My Life on Planet Mom

I Am A What???

2012-02-10T09:48:00.000-06:00

Ok, he is kind of cute...but really?

Let me explain...our Pastor at church has been teaching us on Wednesday evenings how to know what your spiritual gift is.

This past Wednesday he had us take a personality test.

I know, right?

My scores clearly said that I am a sanguine. According to Google...an otter.

The dictionary tells me this:

san·guine [sang-gwin] adjective
1.cheerfully optimistic, hopeful, or confident:

Sounds good to me but the reality is there are also negatives or weaknesses to being a sanguine. Honestly, the weaknesses probably describe me better than the positive.

The negative qualities include..disorganization...

Ok, ok please stop laughing, you are hurting my feelings.

Lack of follow through was another (see the date on my last post if you are wondering about that. However, in my defense I have been blogging over at Saving With Purpose.)

Sanguine personalities also tend to be daydreamers.

I am fitting the mold more and more.

I daydream. ALOT.

I daydream about owning a beach house that we rent out throughout the year, but have to ourselves whenever we want.
I dream about owning my own business....and it being successful.
Doing what you ask? I have no idea.
I dream about making a lot of money blogging...however, ~~the negative trait~~ weakness of follow through seriously prohibits this.

So what's a girl to do with this information...

Not too much.

II Corinthians 12:9 says "But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me."

and thankfully Philippians 4:13 tells me "I can do all this through him who gives me strength."

I can't let it define me and certainly not limit me. I am only defined by who I am in Christ.

In the end we all have weaknesses, but through Christ we can rise above the weaknesses or negative traits to bring honor and glory to the one who has saved us.

I found a similar test that our Pastor gave to us here, if you would like to see what your personality is check it out

By the way, it looks like I could be a beaver too.....just sayin'

Lord I Want to Know You

2011-09-01T22:56:00.000-05:00

This was my prayer over the summer.

It is also a title of a book by Kay Arthur.

Sometime after the birth of our third child, but before the birth of our youngest, the wife of our Pastor at the time taught a Bible study on the Names of God...the actual title was "Lord, I Want to Know You More", but what I remember was being taught the names of God and how much comfort and peace there seem to be in His names.

However, I was in a different season of my life, husband worked nights, three little ones, working..you get the picture. Sometimes Wednesday nights did not seem to fit into "my" schedule, which is when this Bible study took place.

When I look back at that time of my life I am reminded of how in Malachi the Lord says that we "rob Him and we rob ourselves of blessings", of course this passage is speaking of offerings and tithes, but I often wonder how many blessings I robbed myself of on those evenings when I robbed God of my time and did not make it to church.

Fast forward to Summer 2011, I was at a yard sale (shock, shock) that was actually packing up for the day when I noticed their books.

I spotted one that I wanted.

I asked how much and to my surprise they told me "free!"....I so love that word!

The book? A devotion study...

"Lord, I Want to Know You" by Kay Arthur

God's timing is perfect..remember my prayer?

I connected via Facebook with our former Pastor's wife (she's my friend too!) and she sent me the outline she had made for the study.

I am anxious to learn the ones I missed, but also be reminded of those I heard.

God is good......

But He is so much more than that!!!

Check back as I share what I learn over the next several weeks.

Linking up to Finer Things Friday at Amy's Finer Things

Knowing Your Passion

2011-08-25T12:24:00.000-05:00

As you may have been able to tell by my last post, I am in a bit of some "soul searching", re-evaluating diffrent parts of my life. This, of course, included my blog.

I recently read an article that revealed several tips for having a successful blog, the first and foremost being that you write what you are passionate about.

Makes sense.

I had to stop and ask myself "what am I passionate about?". I mean, I like alot of things, I love a few things, but my passion revolves around my faith, my family and my home.

Fortunately, these topic will allow me to write about the things that I like and love too, hopefully on a regular basis (another secret to a successful blog. Duh!)

Do you know your passion?

Fast Forward Four Months From the Last Post...

2011-08-15T15:39:00.000-05:00

and you will find me back here blogging.

Sometime during the past four months I prayed a prayer that I did not think would be a big deal...I prayed "Lord, help me to learn to love You the way I am meant to love you, fill my heart with a longing to know You, to love You and serve You like I have never felt before."

This prayer was answered. This prayer has changed my life. I have spent the past several weeks, reevaluating who I was in Christ and how I was living as a child of the King...was everything I doing bringing Him glory? Had I become complacent or lukewarm? Those were hard questions to answer completely honest. I just know that I want everything I do to bring honor to Him....including blogging.

I really enjoy blogging and obviously never have posted anything to dishonor Him and never would but I just wanted to be sure that blogging was not taking up time that should be spent in some other area of my life.

So I prayed.

And prayed.

Often times I would think "I am just going to go ahead and start writing posts." but something always stopped me.

So I prayed some more.

So here it is several weeks later and I feel that I can now start writing again. My prayer is that God can use this blog in someway even if it is just to help me grow.

I have so many ideas and things that I want to write about and am anxious to begin sharing them!

Love to you all!!!

Finally Yard Sale Time...

2011-04-04T12:03:00.000-05:00

I hauled in several things this weekend from yard sales.

I have two favorite finds this week..the kids papasan chair and that black cushioned ottoman. We are in the process of updating the kids bedrooms and are looking into purchasing a loft bed for our middle daughter. The papasan chair will look great under it next to a little desk - it will be her reading chair!!

I cannot tell you how excited I was when I not only found this ottoman, then saw it was only $1 and THEN the owner of it charged me only $1 for EVERYTHING I purchased at his yard sale.

BOOYAH!!!

Anyway, this will be going in my oldest daughter's bedroom and will be recovered with zebra striped fur (that is her desired print). Just last week stumbled across a blog that shared how to do this. I am thinkin' it is going to look sooooo good!!

The ironing board was a purchase that reminded me why I love to garage sale! We have been in need of a new ironing board for quite awhile, I have just had a hard time shelling out $20 for a piece of flat metal that will not be used very often. (I do not purposely purchase any clothes that will require ironing before each and every use)

Cheap? Yeah, maybe..

But I am ok with that because I found this beauty of an ironing board for...

$1!!

Yup.. saved myself $19.

The bulletin boards are going to be covered for my two oldest daugters to match their rooms.

The life jacket is for our youngest when we go on vacation and for when we go to the lake this summer. ( We are going to attempt to become a camping family - we will see how that works out!)

The purse..well, that's for me.

At the beach.

Love it.

The frames will be accenting one of our living room walls after they are painted. I am wanting to do one of those gallery walls that I keep reading about.

Oh and hanging on the ironing board is a summer dress I bought for myself for our vacation. I haven't decided though if I like it on me or not, so it may go in my Ebay pile.

Included in my finds were plain, yet beautiful light green tablecloth & eight (that's right EIGHT!!) matching cloth napkins - LOVE IT!! (They have been washed and are in use right at the moment so they are not pictured with my other finds)

All in all I am happy with my purchases and as it gets warmer, I am excited to go to even more garage sales!!

Happy Monday all!!

Vacation Challenge-Week 8

2011-03-31T10:08:00.000-05:00

I started the week still needing $106.79

Let's see how I did...

$15 I was the Biggest Loser at our weigh in over the weekend!!! WooHoo!!!

$5 One tiny writing project...Boo!!

$23.05 Ebay profit!!

Total for the week....$43.05

That leaves the amount still needed at $63.74

SOoooo very close!! I have a few more things on Ebay that will hopefully bring me to the end of this challenge! (Although, I am really enjoying myself!!)

Happy Thursday!

Vacation Challenge Weeks 6 & 7

2011-03-24T00:18:00.000-05:00

I have two weeks to catch up on, however, not too much to report.

I began the week(s) still needing $155.86.

I earned

$20.50 Writing Projects
$14.99 Ebay (sold two pair of pants that I paid 50¢ each for..not too bad of a profit!)
$13.58 from Office Depot rebates

Total=$49.07

That leaves me only needing $106.79!!

Woohoo!!

I have no doubt that I will have it all by time we go on vacation in two months!!

I have a couple of more items on Ebay that I am anxious to see if they will sell - you will know next week if they did or not!

Have a great Thursday!!

And The Winner Is...........

2011-03-22T20:24:00.000-05:00

The winner of the Yopliat Kids Prize Pack is...

Steph S said...
My kids like bananas, apples, baby carrots and string cheese as healthy snacks.

I have sent you an e-mail......

Congratulations!!

Menu Plan Monday + Recipe

2011-03-21T21:22:00.000-05:00

So our menu for the week is looking pretty good...(I could be a little hungry!)

Monday - BBQ ribs..grilled porksteaks, salad, baked potatoe, mac & cheese

Tuesday - Chicken Alfredo, salad

Wednesday - Leftovers from previous two nights

Thursday - Tacos

Friday - Homemade pizza & salad (I fix lots of salads, mostly for me since I am dieting.

Saturday - Probably dinner out at Dennys (kids eat free + coupon = cheap eating)

Sunday - dinner at church - Not sure what I will be taking yet...hmmm

My recipe review is a dessert this time.

I know it simply as the Weight Watchers Cake

1 box of cake mix
1 can of diet soda

Easiest instructions ever..

Mix the cake mix & the soda together (nothing else at all). Bake as directed on the back of the cake mix box. I used diet orange soda

Once cooled top with low fat or sugar free Cool Whip.

All I can say is YUMMY!!

You so have to try it!!

Linking up to I an an Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday.

What a Week!!

2011-03-19T20:39:00.000-05:00

Whewww....birthday parties are done.

I am ready for normal life to resume....

I have alot to post about, i.e. my vacation challenge, the JOY Projects...I am waaaay behind.

I don't even remember the last time I posted one of meal plans for the week...or a review of a new recipe and we have tried some.

Anyway, I have a lot to catch up on!

I hope you all have a great weekend!!

Oh don't forget to enter my Yoplait Kids giveaway. A winner will chosen on Tuesday.

It's Party Time With A Yoplait Kids Giveaway!!

2011-03-15T00:00:00.003-05:00

This has been a busy week for us..two of our children have birthdays six days apart....March 11 & March 17...add separate birthday parties and well...let's just say it has been hectic.

These lovely kiddos are 7 & almost 9..(only 2 days to go for her) and sporting their new bikes that their Oma & Grandma purchased for them!!

In keeping with the celebration theme, I thought it would be more than fitting to do a Yoplait Kids Prize Package Giveaway!!!

Fun...I know, right!

My kids absolutely love yogurt and I love it, especially Yoplait Kids (it contains less sugar than others..shh don't tell my kiddos!) because it is a nutritious snack!! My kids love Yoplait because it tastes good!

The winner of this giveaway will receive a Yoplait Kids prize package (pictured below) courtesy of Yoplait through My Blog Spark.

Leave me a comment about healthy snack ideas you keep on hand for your kiddos. A winner will be chosen randomly on March 22.

You can also print out a 50¢ off one (1) four pack of Yoplait Kids Yogurt here, courtesy of Yoplait and My Blog Spark.

Have a great day all!!!

**I was not asked to give a positive Yoplait review, but since we love it, I figured why not!!!**

We Finally Got One..

2011-03-09T05:30:00.002-06:00

A library card that is!!

I know that doesn't seem like a big deal and well, it probably isn't. We live outside the city limits and do not pay any taxes into the library, therefore it is not free to us. So I am excited that we finally took the plunge.

Now that the kiddos are getting older and enjoying reading and I can enjoy cool reads of my own, we figured now is just as good of a time as any. Before we relied on thrift stores, garage sales, book sales, etc. for our books and I will still look there for books, but I just like having a library card.

Wanna know what books I checked out on our first trip?

Of course you do!!!

Miserly Moms by by Jonni McCoy - Love it already
Frugal Families by Jonni McCoy - Very useful information, alot of which we already do though.

"I Can't Believe I Get Paid To Do This!" by Stacey Mayo - Not real sure why I chose this one, I had never heard of it before. We will see how it goes.

October Song by Beverly Lewis - Because I have a fascination with the Amish and their lifestyle.

From Amish and Mennonite Kitchens by Phyllis Pellman Good & Rachel Thomas Pellman - Seriously, I love the Amish! Actually, I just love the simplicity of their lives, their minimalist way of living and since they pretty much bake everything from scratch, I figure that these recipes have to be yummy..at least I hope!

I have a list going on of books I want to read, but I have to pace myself, right?!

Vacation Challenge-Week 5

2011-03-08T13:03:00.002-06:00

As you can assume by my lack of blogging, I have been busy doing other things around the house and not as much time on the computer.

However, I did mange to get a little work in over the past week to go towards my vacation challenge.

