The Granniss Family

My Little Fisherman

2012-01-23T11:39:00.000-08:00

Faith Like A Child

2011-12-24T06:48:00.000-08:00

Logan has knee pain sometimes at night and has trouble sleeping. He came into our bed the other night at about 3am and told me his knees hurt. So I starting rubbing his knees and praying for them. He said "My knees have germs mom, that's why they hurt sometimes, but God can snap and all the germs are gone." I love that Logan has faith like a child. I need to always pray in faith and this was a great reminder. Then he thanked me for praying, he said that his knees felt better and he turned over and went to sleep. I was wishing I could have seen God snap on that one!

Christmas2011

2011-12-11T09:58:00.001-08:00

Wreath Monogram Christmas

Turn your favorite family photos into Christmas cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Long Beach Island 2011

2011-05-30T19:07:00.000-07:00

BlogHer10

2010-08-08T02:11:00.001-07:00

Splash Park

2010-06-29T19:25:00.000-07:00

The boys at the Splash Park in Colchester!

Playscape

2010-06-02T03:16:00.000-07:00

My husband saw this awesome playscape for free on Craigslist. The boys are so excited!

Chloe the Cat!

2010-02-03T17:39:00.000-08:00

We have a new cat named Chloe! I've never owned a cat before so I've been plesantly surprised that she is very sweet. The boys got a "kitty coupon" for Christmas because we were taking a trip to Houston. When we got back, my mom found her on Craigslist and called us. Chloe is one year old and brown and black in color. I have to admit I was a little afraid to get a cat, but she's wonderful! Logan likes to chase her around and carry her so we are trying to break him of that. She is very patient with him but has scratched him a few times. Landon is very good with her. He likes to pet her. Today all by himself, he realized that our black lab, Annie, wasn't getting as much attention anymore now that Chloe is here, so he threw a ball with Annie for hours. It was so cute!

Happy Birthday Mom!

2010-01-01T17:50:00.000-08:00

Happy 60th Birthday Mom!

Preschool Days

2009-12-12T20:53:00.000-08:00

Logan and Shelby painting with shaving cream and colors!
Logan and Mom Mom! (Dave's mom is Logan's teacher!)All Tired out!
Family!

Halloween Pics

2009-12-07T20:26:00.000-08:00

The Cuties!

Landon won this tiara for me! I wear it now while housecleaning to keep the chores fun!

Fall Fun!

2009-12-05T19:20:00.000-08:00

Landon's First Day of Kindergarten!

2009-09-09T20:44:00.000-07:00

Landon The Salesman!

2009-08-29T19:20:00.000-07:00

I sent Landon out to give lemonade to some guys who were cutting some trees down on our street. One of the guys insisted on giving him a dollar, which made him realize that he could make a little money with this idea. So off we went making signs and getting everything together. He decided that the lemonade would be free, but he would take tips, in case someone didn't have any money but wanted some. Two hours later, he made $21! He wanted to make enough to go to his favorite hamburger place, Harry's in Colchester. We went out to eat and then he decided that he needed to make his money back again. We went out again the next day for another two hours and this time he made $22, which he is currently saving.

Splash Park Fun!

2009-08-08T17:36:00.001-07:00

Fishing Derby!

2009-07-13T19:14:00.000-07:00

The boys entered the fishing derby again this year! Landon won first place and Logan won third! They were so excited to show off their trophies and have been carrying them around everywhere we go! :)

Time For A New Camera!

2009-07-06T16:36:00.000-07:00

Landon and Logan came in the door with the phrase "SORRY MOMMY!" I looked up to find my camera soaking wet with water! I think it actually lasted about 5 years!
I now have a great excuse to pick out a new camera with my WalMart gift card. So what kind of digital camera do you have and why do you like it?

Houston Vacation!

2009-06-14T07:44:00.001-07:00

The boys at Pump It Up!

The Houston Zoo!

Logan and my parents poodle Aggie!

Visiting Kemah, Texas for Dave's birthday!

Alana came over to show us Mac!

Visiting with Christina and little John!

My Logan, He Likes To Kiss The Girls

2009-06-06T19:35:00.001-07:00

Logan ran around the house with a new neighbor friend today. She is four and he is three.
She came up to me and informed me that he repediately tried to kiss her. When she left, I asked him, did you try to kiss Kadence? Oh yes, he replied. Why? I asked. "Because Me like her!!!"
I noticed that they held hands a few times too.

Here's a pic of them both riding a John Deere tractor with Dave.

Landon Loves...

2009-04-19T20:12:00.000-07:00

I was thinking of a few things that Landon loves...
He loves singing and doing the motions to In My Father's House (Come and Go with me, to my father's house, a big big house...). Thank you Sky Ranch, I never knew how handy the motions would come for entertaining my children! It's a huge hit in our house. Landon even leads the motions now.
His favorite Bible story that He has me read to him at least twice a week is the one where the widow puts in her two coins in the offering and Jesus says He thinks it is the greatest gift because she put in all she had. He says "wow mom." He is really into money and giving.
Landon has all the signs of a first born Leader with a capital L. He recently asked me if he could get out of the car and run down our long driveway to our house. I have noticed that he seems to enjoy any type of freedom he can get in doing things like this so I said yes. He then began to walk in front of our SUV and flag me into my spot all the way down our long driveway.
This is Callie, Landon's good friend AKA "girlfriend." Although he is a leader, he will do anything she asks of him. She sent him a letter in the mail and he wasn't too sure what to think of that. :)

In Times Of Trial

2009-04-04T22:47:00.000-07:00

In times of trial be encouraged!

You have to play the video!

Sanctus Real - Something Heavenly

Logan Turns Three!

2009-02-21T18:36:00.000-08:00

Logan turns three today! I'm at a loss for words. I can't believe our baby is THREE! Logan is pretty special. He is quite the comedian and he loves to clean. He loves to hammer and loves to play "workshop." He is in a huge daddy phase which is adorable. Thank you God for wonderful boys! I pray that they grow into God fearing young men.

Landon at the Houston Zoo with My Mom!

2009-02-11T18:08:00.001-08:00

Landon liked the giraffes.

EVERY BOY'S DREAM

The Train

Boy Pics!

2008-12-04T19:23:00.000-08:00

Landon seriously wants to be a policeman someday. He's practicing walking our police dog Annie in this pic!
Man's Best Friend!

All Suited UP!

Thankful

2008-11-27T19:49:00.000-08:00

Landon is thankful for God, our house, dad, mom, the lake, and our car (It's back from the shop!).
Logan is thankful for daddy, mommy, Landon, his puppy and his clothes and shoes.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Bargain Shopper Lady in The News!

2008-11-23T05:58:00.001-08:00

They aired my interview in Boston the week before Thanksgiving!
You can watch it here !
They also sent it to Philly and redid it a little so you can watch that here too!
God gives the best gifts! Thank you Jesus for my interviews!

My Parents Came To Visit!

2008-11-23T05:47:00.000-08:00

My parents came to Connecticut to visit us for a week! They found the cutest bed and breakfast on the lake where we live on so they stayed a mile away from us. The boys had a blast with grandma and Duke! My mom and I got to go shopping one day. (My dad got to see our beautiful place for the first time, my mom saw it when she came in August!)
My dad took my mom to an apple orchard on their way here from the airport because she's always wanted to pick apples. They brought us the best Cortland and Gala apples I have ever eaten! The boys were sad when they left but we found a great deal on plane tickets and we are going to take a trip to Houston to see them in January!

Scrambled Eggs Anyone?

