EllenJay's

What’s in a Name? {Part 3: “K” is for Kirk!}

2012-02-23T15:25:00.001-08:00

I never thought that agreeing on a name would be so difficult.

When Jeff and I named Sadie, it was easy.

As soon as I said the name, he said, “That’s it!” and we never really wavered. I had a brief moment of panic about two weeks before she was born, but ended up coming to my senses and sticking with Sadie. I’m glad I did because the name fits her so well.

But with this one, oh my goodness.

For a long time Jeff and I just could not agree.

The main problem was that I got the final say on this name {Jeff had the final say on Sadie’s}. I am very indecisive. There are many options for girls. You can go with classic, girly, sweet, sassy, the ever-popular boy-turned-girl name, vintage, or even made-up {which, by the way, I’m not a fan of “made-up” names. Just for the record}. Thus, I was coming to Jeff with a new name almost daily.

There are so many things to consider: how the name will look on a job resume or wedding invitation, for instance. How the name will work on an adult. How the name will work on a child. How people will pronounce it. How people will spell it. How it works with our last name {which, by the way, nothing really “works” with our last name. I’ve resigned myself to this fact}. The list goes on.

If you’ve been following the saga of picking a name for this child, you know that I really want her middle name to be a family name or to have some sort of familial significance.

I really liked Adeline, but it just wasn’t gelling with any of the first names I liked {plus I kinda like short, one-syllable middle names}. I really liked Mae, but couldn’t get past the fact that it means bitter or woman from Magdala or high tower. I like names who’s meanings are significant. And deep down, I really wanted to honor my dad in some way.

So…I thought and I thought and I thought and I thought some more. And then it dawned on me. My dad’s name is Kirk, and “K” is for Kirk! Kay is totally a cute, short, acceptable middle name! But before I could truly decide, I had to look up the meaning: delight. My heart about melted, especially because I already intended to put Zephaniah 3:17, my favorite Bible verse, on one of the walls in her room: “The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great DELIGHT in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Could it be more perfect?

With the middle name decided, I forged ahead with her first name.

One night, after much discussion about names, I told Jeff to make a list of his five favorite girl’s names. They could be names on my list, names in the top ten, names we’ve never discussed, names we’ve tossed out…anything really.

And on this list was a name I really liked but never suggested because he works with a girl who bears the same name. And he’s a little weird about giving our children the same name as people he knows, regardless of his feelings about that person. He just has this thing. Therefore, I was kind of surprised to see it on his list. As soon as I saw it, though, I knew. Plus, it means noble ruler. Or ruler of the elves, depending on where you look. But I like the meaning; it's whimsical.

Baby girl #2’s name is:

Aubrey Kay!

Tutorial Tuesday: {bow holder}!

2012-02-22T17:23:00.000-08:00

This post was supposed to come yesterday {in case you haven't noticed, today is Wednesday}, but alas, our Internet was moving very, very sloooooooow. So {Tutorial Tuesday} is a day late.

Last week I decided that we have a problem.

A bow problem.

There were bows everywhere: in the kitchen, in both bathrooms, on my dresser, on Sadie's dresser, in my purse, in the diaper bag, and in the car.

I found a tutorial on Pinterest and went to work.

This is what you'll need:

16x20 canvas {I bought a pack of 2 for $10 at Michael's}

Acrylic paint

Large paint brush {the one pictured did not work well. I ended up grabbing a larger one from our garage}

Ribbon {different colors and widths}

Hot glue

1. Paint your canvas. If you choose a dark color, it will likely take two or more coats. I only did two, but could have done three.

2. While the paint is drying, cut your ribbon. I cut one and then measured the rest to it.

3. Lay the ribbons out on the canvas. I didn't do a pattern, but just laid down which ribbon I thought looked best.

4. Once you like your pattern, move the entire canvas {ribbons included} off of your work surface. Then transfer the ribbons to the work surface and flip the canvas right side down on top of them.

5. Glue the ribbons to the backside of the canvas. Don't pull them too taut as you will need room to clip the bows along the front.

6. Attach the bows and hang the canvas. Sadie's is hanging on her closet door with some of those over-the-door hooks {found at Home Goods}. When I was done, I counted the bows: 108! That doesn't even include all of the headbands she wore as an infant. Yes, yes, I know. I have a problem.

Up next: organize the toys. They are taking over.

Some Randoms

2012-02-16T19:05:00.000-08:00

Today I am feeling very random and all-over-the place. It's probably the sleep deprivation. Or the prego brain. Or both. At any rate, here are my thoughts:

1. Did you know that you can BAKE bacon? Like in the oven? Best thing I've learned this year.

Just line a big glass or metal pan with foil, slap down some bacon, set your oven to 425, and pop it in the oven. In that order. Your oven doesn't need to be fully heated to start the cooking process. It takes about 20 minutes or so, depending on how crispy you like yours. When it's done, immediately transfer it to a plate lined with paper towels (to soak up the grease). I let the pan sit overnight so that the grease hardens and then roll up the foil and throw it away. If you line your pan just right, there is NO mess.

You're welcome.

2. Jeff is still sick. His doctor put him on a new antibiotic this week and guess what happened? He woke up this morning with hives, a rash, and a swollen face. Oops. Guess we've discovered a new allergy: Cefdinir.

3. My OB put me on a dairy-free diet. Apparently when I'm pregnant, I can't digest milk or milk products. Good times, since, you know, milk is in EVERYTHING. At least everything I like to eat. It's probably for the best, though, because Sadie has a pretty severe milk-protein allergy and I've been meaning to start cooking foods that we can all enjoy {and Jeff has been reminding me that I should cut back on dairy in an attempt to prevent baby #2 from having the same allergy}. This is just nature's way of forcing me to do so. It is actually really helping my, ahem, digestion problems AND my eczema is clearing up. Fancy that! For those of you who are curious {and I know there are many}, a milk-protein allergy is different than lactose intolerance. Lactose is the sugar in milk and protein is, well, the protein. It's also known as whey. Two very different allergies. Fascinating stuff, huh?

4. We decided on baby #2's name. I will reveal it soon. I'm not feeling very sentimental this week {more like snarky and sarcastic} and I want it to be a nice post. A lot of thought went into her name.

5. The other day Sadie discovered Jeff's, um, junk. He was wearing basketball shorts and she was standing at his feet reaching up and saying "up, up, daddy, daddy, daddy, up, up, up. DADDY! UP!" He was ignoring her because he was trying to tell me something when all of the sudden, her little up-reached hand grazed his junk. And then she just full on grabbed it. I almost fell off the couch I was laughing so hard. I just love her innocence. {Mental note: tell her that she should never grab any boy's junk. Ever. The job of a mother never ends.}

6. We bought our double stroller yesterday. And by we, I mean Jeff's parents. And I am in love. Remember that post awhile back where I shared the FRIENDS clip? I feel the same way about this stroller. It's a Baby Jogger City Select and it. is. glorious. You can view it in all of its wonder here.

7. Last weekend we finally bought our iPhones. OMG. I heart Siri.

8. Sadie has a new obsession: Care Bears. Watching it with her brings back fond memories of Care-a-Lot, cloud cars, little Star and Heart buddy, and rainbow rivers. Oh, how I longed for the Care-Bear stare when I was little. Sigh.

9. I am so excited to decorate baby #2's room! My mom bought the bedding and I have decided to paint the walls--gasp!--a very pale pink. If you know me at all, you that this is a big step. In trying to convert Sadie's room to a "big-girl" room, complete with a twin-sized bed and bedding {tear}, I've discovered that although her decor is girly, the colors I chose are not {read: there is no pink or purple in her room}.

It has been a struggle to transform it on a budget. There is actually twin-sized bedding that matches her crib bedding, but it costs almost $300....for a bed skirt, comforter, and sham. Um, no thank you. So alas, I'm giving in to the pink for baby #2. And it's going to be very cute. I have lots of ideas floating around in my head and can't wait to execute them.

10. My parents are sending us on a babymoon in March. The location is a surprise. We didn't have to plan any of it. We don't have to pay for it. We don't have to figure out babysitting. We are so excited! Jeff and I haven't been out of town--just the two of us--in a long time. I don't even remember where we went or what we did the last time we went on an overnight trip without any kids.

Being the Adult {part 4}

2012-02-13T14:43:00.000-08:00

A few days ago my FaceBook status update read “Death by whining. Every mother’s worst fear.” And I truly meant it. There are days when I am convinced that the whining is going to kill me.

To say that the last week has been rough would be a colossal understatement. Sadie had pink eye and a double ear infection. It turns out she’s also cutting one of her 2-year molars. Jeff, who apparently has no immune system, also came down with some sort of catastrophic illness. And I mean that in the most sincere of ways. He. felt. like. crap.

We have had lots of help from the grandparents. Can I get an AMEN for the grandparents? AMEN!

But all the help in the world doesn’t stop the whining.

The whining that makes me want to drive my car into a telephone pole…or off of a cliff.

The whining that makes me walk away from my daughter, shove my face into a pillow, and scream.

The whining that frazzles my nerves, fries my patience, and results in harsh words spoken to my daughter.

Oh, how I hate that whining.

The thing is that if it lasted for a day or two or even three, I think I could handle it. It’s when it lasts for eight or nine or ten days that things start to get dicey. You know, when your toddler is throwing their tenth tantrum in less than two hours? And all you’re trying to do is get ready so that you can get the frick out of the house because you know that everyone will be happier?

