Titles are my least favorite thing about blog posts...

No idea what to call this... Pretty sure I could title every post RAMBLES. Well let's get started with those shall we.

Most of these could just be Facebook posts, but I'm positive people would get sick of me rambling on there all the time. I know they would. I would if I were them. Shut it Heidi. I'd say. So I guess I'll compile them on my blog. That way if nobody wants to read them they don't have to! If you're here and you want to read, well then, welcome! I'm glad to have you :) And feel free to leave comments, they make me happy :)

What did I do before Pinterest? Well, I had all these ideas simmering in the back of my head but I was never sure how to execute them, you know? Then came Pinterest. I'm sure not bored these days. That may have something to do with the fact that I have 2 little kiddos now too... Yeah, that small detail. But back to Pinterest.

Nevermind, had to take a break to clean up a snack bowl of Kix. When will I ever learn giving a toddler a bowl of dry Kix will surely mean cleaning it up multiple times before they are eaten. Probably never. And I probably won't quit giving them bowls of snacks to eat on their own either.

So thanks to the crazy internet, I now have more ideas floating around in my head than I know what to do with or can ever possibly accomplish. Sometimes they are so crammed in there I get overwhelmed. But I've learned that when that happens, I need to turn off the crazy computer for a day or two and then I'm ok again :) And also, I'm ok with the fact that I will never get ALL of the ideas in my head out into reality!

This post has no point. I just wanted to warn y'all.

I discovered yesterday that a topsy tail on top of Olivia's head is fantastic. Her hair stays in place. She can't pull it out. There are no fly-aways. She slept in it (twice - nap & night) and it still looks great! Yay, for not combing hair today! And she doesn't have super crazy hair because she pulled it out.

Today's to-do list:
Clean up crazy weekend kitchen.
Make granola.
Make yogurt.
Yum.
Laundry.
Pick up anything around the house that's not toys or current projects. - aka. my house is always a mess.
(Toys do get picked up before nap & bedtime!) :)

Then there's all the other,
"If I have time/get to it":
Coupons
Bathrooms
Sew
Make a ribbon frame thing for Olivia's hair bows
Make more hair bows
*And that's just what I can think of now*

She makes me laugh :)

Also, I'm kind of thinking I may not do much of a garden this year. But at the same time I'm starting to get the itch to do work outside... Our front landscaping needs so much work though. I think that shall be my focus this spring!

The 3 year old is testing my patience like I never knew possible. I was told by a mom of a teenager that 3 is just as hard as the teenage years. It actually encouraged me to think it may not get much worse than this! I'm certainly needing God's grace more these days than ever before!

I play Fernando Ortega on Pandora a lot because it's calm and soothing and worshipful. I need that every. day.

It's time I get my tail moving! Enough rambling for now :)

One year...

Today dear girlie is your birthday... I can't believe you've been here that long! I remember just like it was yesterday, the morning you surprised us greatly and decided to join us 20 days early! I was sooo excited!!!

Remembering the last year... It's makes me a little teary.

You were the sweetest, most happy and content baby girl that any mama could ask for! You didn't smile easily at first but you warmed up to it and when you flashed that little smile it completely melted my heart into a puddle. You had my heart from the first second I saw you, but have continued to dig deeper in the soft places there, and you've found a spot that is so special. I can't imagine what we did without you!

As you got a little older you started showing us that you may be sweet and happy most of the time but you are also full of spunk and don't mind showing it! :) Especially when your big brother teases you! You like to try to keep up with him. If you don't see him you go find him to see what mischief he's up to and what trouble you can get yourself into :) Cleaning out shelves, drawers and cupboards are some of your favorite things... Along with closing doors and then shrieking till someone opens it to let you out again. Your first word was uh-oh. At 8 months old. If you want something - anything - you say Mom-mom-mom-mom-mom - because apparently I can get you anything?? :) You say da-da. Your universal words are ba-ba, da-da or ga-ga but you can inflect them so it sounds like lots of different words, you use it to say "thank-you" and even "Evan". You say, pu-pu-pu-pu for puppy. You also jabber alot and it's the most adorable thing when you jabber to your dolls :) You are VERY lovey. You love to give hugs and kisses and snuggles, when you do you say "aaawwww". I love all your hugs and snuggles and very wet kisses :)