2008-10-30T16:19:00.001-07:00

My five year old convinced me that he could make scrambled eggs all by himself today. Dave was still home at this time and agreed that Landon should give it a try. I put Dave in complete supervision and headed to the shower. I didn't want to know if eggs were cracked all over the kitchen. My husband just stood and watched as my 5 year old cracked five eggs and put the shell in the trash bowl and then into the trash all by himself. He then scrambled the eggs until my husband said that they were done. When I got out of the shower, I found that Landon had done a completely perfect job. We all ate his eggs for breakfast and they were great!

Baby Noah!

2008-10-25T19:08:00.001-07:00

I got to meet baby Noah for the first time at Lauren's house! We taped my interview at her house. Thanks for opening up your home Lauren! It was so great to see you!

What a cutie! The news lady's were seriously flirting with Noah! He is so excited in this picture!

Be Careful What You Pray For...You Could End Up On TV!

2008-10-21T19:24:00.000-07:00

I had a friend who did an interview for her website a few weeks ago and I thought "That is so cool!" and I prayed "God if you ever want to do anything like that for my blog, please d0 so." I am not kidding when I say that less than an hour later, I had an email in my inbox from a news station in Boston who asked me if I would be willing to do a special on bargain shopping. (Thank you Jesus!) I sent Lauren a quick email to get the scoop on the size of the station since it would be a two hour drive. She wrote back and said it's a MAJOR station. The sweet lady and I email back and forth and we set a date to tape the special. (It's Friday at 11:00 ET time if you want to say a prayer for me!) I am very nervous and completely excited! I am ready and have almost all the props (latest bargains) and my outfit picked out. Check out my bargain blog for more updates on when the special will air. Since it's in Boston, I'll have to get Lauren to tape it for me!

I Wish My Pantry Looked Like...

2008-10-13T19:33:00.001-07:00

THIS!

Oh it will someday!

Thanks to my new friend Tina for the inspiration! (All that stuff was ~almost free!)

Landon's 5th Birthday Party

2008-10-06T13:55:00.000-07:00

Landon had a neat little party on the beach! He was so excited.

The pirates came and buried a treasure!

My Baby is Five Years Old!

2008-09-23T20:03:00.000-07:00

Yes he is~ FIVE! WHAT? I have a five year old?

This Pic: Landon on his first day of preschool. He had to take a laptop bag or "sling" like daddy does.

Landon, you are an amazing little boy! I love that you love exploring in the outdoors. I love that you want to be just like your dad and play school and do your homework. I love that you love to play store because you get dragged around to shop with me with coupons all the time. I love how smart you are and it amazes me. I love it when you get along great with your brother and you make a fort or dig up worms for your worm farm. (The joy of little boys!) I love when you say "I love you!" randomly throughout the day! I love how happy you are when we take you to Harry's hamburgers, your favorite place to go eat. I love it when you say "Mom you are the best cook ever!" when I make your favorite meals and that is usually how I find out what your favorite meals are. I love holding you when you laugh and when you cry and I love making everything all right in your little world. I can't believe you are FIVE years old. I love you with all my heart.

We Don't Have A TV, I Am Serious!

2008-08-28T18:44:00.000-07:00

What are your thoughts about the TV? Have they changed any if you are a parent?

When we moved to Connecticut we had the intention of buying a new TV. We sold our old one to a friend so we could buy a new one after we moved.

My husband then decided that maybe we should try to see how long we could go without a TV. We live in the country and he thought maybe we would all benefit without a TV. We did not watch the Olympics, we checked a few articles online but did not miss a wink of sleep.

I never watched much TV growing up, my parents didn't watch much either so it is fine with me. I was shocked that my husband was okay with it, you know how men need their TV's! I was up to the challenge and now it's been almost FIVE months since we have had a TV. The neatest part is with the boys. I can tell a huge difference with them. Their attention spans and love for the outdoors are so much greater now that we don't own a TV. We did get a new laptop about a month ago and the boys can watch movies on it if they want to. Thank goodness or I would never have time to clean! We are going to try to make it until January without a TV and then we will need to reevaluate because the next season of 24 will be showing.
And we all know that if Jack is back, it changes everything!

Landon and Logan's First Fishing Tournament

2008-08-27T17:24:00.000-07:00

The boys had their first fishing tournament this summer. There were three trophy's for the little guys and somehow both of my boys ended up with one! Landon won a trophy for most fish caught and Logan won one for first fish caught! Landon could cast and reel the fish in by himself. Logan needed us to cast for him and then he would reel the fish in by himself. The video is of Landon catching a fish. It's pretty funny because we have to remind Landon to look around so he won't accidentally hook his brother. Then Logan gives him quite a scolding.

House Pictures!

2008-08-22T04:13:00.001-07:00

1.Our little white cottage on the lake! 2.Our front yard views the most beautiful field! In this picture deer came right up to our driveway. 3.Our view of the lake from our street. 4.This last picture is from our main beach at our lake!

Girl Fun!

2008-08-17T17:49:00.001-07:00

My mom came to visit me for a week while Dave went to Dallas to teach a class at DBU.
We had so much fun! The boys had VBS and they wanted to go a couple of days so we got to spend some of our time together shopping! We found so many great bargains!
My mom loved the cool weather. We had a few little rain showers and we had so much fun cuddling up and enjoying them with the boys. We were really sad to see her go home on Saturday but Landon had the hardest time! He loves his grandma! My dad sent a web cam so we are hoping to get it up and running so we can stay in touch until they come to visit again in October.

Cape Cod

2008-07-24T13:30:00.000-07:00

My husband's parents invited us on a trip to Cape Cod! It was our first time to go!

We collected some very cool rocks and shells.

We stayed in an adorable cape house. We went to three different beaches. The boys had a blast. Our favorite part was a homemade ice cream shop called Cape Cod Creamery. I loved the vanilla cinnamon ice cream but their blueberry ice cream was a huge hit with the boys!

Pirates at The Beach!

2008-07-03T19:27:00.000-07:00

We went to Long Beach Island for a week of fun and relaxation with the boys and their cousins! Dave had this great idea to have a pirate treasure hunt for all the kids. We got pirate party favors and candy and put them in a huge chest. Dave mapped out a plan and buried clues along the beach for the kids. Uncle Tom ran in to tell us that a pirate was sited out on the beach and the fun began! (My husband is in charge of planning Landon's next birthday party! He has some seriously creative party planning skills!)

"Hey Everyone, There Are Pirates Outside!"

Let's look for clues!

There's a clue here, Logan!

All the clues taped together made a huge key with a treasure map on the back!

We found the treasure! DIG! DIG!

Is There Treasure Inside?

"Wow the pirates knew each of our names and left everyone a bag of goodies!"

Pictures of The Boys!

2008-06-24T14:59:00.000-07:00

Soccer Practice!

This reminds me of when Dave's soccer players used to say "All for Him!" here where Logan is giving God the glory for his soccer skills!

The boys in our garden!

Hi From Connecticut

2008-06-17T21:08:00.000-07:00

We miss you in Texas! We made it to Connecticut! It's is really great to be here!
Dave is getting ready to start his phd in August. We went to register him last week. It was really exciting and I was so proud! His classes are fully funded and he will teach and coach to get free school. One of his classes is called Cadaver Anatomy, he has to dissect a cadaver to prepare it for the undergrads! He's excited about the class and I am very thankful that he is the one taking it and not me. I wouldn't be able to even walk through the door of that class. As Logan would say "EWE!"
I am doing great! I love living in the country and feel as though I was a misplaced city girl for my first 28 years. There's something about the beautiful quiet that makes it even easier to think about God.
Landon is so happy that he dances often. He loves living a 10th of a mile from our fishing cove and a half mile from our beach on our lake. He jumps off of a huge rock at the beach into a deep body of water and is as brave as other boys twice his age. (With a life jacket on.) He is in "boy heaven!"
Logan is doing great as well. He is saying all new words and is an intense fisherman. He has to reel the fish in all by himself. He still is as sweet as always and runs to give everyone hugs!