OMG. The whining.

Saturday night was the worst.

Sadie would not go to bed.

Jeff tried rocking, bouncing, laying down with, reading, and singing to her for almost two hours. And nothing was working. He finally just stuck her in her crib and walked away. You can imagine her reaction.

I took her out of her crib, thinking I had the patience to handle the situation. I don’t really ever have the patience to handle screaming and whining, let alone at 11 pm. After I’ve been listening to it for 6 days straight.

So I did what I know all of you have done to your children: I told her she had to go to sleep and then forced her to put her head on my shoulder. And then I rocked vigorously back and forth. This technique actually worked with her when she was an infant. As a toddler, not so much. She ended up screaming and I ended up sticking her back in her crib.

All at once, it hit me again: I’m the adult. And in reality, I didn’t want her to go to sleep for her benefit; I wanted her to go so sleep for my benefit. My attempt to get her to sleep was completely selfish. And then I cried. And cried and cried and cried. I felt so terrible for the way I’d treated my daughter. My child. My baby. Because I really do love her more than anything else in this world.

Sometimes I hate being the adult. It forces me to take a long, hard look in the mirror. It forces me to see things in myself that I’d rather just ignore. It forces me to pray for patience and endurance and a slow reaction.

And it also forces me to realize that I am a work in progress; I am not perfect, nor will I ever be. But for some reason, God has entrusted me with this sweet child, and if God thinks I am capable of raising her and loving her and providing her what she needs, then I think I can do it.

As long as there’s no whining.

Welcome to Toddler Town!

2012-02-05T13:06:00.000-08:00

Where sipping toilet water from a spoon is perfectly acceptable

(and your mom snapping a picture before

making you stop is even more acceptable),

dishwasher silverware baskets make excellent purses,

baskets make great chairs,

and watching your favorite movie 10 times a day is the best.

Welcome to Toddler Town!

Where riding the carousel with daddy is the best part of Disneyland,

getting a picture with your cousin is darn near impossible,

piling your babies into your tunnel is the norm,

and your first trip to the snow involves some tears.

Welcome to Toddler Town!

Where Oreos are a must,

jumping is your chosen profession,

petting zoos aren't gross,

pulling your horsey stick into bed with you

(along with 8 other babies) makes complete sense,

and bed head reigns supreme.

The Office Closet: {it's finished!}

2012-01-24T15:31:00.000-08:00

New Year's Resolution/Goal #1 is well on its way to being finished:

Jeff put up shelves in our office closet!

We are not done yet, but--oh joy!--we are so close.

Now it's just a matter of getting rid of stuff we no longer need or use {we're having a garage sale on Saturday to help with the process...we have a lot of stuff}.

I was actually able to vacuum the floor in there today.

I'm pretty sure that hasn't happened since, oh, August or so. Wow.

Here are some pictures.

The entire contents of the closet spilled out onto the floor.

A baby doll was, in fact, smashed in this process.
She is home from the hospital and recovering just fine.

Sadie helped Jeff put the shelving unit together. And by helped, I mean scattered all the screws and small pieces all over the living room.

Often times, home improvement projects require more work than expected.

Case in point: the pre-existing "shelves" in the closet.

Jeff had to tear them out. The previous owner used very long, thick nails to install them.

Once they were removed, we were left with this.

And this. Good times.

After a patch and paint job, the shelves were installed.

And now the closet looks like this:

Why yes, that is my wedding dress hanging there. I never had it cleaned. Oops.

Ah, organization. How I love thee.

Now I actually know where everything is located. We had so much space that we were able to move stuff from two other closets into this closet. So now baby #2 will have some closet space.

Right now, I feel like Monica in this scene from FRIENDS {the best show ever. EVER}.

Next up: transition Sadie into a big-girl bed. Sigh and tear.

What's in a name? {Part 2}

2012-01-13T14:32:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I told the strange saga of my middle name.

And at the end, I promised the grand revealing of baby girl #2's middle name.

But here's the problem: I can't decide.

On the name, that is.

I'm having a conundrum, if you will {if, in fact, one can have a conundrum. I think one might need to be in a conundrum}.

Here is part one of my conundrum:

Like I said before, my middle name is Marie and my grandma's first name is Maria.

They have the same root and mean the same thing. Guess what their root name is? Mary.

Guess who's name is Mary? My mother-in-law's! Ding-ding-ding!

When I had this realization, I got really excited, especially since none of the first names on our list go with Marie {or Maria, for that matter}. I decided to look up the meaning and see if there was another {read: more fitting} name that means the same thing.

At the top of the list: Mae!

I love it. It's short, sweet, and old-fashioned.

To make it even more special, we recently found out {well, I found out and Jeff remembered} that his grandmother's middle name was Mae. And she just passed away a couple of weeks ago. I think this would be a sweet way to honor her memory.

Conundrum: Mary/Marie/Maria/Mae all mean bitter. I'm not a fan.

Enter conundrum #2:

Sadie's middle name is Lynn {after my mom and Jeff's dad}.

Sadie means princess, and Lynn means pretty or beautiful.

So translated and reversed, her name means pretty princess.

Isn't that sweet?

We did not do this on purpose.

I knew that Sadie meant princess when we named her, but didn't

know what Lynn meant until I looked it up the other day.

Conundrum: I kind of feel like it would be cruel and unusual to have one daughter's name mean

pretty princess and the other daughter's name mean "something" bitter, even if it is a family name.

So, alas, now I can't decide. I would love to honor Jeff's grandma in such a special way. I won't go into detail, but I think she would be overwhelmed knowing that her grandchildren can look beyond her past and love her regardless of the mistakes she made.

Enter middle name option #2 and with it, conundrum #3: Adeline, which I recently found out is also a family name.

It was my great-grandmother's name {rumor has it that she didn't like it, so she went by her middle name, Mildred, or "Millie"}.

I never met my great-grandma Millie; she passed away when my dad was 16.

But everyone speaks highly of her. Especially my dad.

You see, she was his saving grace.

His refuge, if you will, from a home that was--how shall I put it tactfully?--unpleasant, to say the least.

He loved her very much and must have been devastated when she died.

I know my dad would feel so honored to have a granddaughter named after his sweet grandma. Someone to keep her memory alive.

It would truly mean the world to him.

Especially since if I ever have a son, he'll probably be named after Jeff {Sadie would have been Liam Jeffrey and this one would have been Grayson Jeffrey}, so unless either of my brothers name their kids after my dad, he may not have any grandchildren named after him.

And to boot, Adeline means noble. A name that seems fitting for my great grandma.

Conundrum #3: honor Jeff's family or mine?

I don't really like Adeline as a first name, so Adeline Mae is out of the question {though it is cute!}.

What's in a name? {Part 1}

2012-01-12T16:16:00.000-08:00

Several people have asked if we're going to share this baby's name before she arrives.

Quite frankly, I'm not sure.

I liked the anticipation and surprise of not sharing Sadie's name until she was born.

Plus, I'm really not fond of other people's opinions when it comes to names for our baby.

Plus one more, I really have no idea what we're going to name her.

There are at least 8 names on the list (on Monday there were only 3).

I am very indecisive when it comes to these things.

This is unfortunate since I get the final say on this one's name.

Jeff had the final say on Sadie's, so it only seems fair.

One thing we have decided on is her middle name.

I like the idea of middle names having a purpose.

My middle name is Marie, after my maternal grandmother.

Well, it turns out her middle name is actually Maria.

Actually, her first name is Maria and her middle name is Priscilla.

But all of her sisters (and there were lots of 'em) are named "Maria _____,"

so she just goes by Priscilla, and they all go/went by their middle names.

It's kind of confusing.

And including me, she has FOUR granddaughters "named" after her.

FOUR granddaughters with the middle name Marie.

And no one knew that her real name was Maria Priscilla until about ten years ago.

They were all out to breakfast (my mom, her siblings, and her parents) and my grandma made a comment about how she didn't have anyone named after her.

They all sort of stared at her like she was nuts.

"Well, I don't."

"Um, Muh (that's what they call her. Weird, I know),

you actually have four granddaughters named after you: Rachelle, Lindsay, Carriane, and Brittany."

"But their middle names are Marie."

"Exactly."

"My middle name is Maria."

"WTHeck? Why didn't you ever say anything?"

"I just thought you liked the name."

Good grief.

I practically had an identity crisis.

So, alas, I think names are important. When they're the right ones.

Tune in for {Part 2} to learn the middle name we've chosen for baby girl numero dos.

It's a........

2012-01-09T11:44:00.000-08:00

This morning we had our 18-week ultrasound.

And got to see our sweet baby.

Do you wanna know the sex?

I bet you do.

The ultrasound tech said that baby has very long legs.

And we saw all 4 chambers of the heart.

And two cute little feet.

And some cute little fingers.

And a tummy.

And bladder.

And we saw the blood pumping in and out a tiny little heart.

We also saw a cute little profile.

What's that you say?

You want to know the sex?

Okay fine.

It's

GIRL!

We are so excited.

Sadie is going to have a sister!

Our honeymoon...and stuff

2012-01-06T16:43:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I've never shared this story with you, my wonderful readers, before, for it is funny.

Well, it's funny now; it was not funny when it happened. And contrary to what you may be thinking, it has nothing to do with honeymoon-type stuff. You know, honeymoon stuff? The stuff you do on your honeymoon? Anyway, here is the grand story of our honeymoon.

Jeff and I decided we wanted to go to Maui.