I started the week needing $195.36

I had $39.50 from writing projects.

Leaving a total of $155.86 still needed!

I am getting close.....

I still have not put my items on Ebay yet, simply because I am waiting for them to have another listing special. Hopefully they will have one soon!

I also do not have any great savings to report.

Here's to next week...hoping (fingers crossed) that I can earn at least $55.86, leaving only $100 to go!

That would be so awesome!!!

**I do have a plan that should help with the cost of groceries while on vacation that I will share with you very soon!!**

Vacation Challenge-Week 4

2011-03-01T12:12:00.001-06:00

My week was better than last week, but still far from the first two weeks. The writing for me was scarce again.

I started the week still needing $222.86.

Writing projects - $27.50

Ended the week still needing 195.36.

I have several things to put on Ebay..so I need to get motivated and do so.

I did score a couple of good deals at CVS this week..

1 Crest Pro Health on sale for $3.29
- I used $1 off coupon + $1 CVS Extra Care Buck
2 Battery Operated Oral B Toothbrushes on sale for $6 each.
- I used 1 $3 off coupon + 1 BOGO free coupon

Total for all before coupons = $15.29

Total after coupons + tax =$5.61

BUT the best part is that I received
$9.29 back in Extra Care Bucks (If you are unsure what ECB's are, they work just like dollars at your CVS Pharmacy!)

So I have almost $9.29 to roll over into their next deal!!

Plus I got in on the Target frozen food deal this week and purchased 7 frozen food items, of course, used coupons on all 7 and scored a $5 Target gift card for a later date...

Not too bad, not too bad!

Leave a Message After the Beep...

2011-02-24T10:23:00.000-06:00

My oldest daughter who is 12 and my youngest daughter who is 3 have a nightly ritual.

They have a long drawn out goodnight..it usually starts with my oldest tickling her little sister, then my youngest pretending to hide from her.

It always ends with "I love you sissy!"

It always melts my heart.

Last night though it started diffrently than normal. My oldest started calling out for Lulu (that is what I call my youngest), the next thing I know Lulu is hiding behind me saying "Lulu is not here right now, please leave a message after the beep! Beeeeeeeeeeep!"

We do not even have an answering machine, so I am not sure where she heard that, but it had my oldest and me cracking up!!

Kids say the funniest things!!

Vacation Challenge-Week 3

2011-02-22T10:58:00.001-06:00

So my week was not as productive as I would have hoped, at least in regards to earning money for our vacation.

In fact..I am a little embarrassed..

Writing projects - $8.50

I started the week still needing $231.36

Ended the week needing $222.86

However, I scored some great deals at Target this week using coupons found on their website.

For $7.90 after coupons I scored..

-Pair of jeans for myself
-Long sleeve shirt for my 3 year old
-dental floss
-toilet paper
-Ibuprofren
-Pantiliners
-All Purpose spray cleaner w/ bleach
-Fabric softener
-Dishwasher gel tabs
-Pencil sharpener for my daughter

The jeans were a great deal...they were on clearance for $4.98, but I used a $5 off women's jeans that you can find here. You can print each Target coupon twice, so I scored two pair of free jeans!!

For the other items check out Money Saving Mom's Target coupon match up!

So while I hated that I did not do so well earning money for our trip, I was able to save money on our budget.

Last night I heard someone say "A dollar saved is better than a dollar earned because you don't have to pay taxes".

I feel better......

I am the Biggest Loser!

2011-02-17T13:50:00.001-06:00

Seriously!

I have not posted too much about it, but along with some of our extended family, my husband and I have decided that this year, 2011, we would make it our year to lose weight and get healthy. I did post about it being one of only two New Year's Resolutions that I made.

We have made several changes in our eating habits and have added exercise into our weekly routines. My husband has access to a gym and uses it every day that he works. I joined a new gym here in town that is extremely affordable. I hated to add that extra monthly expense, but figured I could pay the small monthly charge now to exercise or I could pay a monthly co-pay for weight related medication that could be necessary down the road if I continued to gain weight.

Anyway, I am happy to announce that I was the "biggest loser" at our first scheduled weigh-in since our intial, embarrassing weigh-in on January 1st.

I lost 14.4 pounds and my husband lost 17 pounds. I had the higher percentage though.

Yeah me!!!

Most of the others did well too. I was proud of us all.

I love that my husband and I are working on this together. We hold ourselves accountable to each other and we are each other's biggest cheerleaders.

Daily Schedules

2011-02-16T13:43:00.000-06:00

I have found that I can be busy all day long and go to bed not accomplishing one thing that I had on my mental "to do" list.

Frustrating? Yes.

Some in my family, upon hearing my complaints of my seemingly scatteredbrainness (is that even a word? Doubt it..) suggested that I have adult ADD. While they were just kidding, sometimes I wonder, I distract very easily.

If I do not have a list, if I do not write it down, I ~~will~~ may (gotta give myself some credit) forget to do.

Another issue that may or may not happen.. I will never admit if it has or not.. is I can see me getting lost on the computer, printing out coupons, reading other people's blogs about how they do it all...my guess is that they spend time doing it and not on the computer or learning how to do a variety of crafts..and ~~when that happens~~ if that were to happen..time is lost which leaves me scrambling to do what needs to be done for the day.

I have found that making a to do list and having a schedule keeps me from forgetting anything, as well as, keeps my day balanced. I can then go to bed feeling accomplished!

That's a pretty good feeling!!

Check out this cool schedule printout..well, I like it anyway! Daily Schedule from Buttoned Up.

Linking up to We Are That Family.

Happy Wednesday!

Vacation Challenge Week 2

2011-02-15T07:00:00.006-06:00

Last week I told you about my vacation challenge.

I need $440.70 to pay for the activities that we are wanting to do.

The previous week I earned $97.34.

This brought me to a new total of $343.36.

This week earnings went down like this..

$15- I won this from our family's Biggest Loser challenge (I am all too excited to share that with you later!)

$50- This is actually in the form of a Visa gift card that I was not expecting. It was a reward card from our bank!!

$47- From writing projects.

The total for the week is $112 Woot!! Woot!! I am at almost $210...getting close to my half way point!!

I am loving this challenge!

HOT Amazon Deal!!!

2011-02-14T15:28:00.001-06:00

Right now you can grab this Barbie and Ken set at Amazon for only $5!. It is eligible for free shipping with Prime (You can sign up for a free membership for a month)

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

2011-02-14T11:56:00.001-06:00

We (my husband and I) somehow orchestrated us a night out Friday night for our Valentine's Day. We went to dinner AND a movie. It was so nice.

While the hubs and my Valentine's Day celebration is done since he has to work, I decided to treat the kids tonight to a Papa Murphy's heart shaped pizza, IBC Root Beer, a fave for them & cupcakes.

shhh...they don't know.

In other Valentine's Day news, my eight year old daughter was asked to be someone's Valentine for the first time that was not a blood relative and he asked her to go see a movie with him and his parents.

Say it with me - "awwwwwwwwwww......."

Happy Valentine's Day!!

P.S. If you are interested in making an easy peasy Valentine's Day wreath check it out here.

Never Say Never - My New Avia ITone Shoes

2011-02-09T13:48:00.001-06:00

Every. Single. Time. I have a "never" thought, I always (or so it seems)end up doing it.

My dad was a pastor and he traveled quite abit for missions, revivals, retreats, etc., I specifically remember telling myself that I will NEVER marry someone that is away often (I was a big old chicken at the time & didn't like my dad not being home at night) I had no intention of being alone at night.

I married a military guy = gone for days at a time. He is now out of the military, but now he works nights.

Nice, huh?

When Facebook first became popular, I said the N word again.

Yup, you guessed it... on it and checking it daily. I check e-mail, then Facebook.

So when Sketchers came out with the Shape Ups, I thought.."Man, those are ugly..I will never where those!" I even had a conversation a week or so ago with my best friend about them.

Well...you almost guessed it. I did not buy the Sketchers - not in my budget - but I bought Avia's version of them (they were a sale that fit my budget). They are ITones.

Not only did I buy them...I totally love them!!!!

Here goes..

I am never going to win a million dollars...NEVER!!!

You think it will work???

My Vacation Challenge To Myself

2011-02-08T12:36:00.002-06:00

I love a challenge, don't you?

My family and by "my" I mean my family (husband, kids and I), my mom, my sister and her family & my brother and his family, try to a vacation all together every other summer or every couple of summers.

We decided that this summer would be "our" summer to go. We are an ocean/beach family. There is something about standing on the shoreline, looking out into the open water and thinking abour our Creator. I am in awe at His creation of our world everytime.

ok..ok back to the challenge.

My sister and her husband graciously offered to take care of everyone's lodging.

I know, right?

That is probably the biggest expense when it comes to vacations.

She rented each family a condo in Myrtle Beach, SC.

Yes, she is an awesome big sis!!

Well, as you may remember my husband and I at the beginning of the year made some financial goals and we would like to stick to them, so I knew that I needed to become creative in how I was going to save for our vacation.

With us all staying in condos, for the most part we will be eating in, with each family taking turns hosting dinner. So I will be using my regularly budgeted grocery money that week for food. There will be a few meals eaten out however.

Gas will be the same, we will use our regularly budgeted gas money that week + a little more. Not sure how much more, it will depend on the price of gas.

So we need to come up with our "fun" money. There are some attractions that we know that we would like to do while there which involve purchasing tickets. Multiply that times six and some of the adventures can be pretty costly.

But we want to do them.

So I have made it my ~~mission~~ challenge to have these completely paid for before we leave.

I do this so that we do not touch any savings.

I do this so we can stay on track with our goals.

I do this because it is fun - I love challenges.

A couple of weeks ago, I went online to get prices for what we are hoping to do while there..other than spend a ton of time on the beach.

I came up with the total....gulp...$498.70..YIKES!!!

After digesting that..I went online to find coupons..surely there are coupons or at least group rates, right?!

There were coupons for all, but with one activity it was cheaper to do a group rate.

I brought my $498.70 down to $440.70.

Still alot of money.

But I knew/know I could do this, so I started last week.

I amazingly came up with $97.34!!!

I am almost a quarter of the way there!!

YEAH!!
Here is how it broke down:

$9.60 - Ebates

$17.33 - Ebay (I reflects ebay/paypal charges already subtracted)

$66.00 - Writing Projects

$4.41 - I am not sure where it came from!

I will let you know how I continue to do....

JOY Project January Update & What We Plan To Do For February

2011-02-04T13:39:00.001-06:00

This year we decided to do a JOY project every month for 2011.

For January it was decided to be the Humane Society (you can read about it here.)

We ended up with a box full of items to donate, the kids collected change and saved their money to give to the Humane Society.

I am so proud of them.

February's JOY project came when I learned about a young man (teenager) who lost his mom in a car accident just a few weeks ago. His mother's testimony had been shared to me and she sounds like an amazing Christian woman and mother. I can only imagine how hard it will be for this boy to have to finish growing up without the influence his mother. We want him to know that while we may not know him personally, we are praying for him just the same and hopefully will be able to send him some encouragement. The plan is once we find out a little bit more of his interests we can make a fun care box for him.

My mom is my best friend..at 35 I would be at a loss without her.

I cannot imagine his pain.

We also have a long time family friend, who in 2010 experienced losses (notice it's plural) that most people will not endure and certainly not in less than a year.

One of her losses was her only daughter, the mother of her only granddaughter, who she is now raising.

As a mom of four beautiful children, it hurts too much to even try to imagine what her pain is like.

For her I have a few things I want us to do for her to let her know that she is in our prayers everyday.

If you will..I would appreciate prayers for both of these individuals and their families.

Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ

I am so thankful that there can be Victory in death through Jesus Christ!

Linking up to Amy's Finer Things for Finer Things Friday

Winter Vote

2011-02-03T22:21:00.000-06:00

We will return to your normally scheduled blogging....

Soon.

This Is The Stuff Lyric Video

2011-01-29T09:28:00.001-06:00

Just had to share this song..It is sooooo me!! I love it!

Enjoy!

Introducing Jackson

2011-01-27T20:28:00.002-06:00

No...I did not have a baby.

No, we didn't adopt a pet.

Jackson has been a part of our lives for about a year now, possibly longer, possibly shorter. I really don't remember when he became intertwined with our daily lives.

Jackson is my three year old's friend. She says he is her "boyfriend", but I am not to keen on that.

She's only three and he is a bit unruly. (Don't worry I am fairly confident his parents don't read my blog)

He does everything that I don't want my children to do. He is very fond of saying the word "stupid", a word that is considered bad in our house. He pulls Lexi's hair and sometimes hits her in the face. He is just plain mean.
Not too mention that his mother lets him color his hair green...

with paint.

