Cutest Baby, Ever!

So, maybe I'm biased but still...this kid is cute.

It's official. She moves. She crawls. She'll be 7 months old on Thursday and already is on the go. This is the baby that took Josh and me two years to decide we wanted. We just weren't sure we could love another baby as much as we love Jaylee. Oh, how silly it was to think that. She's the baby that still doesn't sleep through the night. (Woe is me) She's the baby that cried almost non-stop for about two months. The Lord knew my breaking point and answered many prayers. She's the girl who loves to eat. And eat. And eat. (gets that from me) She can be crying and smiling at the same time and from what I've been told, she gets this from her daddy. She's spoiled. I admit it. And man am I mad at myself for it. She has rolls upon rolls on her little legs (gets this from me, too.)

Even though she's terribly naughty most of the time, I can't get enough. It's amazing to me that even though she has tested me beyond what I feel are my limits, I'll sit at 2 am, feeding her, and thinking that yes, I could have another baby. How is that possible when many days I feel I should be wearing a straight jacket?!

I love this kid. I really do.

Showin' off my Ugly

Today my SIL came over to help me with my living room. I'm constantly rearranging the place. I can never find just the right place for all my junk. Usually the living room has a cluttered closed in feel to it and that makes me feel crazy. Or...crazier.

Denise's home has a very open, clean line feel. It's open yet cozy. Know what I mean? There are plenty of homes that are free of clutter and stuff but almost feel sterile. I don't want that feel in my living room so I tend to put as much stuff in it as possible.

In the process of moving furniture around we had to go into one of the rooms of my house to get another couch. Right now that room is becoming a scrapbook/laundry room. But at the moment it looks like a hurricane of clothes threw up all over it. Clothes. Ev-er-y-where!

Embarrassing.

Okay. Beyond embarrassing.

Some were dirty clothes that had piled up from my week last week. Most were clean clothes that had piled up because I'm really good at washing and drying said clothes. It's the whole FAPA (fold and put away) part that I blow at.

Basically I wanted to twitch my nose and have all the clothes disappear so Denise wouldn't be able to see them. I hated that she saw that nasty part of me. The part that isn't so good at the whole home-makery deal. She was given a glimpse into my world. And I'm not sure she'll ever be the same!

It made me think about how I try to hide my ugliness from God. I want to shut the door on all the bad stuff and just let Him see good Sarah. I don't think Denise loves me any less because I'm bad at laundry. And I know God doesn't love me any less because of it either. But exposing this ugly area of my life was good for me, it kinda felt freeing to be like, "yep, I suck at laundry and keeping this room in any kind of order but HERE IT IS!" I'm not saying it's going to change overnight but I definitely want to start working on it.

Ignorance is not even close to bliss

Yesterday I looked at my statcounter and saw that someone had entered my blog under one of my posts from almost two years ago.

I re-read the post and my heart hurt.

I deleted it.

Though I'm embarrassed for it, I'll share a bit of it anyway.

I spoke about being a stay at home wife/mom. Basically saying if you weren't one that that was bad. That the woman wasn't caring for her husband, children or her home.

UGH!

I do believe as women that it's our job to take care of our home and our husbands and our children, should we be blessed with these. Just because a woman may work outside the home doesn't necessarily mean that she's not doing those things. But I no longer believe that if a woman works outside the home that she's not doing what she's supposed to. Me staying home with my girls, works.

For our family.

For now.

We know there may come a day when it doesn't work. We'll face that day if/when it's upon us.

I'm learning that just because our family does things one way, doesn't mean that all families should operate the way we do. How boring would life be if we all did the same thing?! And how dysfunctional you all would be if you did everything the way we do! =)

I'm sorry to my friends that I may have hurt with that post.

Ignorance blows.

Giving Thanks

I don't like Thanksgiving. I don't know why. I think it's because I'm just so darned excited for Christmas to come already!

But I have so much to be thankful for. So much.

• My husband. Seriously, cannot believe I have this man in my life. He has put up with more than his fair share and still he loves me. He is the greatest friend to me. And he's always a source of amusement for me. Whether he wants to be or not.
• My girls. Yes, there are days I want to lock myself up in the bathroom and never come out because they are out there, but I remember a day about nine years ago when a doctor told me I wouldn't be able to have children. I have two. Two beautiful girls that I've been blessed with. They are cute and sweet, loving and forgiving. Their smiles and giggles melt my heart.
• My family. There just aren't words for what these people mean to me. I can't get enough of all of them.
• My friends. I feel so blessed this year with my friends. The friendships I've been blessed with for a few years: Amber, Linds, Melissa, Candee, Kristie, Melinda and new friends like Megan. These are girls that I love so much. Girls I don't see or talk to nearly as much as I'd like to but are just a phone call or email away.
• My sisters-in-law. I'm still in awe that the Lord blessed me with two girls that I love as much as my own sisters. Treena...Denise...I love you.
• My church. Love those people. Love our pastor who pulls no punches. Love that we still have the freedom to attend church in our country.
• My blog friends. The girls I go to for encouragement, a laugh, a recipe...thank you for taking the time to post your life in the blogosphere. Thank you for taking the time to email me when I have questions. I hope to some day meet all of you.
• My health. I don't take this for granted.
• Jesus. Thank You, Lord, for loving me. Never giving up on me. And always seeing the good in me even when there's not much of it.

There's so much more, I know there is. But that short list put this day in perspective for me. It's not about the food (though I like that part) and it's not about the craziness that will be my day (8 children under the age of 4) it's about giving thanks.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

How to be a Girl

and change your own oil.

*Warning, this is THE longest post, ever! And our disclaimer is that we ARE NOT professionals. This has worked for us, if it doesn't for you...you can have Alison.

The husband is sitting co-pilot right now. I want to make sure I don't lead any of you astray with how to change your own oil...should you actually do it.

Most of you are probably thinking I'm a moron and that I should post something about dirty diapers or coffee or New Kids on the Block.

I'll get back to those, I promise.

We'll list 'er out in steps.

And we're off!

Josh just said cloth diapers make the best rags for soaking up oil on your hands, hey Liz, you have a head start!!

Step One

Head to your nearest oil havin' store. Such as Wal Mart, Auto Zone, Napa, Schuck's or Kragen.
Before you head inside the store, make sure you know the make and model of your vehicle such as Ford (make) Taurus (model) and the size of your engine. To find out the size of your engine you can look in your owner's manual or pop the hood on your car and sometimes you'll find the numbers displayed on your engine. For my van it says 3.8 L.

Another thing you need to know is how many quarts of oil your rig will need. This is another thing you can look up in your owner's manual. Look under "capacities" in the back of the book and find what it says about engine oil. Typically a rig will need 4 or 5 quarts of oil.

Okay...at the store! Head to the oil department. Not the olive oil or canola oil department. The oil for vehicles. =)

You're now looking for your oil filter.

Often there will be a little digital thing (technical term there) that you can punch all your information into and it will tell you the number for your oil filter. More often than not, that little digital thing will be outta batteries and you'll have to go all old school and look in the book that is usually hanging by a thread from one of the shelves.

Look through this book, you're looking for your make (Ford, Dodge, Chevy, Maserati (that one came from Josh) etc...) and then your model (Taurus, Grand Caravan, Suburban, Pinto (and another one from Josh)etc. And then your year.

Then it will show your engine size.

There will be a series of filters listed that will work. One is claiming to have better filtration than the others. (Aren't you glad Josh is sitting next to me!?) When we buy 'em we stick to the basic filter. If you change your oil often (3,000 miles)you don't need anything fancy shmancy.

For example, my filter was a PH16, I think. So, I looked on the shelf and found the lil orange box that had a PH16, threw 'er in my cart and headed for the oil.

Now for the oil. Again, refer to owner's manual recommendation. It will vary from summer to winter. Example, winter will be 5/30 (which is very light) and summer will 10/30 (a bit heavier). I've just been informed I bought the wrong one. OOPS! =) If you have a higher mileage rig- 100,000 miles or more you could go 10/30. And here's my free advertisement, we buy Castrol oil. Pennzoil has a tendency to build up inside the engine components. A 5 qt. jug is the best deal, rather than buying 5 individual quarts.

Step Two

Go Home

Step Three

Determine if you can get underneath your rig without elevating. This nursing mama was not able to do that without ramps. (Stupid milkers anyway!)

