Best Mexican in town!

Harper and I went on a little road trip to Columbia yesterday. He was such an angel, he slept the entire trip there and the entire drive home. We had a wonderful time catching up with college friends. And we stopped by Brooke's mamas house to visit with the Jackson's and Brice. Harper smiled and giggled the entire visit. Brooke and Brice hadn't seen Harper since he was a few days old so it was fun to show them how much he has grown.

Then we came back to town and met up with Erik for dinner. We used one of the amazing coupons I had (see yesterday's post) and tried our luck at a new Mexican restaurant in Greer. Boy were we impressed. We went to:

Barroco Mexican Bistro  

906 West Poinsett Street, Greer, SC 29650-1455

(864) 469-6923 ‎

It was the best Mexican restaurant I have been to in South Carolina. Yes, it was really that good!!! Everything is homemade... their salsa, pico, even Sangria. And it was DELICIOUS!! So good that I splurged and got two glasses of sangria. I had chicken and steak fajitas and Erik had stuffed poblanos. Then we ended our meal with fried ice cream. Talk about fantastic!! It was so good that we are actually going to see if Erik's parents want to meet us there next week for dinner (Erik's dad loves Mexican.)

If you live in the Upstate, you need to go HERE! Use the coupon code CLEARANCE for 80% off, you will get a $25 gift certificate for $2, and have dinner at Barroco. I am sure you will be impressed.

Another one of my favorite discount websites is Gilt. This website has amazing discounts on designer items. Right now they have Diesel jeans for sale. So if anyone is looking for a nice pair of jeans, check it out. The pair of Diesel jeans below are on sale for $108. They are normally $250.

Gilt also has a wonderful selection of children's items! They have this adorable set for $17! (What a great baby shower gift!) 

This elephant blankie for $15.00. It is a Blankie and rattle, how sweet!

And these ADORABLE booties for $21.00. Harper would look so cute in these! 

And they also have a seriously amazing selection of woman's apparel and accessories but I am not going to that section of the website right now... I would end up broke! 

If you want to check out Gilt, you can get a free membership by clicking this LINK and signing up! Trust me, you will LOVE it! 

Now I am off to get ready for NYE!! Hope you all have a wonderful New Year's! 

Amazing Deal!!!!

This deal was just too good not to share. It is so good that I actually thought it was a scheme but Erik and I went out to dinner last night and verified that it works!!

Last night we went to Stax's Grill located at 850 Woods Crossing Rd. Greenville, SC 29607 (right near Haywood Mall) and our dinner was amazing. I had a filet and Erik had Shrimp Kalymnos which consisted of  Gulf shrimp baked with onion, feta cheese, tomatoes and Greek butter sauce. SO good. Well with this coupon (that we got for $2) our entire meal was less than $20 (with tip!)

Here is how I did it. I just discovered Restaurant.com. Here is their concept:

Restaurant.com is about celebrating the dining experience more affordably. We provide certificates for literally thousands of great restaurants – many of them right in your neighborhood – that bring you the fun and pleasure of eating out while spending less. Sound too good to be true? Not at all. Restaurant owners like us because we bring them new customers. And you’ll like us because we’re such a convenient way to enjoy an evening out whenever you want without busting the budget.

So in a nutshell, you can buy discounted gift certificates from restaurant.com to use at local restaurants. Normally they are about $10 for a $25 gift card, which is a great deal! But I found another discount code that takes an extra 80 percent off. So the $25 gift card was $2. The only catch... you have to spend a minimum of $35. But even then your whole meal is 12 bucks. Can't beat it.

The promo code is- CLEARANCE


Check it out and let me know if it works for you! :)

I love FREE!

So lately, we have been on a strict budget (so I can stay home with the little man.) I have been finding as many ways as possible to save mula. And I have been saving an unbelievable amount of money with coupons. Last week I spent 30.68 at Publix on groceries but I saved 41.26. It has really made a difference. I spend about an hour and a half every week clipping coupons and making my shopping list but with the amount of money I save it has been totally worth it. I decided I would try to post some of the best deals I find each week. Especially free things.

I love anything and everything that is FREE! So check out this coupon and enjoy!

Go here to print out a coupon for a free milkshake from Arby's. It expires on 1/02/2011. So Hurry and get your coupon!

A Christmas to Remember!

Harper's first Christmas was just perfect. Can you believe we had a WHITE CHRISTMAS!? Although little mister is still too small to enjoy the snow, it was so beautiful and fun to see it fall on Christmas morning. We started off the day at our place. Erik, Harper, and I opened our gifts and stockings. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast made by my sweet husband. And we tried to capture everything on video. Now that was a little tricky. I had to hold the baby in on arm and unwrap gifts with the other arm while Erik filmed everything. We had a blast. Santa was very good to Harper this year. He brought him a Radio Flyer wagon, a ton of books, and more toys than we know what to do with. 