Saying Bye to DBU!

2008-05-02T17:37:00.000-07:00

A little history: Dave and I met at DBU! Dave was getting his masters and I was getting my undergrad. He waited until I was a junior and then asked the president if he could take me out to dinner. (Since he was a coach.) I said "YES!"

We dated briefly and got married in August 2001!

We multiplied and to stay with the Granniss tradition of 100 years and continuing, we were blessed with two BOYS!

The Granniss Family

Landon age 4 and Logan age 2. Landon likes baseball (from mom) and Logan likes soccer (from Dad of course). Landon can hit the ball over the fence with a daddy pitch (no tee!) and Logan already holds onto the soccer ball and dribbles. We have high dreams for the boys! :)

Brotherly Love!

Closing this chapter in our lives to say "BYE DBU and FRIENDS!"

Our Black Labs

2008-04-14T19:21:00.000-07:00

We love our black labs, Guinness and Annie.
My husband had Guinness before we got married. She's eight years old now. She used to sleep in his bed until I dethroned her after our honeymoon. Sorry Guinness!
We found out some sad new today. Guinness has cancer. I know Dave is pretty sad. I don't think we are going to tell the boys yet. We are going to give Guinness pain medication for now and see how she feels. Moving is already so emotional, today was a rough day. It really makes you just hold on to each other and be truly thankful for family and friends.
UPDATE: We just found out that Guinness does not have cancer! She was not healed, but she was misdiagnosed. So Praise the Lord!

God is Good!

2008-04-01T15:02:00.000-07:00

We are moving to Connecticut in approx. two months and this is the first time it has really "hit me" that we are moving. I think I have been emotional all day because of it.
We are amazed at all the things God is doing to get us ready to move.
We put our house on the market three weeks ago. The first person to sign up to see the house (besides all of our friends and neighbors who knocked on our door and wanted to see it) put an offer on our house! This is seriously a God thing! I am so excited but part of me is a little sad. It's the first time I have realized that we won't be here two months from now.
The past month has been very busy. Logan broke his collar bone and it has now almost healed. He was trying to get a balloon and he fell. I have been sleeping with him every night. He turns over on his bone and cries and I turn him back over. It breaks my heart! He has slept well the past few nights and he has shown huge signs that his bone is better. We get an x-ray next week to make sure it is completely healed. He's our little trooper!
Landon is in a very fun age. He is really good at paying UNO and he beats me at the game (almost every time) I don't even have to let him win! Landon also loves to help out around the house and he started a great trend. When his laundry basket gets full, he dumps it into the washer and gets me to help him put the detergent in the load. He is so cute. He loves to be a big helper!
We should know a move date pretty soon! Our rent house has a contract and closes in two weeks. Our house has an offer! Our house in Connecticut that we will live in closes at the end of April. I'll keep you posted!
We also had an exciting thing happen! We won the lottery!
We probably will just donate all of the money after we buy a house.
Oh wait we don't play the lottery... so I guess that I should now say "April Fools!"

Happy 2nd Birthday Logan!

2008-02-21T20:35:00.001-08:00

Today is Logan's second birthday! He is getting so big! He loves to pray before or in this case after he dug in to his meal.
He loves to be the comedian. He loves to make his big brother laugh!

He loves to clean and pick up after himself or his brother. (He gets that from my mom. Yes grandma, you!) He loves to cuddle. He loves to give kisses. He loves balloons, in fact we consider him to have OBD. Obsessive Balloon Disorder. For his birthday his favorite thing was A BALLOON. Forget the toys, there was a balloon at the house. We had a family party today instead of a big party this year. (Since we are selling our house and moving to Connecticut in June-ish.)
Happy 2nd Birthday Logan "Scooter" Granniss!
We love you!

Cast Off Pics!

2008-02-21T20:25:00.000-08:00

I got my cast off! I giggled because it really tickled!Ewe! This is the dirty part and I like to point out dirty things.
I walked sidways and I made it to the wall without a cast!
I have been wanting to look in here, ever since we got in this room! I think I'll make a silly face since you caught me.

Logan and Family News

2008-02-11T21:10:00.000-08:00

I taught Logan sign language and now he mostly chooses to sign to us instead of speaking. I knew he was going to be one of those children that one day just decided to up and speak for the fun of it. Well~ Today may have been that day! Logan who has only said about a dozen or so words in his life said his first sentence.
"MY DADDY!"
He just melted us!
Logan got his cast off! I have cute pics of him running around the doctors office sideways because it felt weird to him without the cast at first. He was so excited! Logan turns two this month!
We only made it eleven days without eating outside the home in January! I can't begin to tell you what an experience it was, it was hard at first. I think I had serious withdraw at day three, which kind of showed me how much of an abundance I or we have in America. I then broke my New Years Resolution because Carleigh and I were given our hubbies blessings to have a girls night and because Kathy Knight took me to lunch. There was no way I was confessing to either friend that I was going to need to miss those blessed events of rejuvenation without kids! I now love to cook though, especially baking! I have even been daydreaming about Williams Sonoma and all their fancy cooking gadgets! I am thinking I can get them with all the eat out money we are saving!
Some very exciting things are happening in our lives and you can read about them here and here on my bargain blog!

Four More Days Until...

2008-01-25T20:49:00.000-08:00

Logan gets his cast off! Logan, 23 months old, has a cast and he gets it off in 4 days! Praise the Lord!
Logan and I fell on the ice while we were visiting Dave's family in Connecticut. He ended up cracking a bone is his leg and has had a cast for four weeks. I have never really thought about what it would be like to have a toddler in a cast before now. Logan does not seem to be in pain and is doing well with the cast. He has learned to catapult off it and he goes where he wants to very fast!
I think one thing that was God is teaching me is to slow down.
Logan can walk on his cast but he can't take a bath (he does not care for his sponge baths) :) and he has a little trouble sleeping. The good side of a cast is that he needs more cuddles and love, which I have enjoyed giving him.

It only took me one time to realize that when a child in diapers has a cast, any poopy diapers must be changed instantly. Because waiting five minutes to change the diaper can lead a mom to invent a coat hanger/ wipey contraption to dig the poop out (yes, of his cast!).
I dearly hope you weren't eating while reading this!
So that my friends is why, you may hear me rejoicing on Tuesday morning at 10 am when Logan gets his cast off!

Looking Back for Fun!

2008-01-23T13:39:00.001-08:00

Carleigh and I got the kids together this morning. We decided to look at old pictures and threw this together.

Old Picture Details:
1) Carleigh and I dressed up in costumes for Sadie Hawkins. She is the girl from Austin Powers and I am a Barbie Cheerleader.
2)Carleigh and I are at a wedding.
3) Carleigh, myself, Kristi, Candace and Audrea are taking a break from playing Laser Tag.
4) Kasey, Carleigh and I at Texas Roadhouse (a long time ago) on my 21st birthday.
5) Audrea, Makiyo and Carleigh in their dorm room playing Nintendo.

Carleigh and I both joined 24 Hour Fitness and are using these pics to motivate us to work out more!

Our New Organic Smoothie Recipe

2008-01-14T13:12:00.000-08:00

Landon and I have created a Smoothie Recipe and I wanted to share!

1/2 a large container Plain Yogurt
1/2 of a container of Strawberries
2 Bananas
Organic Apple Juice (to make it naturally sweet)
Ice

Mix them all together in a mixer except for the ice (add ice and mix again).