If you don't have ramps, you can use a jack but that's not the preferred method of my husband. And he's all knowing. =) I'm going to assume you have ramps. If you don't and need instruction on how to use your jack, email me, I'll ask Josh and get back to ya.

Get your ramps. Place them in front of your tires, tight up against 'em. Make sure no children, animals or husbands are in front of, beside or behind your car. If your husband is there, he should be doing this for you and you don't need to read on. Ahem.

Drive your vehicle up on the ramps, slowly! You'll need to kinda ooomph it to get up the ramp but be sure your quick to stop once you get to the top of them.

Pull the emergency brake. Shut off the car.

Step Four

Pop the hood. Or if you're in England, Josh says the bonnet. (this guy is weird.)

Most mid-sized to small vehicles have a brace arm to hold the hood up. Do that! Larger vehicles (SUV's, Pick ups and cars from the 70's (not that we know this)...have springs that hold 'em up).

Step Five

Prepare tools.

Needed:
Box end wrench

size for your vehicle will vary. Possibilities: Standard sizes-1/2"; 9/16; 5/8; 11/16 and 3/4" (which would be large drain plug) or metric sizes 13mm; 14mm; 15mm and 17mm. All cars late 90's and up will be metric.

Filter wrench

Hammer, Josh laughed at me when I said this, but I've always needed one when changing my oil since I don't have stupid human strength.

Drain Pan or if you're outta one of those, you can always use a pot from your kitchen that you'd like to replace. I'm just sayin...


Step Six

Now it's time to get down and dirty, Ladies.

Get underneath your rig. Yes, underneath 'er.

You're looking for your oil pan.

most likely yours will not be red but black. It has a plug on it, hexagon shaped bolt. You need to take your end wrench and loosen it. Use the round end of the wrench, not the open end. It grabs all six sides rather than two. This is where I use the hammer. If you don't have the strength to loosen it on your own, place the wrench on the plug and and hit it pretty good. This should loosen it and you should be able to just use the wrench now on its own. Remember the age old rule: Lefty Loosey, Righty Tighty.

Once loose, set drain pan underneath. Notice the direction of where the oil will come out. So that you don't have oil all over the place like I do right now. pfft. Loosen the plug with your pretty lil manicured fingers, make sure you have a tight grip on 'er so you don't lose it in the oil pan. Pull out the plug and let the oil drain. Place the plug where you will not kick it, lose it, or eat it.

Step Seven

Remove oil filter.

Take oil filter wrench and place on the oil filter.

big black round thing.

This will also leak oil, so you may want to wait until your oil pan is done draining before taking off the oil filter. Put the filter wrench on and pull to the left. Twist it off. It's normal for oil to leak out. Hold upright and then dump out the rest in the drain pan. Take your new filter outta the box and put the old one in upright.

Step Eight

Put the new filter on. Dip your finger in the drain pan oil and rub it around the seal. Twist new filter on. Tighten by hand only. Once again, I'm finding out I did that part wrong. Oops...

Step Nine

Replace drain plug. Put the drain plug back in the hole and tighten reaaaal good. With a wrench.

Step Ten

Add oil to the engine. Come out from underneath your rig and look under your hood. Find the cap that says oil and twist 'er off. Get your jug of oil. This is where it can be tricky not to spill oil all over the stinkin' place. If you have a large funnel, use it. I didn't have one so I cut the bottom off of an empty water bottle and stuck the water bottle in the hole. Then open your oil and pour it in. It's gonna glurrrgh at ya. Don't get skerd. =) Hold it there til the desired amount is in. Then replace your oil cap.

Start the engine. Oil light may stay on for a second or two while the engine is filling the oil filter, it should go off very quickly. Back the rig off the ramps. BACK it off. Not drive it off. Or you'll need more than an oil change.

Shut the engine off. Look under your car and check for leaks near the areas your were working on. Then let it sit for 2 minutes or so. Then check level on the dipstick. (really don't wanna find another picture, hoping you know where this is, if not, again...email me) Pull the dipstick out, wipe it off on your rag, put it back in, pull it back out and check it. The oil will be hard to see since it's new and clear but it should read at the top of the meshed rectangle and it should read full.

Pour used oil into empty container. Take to recycle center and empty.

Josh says if you'd like to skip steps 2-10, while standing in the aisle for the oil, look as desperate as possible, when a man offers to help, tell him you'll buy him a case of beer and you'll not need to worry about any of these steps.

And he likes Bud Light by the way. =)

The post where I feel manly

Another way to save money is by doing stuff yourself, rather than paying someone else to do it for you. Whether you're making food from scratch, sewing your own clothes, or changing your own oil.

Such was the case for me on Friday.

Many moons ago Josh taught me how to change my own oil and rotate my own tires. Last Thursday evening he informed me I needed an oil change before Amber and I left for the New Kids concert in Seattle (yes, you read that right, I went to see NKOTB!) I knew that by the time he got off work on Friday, it would be cold and dark and he'd be tired.

So...I went to Wal Mart, found myself in the oil department and proceeded to buy my filter and my oil. Which was horrid! I remember when we paid a little over a buck for a quart of oil and now it's over 3 bucks! Smokes!

I got home and duct taped my children to their beds and went to change my oil in my van.

No worries, I didn't really duct tape them. Staples work better. =)

Kidding!

I put the van up on ramps (the scariest part for me of changing the oil) crawl underneath the rig to find the oil filter and drain plug and set to finding the needed tools for the job. This did not prove an easy task as the husband has a very messy shop. The wrench I needed was nowhere to be found. I had to make do with a 1/2" socket but I could tell it wasn't right. I made 'er work though.

I got the drain plug off and oil went everywhere! Oops.

Got the oil filter off and got oil all over me. Oops some more!

While draining those out I cleaned myself up a bit.

Plugged the oil pan. (Think that's what it's called)

Put the new filter on.

Put in 5 quarts of oil.

Backed the rig off the ramps.

Shut the rig off.

Went inside the house.

Grabbed a brewski, sat on the couch, put one hand underneath my belt (Al Bundy style) made an unintelligible manly noise (Tim Allen style) and flipped on the television.

Okay, that last paragraph didn't really happen but it coulda! =)

Josh came home and was quite proud. His exact words were, "you're hot."

It felt good to do something for him. It also felt good not taking my rig in to have it done and pay more than I needed to. Filter and a 5 qt jug of oil cost me less than $20. Yes, it took awhile but the look on my husband's face and his thankfulness made my time and money worth it.

Tomorrow's post...How to be a girl and change your own oil.

Laughing at the Expense of Others, My Favorite.

Last night I went to Ladies Bible Study and my "new" purse went with me.

I got this really fun purse from Goodwill and I was struttin' my stuff with her last night.

My aunt shows up and I proceed to thrust the purse in her face.

"Look what I got for $5.50!!"

"Wow, that's really nice! Is it a Carriage purse?"

I'm thinking...and am wondering if I'm so out of the loop on brands that I don't know who Carriage is.

"No, it says it's Liz Claiborne."

"Oh. Okay."

There was another lady within earshot of our conversation and she comes up to us.

"Did you mean Coach?"

Roar of laughter.

"Oh, yes. I did mean Coach."

Coach, Carriage. What have you.

It was the funniest ever. I was so glad that it wasn't just me that was outta the loop on brand names.

Talk about keepin' the home fires burnin'

Still shaking.

My husband, bless his heart, put in a wood stove a month or so ago. I'm not a fan.

I don't like fire.

He usually starts one before he leaves for work and all is good for the day. Not so today.

I had to make my own. I was pert near proud of myself because it's going splendidly. I built a fire!!!

Until I hear a "poof!" And I look over. There is a fire ON TOP OF the wood stove.

ON TOP OF!

The smart girl that I am, left the matches on top of the wood stove!!!

I'm such a moron.

Smoke has filled my house and my lungs. Luckily the fire burned out without causing any damage. But still!

Still shaking.

Tis the Season

It's that time of year when you start getting all excited to buy gifts for people and all that jazz.

I love me some gifts. I really do. I'd like some recipe cards, a vegetable scrubber, and a baby who sleeps through the night. But more than all those put together, I want what I've wanted every Christmas for the last 9 years.

A dad.

I'd rather not have a repeat of last year when I asked the guy at church (who I secretly call Daddy Mike) if he dated and he informed me he was married. Needless to say, he didn't marry my mom and I don't have a dad for Christmas this year.

Woe is me.

It's still going to be on my list. It will be at the top every year until Jesus sees fit to give me the desires of my heart.

