturday morning, we felt the need to get out of Dodge. To do something crazy and exciting and completely non-work related.

We finally decided to head to Cannon Beach for the afternoon. It's a two hour drive, through beautiful green farmland and densely forested mountains. Then all of a sudden, you come over a hill and there's the great Pacific, in all it's delicious, shining glory!

Cannon Beach is a tiny town with boutique-y stores, lots of ice cream (seriously important!) and the beach just one block off the main street. Once the girls saw the sand and the waves and the Ecoli River emptying into the ocean, it was all over.

There was no stopping them. And sometimes, they shouldn't be stopped.

Scott and I just stood there watching them run and laugh and splash (fully clothed, of course). It was such a picture perfect moment, one that left me filled with thanksgiving that God entrusted these two amazing children to me.

Look through these photos and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about...