Another version for a more ice cream feel
1/2 a large container of Plain Yogurt
1/3 a bag of frozen Strawberries (unsweetened)
1/8 a bag of frozen blueberries (unsweetened)
Organic Apple Juice
You don't need ice because the berries are frozen!
Mix together!
We found a Vita Mixer at an estate sale for $10 and ordered a new top for it for $10. Saving us around $170! We love our Vita Mixer!

I am Taking A NEW YEARS CHALLEGE!

2008-01-08T21:58:00.000-08:00

I am taking on a New Years Challenge to cook and eat at home for an entire month.
I've made it so far for three whole days! :) I have made Smoothies, Stew, Pasta and all kinds of dishes to keep me from wanting to spend money on food outside the house. I went grocery shopping last week and came home with the motherload of bargain groceries. My total was $175 and went down to $32 after coupons. I even got tons of Organic items.
Landon is starting to beg for a Sonic burrito so I am not sure if he is going to make it! I can get Sonic burritos with coupons for less than $1 so I hardly ever turn Landon down when he asks to go.
My deep question for the day is why is it so hard for me not to eat out? Let me explore that thought. Hubs grew up in the country and hardly ever ate out. I grew up in the city and ate out quite often. Well that explains it! I am spoiled to eating out.
Needless to say hubs is very excited about this challenge. I am up for it because I want to see how much money it will save us! I am even avoiding Starbucks (but I did buy those bottled Starbucks at the grocery store.) They'll have to do for $1.25 each!

Oh The Joys! Christmas with Two Little Boys!

2007-12-28T19:19:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! We had a great Christmas (part 2) at our home. My parents came up to have Christmas with us and we had a great time. Landon was very excited that we were celebrating baby Jesus' birthday. The boys both got Nurf guns for Christmas. Logan (my 22 month old) has a small one bullet gun and is really good at it, hanging right in there with big brother. I am no longer surprised when I hear laughing from behind a door and am shot with Landon's semi nurf gun. I also get the luxury of finding nurf bullets in my shoes and in random places all over the house. I am out numbered, three boys (two little, one big) to one! Landon loves to protect me with his nurf gun, especially when it is dark and he is scared. He says "Mom, it's dark, come right behind me and I'll protect you!" Pictures to come!

Sweet Prayers from A Four Year Old

2007-12-23T05:59:00.000-08:00

Landon's prayer at dinner last night was so precious, I must share.

"Dear God,
Thank you for our food, please help my brother Logan to feel better because he is sick, please help me to be nicer to him and to protect him, thank you for Mommy and Daddy, You are so Good God!" Amen

Oh The Snow! Our Trip To Connecticut!

2007-12-20T20:58:00.001-08:00

Landon and Lori with our new friends Nikki and Toby in the snow!
We had a blast!

Landon gets ready to throw a snowball!
Landon loved the snow. He went sledding about 4 times a day!

Logan and Toby sledding!

The girls- Lori, Sue and Sabrina!
We had Christmas Part 1 Early at Sabrina's house!
She cooked a Lamb with Dave's brother Dan.
It was fantastic!

Blessings Come In All Forms

2007-12-12T08:08:00.000-08:00

We got to see snow in Connecticut while visiting Dave's family! Pictures to come!
I have a sweet story that I wanted to share.
Dave and I took Logan (21 months old) to breakfast with us on a date while Landon was playing with his cousins.
A very young man came in to eat while we were there and he smiled a Logan a bunch. When it was time to leave I went to the cashier and she said she was very sorry but they only took cash. I got directions to an ATM to get some cash. The young man came up and said I overheard your situation and I want to pay for your breakfast. He went on to say" You have really blessed me this morning. My wife and I have an 18 month old and are going through a lot right now in our marriage. I saw you pray before you ate and how you were with your son and it blessed me so much that I would love to pay for your meal in return."
I was so thankful for his kind words and giving heart that I was almost in tears. It is such a rare thing that a stranger would be so kind.

Thanksgiving in Houston!

2007-11-24T18:42:00.001-08:00

We had a great time in Houston with my parents for Thanksgiving!
Dave and Duke (my dad) took Landon on his first big fishing trip. He came back and said he caught one hundred fish and the biggest was one hundred inches long. (Landon's new concept right now is the number one hundred.) The fish size is already exaggerated at an early age! In reality, Landon caught a trout that was 14 inches!
They fished on a HUGE dock in LA.

Here are the fish they brought home! Dave made homemade fish sticks with the trout and they were AWESOME!

Logan, my mom and I were able to do some serious Christmas shopping while they were away! It was great!
Here is a sneak peak of what is on Landon's wish list this year! I love Christmas shopping!

God is Love

2007-11-06T20:01:00.000-08:00

24

2007-11-03T16:12:00.000-07:00

Hannah has brought something very important to my attention, if you have not seen the trailer for the show 24, you have to check it out!
There are two shocking twists! Let me know what you think!
This is really the only show I watch faithfully and I can't wait to see it in January!

You have one last chance to sign up for my Bargain Contest to win a Starbucks gift card or some relaxing Bath and Body Works my friends!

It's A Great Day!

2007-11-01T19:51:00.000-07:00

Today has been a beautiful day in Granniss Land!
Looking back on this week, My son got the 12 hour bug last weekend and and ear infection at the same time. So a trip to the doctor was necessary and a lot of cuddling was called for. I am at a point in my mommyhood that when one of my babies gets an ear infection, everything stops. There will be no cooking (darn!) anything I can say no to is cancelled, etc. So now after five days of cuddling (and not much sleeping) my baby is feeling better!
We ventured out of the house to find that our local car wash was offering a free car wash today as a promotion. I may have gone a little overboard saying "Bless you" and "Thank you" to the young man who was wiping down my car at the end, but they blessed me with a clean car! Now, when you have two or more children under the age of 5, your car can turn into a toy box at any time, cracker crumbs may find their way on the floor mats and it can get pretty gross. So this car wash lifted a huge burden off my shoulders. Had I know I would have paid the $10.99 much sooner, but since I am cursed as a bargain shopper, free worked just fine!
While we were waiting, my sons had a grand (not to mention educational) field trip watching the equipment clean our car. I also had an Enjoy The City Merchant packet and spoke to the manager who decided to put a coupon in our coupon book.
To sum it up, in 20 minutes, I got a free car wash, my kids were happy, I earned a signing bonus from my company. And best of all, my baby Logan is feeling so much better!

Arnold Terminates the Media!

2007-10-27T05:52:00.000-07:00

Please pray for the families who have lost their homes in the California wildfires.
Here is a video of Governor Arnold telling a reporter that the families are doing okay.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y838vto6los
It seems like the media won't listen when everyone is working together, they only want to exploit the bad news. This video is a prime example,
Arnold holds her hand and says "You are looking for a mistake and you are not going to find one!"

Famous People Running By!

2007-10-26T14:20:00.000-07:00

It's fun when you run into someone famous, but it's rare that someone famous would run into you!
Have you ever seen the show Gilmore Girls? I grew up down the street from the young Gilmore girl Alexis Bledel, known as Rory on the tv show. Her parents still live down the street from my parents in Houston. My mom was working in the front yard a few days ago when a young girl almost ran into her. My mom said, " Sorry I'm in your way!" She said "No don't worry about it!" My mom kind of went "What? I know that voice!"Alexis Bledel ran by and my mom said "Hey, I know you!" Alexis smiled. It's not everyday that someone famous runs into you! God finds creative ways to keep our lives exciting!

I've Been Decluttered!

2007-10-14T20:13:00.000-07:00

I've been Decluttered! Go to my bargain blog to find out the details!
www.bargainshopperlady.com .
You can also read about our free meal at Boston Market! God is good!
We have been taking a Crown Financial Class this semester and it is amazing. If you go on their web site, you can find one near you. It will change your life! I have learned so much!