I know, right?

I know it would be best if she didn't hang out with him, but I feel I do not have a choice.

He is with us ALL. THE. TIME.

He sometimes goes to church with us, but believe it or not his family apparently is pretty active in a church somewhere.

I could make a whole scrapbook of just Lexi and Jackson.

I will give you a glimpse into our daily lives with Jackson..

Here is Lexi and Jackson hanging out at the Great Wolf Lodge on vacation...Yes, he went with us.

Lexi waiting for Jackson to go down the slide at the park..

Lexi and Jackson sleeping at the air show...

Ok so as you can see..or cannot see..Jackson is not real.

To us.

He is very real to my daughter, as is his whole family.

They live at McDonald's. His mom is nice. They are churchgoers, etc.

But that Jackson, he is one little troublemaker, at least according to Lexi..yet she loves him.

And I love her.

Happy Friday all!!

Linking up at Amy's Finer Things for Finer Things Friday.

Longhorn Steakhouse, Oscar Meyer, Menu Plan Monday(A Day Late) 01/25/11

2011-01-25T11:17:00.001-06:00

I am a day late on getting my menu plan out there...
After seeing the Longhorn Restaurant commercials I had to have steak last night, I really wanted to have it how the commercial shows they do theirs...

Loaded with cheese and bacon!

YUMMY!

I was good though and did not go that route and my husband was kind enough to grill outside among the melting snow.

The rest of the week is looking like this..

Tuesday: Baked chicken

Wednesday: Breakfast food

Thursday: Tacos

Friday: Chili...I made a pot of chili to take to my mom's on Sunday. I totally heart chili dogs, so I bought some Oscar Meyer turkey dogs..only 50 calories each, they were so good. They get a huge thumbs up!

Saturday: undecided (hoping for a date night with hubby)

Sunday:Dinner at church!

I am trying to use what I have in the freezer, so I am probably skipping a new recipe this week.

My review though for the Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies are a

thumbs down

Ugh..I feel so negative!

As much as I hate to admit it could have been because I was feeling really domesticated (or too lazy to go back to the store) and tried to make my own almond flour.

Or it could be because I am too cheap and thought why buy nectar when I have honey in my pantry.

Or because I decided to cut the recipe in half.

Or because I overcooked them.

Or maybe it just wasn't a good recipe. I'm just sayin'....

Have a great week!

Linking up to I Am An Organizing Junkie!

Free Dads & Daughters Book by Dr. James Dobson

2011-01-24T14:14:00.003-06:00

For a limited time you can get a free copy of Dr. Dobson's book Dads & Daughters here !

I am sure it won't last long!

Thanks to Cha Ching on a Shoestring.

Celebration Weekend

2011-01-24T07:32:00.003-06:00

This weekend was a celebration of my daughter, my oldest child's birthday.

She turned 12.

She smiles alot...

She makes crazy faces....

~~She is convinced that she is a 12 year old trapped in a 16 year old's body.~~ oops that doesn't make sense, now does it?
I meant she is convinced that she a 16 year old trapped in a 12 year old's body...ok better.

Sometimes I think the same thing.

It was a wonderful weekend that we pretty much celebtrated all weekend long. We reminisced about the day she was born. We talked reluctantly about the fact that we will have a teenager in the house next year.

Where does the time go?

As I was thinking about her this weekend, remembering all the firsts with her, I realized how much she has taught me.

It was with her that I experienced a true taste of unconditional love..I finally was able to understand in my earthly mind a taste of what our Heavenly Father feels towards us.

I remember how naive I was as a first time soon to be mom. When I was only 12 weeks along, I went to the doctor for a check up, he was trying to listen to the heartbeat.

He couldn't find one.

He retrieved a mobile ultrasound machine to find her and to make sure all was alright..although he never mentioned that all may not be right.

Not. One. Time. did it occur to me that something could be wrong. I was just excited because I was going to see my baby!!

Two miscarriages later, never again would I take a positive pregnancy test for granted or the heartbeat of my unborn child. I understand the fragility of life now.

I grew up a lot with her.

I love her so much!!

Happy Birthday..baby girl!

New Recipe Update & Menu Plan Monday 01/17/2011

2011-01-17T18:54:00.002-06:00

The new recipe review will be easy this week..

We didn't get to try a new recipe.

Last week the stomach flu swept through our ~~house~~ half our house.

I, the cook, was a victim.

So there was a whole lot of non cooking going on, with the exception of the turkey. It had to be cooked since it was thawed. Fortunately, I was able to enjoy a little of it by the end of the week.

The line up this week is

Monday: Left over chicken. my mom gave me a whole roasted chicken yesterday, it was really good!

Tuesday: Roast beef w/ potatoes & carrots. Hoping to use leftovers to make some vegetable beef soap for lunch the next day!!!

Wednesday - Grilled pork steaks

Thursday - Turkey burgers

Friday - Spaghetti made with whole wheat pasta

Saturday - Leftovers

Sunday - Dinner at Mom's!

The new recipe this week is a dessert that I found in my Weight Watchers magazine. They are low calorie and gluten free.

Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies
Preheat oven to 350
Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper

1 c. almond flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
2 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp amber agave nectar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 c sliced almonds

Mix almond flour, baking soda & salt in medium bowl.
Whisk canola oil, amber agave nectar & vanilla in small bowl
Stir agave mixture into almond flour mixture until well blended.
Stir in chocolate chips & almonds.
Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto each baking sheet, 2 inches apart.
Bake 1 sheet of cookies until golden, 7-8 minutes.
Let cool on sheet rak 5 minutes.
Transfer cookies to rack & let cool completely.

1 cookie has 41 calories or for those doing Weight Watchers they are 1 point.

Linking to

It's the Small Details About Big Things

2011-01-12T22:10:00.003-06:00

Have you read or heard a Bible story over and over and you think there is not possibly anything else to learn from it?

I have.

And then God shows me...you will never stop learning.

In our Wednesday night Bible study at church, our pastor has been going through the Bible giving lessons on different individuals. I absolutely love it and more than once, I have learned tidbits that I did not know or probably more accurate to say that I skimmed over.

It happened this evening.

He taught about Stephen, the first Christian martyr. He told things that I knew, like how he was disliked for his teachings, was lied about in order for his enemies to have permission, if you will, to kill him. I knew that he had a kindness about him that is not comparable to most earthly beings, meaning that even as they were stoning him and just before he died, he asked God to forgive them.

Then our pastor read Acts 7:55
But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

Do you see that?

Jesus was standing at the right hand of God. Everywhere else in the Bible when it refers to Jesus and the right hand of God, it says He is sitting at the right hand of God.

See Stephen stood up for the Truth (Jesus) and the Truth stood up for him.

How awesome is that?

What a comfort for Stephen to see the Heavens open up & to see not only see Jesus....

But see Jesus standing for him.

And what a comfort to know that when we are standing for the Truth, He will stand with us and for us!!

Linking up to

New Recipe Review & Menu Plan Monday 01/10/2011

2011-01-10T08:45:00.000-06:00

As mentioned before to broaden our tastebuds we are trying one new recipe a week. Last week was Gourmet Roast Beef Roll Ups.

Thumbs up all the way!

The chili garlic sauce (found with the Asian food at the grocery store) was really good, but was pretty hot, so only a little is needed.

The line up for this weeks menu is...

Monday: Baked ziti using whole wheat pasta, heart healthy Ragu & lean ground turkey & a garden salad.
We were supposed to have this last week but didn't.

Tuesday:Spiced Yogurt Chicken - Our new recipe for the week!

Wednesday: Turkey - I have a whole turkey that I bought when they were on sale in November & it is taking alot of room up in my freezer!

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Pizza!Pizza! You can't have a family game night without pizza, can you?!

Saturday: Grilled chicken & veggies

Sunday: Traditional dinner at mom's!

Linking up to..

Have a great week all!

Close Your Eyes & Close Your Ears, Mommy!!

2011-01-09T21:13:00.000-06:00

This is what my three year old asked of me the other night when she had a surprise for me.

I knew how to close my eyes.

Wasn't too sure about closing the ears.

So who better to teach me how to close my ears than her, my three year old!!!

In case you are wondering & for your viewing pleasure, this my friends is how you close your eyes & ears all at the same time...

Apparently, shrugging your shoulders as high as possible, results in the closing of the ears.

Let's make sure you got this now....

Eyes and ears open

Eyes and ears closed

Very good!

Now next time you need to close your eyes and ears at the same time, you know exactly what to do.

The things we learn from our children!

JOY Projects

2011-01-07T07:30:00.000-06:00

I remember the first time that heard the acronym for JOY, Jesus,Others,You. I was in grade school and my teacher told us to experience true joy, this should be the order of our priorities.

She was right.

It is not an easy order to keep, sometimes I experience just "OY" - leaving Jesus out..sometimes, I remember Jesus, but skip the "O" and much to often it is just the "Y", no "J" or "Y" to be found.

I have shared this simple acronym with my children and hope that they too remember it just like I have all these years and that they too will strive to experience true joy!

However, just knowing it, remembering it will not help them (or me) achieve it. It is by practicing it.

We have a local Christian radio station called JOY FM. Every month they have a Project JOY - the projects are in one way or another about reaching out to others.

The past several weeks...months..I have been thinking..and thinking

I think that having our own family JOY projects could be a great way to get the ball rolling.

I really wasn't sure where to start, so I began to pray about it.

Then Thursday happened.

My mom had decided to adopt a cat through our local Humane Society. Over the weekend the kids and I went with her to pick one out..

She found one...here is Khulua

The people at the Humane Society named her, I am sure they meant the village in India and not the drink :) Adorable, I know right!

In order for my mom to bring her home, she had to be spayed. However, when the vet went in to spay her, he discovered that she had a stomach disease that was now incurable. The only choice was to euthanize her.

My mom was very sad.

My girls were very, very sad.

My son cried. He cried "I wish God would start the whole world over"

Me too, bud, me too.

They all broke my heart.

We talked about the cat, my daughter reminded him that God has a reason for everything that happens...good or bad.

Now my middle daughter and son want to change the world...

for animals.

It's a start, right?

They want to collect all that they can to give to the Humane Society, we are going through all of our blankets, my stockpile of things looking for things on their (Humane Society) list of items needed, i.e. hand soap, laundry detergent, etc. They have already begun going through my coupons looking for cat/dog coupons so we can buy treats, toys and food.

While I do not think that the "O" in JOY was necessarily referring to animals but I do believe that all of God's creation should be taken care of. I also believe that I can use their zealousness to take care of the "orphaned animals" to bring honor and glory to His name..even it is simply leaving Bible tracts for the volunteers. It is about putting compassion into action.

My kids are sensitive, they are compassionate and they are caring. I want to foster
these characteristics any way that I can, so that one day they can be used by the Lord in active ministry.

I want them to find JOY UNSPEAKABLE!

Linking up to

Got Pizza??

2011-01-06T14:32:00.001-06:00

First let me start off by saying that I promise I am not going to turn this into a food blog nor will I talk about "the diet" endlessly.

Having said that..can I pleeeeeease share with you the personal pan pizzas that my husband and I made for ourselves today for lunch? Look at this baby..doesn't it look delish, especially on my Target after Christmas clearance paper plate?

It tasted even better and the calorie count is less than 250, add a garden salad to it and you have yourself a nice healthy lunch.

Real quick I will tell you what we did. Our crust is 1/2 of a honey wheat pita pocket. (If you are near a Schnucks, this week they have Kangaroo Pita Pockets on sale $1 a package, not a shabby price at all.) For our sauce we each used 1/4 cup of a Ragu heart healthy pasta sauce. We then topped it with turkey bacon, followed by veggies of our choosing. For the finale we added a little oregano. Toasted them in our toaster oven and...............

BOOYAH!!! They were soooooo yummy!!!

We do/did the Little Ceasars $5 pizzas on Friday nights often, I am just excited that we can still do that for the kids and we (my husband and I) will enjoy our own pizza and not feel like we are missing anything!

Hope you are having a great day!!!

Menu Plan Monday - 01/03/2011

2011-01-03T21:32:00.001-06:00

Ok so as previously posted one of my two ~~resolutions~~ revolutions for 2011 was to lose weight - my husband and I are doing it together, well, kind of. We are part of a Biggest Loser contest that has other contestants, so really we are competing against each other. In the end though it is about making healthy choices and while none of our children have an extra ounce on them, we know that unless we teach them now about eating healthy they could some day struggle with weight too.

