My Little Savings Adventures

You know as a mother of 3 kids, it isnt easy saving money. Kids today get bored and want to go, go, go and that means parents have to spend, spend, spend. Listen, I have a kid in college, I cant afford to do all the things my children want to do. I am a VERY thrifty human being, I buy my clothes at knock off stores (TJ Maxx, Kohls and Steinmart are my favorite), but it has to be a real steal. Same for my kids, if it is a store at the mall, it had to be a major sale and I mean major!! Otherwise, my kids clothing mostly comes from gently used clothing stores. If you have a teen, I love Plato's Closet. It has great clothes, great prices, especially if you use your frequent shopping card, you get an additional discount! For the younger kids, I like to hit Once Upon A Child, especially if they are having a clearance sale (I live for their $1.00 clearance or stuff all you can in grocery bag for 10.00).
So now that the clothing issue has been discussed, lets talk FOOD. I dont cook. If I do, its really basic, so I leave the cooking to my hubby! He cooks and I clean up his mess. I get the best prices and variety at Super Walmart, but I will also go to Harris Teeter to take advantage of some of their specials and lets not forget the DOUBLE COUPONS!! You have to do your homework. I will check online circulars for Food Lion, Harris Teeter and Kroger, but only go in specifically for the items I saw on special. We are a family that like to eat out, but again I have to get a deal (unless its a special occasion). I buy the local coupon book at the beginning of the year and I check that thing everytime we go out for dinner. For Cary people, it starts on Monday, Remington Grill lets kids 12yrs and younger eat FREE w/adult purchase. On Tuesday, Torrero's Mexican Restaurant has $1.00 taco and $1.50 Corona night. For Wednesdays, we like to go to East Coast Wings, kids 12yrs and younger eat FREE w/adult purchase. The rest of the week, we eat at home until Sunday and we will normally go to a buffett somewhere, where I tell the kids to eat up, because we will have something light to eat at home, later that day.
Now for recreational fun, for the Summer local movie theaters offer children discount movies. There are stipulations, like specific days and times. Our local Carmichael theaters has there special on Thursday, where you get admission, popcorn, drink and a snack for $4.00. Stone Theaters offer their kids special THREE days a week, the parents admission is FREE, kids tix are $1.00, small soda $1.00 and a box of popcorn is $1.00. But these specials are only for the 10am showing. Don't wanna go to a kiddie flick?!? Then go to the movies on a Tues. all showings are cheaper, so is the soda/popcorn. Bowling is another place that is discounted for kids during the Summer too. One of our favorite bowling places is Sparian's in Raleigh, but we really dont go to bowl. We go on Wednesday for the FREE bingo and the best part is there is NO purchase neccessary. The prize is normally a gift card to Sparians, if we win we usually will make a purchase the following Wednesday and use our gift card!
There are ALL kinds of deals out there, you just have to research things online before making your plans. Hey, its an expensive world out there and we all need to save a buck here and there whenever we can :)

Another Year Without My Daddy

Today is April 30th my dad's birthday. He died way too young and this day will always be very special to me. It is still hard, I still need you, I still miss you and I still love you. I have so much to share with you, so much to tell you, so many hugs and kisses to give you. Happy Birthday Dad, love your #3 daughter!

Valentines Day

I just love it when Valentines Day falls on a Monday. My heartday started on Friday, when Tony took the girls to a Father Dance. This gave me a chance to take Daniel out to dinner and have some one on one time with him. Daniel and I ate, where I enjoyed both the conversation, as well as the meal. My little boy has grown up, right before my very eyes.
The girls returned home, ran up the stairs and started talking a mile a minute, telling me how much fun they had at the dance. These are moments a mom lives for, to see the excitement in their eyes and know the memories that have been captured.
The next heart day, began with Tony and I having dinner alone at one of our special restaurants "Shuckers". The crab legs were delicious and so was our time together. It's so easy to see why I fell in love with him in the first place :)
Now it is actually Valentines Day and I knew exactly what would mean the most to the people I love. It's the simple things in life. First off, we NEVER eat dinner in the dining room, so that is where we would dine this evening. Chloe decorated the table with her Valentines, Tony fixed the steaks w/all the fixings and I made a salad. One time Abbey told me, she would enjoy a family dinner, holding hands, then saying a blessing and the tv to be off. That is exactly what I did and it couldnt have been a better Valentines Day!!!!

