The Lucas Zoo

Indian Summer

>> Thursday, October 29, 2009

We must be having a little indian summer here in the Carolina's b/c it was warm today and it looks like the next week is going to be beautiful! I was outside with the girls doing a little fall maintenance on the flower beds. This summer there was a brown snake in our veggie garden and after that freaking me out I am a little jumpy when putting my feet in the beds to tidy them up. I am about 95% positive that I killed a black widow while outside just today. We have major spider issues and actually have a bug guy come every 3 months to try and keep them somewhat at bay. They totally skeeve me out so I really like my bug guy. Here is one of the ones that I knocked down - this was taken a little ways away b/c it was up on the garage and still looks huge to me!!

These girls will ride their bikes all day long if we were to let them. I haven't mentioned our fabulous find at Goodwill a few weeks back. This will sound very hard to believe but I promise true story. Our friends lent us their daughter's bike to see if Piper should move up to a 16". She did need a bigger bike so we decided to look around for one. It was a Sunday morning and we all went to a sporting goods store to try and find Matt a new pair of shoes. While there we checked out the bikes and saw this Diamondback for $139. There is a little bike store down the street and we looked there too where the same bike was $149. On our way home we had to drive by a Goodwill where I thought I saw some bikes out front so I asked Matt to double back. He went out to check them out and came back with the EXACT bike and in really great condition for being used all for the price of $10. Yep, $10. We never get deals like that. Piper loves her bike and so does our pocketbook :)

Here are our happy girls enjoying the day. Big fun tomorrow and this weekend. We love, love, love Halloween!

Minivan Schminivan

>> Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Family of 5 going to get a tree and bushes. 1 Ford F150. 3 Britax Marathons. Why did we buy a minivan again?

More WW at 5 Minutes for Mom

Vocalpoint

>> Monday, October 26, 2009

I clip coupons but we only get 1 newspaper and I will clip what our family uses out of the Sunday edition. A lot of the coupons are for things that we don't use so they get recycled. Our family does not pay for any health or beauty products b/c I have figured out how to shop at CVS using their Extrabucks. I actually do donate what I don't use to a friend's church group. Who doesn't like free things right? It is sort of a rush but it is really hard for me to do it too much now with the 3 little ones. I found an AWESOME website that will send you things to try and then you review them. They also send you pretty sweet coupons along with the product you are trying. I have received Kashi brand items 3 times so it isn't all junk. Have you heard of Vocalpoint? Saturday I received a 28 day trial of Olay Pro-X, you know the stuff that they have on the commercials that is supposed to be as fabulous as the $500 wrinkle cream? Well, at $47 a jar it is still a bit out of my league but I am going to try it. Today when Piper gets home from school I am going to have her take my picture and in 28 days I am going to review it. Olay doesn't know this of course but I am interested to see if there will be any change in my skins appearance. Anyway, I know that I have a few people out there that read this blog so go and sign up for Vocalpoint and start receiving stuff to try!

Together we planted a tree

>> Sunday, October 25, 2009

It was our first. In 10 years my husband and I have never planted a single tree. I am really surprised b/c we have planted just about everything else under the sun. Yesterday afternoon we got a break from the rain and so our family headed to a nursery near us to look at what they had. I love birch trees. They may not be the most practical but I just love looking at the peeling trunks. Totally cool. While we were there I also got a hydrangea and a few bushes that I have no idea the name of at the moment :) I just can't wait to see everything bloom next year! Now, Matt dug those holes all by himself with me just there to watch the kids and supervise. Today, so that I felt like I participated some, I put down the pine straw. I can't believe how tough it was to dig those holes in our hard red clay - job well done!

Before

and after with cuties who were out there "helping"

BTW - while I was throwing straw around the girls were walking up and down our driveway with their strollers exercising so that they would get "skinny like Miss Dana". They say that about everyone who exercises now :) I just thought that Miss Dana might think that was cute :)

Misca Musca Mickey Mouse

>> Saturday, October 24, 2009

It was supposed to be a family day. We woke up and Piper and Ruby were both a little under the weather. The weather is a whole other story. Raining, AGAIN. That is when I decided that pancakes and bacon would bring up everyone's mood. I cooked for 45 minutes, 4 plates were set, 3 glasses of milk, a coffee, and the pièce de résistance a plate of pancakes and a pound of bacon (healthy right?). That is when the call came in - Matt had to go to work. Really? So the girls and I ate alone. I decided not to let the rain or the fact that daddy wasn't here affect the day so we pulled out our Mickey Mouse Yahtzee Jr. game that I bought last week for game night. Love.This.Game!! Normally I am so cheap that I will only buy the girls games that are on clearance (and why are they on clearance?) or at our local thrift store but this time I splurged (8.99 at Target) b/c I just knew they would love the jr. edition as much as we love the adult version. Fun ensued!

7 months!!

>> Friday, October 23, 2009

I can't believe it! I swear it felt like yesterday that I was writing the post about her being 6 months old. This is all going to quickly for me! Ruby has taken a break from pulling herself up on things which makes me sigh with relief - mama wasn't ready to have all that yet. Today my baby has that terrible barking cough that little ones get :( She also has a runny nose :( :( Most days she is just such a happy babe, right now she is sitting next to me playing and laughing at her toys sick and all. LOVE HER! She should be napping but... she has her own little schedule and doesn't realize that mommy wants her on a different one (like one where all girls in this house nap at the SAME time!!). This little one is so loved by everyone in our house (even the dogs!!) - she is the perfect completion to our little family!