Whew..did that make any sense? If so, read on....lol

Anyway, I have decided that in order to expand our taste buds, I am going to fix at least one meal every week that is new to us.

This week the new recipe is Gourmet Roast Beef Roll Ups. This is a Biggest Loser recipe. It sounds really good and I am anxious to give it a try. I don't know why, but the chili garlic sauce just sounds really appealing to me!

Here is our menu line for the week:

Monday: Tacos..for my husband and I it will be taco salad, using ground turkey and low calorie tortilla strips.

Tuesday: Baked Ziti - featuring whole wheat pasta and heart healthy Ragu sauce..

Wednesday: Gourmet roast beef roll ups ( I can't wait!)

Thursday: Grilled Chicken w/ salad and steamed vegetables

Friday: Turkey Burgers with baked potatoes and probably some mac and cheese for the kiddos.

Saturday: Leftovers

Sunday: Dinner at my mom's - just another reason why I love Sundays!!!

That's our line up for the week. I will let you know if the if beef roll ups get a thumbs up or thumbs down.

2011 Revolution!!!

2011-01-01T03:00:00.000-06:00

Every.Single.Year. I make resolutions and I usually do well.

For a few months.

Some things??

Just a few weeks.

Maybe that makes me a failure, maybe not. I get credit for trying though regardless, right?

Anyway, I will be trying again in 2011, but this year I am going to call it revolutions..(I got the idea from JOY FM!!)

Revolution •a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving

I, personally, have only two goals for 2011..to grow more inwardly, while shedding pounds outwardly- to be fit inside and out.

I am excited that for once in my ADD life..getting organized is not on my list. I do not have the whole organization thing down completely, but I am more organized than I have ever been in my life. I know where the band aids are, I can find a pen very easily, you can open up cabinets and tupperware is not falling down on you (usually :))..you get the picture.

My husband and I have some financial goals that we are hoping to meet in 2011 as well, we at least have a plan to meet them.

I am excited about 2011..I feel the Lord has great things in store for me and my family.

Happy New Year everybody!!!!

Life Around the Dinner Table

2010-12-28T03:00:00.000-06:00

My family knows..because I told them..that dinner time is my favorite part of the day. And yes, I do enjoy eating, but that is not my reason for loving this time of the day. After we give thanks we always ask the kids what their favorite part of the day was and what their least favorite part of their day was. Let me tell you that is very enlightening. Dinner time around here is more than eating the last meal of the day, it is where we learn about each other, we learn the latest jokes, we share our joys, we ask questions, etc. The dinner table isn't just for eating either, we craft, we play games, we carve pumpkins, we sit and talk while drinking hot cocoa and more.

The best thing is that it doesn't just have to be our dinner table..it can be Grandma's (my mom) dinner table, where we all get together, we reminisce, laugh and share. My brother, sister, mom and I have talked hours about our memories with my dad, we have cried at the dinner table too. Over the holidays we learned things about our family that were funny and some that were sad. We have enjoyed my mom's awesome cooking and baking... all around the dinner table.

I have also come to love my in-laws dinner table too. German immigrants they are, I love to hear the stories of the most amazing courage that my husband's grandparents had. Coming to the US by boat with their two young daughters, wanting a better life for them and doing what was necessary to make that happen. Their story is AMAZING!!

While the food around the dinner table will be changing soon ( healthier eating in the New Year..try, try again..isn't that what they say?), the conversation, the the laughter and the knowledge gained around the table, I pray will be unchanging!!!!

Buffalo Wild Wings - Party of Chaos

2010-11-09T16:30:00.000-06:00

It has been a long time since we (my husband, kids and myself)have gone out to eat together. At a restaurant. A sit down, have a person come take your order, then deliver your food, refill your drinks kind of restaurant.

Since I had not gone to the grocery store and really had no desire to rummage through the fridge or freezer to make a mod podge dinner for my family, I decided to check to see if any local restaurants were having "kids night".

Unfortunately most of the restaurants near us had their "kid nights" on other nights. Tuesday and Thursdays seem to be a big night for those who live near me...

However, Buffalo Wild Wings have their night on Mondays. Perfect. $1.99 per kid and that included drink. Even more perfect. The age limit for BWW is 12...well, color me happy...all my kids were eating...and drinking...for $1.99 each!

So I go tell the kids to get there shoes on because we were going out to eat, totally expecting them to be excited since this is a rare thing.

Nope.

They were playing and didn't want to go out to eat.

Not a one of them.

After some time convincing them that this would be just as much fun as staying home and for sure a better dinner than what would otherwise be headed their way, they obliged.

Upon arrival to a pretty desolate BWW, which really surprised us since not only was it kids night, but it was also Monday Night Football. We really expected more people to be there. We were seated right away and were able to order our food right away, always a good thing.

I know you are wondering where the chaos is..I am getting to it.

While waiting for our food, Brian took the kids to look at the video games, only returning for me to fish through my purse for as many quarters as possible. BTW, we are proud owners of three very new and expensive bouncy balls. I sense your jealousy. At one point I hear workers gushing over a child that had apparently fallen. Oh yeah, it was one of ours. Our youngest who may have happened to wear her new dress up play, princess high heels out to dinner tonight. Only a little embarrassing. Not as embarrassing though as apparently our 11 year old was when she found out she would be ordering from the kids menu. I mean, really, if she ever won the clean plate award, we probably would have considered letting her order from the adult menu, but it is for kids 12 and under, it was only $1.99 with drink..ok so maybe we wouldn't have considered it. For the record, she did not finish her meal. In fact not a one of them did.

Not one.

Even my 8 year old who is the world's best eater, did not finish her meal. In fact about half way through she threw down her sandwich, tells me she needed to go to the bathroom...I look up at her and she was as white as a ghost. The prayers began for me, "Lord, please don't let her throw up, please...but if she has to, please, let her make it to the bathroom, please"Then the fears from the other kids begin.."Is Ash, sick, is she going to throw up?"

The kids are not as quiet as I am when I am saying my prayers.Thus the bold italics above!

Hearing that someone could possibly be vomiting, is not want the patrons of a restaurant want to hear..

She didn't get sick..thankfully. We asked for our check and some to go boxes and as quietly as a brood of six can be, we left.

I am pretty sure I heard applause upon our departure!!

Ok, so it wasn't that bad and pretty sure I was just being paranoid about people hearing us, but at any rate my husband and I did learn that if the kids say that they don't want to go out to eat, we will listen.

PB&J with a big glass of milk can make for a mighty fine dinner!!!

Ebay Does It Again...

2010-10-27T14:05:00.000-05:00

Leaves me confused that is.

Hard to believe, I know, right?

So I had a pair of The Limited Stretch corduroy pants that I picked up for a $1.50 at Good Will a while back. I immediately put them on Ebay with a starting price of $4.99 and shipping of $4.95.

Didn't sell.

Boo.

I waited a week or two and decided to put them back out there with a starting bid of $6.99 and $5.95 shipping. I had to readjust shipping on all of my items. I hadn't realized how much postage has gone up.

Once again...

They didn't sell.

In fact not many of the not many items I had put out there did sell.

Boo again.

But since it costs me nothing to relist and it takes literally two seconds to relist - you just click relist and then one other button in the next page to relist, unless you want to change something - I didn't want to change anything. I relisted these pants.

Guess what?

Yup - you guessed it they sold for $9. Crazy, huh? Other of my items that didn't sell, sold this time around too. So I am happy.

I think part of the problem when I listed them last week was that I had the auction end on the weekend. I am starting to see that I do better when I have the auctions end in the middle of the week, at least for now.

Timing must be everything when it comes to Ebay!

Allowance, Schmollowance...

2010-10-18T09:33:00.000-05:00

We have never really done allowances with the kids before..at least consistently. If they needed something we just bought it of course and if they wanted something well it would just depend what it was, how much it was, etc. Unfortunately, the answer most of the time was"no" or "wait", neither of them a bad word, but it got old saying it and I know for them it got old hearing it.

See, when you have four children and you are a fair parent, as we try to be, one $5 little gadget that isn't anything much, turns into $20 and four little gadgets that aren't anything much. If you buy for one, you can't help but buy for all.

I am not trying to brag, but we have pretty well behaved children, they do any chores we ask, and more often than not it is without any whining. I know, right? Blessed we are.

OK, ok back to the whole allowance thing..Brian and I had come to the conclusion that in order to keep our sanity while at a store and to keep from being nickeled and dimed to death, allowances are going to be necessary. I had been reading a thread on a mom's forum I go to regularly about allowances and how different families determine the amount each child receives, so we decided to go with "half their age + $2". Got it? Make any ~~cents~~ sense?

So here is how it goes:

Oldest daughter is 11, she receives $7.50 (half of 11 = $5.50 + $2= $7.50)
Middle daughter is 8, she receives $6 (half of 8 = $4 + $2 = $6)
Son is 6, he receives $5 (half of 6 = $3 + $2 = $5)
Youngest daughter is 3 and she receives $3.50 (half of 3 = $1.50 + $2 = $3.50)

I like this method because they can see that age has its privilege and they know that with each birthday their allowance will increase.

I also like it because I can take them to the store with me now without having to give the "don't ask for anything, we are just running in to get a couple of things, we don't have time to look at toys, I know you just want to look, but really we can't buy anything" speech. They have their own money, to give, to spend and/or to save.

Here goes to teaching some financial responsibility (or at least try)!!!

BTW, we will still provide all their needs, I promise!

Ebay? Ebay?? Ebay???

2010-10-04T23:07:00.000-05:00

Remember when I said I was too busy to blog?

Remember the part about turning "trash" into treasure over at My Dear Trash?

So I decided to give it a try..

I mean I love a ~~good~~ great deal, but I DO NOT HAVE THE ROOM to keep very many great deals.

Soooo...I decided to see if I could make a profit off of my deals.

I started seeing $$ signs at every yard sale and at every thrift store...even in my own closet (and my husband's too..ssshhh don't tell)

I am still trying to figure out what it is that makes an item sell..is it simply price? Is it shipping costs? Maybe it is all about timing, yes, that must be it..because check these two sales out.

Here we have a ladie's size small Gap Stretch jean jacket.

I purchased it at a yard sale for $1. Listed it on Ebay with a starting bid of $3 and shipping of $5...after a 3 day auction, it did not sell. I immediately relisted it. I changed the starting bid from $3 to $2.99 and the shipping from $5 to $4.95, so a 6¢ difference. It ended up selling for $7.50 + the $4.95 shipping.

Another example that proves it is all about timing..

This nice Tommy Hilfiger men's jacket was found in the back of our closet, we have no idea where it came from, so decided to throw it out there. Starting bid was $3 with $5.50 shipping, after a 3 day auction..NOTHING. Remembering the Gap jacket, I relisted it. However, this time, I upped the starting bid to $4.99 and lowered the shipping to $4.95.

Yeah, it sold for $10.50 + $4.95 shipping.

BTW, if that was your Tommy Hilfiger jacket..I am so sorry......

So while I am still learning the ins and outs of selling on Ebay, I do remind myself that it is all about timing, just as pretty much everything else in life.

Really Aeropostale???

2010-09-29T09:40:00.000-05:00

So this morning my oldest daughter and I were discussing that she needed some new winter clothes...as much as I hate to admit it, she really does, she has grown and needs new clothes.

I really like to shop online, I usually can score really good deals. In the last week or two I have purchased four pairs of shoes..all high quality shoes from JCPenneys and Sears for less than $20 that includes shipping for all four pairs!!

Ok, back to Aeropostale..I get an e-mail saying that for today only FREE SHIPPING..yeah, they usually have good prices in their clearance section. I open up the e-mail and it says..

Free Shipping

Today Only

On all orders

$87 or more

Really Aeropostale??

How nice of you...

NOT!!!!

So I Turned 35 Last Week...

2010-09-22T15:28:00.000-05:00

Yikes! I cannot believe I am ~~old~~ 35 years of age now!

For the past week or so I have been dreaming of writing some nostolgic post..but alas it never came or happened.

I had thought about being coy and tried to come up with 35 things I want to accomplish in the next year of my life, but I only came up with about 5...yeah, I am a pretty motivated gal, I know.

So instead I will share with you how my birthday went down (because, after all, I know that you have been waiting and waiting to hear about this day, right?)...

It actually started the Saturday before my birthday, after a full day at the air show and watching the Blue Angels, we took our oldest daughter to my mom's and the other three were spending the night with my mother-in-law. In case you didn't catch it, let me explain it a little better:

1 child at grandma's + 3 children at oma's = mom and dad alone for the evening!!