You are such a copy-cat. You can make the most hilarious scrunched up faces :) I wrinkle my nose at you and you wrinkle your's back. I make a noise, and you try to make it too. Evan says, NO with a shake of his head, you say, AH with a shake of your head... (oh boy) You have your own wonderful version of Ring-Around-The-Rosy. I could watch it all day :) And the "All Fall Down" is the best part! You can sign "please", and really, who can resist you now when you say it for something you want?!?! You know where your nose is, where your tongue is and where your hair is. You can do pat-a-cake. And you do it anytime we say "Yay!!" about anything at all :)

You just popped your first 2 teeth through in the last couple of weeks. They may be small but they are mighty and you use them to chew your food quite thoroughly :) You CLIMB. You climb onto anything and everything! Keeping up with you and making sure you don't injure yourself is a challenge! You've become my little shopping buddy :) You are a GREAT shopper if it's just me and you and you're brother isn't along to pester you or for you to pester him! :)

You love your Mama and Daddy. Your face lights up when I go to get you out of bed and when Daddy comes through the door. Melts. My. Heart. You've started to occasionally call Ma-Ma if you can't see me or want something.

You're thinking about walking, you love to walk back and forth between Daddy and me and when we hold your hands you walk and walk and walk. Any day now I expect to see you just get up and go!

I love you little princess. I love your sweet. I love your spunk. You're my little girlie girl. And I love you to pieces!

 Mama

My baby is THREE?!?!

Dearest little man, (Who's name is EVAN, NOT Little Man! :))

I guess you're not my baby anymore... But you were my first baby and will always have that special place in my heart and my memories!

My big THREE year old! How did you grow up so fast?!?! You are so very grown up for three... I love hearing you tell me ALL you know ;) Even though I tell you sometimes that it's time to be quiet now... You are such a smart little man, your brain just soaks up every little thing. I love hearing you learn Bible verses and recite them. I love how you sing (especially when you sing to Olivia when she's crying - LOVE that!). I love hearing you zip through your ABC's and count to who knows what... sometimes it's firty-eighty-two... You are very observant and often know where we are when we go to people's houses or stores without us telling you! You are super social and talk to everyone who looks your direction when we're out and about. The two questions you always ask are: What's your name? and Where's your car? if it's a lady and Where's your truck? if it's a man. Because apparently only ladies drive cars and men MUST drive trucks! You can say anything you wish to and usually do!

In the last year you have become super active and "boyish" I guess :) Pretty sure your energy supply is never ending!!! I'm wondering if you even KNOW how to hold still unless you're sound asleep... You are very determined. You tell me I'm your best best friend! You still love your trains and your cars and anything with wheels :) You like to try to do anything Daddy does. You like to pretend you're cooking like Mama does. Your imagination is becoming more & more active. You like to read books, your current favorite is Goodnight Moon. You have most of it memorized. But the ending you've made your own, instead of "Goodnight noises everywhere", you say, "Goodnight monsters everywhere". Even though we tell you over and over that monsters aren't real!! :)  Your favorite questions are What? and Why? Sometimes it drives me a little crazy :) But I'm glad you're so curious!

I love you little man! More than you will ever know! I can't wait to see what the next year holds and the changes you'll make and the things you'll teach me! (I had no idea who all the Thomas the Train characters were before I met you :))

I love you to the moon and back...
Mama

Motherhood is...

Hearing squeals of giggles and peeking to see what's going on and realizing it's the baby making the big brother laugh.

*Melt my heart*

(She was acting silly, totally on purpose... She would crawl two "steps" then plop flat on her belly, get up and do it all over, again and again, just because she knew she'd get a belly laugh out of him)

Then 5 min later...

Hearing 1000 legos hit the floor while being dumped out of their box and then tossing and spreading of the legos to every corner of the room and then some.

Right before I was going to vacuum and mop the floor. In that room.

*Sigh*

Roll with the punches. Just roll with the punches.