{Ah, Maui, how I miss thee. Children and a mortgage have kept us apart for many years,

but I promise that someday soon we'll again meet.}

My parents were gracious enough to let us use their frequent flier miles to get there, thus making our flights a big f-r-e-e.

Here's the thing about flier miles: there are only a certain amount of seats alloted per flight for flier mile customers. Since we got married in August, our flight options were limited.

We opted for a flight out of Burbank at 8 am on the Monday after our Wedding {we were married on a Saturday}. The other option was on Sunday at 8 am, and since we knew we'd be up late doing stuff, we opted for Monday.

Jeff planned everything.

He booked our wedding-night hotel {near Burbank, mind you}, scheduled the airport shuttle thingy to pick us up at, oh, around 6 am on Monday, and even double checked our flight itinerary. The day before our wedding, everything was hunky-dorey, good to go, yada yada yada.

So the shuttle guy picked us up.

And then he dropped us off at the airport.

I feel it's important at this point to remind you all that I was a whole twenty-one years old when were married. Jeff was a whole twenty-two years old and some change. Between the two of us, we didn't have much travel-without-your-parents experience.

So...airport shuttle drops us off at the airport.

Our flight was through Aloha, but we couldn't find an Aloha counter. This should have been our first clue that something was amiss.

Since Burbank is a very small airport {there's only two terminals}, we headed to the United counter.

{Aloha is a subsidiary of United}.

We gave the lady our flight information.

It is important that you know that English was not her first language.

She looked at us, and in a very matter-of-fact, blunt fashion, said "You fly out John Wayne. Next!"

Umm...what???

We turned around to the "next" people and told them to please wait.

We turned back to our ever-so-helpful flight lady and said, "I'm sorry, what?"

"You fly out John Wayne."

"Well that's not what our itinerary says."

"You fly out John Wayne."

She was so helpful.

We just stared at her blankly.

"But we're in Burbank. At 6:30 am. On a Monday morning."

"Yes, you fly out John Wayne. 10 am. Your flight change."

It was so nice of United to tell us about this minor change.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. You fly out John Wayne. Aloha no fly out Burbank anymore."

We seriously just stared at each other in stunned silence, unsure of what to do.

At this point, it was almost 7.

We had 3 hours to make it through rush-hour traffic, through the ticket line, through the security check, and onto our flight. If you miss a flier mile flight, they don't automatically offer you a free flight. You have to pay for it.

Panic began to set in.

We decided the best thing to do was to rent a car and drive to John Wayne.

We stopped at the first car rental place we could find. Actually, we ran to it, oodles of luggage in tow {because 15 pairs of shoes were really necessary for my 9 day honeymoon}.

It happened to be Enterprise, which I now know is ridiculously expensive.

The only car they had left was a minivan.

We took it. Never mind that we were on our honeymoon.

After paying all of these astronomical fees {different pick-up/drop-off location, under 25 years of age, etc.}, we were on our way. I seriously think it cost us over $200 for the stupid rental car.

But whatevs. We fly out John Wayne. 10 am.

We actually did make it, and with time to spare.

And we had a wonderful time in Maui, sightseeing and stuff.

This is the best part, though.

When we got home, Jeff contacted United about the whole shindig.

"Oh, we left a message letting you know of the change at {my parent's home phone #}."

"Really, you left information that important on an answering machine?"

"Yes. Yes we did."

They also sent a letter to Jeff postmarked Saturday, August 6th. The day we got married. How they ever expected it to make it to us on time is beyond me. It arrived at Jeff's parent's house on Tuesday, August 9th. The day after our flight.

They also sent Jeff an email on Monday, August 8th at 10 am. The day and time our flight left.

Thanks for the heads up, United.

But now, every time we pass John Wayne, I scream "YOU FLY OUT JOHN WAYNE!!!"

And we laugh hysterically.

A post about pregnancy

2012-01-03T15:35:00.000-08:00

Well, here it is: the post you've all been waiting for.

My first post about this pregnancy.

And it's many, many wonders.

You may need some reminding about the horror show that was my first pregnancy.

You can read about it here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Apparently I had a lot to say. And I was such a peach about it.

In case you don't want to do all that reading, I'll sum it up for you:

-morning sickness for 27 weeks. TWENTY SEVEN!

-hot all the time. All. the. time.

-working as a food server

-and working as a tutor

-and interning with a college professor

-in grad school

-and writing my 80+-page thesis

-kind of moody. Well, some {"some" being Jeff and my mom} might say bitchy.

I think moody is a much nicer way of saying it.

It was not my best moment, if you will.

I just didn't expect to be sick for that long.

And to have the slew of other symptoms that I had.

But with this one, I was ready.

Ready for the morning sickness, which, incidentally, was way worse than it ever was with Sadie.

I didn't think this was possible, but I lived it. It is possible. It has, however, already subsided.

Ready for leaking pee. Oh yes. Every single time I cough or sneeze. Every. time.

Things for which I was unprepared:

Canker-sore outbreaks.

Apparently it's a hormone thing {as is everything when you're pregnant.

I swear your arm could fall off and the OB would say, "oh, it's just your hormones."}

Not being hot. In fact, oftentimes I'm cold! It's glorious!

Having energy! Woot-woot!

An uber-sensitive gag reflex. Almost anything can make me puke. Poopy diapers? Check.

Funny-smelling food? Check. The dog chewing up and then spitting out a mushroom on our bed? Double check. {This last one actually completed the job.}

Being more susceptible to colds, flus, etc.

I know. I know. Pregnant women are warned that their immune systems aren't as strong. But when I was prego with Sadie, I never got sick. Not once. Even though I was working near a tourist attraction, tutoring people {close quarters...I mean, seriously. One time this guy I was tutoring had just smoked a cigarette and drank a cup of coffee. GAG!}, and attending college classes 2-3 times per week. Apparently the germs in these places have nothing on a toddler. And I mean nothing. I have been sick 4 times since October. FOUR! One of which was the stomach flu. That combined with morning sickness is awful.

Overall, this pregnancy has been so much better than my first.

I'm not as anxious because I read less information about what could possible go wrong.

Actually, I read no information about such things. I'm pretty sure I read all of it with my first.

I felt the baby move at 14 weeks. JOY! And today I felt it kick. MORE JOY!

Overall, I am trying to enjoy the good parts of pregnancy instead of focusing on the bad.

Instead of worrying if I don't feel this baby move, I try to enjoy when I do feel it move.

If women are honest, and I mean truly honest, pregnancy is not their most glorious moment.

I would be money that most are not fond of dry skin, throbbing crotchal regions, and stretch marks.

But it sure does bring about many, many, many glorious and joyful moments.

I cannot wait for this baby to come.

Sadie is going to be an awesome big sister.

And I just feel so much more prepared and confident in my parenting skills.

And I know what sleep deprivation is like.

And screaming newborns.

And how to take care of a falling off umbilical cord.

Yeah, pregnancy is one thing.

Newborns are a whole different beast.

Hello, twenty-twelve!

2012-01-01T15:20:00.000-08:00

With a new year comes new goals {or resolutions}.

Whatever you want to call them.

I call them motivators.

Jeff calls them pointless.

Either way, I do have some goals for this year.

Goal #1: we have got to get this house organized.

Especially before baby #2 arrives. In all of his or her chaotic newborn wonder {hopefully I'll be able to start calling it him or her as of next Monday around 9 am. Poor little sexless baby}. Jeff doesn't really believe in closet organization systems. Thinks they're overrated. And expensive. It took me two years to convince him that we needed one in our closet. I have wanted one in Sadie's closet since before she was born. And one in the office closet for 4.5 years {I am this close to getting one in the office. JOY!}. And I haven't told him this yet, but I'm also going to want one in the baby's room. Before the baby comes. He is slowly crossing over to my side. Seeing the so-called light, if you will. I think it's because you can no longer walk through our office without tripping over something {recall this post with a picture of our messy office...and then multiply by 10. It's. a. mess}. Because it has this giant, beautiful closet with no shelving in it. So every time I need something from the closet, I have to pull everything out. And why bother putting it back when it doesn't really have a spot?

So alas, goal #1 is to get organized. No matter the cost. If it saves my sanity, I think it's worth it.

Goal #2: Re-learn to sew.

My mom--bless her heart--bought me a sewing machine for Christmas. My grandma taught me how to sew when I was little, and I think I just need a refresher course to get going again. {Side note: both of my grandmothers are pretty great seamstresses. My dad's mom reupholsters her own furniture.

Can you imagine?}

I'd like to set up a sewing area in our office, but...{refer to goal #1}!

Goal #3: Explore/expand my freelance career.

I love writing. I know I'm good at it. I have a BA and MA in English. I'd like to make more money with my talent. Whether that's through blogging or freelancing for magazines or both, I'm not sure.

Goal #4: Learn how to better use my fancy-pants camera.

Jeff is so gifted in the technology area, and I just am not. It totally baffles, frustrates, and annoys me. But I have this wonderfully expensive camera that takes amazing pictures {if I happen to accidentally stumble across some good lighting} and I'd like to learn how to use it to its full potential.

Goal #5: {this is not a fun one and that's why it's last} Get those finances in order.

Ugh. I feel like we are constantly bouncing back and forth with our budget. One month we're over, the next we're under, then we overspend, then we break even. Good grief. First order of business: make a more functional menu planner. This one, to be exact. It may look complicated, but you can actually order the pre-made vinyl sticker for $8.50, and then all you have to do is make the magnetic meal tags. Since I'm not very creative in the kitchen, this will work perfectly for us. Genius!

