Thursday, January 29, 2009

Things I Love Thursday



I was reading on the Diaper Diaries last night about how she put diaper cream on her daughter's chapped chin. Then I noticed her button for "Things I Love Thursday" and started thinking. What are some things I love?

Sleep was probably the first thing I thought. Then I read the rules and realized that it has to be an actual THING. Oh. Well, sleep is still WAY up there on my list :p

How about the internet? Without which I would become a crazy, isolated mom that only speaks baby gibberish. Seriously. What? Not tangible enough? Rats.

Um, okay how about my laptop or my cell phone? My laptop is a Dell Inspiron 1525 - I bought it from my younger brother when my old laptop died. If no major accidents befall it, I hope to have this wonderful computer for the next ten years. Don't freak out, you don't really NEED the latest/greatest computer every year, Nate!

My cell phone is from Verizon. I'm not a huge fan of Verizon. But it is comforting to have a cell phone with me when I go out alone with two boys under two. Or to call my handsome husband in the middle of the day for no reason. I especially love doing that :)

Besides sleep, the things that first came to mind that I love help me to connect with the people I love. It's not the thing itself that I love, it's the people I use it for. I used the word 'love' a lot in this paragraph. Oh well, I'm feeling too brain dead to change it now. Hope you enjoyed my first edition of Things That I Love.

Sleep is still way up there.

Old Pictures


After reading on We are THAT Family I felt like joining in on their bloggy carnival. Great blog, btw. I subscribed after reading a total of one post - it's that good.

You know when you were a pre-teen and going through that "awkward" stage in life?
I had a particularly bad awkward stage. I was an all-out nerd. You know, big glasses, no fashion sense, shaggy bangs. Yup, that was me. What's the only thing worse than having a bad awkward stage? Having pics of it posted on Facebook :p
At least all my friends in the picture hated how they looked at the time too :) (I'm the one in the blue top...yeah, the frumpy librarian look.)



I look WAY better now...honest!
The sweetest part of the picture? I knew my darling husband at that time and when he saw this pic he said he thought I was cute even then :)

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Frugal & Fun Decorating


I figured since it's Wednesday and I am blogging I would participate in the Works for Me Wednesday from Rocks In My Dryer.
Today Will, Evan, and I cleaned and vacuumed the house. Bleck! The only fun part of cleaning is my boys "helping" me and being done cleaning :)
After we cleaned up, we decorated a wall in Will's room. Check it out:


1 dog calendar from Michaels = 25 cents
Time to cut and hang pictures = 30 minutes
Little boy's face when he saw all the "woof, woofs" in his room = priceless



I only used 8 out of the 12 pictures in the calendar, so Will and I are going to cut out and paste the rest onto cardboard to make valentines :)
I am thinking that this summer at garage sales I will look for 8 frames that I can hang in his room and just switch the pictures out as he gets older and his interests change.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Play dough



It is snowing today. We needed a fun indoor craft to occupy our morning since we couldn't go outside. So we made play dough. Blue play dough. Then we cut and squished, and rolled, and mashed to our hearts content :)

Here is the recipe I used in case anyone else needs an indoor activity:
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup salt
1 tablespoon alum (I didn't have any so we omitted this)
Mix with
1 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon oil
Wilton cake colors or food coloring
If play dough is too sticky, add more flour.
Store in resealable bag.
Have fun!

Monday, January 26, 2009

Sunday Shout Outs


(picture credit)
Trent over at the simple dollar wrote THIS POST about returning to his parents' frugal roots.
It made me think of my parents and nana and what they've all taught me about money over the years.
So this is a public shout out to my parents and my nana to thank them for all they have taught me through speech and by example. THANK YOU!
I am a smart, frugal, deal-seeking, coupon shopper today because of you :)

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Cake for PC's birthday

My little brother's birthday is coming up. He is turning nine. Since one of my brother's just became a Marine he is having a Marine birthday party. Here are some of the cool birthday cakes I have picked out for him to choose between. (I will be making the cake.)













Friday, January 23, 2009

Score!

So, no picture 'cause I forgot to take one before putting everything away, but here are the two recent shopping trips I made...Shoppers is having Triple Coupons this week! Yeah! I am SO going tomorrow...

CVS -
4 12pk of Pepsi
3 bags Tostitoes
8 Reeses whips candy bars
Total spent? - $1.57

Rite Aid -
2 Dove deodorant
1 GE light bulb
2 Revlon eyeliners
3 Mentos gum
1 4pk Bic razors
Total spent? - $3

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Sunday Shout Outs

Today's Sunday shout outs are random cool things I have found at other blogs. Enjoy!

Way cool space adventure birthday.

Don't Eat Pete! Easy fun game that I plan on teaching my family :)

If it ever snows here I really want to make SNOW ICE CREAM!

The importance of enjoying being a mom/homemaker.

I'm not totally there yet, but I'm leaning this way...

That's it for now...
CVS deals coming up soon!

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Funny for Females

Saw this in passing on a blog:
I hope I don’t embarrass anyone too badly, but this is too good not to share: When one of my friends yelled to her husband to grab a Kotex, he yelled back, “Are those the pillows or the torpedoes?”


I thought this was hilarious! Made me think of THESE beauties that I came across the other day.






Here are some other hilarious uses for 'pillows' and 'torpedoes'.