Love them :)

Needing to declutter...

Serenity. This is it.

I feel cluttered. 

It takes 21 days to develop or break a habit?!?! That seems like forever. But I have one. Break it/make a new one... 21 days from now... I want to be successful... It's personal... But it will make me AND my family much happier... 21 days. Hello happier me, hello happier family.

Clutter. In the house. In my mind. On the to-do list.

I want to throw it all out the door.

Start fresh.

Feel like this!

There's a million "Reasons" why I'm feeling this way. Kitchen Renovation would be #1 on the list! My babies are just that, still babies... WAY too many trips this summer...

But really it all boils down to ME... 

How crazy I CHOOSE to let my life become.

Seriously, I feel too busy to let even one more thing fall onto my plate.

That's not good.

Plate. You need to be emptier.

Hello spring cleaning (in July! :) (kind of) of the house, of the mind.

(I'm not going to go crazy with the mop and duster... But STUFF has to go)

Projects. You will wait.

Until you fit onto my plate.

AFTER my babies are kissed, loved on and happy :)

Challenged...

I needed to hear this today...

Your worth and value aren’t found in what you can do.  They aren’t found in how well you can run a committee, organize a retreat or handle a job.  They aren’t found in how well you can sing or direct VBS.  Your value isn’t found in your accomplishments because things never stay accomplished.  Your worth is found in who you are in Christ.  You don’t have to do anything.  Just be.

"In my head" reality vs. "I'm a mom of babies" reality...

I'm a planner.

Not a very good list maker... A planner.

I always see how things are supposed to play out in my head.

Things get interesting sometimes when you throw my "fly by the seat of his pants" uber spontaneous husband and I together :) But I'm getting better. Really. I am.                      Really. Really!!! :)

That was a side note.

On to my point... :)

This morning played out in my head like this:

Get up.

Fix husband's lunch.

See husband off to work.

Baby wakes up. 

Feed baby.

Playtime with 2 year old and baby.

Put baby down for a nap.

Feed 2 year old.

Pay bills.

Clean up misc junk around the living room.

Sweep and mop living room floor.

Hopefully continue on to 2 year old's room with the cleaning.

Baby wakes up.

Feed baby.

Playtime with 2 year old and baby.

Put baby down for a nap.

Feed 2 year old lunch.

Time check: 12:15pm

*AND... eat healthy and "lose weight" worthy today!!*

This is how it really played out:

Get out of bed.

Groggily pack husband's lunch.

Get myself a wonderful cup of coffee.

See husband off to work.

Playtime with 2 year old.

Baby wakes up.

Change baby's diaper - it needs it bad.

Feed baby.

2 year old watches cartoons and whines because his belly hurts. ?

Playtime with 2 year old and smiley baby. :) <3

Naptime for baby.

Change 2 year old's diaper and get him dressed.
Give him something for his belly pains.

Get 2  year old and myself a bowl of cereal.

2 year old still whines about belly hurting.

Pay bills.

Stop paying bills because 2 year old has a dirty diaper.

No more whining. Who knew?? :)

Pay bills again. Why is paying bills so time consuming???
Baby wakes up cranky.

Guess bills will have to be finished later...

Hold baby and try to get her happy again.

Feed baby.

Watch 2 year old pull out every single toy he owns and strategically place them in every nook, cranny, crack, crevace, open surface available in the living room. So much for getting that sweeping and mopping done before the toys are all pulled out...

Baby stops eating - not even half done with the bottle???

Baby poops. Alot. It runs out of diaper. Onto mama. O joy.

Change baby.

Baby is happy and smiling and cooing. :) <3

Playtime on the floor with 2 year old and baby. <3

Baby is sleepy - put her down for a nap.

Get 2 year old lunch.

My lunch ends up being a little leftover KFC crispy chicken and a biscuit and some candy corn. Ok. So mostly candy corn. So much for healthy eating and losing weight today!!

2 year old plays with food instead of eating it. What a mess.

Time check: 1 pm.
Still working on getting 2 year old to eat.

The best part? I'm loving my day:) I love my kids and I love being their mom. :)

Right now...

I want to remember "right now".