Next, we drove to Greenville to spend Christmas afternoon with Mimi and Papi. Nonnie, Brad, Chastity, Rayne, and Skylar joined in the fun. We ate a traditional turkey dinner with all of the fixings. Yum! And once again Harper was spoiled with a ton of gifts. We can't wait to see him play in his Baby Einstein jumper! It must be nice being the first grandson. Actually I am the first grandchild on both sides of my family, so I can relate. Haha! 

After Mimi and Papi's, we headed to Nana and Papa's in Spartanburg. We opened gifts first. There were so many gifts under the tree that the actually trickled over the couch and all the way underneath the piano. And lets just say a good majority of these were for the baby. He got all sorts of awesome toys. Auntie Jenna got him a Seasame Street walker, an awesome frog that projects the constellations onto the ceiling and plays nursery rhymes, and a ton of other fun things. Nana and Papa went a little crazy with the gift giving. I think they really enjoy buying baby things. He got a monogrammed baby chair. It is adorable!! A Leapfrog music station, play mats, an elephant gym, a V-tech 3-in-1 learning walker, DVD's, books, toys, rattles, and the list goes on an on. Mom decided to cook prime rib this year. It was amazing. We had a mint chocolate cake from Stroussner's Bakery for dessert. One of the best cakes I have EVER tasted. It was incredible. 

Now all the traveling on Christmas is slightly stressful but it is so worth it. We feel very blessed to live close to both sides of the family. We are so excited that Harper will get to grow up around so many people that love him. 

And although the food, festivities, family, fun, and gifts are wonderful it is also important to remember the true meaning of Christmas.

Isaiah 9:6-7

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (7) Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

Luke 2:8-12; 13-14

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields near by, keeping watch over their flocks by night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

"Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.""

Free Chick-fil-a!!

My favorite breakfast item?? That would be a chicken biscuit from Chick-fil-a. Wanna hear really exciting news!? Now they are going to offer a SPICY chicken biscuit. WOOO HOOO!!!!

Want a free one!? Sign up here! Yay for free Chick-fil-a!! (it says on the 27th but I did it today and it still worked.)

A Letter to Harper

Harper,

My sweet son, you are 3 months old. What an incredible 3 months these have been. At first I was a little scared and wrapped up in trying to figure out how to be a mom. But after a few days, all of the initial fears were gone and being a "mom" really came naturally to me. Not to mention, you have been a wonderful baby and have really made things easy on your mama. For the most part, you only cry when you are hungry. Now that cry comes loud and fast, and often but as soon as you start eating, you let out a little smirk and become happy again. You are just like your daddy, you love to eat!

You are animated and so alert, all I want to do is wait and see what you do next. You were born with bright eyes checking everything out and you still love to stare at everything around you. It is like you are taking every little thing in. We get stopped several times every day by complete strangers and their number one comment is that they can't believe how alert you are at such a young age (and they always throw in a comment about your beautiful blue eyes.) And when people stop to look at you, you almost always smile for them. It is adorable and everyone gets a kick out of it. Everyone loves your sweet smile and your amazing dimples.

It is crazy how much you change and grow every day! You love to cuddle and nuzzle into my arms. You always try to nuzzle your head into my neck. When I lay you down on the changing table, you immediately laugh and kick your feet up. You love to laugh and your sweet smile lights up the room. You love when I talk to you in a high-pitched voice. And you respond with the most adorable coos and sounds. I think you are trying to talk back.

Harp, you are my little sidekick. For the past 3 months we have done everything together. It is amazing that I can get so much joy from sitting there and staring at you. I love to hold you in my arms, sing the ABC's, and read you books. You let out the sweetest little laughs when we sing and read and they melt my heart! I love the way you sleep with your arms stretched above your head. When I go to pick you up after a nap, you keep stretching those little hands over your head and you usually let out a yarn. I love the way you grasp on to my index finger when you start to fall asleep.  I absolutely love being your mother. I savor and enjoy every moment we spend together.

We call you our little angel. You were an angel before you were born. When Nana learned that we were pregnant with you, it gave her a reason to keep fighting her cancer. When the doctors gave up, she didn't, because she was determined to meet her first grandson. You have humbled me and your daddy. You have already taught us the true meaning of happiness. We are beyond blessed to have you as our son. We love you more than you will ever know!

Love always,
Mommy

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas!

I am dreaming of a white Christmas!!! And it looks like a pretty decent possibility. HOW COOL would that be!? Harper's first snow and first Christmas. So I am keeping my fingers crossed. This is the current forecast and it looks GOOD! It is hard to believe considering it is gorgeous outside today but I am very excited at the possibility.