I'm not going to ask any random men this season if they date. It has been a bit embarrassing to look Daddy Mike in the eyes every Sunday these last 11 months.

I don't need that to happen again.

Around the House

It's been nine years today since we got the keys to our house. It's hard to believe we've lived here this long. So much has changed. If Dwayne and Sharon came back to this house, they wouldn't recognize it. I love knowing my husband has done all the work. And even though I don't live in a town I love, I live in a house I love.

A conversation between Josh and me on Saturday:

Going through clothing and coats to see what can be donated.

Josh, holding up a flannel shirt, "I can get rid of this."
Me, shocked, "Oh no you can't, we can use that for toilet paper!"

Family cloth is outta hand, folks. Outta hand.

A conversation between us last night:

Josh, "oooh, I got you something today!"
Me, again...shocked, "really?!"
Josh, "Look what I got from the shop!" He hands me a gallon sized Zip Loc bag.

It was really sweet. And honestly, I enjoyed it more than flowers or candy or anything else he could have brought me. He told me that he knew I'd put it to use. It was really cute.

He's really cute.

Last night Jaylee got the brilliant idea to put Alison in her dolly stroller. For about an hour last night she just cruised that crabby baby around and had her laughing so hard. We video taped it. Last night was such an enjoyable evening.

This morning she's trying to zip up her jammies and they got stuck, Josh was helping her. In her best Mater voice I hear her say, "Well, shoooot." I snorted. It was really funny. And then of course I told her not to say shoot ever again.

I'm excited for today. The girls and I are headed to Tri-Cities to hang out with my SIL and her little girl.

Have a wonderful day!

*what's your family eating this week?
*and have I mentioned recently that I leave on Saturday for Seattle. To go to a NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK concert!!!!! 1992 here I come!

$35 groceries week 2

Yes, homemade tortillas not workin' out so hot. 3 cups of flour basically down the tubes. I did make all 12 tortillas, but eating just one would fill your gut up for a week.

Oh well.

Live.

Learn.

Buy store bought...

Week two of $35 or under for groceries:

Potatoes
Popcorn
Tortilla Chips
Shortening
Pizza sauce
2 cans of chili
Nacho cheese dip
oranges
2 lbs of cheddar
18 ct eggs

$31.67

Seems like so few groceries for $32.

Dinners will consist of:

Nachos (requested by Josh)
Chicken and sweet potatoes (both in crock pots as we speak, er..type)
Rib steak with baked potatoes and broccoli
BBQ Beef over Mashed Potatoes
Chicken tacos using leftover chicken from tonight and my lovely homemade torts. =)
Homemade Pizza with salad
Leftovers

I have to tell you something amazing! We've been out of syrup for a bit and I only had a couple of onions left (which go fast around here) and I haven't been buying much fruit 'cause it's expensive.

Anywho.

I go to Linda's on Saturday to clean. I'me there for a few hours and when I go to leave she asks me to follow her. She proceeds to load up a box of pears and apples, hands me a sack and tells me to fill it with potatoes and onions and then hands me two jugs of maple syrup.

I kid you not!!!

I'm standing there smiling. Just amazed.

God is so good. I knew He was telling me good job and that He loved me! He's so faithful to me.

Pop Quiz!

What looks like this?



Is as thick as this?



But tastes like this?

The answer...later today. Any guesses though?

Drum Roll, Please

You guys said such great things about your husbands! I loved what Keely had to say about how it was good that she wrote things about her husband because she'd been upset with him that morning and writing it out made her realize all the good stuff she loves about him.

Man, wouldn't more issues be resolved ahead of time if I would just think of all the amazing things about Josh during the day than the little bickering we did in the morning?

Let me assure you, the handling of the drawing was done officially.

I wrote all your names on a piece of paper. Turned the pieces of paper over. Mixed 'em all up and called my three year old over to pick one out.

Why I turned them over and mixed them up when she was the one choosing, I don't know.

It just made it seem more official that way. :)

Drum Roll........

Keely!

Um, not sure I have your address. I know I should but I'm thinkin' I don't. So, email it to me and I'll get this fun lil cookbook out to you.

The Grocery Store brings out the Evil Sarah

There is never a more difficult time for me to be a nice person than when at the grocery store.

For real!

The people who stand in the middle of the aisle. Those that ram your cart and pretend it didn't happen. The ones who reach in front of you to grab a can of soup without saying excuse me. The ads on the loud speaker that are in a foreign language. And don't even get me started on the person whose cart is parked in the "20 items or less" line, who cuh-learly have more than 20 items.

I'm no cusser, but this makes me wanna cuss!

Anyway. Sorry. Venting.

I do have one nice thing to say. People love my girls. They talk to them, ask them questions, tell me how pretty they are (they get that frome me) and then they tell me to treasure them because this time will pass all too quickly.

I also got all but two items that were on my grocery list for under $19. I have to go to another store for the last two items. But I'ma thinkin' I'm going to be under budget this week!

Thank You, Lord!

maybe we'll make that trip to Portland after all???

Recipe Swap

I found a recipe on recipezaar.com that we've come to love. I've just adapted it to what we enjoy. My sister was needing a recipe for dinner a couple of weeks ago and didn't want to go shopping. So, I told her how to make this and most of the ingredients are usually "on hand" so she didn't have to go to the store.

She calls a few hours later saying her picky eater husband loved it and so did her kids, yay!

BBQ Hamburger over Mashed Potatoes

1 lb of hamburger
1 onion-diced
green or red bell pepper-diced
couple cloves of garlic-minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of bbq sauce
1 cup or so of cheddar cheese-grated
3 or 4 potatoes to make mashed potatoes or make instant mashed potatoes
*all the veggies are optional

Brown the hamburger with the vegetables.
While hamburger is cooking make the mashed potatoes.
After hamburger is browned add the bbq sauce.
Scoop some mashed potatoes onto plates, make a well in the middle and spoon some of the bbq beef mix into the middle. Top with cheese.

Mmmm.

We eat this once a week now and my husband loooves it. And I love that I always have these ingredients on hand in case I haven't decided what's for dinner. I can always pull this recipe out!

Head over to Gayle's for more yummy recipes!

Have a great weekend!

My Husband and a Giveaway

Nooo nooo nooo. I'm not giving him away, although there are days I'm sure he's tempted to ask me to. *edited here and there...

Emily posted about her man last night and I thought it was a hoot, so of course I had to do it, too.

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen? Besides dust? We're not big fans of TV. Oh, and the occasional football game. He tries to pretend he likes that. Makes him feel all manly-like.

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Ranch.

3. What's one food he doesn't like? Sugar Rice. I told you about Sugar Rice a looong time ago. Short story...18 yr old new bride, didn't know how to make rice other than for breakfast with sugar and milk on it. Hint: this does not go well with hamburger over it. Who knew?

4. You go out to the bar. What does he order? Bud Light

5. Where did he go to high school? Sunnyside High School.

6. What size shoe does he wear? Oh he'll shoot me for posting this. An 8. On a good day...

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? Vehicles, ones that don't run or look pretty with weeds growing around them in our pasture, we are so white trash. And tools. He'd like the collection of guns but he has a wife with a nasty coffee habit; therefore, cannot afford said guns.

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? French Dip

9. What would he eat every day if he could? Taco Salad.

10. What is his favorite cereal? He's not a fan of cereal. But if I were to buy it, he'd prefer Raisin Bran. *shiver*

11. What would he never wear? Pink. I've begged. I think he'd look HOTT in it but he refuses. Even if it matched my outfit, he wouldn't. Pffft. And he will not wear slippers. Hates 'em.

12. What is his favorite sports team? Prosser Mustangs High School Football Team.

13. Who will he vote for? He voted for our buddy John. sigh...

14. Who is his best friend? Um, that'd be me. And he likes his brother. And he likes his BIL. And Dale. And Ken. And he thinks he doesn't have friends....

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? He hates that I'm overly critical of myself.

16. How many states has he lived in? Just one.

17. What is his heritage? German? I dunno.

18. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what would it be? He'd love an ice cream cake. But he settles for vanilla.

19. Did he play sports in high school? He ran Cross Country and Track. Oh, and he was a band nerd but I didn't say that out loud... =)

20. What could he spend hours doing? Working underneath a car. Riding his road bike. Playing with Jaylee.

21. What's something cool about him? Besides everything? He's cute. He's a hard worker. He can drive a truck with 18 gears. I'm lucky to hit 4th... He's patient. Parents of teens ask him to teach their kids how to drive. There's too much to list.