Because this moment is perfectly "imperfect".

Coffee - to make up for the sleep lost last night...

Myself and 2 kiddos still in pjs... at 10am... the way it's going it may be noon before that changes...

Morning tv shows playing in the background - an indulgence I try to avoid...

Spending WAY to much time on facebook just now...

I'm SURROUNDED by... broken crayons, trains, train tracks, cars, foam alphabet letters (my little man's favorite new toy - he knows all but 3!! So proud of him:) )

Watching him play with 3 of his tractors - 2 of which his daddy played with as a little boy...

A sleeping baby with a full tummy on a boppy pillow in my lap...

A little boy who wants to hold his "baby 'ister"... if only for about 3 seconds at a time...

Dirty dishes on the end table in the living room from Sunday evening snacking...

Cleaning poopy diapers and baby spit up...

Did I mention TOYS EVERYWHERE????

Little boy snacking on a container of pretzels still left out from ^ "Sunday evening snacking"...

Empty sippy cups strewn about...

Kitchen full of dirty dishes and bottles that need to be washed...

Bathrooms that need to be cleaned...

Beds that need to be made...

Cookies, granola and dinner that need to be made, so I have something to pack for my hubs' lunch this week...

As imperfect as this all sounds to me, it is so perfect I want to record it here so I can look back years from now and remember the sweetness of little children and wish I could go back :)

Yes, I'm sooo happy...

Yes, I love being a mommy...

As ocd as I sometimes am about trying to keep up with the chaos that is, little kids, as yucky as I feel still being in my pjs 4 hours after getting out of bed...

I am so basking in the sweet coziness of it this morning...

I love this moment "right now"...

waiting...

Is it possible that I'm more impatiently waiting on this second baby to arrive than the first time around????

I'm pretty sure it is.

Cause I'm pretty sure I am.

I can't wait for this...

Yep that's right, I'm crazy enough to even be excited about labor (and that epidural) - because that means it's only a matter of hours!!!

But this is what I'm most excited for... That tired but oh so happy and proud looking daddy holding a tiny, fresh newborn :)

Oh such sweetness!!!

Can't stand it!! And this time it will be this tiny one, who is going to be a not so tiny 2 YEARS OLD! and a precious baby sister <3

 

The first bath!!

All that newborn sleepyness!

All cozy in the swing.

Ok, so maybe I'm making it worse by looking at all these newborn pictures of Evan for hours :). But really, I'm so ready.

Ready for her to come.

Ready for life to slow down.

Because a newborn will force that to happen :)

Ready because...

My energy is gone. Gone. Kaput.

Her clothes are all washed, folded and waiting to be worn.

The crib is ready.

Evan is pretty much adjusted to his "big boy" bed.

Ready to snuggle my baby and my big boy.

Ready even for the crazy sleep deprived feeling of exhaustion. (ok, maybe I'm ready for that part the least of all)

Bottom line.

I'm so ready for the next 6 1/2 weeks to be over.

Wow, that still seems so far away...

Pregnancy Randomness...

When I'm pregnant I really, truly sometimes feel like I turn into a different person... Doesn't that make you feel for my poor family????:)

Actually what I'm referring to isn't negative, or at least, I don't think it is.

Let's just say that I get... motivated.

Things happen.

LOTS of things.

My brain kicks into serious overdrive.

My creative juices bubble over.

I really wish that I was like this all the time!

Projects pile up, and I can't wait to get my hands on them!

 

Evan's "big boy room" is in the finishing stages... That is SOOO fun for me!

The nursery is taking serious shape in my brain.

Can't wait to get that in motion too!

Ok, so an example of what happens when my brain operates like this...

