hard workin' mulchers

 I had all of my mulch on the drive way for a few weeks.  I finally was able to plant my flowers and now was the time to actually lay the mulch out on the beds.  I decided to hire the very people that I live with--  and I have to say, they were great little helpers. 

 I really want to say that they were working hard because I asked them to help me

 but I know it was just because I promised to pay them....

either way, I was great to see them working so hard, and they enjoyed seeing that pile dwindle and dwindle.

check out the video :)

prayer and praise night at church--- kids choir

They have been practicing for a while.  Tonight was the big night- the night of their performance.  I know I am a little biased, but they were FAB-U-LOUS!!!  and they looked mighty CUTE too!!!

 the crying Molly

and here is the whole deal:

roses in spring

I just love this time of year... the flowers are coming out in full force.  We had to wait on Sam after school one day and she/I couldn't resist

 she even met a new friend

 she named it "lady"

crazy sky

 we were at soccer practice

 the sky started getting darker, then we saw lightning

 the weather sirens started blasting

so we decided to leave.  The clouds were so weird.  The wind stopped blowing. it was bright and sunny in one direction and pitch black in another.  At the stop light I saw this strang cloud--- what you can not see is the tail cloud that is touching down from it...  it was not rotating, but looked menacing enough for me!!!  Then BOOM, out of no where teh HAIL started just pelting us.  It was a lot (had to put the camera away and focus on driving and getting home safely) it was quarter and pea sized.  We were only about 2 miles from the house and then the pouring rain started along with the hail blast...  it was crazy. BUT we made it home safely.  the windows remained in tact.  The storm continued on its way---  and the hail picked up in size (to egg size) thankfully we did not have to deal with that.... Thank you Lord for keeping us all safe!!!!

sneaky kids

Ido not know what was going on.  The kids both hung back a little on our walk home.  Then they actually started talking to each other (only problem was it was too quiet for me to over hear :) ) They shared that they did NOT want me to hear what they were talking about/planning.  I tried my best to "catch them in the act" but they were on to me. 

Still, I just love seeing them together, talking with one another and getting along---  even if it is because they are conspiring against me for some reason or another...

 

I still do not know what it was about---  hope they have forgotten by now too :)

Tax Day deals from mydallasmommy

Tax Day Freebies & Cheapies ~ 2016

Posted by My Dallas Mommy on Wednesday, April 13th, 2016 at 7:00 PM

The links in the post below may be affiliate links. Read the Full Disclosures!

Tax Day Freebies 2016

Paying your taxes can be a bummer, so reward yourself this April 18 by taking advantage of some FREE offers! Many of our favorite stores and restaurants will be offering a selection of Tax Day Freebies on April 18. Bookmark this page as we will continue to update offers!

FREE DOCUMENT SHREDDING

OfficeMax and Office Depot:  Offering up to 5 pounds of bulk bin shredding for FREE with this coupon through April 23rd.
With tax time coming up fast this is a great deal.
Staples: Free shredding offer at Staples. Similar to the last couple of years, you can shred up to five pounds of incriminating credit card bills for free in-store. This offer is valid on April 18, 2016, at your local Staples store.

FREE FOOD

Boston Market:  Get a half-chicken individual meal with two sides, cornbread, a regular fountain drink, and a cookie¹ for $10.40, in honor of the awful form. Without the promo deal, the tab would be $11.77 at many Boston Market restaurants.
Bruegger’s Bagels: From April 15-18th, Bruegger’s Bagels is offering up a Big Bagel Bundle: 13 bagels and two tubs of cream cheese for only $10.40! Just go here to claim your offer.
Buca di Beppo: Now through April 18th, Buca di Beppo is offering 18% off of your meal when you use their Tax Day coupon found here.
Cinnabon: Get two free Cinnabon bites on Tax Day.
Chili’s: Discounted margaritas: Guests get $5 Presidente Margaritas (that’s tequila, orange liqueur, and brandy) at participating Chili’s.
Chuck E Cheese: On Monday, April 18, when consumers purchase a large Chuck E. Cheese’s Thin & Crispy pizza, they get a second large cheese pizza FREE. It’s that easy – no partial deductions, no forms and no loopholes needed. This offer is valid at any Chuck E. Cheese’s store.
Great American Cookies® would like to put a little extra “dough” in Americans’ lives this Tax Day, but the kind with chips! The national gourmet cookie shop is continuing its annual Tax Day freebie tradition by offering a free original chocolate chip cookie to customers who stop by participating stores in the greater Dallas area on Monday, April 18.* No purchase or proof of completed taxes is necessary.
Visit one of the following store locations and satisfy your sweet tooth on tax day: Parks at Arlington Mall, Hillside Village, Uptown Village at Cedar Hill, NorthPark Center, Golden Triangle Mall, Hulen Mall, Ridgmar Mall, Stonebriar Centre, Grand Prairie Premium Outlets, Grapevine Mills (Entrance 5), Grapevine Mills II (Entrance 1), North East Mall, Irving Mall, Vista Ridge Mall, Town East Mall, Collin Creek Mall, The Shops at Willow Bend.
Hard Rock Cafe: Sing your favorite song on stage on Monday, April 18th to earn your free Local Legendary Burger!

