Festive Fall Food and Frugal Finds!

So, today started out with Jeff and I a little "foggy." Jeff slept in while I got up with the kids and after an hour we reversed roles and I slept for another 45 minutes. But, once Jeff and I were awake we were ready to start the day...with some festive pancakes! OK - I like to cook/bake but I am no Martha Stewart (ok -- go ahead and laugh, Berta!). I don't do crafty things because truthfully I'm not that great at them. Yes, I may do a birthday cake here and there, but it's nowhere near as perfect as it should be because I'm simply not a perfectionist. I'm a get it done and move on kind of person.

Anyways -- I did try and make fall leaf and apple pancakes complete with fall color food coloring! And hey, they didn't turn out half bad. Go figure!







Then after being lazy for a good portion of the morning (Cecelia missed soccer since she's getting over a cold/cough) we started to think about painting a few rooms on the main floor. We were wondering what to do since our favorite paint brand, Benjamin Moore, is so expensive! One gallon is over $50! Crazy! But, it's worth it as it goes on really well and is really easy to maintain (with three kids that's worth every penny!). However, I'm always looking for a deal. So, one call to the local paint store and would you believe they have a neutral color in a five gallon container that they accidentally mixed for $5!!! That's 98% off the regular price! So, I drag curtains, pillows, the kitchen paint color, and sure enough I think it just might match! Heck for $5 it's worth a shot! So, Jeff and I painted some "samples" on the wall and we'll watch them over the next couple of days. I'm still in shock about the deal!

One more frugal find, or maybe a fun kids find -- at least in my opinion. McDonald's is a treat for the kids -- we only go maybe once a month. They like getting hamburgers, apple juice and apple dippers! The toys that come in the meals are usually not that great and I just toss them after lunch when the girls forget about them. However, on Friday I was pleased and excited to find out the "toy" was a trick or treat container complete with Mr. and Mrs. Potatohead stickers to decorate! Caroline yelled out a big "Yippeee!!" when she saw them hand me the meals. I have to admit I was yelling "Yippee!!" too as I knew the kids were going to have fun with these -- and they did all afternoon!