For history this year, I am teaching learning Ancient Greek history with my children during our homeschool days.  I try to cover history on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons.  Last week, we completed a salt dough map of Ancient Greece.

To clean up from the dough and paint, I had my kids clean their hands with...olive oil! We talked about how the ancient Greeks used to bathe with olive oil because Greece didn't have many rivers, and indoor plumbing didn't yet exist, so we put a little olive oil on our hands.  We all agreed that cleaning our skin with olive oil felt "greasy" and "yucky"! 

So I usually shop at Harris Teeter each week because they double coupons everyday up to 99 cents, but sometimes I catch news through Delly's Deals blog and Delly's Deals Facebook page about other area grocery stores that have good sales and if I have coupons for the products that's even better :)

So this week I went to Lowes Foods where all the  items in the photo were on sale, I had coupons for all of them, and the coupons doubled because Lowes Foods also doubles coupons each day.

As pictured I bought: 1 Planters Peanut Butter, 2 KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce, 2 Heinz Ketchup, and 1 jar of Smuckers Grape Jelly.

Can you guess how much I spent on all these items???????????????????????????????????????

Would you believe I paid (drumroll please)............ a whopping $1.77 !  Yep, that's one dollar and 77 cents!  I saved $13.68 and spent $1.77!  I was very excited!  And I wonder why I'm addicted to this coupon stuff ??? :)  Thanks Delly for the tip to check out other grocery store sales!


 A new month means a new opportunity to link up your posts to No Ordinary Blog Hop (NOBH) that I co-host with 6 other bloggers.  Please join us as NOBH remembers that tragic and life-changing day 10 years ago on September 11, 2001.  For more information and to link up click one of the buttons below.

When I first began blogging in June 2010, I really had no clue what I was doing.  But, through trial and error, visiting great blogs, asking questions, and frantically clicking away with my mouse to set up my blog, I was able to learn so much to get a blog started to document "a slice of Smith life."

So when my great bloggy friend, Lynda at My Heart's Desire, surprised me one day with my banner which is the photo above and the banner is located at the top of my home page, I was grateful for her help to make my blog more personal and eye-catching!    She used my photos of some cakes I have made for my children and made a beautiful banner that I proudly display on my blog here.  I love how she personalized it using my own photos and the colors fit my blog so well.  Thank you Lynda!

Lynda also designed and created the blog banners/blog button for our mutual friend, Anna-Marie, at Life's Adventures and Anna-Marie's blog hop banner/button at Field Trip Blog Hop.

Lynda makes all the blog buttons at NOBH (No Ordinary Blog Hop) that I co-host with her and 4 other bloggers.  Lynda is able to not only create buttons, banners, and signature tags (You can check out the signature tag she made for Anna-Marie HERE) that are beautiful and creative, but she also makes them so quickly.



Lynda is starting a new business where she wants to help bloggers add a little special touch to their blog by designing banners, blog buttons, and signature tags for you.  If you are like me, you don't always have the time to figure out these very technical and sometimes complicated features of blogging. Lynda has great rates and she will listen to what you want before she creates something that you will also want to proudly display on your blog. You will not be disappointed! You can find out more information and contact Lynda at her business site at My Heart's Desire Creations.

We couldn't travel to the beach closest to our home since police would only let residents onto that beach.  So this afternoon we decided to jump in our van to travel about 30 minutes to another local beach to walk around since one of my friends told me that there were clams, crabs, and sea stars along the shore.  The wind was still going a little strong and the sand was blowing, stinging our legs, but it was a great trip and we found lovely treasures that excited my children.  Here are some gifts that Irene left behind for us to find:

Hurricane Irene is a threat for our coastal community. I have lived through hurricanes and I remember as a child, my family huddled in our hallway, during one hurricane (oops, I can't remember the name of it).  Our windows were boarded up with plywood, our home was dark due to either the power being out or experiencing the storm in the middle of the night.  We had our flashlights and we were listening to news reports on our radio.  Outside our home the wind howled and we could hear branches cracking and snapping.  When the storm passed there was alot of debris scattered and I remember one time our neighbor had a tree fall on their roof.  But, overall the hurricanes I have experienced have not caused significant damage and friends and family have been safe through them all.

However, hurricanes are nothing to play around with.  A friend of mine told me yesterday that lifeguards have been pulling people out of the ocean left and right because even knee deep water can suck you out with Irene churning the ocean waters.  Yes, the ocean is fascinating to WATCH preceding a big storm, but it's amazing how people don't think and risk their lives for a (sometimes fatal) thrill! As the newscasters warn, expect the worst (by making preparations) and hope for the best.  Our family is preparing and praying for friends and family who are also in Irene's path.  Please join me in prayer with this prayer I found on a friend's Facebook page.  Thank you and may God protect us all during this uncertain time!

PRAYER FOR PROTECTION IN A TIME OF STORM OR DANGER 

Lord and Holy Protector,like the disciples who were caught in their tiny boat in the midst of a mighty storm, we come to beg Your Help.

We are fearful as we are surrounded by danger.

We feel helpless and small before the great power of this storm which is beyond our control.

While everything seems dark and dangerous, we place our trust in You, our Lord and God.

Sheltered here in our home, we are also shielded by Your Love against all that might harm us.

We know that You hear all prayers; so we now, filled with confidence, lift up our petitions to You, our God.


 (silent prayer)

Lord, we fear for our home, for our lives and for all we hold dear.

Your Sacred Blessing is upon this home and upon each of us as well.

We are secure in the power of that blessing.

May the saving power of the Cross of Your Son, Jesus, encircle us and our home.

May all evil, all harm and injury, be repelled by that Sacred Sign of the Cross.

May the light of this candle be for us a holy sign of Your Divine Presence that fills our home in the midst of this danger.

Lord and Creator of Storms and of Rainbows, be with us in this time of danger.

Amen +

Prayer Credit:  Miracle of the Rosary Mission