Today Sunny Hi 45 °F

Tonight Mostly Clear Lo 29 °F

Friday Mostly Sunny Hi 47 °F

Friday Night Snow/Sleet Lo 34 °F

Christmas Day Snow Likely Hi 37 °F

Saturday Night Snow Likely Lo 26 °F

Sunday Partly Sunny Hi 39 °F

Sunday Night Partly Cloudy Lo 20 °F

Monday Sunny Hi 37 °F

In other news, I think little man is teething. This means poor baby and poor mama. We went to Wal-Mart to try to pick up some teething tablets and they have all been pulled from the shelves. Just my luck! And to make matters even worse, they don't know when they will be back on the market. Do you ladies know of anything else that helps ease the pain. We got baby Orajel and a teething ring but that is all they seemed to have. Every mom I know swears by the teething tablets. So let me know if you have any other good remedies. I am kind of surprised he is starting so young. I thought we had another month or so. But he cries, sticks his little hand in his mouth or grabs my hand and bites on my knuckles. So it looks like he has started.

The big daycare debate has come to a close. As of right now I don't think I can send him to daycare. I had a huge scare yesterday and it really shook me up. I researched every daycare in the area and I went to visit a few. I had my top two. One in particular seemed very safe because they had surveillance and allowed the parents to watch their kids online. It was gorgeous facility and I was pretty impressed. Last night I was watching the news and a woman was arrested Wednesday with four counts of lewd act on a minor. She was a worker at the very daycare facility that I liked.  Talk about SCARY!! It made me sick to my stomach to think about. So back to the drawing board. I just can't stand the thought of putting little man at risk. I am sure this is rare but the fact that it was at one of the nicest, most expensive, and what I thought to be "safest" facilities really upset me.

I thought I would share a few of my favorite Christmas card photos with you all. Miss Lauren Gossett took these for us and I thought they came out fantastic.

Liberty Taproom and Grill

In college I worked at a restaurant as a server for several years. It was at a place called Liberty Taproom and Grill. In Columbia, it is located in the Vista. They opened one a few years ago in downtown Greenville. I loved working their because their staff was amazing. I actually met a few of my best friends at Liberty. The managers were great! And I really enjoyed the employee discount. I was spoiled in college and ate steak on a regular basis. My favorite meal was their prime rib... I always got them blackened. They also have the BEST crab dip appetizer. If you like salads go with their seared Ahi tuna salad. The asian honey lime vinaigrette on it is delicious! If you love Sunday brunch, I definitely recommend theirs! My favorite brunch items are the west end omelet, shrimp and grits, and the banana fosters toast! YUM.

Today on Living Social, they have a great deal. You can get a $40 gift card for $20!! Can't beat that!

Check it out here!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

This holiday season has been wonderful so far. We had a great Thanksgiving. Because both sets of grandparents live so close to us, we have two Thanksgiving feasts. We eat at Erik's parents for lunch and my parent's for dinner. So we are usually beyond stuffed by the end of the day. We decided to do a little black friday shopping but not nearly as much as we usually do. This year Wal-Mart split up their black friday sales. The first sales started at midnight and then the electronics went on sale at 5AM. Luckily, we did not need any electronics this year. When we arrived at Wal-Mart at 11:45PM there were already tons of people waiting in the electronics lines. 6 hours is a LONG time to wait. But they seemed to enjoy themselves. Some people had lawn chairs, some were knitting, others napping. And hopefully they all got what they were waiting for. I was just getting a few fun items. I bought a Shark steamer mop (normally $89) for $29, an electric blanket for $18,  and a few other things. My dad bought me and mom a Cricut machine for Christmas. I am still figuring it out but that little machine is pretty amazing! So it was a successful shopping trip. Plus, the lines were not long at all (I wouldn't want to see the lines at 5AM!) 

We decorated the house for Christmas. We actually went up to Cashiers, NC for the day to get our tree. We had a delicious lunch at a local cafe, Cafe 107,  and then we went to a tree farm and cut down our own Christmas tree. We went to a place called Ty-Lyn Plantation and it was beautiful! It was a little chilly so we wrapped baby up in more articles of clothing then you could imagine. When you arrive at the plantation an old antique fire truck comes to pick you up and take you to the tree field. Then you get a giant measuring stick and a saw and go cut down your tree. It was such a fun day. After you cut down your tree, they bring you hot cider while they tie down the tree to your car. We are going to make the trip a fun family tradition.

I am almost totally finished with Christmas shopping. Shopping for a baby makes is so much more enjoyable. I LOVE getting him baby books. I found a few great books at TJ Maxx...I swear that store has everything. I found great Baby Einstein gift sets at Costco. And I found his Radio Flyer wagon at Toys R Us during their midnight madness sale for & 69.99! And for fun, I bought him a special dvd/book set that teaches little ones how to speak Spanish. I have a feeling it will teach mommy Spanish too.

Here are a few updated photos of the little man. I took these yesterday. He is getting so big and handsome!