What are your goals/resolutions?

Peace Out, Christmas!

2011-12-29T16:22:00.000-08:00

I love our house at Christmastime.

I love the lights and fun decorations.

I love wrapping presents.

And the fact that they all have to be shoved to the very back of my tree so that Sadie can't get to them.

I love buying Sadie her ornament each year.

After reading this post from OliveBlue, I decided that I wanted to have a theme for my kids' yearly ornaments. I thought that the fairy series from Hallmark was perfect for Sadie.

It's so sweet and girly {just like her}.

I ordered the 2010 fairy online, and hunted high and low for the 2011 one.

I love the stockings,

nativity scenes,

advent calendars,

garland-laden mantels,

and playing Santa

to a very happy toddler.

But you know what I love most of all?

When all of the decorations go away.

When January comes and I can hibernate for awhile.

Just sort of chill out and relax a bit.

I am so looking forward to it.

Because I think if I had to take Sadie shopping one more time this holiday season,

she would flip her lid. Go bananas. Freak out.

And if the truth be told, I just might, too.

So peace out, Christmas.

See you next year.

Tutorial Tuesday: {Coffee Filter Wreath}!

2011-12-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

You may have seen this wreath on Pinterest or out there in the blogosphere somewhere. I found the idea on Jones Design Company.

It is super easy and cheap.I made mine a few months ago, so I can't remember exactly how much it cost, but I think it was around $10-$15.

Here is what you’ll need:

1 foam wreath form {mine was 10 inches, but the bigger the better!}

1 yard of 1” or thicker ribbon {more for a larger wreath}

75 coffee filters {more if your wreath is larger than 10 inches}

75 push pins

2-3 cupcake liners

1 large button

2-4 push pins with round heads

Scissors

First, wrap your wreath in ribbon. Pin it at the end to hold it in place.

Next, fold a coffee filter into quarters {or eighths}. I kind of alternated between folding them into quarters and eighths…I think the variety gives the wreath more fluff. Depending on your design scheme, you can use natural or white coffee filters.

Once you’ve folded your coffee filter, pin it into the wreath.

Fold, fold, pin, pin. Fold, fold, pin, pin, until you’ve pinned all of your coffee filters. Or rather, until your entire wreath is covered.It may take more or less than 75 filters.

You may notice that some of the coffee filters are uneven. Just even out the ends with scissors.

At this point, you can leave your wreath just as it is, OR you can add a cute cupcake liner flower.

I used 3 cupcake liners. If you’re using patterned ones, flip them outside in {this is so that the pattern shows; otherwise it’ll get lost in all the coffee filters} and stack them inside of each other.

Find a good spot on the wreath for your flower. You may have to push aside and/or remove a coffee filter or two.

Place your button inside of the cupcake liners, take your round-head pushpins, stick them through the buttonholes, and pin the flower onto the wreath. The beauty of the cupcake liners is that you can change them for each holiday.

Voila! Your wreath is done!

For an alternate version, you can actually make the entire wreath out of cupcake liners! This is a really cute idea for holidays such as Christmas, Valentine’s Day, or St. Patty’s. Check Michael’s, Amazon, or your local cake supply store for super cute liners. Click here for a tutorial.

Happy crafting!

Merry Christmas from the Horve's!

2011-12-18T11:22:00.000-08:00

This year, I searched high and low for the perfect Christmas card.

I looked at TinyPrints, Shutterfly, Picaboo, and Minted, but I just couldn't find the perfect one.

I'm picky like that.

I wanted to find the card before we took our family pictures.

You know...so that our clothes could sort of match the colors on the card.

You might call me a "perfectionist," but I think "clever" is a better descriptor.

I found the perfect design from LexiJayne's Designs on Etsy:

It was love at first sight.

Her Etsy shop says that it will take 24-48 hours to get your proof, but I literally had mine in 2 hours.

Once I had it, I headed to Sam's Club and printed away (their 5x7's are $.13/print and the quality is better than Target, CVS, etc.).

It also helped that we had an amazing photographer.

If you haven't checked her out, you should: Sarah at Gwenibelle Photography. She is just getting her photography business off the ground, so she has some really reasonable rates right now!

It was pouring rain the day we took these pictures. And I mean pouring. But we had already rescheduled once and I was bound and determined to take them, so we headed down to the Orange Circle with umbrellas in hand.

They turned out to be some of the best pictures we've ever taken. She captured Sadie perfectly.

Here are a few more from the day:

I'm pretty sure Sarah was standing in the rain while taking this one.
We were sitting at a table underneath an overhang.

Jeff was so happy to be holding my polk-a-dot umbrella in this one. Not.

My hips are already spreading. Apparently that happens faster with your second pregnancy.

This one and the next are my favorites from the day.
When we were all done with our "formal" pictures, we let Sadie run around in a huge puddle. She could not have been happier!

Christmas activities and stuff

2011-12-12T15:17:00.000-08:00

My house has been a flurry of fun Christmas activities over the past week or two! I love, love, love this time of year because 1) it gives me a great excuse to go shopping, 2) I love to decorate, and 3) all of the Christmas-y activities make me happy.

Here is what we've been up to over the past few weeks:

Decorating:

Visiting Santa:

Attempt #1: utter fail.

Attempt #2: success!

Seeing "snow" (in Chino Hills, nonetheless!)

Oh, yeah, and there's this, too:

Sadie is very excited (and so are we)!

A few of my favorite things...

2011-12-01T16:39:00.000-08:00

I know I've said before that we're on a budget, and truth be told, we are; however, there are a few things on which I refuse to skimp. I've tried cheaper brands, and they just aren't worth the savings. I always come crawling back to my favorite brands.

1. Shampoo & conditioner: Enjoy. Hands down the best I've ever used. In fact, I love it so much that I've been using it for almost 5 years--and I've never had to switch brands.

2. Hairspray: Kenra. It's not cheap, but I don't need to use a lot and it holds my hair in place all day. Plus, it doesn't leave behind the nasty build up that other hairsprays do.

3. Dry shampoo: TIGI Dirty Secret Dry Shampoo is my new best friend. Seriously.

Just spray, style, and go. Love.

4. Skin care products: La Roche Posay. I've been using this brand for almost 6 years and have never had a problem with it. I have really, really, really sensitive skin and I've learned that this is one area where I really can't skimp. I order it through skincarerx.com, but some CVS locations have started carrying it.

5. Makeup: Arbonne. I use their loose mineral powder, bronzer, eye shadow, and eye liner. Again, because my skin is so sensitive, I can't use drugstore brands. I order mine through an Arbonne rep.

Christmas wish list

2011-11-22T18:07:00.000-08:00

These are a few of the things I'm hoping end up in my stocking this year {ahem, Jeff}. So really, this post is my ever-so-subtle way of telling my husband what I want. Clever, huh?

1. An iPhone 4 {or 4S}. In white.

And I'm pretty sure Jeff wants one in black.

2. A sewing machine.

I don't really know which brand/model because I haven't done a ton research,

but I know I want one. I like to think of myself as a seamstress-in-hiding.

3. A Disneyland pass.

Yes, I know that this isn't a picture of a current Disneyland pass,

but does anyone out there remember these?

My parents used to have some leftover from when they were dating.

4. Some sort of personalized jewelry.

This one wouldn't have to be an "L"; an "S" or "J" or even "H" would work, too.

{Etsy}

I like this one because as I have more children,

I can just order more charms/birthstones and add to it.

{Etsy}

I realize that there are some pricey items on this list, but a girl can dream, right?

Being the adult {part 3}

2011-11-09T14:47:00.000-08:00

There were many things for which I was unprepared as I entered motherhood.

The lack of sleep.

The eternally hurting hoo-ha {and with that, labor & delivery}.

The necessity of dying to myself.

The financial cost of raising children.

The anxiety.

The fear.

You see, there's this thing that happens once you have a chid: the world becomes scarier.

Germs are dangerous.

Pedophiles do exist.

Kids are mean.

Girls are especially mean.

Boys do break your heart.

Life and death become more real.

One thing for which I was especially unprepared

when I had Sadie was how much I would love her.

I would die for her.

I might even kill for her {well, not kill, but at least give anyone that hurts her a fierce, angry-mama-bear slap/claw across the face}. Okay, I wouldn't do that either. Maybe just in my mind. But I might give them a verbal slap/claw across the face.

There are no words in the English language capable of describing a mother's love for her child. It's like all of the sudden, your heart exists outside of your body, exposed to the elements.

I think that these emotions and feelings are part of being the adult. The chief. The one in charge.

I didn't understand how much my mom loves me until I became a mother.

Until I made those sacrifices.

Suffered from sleep deprivation.

Stayed up all night with a barfing baby.

Cried when she got her vaccinations.

Found joy in her happiness.

And while reflecting upon all of this, I wondered, "what if something happens to me {or Jeff} before Sadie is old enough to know how much we love her?"

What if my baby has to grow up without her mom?

What if she's too young to know just how much I love her?

And that's when I decided.

I'm going to write a love letter to my daughter.

So that she can know how much I love her.

Even if I live to be 100.

You can read the first two parts of this series here and here.

daylight savings sucks

2011-11-08T15:08:00.000-08:00

I hate daylight savings.

There.

I said it.

And I'm not taking it back!

When I was in college, I loved the Fall time change.