I was taking a couple of trash bags full of clothes (yes, purging happens too when I'm pregnant :) ) out to the car to take to GW. Well, they didn't make it all the way out the door because the wheels started turning. As in, "Why am I getting rid of all this FABRIC????" Normally, I'm too lazy to try to come up with ideas of what to do with stuff. But in a matter of seconds I had THREE projects in mind with what I saw at the top of the pile. And as I was walking back to the bedroom to finish my cleaning, I absently stopped, because I really just thought of the coolest idea for a banner to make for Evan's room out of some old khaki's I spotted in there. Well, I turn around and my little shadow had been following me and stopped dead in his tracks right along with me and was totally just standing there staring at me like, man, my mom is weird... Ha!:) I had to laugh out loud and kiss his little cheeks:)

So the projects that just came to me were:

• Curtain embellishments for the nursery out of a flowy fun skirt. Oh and the curtain itself is going to made out of a pale pink sheet that I found in the 'as is' section at Ikea for a few bucks:)
•  
• Matching pillow out of the same skirt.
•  
• Fabric flowers to add to a cardigan in my closet that really needs a boost.
•  
• Fabric banner to hang over the window in Evan's room.

I'm so excited to add those to the list, and continue to work on the pile of things that I already have going:)

 

The 2 "new" bedrooms, Evan's "big boy" room, and transforming the nursery to all things girly, are mostly going to be decorated with handmade items and I am having SOOOO much FUN!!!!

 

I'll be posting pics. If not here then on facebook, so stay tuned :)

 

Oh, and a major thing that I am SOOO excited about?!?!? My family is coming tonight and staying for a week! And the best part? Mom and my sisters are going to spend the whole week helping me with these projects!:) Yay for me! Hello to painting 2 bedrooms in a flash!

Nonny, Nonny!!!

So Evan has this major hangup with anything electronic with buttons - as any active 16 month old would I'm sure. Well he is constantly going in his room and adjusting his electric heater, humidifier and cd player. SO annoying. Well I have spent quite a LOT of time trying to teach him that that is a no no. So this included alot of telling him that is Naughty-Naughty!!

The other day James went into Evan's room to fill the humidifier and adjust the setting and Evan follows him in there, finger just a waggin' as hard as he could and declaring "Nonny-Nonny!!!!"

We had a pretty good laugh at that one:)

Merry Christmas!!

I know, I know... Christmas is over now, but I wanted to share our card with you all.

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year!!

Dresser Before & After

First of all let me say thank-you for all your ideas & opinions for the frame on my previous post. The frame is now white:) Can't wait to get it finished and show you!

And now...

Here is the dresser that I FINALLY have pictures for! As all my facebook friends know I've been busy painting this & that and now I have my first before & after ready to show you:)

Here is the beaut' before: Don't you just love laminate???

Oh yes, it was soooo pretty....

Tada!! Not too shabby, huh?

Here's the "new" hardware... Let me just say Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint is my new bff!!! Love that stuff, it is so amazing the change it makes. Goodbye brass, hello gorgeous! Now I must say that this hardware is so not my pick but for now it will do just fine, I was trying to spend as little money as possible. A $5 dresser, $1 jar of mistint paint, and a teeny bit of spray paint, I think that's pretty good:) At least I'm happy:)

And one more parting shot...
I'm having so much fun with projects around the house right now, mainly wall decor for my living room, so stay tuned for some more pics to come... Hopefully soon!!:)

Please help...

I need opinions from all my crafty bloggy friends who have such good taste:)

Okay, so I have this frame...

I want to make either a chalkboard to put in it, or a sillouette of Evan.

It will hang on this wall above this couch.

My question is...

Should I paint it more white or leave it as it is?????

Tell me watcha think!:)

Oh and this is my inspiration photo for this wall, I'm going to try to do something similar to this.

Hmmm.... Now that I look at this again I'm leaning more towards painting it white... Ack! Help! I could sit here and go back & forth all day!

I like me some good CVS deals:)

So I think I finally have a blog-worthy CVS trip:)

Olay Cleansers: On sale for $5 x2      = $10

Gillette Razors: On sale for $5.97       = $5.97

Tide Detergent: On sale for $5.96 x2  = $11.92

Coupons used:
CVS $5 off $25 purchase            = -$5
CVS Happy Birthday coupon $3 = -$3
CVS ECB $2.50                         = -$2.50
CVS ECB $4.00                         = -$4

MFG coupons used:

$2 off Olay cleansers x2    = -$4
$2 off Gillette razors          = -$2
$2 off Tide detergent x2    = -$4

Total value of purchase: $27.89

Total CVS coupons used: $14.50

Total MFG coupons used: $10

Total out of pocket: $4.74!!!!!!!