I find that it's so easy to take Josh for granted. After all these years and all he's done for me...for us. So, real quick I just want to say some stuff I love about him.

I know that when he wakes up in the morning he tries so hard not to wake me. He'll use the restroom and put the seat down. Always. He'll brush his teeth and shave. Cleaning out the sink and drying off the counter. I know that he'll bust his butt at work all day so I can stay home with our girls. I know he'll always be home 10 minutes after 5. I know that if he's not going to be, he'll call. I know that he'll come home from work, drop his lunch pail and give the girls and me a hug and kiss. Then he'll take off his boots and sigh. I know that even though he's tired he'll lay on the living room floor and let Jaylee jump all over him. He'll snuggle Alison. He'll keep them busy while I make dinner. I know that he'll gather the girls around the table so we can eat dinner together. He takes our hands and prays for our meal. I know that he'll always say thank you for making his dinner. I know that at bedtime for the girls he helps Jaylee clean up her messes, puts on her jammies and reads her a book. I know that we'll lay them down and he'll pray over them. Thanking God for blessing us with them. I know that he'll turn out their light, shut their door and then spend time with me. 'Cause he knows I'm needy like that.

And then tomorrow...he'll start all over again.

Okay, now for the giveaway. Tell me what's so amazing about your man. List at least 5 things. You'll be entered to win this Pampered Chef Cookbook.



"Even desserts get dressed up for the holidays! This collection of 19 festive recipes is so impressive, yet so easy to prepare. Simple, step-by-step instructions guarantee sweet success every time. Includes Chef's Corner, featuring techniques and tips. Spiral bound on 8" x 6" coated pages." *edited* It's just a fun lil cookbook for fun lil desserts. I think you'll like 'er. And what with The Season and all...


Go tell your friends they can play, too! I'll figure out a way to pick a winner on Sunday night (Random.org I think). And I'll announce the WINNER on Monday morning!

To do list: At least 5 things about your man. Tell your friends. And waa laaa you're entered! How easy is that?!

Oh the temptation!

Safeway sales ad showed up in my mailbox today. If you buy 2 packs of soda you get THREE FREE! I will not do it. I will not...

I guess if by some miracle I'm under budget on Friday I'll buy it. I just don't see how that's possible.

Today I made a pie with my friend Megan. My name may be Sarah Lee but man, I'm no baker. Ugh. Josh will be home in a bit and I'm hoping he likes it. I did slave away, after all. :) It was fun to make the pies. I don't know why I've never made one before, it was pretty darn simple. Megan is so sweet and encouraging. Totally didn't know what I was doing and the whole time she's telling me I'm doing a good job. I wish I could take her home. :)

She has a little boy a few months younger than Jaylee and it's really funny to watch them. Well, kinda. They fight quite a bit, which I hate. But when they are being nice to each other...they are being realllly nice. Hugs and kisses all around! We joke that in a few years that won't be so cute.

I really should be in my kitchen getting it cleaned up. Breakfast dishes are still on the counter. Bluhhck.

On the menu tonight. Black bean tacos. Putting on my big girl panties and eating corn tortillas...I will like them, I will!

What's for dinner at your place?

Over budget by .88

Not too shabby for Sarah. (seen that Friends episode?)

Last Friday I went grocery shopping at the dreaded Wal Mart. Seriously, I don't know what my deal is with that place other than the fact it's dirty, the workers are disgruntled and the loud speaker is in Spanish. If I could look past all that, it might not be such a bad place to shop.

I had to buy things I wouldn't normally because of my Scentsy party and needing to feed the peeps coming. So, my grocery list has some random stuff on it. I didn't need to buy too much for our meals because we still had quite a bit stocked up. Josh had done some work at his parents house the week before so they fed us each night he was there. Therefore, the groceries I'd bought the week before were still waiting to be eaten.

Here's my dinner menu:

Spaghetti with meatballs and green salad
(meatballs were turkey and were on clearance a couple weeks ago for .99 and already had the noodles)
Tuna Noodle Casserole w/broccoli
(have all ingredients for this meal)
Black Bean Tacos
Cheddar Chicken over Rice with green salad
(we ate this last night and I wasn't a fan. I won't make it again, had all ingredients for it, too.)
BBQ hamburger over Mashed Potatoes
(this has become a staple in our house, we love it and it's super cheap! I'll post the recipe on Friday. Have all the ingredients for this as well, the potatoes we grew in our garden. Our garden that consisted only of potatoes! My SIL sent us a bunch of hamburger. Such a blessing! Thank you, Treena!)
Leftovers

For lunch Josh takes sandwiches and Jaylee and I either eat sandwiches, too, or we eat leftovers from dinner the night before.

For breakfast we have a bunch of eggs and some bacon that I'd bought at Costco a couple weeks ago. I also made pancakes and froze the leftovers.

Here's my grocery list:

*Carrots
Wheat Thins
Peanut Butter
Sour Cream
Fudge Brownie Mix
Dry Roasted Peanuts
Cream Cheese
*Popcorn
2 loaves of Bread
Toilet Paper (cloth tp is going well!)
tea
flour tortillas
lettuce
spaghetti sauce
*mozzarella cheese
pretzels
*vanilla

Items with * I didn't end up purchasing.

I did end up with two cans of artichokes. Normally 2.62 per can but I was able to get two cans for 2 bucks. Sweet! I bought some cabbage which wasn't on the list. And instead of flour tortillas I bought corn. They are half the price of flour. I'm not a fan of them but for half the price, I'm going to be! :) I think this week I'm going to learn to make flour tortillas. I tried a few weeks ago and just got mad. They didn't turn out.

Spaghetti sauce can be expensive but I've learned to buy it in cans instead of jars. It's at least half the price if not more. Cans are on the bottom shelf usually. A while back when I was buying bread, the lady who was stocking the shelves told me to buy bread from the bottom shelf. She said it's fresher.

My total came to $35.88

I was pretty excited but I also realize my next shopping trip will have more actual food stuff instead of snack food for parties. It was nice that we had almost all the ingredients for our meals. I know this Friday will be a different story and I'll have to get creative in planning our meals for $35.

I'll definitely let ya know how it goes.

What do you take to work for lunch? Josh takes a lunch everyday except Wednesday and he always takes two PB and Jelly sandwiches. I'd like to have some variety for him but it's difficult since he can't warm anything up while he's in the truck.

Any ideas for me? Also...what's your family eating for dinner this week?

But I LOVE Mondays!

It's just one of those days, I 'spose.

Where it's all gonna suck. My baby decided to get a tooth and I don't know who told her she could do that. If that kid bites me while I'm feeding her, she's free to good home. The older child has decided to call me "Mother" instead of "Mommy" or "Mama" and I don't remember telling her she could do that.

I received an overdraft notice to my bank in town. Dumb me. The account that has like 4 bucks in it, yeah I usually just use that one for coffee but I guess I grabbed the wrong card. Anywho. They charged me $20 and that made me sad. So, I decided I'd just go in and ask them if they could pretty please just take the charge off and I promise I won't be a moron and use the wrong card ever again. I asked the Lord if He would just please go before me and if they wouldn't reverse it, well...my bad. I was in the wrong so I had to deal with it if it didn't go in my favor.

Josh told me they wouldn't go for it.

Hehehe, Joshie was wrong. It doesn't happen very often that he is. :) I guess that's a good part about today. The reverse charge not Josh being wrong....

Another thing that is exciting is that my first ever, I'm gonna get my groceries for $35, went splendidly! When I'm feeling up to it, which isn't now, I'll show ya my receipt. I went over budget by 88 cents. 88!!! That's it! It was great. I was on this amazing high. I told my mom and she says, "it's not just bare bones is it, you have other stuff too, right?"

Uh, no. It's bare bones. That's the point at the moment.

Silly Mother.

I had a Scentsy party on Friday night. The only word I have for that is, WOW! I got most of my girlie Christmas shopping done without spending a dime with all the free goods I earned. That was a bonus.

I'm reading over my post and realizing that today really should be a good day. Lots of good stuff has happened. Not having coffee today is not part of the good stuff. Sigh...

Part Two of Stretchin' da Budget

Thank you all for your comments yesterday! You bless me. I appreciate your encouraging words and suggestions. I'll try to address some of them in this post.

Yesterday I started off with what I'm already trying to do to keep our budget down.

Today I'll share what our family is going to try doing.