Kona Ice– Free Shaved Ice: Kona Ice will have their trucks parked outside post offices, tax preperation centers, and businesses all over the country on April 18 to give you some sweet relief to your Tax Day woes. Stop by the truck and you’ll get a free cup of shaved ice. Search to see where a Kona Ice truck is near you.

Outback Steakhouse: At Outback Steakhouse restaurants, diners can get 15 percent off their check on April 18². To get a coupon, go to the web site’s Offers section and sign up for emails. You’ll also get the coupon if you download Outback’s mobile payment app.

Schlotzsky’s: Free small Original sandwich with the purchase of a 32-oz. drink and a bag of chips on April 18. Random prizes will be awarded to fans who upload a picture of their free sandwich to Twitter or Instagram using #TaxDayBites.

Sonic: On April 18, get a half-price cheeseburger.

Tony Roma’s: All members of the Email Club at Tony Roma’s will get a free dessert coupon emailed to them on April 17 that they can use through April 29 for a free Red Velvet Cake. You can sign up for Tony Roma’s Email Club from their website with the Join Our Email Club link at the top of the page.  (NOTE: No locations in North Texas :()

FREE SERVICES

Planet Fitness and HydroMassage are offering anyone 18 or older a free HydroMassage⁵ from April 18 to 22 at more than 1,000 of the fitness chain’s locations. Coupons can be downloaded from the Planet Fitness web site starting April 18.

TAX DAY CHEAPIES & Deals

Gray Living –  a home décor and lifestyle shop in the heart of McKinney’s town square, that specializes in casual European elegance — will offer customers 15 percent off their entire purchase on April 15-16 (some restrictions may apply).

random photo day

walking back to the car from church Molly found a little stick.  She then broke it into smaller sticks and said "hey, Mommy look!  I am Olaf"

Easter egg painting

so we painted eggs on 2 different days (it was too much fun to have for just 1 day) You would think that I would have taken at least 1 picture of a finished egg....  Oh well.... there is always next year

Happy Easter 2016

 this is the best I could get....  

It started off as a great morning... the scavenger hunt was fun, the kids enjoyed themselves and then... for some odd reason it turned into a pretty rough morning.  The dress wasn't quite right The hair was not was not the way she wanted it, there were tears, lots of ugly blotches so.... Easter photos had to be taken after church and lunch--so not as good as they could have been. (Yikes, what is it going to be like when she is a teenager?!?)

the rest go something like this:

bluebonneys 2016 kids

yup, that is the best I could get :)

Sam bluebonnets 2016

 The best of Sam

 

and my personal favorite---  

Too bad I had to crop out a not so good one of Molly

molly bluebonnets 2016

now, just what you have been waiting for...

the best of the batch

for Molly

in the bonnets

Molly in the bonnets 2016

Molly's were not as "funny" as Sams.  Hers were mainly that she has to "pose" for each one and therefore never looks in the direction of the camera.  She was glad to be out there in the "beautiful flowers" I actually think I could have taken about a hundred pics of just her (though probably only 3 would have been great ha)

sam in the bonnets 2016

It's that time again.The time when all Texas moms chose to torture their own offspring by making them stand in the tall, itchy grass and weeds--- you know, the ones that hide those pesky fire ants oh so well just to get a few good pictures of their kids in the bluebonnets. The child can't wait...  they, like their mothers have been waiting in anticipation for these beautiful flowers to pop their heads up amongst the weeds all year long. (NOT!!)  There is a very short window to take a picture once these flowers are out.  It never seems to be the "right time" for anyone (except for the mom who has to have this yearly photo. 
Well, I snuck the camera into the car on the way to church... for you see,  the patch that we use most years is on our way to church.  I shared my plan after church and threatened told the kids that if they gave me just a few good smiles we would be done quickly and eat lunch.  You see, the fact that my kids were hungry would work one of 2 ways..  they would cooperate quickly so that they could eat OR they would just be miserable because they were hungry... I think we did pretty good. ...

this is Sam at his best.....