Total ECBs received to use next time: $5!!!!!

Yippee!!:)

I was disappointed, my CVS was out of the Reach flossers so I missed out on a $2 money maker which would have sweetened my deal even more, but I'm still pretty happy:)

M.I.A.

Yeah, that's been me!!

But guess what?

I'm back!:)

Well, after about 3 crazy months we are finally in a place that we are calling "home". Sounds so weird because Rowan county NC has never been "home" ever before. But now. It is. (I will share pics, I promise:) )

After 2 moves in 2 months I am ready to just sit down, put my feet up, drink lemonade on my front porch, and watch life creep by. Ha. As if that's going to happen! And I really don't want it to:)

We bought a pretty little piece of land with a house on it that was built in 1907 but has been completely gutted down to the studs and brand new drywall, trim, etc. throughout in 1992, so not completely new, but new enough.

By "little" piece of land I mean 1.15 acres. Ok, not so little:) But again, we wanted room for our munchkin to RUN outside.

And what comes with all that house and land goodness? Why LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of projects!! Good for keeping me busy and also good for blogging:) Aren't y'all just so lucky??:)

Well, let's get started... Here is my first project. (Not the bed, the walls...:) But the bed did get put together, we are not sleeping on the floor...)

See all that stripy wallpapery goodness? *sarcastic snort* I know wallpaper is coming back in style but if I ever hop on the boat it will be a LONG time from now! And it really did look much worse in person than in these pictures. Very masculine and dark. Notice I'm using past tense when referring to it. Its gone. :) All gone. :) You know how when you buy a new house there is always the previous owner's "smell" left? (In our case greasy cooking smell stuck to all the wood in the house *gag*) Or else the house has been empty and there's just a weird smell? Well we have the privilege of both... The house had been empty for a few years except a few weekends here and there, kinda like a vacation house I guess, but when we put an offer on it and had the home inspection done there were a bunch of repairs that needed to be made so the guy moved in and fixed them all himself, he's a handy-man for a living so I guess it worked out for him. Anywho, so in hopes of getting rid of the weird smells I'm working on stripping all the wallpaper and repainting as quickly as possibly.

What? You didn't think the only room with wallpaper was the bedroom did you??? Oh. No. It's in lots of places, I will show you those rooms on a later post:) But I must say, this was BY FAR the easiest wallpaper removal I've ever had the privilege of taking on. And I've had wa-a-a-a-ayyyyy too many!

So that's a snippet of my real life right now! Stripping wallpaper. Cleaning. Deep cleaning. Oh. And of course can't forget the most important thing!

Taking care of this precious little stinker!:) When he's not following me around grabbing at my ankles and whining because of teething he's off finding SOMETHING to get into. After all, can't make mama's life too easy!:) But I love him to death, who couldn't love that huge smile, especially after he's been "caught" in the act!

And now it's time to go get him out of bed, he's in there practicing his favorite new word, "uh-oh". So cute I tell ya:)

And I'm so excited to be back blogging and showing you some of the changes being made in the house as we go. Toodles for now!

Real Life... Right now = trying to save money.

Since this blog has no real "theme" going here... Besides my Real Life of course... I don't know about you all but real life can be a real mish mash of things going on, at least it is for me! So therefore, I guess you'll just see a mish mash of things on here:)

Seriously, I have so many interests, I'm sometimes not sure where to start, what to do, or even feel like I'm able to keep my head on straight! So moving to another state has taught me a lesson. Take it one day at a time!:) So some days, I have time to work on projects, cook, bake, decorate, craft, all that fun kind of stuff. Other days... Well, other days all I seem to get done is drag myself out of bed and care for my little munchkin. That's real life.