So we decided to celebrate my birthday and went to Houlihan's Restaurant. To make it a little more romantic, this happens to be the place where we met almost 15 years ago!! As we were waiting for our food, Brian pointed out where I was sitting the night we met. I was there with a couple of girlfriends and he was our waiter!! He asked for my phone number that night. I didn't give it to him then, but went back the next night and gave it to him. He remembered where I sat that night too!!! Yeah, he so earned some brownie points with all that remembering! Okay, so I am getting a little nostolgic.....

Moving on to the rest of the birthday celebration..Sunday, of course, was church. After church was dinner at my mom's followed by my fave...

chocolate cake.

Yummy!

At this time we didn't have my younger kiddos yet later Sunday evening we went to pick them up. There I was greeted with some very special presents from them..one of kind birthday cards and very rare pieces of literature :) my kids are very crafty and original...

I love that.

They did not get it from me.

On my actual birthday the kids had to go back to school, Brian had to go back to work..my three year old, Miss Lou Lou, as I like to call her, went to Sonic.

That my friends, was my birthday.

Aren't you glad I shared it with you?

Hope you are having a great week!

I Am Too Busy To Blog

2010-09-08T09:02:00.001-05:00

Yeah...too busy reading everyone else's blog.

I feel really bad, so I figured I would share some of the blogs that I find I must check out...

First up, if you are needing some DIY ideas for your home check out Thrifty Decor Chick.

To learn how to turn "trash" into treasure and make a profit, My Dear Trash is a must read!!

Last but not least for those who like to sew, check out Sutton Grace for some great tutorials!

So now you know where I am at if there's hasn't been a post for awhile!!

Here I Go Again....

2010-09-01T12:32:00.000-05:00

Ok remember when I decided to try to lose weight using the Biggest Loser for the Wii?

I did really good.

For awhile.

Then I quit. (How embarrassing!)

Gained four pounds of what I lost back. (Even more embarrassing)

I am a loser...just not the kind of loser I want to be.

So apparently I was not embarassed enough by my failure, because I am doing it again.

I know, right?!

Here's how it went down...my mother in law and I were talking one night about how fat we are..not a real pleasant conversation to say the least. Neither of us disclosed our actual weight though..I mean, come on, my mother in law and I have a great relationship, but I don't even share that info with my own mom husband!!! Some things are left unknown.

Anyway, we decided right then and there that now is just as good as anytime to do something about it.

So today...September 1, my mother in law and I are going to be working to lose 20 pounds each by December 1.

I haven't decided what route to go..Biggest Loser, C25K, Weight Watchers, etc. maybe it will be a mixture. I will update, but not sure how often we will see.

Wish me luck!!!

Oh and you know the ring I so desprately wanted to be able to wear again..well when I saw that it didn't even fit on my thin 11 year old daughter, I realized that no matter what I do I will never be as thin as I was on my wedding day. Boo. I will just have to have it resized I guess.

Rest In Peace...

2010-08-30T09:33:00.000-05:00

Camera.....

We had our good times....

and our bad....

We even got a little dirty...

At $35 shipped two years ago, I certainly got my money's worth.

You will be missed (at least until I get a new one), but will (more than likely) never be forgotten.

I

Will

Always

YOU!!!

Thank you (and Meijer's for the great deal!) for the memories!!!!

Only One Week Into School And...

2010-08-26T10:02:00.000-05:00

I have a sick kiddo.

We have made it months...seriously all summer and even before that without any contagious ailments (I am specific because my son was diagnosed with psoriasis over the summer).

It started last night with a little bit of a sore throat. This morning it was a fever of 100.4...boo..

I am sure a trip to the doctor will be in order to find out if it is strep or not.

For now I will go baby my baby....my eleven year old baby...

My Garage Sales Pet Peeves....

2010-08-22T21:44:00.000-05:00

Ok really I only have two pet peeves when it comes to garage sales.

The first one is when there are no prices on anything. If I am at a yard sale and I see no prices on items, I turn around and move on to the next one. I do not want to have to ask for the price everytime I find something that I find interesting...seriously people, if you are taking the time to have a yard sale..PRICE YOUR STUFF!!!!

Whew..I feel better about that!!

My second pet peeve is probably a very common pet peeve among garage sale goers (sorry, I know that is probably not even a word!) anyway, the pet peeve is when things are priced soooooooo high... I walked away from a garage sale the other day because of this. I am pretty sure they must have been trying to make their mortgage payment for the month or something off this garage sale.

Here is just one example of their overpriced ~~stuff~~ junk...

A Fisher Price Chatterbox Phone like this one below

You can purchase it at Toys R Us in brand new packaging and then return it if you decide you really do not need it for about $8, probably even less at Walmart.

At this garage sale you could have purchased it without any packaging, slightly used shape and without the option of returning for..........

$5.00

Really???

What is wrong with people?

I know, I know. I really need to get a life.

Awesome Deals Steals This Weekend

2010-08-16T07:42:00.000-05:00

We are in the process of doing some makeovers to some of the rooms in our house, as well as doing some switching of rooms. The bedrooms are on the list of getting a makeover, they are long overdue for one. Inspire by the My Dear Trash blog and the challenges that are always going on, I wanted to give myself my own challenge of doing the makeovers as inexpensively as possible and paying for it as much as possible with money I earn on the side, e.g. Craigslist, Ebay, writing....

Hmmmm...where was I going with this...

Oh yeah!! This weekend I visited a store called Surplus City and scored unbelievable deals for our makeover, including bedding for comforters w/ matching pillowshams for two of the kiddos...

~~Cute~~ Manly grey and black Batman comforter w/ matching pillowsham for............drumroll please...............$2.49!!!

One of my smart shoppin' lil' ladies found herself a very feminine pink bedspread w/ matching pillowsham for...................wait for it...............................
.....

$1.99!!!

I know right!!!!

The store was having an awesome sale..all purple stickers were 90% off. The hunt was on for me, I searched high and low for these few and far between purple stickers.

I managed to find another boys comforter w/ sham that I will sell on Craigslis.

I found a set of glasses for a whole $1.69 - we needed these so bad!!! Also found a landline phone with bells and whistles for $2.29 - we currently only have cordless at home, I figured we probably needed a landline too. I found a really pretty ivory window scarf for $1.XX that I am probably going to use to make a couple of throw pillows for the makeover in our family room.

Glasses or No Glasses...UPDATE

2010-08-02T18:41:00.000-05:00

***My little man has 20/20 vision!!! It gets better too...my oldest eyes have seem to have corrected themselves and as of right now she does not require glasses!! Only one kiddo in glasses...yeah!!!***

for my little guy..we will find out Thursday.

(hee...hee..I love this pic, can you tell!!)

If he follows in his older sister's footsteps, he will be sporting glasses, however, he insists an eye exam is not necessary, he can see perfectly!! Of course, I am hoping he has 20/20 vision now and forever.....

The Summer is Coming to an End..

2010-07-31T10:43:00.000-05:00

Only 18 days left of summer for my kiddos. Boo.

We just returned from church camp, the one I attended as a child. I have not been there in almost 20 years. While they have updated the actual campgrounds, the spiritual feel remains unchanged. The Holy Spirit moved just as always and souls were saved. Our plan is to go back next year. My camera did not work for me properly, I think it was bad batteries, so I only have a few pics from my phone. Another boo.

We still have one more trip planned before the summer ends. We are going to Kentucky for a weekend. We go because of a family reunion that occurs on a Sunday afternoon, but we always go down a day or two earlier for a little shopping and recreation!

Hope everyone is having a great summer!! Enjoy!!!

Locks of Love and Other Fun Summer Stuff....

2010-07-14T10:47:00.000-05:00

At the start of our summer, my eight year old decided it was not only time to cut her hair, but to cut it short enough to make a donation to Locks of Love

Before...

After...

Because she made the donation, her haircut was free!!!

Also at the beginning of our summer we went to the St. Louis Zoo. Never before I had I walked so much in a single day. We were with our family, so we looked at everything, rode the train, saw the sea lion show, petted the sting rays, fed baby goats, you name it we did it and had loads of fun!!!

Here are my four with my neice and nephew..great looking bunch!!

We also had the opportunity to go see Beauty and the Beast performed. Unfortunately, that day we went started off alright, went bad, then was great again, however, during the brief bad time, I forgot my camera..so this is all I have for you!!!

While we still have several things on our plates to do this summer, including trips to Chicago and Kentucky to see family and dare I say, I am working up the courage to take all four of my kiddos to church camp - yikes!! This has been the best summer we have had in a long time..it is all about making memories that will last forever.

Toy Story 3 and Shrek the Final Chapter....

2010-06-30T09:42:00.000-05:00

My son had really been looking forward to seeing Toy Story 3. He had received Toy Story & Toy Story 2 (Blu-Ray, nonetheless) for Easter, thanks to a great deal that ~~I, mom~~, I mean the Easter Bunny found. Each of the dvds came with a free ticket to see Toy Story 3 and an interactive game for the computer. The two tickets were supposed to be for him and dad to have a guys night out.

Well.......what was supposed to be a guys night out, turned into a family night out...

We ended up going to our local drive in and for $18 all six of us saw Toy Story 3 and Shrek 4. If you need help with that, it equals $1.50 per movie for each of us. We made popcorn before we left and brought some other snacks. We also made a big jug of ice sweet tea. The only drawback was that the first movie didn't start until 8:15, but it was a Friday night, so no biggie. It turned out to be a great night. The youngest didn't make it through all of Toy Story 3, our son made it through all of Toy Story and most of Shrek. Our oldest two made it fine through both.

Oh and just so you know son and dad have other things planned to make up for their Toy Story 3 guys night out. They were great sports though and didn't mind us girls tagging along!!!

Kansas City Trip Part 3: Deanna Rose Farmstead

2010-06-23T10:29:00.001-05:00

In trying not to be completely waterlogged, we decided to take an afternoon and visit the Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead in Overland Park.

"Designed to depict a turn-of-the-century family farm, the Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead has almost 200 animals and birds of prey, vegetable and flower gardens, a one-room country schoolhouse, an old-time fishing pond, pony rides and more" .

My kids love this sort of thing. They are nature lovers and animal lovers. My six year old son's dream is to own his own farm or even his own zoo. The girls equally love the outdoors. We have had a variety of animals throughout the years, including a blue haired rat...yes, you read that right and yes, we actually paid for it. It has gone on to rat heaven though..sniff...sniff. (Read that as sarcastically as possible!!) They have even used their saved money to purchase their own plants for the garden. So visiting this Farmstead was a must on our vacation.

This is our oldest enjoying her pony ride...our son also rode a pony, but every picture I took had some little girls head bobbin up...

Our eight year old bottle feeding the goats. This was something all of the kids really enjoyed, even our two year old. I think it was the fact that she was feeding them with a baby bottle, just like she does her babies..well almost.

Pretending to milk a cow...

Sitting on a cow....

This was a fun thing too..here they are mining for gem stones. They were allowed to keep whatever they found...

Our two year old conversing with the chickens...

I definitely recommend visiting the Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead if ever in the area. Admission is free. There is a cost to do the various things, but they are very inexpensive - we are talking $3.

It was also very informative. In each area there was a staff member there to give a little history lesson and to answer questions. For instance, did you know that there are really not any wild buffalo in North America? We actually have bison. Buffalo and bison are similar, however, buffalo are native to Asia and Africa, where bison are native to North and South America.

Go ahead google it..you know you want to...I did...LOL

Kansas City Trip Part 2: T-Rex Cafe

2010-06-20T13:47:00.001-05:00

My husband is a deal maker, especially with our kiddos. The "big" deal on this trip was with our six year old son....isn't he a cutie?!

The deal was that he if he would go down one of the big slides (provided he was permitted)we would then go to the T-Rex Cafe for lunch or dinner one day. That was all our dinosaur lovin' little guy needed to hear. Within the first five minutes of entering the waterpark, my son and husband had gone down the big blue slide..I wish I had a picture. As soon as he was up out of the water, he confirmed that we would be going to the T-Rex Cafe.

We did.

He loved it.

Unfortunately, our youngest was not quite as excited to see these creatures, ok, not only was she not excited, she was plain ole' scared. She stuck close to mom and Oma on this outing. Our oldest, well, she, of course, is entirely too cool to even begin thinking that this dinosaur restaurant was remotely exciting. She still had a good time though, inspite of the uncoolness of it all!!!

Edited to add:
Prices were a little on the high side, however, the amount of food you receive was unbelievable. We took our leftovers back to the Lodge with us and had them for dinner that night. All in all, it was worth it.

Summer Fun At Great Wolf Lodge

2010-06-18T15:38:00.000-05:00

This week we had the privilege of spending four days and three nights at the Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City.