The extra hour of sleep was glorious.

But now, now that I'm an adult with a child, I no longer enjoy that extra hour of sleep.

In fact, that freakin' hour has so royally screwed up Sadie's schedule that she can't fall asleep at her regular bedtime and she's having a hard time napping.

It is currently 3 pm and the little sprite is still awake.

Just-a-rollin' around in her crib, talking to her babies.

Maybe tomorrow I'll give her a nice shot of Tylenol before her nap.

That should do it.

{Funny Friday}

2011-11-04T13:06:00.000-07:00

It's FRIDAY!

You may be wondering why, as a stay-at-home mom, I love Fridays.

Umm...because my husband comes home on Friday afternoon and stays there until Monday morning.

It's glorious.

And in honor of Friday, I will leave you with three funny conversations I've had with my husband in the last month or so:

Conversation #1:

Me: I can't find my cell phone. Can you try calling it?

Jeff: {calls my cell phone}

Me: I hear ringing! Where is it coming from?

Jeff: {opens the pantry door}. In here. Your cell phone is in the pantry.

Me: {uncontrollable laughter}

Conversation #2:

Jeff: Oooh, what's that?

Me: A cake pop. Would you like it?

Jeff: Sure. {takes bite, makes face}

Me: Do you like it?

Jeff: Well, I don't think it's cooked inside. It's all gooey.

Me: That's frosting, dear.

Jeff: Oh, in that case, it's delicious.

Converstaion #3:

Me: {sitting on couch, probably perusing Pinterest}

Jeff: {sitting on other couch, probably doing homework. Curled up with dog}. I just farted and Tobey sniffed his butt.

Me: Lovely.

Happy Friday!

Halloween wrap-up

2011-11-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

We had a great Halloween.

Sadie was a cow and Jeff and I were farmers.

All the kiddos before we went trick-or-treating.

Sadie and her little friend Addie. Addie's mom and I were best friends in high school.

Thoroughly enjoying her plunder.

Music Class

2011-10-29T07:03:00.000-07:00

Over the past five weeks, Sadie has been going to a music class.

I signed her up through our city's Parks & Rec department.

It was kind of expensive, but I decided to take the risk.

The first week, she was very skeptical.

She sat in my lap and eyed the instructor the whole time.

But after that, she really enjoyed it.

She danced, jumped, did the motions, and had so much fun.

We will definitely be signing up for the next session!

{Thrifty Thursday}: Yarn and cupcake liner wreath

2011-10-27T11:43:00.001-07:00

It's Thrifty Thursday, y'all!

And in its honor, I made a very cute, very easy, very cheap wreath.

My inspiration was this wreath, which was found on Pinterest {of course!}:

For this project, you will need:

1 round 10-inch wreath form

1 thing of yarn {any color}

8-10 cupcake liners {I used ones that were already in my pantry}

4-5 2-inch round fabric pieces

4-5 buttons

8-10 push pins {with round heads}

I found my wreath form for $5 and yarn for $2 at JoAnn's, and I already had all the other supplies, so this project only cost me $7. If you have to buy the other supplies, it might cost around $20.

This is my finished product:

I didn't take step-by-step pictures, but it's pretty easy.

First, secure one end of your yarn to the wreath {you can pin it or hot glue it}.

Next, wrap and wrap and wrap and wrap and wrap your yarn around the wreath. This seriously took forever. Well, not forever, but probably about 1 1/2 hours.

I found that it was easier to wrap loosely for a few inches, and then sort of push the yarn back towards where you started. This helps tighten the yarn and sufficiently cover the wreath form.

When you have completely covered the wreath, glue the end of the yarn somewhere on the back of your wreath form.

For the flowers/cupcake liners, I layered like this:

First layer: 1 cupcake liner

Second layer: Another cupcake liner

{for the polka-dot ones, I flipped the inner liner inside out so that the pattern would show}

Third layer: One fabric circle

Fourth layer: 1-2 buttons

Fifth layer: 1-2 push pins {just push the pins through the button holes and into the wreath form}

Some close-ups of the cupcake liners:

P.S. I entered this project in The Pinterest Challenge! You can visit the website here!
Whichever project gets the most votes receives an awesome prize package. Voting starts tomorrow and ends November 4th. Vote for me!

Fall Fun!

2011-10-25T15:13:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned that I love Fall? It ushers in cold{er} weather {I can't really say cold weather, because let's be honest, it's rarely cold in SoCal}, pumpkin-flavored treats, yummy smelling candles, and four very fun holidays. I am already dreaming about my Christmas tree and garlands. I know, I know. It's pathetic.

Last year, Sadie was so little that our only "big" fall outing was a trip to the pumpkin patch and a photo shoot in her pumpkin beanie.

But this year, she is a big 16-month-old, and we are having so much fun!

We visited Irvine Park, where she went on a pony ride. She LOVES farm animals, but I wasn't really sure how she'd react to the real, moving pony. She cried for the pony when we left, so I'd say it was a hit.

I bought two pumpkins from the grocery store and then we got three from this Harvest Festival thing we went to with Jeff's parents. I wasn't really sure what we'd do with five pumpkins, but after doing some serious FaceBook stalking, I decided to copy a friend and let Sadie paint the pumpkins. It was really messy, but she had so much fun. I've been trying to find some cheap, stay-at-home activities for her, and this was perfect.

I put one of my old House of Blues shirts on her {I knew they'd be handy for something} and put the paint in cups.

At first she was very timid with the paint and brushes.

But she ended up having a blast.

And today, we went to the pumpkin patch with my Mops group.

Mimi joined us for the fun.

There were "doats,"

a "terter,"

and baby "chichi's."

She even got to ride on a mini tractor!

But what she found most interesting were these flags. Go figure. And we got another pumpkin. Next year, I'll know that I don't need to buy any from the grocery store.

What have you been doing this fall? Any fun, non-traditional traditions?

high school reunion: I went, I conquered, and that's about it

2011-10-22T06:33:00.000-07:00

If you read my last post, you already know that my 10-year high school reunion was a few weeks ago.

And that I was very skeptical about going.

It's funny how even though I'm 10 years past high school, the thought of seeing some of those people again puts my stomach in knots.

There's just something about the high school experience that stays with us--whether we want it to or not.

Luckily, the four years I spent at good ol' EDHS weren't too shabby {minus my sophomore year--that turned out to be one of the most hellish years of my life}.

And because of this, I decided that going to the reunion was a good idea.

And it was. I had fun.

It was kind of like prom, but everyone was drunk.

Well, not everyone, but mostly everyone.

{A side note about the drunkenness: I understand needing to drink at your high school reunion, but if you can't hold your liquor I recommend only drinking enough to get a nice buzz. There was this girl there that was so drunk that she fell backwards and almost knocked me and my friend over! Luckily, we weren't inebriated and caught her before she hit the floor. She ended up leaving early. Now, instead of remembering her as a nice girl I went to high school with, I remember her as that girl who got completely wasted at our reunion and made a fool of herself. That being said, there were plenty of people there who could hold their liquor, and they provided jolly-good conversation. End of side note.}

I'm glad I went.

And conquered.

And that's about it.

high school reunion

2011-10-01T15:30:00.000-07:00

My 10-year-high-school reunion is tonight.

And I'm going.

Why am I going, you may be wondering?

I'm not really sure.

Good food?

Nope, they're just serving appetizers and drinks.

Great location?

Definitely not.

Seeing people I haven't seen in 10 years?

There's a reason for that.

I suppose there's a lot of reasons not to go, but for some reason I just want to.

I am one of those rare people who actually enjoyed high school.

Well, for the most part.

I definitely dealt with my share of mean girls. And I mean really, really mean.

But the truth is, God used those experiences {although painful and humiliating} to mold me into who I am today.

They taught me to keep my opinions to myself.

They taught me not to gossip.

They taught me how to empathize with others.

And they certainly taught me how not to treat other people.

I think that every girl has to deal with mean girls at some point in her life.

I'm certainly not an anomaly {that's my big word for the day. I promise not to use anymore}, and for the most part, I liked high school.

So, aside from potentially running into the mean girls and maybe an ex or two, I'm excited.

Plus, if you'll recall, I'll have this hunk as my arm candy:

And who wouldn't want to attend their high school reunion with him?

reason #487 why you don't let your kid run around without a diaper

2011-09-23T22:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was kind of crazy.

Sadie woke up sick and snotty.

Her stuffy nose made for a miserable nap time and after an hour of tossing and turning, she woke up.

All stuffy and all snotty.

You know, when they wake up and their hair is plastered to their forehead via snot? And it's caked all over their cheeks?

Poor baby.

I decided that a bath would help her.

That always makes me feel a little better when I'm sick.

So a bath she had.

And then I realized that I hadn't showered in at least two days {don't judge! I'm lucky it wasn't three!}.

So I hopped in, turned the heat up and the vent off {so that Sadie could breathe in some steam and hopefully help with her congestion}, and let her run around the bathroom naked until I was done.

Bad idea #1. Babies should always wear diapers.

She had a really bad diaper rash, so I decided to let the naked romp continue while I was getting ready.

Bad idea #2. Again, babies should always wear diapers.

About 5 minutes later, she walked into my bedroom holding a book.

"Read?" She said ever so sweetly.

I said "okay" and then looked down at her feet.

And that's when I saw it.

Poop.

Poop on her feet. Poop on her legs. Poop, poop, everywhere.