Lights, Camera, Rockets!

2007-10-08T15:16:00.000-07:00

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Notice that Landon soaks Logan and then Logan gets his brother back! Oh the brotherly love!

A Tribute to Craig Biggio

2007-10-04T06:04:00.001-07:00

Craig Biggio at 3000 hits!

Craig Biggio has retired! If you grew up in Houston loving the Stros, this may be an emotional time for you. As a little girl, I basically thought the world of Craig Biggio.

At age 10, I traded a very expensive Ken Griffy Jr. rookie card for a set of Craig Biggio rookies. The result? I now have a great set of Craig Biggio cards to pass down to Landon. It seems weird that Landon will never get to remember Craig Biggio like we did.

I'll never forget the day my friend Summer got great seats to an Astros game right behind home plate. When we found our seats we realized that we were sitting right in front of Craig Biggio's wife! She was so nice and told us many stories about her husband. She told us to go to a special spot after the game where the players drive out of the stadium. She said if we waved at her she would get Craig to stop and autograph our rookie cards. We went there and waved like crazy when he drove out, but his wife did not see us and he looked at us like we were insane. Oh the fun times!
Dave has now turned me into a huge Yankee fan, (why they traded Bubba Crosby, I'll never know) but it has helped ease the pain of the fact that Craig Biggio is retiring from the Astros. Check out Courtney's blog for highlights of Biggio's last game in Houston!
Who are the Killer B's without the lead stinger? They are a great memory!

My Big Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies!

2007-10-01T20:23:00.000-07:00

Sunni got me into The Food Network by making her amazing brisket. It's better than a Texas Bar-B-Q restaurant ya'll (the word ya'll is used from reading Boo Moma and Baby Bang's blog too much)!
You would not believe what a boost of confidence this meal gave me. It was the best meal we have eaten with a family of four! Both my kids scarfed down two servings. This is huge since it was not pizza or spaghetti!
I wanted to make cookies tonight so I thought, I will search my new found recipe love, The Food Network web page (and we don't have cable so I wouldn't know what the real show is like). I found a recipe for My Big Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies!!! Doesn't that sound divine? Are they called that because you are supposed to make them big (the cookies?) or because they make us big ( our behinds?). I made them and I made them HUGE! Needless to say, they were a big fat hit in our household!
When you make cookies you have to use my secret ingredient for cookies which I am now going to share -Mexican Vanilla, which you can find at Cost Plus World Market. Mexican Vanilla has bourbon in it~ need I say more?
My husband had a Big Fat Shore House Christmas one year while we were at LBI in a beach house with 50 of his relatives. Dave ordered us all matching shirts that said "My Big Fat Shore House Christmas!" His family is big into humor and food so I told him that I just have to make My Big Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies next Christmas in if we go to LBI!

Here is Logan enjoying his Big Fat Chocolate Chip Cookie!

This is the biggest cookie I've ever seen!

Oh yeah!
My Mommy Loves Me!
So good!

More Boy Fun with Our Kayak!

2007-09-27T08:41:00.000-07:00

I made my mom's famous lasagna last night! It was so good. I can't wait to have it again tonight mainly because I don't have to cook! I'll post the recipe sometime but I usually just wing it and call my mom about a dozen times for tips! It's so fun to call my mom for help with cooking!

The boys love to go to Cedar Hill State Park. We are so glad to have it 5 minutes away from our house! We usually go as a family but sometimes Dave blesses me with an hour to myself and takes the boys! Here is our most recent family trip.

Dave's big find on Craigslist, a cool kayak!

Does anyone else edit their posts 6 times? I always want to change something.

Landon is FOUR!

2007-09-22T21:03:00.000-07:00

Our precious Landon turned four today. He was so excited! This was by far the best day to see him have a birthday. He really knew what this day meant! We had 5 little 3-4 year old boys over to swim and Audrey, his one girl friend that he had to have over for his birthday. I can't believe Landon is 4. He is so smart like his dad. I love how when he plays sometimes he will sing "Oh, how I love Jesus." It is his favorite song. He likes to play his guitar and have me sing and Logan clap. He has the sweetest most sensitive spirit. He gets upset if he hurts someones feelings. My love for him grows more each day and I had no idea it could get bigger than the day we brought him home from the hospital on September 22nd 2003.

Landon's Swim Party

Landon's Birthday cake. I decorated it with frogs and bugs to match the theme.

Singing to Landon at Wycliffe!

Snakes Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

2007-09-20T13:48:00.000-07:00

You'll never guess what we saw outside by the street this morning!
A Snake! Thankfully run over by a car and not alive.

Then on our walk around the block Dave yelled "Strawberry! I mean Spider!" I heard the tone in his voice on the word Strawberry and jumped a mile high barely missing the huge black tarantula!

Later in our bathroom we found a gecko. All three bugs thrilled all three boys in our household! I was not so excited!

Happy Birthday Lori!

2007-09-15T10:05:00.000-07:00

hey guys, its carleigh here.

just wanted to write a quick blurb about my good friend lori. lori and i met at DBU when she moved onto my hall as a freshman (i was her r.a.). it was one of those instances where i knew immediately that i liked her and that we would be friends. we hung out a lot, and became friends quickly. she is one of the few people that i still keep up with, and still bears the title of best friend. she is very loyal and kind, and has taught me a lot about what it means to be a true friend. even when i moved away to mcallen, she still made it a priority to call and email, and keep our relationship moving. now that i'm back, she offers to take the kids, and helps out in lots of ways. and she is teaching me some of her handy dandy money saving tips. so, in honor of her birthday (i think she is 28, but it may be 27. oops, maybe i'm not as good of a friend back!), please leave a message and let lori know how much you love her, and what a good friend she is!!
i wish that i could put a picture of us together during our college days, but i don't have a scanner- lori, if you have one, you could post one!! thanks!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LORI!! I LOVE YOU!!

love, carleigh

Hush Little Baby... or Boy!

2007-09-14T05:14:00.001-07:00

I got a great pic of Landon sleeping that I had to share! This was right before he buzzed off his bangs with daddy! Isn't it great to watch your children sleep? You get this sense of accomplishment. I know I was thinking, I put my child to sleep now I can conquer the world or just get a few minutes of peace and quiet!
I have cut out Dr.Pepper in my diet. I have gone four days without one! I have had a little tea but mainly bottled water with Crystal light pouches poured into it. Seriously I think I have had more energy to chase the kids around! It's been great!

Daddy's In Charge for the day!

2007-09-10T14:00:00.000-07:00

When daddy watches the kids, I have a rule and it is "what happens with daddy stays with daddy." Meaning that I am so thankful that my sweet hubby will watch the kids for me that I don't ask what went on. I figured that if I get onto Dave about something he might not offer to watch the kids again for a long time (or something to that effect). So I just say thanks so much sweetie and I'll take over from here.
Well sometimes the facts of what happens while mommy is gone is revealed. Especially if big brother Landon was left in the back seat of the truck with the hair clippers!
I wish I had taken a pic but I did not.
Here's the story. My dad and husband were taking the kids out to play at Houston's First Baptist in the play area. My dad needed to fix the battery in his hair clippers so he took a detour by his work. My dad makes battery packs, isn't his job cool? He fixed the battery and threw it in the back seat with the boys. On the way to church Landon got a hold of it and thought it would be cool to bug a patch out of his BANGS! Not the back or the side but is beautiful blond bangs! My mom and I went on an early birthday shopping trip and when we returned we saw the missing PATCH!
I had to take Landon in to Cool Cuts to get it "mended" and they ended up having to give him an army buzz to make it look good. So the moral of the story is that sometimes, what happens with daddy is found out and laughed about in good humor!

What's Going On This Week!

