Welcome to my favorite week in the Waterstraut household: tax return week! I know, I know, money can't buy happiness. But, it is super fun to replace some things in dire need of replacement. (Like my couch that had been leaking stuffing all my house for the last six months, and our TV in our bedroom that had been getting more and more blurry, to the point where it was getting hard to watch).
Tuesday we didn't quite have the tax return (it came in Wednesday), but we knew it was on it's way. So, we headed out to start on our list. Now, we know we can't just spend the tax return all willy-nilly, so we spend weeks perfecting a list of things we HAVE to do (renewing the tags on the car, paying any bills, ect.), things we really do NEED to get (a new couch, and tv), things that will save us money in the long run (we ordered roku's for the boys rooms, and we're getting rid of almost all the DVR's in the house, cutting our cable bill by at least $50 a month, plus working on our garden), and things we'd like (a new camera, some new bedding, that sort of thing)
The boys stayed at home to work on school work, and Asa and I went out and about. Tuesday was our Florida anniversary (we've been here 8 years, can you believe it?) , so we celebrated with lunch at a very southern place- Lee Roy Selemons. Best corn bread casserole, ever.
We got some awesome deals at Target. Including a new TV (and bedding-- all for the price we were expecting to pay for the TV, yay for sales!), and loaded up on plants and mulch at Home Depot. We also had a whole foods coupon, so we stopped by and got some buffalo dogs (yup, buffalo), steaks, ground bison and cheese. Good thing the boys didn't come with us, there wouldn't have been any room. (But at $1 a bag, we had to load up on mulch!)
When we got home we celebrated our Florida anniversary by completing our garden. We mulched out the whole area we cleaned a week and a half before, and put all our plants in pots. We're doing a potted garden for two reasons. 1: Soil in Florida is not great for planting. 2: We're still planning on buying a house in the next year so we want to be able to take our plants with us. A big thanks to our neighbors, who donated a fig tree and a pomegranate tree to the cause. We just woke up one morning, and they were added to the garden.
We were a couple of bricks short on the end there, I keep meaning to get back to home depot, but I haven't made it yet.
That night was a not-to-be missed Family Night Out at the Library. It was superhero night! We listened to the story, played a matching game with a superhero and the villain, and then crafted all kinds of fun things. Hayden made a Captain America Shield.
He also colored a super hero mask, made a Flash cape, and some superhero cuffs.
He called himself Flaptain America (because he was a Flash/Captain America hybrid)
When we got home, we all celebrated our Florida Anniversary. Asa and I opened our bottle of champagne from Tennessee, and the boys had some sparkling cider (though they seemed more into the strawberry quick).
We had a cookout (with Buffalo Dogs!) for dinner, and instead of listing our favorite parts of the day, we listed our favorite things about living in Florida.
And we finished up with some smores!
Tuesday was couch hunting day. I had my eye on an Ikea couch, but I wanted to go to stores to shop around. After a disappointing morning, we stopped at PDQ for some lunch.
When we got to Ikea, we headed over to the as-is section, and lo-and-behold, the couch I had my eye on was there-- at 49% off! (And it was only as-is because it was a floor model!) So, we went upstairs and ordered the chaise to add to it (it's modular, so you can add pieces as you see fit-- kind of awesome), and discovered when you pay for delivery, they'll deliver any number of items for the one flat fee. So the couch, the chaise, and the headboard we'd been eyeing (since we got our new mattress we've been headboard-less), and a coffee table we picked out (for $29! a total steal!) could all be delivered together. And because we got the couch 49 percent off, the total cost of our whole order was less than we expected to pay for just the couch! I love a good deal.
We stopped at Costco, to load up on food and pillows (they have awesome pillows, at awesome prices!)
And when we got home, I discovered our tickets for Calib and mom day for the Florida Gators March Madness games had arrived!
I now have 12 pillows on my bed, by the way. I may have gone a little overboard.
Thursday, Calib and I got up and went out to Orlando. The Amway Center (where the Orlando Magic play), was hosting rounds 2 and 3 of March Madness, and the Gators so happened to be playing. Now, this is where my camera totally died. It's been taped together, and on its last legs. But, I did manage to get a few pictures before it totally crapped out on me.
Way to go Dayton, by the way! They are the Cinderella team this year. Applause erupted in the stadium when this appeared. I'll root for them unless/until they play the Gators. Which could happen Saturday, if they both win Thursday.
Anyway, Calib and I had a great time. We got to see Pitt beat Colorado, and then we stayed around while the great danes of Albany were beat by the Florida Gators. Being so close to Gainsville, the arena was FILLED with blue and orange. It was awesome.
Saturday Asa had to work. I took the boys to a friend's birthday party. It was at a pizza place, with games included. The boys had a good time, but I don't have any pictures of it-- because my camera had died.
I had seen a couple of cameras on clearance at Target, so when Asa got out of work on Saturday, we went over to check them out. I ended up saving a ton of money on an awesome new camera. It's better than I've ever had before. I was pretty excited about it. (I still am, for the record, it's awesome).
Saturday our furniture was delivered, so Asa put it all together. We're loving the new couch and coffee table.
But, I also LOVE our new headboard. It even has nice little shelves in it for the unsightly bedside necessities. It keeps them all hidden away.
Monday our Magic Bands finally arrived!
And Peyton and Maybel enjoyed playing in all the empty boxes from Ikea and Amazon.
We're so excited about using our new magic bands though! As soon as Disney calms down from all the Spring Breakers, we're so totally there.
Monday Asa took a class, and passed of course. Instead of celebrating with rootbeer floats (which we have slated for later), he picked up PDQ on the way home. We noticed when we were there the previous week that on Mondays during March they have $5 tender meals (drinks and fries included), so we had to take advantage.
Tuesday was of course, Asa's birthday! We had plans to go to Airheads (the trampoline gym), the Ropes Course and out to lunch. But, the boys had come down with some colds Sunday, and I had finally caught it. I felt terrible, and Asa's toe was still causing him issues (I MAY have dropped part of the chaise on his foot in attempt to help him put together the new couch). So he decided what he'd really like for his birthday was a low-key day at home.
He slept till noon, we had subs for lunch, and then we played lots and LOTS of Lego Harry Potter. Then I managed to make an epic low country boil (complete with fingerling potatoes and crab legs).
We had cheesecake instead of your traditional birthday cake.
And then we all watched the first Harry Potter movie. (Peyton finished the first book last week) We also had a skype call with all the Sattlers, as my mom is watching Gwen and Garrett this week for their Spring Break.
Asa says it was a great birthday, even though we never left the house. Today, I'm still not feeling all that well. I'm hoping that changes by the weekend, because we have plans to go to a Buccaneer Season Ticket Holder event on Friday, meet up with Cort, Holly, Gwen and Garrett Saturday, and we're planning to go out for Asa's birthday celebration Monday. Plus any minute now, you-pick Strawberries will be open for the season.
Next Up: Another Busy week, hopefully we all get to feeling better ASAP.
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