Ohio to Texas... Different place, same me...

This blog has been quiet for over a year now... a few random book reviews, a few sale deals, but I haven't been able to focus on blogging in the midst of other life things going on. Hopefully in the coming weeks, that will slowly change. My heart really wants to be back in the blogging saddle. Since I practically fell of the face of the blogging world, let me put myself back on the map...

I am a stay-at-home momma with two toddlers: Levi is 3 and Ellie is 18m. I was born and raised in Texas, and broke southern tradition by marrying a "yankee" from Ohio (and if you're wondering how in the world we met, yep, we met at college in Chicago...). We've been happily married for five years and have had quite a few adventures. So incredibly thankful to get to walk life with a man who challenges me, laughs with me (and sometimes at me in my crazy moments), loves me (even in my crazy times), encourages me, and just in general blesses my life. I look forward to many more years to come!

We are in a time of job transition right now and have moved from Ohio down to Texas to be nearer to my family. We're currently living with family while we get established here. I'm learning a "new" area of stores, and I really want to start blogging again while so many of the basics of couponing are surfacing again in my mind. "Social media" like blogs & Facebook offer us the opportunity to learn new things from one another. So much of what I have learned about living life well and managing my money has been from watching others in my life, talking with people who I admire how they live, and following a few favorite bloggers. I think almost every time I use coupons at a store, I end up in a conversation with the cashier or another person in life about how coupons have changed my family's budget & lifestyle.

So I am a "couponer". And I love talking to others about it... Here are a few of my other favorite things:

- Spending time outside in sunshine. Whether it's the woods, lake, river, beach, park... 

- Love camping in a tent with family and/or friends.

- Crocheting

- Sewing

- Drinking coffee w/ creamer

- Hanging out with family

- Visiting places with cool history

- Wearing beachy colors like turquoise, coral, royal blue, lime green, white...

- Wearing flip-flops and having bright pink toenail polish

- Listening to swing/big band music from the 40's & Michael Buble

- Teaching/Speaking to groups of women & teenage girls at church about how God has created us each unique, beautiful, and valuable

- Saying "no" to some things I could spend money on, so I can say "yes" to things we love!

Things I'm not wild about:

- Folding laundry

- Doing dishes

- Staying only at home (I'm not a "home-body"---love having a peaceful, warm home, but enjoy getting out and about!)

- Scrapbooking & cardmaking (I have to stick with sewing & crocheting... Working with paper stresses me out so much I finally had to give up--I will leave it to my really gifted friends!)

- Cooking gourmet meals... I like simple recipes that I can double to freeze an extra meal for later!

- Shopping for clothes (I like cute clothes, but the process of finding cute clothes that fit me in my price range just about makes me hyper-ventilate)

So that's a little bit about me... What are things you love to do besides using coupons to save money?