IT. WAS. AWESOME!!!

If you are not familiar with the Great Wolf Lodge Resorts, they are a very large indoor waterpark. I loved the fact that while they did have an outdoor pool area, the actual waterpark was indoors, which means weather and sunscreen were not worries.

Below are pictures of the waterpark and our stay at the lodge....enjoy!

This is what you see right when you walk into the waterpark area..pretty cool, huh?! There are a total of five slides, three of which are partly outside.

This is one of the pool areas, my two youngest daughters spent a good deal of time here, they even made friends!! The deepest part was 4'3" - which was perfect. My two year old wore her Coast Guard regulated swimming vest that the Lodge has available.

Cute, huh?!

Every five minutes, that large bucket dumps 1,000 gallons of water on the ~~crazy~~ water lovin' people below.

This is the area just before you enter the waterpark. There is one of the two shops on the grounds. This one is primarily for those items that maybe you left at home...like swimsuits (lol), goggles, batteries, etc. This is also wear they check the height of the kiddos to determine what or where they can play in the waterpark. Fortunately, with the exception of our two year old, there was not really anything that they could not do.

Once you are done pruning for the day, you can hit the arcade located near the entrance to the waterpark. You can earn tickets to turn in for prizes, which we did. Each one of our children eneded up with 230 tickets a piece to spend... we might as well have sent them to the dollar store with one dollar to spend, yes, it was that painful. The attendant had the patience of Job and did not seem to mind, probably just thankful that we only had four kids!!

There were certainly other non-water activities available to guests including storytime, which we somehow managed to miss every night, Cub Club Crafts, my wonderful husband took the kids to do this activity while his mom and I shopped at the Legends outlet mall.. yup... you read it right, the Lodge in Kansas City is right next to a huge outlet mall!!!

Overall our family gives the Great Wolf Lodge two thumbs up.. it is a great family getaway and while initially the prices can seem to be high, when you consider that it includes lodging plus the use of the waterpark, it really is not bad. The employees were fantastic and the customer service really could not have been better. There were numerous life guards on duty at any given time and they were all very well trained, never did you see them standing around talking, but rather always were walking around their given area, watching the swimmers.

**Believe it or not, I was not compensated in any way for the above review and it is my opinion only**

Summer Fun Thus Far...

2010-06-11T12:37:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe we are almost to the middle of June!!

So far I am having the best time with the kids. This week I had two extra kiddos during the day. They fit right in with my group and they all had a great time. We They played outside a lot, we went to the park, we took advantage of McDonalds spring time fun coupons for kids and got free ice cream cones. We have made s'mores. It has been fun!!!

Tomorrow is garage sale day.. I went last Saturday to a subdivision sale and really scored, mostly in clothing for the kiddos. I wish I would have taken pictures, but didn't and they are now all washed and nicely put up to be packed for next week.

I will share a run down of my best deal...

One house I went to had boxes and boxes of boys clothes...that just so happen to be the size that my son is in..a huge sign said, "Fill a bag for $2" I started looking and could not believe what I found..here is what I filled my bag with and paid all of $2 for..

-3 pairs of brand new, tags still attached Wrangler jean shorts
-1 pair of Tommy Hilfiger jean shorts
-2 Ralph Lauren shirts (1 pullover and 1 button down)
-1 Levi Strauss T-shirt
-2 Tommy Hilfiger button down shirts

All the clothes were in perfect condition... I almost felt bad giving only $2 for it all.

I "heart" garage sales!

Next week is our vacation week. We are heading to the Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City. The kids are so excited and can't wait to go, well, neither can I. I will be taking tons of pictures and post them when we get back... well, most of them. There WILL NOT any pics of me in my swimsuit...trust me you thank me for that!!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer too!!!

Diebergs...Worth Blogging About...

2010-06-03T17:09:00.000-05:00

If you are in the St. Louis area you should be familiar with Dierbergs grocery store. Today they had one of their 15 hour sales, not having shopped at Dierbergs for awhile I decided that some of the prices for this sale were to good to pass up.

For $20.XX this is what I purchased:

-5 lbs. of potatoes
-2 bags of salad
-1 2-liter of Pepsi (my downfall)
-2 Duncan Hines brownie mixes
-4 packages of ready to cook cinnamon rolls
-2 boxes of North Star 100 calorie fudge bars
-3 boxes of cereal
-2 packages of Kellogs Pop Tarts

Hmmm... I think that is it. While none of it is really all that exciting, it is perfect for us since next week I will be having a couple of extra kiddos for breakfast, lunch and snacks. (Babysitting for one of my best friends) I figure I at least have the breakfast covered for a couple of days, as well as snacks. My lunch should be covered with the salads...ok who am I kidding, it will probably be more like a baked potato and salad at lunch...lol!!

Summer is Here

2010-06-01T20:15:00.001-05:00

So this is my first summer in a long while that I am able to be home with the kids. I am so excited.

I am anxious to give them a ~~good~~ great summer. They deserve it! My three older ones who are in school, ended their school year with great grades...I think they get that from me!! LOL - ok maybe not!

Since we no longer have my full time income, we certainly will have to stay within budget when it comes to our summer outings, however, I am excited about what there is to do around town for free or nearly free.

Some of things that we have tentatively planned include:

-Parks... we are fortunate and live within minutes of several parks. A little picnic lunch and we are set.

-Zoo... we live near one of the best zoos in the country.. and its free. We actually visited this over the weekend and had a blast. While we were there till it closed, we still did not see everything, so we will be going back.

-Six Flags..my daughter has a free ticket from school and with the coupons that are always around, this really should not be too costly.

-Local Drive In - this drive in allows two kids per each paying adult. So my husband and I each pay and all of our kiddos are free. They play two movies. Our plan is to go this Friday, bring our own snacks and enjoy a couple of movies under the stars.

-Chicago - I have family that lives up there and we absolutely love it up there.

-Kentucky - We go there for an annual family reunion. We do a little shopping and a whole lot of swimming at the hotel we stay at. My kids look forward to it every year.

-Great Wolf Lodge.. this is happening in just a couple of weeks. Looking extremely forward to this. We were able to find some other things in the area for the kids to do.. best of all they are free.

-Springfield, IL.. so much history there and I heard there is great shopping too!! LOL

I know that there will be more that will make it onto our summer vacation to do list and I am so excited!!! I will try to post about our outings and how we did staying within budget!!

Have a safe and happy summer everyone!!

WOOOHOOOO!!!!!

2010-05-18T13:38:00.001-05:00

What a great day today!! I should say great mail day today!!! Two things came in the mail that was unexpected... one was unexpected money...hello.. gotta love that!!!
The second and the most exciting thing is we received a letter from the school that our children attend, telling us that my eight year old daughter has been nominated for the Northwestern Mutual Character Award. Her teacher nominated her for being caring... I can hear you awwwwing now, I know I still am. They are going to recognize her, as well as, the other character nominees on May 27th at 7:00. Ironic thing is that is the tenth anniversary of my dad's passing away, one his strongest character traits...caring.

I am one proud mama!!!

HOT DR. PEPPER COUPON

2010-05-13T11:16:00.000-05:00

Go here to print off $.60 coupon for a 2-liter or 12-pack of Dr.Pepper.

Thanks to Cha Ching on a Shoestring for posting this great coupon!!

What a Whirlwind

2010-05-11T08:46:00.000-05:00

The past couple of weeks have been a blur..

I had an unexpected trip out of town to see my sister who was ill (thankfully she is better now - just had us scared!)

My son has had a strange rash for almost two weeks now.. apparently it is a virus that just has to run its course.

The course....can last up to six weeks or so.

Nice.

Finally decided to have my garage sale.

The weekend my husband was out of town.

Not my smartest move.

I survived and actually made a little bit out of it.

Now that things have seeminly calmed down, I am going to try to get back on track with everything. Let's see how that goes... I promise to let you know.

Motivated Monday...

2010-04-26T18:08:00.000-05:00

So last week I posted my "To Do" List for the week..well, lets see how I did...

- exercise at least 3x's this week, even if it is just walking with the kids. Get back on track to this whole losing weight thing! I did go walking, but only once, mainly because it was pretty rainy last week. This week is not looking to promising either, I will need to resort to indoor exercise.

-Work on doing some sort of landscaping on our front yard.. yeah, that should be fun!
Ok - I did get started on this. Once the weather clears up, I plan to do more.

-Begin pricing items for our yard sale. I have been doing this. I have almost everything priced, but I am still coming across more items to sell.

- write enough to earn me minimum $50 (I have been doing a little freelance writing, which is why I have not been here as much lately. Boo.) I almost made it... I was $2 short. I will try again this week, actually, I am trying for more.

-get my laundry completely caught up.....again (I have no idea why keeping laundry up is so difficult for me, honestly it is the easiest of chores, right? What is wrong with me??) Can I skip this one? I did not get caught, close but no cigar

-To stop being a chicken and write an article for Helium already. It is not an immediate moneymaker, but I believe writing for them will enhance my writing abilities. Do you hear any balking? If you do, that would be me, I chickened out.

-Last but certainly not least....write on here more, at least 3x's. Yet another failure.. I only did twice. Boo. Keeping tabs on my "to do" list is actually quite depressing. Oh well, this week will certainly be better, right?

This week's "To Do" list is looking pretty similar..

-Exercise.. indoors or outdoors. Minimum of 3x's this week

-Continue gathering and pricing things for our yard sale

-Earn at least $50 writing

-Write 3x's or more on here

-Laundry, Laundry, Laundry

-Write for Helium..... balk, balk, balk...

Happy Monday, Everybody!!!

2010-04-22T09:09:00.000-05:00

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1

Taking care of the earth that God lovingly created for us really should come naturally, however, for me sometimes it is an after thought :(

Starting today I will make a more conscience effort to recycle, reuse, reduce....

Happy Earth Day!

Motivated Monday..

2010-04-19T10:13:00.000-05:00

OK - so I am not as motivated as I would like to be. I thought maybe if I put my list of what I would like to accomplish this week for all the world to see or at least a couple of people, I might actually do them!!! What do you think???

Here it is...

- exercise at least 3x's this week, even if it is just walking with the kids. Get back on track to this whole losing weight thing!

-Work on doing some sort of landscaping on our front yard.. yeah, that should be fun!

-Begin pricing items for our yard sale.

- write enough to earn me minimum $50 (I have been doing a little freelance writing, which is why I have not been here as much lately. Boo.)

-get my laundry completely caught up.....again (I have no idea why keeping laundry up is so difficult for me, honestly it is the easiest of chores, right? What is wrong with me??)

-To stop being a chicken and write an article for Helium already. It is not an immediate moneymaker, but I believe writing for them will enhance my writing abilities.

-Last but certainly not least....write on here more, at least 3x's.

Ok there you have it...I hope that at the end of the week I will be able to check each one of those off!!!

Happy Monday!!!

It Worked....

2010-04-13T20:41:00.000-05:00

Remeber back in October, I told you about my lasagna garden? Well, my son and I went to plant and IT ACTUALLY WORKED!! We did not have to till or dig. The ground was so soft and the soil so rich. There were worms everywhere..which is a good thing!! We planted several things, some of which have already sprouted. I do not have much of a green thumb, fortunately my six year old does, so hopefully we will have some fresh fruit and vegetables in a couple of months!! I am so excited! I will keep you posted.

Cute, Easy and Less Messy...

2010-03-31T18:50:00.000-05:00

Than coloring Easter eggs, at least I think. We haven't made them yet, but are going to give it a try this Friday. These cute little Eggimals are made from the larger plastic eggs, a little felt and glue.

Aren't they adorable?

I am totally lovin' the pig!!!

Me a Minimalist??

2010-03-23T00:03:00.000-05:00

Minimilist: one who seeks to minimize or reduce to a minimum

If you are reading this and know me, you are probably thinking, yeah, right!

If you have seen my closets, my cupboards, my drawers, you are probably saying "whatever, no way will you ever be a minimalist."

You are probably right. Considering that just six months ago I attempted to declutter our home and while I did manage to get rid of A. LOT. I somehow didn't get rid of enough. I am running out of room....again. I am feeling disorganization creeping back into my closets, my cabinets, my life. I think that maybe a minimalist way of thinking is the way to go, who needs five casserole dishes, who needs three full sets of dishes, who needs three winter coats, five purses, ten (and then some) pairs of shoes, I think you get the picture. So as I begin spring cleaning, I will be challenging myself to think like a minimalist.

Does that mean I can't stockpile?

She's Stuck In My Heart...