We are a family of beef eaters. So, I tend to buy quite a bit of hamburger. I used to buy hamburger from Costco in the freezer section. You can get 5 lbs. of 91/9 hamburger for about $13, I think. They come in 1 lb chubs and I loved this. Even though it's a pretty inexpensive way to buy hamburger, right now I'm just not able to buy meat in bulk.

Since I'm needing to cut back on how much hamburger we're eating I'm going to be using a half pound of hamburger when a recipe calls for 1 lb.

I've been reading on ways to stretch hamburger and one way I read was a woman would add some oatmeal to it. Weird, huh? I know! I'll let you know how that goes.

Yesterday I told you that when I first enter the grocery store I head to the meat section, I do. I also first head to the clearanced meat. This is where meat that needs to be used or frozen quickly is marked down sometimes up to 75% off. I love this section of the store! I know Winco and Safeway do it, I haven't shopped enough at Wal Mart to know if they do. I haven't ever seen meat marked down there and I'm just not a fan of Wal Mart meat in the first place. I think I'll continue to check Safeway for clearanced meat.

We already eat quite a few meals that have beans in them but usually they have beans and meat. I f a recipe calls for both, I'll be omitting the meat portion. I would like to start having three meatless dishes per week. I believe if it's a heartier meal we won't miss the hamburger or chicken. I want to start buying more beans and finding some yummy recipes using them. The protein in them is excellent and they are so inexpensive! And ya know...this household needs more beans! :)

To drink at our house is basically milk or water. If we're having company I will occasionally buy soda but now that I'm trying to actually stick to a budget, that may not happen very often. Since we go through a lot of milk and milk's not cheap these days I'm going to take Gayle's advice (again!) by supplementing with part milk, part powdered milk. I'm not really looking forward to it but I'm pretty much willing to try anything at least once. With the exception of illegal drugs, of course. ;) Most illegal drugs, anyway...

I've noticed I drink more water if I put ice in it. I don't care for water much but it's basically free and it's good for me. Amazing how God works that out, huh?

Kristie had asked yesterday if my budget included toothpaste, tampons and stuff like that. I am going to try. The other night I bought toothpaste at the dollar store. The dollar store is tricky. It's easy to think everything is a deal there but you gotta watch. There were four different brands of toothpaste, all of which were...a dollar. However, one brand was 4.6 oz, two others were 6.4 oz. and then the one I bought is 7.2 oz. So I got a few extra oz. for my buck. As for tampons, I haven't had to use those in a year and a half so I completely forgot about those! That's a benefit of nursing!!! After I had Jaylee it was nine months before my period returned (tmi?) so if it comes back around the same time I still have a couple months of not worrying about it. I need to check the dollar store on those!

Okay...as far as toilet paper. This is where some of you may freak out just a bit. :) I still kinda am myself. Bear with me and brace yourself. I had mentioned corn cobs, remember? And Jeana left a comment saying maybe family cloth would be a better try. So, I started researching family cloth. Ever heard of it? I hadn't.

Family cloth is basically cloth toilet paper. Crazy, huh? I KNOW! Some families are doing it for the green effect. Others for cost. And still others for both. For us it's about the cost but it does make me feel good knowing I'm at least doing something to help our environment.

I'll link you to a couple of articles about it and you can check it out if you wish. But I'll tell you a little about how we're doing it. I read that the easiest way to start is just cotton t-shirts. They don't fray after they've been cut and they are absorbent. Plus, most families have some t-shirts they could do without and if not, thrift stores or yard sales are a great place to find inexpensive ones. The lady suggested 5x5 squares. So, that's what I did with the first shirt. I'm going to do 6x6 the next time. I have also just seen some women making them out of flannel and stitching them real cute. I might try that.

So, we have these squares sitting by the toilet. A bucket with a lid. And once we use one, we put it in the bucket. Now, let me just tell you that today I will be buying toilet paper. For our guests and for #2. I'm not that hardcore, yet. Seem weird? It still does to me but the lady had a good point, if your child wet the bed or his/her pants you wash, dry and reuse, right? And that's true. I guess the cloth t.p. is no different. It's something we've been doing for two days now. Jaylee loves it. She thinks it's so cool to put it in the bucket and she's very proud that she remembers not to put it in the toilet. For me, I'm still trying to adjust. I guess I'm just excited about the savings.

How does Josh feel about it? His first response was, "how much overtime do I need to work so we can afford t.p.?" LOL! I assured him he didn't have to use it and that made him feel better. He also asked if there were other areas we could cut back instead of there and I'm sure we could but why not try them all and have it add up to a significant savings? He agreed.

Link One.
Link Two.

I know the family cloth seems a bit extreme. Something I'm learning though, you have to do what works for your family. And if a family is doing something I deem weird it's usually because I haven't tried it out for myself. I want to be more open minded when it comes to trying new things, whether I'm trying it or someone else is.

Now that you want to run.... :)

Another area that we have control of spending is the amount of driving we do. Gas prices have fallen and for that we're thankful but it doesn't mean we can just drive wherever whenever. Unfortunately. We go to church in Yakima, which is about a 40 mile drive for us. So we have at least 80 miles on Sunday morning, then we go to Trevor and Megan's for evening church in Grandview about 10 miles from our house. So, on Sundays alone we have at least 100 miles. Our goal has always been one tank (20 gallons) per paycheck. Somehow we just have not stuck to that! It's ridiculous to think that we drive more than 400 miles in two weeks.

There's really no reason for it other than I get bored at home and just decide to drive. I've noticed the more I'm away from home, the more I spend. I am going to start planning a day of the week that I run my errands so I do everything in one shot. Post office, library, grocery store and a visit to friends. I think this will help with me not spending money on random stuff and it will also be less gas driving around.

Christmas is coming. I love Christmas. I love to give gifts. This year I was very close to just telling our families we wouldn't be buying gifts for anyone. I couldn't do it though. But I also knew I couldn't put gifts on credit card anymore. Josh and I have decided this year our girls will each get one gift, probably worth $15, possibly less. We won't be buying gifts for each other this year. And the gifts for the rest of our family will be in the $5 range. Is it weird to say that I'm more excited for Christmas this year than I have been in years? I think part of it is that I'm excited to make some of my gifts, part of it is knowing I'm not going further in to debt and the other part is that Christmas will be more about CHRISTmas. More of Christ.

I have some more ideas floating around on how to spend less but I feel this post is getting extremely long and I wouldn't want you to fall asleep at the wheel. :)

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Feel free!

Part Uno of Stretchin' da Budget

Here and there I've talked about the ways I go about grocery shopping or skimping on stuff so that I can have coffee.

Here is one about my Menu Managment and here's the one on the corn cobs. I'm not resorting to the corn cobs just yet, though I have decided on a solution for our family in that area.

A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine from high school who stops by my blog (hi, NJK!) sent me a message on MySpace asking how I get my groceries for the price I do.

First off...I don't. Or, at least I haven't. The main reason, I just wasn't trying very hard. Another reason, was that the last time I shopped, it was a Friday evening in Wal Mart. *shiver*

I don't know how many parts to this Stretchin' da Budget I'll have. But this is the first. And I'm hoping I don't make a jumbled mess out of it. And, if there's something I'm doing wrong and oh, I'm sure there is, please leave a comment and let me know what's working for you. We're in this together.

Where to start?!

I guess the best place would be the budgeting part of the groceries. I've looked over our income *more shivering* and I'ma thinkin' that I'd like to have our groceries at about $150 per month. That's roughly $35 per week. Some of you are shaking your head. QUIT IT! It's totally possible! Gayle feeds her family of six for about $60 a week. Right now, she's my hero.

Figure out what works for your family for a grocery budget.

Moving on...

Another step I've taken that my husband laughed at but later appreciated...I decided to take some extra time at the grocery store one day and map out the store. I mapped it out as I usually shop. So, if you find yourself backtracking at the store pretty often trying to figure out if you got everything on your list, this is super helpful. It's very rare that I have to backtrack for anything now. When I make out my shopping list it's in order of the layout of the store. I think I've cut down my trip by about 15-20 minutes. I work my way around the store by starting in the meat section and follow the store all the way around to the produce and then I go down all of the aisles.

If you decide to do this, take pen and paper and be prepared that your next trip will take longer. Maybe map out the store when you aren't going to shop so that you aren't trying to do too many things at once. Key is to not be overwhelmed. Grocery shopping is probably one of my favorite things to do. I find it relaxing and fun now that I have order to it. It's probably the only area of my life that's organized. Stop laughing, Treena!