2007-09-06T21:15:00.001-07:00

My husband has an insane soccer schedule and he leaves the house at 6:30 am and gets home at 7:30 or 8:00pm. It is really hard but God is getting us through it and surprising us with blessings and His super amazing love.

One blessing he has given us is a family down the street with two babysitting age girls! One is 12 and one is 8. The 8 year old has really helped us out this week. She has played with Landon and Logan while I cleaned the kitchen and cooked dinner twice! It's really hard to get motivated to cook when your husband is not home to eat with you! I really just want to go to Chick-Fil-A every night. (Especially because the local Cedar Hill magazine has a coupon for a free Chicken sandwich. Did I mention I picked up three magazines? The sandwiches are so good!)

I am beginning to realize that God has placed us in a wonderful neighborhood. We are less than a mile away from Wycliffe Bible Translators. Recently I have met two different neighbors that work for them. One of the neighbors has chickens and I get to take the boys down for a field trip to pick eggs. The boys are so excited to see the chickens and the eggs are so fresh! Better than organic, in my opinion!

I changed The Bargain Shopper Lady web site into a blog form. I went to this great group this week called The Joy Of Connecting to get some fundraising ideas for Enjoy The City. One of the ladies thought it would be a good idea for sharing bargains. Louise had the coolest product called Barefoot Sandals. You have to check them out, they are featured on The Bargain Shopper Lady!

Tomorrow is the first MOPS meeting for our area and it is going to be too much fun!

We are taking the kids on a trip to Houston this weekend so my mom and I can go to a special baby shower!

Check out Carleigh's blog to see updates on her son who we call Hurricane McClure. (He's going to play football, I am sure of it.) Also her sister is going to be on The Family Feud next week so make sure to watch starting at noon!

What I Got Free at CVS today!

2007-09-01T19:03:00.001-07:00

Landon posing with the loot!

Coupons Rock! Check this out~ My total was $90. I spent $15 and got $9 in Extrabucks. The register was also supposed to give me $15 in Extrabucks as well, so the manager just gave me $15 cash. So I got my $15 back! WHO HOO! I have been eyeing this Igloo cooler for a long time! It will be great for cookouts with friends!

Poop! God's Humility for Moms?

2007-08-31T13:10:00.000-07:00

If you have a toddler I am sure you are very familiar with this word- POOP!
What is it with poop? Did God design it to humble moms? If so, it's working!
We are keeping the Wycliffe Bible Translators Ginnie pig over the long weekend. They boys are thrilled. I am not so thrilled but I am glad that we get to have him for four days and then take him back to his home.
Logan just came up to me with something in his hand so I reached my hand out to him and guess what he blessed me with? Ginnie Pig Poop! I have no idea how he ended up with it. I am very humbled at this stage in mommy hood. Between this and potty training, I am very thankful for hand sanitizer!

Bowling with The Boys!

2007-08-30T18:46:00.000-07:00

Landon likes to bowl, which is exciting because I actually LOVE bowling. One thing my dad always taught me growing up was to let the guy win (if on a date.) As hard as that was, I usually let my date win, with two exceptions, arcade basketball and bowling. Dave refuses to play with me anymore because I am such a competitive bowler. Sorry dad! It's so much like softball pitching. I know the minute it leaves my hand if it is a strike or not. It is so much fun teaching Landon how to bowl!

He did really awesome. In his fourth game ever, he scored a 74! I am so proud of him!

Isn't he adorable? Logan sat and watched and clapped for him, which melted me. Moms night out with the Early Childhood PTA is bowling and I can't wait! I can tell you this, I won't be going to chat! :)

What I Got Free At Walgreens Tonight!

2007-08-28T22:41:00.001-07:00

It took a little while, but my dh (husband) is proud of me for all the finer free things I get him in life! (He loves ice cream!) Here is what I got tonight at Walgreens. It took a $5 investment for the initial purchase.
4 containers of Dryers Chocolate Ice Cream
A Congratulations Balloon for Dave's 100th win! Go Patriots!
10 Dora and Sponge Bob bubble toys and candy for party favors in the near future.
A few pinwheels and toys to keep Logan happy on the trip.
Diego domino's for Landon. (Honestly I can't wait to play these with him, they look COOL!)
A $10 Walgreen's gift card for the next visit.
And lastly 8 bottles of blond hair coloring which are the items that I had to buy to get all the other items for free.
A huge rule in bargain shopping is that sometimes you have to buy the an item you might not really need to get the items you want for free.
They just fixed this deal (Wednesday so it is no longer working!)

Landon Vacuumed by himself. He is a LITTLE MAN!

2007-08-26T20:49:00.000-07:00

My three year old is already showing signs of being mature and I am now okay with the fact that he is turning four next month. Let me tell you what you have to look forward to in the future if you are a mom with a tiny one!

Landon is obsessed with Dave's shop vac. Last week he went into the garage, and without any prompting, got it out, took all the cushions off the couch, vacuumed it out completely, put the cushions back perfectly and put the shop vac back in the garage. He said "Mommy I vacuumed out the couch for you!" It really touched my heart! I praised him all day and told everyone we ran into about the great thing he had done. It was amazing!

So then I realized that he is old enough to help out around the house. WOW!

With Dave's busy schedule, I took advantage of this immediately! I flashed 4 quarters in front of him and asked him if he wanted to earn them. He said "Yes, for my piggy bank please!" So I sat on his bed and told him what he could do to clean his room. He cleaned the whole thing and wanted to vacuum with the shop vac agian, so he vacuumed it out as well!
I am seriously falling so much more in mommy love with him than I realized that I could. He says the cutest things and will randomly say "I love you Mommy!" It melts me to pieces.

I love you Landon David Granniss and I am so blessed that you are growing into a LITTLE MAN!

Pictures from the Splash Factory

Sign My Guestbook!

2007-08-24T11:17:00.001-07:00

Amanda had a great idea on her blog so I thought I would try it out too! It is neat to see where everyone lives!

Have you always wanted to meet Barbie?

2007-08-24T06:53:00.000-07:00

Does anyone have a little girl I can borrow? :)
You can meet her now- for free! http://barbie.digitaltix.net/
Hurry, Dallas will sell out fast!

Mommy of The Month

2007-08-23T05:56:00.000-07:00

My newspaper has come up with this great idea for Cedar Hill and Duncanville area moms. They have created an award for Mommy of the Month! Whoever they pick gets a family picture in the paper and an article about them. And $1000. Okay well maybe not $1000, I was getting carried away.
Well guess what? God continues to bless us. The paper chose me as Mommy of the Month for the first article, which came out today! As I continue the hardest and best season of my life, God continues to give me the encouragement I need. I feel blessed beyond belief for the article!
I hope that He will encourage you this week as well. Whether it is through a sunset, the precious words of a child or a helpful friend, there are so many ways that God encourages us as moms and gives us our own special Mom Hug!

Landon just said something to me that will keep me laughing all day. He grunted and said "mom the toilet is out of power." Holding up a plunger "I think I'll need to use this!" He saw Dave use one a few weeks ago and has been planning how he was going to try it out.

If there are any words of wisdom I could share with moms right now it would be this, if anyone ever offers to come over and clean your kitchen, push aside your pride an let them do it. Meaning say "Okay" immediately! I say this because in the past I have repeatedly turned down this act of kindness when a friend has offered. This time I didn't say no. God sent two of my servant friends with hearts of gold Tracy and Karri to clean my kitchen twice in the past month. With Dave's new schedule God new my breaking point and sent in the reinforcements. Thank you Lord for providing for my needs.

Logan is One and a Half today!

