Developments...

I wish I had pictures. I'm sure I some point I will, but right now I'm too lazy to find my camera. Here are some fun new updates on life here at the McKee Compound:

• Emily got married on Saturday. YAY!!!
• The wedding is now over. YAY!!! No more wedding stress. YAY!!!!!
• Carter is a crazy good army crawler and is teaching himself how to crawl for real. He can make it onto his and and knees, and can move his knees, but has trouble with the hands part.
• Carter is fully weaned. YAY!!!! (He started biting.)
• Allison's toe has healed, but still looks pretty ugly. It'll be a while before she has pretty feet again.
• Allison loves the playland kid care at Fred Meyer so I get to grocery shop with just one kid... and the one that doesn't scream or cry or beg for things. Its a very strange sensation.

And I guess this one deserves its own space... not just a bullet point.

Brian has a face-to-face interview with a company in Syracuse (yes, in Upstate New York... across the lake from Canada). They are flying BOTH of us out week after next for several days to interview and see the area.

And we get to leave the kids behind.

YYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!

Its time...

for another shopping post. Its been a good while since I've posted one, so today is the day. I'm super excited about the deals I got. Today I hit up Rite Aid and Target. Couponing in Washington is SO different than couponing in Utah. Its Saturday, the last day of the Rite Aid sale and several days into the deals at Target I was after and I was able to get almost everything I wanted. Things weren't completely wiped out on Monday... weird. Even stranger, I had absolutely zero trouble using my coupons. The cashiers scanned them all, no questions asked, no register beeps. Its was awesome.

Anyway, here's my Rite Aid take:

8 Herbal Essesnces Products
-4 Free (store BOGO promo)
-3 BOGO coupons (P&G insert)
-1 Free product coupon (fro a Facebook promo, no longer available)

=All 8 products for FREEEEEE!!!! I paid just $1.50 in tax for all 8 products. I love free.

In case your Rite Aid gives you trouble, this is totally allowed and is specifically addressed in the Rite Aid Corporate Coupon Policy. Print your own copy here and take it to the store with you, just in case your store isn't very well informed.

At Target I was able to get everything I wanted except Glade Holiday Scented Oil Candles. My Target had the tins, but not the pretty glass holders and no holiday refills. So I passed. The gift card deal on it (buy 5 holiday scented Glade products and get a free $5 gift card) goes through Christmas, so I'll just wait and try another day. The other Target near me had what I wanted when I was there on Monday, but they wouldn't take my coupons so I walked away. Next time I go I'll make sure I have my Target coupon policy with the Guest Relations phone number on it.

Anyway, here's my Target take today:

• 4 Tubs of Up & Up Baby Wipes - $0.57 each using $1 Up & Up Target coupon
• 2 Up & Up travel wipes - $0.47 each using the same Target coupon.
• 2 Kraft marshallows - $0.62 eash using $1/2 Target coupon
• 1 Santa Potato Head Spud Bud - $0.99 using $5 coupon at coupons.com
• Up! on BluRay/DVD combo pack - $9.96 using $10 coupon available from Disney

Total spent: $17.89, which is less than the sale price of the DVD. Pretty awesome. I love Target.

All Target coupons are available here.

I also got diapers at Walgreens earlier this week... no pictures, but I got 4 packs of diapers for $20 plus tax using $2 Huggies coupons from coupons.com, a $1 Huggies Walgreens coupon found in a children's coloring and activity book (they sell for 99 cents in the store) and the $5/$25 purchase Walgreens coupon.

Oh, and Mr. Potato Head... I got 2 of those at Fred Meyer. They were on sale BOGO, so I bought 2 and used 2 $2 off Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head product, so I got both of the for $3.50... Christmas for Allison. But I might return them for 2 of the Potato Head Silly Suitcases instead... we'll see.

Its been a good week for a good deal...

Halloween and such...

Yes, we are still alive. And now that Halloween has come and gone (and I'd discovered that my dad's computer has an SD card reader) I have something to blog about that doesn't involve discussing how much I dislike unemployment and job hunting.

Halloween was fun this year... Allison went as Cinderella (her favorite princess) and Carter was a guitar. I got to make both kid's costumes and I loved how they turned out. Carter's didn't end up exactly how I thought it would, but I ran short on time, and what I managed worked out anyway. We took the kids to a 2-ward trunk-or-treat at the stake center. It was huge and it was a good one. Allison thouroughly enjoyed herself and has periodically been asking to go trick or treating again. We have yet to oblige her on that point, but I do let her wear her "halloween dress" around as she sees fit.

Allison. Isn't that dress (and the girl in it) too cute? Best part, it was totally free. The blue fabric was left over from decorating for my wedding. Mom donated the starry fabric and the little trim... tiara was one hanging around the house from our pagenting past. Oh... wait... I lied. I did buy a little dollar store princesses bracelet to steal the Cinderella "gem" from. So this costume cost $1.

Allison up close, with the dress all done.

Apparently Carter was the devil baby guitar... I had intended this to go on his front, but then decided it would look just as good on his back and bug him less. He was happy to just be held during trick-or-treating... no candy required for this kid.

Beyond Halloween, life has mostly been revolving around trying to find a job (which I'm beginning to think might not happen before the first of the year) and trying to help my mom accomplish as many projects as possible for Emily's wedding on the 21st (note to self: hire a wedding planner to do all the projects for Allison's wedding...).

Allison has provided us with some recent excitement too... Thursday evening she pulled a 30 inch barstool down onto her big toe, splitting the toe nail in half, pulling the nail matrix out completely, splitting her toe open pretty well and chipping the bone a little. She got her toe numbed, nail replaced 3 stitches and a splint to keep her from pushing off with her toes when she walks... oh, and 15 stickers (we've been to the urgent care 3 times now... once for the injury and two wound checks). Hopefully we'll be able to get her stitches out next Thursday when we take her in again. And, heaven willing, then never go back.