The Menu!

I love cookbooks. I love blogs that share recipes. I love magazines with recipes. It's wonderful when it's time to plan the menu!

The first thing I do is check the fridge, freezer, cupboards and pantry for the items I have on hand. I check out the sales ads for what's on sale. And kinda make a mental note. An example...I know I have tomatoes, black beans, salsa, cheese and onions so I know that I'm fairly close to having all the ingredients to make Tortilla Black Bean Casserole. So, I check the ads to see if Tortillas and peppers are on sale. If they are, woo hoo! If not, then most likely I'll pass up that recipe and find something else to use my ingredients for. It's important to incorporate the ingredients you already have into your menu plan so that you aren't overloading your cupboards with food you aren't using.

Back to the sales ads. Sales ads are good but they can also tempt you to buy things you wouldn't normally use but buy anyway just because it's on sale. When I see deals like that, on things I don't really need but ooooh, it's on sale! I just say, "away from me, Satan!" Okay, not really. But I do have to restrain myself sometimes from buying things, and this isn't just groceries. Pretty much anything that's on sale I make up in my head all the things I neeeed it for. But then I look at the ol' checkbook and she laughs at me.

So, just because something is on sale, doesn't mean you have to buy it!

If you're needing new ideas for dinner, check out Gayle on Fridays. She hosts the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap where I've found some really good dinner ideas that were fairly inexpensive.

The Grocery List!

This is going to be key to keeping my budget at $35 per week. I need to stick to my list! It's so easy to think "ooooh, but I neeeed that!" When really, it's just a want. While I'm figuring out my menu I'm scribbling on a piece of paper the ingredients I need. When it's time to make out the list, I go by the Store Layout when I write the master list, the one I take to the store. Backtrack No More! The list is in accordance to the layoutthus eliminating running back to aisle 7 for the can of soup.

So, how do I plan to keep my bill low?

Some things I'm already doing:

I'm not buying soda and rarely do I buy juice. If I do buy juice, I dilute it immensely.

We like snacks but I don't really buy them. Snacks are spendy. Packaged food in general is expensive. For snacks, we buy popcorn and use our Stir Crazy popper. I buy Jaylee graham crackers which aren't cheap but that's her main treat.

I don't buy chips unless it's Doritos for Taco Salad. Chips are expensive and loaded with stuff that's not good for us. This can be hard because sometimes chips just sound sooo good! If I'm going to buy chips, it's tortilla chips. But again, I don't do it often.

We've really been trying not to eat out as often. Man, this is a hard habit to break. We are SO good letting other people serve us food and clean up after us! When we eat out I've noticed it's nights when I haven't planned dinner or I'm just being lazy. I want eating out to become a treat to us instead of something we take for granted.

I'm trying to think of other things I do but I'm realizing there isn't much. Maybe more will come to me later. I dunno. That's a list of what I do now.

Tomorrow I'll share the new things we're going to be trying. I know Treena and Kristie are thinking I'm nuts. :) I've shared with them one area we're changing. It's pretty drastic I guess but exciting.

See ya tomorrow!

The Choice is Mine

Watching the election last night had me pacing.

I was pacing my living room. I'm surprised I didn't burn holes in my carpet. I'd check the computer, watch the television, stir dinner...

Lather.

Rinse.

Repeat.

It wasn't a good night in our household. I'm the more vocal spouse (shocked, aren't you) about how I've been feeling about this election. Josh just takes it all in and doesn't say much. And that makes me insane. When we sat down for dinner last night he turned the television off. That made me a little crazy but I understood his point. Dinner time is family time, election or not.

Tuesday morning Alison woke up at 5 am. As I sat to feed her, I could hear the rain pouring down. In that moment I knew Obama would win the election. I feel the Lord was weeping. Weeping for what America is to become. Weeping for the unborn children that will have no chance at life. Weeping that our freedoms will no longer be.

All day yesterday I was living in fear. And going to bed last night, I'll be honest...I panicked. Josh didn't say much. But he did say this, "We have nothing to fear, God is our Commander in Chief. In Him we don't need to fear."

I cried myself to sleep last night. Josh's words were a comfort but still I was fearful.

This morning I'm more calm.

If you've been feeling the same way, here are some verses I'm choosing to hold on to.

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is my strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalm 27:1

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." II Timothy 1:7

"He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." I John 4:4

"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house were many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." John 14:1-3

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27

Just to name a few.

I am choosing to be excited. I'm excited for African Americans around our country, this is an awesome time for them. I'm excited that this election has spurred me to no longer sit on my faith but to embrace it. I cannot be a lukewarm Christian. And I'm pretty sure that's what I've been. A friend of mine sent me a message on MySpace telling me the urgency she now feels for her young daughter. Agreed. There is an urgency in me as well.

It's time I let my family, my friends, my husband, my children know that I choose Jesus. I choose to serve Him. I choose to trust Him.

And I choose not to live in a spirit of fear.

The post where I may lose some readers

.... Emily's comment on this post made me decide to edit my post...I agree with her, I'm not religion-clinging I'm Jesus clinging. Especially during this time.

It's all negative, I'd skip over this post if I were you

Frustrated.

Josh's dumb company decided to switch up our health insurance policy smack dab in the middle of the calendar year so now my deductible has not been met even though I've had a stinkin' baby and have paid out a lot of money. This means I just have to pay out even more money. No biggie, we're loaded.

Baby number two. She'll be six months old tomorrow. SIX MONTHS! And is still, I repeat still not sleeping through the night. Am I picking her up, feeding her, pacifying her? YES! They share a room, I don't know what else to do. I don't want her disturbing Jaylee's sleep. I don't know what to do. But at six months she should be sleeping through the night. I don't wanna compare my kids to each other but one of them slept through the night before six weeks of age and the other has yet to do that!!

I'm frustrated with myself. So many lessons I should have learned so long ago but haven't. Discipline where money is involved. It's always that. I just shake my head at myself and I know the Lord is probably wondering if I'll ever learn. Okay, He's not wondering. He already knows. I'm wondering if I'll ever learn.

Daylight savings time and falling back. Oh the glorious extra hour of sleep. HA!!! Maybe when the kids are teenagers I'll know what an extra hour of sleep is like. Right now, they're just up an hour earlier.

Sigh.

The election tomorrow...just not gonna go there.

Okay. I think I'm done now. you're welcome.

Good Questions, Peeps!

Emily asks, "What is your husbands best trait. Also, what would he say YOURS was. :)

This is really funny. Well, it's not but it is. Before I get to the funny part, I'll tell you Josh's best trait. And I don't think I can list just one.

Josh has the most amazing work ethic. He's usually the first to arrive and the last to leave. He works hard. And his hands show it. He's the first one called, whether it's my family or his that needs help with something. Like exit numbers. My sister Megan called and got herself lost a few months ago, she called Josh and explained to him where she was. He knew exactly where she was and gave her the exact exit number she needed to take to get home. A couple years in a semi and I guess you just remember all the numbers. He's kind and considerate. He's the most amazing daddy ever. I really like the guy.

As for the second part...what would he say mine was. I said to him last night, "Emily wants to know what my best trait is." His response, "Hmm, yeah, I don't know." I'm gonna let him off the hook and say that there are just so many that I have, he couldn't think of just one! :)

Amber's questions. Or...Amber's daughter's questions.

What's google? (love that she can read) Ryleigh, Google is the place your Mommy goes to when she doesn't know where I am. Like the other night, with Francine Rivers, she googled 'er and found out where I was going. Your mom's quick like that.

Where's Josh? Josh is at work...sigh...

Do you have a brother? I always wanted one but was stuck with two sisters instead. :) My dad bought me a boy cabbage patch doll so I could have a brother. Really I think he bought it because it looked like him, dark curly hair. Except the cabbage patch doll didn't have a mullet.

Kristie's questions, which cracked me up, were...First of all (said in my mom voice) why are there three blogs and I only know of two? Second, who did you vote for?:)

I meant there were three posts I had started, not three blogs. Sorry, my bad. :) You know of both of my blogs! I promise, mom. ;)

As for your second question, I voted for McCain/Palin. I sent my ballot in as soon as it came. This is the first time I've really gotten into an election. Up until a few nights ago, I've been worried sick over the election. Helllooo, I just need to trust Jesus about this. He's gotta plan! I think my pastor's wife said it best a couple weeks ago at Bible Study. She didn't say names, but ya knew who she was taking about. She said something along the lines of, "if one of them gets in, that Jesus will just be coming back four years sooner. And that if the other gets in, we're given four more years to get our country back on track to have revival in our land." I will be on my knees on Tuesday, November 4th. I hope everyone of you are, too!