2007-08-21T21:04:00.000-07:00

My baby is one and a half today, and it is pretty emotional for me since this is most likely our last child. I have to say I have tried my best to keep Logan my baby and not let him grow up. Logan waited a long time to walk and I am so thankful that I got to hold on for a few extra months. Now that he is up and running, he has a path of his own!
Here is a list of things I love about our baby Logan.

1. He is an excellent communicator. He tells me when he wants me to sing to him by humming. He tells me that he is hungry through sign language. He tells me when he want something by signing please. He goes and crawls into the guest bed when he is tired, to tell me that he is sleepy. He also brings us the remote when he wants to watch TV. (Man trait!)

2. He loves his family. He doesn't like to be left alone without me or Dave at first. He loves to cuddle with me in the guest bed and wrestle with Dave on our bed.

3. He loves to do anything his big brother does. He now loves to go swimming with us and just learned how to blow bubbles in the pool.

4. He loves learning. He knows where his nose is and giggles when we work on other facial parts but everything is a "nose" to him so far. He also loves his belly button.

5. He loves being outdoors. He has to be out doors right away after he eats breakfast in the morning. He could play outside all day, nap and then head back out again. He loves laying on our labs and cuddling with them outside.

6. He is so silly, funny and smiles a lot. Here is a pic of his cute silly smile pose!

Landon's First Lunch Box!

2007-08-20T07:43:00.000-07:00

Watch out ladies!

We LOVE Bargains!

2007-08-19T21:09:00.000-07:00

My Newest Bargains for the Boys!

Landon's new Nurf "Rocket Gun" $2.98 with a coupon. (Did I mention that he sleeps with it?)

I found matching outfits for the boys at Target for 74 cents a piece.
We went to Angela Sacco's wedding reception at DBU while daddy had a soccer game. I had a sitter for the boys upstairs in the game room but I had to bring them down when I saw that there was a chocolate fountain! Landon loved it and they both had chocolate on their shirts. Here is a pic in front of the DBU fountains.

Would you Bento?

2007-08-15T20:00:00.000-07:00

Did you know that making Bento lunches is the newest craze with Dallas moms and their kids? It originates from the Japanese Bento box.
Moms make Bento lunches so that their kids will eat a healthier array of foods like fruits and vegetables. They make them so fun that kids can not resist and therefore might eat something healthy since it looks so cool.
Here is the article that my friend Shannon is the star of, it was in the Headlines of Wednesday's Dallas Morning News:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/taste/shopping/stories/DN-nf_bento_0815liv.State.Edition1.b1d12c.html

She even has her own bento blog. http://www.bentolunch.blogspot.com/ .
If you can't tell she really likes to Bento- hello Rachael Ray, this would make a great show!
I can actually see myself getting into this some day when the boys go to school, except they won't be getting cute flowers and butterflies. They will get the coolest pirate and bug themes I can think of. I can already envision what I would do with gummy worms as the dessert. Yummy!

Boy Adventures

2007-08-14T19:34:00.000-07:00

Landon went to see my mom for a few days while Dave was out of town with the soccer team. He had a great time at Camp Grandma!

He was exhausted when he returned! :)
Here are a few pics of him playing baseball in our backyard.

HOMERUN!

Go Landon Go on the Diego Zip Line!
Our backyard continues to serve it's purpose as a haven for boys!
I can't believe Landon will turn four in September! He dressed himself in this picture. Can you tell? I was so proud of him that I couldn't make him change his long sleeves and camo shorts!

Starbucks Coupon!

2007-08-06T05:04:00.000-07:00

(They changed the website and took the coupon off! So go to my web page and click on Target coupons!)
www.bargainshopperlady.com

Thanks Kelley for calling me right away. It is a great coupon!
I may use it almost daily.
You can use it at any Target with a Starbucks located inside the store.

Six Years of Love!

2007-08-04T20:44:00.000-07:00

Today Dave and I have been married 6 years!
We scored a babysitter and went out on a date to the new Arlington Highlands shopping center. I was wanting to go to Hoffbrau ever since they opened last month. They are just as good as the one downtown.
I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband who loves God and our family. I wanted to share something special that Dave does for me that my friend Meredith pointed out a few days ago that Dave should get "major points" for his sweet tradition. Whenever we attend a wedding, during the vows, Dave takes my rings off and puts them on my fingers again.
It's the little things that make marriage so special!
I love you Dave!

Love,
Lori

Then Now

Family News

2007-07-30T12:50:00.000-07:00

We stopped by the airport to meet up with Dave's parents on a layover! It was so neat to see them for a few hours! The boys had a blast!

Mom Mom and Landon

Logan likes to be the comedian and balance things in between his toes. Here he is balancing a pen.

" Do you want to try it too?"

We went to see my friend Sybil who moved to the country. Here is a picture of Landon and his friend Sariose trying out her new tire swing.

The Bargain Shopper Lady

2007-07-26T04:36:00.000-07:00

I am excited to write that God has blessed me beyond belief and I had the privilege of writing a bargain and saving money column in our local Today Newspaper. It came out today! If the column gets great reviews, it will actually turn into a pretty permanent thing. This is what the editor wrote " Let us know what you think of these deals, and we'll see if Granniss will send you more!" YEAH!
This is one of those "dream jobs" for me. One that takes almost no effort and I can rattle off a column on my computer during a nap period while the boys are sleeping. The paper also posted a link to my website, http://www.bargainshopperlady.com/ were people can come and very soon take an online coupon class that I wrote.
There is something about helping another person save money. It blesses my heart. Most bargain shoppers are like this. We shop at the grocery store and we know we are going to take a little (okay a lot) of extra time checking out while the cashier scans our coupons. We always want to share the experience of the total price going down with others. So we check the basket of the lady in front and back of us. Then we calculate and pull out coupons to give them. Why? Well, we feel bad about how long it is going to take us, but mainly we want to share the thrill of saving money. Quick tip, did you know when you use a $1 coupon, you usually save anywhere from $1.35-$1.50! Why? Well you weren't taxed. You were not taxed on your salary by the government and you weren't taxed on your grocery bill. So if I saved $50 on my grocery bill say out of $100, I actually saved around $75. I do need a few more moms to take a test online coupon class that I am trying out. It is free and I would like feedback on the material to see if you understood it.
So now to sign off with my new signature!
Every penny counts with the Bargain Shopper Lady!
Blessings,
Lori

5 Things I Dig About Jesus!

2007-07-23T12:31:00.000-07:00

This is my first time to be tagged! I got tagged from Maia and Lauren!
Between typing up mystery shop reports, playing with two boys who are full of energy, and writing an article for my new job (which I will spill the beans about on Thursday when the time is right) I finally finished!
Here are the rules:

1. those tagged will share 5 things they dig about Jesus…

2. those tagged will tag 5 other bloggers…

3. those tagged will post a comment here with their name and a link to their “dig” Jesus list…

5 Things I Dig About Jesus:

I went ahead and deleted these because I kinda felt like they were private thoughts. Sorry if you didn't get to read them!!

Our Baby Logan Made The Newspaper!

2007-07-19T09:37:00.000-07:00

My friend Angel from the Today Newspaper emailed me yesterday and told me to make sure to get a paper today. It turns out Logan made the first page! So that's what it feels like to be a proud mama!

Loving Your Neighbor Award

2007-07-17T13:38:00.000-07:00

When I was in 5th grade a friend of mine always had HUGE parties. Everyone always wanted to be invited to her great parties. She had valentine's day parties, birthday parties, the works.
Well one year at a Halloween party a boy dressed as a gorilla threw grapes at me. I was not about to let him get away with it, so I pelted them right back at him. The only problem was that the only thing that everyone saw was me throwing grapes. So I was labeled the "grape thrower" and in turn, I was not invited to the next party.
I sat at home the evening of the big end of the year party that my friend had, crying wondering why my friend no longer liked me, or at least that is what I thought. Everyone that I knew was at her party (including my 5th grade crush). I learned the pain of what it felt like to be left out. I asked God why this had happened to me. He held me close and told me to learn from this by making sure I do my best to include others. My dad ended up taking me out on date to The Red Lobster and we had a great evening. (My Heavenly Father and my earthy father sure know how to mend a girls heart!)