I whisked her back into the bathtub, rinsed her off, and promptly put her back in a diaper.

Then I went to look for the poop.

Luckily, it was on our hardwood.

Phew.

But wait. Her books are on the bottom shelf of our hutch. In the living room. On the carpet. And she was definitely looking at her books.

So into the living room I walked {mistake #3...should've cleaned it up before leaving the room} and there it was. A poop stain on my carpet. All nice and rubbed in by a sweet baby butt.

I called my mom.

Mistake #4. Should've cleaned it up before calling my mom.

"How do I get crap out of the carpet?"

"Human crap or dog crap?"

{Does it make a difference?}

"Human. It was Sadie, not me. I didn't crap on the carpet."

{Endless laughter and cackling on the other end}

As I was explaining what happened and why my child was running around diaperless, I walked back to the scene of the crime.

And there stood the dog, smacking his lips as he enjoyed the last of the poop.

I guess that's how you clean human poop off the floor.

{I think I just threw up in my mouth a little}.

Yee haw! A western-themed baby shower

2011-09-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

Last Friday night I threw a shower for a sweet, sweet friend.

She is having a boy, and I'm not really great with the boy stuff, but I decided to go for it.

And it turned out pretty stinkin' cute!

We wanted it to be cute, classy, and different, so we chose a vintage cowboy theme. We used teal, brick red, chocolate brown, and goldenrod yellow as our colors.

I ordered the invite design from Dimple Prints on Etsy. They were SUPER cute and they only cost $10. I printed 35 of them at Sam's Club for only $14, and the envelopes were $6. Not too shabby!

{Well, they were much cuter before I blurred out all of the personal information.}

This is what people saw when they got to the front door:

I made rolled fabric flowers out of the fabric we bought for the shower so that the wreath could be festive. I didn't want it to feel left out.

A little rocking chair, hat, and boots adorned the porch.

Gift area. The mommy-to-be got to keep the rocking horse.

We saw this tin-can vase idea on Pinterest {where else}?

You just take empty soup cans and use them as vases. We added the bandana-like ribbon for some extra cowboy flair.

P.S. I will continue to say "we" throughout this post because I had a very capable sidekick helping with the fabric selection, fun details, and set up {thanks Karissa!}.

I also saw this place setting idea on Pinterest. You just put the napkin in the glass {mason jars in our case} and then put the silverware inside the napkin. Then it's all in one place and people don't have to try to balance a plate, silverware, and napkin while dishing up their food. Plus, it makes the table look pretty {and let's be honest--that's the most important part!}.

We wanted to emphasize the vintage theme, so we used several of these old soda boxes to decorate.

I actually bought the Pepsi one from Pottery Barn. And it's actually old, not a "new but looks old." It even came with a tag claiming it was made in the U.S. in the 60s. Pretty nifty, huh?

For favors, we did a trail mix bar {another Pinterest find...what did we do before Pinterest?!}

I forgot to take a picture of the food table, but we did BBQ and it was delish. Several people brought food {it takes a village to raise a baby and it takes a village to throw a baby shower!}

For dessert, we roasted s'mores. I'll claim that idea as my own--no help from Pinterest there.

A great time was had by all.

Can you even tell which one is the mommy-to-be in these pictures?

It's hard because she's so cute and tiny.

Hint: she's the only one in both pictures.

For more cute baby boy shower ideas, visit Nicole over at Olive Blue.

kids have made me irresponsible

2011-09-20T13:46:00.000-07:00

So...yesterday I had an appointment with the dentist.

And I ditched it.

I didn't call to inform them I wasn't coming.

I simply no-showed.

{My cousin's wife, who happens to have the same initials as me, is probably cringing right now because she's a dental hygienist and doesn't appreciate it when her patients don't show up}

It's just that I hate going to the dentist.

And mine is actually really nice.

So I don't really have a reason to ditch.

Plus, he has a loud, jolly laugh.

And who doesn't like a dentist with a jolly laugh?

Actually, I don't really like that part of him.

It startles me.

What if the hygienist is poking my gums with some foreign instrument and the dentist

starts laughing from the next room and it startles me and she stabs me in the tongue?

Or the nose? Or the ear? Hey, don't think it can't happen.

Those women are crazy with their cleaning instruments! It's is perfectly plausible that one's ear could get poked with a cleaning instrument. Perfectly.

But the real reason that I ditched yesterday is because I hate finding a babysitter so that I can go to the dentist.

I mean, if I'm going to have someone watching my daughter, I'd rather do something productive such as grocery shopping or running errands. OR I'd rather do something fun such as taking a nap.

Which is what I did.

That's right.

I ditched the dentist in favor of taking a nap.

And it was the most glorious nap ever.

But then when I woke up I had a message from my dentist's office.

And the lady was all snooty and irritated that they were "expecting" me at 1:30 and I didn't show up.

Here's the thing. Yes, there's a thing.

Before I had child, I was very responsible.

Just the thought of missing an appointment like that--even if I called first thing in the morning to cancel--gave me major anxiety.

But now I don't really care.

I suppose that's what having kids does to you.

It makes you irresponsible.

{9.11.01}

2011-09-11T14:16:00.000-07:00

Ten years ago today, I was a freshman in college.

Fresh out of high school.

Barely 18 years old.

I had no idea who Osama bin Laden or al Qaeda were.

I didn't even know that Islam was a religion.

And I had no clue that the World Trade Center even existed.

I remember waking up and hearing the TV down the hall.

My parents were kind of scuttling around, talking in hushed voices.

It was a Tuesday, so I found it odd that the TV was on before my brothers went to school.

It was never on before school.

I also found it odd that my dad was still home.

He usually left for work long before any of us woke up.

So I rolled out of bed and walked down the hall.

I found my parents sitting on the couch, eyes glued to the tube.

I asked what was going on.

My mom was crying, and my dad's voice was shaky as he told me the horrible news.

We watched the footage. Over and over and over again.

It was surreal.

And then we prayed.

We prayed for President Bush, our nation, and those who lost loved ones.

Now, as an adult, I understand why my parents were so concerned.

They knew who Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda were.

They knew of the unrest in the Middle East.

And they knew that America was undoubtedly under attack.

To be honest, I wish I didn't know any of these things.

I wish I could pretend that bad things don't happen and that evil doesn't exist.

I wish I could pretend that people don't hate me just because I'm an American.

Because it scares me. Causes my stomach to tie itself in knots.

But the truth is that I can't ignore it.

I can't just ignore the day that forever changed the world. Our world. My daughter's world. The world of children who have yet to be born.

[It's weird to think that there's a whole generation who will never fully understand the impact that 9.11.01 has had {or will have} on their lives.]

Whenever I am fearful, I have to remind myself that I serve a BIG God.

A MIGHTY God.

A SOVEREIGN God.

If God is for us, who can be against us? {Romans 8:31}

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil, for YOU are with me... {Psalm 23:4}

It is my job to teach my children to trust God.

It is my job to be an example of someone who trusts God.

It is my job to teach my children that God is for them.

It is my job to teach my children that God is with them.

Always. Even when the world is scary and out of control.

It is my job to be the adult, just as my parents were ten years ago today.

Because I am sure that 9.11.01 wasn't the end of this war.

And I am sure that something like this will happen again in my children's lifetime.

And when it does, I want them to feel safe and protected not only by me and Jeff, but by their Heavenly Father as well.

What were you doing on 9.11.01? How has it changed your life?

What I Made {Monday}!

2011-09-05T16:26:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's already Labor Day! Where, oh where, did the summer go?

I love the laid-back, easy-breeziness of summer days, but I think I love fall even more.

And that's why I busted out my fall decor tote on September 1.

Apple pie candles? Check.

Teeny tiny bales of hay? Check.

Fake pumpkins? Check.

Love.

Because once the fall stuff is out, that means that the holidays are right around the corner.

And I love me some evergreen- or cinnamon spice-scented candles.

I burn them all season.

All of this has nothing to do with today's post.

I just can't believe that summer's pretty much over.

But this is what I made for dinners last week:

{before you delve into this oh-so-interesting post, you should know that I didn't go grocery shopping last week like I intended. Thus, dinners were a bit, um, thrown together. I pretty much scrounged together whatever I thought would make a half-decent meal. Hence all the ground beef}.

Monday:

Ground beef burritos

meat, beans, cheese. YUM!

Tuesday:

Spaghetti with ground beef

Cook the ground beef; drain. Add to marinara; heat. Pour over cooked noodles.

Wednesday:

Crock pot chicken. I make this at least twice per month.

You can read how to make it here.

If I remember correctly, we had it with rice pilaf.

Sadie loves her some rice.

Thursday:

Chicken lettuce wraps.

I took the leftover chicken from Wednesday's dinner, threw it in a frying pan, added some yummy sauce {better known as General Tso's Sauce & Glaze--made by Iron Chef}, and heated it up.

Then we put it in a lettuce cup and ate it. If you want some added kick, you can add some sweet chili sauce {we used Mae Ploy's Sweet Chili Sauce--bought at Cost Plus/World Market}. Very easy! If you want to add some more flavor, however, you can add chopped green onions, carrots, garlic, water chestnuts, or even rice. I was just feeling lazy this day and Jeff isn't a picky eater.

Friday:

Chick-fil-A

The Chick-fil-A by our house is crazy-busy at lunchtime, but for breakfast and dinner it's a great place to take Sadie. She can play in the play area without being run over by older kids who are all hyped-up.

