Philadelphia Art Museum

The Art Museum in Philadelphia is impressive. It looks like a Greek Parthenon was placed at the end of the Benjamin Franklin Highway. The detail on the building is amazing!

The school that Todd teaches at hosted an exchange program with 10 girls from England.  We took the British girls and their American hosts to a day trip in Philadelphia.

The view looking from the museum into Philadelphia is breath-taking.  Especially during the fall months when the leaves are changing colors.

I had Todd take a picture of me with the Moose statue.  For many years we called our youngest son "Moose" until he rebelled at 13 years old and told us he didn't like his nickname anymore.  I still feel sentimental when I see a Moose.

For those who know the movie "Rocky", starring Sylvester Stalone.  The movie is based upon the real life of boxer, Robert "Rocky" Balboa,  A famous scene in the movie shows "Rocky" running up the Philadelphia Art Museum steps.  The statue used to be at the top of the steps. It was moved a few years ago to the bottom when some stuffy, well-to-do folks said the statue was not "art".  

Whatever.

We didn't have time to explore the museum (only to use the bathroom). 

:-D

It was cold, but beautiful day to spend in Philadelphia.

Zach's Crib

Zachary is all set up in his 'crib' (as he calls it).

Winter Park, FL is a very nice WARM area to live.  

It was nice to get a break from the mounds of snow back home.  

 I was impressed with the apartment complex.

The grounds are kept clean and his apartment is in good condition.

Let's go up the steps and through the front door.

I'll give you a tour!

The Master Bedroom is a nice size with two large closets.

We bought a queen size bed.

The comforter is from Target.  I put an end table on the side of the bed the next day.

 The master bedroom has it's own bathroom.

 (Shower curtain and towels are also from Target).

  Living Room with Xbox already hooked up.
(lamp, pillow and throw blanket from Target)

 Dinning area.
(Chairs are from *you guessed it* Target).

Kitchen

 The apartment even has it's own washer and dryer.

Zachary is ready to begin a new chapter in his life.  

From the baby crib to his college crib.

Kitchen Kettle

Kitchen Kettle Village is in the heart of Lancaster County, PA. It is famous for it's Pennsylvania Dutch quilts, crafts and home-made furniture.

Note: the name of the town Kitchen Kettle Village is located in is called Intercourse.  There are other towns nearby that are Virginville, Bareville, Blue Ball and Paradise.

Yummie, the gingerbread-man was there to greet the overly excited, young-at heart, silly grownups children.

In the middle of the village two men playing banjo's entertained the shoppers.

A Conestoga Wagon was on display.

The Amish men are known for wearing these straw hats.

The Amish do not drive cars. The kids are seen riding these scooters as a means of transportation.

The adults and their families ride in a horse and buggie.

Horse and buggies are a common site in the Amish Country.

This is an Amish farm next to Kitchen Kettle Village.

I wasn't able to get closer for better pictures.

~

It was a 90+ degree, but FUN day!

Charming Charlie's

BFF and I were with our hubby's waiting for a table at CHAMPS restaurant.  We decided to go across the street to the cutest little shop E.V.E.R! Charming Charlies.  Ever hear of it?  It's like a grown up Claire's.

What I liked about it, was the color organization. My OCD self was jumping up and down at how clever the designer was.  Each section was divided by colors.  If you wanted an orange purse, shoes, earrings, clothes, etc. you would go to the orange section.  How easy is that??

Of course I immediately gravitated to the purple section.  These are some of my favorite finds!

And here is some more…

I had a BLAST at this store!

When I go back I may even check out a different color than purple.

;-)

Maybe.

 

Extreme Couponing

I'm sure you are familiar with the term "Extreme Couponing".  It's all over the internet and now there are a few TV shows on TLC dedicated to it.  Extreme couponing is an attempt to save as much money as possible while accumulating the most groceries.

My son, Brandon is addicted to these Extreme Couponing shows and has decided that we need to try it.

For the last week he has been printing out on-line coupons and helped me clip coupons from the Sunday newspaper.  Then he compared them to the grocery store circulars to see where he could find the best deals.

We ended up going to four stores that are relatively close to one another.

After each purchase, Brandon checked his list to make sure the sales price and coupon price was deducted correctly from the receipt.

First stop was Target.  We purchased 2 Tide laundry detergents.  Target had them on sale for $11.99 each.  We had a Target coupon and manufacture coupon for at total of $3.00.  In addition, Target was giving a $5.00 gift card promotion when purchasing these items.  

Original pre-sale cost: $25.98

 Our cost: $15.98

Saving of $10.00

~

Next stop was Petco.

We purchased 4 bags of Natural Choice cat food. (one 15.5lb, one 7lb. and two 3.5lb.)

The 15.5lb bag was originally $35.49 but they had it on clearance for $17.00.

The 7lb. bag was originally $22.99 and it was on clearance for $16.09.

The two 3.5lb bags were not on sale and cost $11.99 each.

Petco was having a promotion for $3.00 off Natural Choice cat food.

I also had four $2.00 coupons.

To top it off I had a $5.00 Pet-pal rewards coupon.

Original pre-sale cost: $82.46

Our cost: $41.07

Savings of $41.39

~

Weis Supermarket was having a sale on Zest Body Wash, Gain scent booster and Era laundry detergent.

Zest Body Wash original price $2.89. 

Gain Scent Booster original price $6.69.

Era laundry detergent original price $4.39

After coupons we ended up paying $1.00 for each Zest Body Wash!

Original pre-sale cost $33.72

Our cost $16.92

Savings of $16.80

~

Giant Supermarket is where we bought the most.

Pepsi, Cheerios, Red Baron Pizza, Campbells soups, Lysol wipes, and a few other things.

Original pre-sale cost $83.56

Our cost $56.93

Savings of $26.63

 Total Original pre-sale cost $225.72

Total cost we paid $130.90

Savings of $94.82

Please note: I only purchased items that I use and we had coupons for.

We didn't do as well as those folks on the TV shows.  I can't figure out how they can get an entire grocery cart full of food for only a few dollars.  

I am not complaining though.  Saving almost $95.00 is making me very happy!

Shopping for the perfect dress

Friday night Heather and I went shopping.  We were on the hunt for a perfect dress to wear to a birthday dinner celebration for Heather's 40th birthday.

It really seemed like we were there for hours trying on different dresses.

This is just a sample of the ones we tried on.

It really was fun showing off to the hubby's who were waiting on a bench outside the dressing rooms.

Heather had no idea where we were going for dinner.


It's a very classy place in Philadelphia.


Her husband rented a LIMO!

OH! And you cannot forget the shoes!

I know the suspense is killing you... 

tomorrow I will reveal the dresses and location of the dinner party!!