Looking back, I am so glad that I was uninvited. I made a vow on that day that I would go out of my way to always try to make everyone feel welcome. I'm sure there are people that I have overlooked or left out at times, but I learn to love my neighbor more as I experience life. I thank God for teaching me that lesson. I have found that I can always find a real friend in a shy face or a hurt heart that was maybe not as outgoing. Since that day, I would still have random dreams about missing that party. Each one a reminder of the lesson God taught me.

Have you done your best to include others in your life? Do you go out of your way to hug a new face? You never know, you could actually save a person from a godless life. They might take your welcoming gesture and want to know what it is you have that is so special.
I pray that God will guide you to love on someone new this week!

I wanted to thank the Irving Bunco Girls for Loving Their Neighbor and inviting me to play Bunco with them on Monday night. Amanda did a great job hosting and it was really nice of her to invite me even if that meant they might have had too many players. As it turned out, God saw that we had exactly 12, which was perfect. I am giving Amanda, Sunni, Janelle and the 8 other girls the LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AWARD.

Blessings,
Lori

Looking Back at Bluebonnets

2007-07-12T20:28:00.000-07:00

There were a few pictures that I wanted to go back and post from before I started this blog last month. Bluebonnets with Daddy and the Boys!

Hang on Boys!
Matching Shirts, $5 Crocs, $17
Two brothers in bluebonnets, PRICELESS!

The Splash Factory

2007-07-11T11:46:00.000-07:00

Our playgroup to the SPLASH FACTORY!

The boys had a blast. Logan squeeled for the first 10 minutes, he was SO excited to play there!

Landon getting "dumped" on!

Landon shooting the water gun!

Landon has been here before, but this was Logan's first time.

Gig' em!

2007-07-06T18:21:00.000-07:00

Here is Logan's 16 month picture!

It is scanned so look closely.

If you look at his right hand, he is giving a Gig' em Aggies!

We did not prep him, we think he is trying to tell us he wants to be an Aggie someday.

So in honor of the fact that I painted my room (Lori) maroon and white during my childhood and I loved the Aggies, we dedicate this picture to all the Aggies !

I remember the day that I knew God called me to go to college at DBU (to eventually meet my husband!)

It was a bitter sweet moment. My dad almost cried when I told him, he was so happy I chose a private Christian school and so sad that he would not be going to any Aggie football games.

So in memory of all the childhood bonfires we attended, the games we got to go to and the Breakaway Road Trips,

Gig 'em Aggies from baby Logan!

A Little Info About Us

2007-07-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

I thought you might want to know a little more about us!

David:
Dad and Husband
Fisherman
Great cook!
Very handy around the house - carpenter type guy
soccer coach
Can wake up, get dressed and ready in 0.8 seconds (I love this!)
Loves dogs, especially our black labs
Built a solid wood canoe with his two bear hands.
Reads books to the boys every night before bed!
Has a fitness center at work and gets to work out most days!
Loves to read
Serves us daily, even when he is tired.
Loves Swiss Army Knives and has quite a collection.
Loves to make his own knives in his shop.
Has a garden and a composter.
Will immediately change Logan's poopy diaper if I give him this "Please help me sweetie look."
Loves Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Loves the beach!

Lori:
Mom and wife
Likes to fish!
Loves her boys - David, Landon and Logan
Loves to take hot baths
Loves a great bargain and saves over 60% on our grocery bill!
Former math teacher
Wakes up at 6 am to clean (7am on weekends)
Enjoys using the computer when she gets done cleaning in the morning.
Works at home for a coupon fundraising company
Coupon Queen, gets tons of stuff for free
Loves taking family vacations to Connecticut
Favorite store is Coldwater Creek, especially when the outlet has their $70 shirts for $1.99
Loves Dr. Pepper
Works 24-7 as MOM and has the best JOB in the WORLD!

Landon: age 3
Big Brother
Loves Swimming
Loves Playing baseball in our backyard.
Enjoys anything related to being outside.
Has a Diego zip line that daddy built and a Diego bike.
Loves Dogs.
Seeks out bugs - has a Caterpillar collection.
Usually takes a noon bath. Mommy throws me in to get all the mud off.
Loves his Grandma and Duke and his Mom Mom and Pop Pop.
Loves Sonic.

Logan: age 1
Little Brother
Class clown, loves making everyone laugh.
Enjoys cuddling and hugging.
Loves ham and cheese.
Enjoys being outside.
Will attempt to do anything that my big brother does at any time.
Crawled up a huge playground slide and slid down head first singing "WEEEE!"
Takes a noon bath with big brother.
Nickname "Scooter"

Our little baseball STAR!

2007-07-01T20:35:00.001-07:00

My son LOVES baseball! He played a little tee-ball this year. He played in only one FABULOUS game where he got a huge hit and it felt like we won the lottery, we screamed so loud for him!

At home Landon is the Babe Ruth of the house. He practices baseball for hours. He won't hit off the tee anymore, he wants us to pitch it to him. He hits them over the fence in our pool and all over. I am so proud of his ability! He begs me not to go in and cook dinner because he wants to keep playing, or maybe he does't like my cooking, I'm not sure. :) Today he hit about 10 buckets of balls and then we would retrieve them all and start over again. So I may be a little over the top when I say that one day when you go to the store you just might find a Landon Granniss candy bar. And we are still debating if he should play for the Yankees or the Stros.

With love,
Lori

Rich Mullins

2007-06-30T04:52:00.000-07:00

We pulled out an old CD of Dave's when we got back from our vacation and we can't stop listening to it. It's called 20 The Countdown Magazine remembers Rich Mullins. If you don't have it, I am sorry to tell you that it's out of print, but I might be willing to burn a copy for you. It is the BEST cd we own! It has interviews of Rich Mullins along with his songs meshed together. Every time I listen to it, I am taught something brand new. It is so full of WISDOM that I can listen to it for hours and still keep learning.

Dave felt led to burn Steve from Crossroads a copy which I thought was really sweet because guys don't really do that kind of stuff too often!

Here is a really great quote off of the cd "Those people who did the greatest things for God weren't people who were trying to do anything at all, they were just simply being obedient." Rich Mullins

Our Summer Beach Adventure

2007-06-23T19:19:00.001-07:00

Dave and his brother Danny on Long Beach Island

I have to say that our beach trip this year to Long Beach Island, NJ was extra special. The boys are having so much fun with their cousins. Dave went on a crab trap adventure! He bought a how to make a crab trap book, went to the Home Depot, spend way more than what a new crab trap would have cost , lol, and bought the material to make his own. He handmade his trap and off we went. We kayaked all over the bay to find the best spot and finally found it. Three days later, we had 16 crabs! Dave and his brother were our heroes! To top it off, Dave is a great cooks and he and his brother made dinner with their catch, yummy crab cakes. They were great! My husband did a wonderful job of conquering the crabs. It was a fun adventure!

Logan loved the sand and Landon got hit by huge waves and came up laughing like he hoped one would just knock him out. Only one wave scared him a little. I was a little worried, but we had about 4 people plus lifeguards watching. The boys loved the beach!

The Granniss Family

2007-06-23T11:40:00.000-07:00

This is our first actual blog. My husband David and I are very blessed to have two healthy and happy boys. Landon is 3 and Logan is 1. We hope to share fun and inspirational stories of how these little men have blessed our lives.