Incident at the Waffle House

So the older I get, the more outspoken I become. What started as a nice breakfast with the family, spiralled into an unforgettable episode. There we sat, waiting to place our order, when a man sitting at the counter caught my eye. He got my attention, by being rude to the waitress. Though the man was rude, the waitress always kept a smile and was so polite. A few minutes passed and his order was ready, he then went off on the waitress stating his order was WRONG!! She apologized, taking the plate back to the cook. It was just a couple of minutes later, she brought the customer the new order. He started yelling at her again and said, what is the cooks problem?!? Why cant he get a simple order right? Again she smiled and took back the order. Meanwhile her co-worker, Amanda, leaned over and asked the guy, "what was wrong about your order?" He filled her in and she said, "sorry your waitress is new." First of all, the waitress didnt cook the order, so it wasnt her fault! Needless to say, the order finally arrived to the gentlemans liking.
Even though the guy was extremely rude, he did recognize his rudeness and left the waitress a FIVE DOLLAR tip. Here is where it got ugly....Amanda cleared the man's plate from the table and I witnessed her sliding the 5 bucks into her pocket!! I just could'nt believe my eyes, nor could I just sit aside and keep my mouth shut. My husband knows me well and said, "don't do it, dont say anything". I said, "I will be right back! I descretely, went up to the mans waitress and asked if she knew he left her a big tip. She said, no I didnt see one on the table. I told her, "no wonder, because Amanda TOOK IT!! I told her, I would take care of it and I walked over to my husband and daughter, to tell them, let's go,we are leaving.
While checking out, I opened my big mouth and here I went.... I said, "Amanda, may I ask you, when were you planning on giving Vickie her $5.00 tip!?" She looked puzzled at me and said, "that was her table"!! I said, "that may be, but I never saw you take the order, get yelled out or correct the order", but I did hear you roll her under the bus, by saying she was new! She began telling me, that I did not know how they run things at the Waffle House--- when one waitress has problems, the other waitress' help each other out. Then, I said, "Oh, well did you split it with Vickie and give her $2.50?" She said, I WILL GIVE VICKY THE $5.00!!!!! But I realy dont appreciate you putting this out there in front of everyone, she said. I then began to inform her, if she had done the right thing, I wouldn't have been in the position of putting IT out there!!
On the way out of restaraunt, Tony leaned over to Chloe and said, "I hope you enjoyed that Cherry Sprite, because we are NEVER going to be able to eat at the Waffle House again!!!"

The Story of Us

Once upon a time, there were 3 girls, a UPS employee, a college student and a new bride. In the mid 1980's, they met at JcPenney Portrait Studios and became photographers. These 3 were different from the other employees, they were very committed, dependable and passionate about photography!!
One by one, they each left JcPenney, but found themselves together again at Lundie's Photography. It started off as one studio, then grew to two, three and now 4 different Lundie's Photography Studios. With alot of determination and creativity, these girls have survived the bad economy and competition.
Today, August 1st we celebrate Lundie's 19th year in business. We have made alot of relationships, many that we will keep for a LIFETIME, others we will never see again. But, despite all the growth, these 3 now middle aged women, still embrace there love for photography, family and success. The road hasnt been an easy one, there have many bumps in the road, but the dedication ALWAYS sees them through it all.
So here's to many more years together, may it bring us a brighter future, more customers that become our friends and more talent to our camera room. Lundie, Candia and Beverly have made memories that will last FOREVER :)

Tuesday, July 6th, 2010

So...today I am at work, returning calls from the holiday weekend and I get several messages from a Mrs. Johnson. I returned her call and left a message w/her sweet husband. A few hours later, this old lady marches into the studio, throws her purse and arms over my counter. She greets me w/this statement- "your phone service is exhausting!!" I look at her and say, "are you by any chance Mrs Johnson?" It was no surprise to me, she was Mrs. Johnson indeed!!!
The poor woman was wanting to make an appointment for both herself and her husband. She was very specific w/wanting them photographed together and seperately. She sews, so she will want to change jackets several times. I made the mistake of asking her, were these for any special occasion? She went into great detail, telling me her cemetary plots, funeral service and cremation were all paid in full. She has also, already selected the pianist,vocalist, minister and song selection for her funeral service. I politely complimented her on her well thought out plans and tell her I will make these the most beautiful obituary photographs. She asked me, if I thought this was morbid and I told her...everyone is born and everybody dies. She smiled at me and said, "we will be looking forward to our appointment on Friday."
I always tell people, all I do all day is photograph happy occasions and I cant believe today I am making a obituary picture a happy occasion. Its all in how you view things, I so enjoyed meeting Mrs. Johnson today!!!