Barb's questions Did I miss a post about "decisions" in 6 days? And are you having another baby soon? ;)

Nope, you didn't miss a post about those decisions. Josh's company hasn't said one thing about his contract being up. We're okay with this at the moment. He can leave if he wants, so that's what we're excited about. He still has a job for the moment, so we're excited about that, too. :) The other day Josh and I were listening to the radio at the same time and heard a pastor on CSN (calvary satellite network) what he had to say was very encouraging. Think I'll post about it next week. For now though, Josh is staying put.
And another baby?!?! pffft. :) Alison will be six months old next week. Is it normal to have days where you want to put that lil white jacket on so you can hug yourself but also think you want more kids? That's where I am right now. I don't want to say no to having more, but some of these sleep deprived days make me wonder...

Wow. This was a long post! Didja make it through?! Thanks for giving me something to write about. I 'preciate it.

I need a favor.

Please.

I'm going to give you a link to a website I love. I posted it last week, too. But I'm posting again, it's that important.

Please go to this website and follow the super simple favor Amy Beth asks. It's a Microsoft download. And if you don't like it, you can uninstall it, easy as that. Just downloading it helps out Amy Beth's ministry for young girls.

And if you do it, leave a comment on her post. You'll be entered in to win a $25 Starbucks gift card. Don't like coffee? Then use it as a Christmas gift for someone.

Like me.

Here's the link.

Me? Without words?

I've started three separate posts. None of which make any sense.

Blah blah blah.

I'm in a blogging funk.

I hate that.

So, let's play the game we played before when I went through this.

You ask me questions. I answer them. Ready. Set.

GO!

Because I'm Lame

So tonight I got to meet the Francine Rivers. No, really. I did!!!

Erica and I get there and we realize she's signing books.

Duh.

Except that I didn't bring any of her books with me to sign. I couldn't justify buying one of the books I'd already read just to have her sign it. However, if the funds had been present in my wallet, I so woulda.

But they weren't.

So, Erica being the brilliant girl that she is decides we should have Francine (yeah, first name basis) sign our tickets.

We get in line. I'm considering putting my hands under my armpits, 'cause that's what everyone does when they get nervous, right? It's almost my turn. Oh, man.

And then it's my turn and I don't know what to say and all that comes out is, "Hi, I'm lame. I only have my ticket for you to sign." She smiled. Signed my ticket. And I'm sure in her head she's thinking I'm a real winner.

Why do I post for you to see my retardness? I don't know. See how much I love you guys?!

And a couple more pictures

The boys with their girls.

Alison and me by the bridge that made me want to vomit. Hate bridges! Alison doesn't look like she's too thrilled with them either. :)

Thank you, Denise, for emailing me pictures!

Did I tell ya that I get to see Francine Rivers tonight?!

She's the author of some of my favorite books. Mark of the Lion trilogy. Redeeming Love. The Atonement Child.

I can't wait!!! She's the speaker at a benefit I'm going to for Life Options.

4 and a half hours!!!

Unrealistic Grocery Expectations?

Maybe.

But that's what makes it all the more fun.

Josh got paid today, thank You, Lord! and so I'm going to be spending it all on coffee, lots and lots of coffee.

Scratch the last bit of that last sentence.

Ahem.

I'm in the process of trying to make out my menu and my grocery list. I've gone through my freezer, fridge *shiver*, pantry and cupboards. I know what I have. It's pretty easy since it's just about nothing. And I know what I don't have. Which is mostly everything. :)

Of course it's come down to us being out of all the big stuff like laundry detergent, diapers, toilet paper...all that jazz. Just that stuff alone at Costco would cost me around $70 bucks. Yuck.

Where can I cut back? What can we go without?

I've tried making my own laundry detergent, I think Josh just gets too dirty at work for that stuff to work for us, I didn't feel his clothes came clean. I don't know what to do different there.

Diapers, I'm thinking after she dirtys (dirties?) one, I'll just rinse it and wring it and slap it back on 'er. Whaddya think? Dialing child protective services as we speak, huh? I buy diapers at Costco. They cost me $40 and the box lasted her about a month and a half. Thinking I'll just continue to get them there even though it's a big expense. She'll be crawling soon, I'll put her to work to earn those diapers!

Toilet paper...it seems like something we can't go without but Josh's nana said they used to use corn cobs. What makes our behinds so much better that we have to use soft fluffy paper? Maybe this is something we could go without. Can you start sending me your corn cobs? Thankyousomuch.

My "plan" is to get my groceries for two weeks worth of food for $60. Then the other junk for about $40-60. All in all spending around 100-120 on food and diapers. Dumb dumb diapers. We'll be eating more beans and rice in the next coupla weeks than we have in awhile. You may not want to visit for a bit.

I'll letcha know when the coast is clear. Coast/air...whichev.

I think I'll keep her 'round.

My recent favorite sayings from my favorite three year old.

While at a wedding last weekend, she's sitting on Josh's lap, I have the baby...

"Mommy, can Daddy hold Ali, so I can hold you?"

While in the kitchen, coloring at the table...

"Excuse me, sir, Alison is crying."

It's naptime, I tell her to go potty...

"But I just went yesterday."

Today, she was sitting in her little chair and she asked me to sit on her lap. I sat at her feet instead; laid my head in her lap and she just ran her little grubby fingers over my face and in my hair. Then she tells me, "Mommy, I love you, too."

Oh, sweet girl, how did you know I was thinking it?

Miracles still happen

This may seem so trivial to some but that's okay, I'll share anyway.

Our last paycheck was on the 10th. 12 days ago. It was one of those paychecks that as soon as it was in the account, it was gone. Dumb mortgage anyway.

We've been trying so very hard to not go into our overdraft and just wait until payday for the stuff we need. Like diapers, butter, milk, gas...you know the stuff. Actual needs. Not just Starbucks. :)

Last weekend we left town with 27 bucks in cash. My SIL drove, so we didn't have to pay for gas right then, and I'd already set aside money for our motel. We got coffees and some candy while we were there and some french fries a salad and some sodas while we were gone too. We came back with four dollars in cash.

My van has this nifty little deal that tells you how many miles you have until empty. This morning as I drove to my doctor's appt. it was reading "0 Miles to Empty."

Bugger.

Josh told me to go put a few dollars in. I cringed. The 7 bucks in our account I wanted to save until payday, just so I could say I went an entire week without coffees or any other spending. But I'm just so obedient to my husband shud it that I was headed to the gas station. The needle under the red line. The little display thing still reading, "0 Miles to Empty." When I hear a ding. I look at my gas gauge. The light has gone off. And the display reads, " 41 Miles to Empty."

Seriously.

Jesus loves me, this I know, for the gas gauge told me so.

S'all Good

Results were clear. Thank you for praying. :)

I'll go in again in February and at that time it'll have been two years since my surgery. Crazy that it's already been that long. Once I hit the two year mark I only have to go in every six months. That'll be nice.

I saw my third grade teacher in the waiting room. She came up to me and said, "hi, Sarah! My, you look like you have your hands full." Guess the three year old and 5 month old gave me away.

But what I want to know is how, after 20 years she still remembers my name? Have I really not changed at all?!

Our Weekend

Love that her tongue is sticking out!
Yep, that's the hotty husband.
My sisters-in-law. They are barefoot. I'm in heels.
The four of us!

It's for a good cause...and because I'm in desperate need of coffee!

On my sidebar is a link to Amy Beth's blog. If you haven't been over to her blog, you are missing out.

Missing.

Out.

This girl is amazing. She's young and she's talented. She's beautiful, inside and out. She has a love for all things pink and Shamu. And in the last few months of reading her blog I'm inspired by her passion for young girls.

She has a ministry called Starlite. Right now she's trying to raise fundage (yes, a made up Sarah word) for Starlite and processed nacho cheese.

Please check out her post that lets us know how we can help. And after you do all that you can to help and really it's a super easy way to help, lurk her archives and you'll fall in love with this girl and her ministry too.

Yes, there's something in this post for me. I'm now entered in to win a $25 Starbucks gift card!!! You can be, too. Head over there. Hurry. Now. Do it! Don't like coffee, don't like Starbucks, that's okay...if you win, you can give it to me. I'll letcha.