2010-03-16T10:53:00.000-05:00

Is what my barely six year old son told me last night through tears.

Sadly for me, I wasn't the "she".

No, it wasn't some little girl in his kindergarten class either.

It was his grandma, my mom.

My only son has formed a bond with my mom that is so sweet and so special. At least one night each weekend he stays the night with her, unless she is out of town. If she is out of town, like she was this past weekend, he can hardly wait till she comes home. Asking me continually if she would be home yet, when will she be home, why isn't she home, etc. you get the picture!

She had a birthday over this past weekend, but we had to celebrate it last night. In addition to the gift that my husband and I had bought her, my younger three kids selected items from their own personal possesions that they felt she would enjoy and they made many a card for her. My son was the most eager to give her his card, I didn't see it before he gave it to her, so I wasn't sure why the excitement other that the obvious - it is her birthday (duh - says the six year old!)

Then she opened it.

All his money that he had left over from his birthday...all $4.

She was touched, as was I.

Of course, Grandma hated taking his money, so they came to an agreement, she would buy a dinosaur egg for ~~him~~ them.

As it seems to become more and more frequent, when it is time to leave Grandma's house, the tears begin to flow.

And flow.

No tantrum, just a muffled cry with alligator tears streaming down his face.

He tells me that when he leaves he can't help the tears because when he is away from her he misses her..."Mom, she is stuck in my heart".

Once we get home, he is alright. He calls her every night and sees her on the weekend.

We give my mom grief that he is the favored one, but we all know that is not true. She loves her children and grandchildren equally. However, there is no denying that she is his favorite. Sniff, sniff.

Is someone "stuck" in your heart or better yet, are you "stuck" in someone's heart?

Betty Crocker Giveaway Winner...

2010-03-15T07:46:00.003-05:00

Is comment 12:

Jay said:

Thanks- the kids call these gummy treats!! Our oldest has learned to help by having younger siblings.

Thank you to all who left comments!

Happy Monday!

P & G and Kraft $20 Savings Book

2010-03-12T12:24:00.000-06:00

Enter your zip code to see if a store near you is participating in this giveaway. If so you will be directed to a page with four pictures, simply click on any one of them to be taken to the next page and click on the "Click here to save" in the upper right corner. The booklet will be mailed out to you in 2-3 weeks.

If you are in the St.Louis metropolitan area it appears that Shop N Save is participating.

Thanks to Cha Ching on a Shoestring.

Love and Discipline

2010-03-12T08:41:00.000-06:00

We had a missing assignment.

It wasn't technically missing, it just wasn't done.

The second time this school year.

As promised with the first missing assignment, one week grounding from the TV and the computer.

Thought for sure it would be an ugly week.

Turns out my eleven year old not only understands but accepts the consequence of her actions or in this case her inaction.

This was her first real grounding and while I wish that I could say this would be her only, I know that it probably isn't. However, I am confident that she understands that it is because of our love for her that we discipline her.

We are reminded in Hebrews 12:6-11 that God too chastises those He loves, those He calls His own. When we are in sin, He will chastise us, not to destroy us not even to judge us, but to edify us and to restore us.

That is a finer thing.

Check out more finer things at Amy's Finer Things.

Happy Friday All!!!

Right @ Home Spring Cleaning Pack - First 10,1000

2010-03-10T07:29:00.000-06:00

Sign up today to receive a Spring Cleaning Pack from Right at Home.

Spring is right around the corner, wouldn't t be nice to have some freebies to go along with our spring cleaning?!

Spring Cleaning Gift Pack
First 10,000* to respond will receive a gift pack with favorite Ziploc® Brand, Scrubbing Bubbles® and Pledge® products inside.Hurry—respond now!

Betty Crocker Win and Give....Giveaway...

2010-03-08T22:18:00.001-06:00

Recently I was informed of Betty Crockers fruit flavored snack Win and Give promotion.

With specially marked boxes of kid favorites – including Fruit Roll-Ups, Gushers, Fruit by the Foot, and Stickerz & Shapes – your child could win one laptop to keep and Betty Crocker Fruit Flavored Snacks will donate another to a child in Africa.

Each day from now through May 30, 2010, one laptop prize will be awarded to a U.S. winner. For every laptop won, one laptop will be donated to an African child through One Laptop per Child, an organization that creates educational opportunities for the world’s poorest children by providing each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power connected laptop with content and software designed for collaborative, joyful, self-empowered learning. For your chance to win, simply enter the unique online code printed on participating Betty Crocker Fruit Flavored Snack packages on Win One Give One.

A big thank you to Betty Crocker and My Blog Spark for not only giving me I mean my kiddos the opportunity to try a couple of boxes of Betty Crocker fruit snacks, but for also making a donation of $25 on my behalf to One Laptop Per Child..

You too can have the opportunity to win two boxes of Betty Crocker Fruit Flavored Snacks AND have $25 donated on your behalf to One Laptop Per Child by simply leaving a comment - would love to hear how you encourage your kiddos to give, but a simple hello will do it too. The giveaway will end March 15 and the winner will be picked by Random.org.

**Disclosure:All products for myself and the giveaway, as well as the product information were provided by Betty Crocker through My Blog Spark.

Me Oh My...

2010-03-08T08:50:00.000-06:00

I didn't update, I didn't post...hmm what else have I not done.

Between a trip to the ER, a sick husband, a daughter who was really needing some mama attention..the blog lost its priority last week.

So here it is in a nutshell..

I did it!!! I cooked and baked my food for the week on Monday. I was in the kitchen ALL. DAY. LONG. but considering the week we ended up with, I am so glad I did it!

In diet news, I amazingly lost another pound, however, I am more than sure that I gained it over the weekend..we'll see.

I hope you all have a very happy Monday!!!

Freezer Cooking Day...

2010-03-01T19:50:00.000-06:00

Remember when I told you I was a sucker for convenience?

Even though my three "personal chefs" take care of three meals for me every week, I still have eighteen meals to ~~stress out about~~ to prepare for, which leads me to be among those joining Money Saving Mom and Life As Mom for their freezer cooking day today.

Here is a list of what I am hoping to accomplish...

- pancakes, banana and chocolate chip
- waffles
- taco meat
- chili meat
- lasagna x 2
- jumbo shells
- Sweet Chicken Bacon Wraps
- muffins (not sure what kind, probably banana muffins
- Cinnamon Rolls

This will I am sure take me today and tomorrow, I have to run to the store to pick up a couple of items still today. I am anxious to see how it goes. I will report back.

I Am So Ready...

2010-02-27T20:02:00.001-06:00

To go to some yard sales!

I got a little taste this morning and now I have the fever.

A parish located in our town was having an indoor rummage sale, so I decided to check it out and am I so glad I did.

I totally scored at least "I" think I did. Here is what I found:

1 wooden shelf with three pegs (we painted it this afternoon and will be put in my kitchen to hold the kids chore charts)

1 strip of wood with five hooks on them (painting it this evening, it will be hung in our bedroom for necklaces and/or purses)

3 off brand Tupperware style containers w/ lids

1 Tupperware brand butter holder

3 little barn houses for my farmer son's train set

1 lamp (painted this afternoon and is in our famiy room looking all pretty)

1 lamp shade

1 food scale

1 set of five off brand Tupperware style bowls - very sturdy and deep

1 Scrabble game

1 very old Parker Brothers Spill and Spell game.

My grand total.......

$3.50 Oh man..come on spring, I am sooooo ready!

The WII, Biggest Loser, The Ring and Me Update 02/25/10

2010-02-25T12:12:00.000-06:00

I can't believe I didn't post this week yet... well it looks like I am...

Down a pound!!

I am going for a bigger number next week...

The Ultimate Sacrifice

2010-02-22T14:26:00.000-06:00

Friday I had to take my youngest to the doctor. It was for a long over due check up.

When I arrived for my appointment, surprisingly early, I noticed there were quite a few in front of me. So we sat or at least I sat - she played. I waited.

And waited.

Some us were starting to get agitated that we were still waiting. Yes, I said "us", because I too, was among those getting annoyed. I was worried that I would be late picking up my older three children from school if he didn't start calling people back to be seen.

Finally, a mother with her baby comes out - when that happens you know that someone would be called next. Except there something unusual about this duo or at least the baby.

He was so tiny.

So adorable, but so tiny.

Someone who had been among those waiting, asked what we were all wanting to know.

"He is so tiny, how old is he?"

"Two months" was the reply. You could hear very muffled "awes" all around the room.

"Oh, he was a preemie?"

"Actually, he is what is considered a micro-preemie. His due date isn't even until March 11th. He weighed only 2.5 lbs."

"Aww - so did he come naturally?" - Ok, honestly, had I been "brave" enough to ask any questions, I certainly would have already stopped. But... I am glad this lady asked on.

"Yes, he was born naturally. However, I am his adoptive mom. His birth mother had cancer. She has sinced passed away."

You could have heard a pin drop.

At that moment, I think every mom in the waiting room, whether they were there with there older child, toddler or new baby held on to them a little tighter.

As I sat there waiting for us to be called back, no longer agitated in the least, I couldn't stop thinking about this woman.

In my mind I thought about all the scenarios that led to this child being an orphan.

I imagined this young vibrant woman who just found out she was expecting, maybe a bit unexpected, maybe alone. I imagined that once she was over the initial shock or maybe there was no shock, she was very excited. She was anxiously waiting for her first doctor's appointment, wishing they didn't make her wait so long before they would see her.

That day comes. Maybe she was surprised at all the blood work they do when you find out you are pregnant, maybe not though.

I am sure though, she was surprised the day she received the call from the doctor, telling her that something came back abnormal. I am sure she was shocked the day they told her she had cancer.

I imagine the doctors telling her she needed to abort this baby, so that she could receive treatment. Maybe she even had loved ones that begged of her to please do what the doctors say..save yourself. Maybe they told her that her life is more important than the life she carried inside of her.

I imagine her telling them all NO.

I imagine her thinking this baby is a life, not a choice. I imagine her knowing that Jesus made the same decision for her, for us, on a hill called Calvary. I imagine her finding peace in her decision.

While I obviously do not know how the above scenario played out for the woman above, I couldn't help but imagine. It brought me to a place of such gratitude. Gratitude not just for the health of my children, but for the health of Brian and I. I cannot imagine not seeing my children grow up.

However, it also gave me a glimpse, a very human glimpse of the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for each and every one of us. It is so hard to wrap my mind around that ultimate sacrifice, but thankfully I do not have wrap my mind around it, I just have to wrap my heart around it.

Personal Chefs???

2010-02-19T11:31:00.000-06:00

Since we are working on being more diligent with our money, we have decided to make eating out a luxery of sorts. Not just because of the money, but healthy eating is hard to come by dining out.

The problem?

I am a sucker for convenience when it comes to food. I like fast food -whether it be at a fast food restaurant or frozen food that I can pop in the oven or microwave. Neither of which are good for you.

I am convinced that my kids could eat pizza for every meal, every day - they love pizza..I, on the other hand, have to be in the mood for it. Having said that my kids know that Little Ceasars pizzas are only $5...see where I am going with this? When they remind me of that all too often, I would give in..geesh it is only $5 and I know they will eat it.

The problem?

It takes more than one pizza to feed my family and you can't have Little Ceasars pizza without Little Ceasars breadsticks and remember I have to be in the mood for pizza, so if pizza it is, then I need Little Ceasars chicken wings. At the end of it all, we have spent more than $5 and we committed the sin of gluttony. Yikes!

The Solution?

Get your own personal chef.

The problem?

A personal chef is not in our budget for sure, but really, we moms are responsible for three meals a day, seven days a week.. that is alot of cooking! Not even counting snacks!

The solution?

My three oldest children - 11, 7 & 5. They are always wanting to help out in the kitchen anyway, so why not utilize that desire to its fullest.

I presented this to them...

One day a week they were in charge of dinner, it could be whatever they wanted within reason. I would be there to supervise, but ultimately it was there job from start to finish, from the main dish on.

They were excited.

We grabbed out my cookbooks and they began their search.

My oldest who actually had her own cookbook to use, decided on something simple, but is a fave for her..that is breakfast for dinner.

My seven year old got her idea from what they have served before at school..it is called a straw hat, basically it is chips with taco meat & cheese. That was her choice, although she broadened it and had all the fixings for tacos.

My 5 year old son, who LOVES to cook, chose lasagna, salad and rolls. I am printing this post out to show his future wife so she can forever be grateful to me that I taught him cooking skills!! Who doesn't love a man that can cook?!

They all did an outstanging job and I am so proud. They have all been thinking about their menu choice for next week, I am anxious to see what their final decision is.