Monday, January 12, 2009

SCORE!!!



This past week there were triple coupons up to 99 cents (one per product) at my local Superfresh.
I legally robbed the store :)

Here is what I got:
1 Fiber One muffin mix
1 Fiber One pancake mix
1 Bisquick mix
1 Minute Rice
1 Celestial Seasonings tea
2 Fruit by the foot
1 Betty Crocker potatoes
1 Quaker oats
1 Gatorade
1 toothpaste
1 hot sauce
1 pizza pretzels
10 Dannon yogurt
23 items total

Before coupons my total was $150.
How much did I pay after coupons? $40.
Yup. You read that correctly. I saved $110!
Not bad for clipping a few coupons huh?
:)

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Sunday Shout Outs

Today's version of Sunday shout outs is brought to you courtesy of my sister who sent a text to my phone today with this lovely thought:

"Update: CJ (my little brother) threw up most of the night, dad and RM (another brother) are both feeling sick again. This message was brought to you by Southwest Airlines. Wanna get away? :p"

I laughed SO hard. Brilliant Em!

In other news, my darling son who I can RARELY get to color with me found a permanent marker a couple days ago and decided to color all by himself. On my walls. And a window. And the table and chairs. And the hardwood floor. Anyone know how to get permanent marker off of walls and such?

Here are a few suggestions I found around the web. I will let you know what works for me :)

Rubbing Alcohol
Goof Off
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser
Repaint the wall
Nail Polish Remover
Brake Fluid
WD-40
Hairspray
Lighter Fluid
Germ X
Peanut Butter
Color over with dry erase marker, then wipe off
Pine Sol
Toothpaste
Automatic dishwashing soap

Friday, January 9, 2009

Misery



My DH & Will both have the stomach flu.

Thank God Evan and I aren't sick...yet.

Will is throwing up every 20 minutes (and has since about 10:30pm).

My DH has thrown up twice, but he has a much larger stomach and therefore, much more puke.

I have already done two loads of laundry.

My brother is in the midst of the Crucible at Marine boot camp right now.
I am in the midst of my own crucible.

Bet mine is WAY more putrid than his!

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Sun...Mon...Tuesday! Shout Outs


Missy from It's Almost Naptime wrote a really convicting article this week.
It made me think about a sermon I once heard on Zachariah. The pastor asked, "How long do you think it had been since Zachariah had prayed for a baby?" Since he was an old guy, I'm guessing it had probably been a long time. The pastor's point was that God's timing and man's timing is sometimes hugely different and we shouldn't be discouraged if it seems like God has forgotten us.
I am very guilty of doing that. A lot of times, when I pray, I expect God to do something NOW. Like Missy said, "I want [things] to come on MY terms, when I determined they should come." I sometimes view God as a giant coke machine - put in your prayer and the result you want will come out.
It's really disrespectful that I would limit my view of God in that way. The all-powerful, everlasting, infallible, amazing God who loves me does not deserve to be seen as a coke machine. As a song I heard said, "God forbid that I find You so familiar that I think of You as less than who You are...God forbid that I should think of You at all without a humble reverence in my heart."
Proverbs 1:7 says that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." I looked up Matthew Henry's commentary on that verse and this is what I found:
Solomon, having undertaken to teach a young man knowledge and discretion, here lays down two general rules to be observed in order thereunto, and those are, to fear God and honour his parents, which two fundamental laws of morality. Pythagoras begins his golden verses with, but the former of them in a wretchedly corrupted state. Primum, deos immortales cole, parentesque honora--First worship the immortal gods, and honour your parents. To make young people such as they should be,

I. Let them have regard to God as their supreme.

1. He lays down this truth, that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7); it is the principal part of knowledge (so the margin); it is the head of knowledge; that is, (1.) Of all things that are to be known this is most evident, that God is to be feared, to be reverenced, served, and worshipped; this is so the beginning of knowledge that those know nothing who do not know this. (2.) In order to the attaining of all useful knowledge this is most necessary, that we fear God; we are not qualified to profit by the instructions that are given us unless our minds be possessed with a holy reverence of God, and every thought within us be brought into obedience to him. If any man will do his will, he shall know of his doctrine, John 7:17. (3.) As all our knowledge must take rise from the fear of God, so it must tend to it as its perfection and centre. Those know enough who know how to fear God, who are careful in every thing to please him and fearful of offending him in any thing; this is the Alpha and Omega of knowledge.

I understand serving and worshiping God. But I think that we/the church has made the message of 'God having a relationship with us' so prevalent that I, at least, forgot He is to be feared/revered as well.
The word reverence means, "honor or respect felt or shown; deference; especially profound adoring awed respect." So it's similar to worship. The difference is worship is defined as the act of offering reverence to God. How do you show reverence/fear to God in ways other than worship? Is it simply the attitude with which you come before God or is it more than that?

Saturday, January 3, 2009

More "You know you're a parent when..."

Here are some my mom came up with:

You know you're a parent when...

...90 seconds at a red light seems like a perfect nap time (for you).

...all furniture is yard sale specials.

...your christmas tree is only decorated from the middle up.

...date night is a blockbuster movie & microwave popcorn.

...you brush your teeth and consider yourself dressed.

...you never go to the bathroom alone again - ever.