Lab Work

You'd think after a year and a half, I wouldn't get all nervous like. But I do. Gives me chills. I go in tomorrow for my routine lab work for the 'ol cancer screening.

Wouldja mind prayin'?

The Redneckishness never ends

So a couple weekends ago, we decided to try to up our redneck ways.

My husband had a birthday. His 31st. Don't tell him I told you, he's a lil panicked about the whole ordeal. If you ask his age, he'd like to tell you 17 but he'll probably tell you 25.

We had almost as many people over as Josh was turning in years. We were one short.

30 peeps.

Thirty.

In my house.

I have a couch, a chair and another chair. Not so much on the furniture for people to sit. Oh, how the husband had another lightbulb moment. Not a bug zapper moment but close enough.

If you've been reading for long I think I've posted about some leather furniture we own. And some cloth furniture as well.

Deep sigh.

Josh decided we should bring our other furniture upstairs so our guests would have places to sit. So...this is where I'm totally embarrassed...he brings up the leather seat, out of a '72 Cadillac and another bench seat out of a GMC and yet another bench seat out of our '85 Suburban.

Out of 30 people I believe 10 of them were children.
This would be our leather furniture. Our friend Carlos, Josh's brother Caleb, Caleb's wife Denise and their sweet little girl.

And the seat out of the GMC with Dale, a family friend, Dale's wife Mandy and their son. If you look closely, you can see my aunt is buckled in for safety. It's that wild at our house.

And because I don't talk or post about her too often...a picture of my sister Megan and me.

Isn't she pretty? I love her. We won't talk about the fact that she's six years younger and way taller than me. :)

Some blatherings, more so than normal.

Dear Diary is on hiatus, did you notice? Didn't think so.

At this very moment my baby girl is sucking on Shadow's paw. Uh huh, she is. Stop her! Naaa, dirt builds immunities. We like immunities.

I lay her on one area of the carpet, turn around, and find her completely across the room. Five months old and already on the go. I really love this baby. She brings the most amazing joy to our family.

Our sweet older daughter...oh my goodness. This girl. Still, mouth wide open for pictures. I have a love/hate for the pictures she's been taking lately. I know she'll grow out of it. I know I could tell her to smile nice. But part of me, the part that wants to just let her be a little girl, says what the heck...just let her smile like a moron. I mean that in the most loving motherly way, of course. There's the part of me that just wants the nice picture though!

As I type, Shadow has moved away from the baby and has decided to roll around the way the baby does. I think he knows I think she's cute and he wants to be cute too. Dorky dog. I do love him but his hair drives me up the wall. It's all over. I love to vacuum but I used to do it every 3 days, now I must do it every gosh darn day!

My husband's contract with his company is up in 6 days. The manager of the store believes they'll come to him with an offer. Josh is trying to decide if he wants to stay there or not. We just have other aspirations. I guess we'll see in six days.

The colder weather is welcomed. It's weird to wear socks and tennies and not my flips. My feet almost didn't know what to do being all covered up. The thing about Fall that I don't enjoy-we have trees. Trees with big leaves. Big leaves that like to fall out of trees. That part blows. hehe I don't enjoy the raking of leaves. "In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. Find the fun and snap! the job's a game!" Ya gotta love Mary Poppins. Guess I'll try to make leaf raking fun.

The Lord has been speaking to my heart in the last couple of weeks. Josh said to me a couple of days ago that I haven't been myself lately. I don't know how to describe it. I was trying to tell my SIL about it some but the words just don't come out right. I'm slacking in many areas of my life. My faith, my wifely-ness, my mothering and my relationships. I am an all or nothing kinda girl. Mostly nothing. Seriously. I get on these kicks and I'm totally stoked about something and if I fail at whatever I'm trying to do, whether it be daily devotions, making breakfast for Josh, consistent parenting, being a good friend...if I slip, I want to give up trying altogether. What's the point of doing any of it, if I can't do it all? And especially if I can't do it all perfectly. Thus, is the way my thoughts tend to go. It's not right. I know that. But it doesn't change that that's where I am.

I was up at 1 a.m. this morning. Up as in, out of my bed, sitting on the couch up. Bible in my lap. Asking the Lord to just show me. Help me. Something.

Nothing.

Or maybe I just didn't hear. I don't know. So, I go back to bed. Tossed. Turned. And realized, I haven't repented. I haven't asked Him to forgive me in the areas I'm slacking. So, I did. I just laid it out there. I fell asleep quickly.

The next three hours were pretty good hours of sleep. I woke up excited. I'm going to try again. Try harder. And try with His help, His strength. His strength is made perfect in my weakness. And oh, how I'm weak.

My posts may be more sporadic as I figure some stuff out.

Stick with me, I'll be around.

Fruit fly update because I know you're all dying to know who gets the gift card

No one seemed too excited about the Starbucks gift card, I must be the only Starbucks crazed chick around these blogging parts.

Thank you to all of you who commented or sent messages to me via MySpace. ;)

So far, the cone seems to be working! Thank you, Jeana! Sadly, I had to have her pretty much draw me a picture of what she was talking about. I need pictures, I'm not very good at following directions written down.

I have about 8 of those little nasty guys that have found themselves inside of the trap. I have six or seven more just lingering on the cone. They will go in, they will!

zI tried the apple cider vinegar with plastic wrap, they loved it. But I think I must have some really smart lil fruit flies because they just decided to hang out and chat. They never went in the holes. So, I made the holes bigger. Nope, no work-y either. This cone deal seems to be the trick.

Jeana, if you aren't afraid to receive yearly Christmas cards and chain letters about sending 10 dish towels and receiving 37 in return, email me your address and I'll send you the gift card. Thank you for the emails...with pictures. :) I double stuff pink puffy heart you at this moment.

Oh, and you also get this award. No need to thank me.

Fruit Flies, they bother me

I'm embarrassed to even write about this but I'm hoping that in doing so, someone, one of you blessed peeps will be able to help a sista out.

My house, mainly the kitchen, is fruit fly infested. Tons of them. All. Over. The. Place! Going crazy. Not sure what to do. I went to the local farm store here and bought a fly strip dealie thinking that might take care of my problem. Eh...not so much. It did attract a few of them but certainly not enough!

So, anyone out there with some amazing remedy for me?

Let's make 'er interesting. The person who leaves a comment with the most amazing, best working solution...Starbucks gift card. For an entire 5 bucks! Hey, it's one free coffee and all ya gots ta do is tell me how to effectively get rid of these dumb bugs!

in case you don't get your comments via email

Lately I've been lurking some "friend's" archives (Corie) and wasn't sure if she (you) were getting them.

I know that when I started my junk blog I wasn't getting my comments emailed to me because I forgot to set it up. So.

If you check your blog to check your comments, there's an easier way, folks! (Thank you, Kristie, for teaching me how to do this a coupla years ago.)

Go to your dashboard.

Go to settings.

Fourth tab over should be Comments.

Scroll to the bottom and it says Comment Notification Email.

Put in your email address and BAM! Your comments will be sent to you.

Another feature I really like is when a commenter has an email address. If they comment, it's sent to my email and then I can see their email address. Some folks don't have this set up, either because they don't wanna (I can understand) or just didn't know thatcha could.

So, if you're the latter....

To have your email address visible and mind you it's not visible on the comment page just when the comment is sent to the blog administrator, in this case...moi.

Go to dashboard.

Edit Profile.

3 boxes down should say Show my email address. Check it.

Save.

Now JSYK (just so you know)...your email address will be visible on your blog, if you have one.

This has never been an issue for me with anyone. I've not had any freak-o's or whatev. But I understand if someone doesn't want to do this. My experience with it has been great. There are some folks that when I left a comment on their blog replied to my comment through an email. Also, there are times I don't want to take up someones entire comment page, so I'll just send an email.

I like it. It's worked for me. And maybe it's something you wanna do. Anywho, just thought I'd pass that on to anyone who might be just as computer illiterate as me!

Loves!

She didn't eat it!

In the past month I've witnessed a 9 year old pick and eat her boogers.

In the past month while driving my car I've witnessed an adult male pick and eat his boogers. No joke, man, no stinkin' joke.

In the past month I had a friend tell me about their child picking and eating her boogers.

In the past 20 seconds my little girl says, "ew, uh boooooger!" she holds up her finger and is panic stricken.

I tell her to get a tissue and wipe it off. She walks to the bathroom with her finger held out in front of her.

Proud moment. It really was.

*Wiping a tear*