All in all I think that having not 1, not 2, but 3 personal chefs is an absolute finer thing!!

And in case you missed it, we also have our own personal hairdresser too.

Look around you will be surprised at what you really do have!

Check out more finer things at Amy's Finer Things.

Free Fresco Taco

2010-02-18T18:42:00.000-06:00

Go here for a free fresco taco from Taco Bell.

I heart free...especially food that is ok to eat on my diet!!

Enjoy!

Thanks to Cha Ching On A Shoestring

I Like This Post..

2010-02-17T23:18:00.000-06:00

By Crystal at Money Saving Mom comparing the training of Olympians to financial success.

I will soon be sharing with you our family's journey to becoming debt free (cars and home included).

For now though, check out the above link..it is a great comparison!

The WII, Biggest Loser, The Ring and Me Update 02/17/10

2010-02-17T13:50:00.000-06:00

You thought I forgot didn't you?

Well, I didn't...

I lost the other half of that pound I lost last week... while I would have loved to see more, it was Valentine's Day weekend and my neice's birthday party.

Brian and I were able to actually go out for dinner this year thanks to my mother in law, who not only provided babysitting for us, but also paid for our dinner..I am so blessed!!

My neice, who shares a birthday with Cupid's favorite day, had a birthday party thrown by her mother. My sister who seems to throw the best parties had all kinds of goodies that I just could not resist..

However, I did step it up a notch on my exercise and I am proud to say that I actually have muscles in my calves that I can now feel....yeah me!!!

Umm...We Have Mice...

2010-02-11T23:57:00.000-06:00

and I think I want to eat one!!!

And I bet you want to eat one now too... cute, huh?!

These are the Valentine's Day treat that are going to my son's kindergarten class and what we will be making as a craft in my daughter's second grade class!

Easy peasy, I tell ya!

You need:
2 Hershey Kisses (take the paper out of one)
1 heart cut out
1 tiny pom pom
Pair of googly eyes

You will glue the heart in between the two Kisses. The Kiss that you took the paper out of will be the face, the paper on the other Kiss will be the tail.
Glue your pom pom to the tip for a nose and then glue on the googly eyes! You're done!! Very simple craft for your little ones...

Happy Friday!

The WII, The Biggest Loser, The Ring and Me..Update 02/09/2010

2010-02-09T10:52:00.000-06:00

Hmmm... So my weigh in today is not one to write home about...I lost a little more than a half a pound.. oh well, a half pound lost is better than any gain.

I did exercise more this week than I had been, however, my eating choices weren't always the best. I had run out of my healthy snacks and didn't get to the store till this past weekend to restock. I also know that I need to be drinking more water.

**Confession** After my weigh in this morning, Brian and I took the kids (they were off school due to the weather) to Denny's to take advantage of the free Grand Slam breakfast. I am confident that I ate all of my calories for the day at breakfast..oh well, it was a great family time and we enjoyed it! I will just get my water out and carrot sticks to eat for the rest of the day..

What Happens When Your Two Year Old..

2010-02-03T11:18:00.000-06:00

Discovers that scissors can pretty much cut anything and that glue is not just for gluing objects..

So the pictures do not really show very well what exactly she did to her hair. In different places she cut her hair. With her hair being so fine, it really is hard to see where it is cut. Apparently at the same time as feeling that she needed a haircut, she must have found some sort of glue like substance that she mistaken for hair gel, thus we have the matted hair look in a couple of spots...

After many a hair washing this morning and absolutely no luck, my only option left was to cut it out. Since my haircutting abilities are about as good as my two year old's abilities, I figured it was best to let the professionals cut it out for me.

Since this would be her first ~~haircut~~ professional haircut, I really thought that she would be sitting on my lap, therefore I did not even bring my camera. However, being the lil' Miss Independent that she is, she sat in the styling chair all by herself. (Sniff, Sniff, my baby is growing up so fast!!)

Anyway, here are the after pics...I think she pulls off the cut quite well...

In this picture of the back, see where it looks thinner, that would be one place she cut..

And because I want to save my reputation as a mommy and because I know that you would like to know how she happened upon a pair of scissors as well as a glue like substance, I am going to go ahead and shift the blame right where it belongs... on her older sisters and brother. I am sure one of them left out their art and craft set they got for Christmas. *I* would never leave anything of that sort out in her reach - OK, OK, I **may** have been blogging when all this went down, maybe she knew I was going to need some new writing material!!!

Happy Wednesday Everyone!!

The WII, Biggest Loser, The Ring and Me Update 02/02/10

2010-02-02T07:55:00.000-06:00

I did better better this week than I did last week, so color me happy!!!

I lost 2 lbs...bringing my total to 11 lbs. Yeah!!

I did want to show you a new snack I found that are so yummy. The two flavors that I purchased range from 130-140 in calories. I boght the cheddar cheese filling and the garlic herb filling. So if you are having a little carb craving, you have to try Ritz Crackerfuls...

If only they would compensate me for this plug....

I Had To, I Just Had To...

2010-02-01T22:28:00.000-06:00

Make a skirt for my daughter's American Girl doll that matches the skirt I made her (remember? You just read it about it here!)

Aren't they adorable!! Ok, Ok, I am a little bias...

Happy Monday everyone!!

Repurposing...

2010-02-01T12:30:00.000-06:00

I really have become a fan of those who repurpose things that no longer are used for their original intent (did that make any sense???)

Anyway, I want to share with you a couple of blogs that I love to check out that deal with alot of repurposing:

Sutton Grace - check out this entertainment center turned play kitchen...How creative can you be!!!
Before....

After....

and another is Tea Rose Home. I linked it to One Shirt Three Projects Another incredibly talented woman!

So I decided to attempt my first real repurposing... I had a pair of jeans (that I did not take a before pic of) that were too big for me (yeah!!) OK, I can't get too excited about that because they were given to me and a little big from the start, although the little weight loss I have had has made them no longer useful to me. What once was a pair of jeans, is now a jean skirt for my daughter...

Please know that I am a novice seamstress. Actually using "I" and "seamstress" in the same sentence almost seems sacrilegious to those who really are great seamstresses. But Brian always tells me..it takes practice, practice, practice and he is right. Anyway... be kind in your thoughts about my sewing skills or lack of!!!

See that Goodwill bag hanging there.. it holds another repurposing project that I plan on doing - it is not clothing, it will involve though, Mod Podge (big smile on my face!) you will have to check back later!!!

I figure repurposing in the end helps me cut costs.. here's how.

By repurposing items for decoration, I get the satisfaction of having a new look without spending a lot of money, maybe just spray paint or fabric...

By repurposing clothes that we no longer wear, I am able to practice my sewing skills and even make clothes for my kiddos without spending money on fabric!

I love it!!!

Family Rules and Mod Podge....

2010-01-27T17:43:00.000-06:00

ok so while surfing one day, I stumbled upon The Pleated Poppy and her family rules... I had to ~~have~~ make for our family. So with some scrapbook paper I had on hand( the colors weren't really the colors I love, but didn't want to go buy more)a piece of foam board from Dollar Tree & Mod Podge (which I think I am really going to love playing with), I created Gerst Family Rules...

and because I really lack originality, I used most of her family's rules.. hey they are great rules!! Here they are since they are hard to read in the picture...

- Forgiveness is mandatory
-Always tell the truth
-Have fun, be kind, ask first, no fussing, no whining
-Be creative at all times
-Encourage your siblings..share in their joy
-Husband hug your wife daily & wife always be on his side
-Obey your parents
-Never leave angry
-Sing silly, dance crazy, hug often, say I love you
-Bless your food, eat together
-Keep your promises
-Say your prayers and thank God for this family

She had others on her list, but I was limited on space...

The WII, Biggest Loser, The Ring and Me Update 01/26/10

2010-01-26T08:26:00.001-06:00

I so was hoping not to have to post a post such as this till further in my weight loss journey, but here goes...................

I

LOST

NOTHING!!!

I kind of knew that I would have that result this week.

Here are my excuses...LOL

-My daughter's birthday was this week and we let them pick out what to have for their birthday dinner. She chose grilled pork steaks (yes, her dad was outside in the cold grilling for her), mashed potatoes (the kind with cheese, bacon, etc.) mac and cheese ('nuff said), corn and for good measure I made a salad... are you feeling all the carbs yet? My body felt them.

-Then as if that one meal wasn't enough, over the weekend she had her actual party which included at her request, pizza, chicken wings, cheese sticks and oreos + her birthday cake...need I say more.

Top the above two excuses with little to no exercise and water intake being less than steller, you get no weight loss and a prayer of thanks that you didn't gain five pounds!

Moving forward this week, hopefully with a lot more self control!!

Free Cereal @ KMart...

2010-01-25T12:31:00.000-06:00

Register to receive Post Cereal's newsletter and you will be able to print out a $2/1coupon for Raisin Bran, Shredded Wheat or Grape Nuts..KMart has Post cereal on sale for $2 this week.

Thanks to Money Saving Mom for a heads up on this one.

Is it bad that I have two posts back to back about cereal by two diffrent companies!! I hope not!!

Happy Monday!

Can We Talk Breakfast...

2010-01-22T06:30:00.000-06:00

While I enjoy cooking my kids breakfasts, sometimes they like, as I do too, to have a good old bowl of cereal for breakfast.. and on occasion they like to have it for a snack. Thanks to MyBlogSpark I was given the oppotunity to try out some of General Mills cereals for free.

While poking around on General Mills website I found a few facts about Big G cereals and breakfast in general that intrigued me...

General Mills announced a commitment to further reduce sugar in cereals advertised to kids under 12 to single digit grams of sugar per serving. The company has already been reducing sugar in cereals while increasing key nutrients, such as calcium and vitamin D, and providing whole grain.

The complex combination of vitamins, minerals, fiber and other substances found naturally in whole grains work together to help reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers.

People who eat breakfast tend to consume less fat, less cholesterol & more fiber over the course of their day.

On average breakfast contributes less than 20% of daily calories while delivering 30%of needed calcium, iron and B vitamins.

Kids who eat breakfast tend to perform better in school & have fewer disciplinary problems. Breakfast also tends to help kids stay alert.

Oh and I did try the new Chocolate Cheerios...can I just say YUM!!!

Now go on and have yourself a bowl of cereal, will ya! You can print out a $1 off coupon here to help out!

Disclosure: I was provided coupons and the link to coupon from General Mills throughMyBlogSpark

The WII, Biggest Loser, The Ring and Me..01/19/10 Update

2010-01-19T09:37:00.000-06:00

Not a bad week again at all... I lost another 4lbs, bringing my total to 9lbs. I am excited for sure!

I do want to share with you a little something I discovered. If you are like me at all, there are times when you just need a little chocolate to get you through the day.. add a little caramel and my day is perfect.

Well..... I found Twixels.. they are mini (real mini) Twix bars and only 35 calories each! As if that wasn't enough, my Target had some on clearance, coupon attached, plus I had a Target coupon for $1 off.

So let me straighten this out for you... chocolate + caramel + only 35 calories + clearance + coupon = very happy me!!! Hmmm.. I should have saved this for Finer Things Friday!!

Because..

2010-01-14T18:23:00.000-06:00

she is an adorable diva..

A Little Bit of a Makeover...

2010-01-14T14:15:00.000-06:00

for my microwave hutch/stand.

My husband and I prior to Christmas had started looking around for a new microwave stand. It had to be budget friendly, couldn't be huge, etc. Never found one that really got our attention.

So I took our current microwave hutch, that was once my parents, then my sister and now ours and gave it a bit of a makeover...

Before....

and for a whopping .50 can of mistinted paint at Lowes, I now have this...

In case you are wondering about the color scheme I have going on, I am going to repaint our kitchen to the shade of green (sage) that I used on the hutch, so it will be all matchy matchy soon!

For more DIY projects check out A Soft Place to Land.

The WII, Biggest Loser, The Ring and Me Update 01/12/10

2010-01-12T08:00:00.000-06:00

Well, I didn't die doing the exercises like I was confident I would!

From the beginning I told myself I would only weigh myself every Tuesday. I often set myself up for discouragement by weighing myself everyday when trying to diet because obviously there are days where you will not see the scale move down.

So for my first weigh in I lost......................

5 lbs.!!!

You can read the beginning post of this journey here

Just Being a Little Creative...

2010-01-11T16:37:00.000-06:00

Inspired after reading on Money Saving Mom's website about "prettified" envelope system, I had to try.. here it is...not quite as pretty as the one she posted, but better than plain ole white ones!!

After reading success story after story, we decided to try this way of paying for things. If you are unfamiliar with the method, you can read about it here and here.