Real life is also, dealing with the situation that God has put us in. Currently that situation is living in an apartment (it is a nice apartment, I wanted to at least feel safe in the place we moved to since it's so far away from everything I've known my whole life!), an apartment that is truly a blessing, but also has us a little strapped for cash, since we have not yet sold our house in Ohio and still have to pay the mortgage there in addition to the rent here. We are staying afloat for sure but it's just causing me to have to get creative in the household spending department! The saddest part for me is having to make do with the clothes that I have and not go shopping in my spare time (I have lots of that right now!), if I have a weakness it is for sure buying clothes... Hey I'm a girl!:)

Also, part of feeling the squeeze is me becoming a stay-at-home mom. Which is something I would not want to give up for the world! I am so blessed! Thank-you Husband dear for working so hard so that I can stay home!

So anyways, all that to say... I'm trying to save money!! And one way I've found to be a wonderful way to do that is... Coupons!! I know, me and the rest of the blog-world out there:) But I have found too that it is work!! Searching for those coupons online, buying a Sunday paper every week, and clipping clipping clipping. And then... matching those coupons with sales to get the maximum possible savings. Multiple shopping trips to make use of all those coupons since grocery stores limit the number of coupons you can use each day. And let me just say, that moving to a larger city where they have larger major grocery stores has been helping me immensly! LOVE love double coupons (up to .99), Super Double coupons (Even better! Up to 1.98), triple coupons (awesome! up to .99). Do the math, that adds up the savings in a big way! Literally when I go into these grocery stores I have a coupon for everything I buy. If I don't have a coupon, I don't buy it, unless of course it's a staple item like milk, eggs, flour, etc. but I try to find coupons for those things too. This is great too because it gives me a large variety of food from month to month, and we like variety!:)

This weeks grocery trips:
1st trip, grocery's valued at: $84.30
Total spent after sales & coupons: $34.10
Savings: $50.20

2nd trip, grocery's valued at: $96.05
Total spent after sales & coupons: $41.70
Savings: $54.35

Total Saving after both trips: $104.55

WOW!!

It's worth the work, at least for me, at this stage of my life.

And there you have it. Another tidbit from my mish mash real life:)

Next up? Who knows, maybe a craft project... Isn't life exciting? Haha:)

Summer...

Wow do I love summer!!! The heat, the SUN, the pool, the SUN, a little color on my skin, the SUN. Ok, so maybe you get the idea? I love sunshine!!!! It makes everything so much better, and it just boosts my mood:) I think maybe have a vitamin D deficiency or something because I just crave sunshine! Even if I have to be inside all day, just looking out the window to see lots of sunshine cheers me up:)

And watermelon! Watermelon just screams summertime. My little munchkin getting his first taste, he loved it:) He likes popsicles too...:) I pitied him because his teeth are causing him so much agony right now that yesterday I helped him eat a popsicle and he thought it was super great, he gnawed on it with his lower gums like crazy. Poor kid, still nothing to show for all his pain, how long can it take to pop a tooth through? And how many grouchy days will there be? Oh well. Guess we'll just have to keep lots of popsicles on hand:)\

My sister helping Evan down the slide. LOVE his look of sheer delight!!:)

My dad, other little sister and my hubby. Just relaxing in the shade on a warm SUMMER day:)

Sweet picture of my love and I. Oh. And my crazy sis:)

Evan and my mom, he's thrilled about something, I think he likes summer as much as me:)

Whew, it's a scorcher here today, supposed to hit 96 and feel like 100. Think it may have to be a pool day!!

9 Months...

How can that be???? It was just yesterday that he came home from the hospital wasn't it? But at the same time if I look at all that has happened in our lives since he was born it seems almost a lifetime ago! I can't imagine life without him anymore:)

*Warning: Major picture overload!!:)*

Getting a ride on Daddy's shoulders.

The little munchkin:)

Being outdoors is his favorite thing in the world, so thankfully he was super happy, distracted, but happy for these pictures:)

Pat-a-cake!!:)

Kisses from Mama

So big!!

Happy smiles!

"Da-da!"  :):)

My favorite. How can you not fall in love with that little grin??:)

Play time with Daddy

Love this picture! It is such a priceless typical Evan expression:)

The 2 handsome men in my life. {love}

So funny:)

Such a big boy!

{love}

My daddy, my hero.

Wheeee!

So happy:)

Love my little man:)