Saturday:

We went to dinner at Gabbi's in Orange with our friends John and Christine to celebrate my birthday and John's new job. It was delish. We had guacamole, tacos, banana creme brulee, and a whole lotta mango margarita.

Sunday:

Pizza with my parents {easy and FREE!}

Happy Labor Day!

Missin' my sweet baby

2011-09-03T10:03:00.000-07:00

Hello there.

I'm back.

Been a bit busy.

You know, with my non-sleeping toddler and all.

She didn't take a nap yesterday.

She played in her crib.

And bounced up and down.

And talked to her baby.

And pulled her ponytail holder out.

And chewed on the ribbon on her shirt.

And yelled. For me.

But no sleep.

And this morning, she woke up at 4 am.

All bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

I tried to get her back to sleep.

Jeff tried to get her back to sleep.

But alas, nobody slept much.

Not even poor Tobey.

Don't let his looks deceive you.

He's just as wild as Sadie.

But at least he sleeps.

I had all these big plans for today.

Plans to run baby-free errands.

Ahhh, the joy that fills my heart when I think of running errands sans baby is indescribable.

Because to be honest, lately I've been a bit scared of Sadie.

She screams "no-no-no-no-no!" in response to everything.

Even if she means "yes."

And this morning, when Jeff had given up trying to get her back to sleep, he brought her into bed with us, and what do you think she did? She rolled over and whacked me in the face.

And it wasn't one of those playful whacks that toddlers like to give.

You know the kind. When they're being all cute and think it's funny to stick their finger up your nose or poke you in the eye.

It was a full-on, I'm ticked at the world and mommy is irritating me whack! right across my face.

And there was some definite clawing at the end.

And then she yelled--you guessed it--"no-no-no-no-no!" when I told her to stop.

And then she did it again.

And then I said, a bit more loudly, "What are you doing to mommy?"

To which she replied, "no-no-no-no-no!"

But this time it was accompanied by flapping arms and flailing legs.

So yes, I am scared of my toddler.

And I am wondering what in the world happened to my sweet baby.

You know, this one:

I miss that sweet baby.

I have a secret to share...

2011-08-23T10:49:00.000-07:00

I have a secret to share.

I am a little obsessed with Friday Night Lights.

You know, the TV show with all the hot football players.

I've been watching it on Netflix.

Every. single. night.

Who, you might be wondering, are these hot football players?

Observe Exhibit A:

{Taylor Kitsch}

And Exhibit B:

{Gaius Charles}

And Exhibit C:

{Zach Gilford}

And Exhibit D:

{Scott Porter}

And let's be honest, the women are pretty hot, too.

That’s not really why I like it.

Well, it’s not the whole reason I like it.

But it certainly helps.

I mean, because, who needs to watch hot football players when you have this at home:

Just kidding. I heart my hubs.

He’s pretty hot stuff.

But back to Friday Night Lights.

I just started Season 4 and I am already feeling a little depressed that the show ended at Season 5.

I may need to set aside a time of mourning when I'm done watching it.

What I Made {Monday}!

2011-08-22T17:02:00.000-07:00

Tuesday: Dinner SUCCESS!

Breakfast for dinner

Scrambled eggs, bacon, and an {attempt} at hash browns

Wednesday: Dinner SUCCESS!

Main course: meatloaf {recipe found on allrecipes.com}

Sides: mashed potatoes and biscuits

For the meatloaf, you will need:

2 eggs, beaten

¾ cup milk

½ cup dried bread crumbs

¼ cup chopped onion

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1 ½ lbs ground beef

For the sauce:

½ cup ketchup

½ cup mustard

2 tbsp. brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish {I actually line the dish with foil and then spray the foil with cooking spray. This helps with the cleanup!}.

In a bowl, mix the eggs, milk, breadcrumbs, onion, salt, and black pepper. Gently work in the ground beef until mixed; press the meat mixture into the prepared loaf pan.

Bake until the meat is no longer pink inside and juices run clear {about 50 minutes}.

While the loaf is baking, mix together the ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar. I rarely ever follow exact measurements, so I just mixed the sauce until it tasted good. I added some BBQ sauce to the mix, too.

When the loaf is done baking, take it out and suck as much juice as possible out with a turkey baster. Then spread the sauce on top and bake for another 10 minutes.

Thursday: Dinner SUCCESS!

Main course: Slow-cooker casserole {recipe found on allrecipes.com}

Side: biscuits {can you tell we like our carbs around here? It’s pretty much all Sadie will eat}

For the casserole, you will need:

½ cup butter

1 {16-ounce} package frozen mixed veggies, thawed

2 cans cream of chicken soup

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

3 packages chicken-flavored ramen noodles

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, but into bite-sized pieces

Cut butter into small chunks and put them in the bottom of your slow cooker. Add the vegetables and soups and stir. Sprinkle with the seasoning from ramen mix {all 3 packets}. Put chicken pieces on top of soup mixture, set crock pot to low, cover, and let cook for 6 hours.

Break each ramen noodle pack into quarters. Put them in the slow cooker, stir to coat them with the soup mixture, cover, and cook on high for 1 hour.

Turn to low and let simmer until ready to serve.

Friday

Joe’s Crab Shack for the Koreans’ last night with us. Well, this was actually my last night with them. Jeff was a dear and took them shopping ALL DAY on Saturday and then they flew home yesterday. All three of the kids LOVED the music and dancing during dinner. Sadie was totally transfixed.

Saturday: Daddy’s choice {I was out of town}

Sunday: Chipotle {YUM!}

Thrifty Thursday: {Decorate with Books!}

2011-08-18T10:28:00.000-07:00

You know what’s really thrifty?

Decorating with books.

Apparently I like it.

A lot.

Must be the whole English-major thing.

But it was a very thrifty decorating move for me because it was practically free.

Case in point: our hutch.

There are books on the top right, middle left, and bottom right shelves {P.S. the hutch will soon be featured as a Thrifty Thursday project}.

And they are all children's books. They were mine when I was little.

I loved these Disney books. They were sold at the grocery store {amongst other places, I'm sure} and every time my mom and I went grocery shopping, she let me pick one out. I have about 15 of them.

Sadie loves books, too. She has quite the collection.

I collect old books and have them displayed throughout the house.

This is one of my favorite finds: a copy of Charles Dickens' David Copperfield. It was published in the late 1800s and I display it on our mantle {which Jeff built, by the way. That'll probably be another Thrifty Thursday project}.

Speaking of books, check out Sadie's first year album. I made it on Shutterfly and it was {relatively} inexpensive and so easy! They just launched a new album-making program and have hundreds of backgrounds, "stickers," and "embellishments" that you can add to your pages.

P.S. Jeff bought me a new camera lens for our anniversary and I'm loving it!

Isn't it awesome?

Happy thrifting!

What I Made {Monday}!

2011-08-15T20:33:00.000-07:00

Tuesday: Dinner FAIL!

Main course: grilled steak

Sides: grilled potatoes and sweet white corn

I love dinners where everything--sides included--can be thrown on the grill. So I prepped my steak and corn, chopped my potatoes, and put them in foil boats. I gave everything to Jeff, he walked outside, and then came back inside and informed me that we were out of propane. FAIL.

We ended up having chicken nuggets, french fries, mac 'n' cheese, and fruit.

And you know what? When one of our exchange students saw it, she exclaimed "Oh, it look bery yummy!" So I suppose it was a dinner success {just not by my standards}.

Wednesday: Dinner SUCCESS!

We had the previous night's dinner FAIL. And it was good.

Thursday: Dinner SUCCESS!

Breakfast for dinner

Eggs, pancakes, and fruit

Friday: Dinner SUCCESS!

Main course: chicken divan casserole

Sides: rice and Bisquick Grands {one of my favorite things}

For the casserole you will need:

2 cooked chicken breasts {I boil them}

2-3 cups of steamed broccoli

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup mayo

Shredded cheddar cheese

Bread crumbs

1-2 tsp. of curry powder {to taste}

Layer broccoli on the bottom of an 8x8 casserole dish. Shred chicken and place on top of broccoli. In a separate bowl, mix the mayo, soup, and curry powder and then place over the chicken and broccoli. Put cheese and then bread crumbs on top.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes {until warmed through}

Saturday: Dinner SUCCESS!

Chick-fil-A

Sunday: Dinner SUCCESS!

Main course: chicken kebabs with onions, peppers, and pineapple

Side: white rice

Monday: Dinner SUCCESS!

Main course: taco casserole

Sides: none

You will need:

8 oz. elbow macaroni

1 lb ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 can condensed tomato soup

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can pinto beans

1 cup frozen corn kernels

1 cup smashed tortilla chips

Shredded cheddar cheese

Sour cream {if you prefer}

Cook pasta; set aside. In a large skillet, cook ground beef and onions until meat is brown. Add soup, tomatoes, beans, corn, and taco seasoning; mix well. Then add pasta and mix everything together. Transfer mixture to 9x13 casserole dish. Top with tortilla chips and cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve with sour cream.

This dish was by far the most popular with the Koreans. They {very excitedly} went back for seconds!

Thrifty Thursday: coupon shopping {CVS}

2011-08-11T08:57:00.000-07:00

You, oh mighty reader and lover of my blog, might not find this post to be as interesting as the hallway décor or painted brick tutorials, but it is all about being thrifty. And today is Thrifty Thursday, after all.

In this post, I mentioned that I’ve been coupon shopping for a few months.

I’m going to be honest: it’s a lot of work to clip coupons and shop sales.

It takes a lot of time and planning.

And then I still have to do the actual shopping.

I don't really enjoy it {but I do enjoy the thrill of seeing how much money I save}.

And this is how I do it:

Every two weeks, I sit down and plan my dinner menu {this saves time because I only have to do major grocery shopping once every two weeks}. First, I plan meals around what I already have in my fridge/pantry. Next, I fill in any gaps with quick, easy meals. If there are still gaps, I head over to allrecipes.com or peruse through my cookbooks to finish off my meals. My goal is always for meals that are cheap and easy.
Next I make a grocery/shopping list.
Then I visit this website and see if there are coupons available for anything on my list. Sometimes I Google specific brands to see if there are any coupons available on their websites.
After that, I start checking to see which stores are having the best sales {I’ve found that in my area, Vons/Pavillions/Safeway is the cheapest. Ralphs is completely overpriced, even when they have sales}.
Then I shop.

Using these guidelines, I planned my trip to CVS.

I’ve known for a long time that there’s a trick to playing the drug store sale game {check out Money Saving Mom for some awesome tips}, but today was the first time I actually attempted it.

First I made my shopping list.

Then I perused through CVS’s weekly ad {available online}.

Generally speaking, drug stores are really expensive and not worth the shopping trip. However, CVS has this awesome program where if you buy certain items, you get “rewards bucks” back. They print out at the bottom of your receipt. {You can sign up for a free rewards card online or in-store.} Wal-Mart or Target's regular prices are probably comparable to CVS's sale prices, but they don't offer cash back {well, Target does. Sometimes.} So I think that if you plan it just right, you can get more for your money at a drugstore.

Knowing this, I deliberately bought stuff that was either 1} on sale or 2} offered rewards bucks.

This was my shopping list:

La Roche Posay facial moisturizer {$5 rewards bucks}

Cover Girl Lash Blast mascara {on sale 2/$14 + $4 rewards bucks}

Crest 2 pack {$2 rewards bucks… I bought two, so $4 rewards bucks}

Goldfish crackers {2/$3}

General Mills cereal {$2.22 each + I had a manufacturer’s coupon for $1 off 3 boxes}

Aveeno face scrub {on sale for $6.99 + I had a manufacturer’s coupon for $2 off}

PLUS I started with two $4 off a $20 purchase coupons.

To maximize my rewards bucks, I made three separate purchases.

First I bought the La Roche Posay moisturizer using my $4 off a $20 purchase coupon. This purchase was $29.63 + I got $5 rewards bucks back.

Then, for my second purchase, I used the $5 rewards bucks I got back from my first purchase + my second $4 off a $20 purchase coupon to buy the mascara and toothpaste. This purchase was $18.68.

This gave me an additional $8 rewards bucks, which I then used to buy the goldfish crackers, 4 boxes of cereal, and face wash. This purchase was $8.41{by far the best deal of the day!}.

So, by taking the time to clip coupons, shop sales, and make three separate transactions, I got {before sale prices} $99.12 worth of stuff for $56.72! That’s a savings of $42.40!

Before leaving the house, I actually wrote down what to buy in each transaction and what order in which I should make my transactions. It can be really overwhelming when you’re in the store if you don’t have this stuff planned out ahead of time. Especially if people are waiting behind you.

In going through my receipts I noticed that I was overcharged for the toothpaste, so I may go back tomorrow and ask for the difference back. I know it seems silly, but I got charged $5.99 when they were actually on sale for $4.79, so I could have saved another $2.40 {+ tax}. Even though that’s not a lot of money, savings like that add up over time. I think that budgeting, couponing, and shopping sales is really all about being responsible with your money.

If I could give you one tip: don’t attempt this with a toddler. End of story.

P.S. I've heard that Walgreen's has a pretty good rewards program, too, but I've never tried it. Have any of you?

cease and desist...please?

2011-08-10T20:10:00.000-07:00

Well, it's happened again. I forgot to take pictures for What I Wore. Having two extra kids in the house is really throwing me for a loop!

So instead I'm going to complain about my neighbors.

Because they really bug.

I never see them. Seriously.

We might go two weeks without so much as seeing the top of their heads over our fence.

They have a really weird and {in my opinion} dysfunctional living situation.

The mom has owned the house since forever {circa 1974}.

The mom and dad {who is very nice, by the way} got a divorce not too long before we moved in. But the dad is still there very, very frequently. Almost daily.

They were married for a looooong time.

I know this because they're both really old.

And because not one, but two of their grown 40-something sons still live at home. And if you have kids that are 40-something, you have to be pretty old.

Did you catch that? Two of their sons live at home. I'm not sure if they live at home "still" or "again." Did they ever move out? Move out and then move back in? No clue.

Wanna know where their third son is?

In jail.

I'm pretty sure for dealing drugs.

Son number three's son {so the really old mom and really old dad's grandson} told me and Jeff all the family's dirty secrets one day whilst we were having a garage sale.

His dad's in jail and they're trying to "figure out" what to do with him when he gets out in a few months.

He might just have to move into the house with everyone else.

None of this bothers me too much. Well, the whole a-drug-dealer-might-move-in-next-door thing does. No one really wants to live next to a drug dealer {but I kinda wonder how many people do live next to drug dealers and don't even know it. Jeff says I wonder about too many things}.

What really bothers me about my neighbors is that they are LOUD.

One of the "roomies" {their word, not mine} has really weird work hours.

He gets up at like 3 am for work.

Guess how I know?

Because I can hear his alarm clock going off.

Almost. every. day.

It is so loud.

And mind you, we live in a house that was built almost 40 years ago. There's a good amount of space between our walls.

We've asked him to pipe down {very nicely, of course}.

He did for about a year, and then all of the sudden I started hearing it again.

He likes the snooze button. A lot.

He also likes to take their trash cans out before he leaves for work on Wednesdays.

At 4 am.

So first he wakes me up with his alarm clock, and then I doze off, and then he wakes me up with his trash cans.

And if that doesn't happen, if I'm not woken up by the alarm clock or trash cans, then I will undoubtedly be woken up by their stupid dogs barking at something even stupider.

I'm not really sure what to do.

Between their shenanigans, Jeff's snoring, and the dog's random shaking and ear flapping each night {and let's not forget that although Sadie does sleep through the night pretty regularly, she does occasionally wake up at an unholy hour}, I get woken up.

Frequently.

I hit Jeff. He stops snoring.

I put the dog in another room and close the door. No ear flapping.

I can't really ignore my daughter. Even if I tried, she's kind of relentless with the screaming.

I would say something, but I don't want to be that neighbor. You know, the annoying, nit-picky one.

But they seriously wake me up 4-5 times a week. At 3 am.

It's a legitimate problem.

What would you do?

Leave a big stinky diaper on their porch?

Heave dog poop over their fence?

Communicate via a nice handwritten letter requesting that they cease and desist?

Call the cops?

Throw a tennis ball at their window?

I really don't know what to do.

What I Made {Monday}!

2011-08-08T07:54:00.000-07:00

Monday: Dinner SUCCESS!

Main course: crockpot chicken

Side dishes: garlic mashed potatoes, Bisquick Grands.

For the chicken, you will need 1 young chicken {I buy a two pack at Sam’s}, paprika, salt, and pepper. Make 3-4 balls out of foil and place them in the bottom of your crockpot. Rinse the chicken until the water runs clear, pat dry, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika. Place in crockpot and cook on low for roughly 8 hours. The recipe I have calls for 1 hour on high and then 9-10 hours on low, but this completely dries out the chicken.

I make my mashed potatoes different each time, but this time I added garlic, butter, and rice milk {Sadie is allergic to cow and soy milk}. They were very tasty. I usually add cheese and sour cream, but can’t because of Sadie’s allergy. I need to figure out an alternative. If you have a dairy-free suggestion, let me know!

Tuesday, August 2: Dinner {and dessert} SUCCESS!

Main dish: chicken enchilada casserole using leftover chicken

Side dishes: rice, beans

Dessert: confetti cake cookies

For the enchiladas, you will need: chicken {I used leftover chicken from Monday night’s dinner…and yes, I planned it this way}, tortillas {I love the gordita tortillas; they’re thicker and softer than regular tortillas. I can only find them at WalMart}, jack and cheddar cheese, and red enchilada sauce. If your chicken isn’t cooked, boil it. Once it is mostly cooled down, shred it. Tear the tortillas into 2-3 inch pieces and dip them in the enchilada sauce, then place them on the bottom of your casserole dish. Top with the chicken and cheese and then repeat the layering process. Add plenty of cheese to the top. I haven’t made traditional enchiladas for years {it takes WAY too long!}. The rice came from a box and the beans came from a can.

For dessert, you’ll need: one box of confetti cake mix, 2 eggs, 1/3 cup of oil, confetti cake frosting. Thoroughly mix the cake mix, eggs, and oil together. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake for 6-8 minutes. Remove from oven and place on cooling rack. While cookies are still warm, frost them! The frosting will met a bit and then harden when it dries. These were the BEST cookies I have ever had. In. my. life.

Wednesday, August 3: Dinner SUCCESS!

Main dish: scrambled eggs

Side dishes: bacon, tator tots, and fruit

We do breakfast for dinner every Wednesday. It’s quick, easy, and always a hit! Sadie loves eggs and our Korean exchange students love bacon!

Thursday, August 4: Dinner SUCCESS!

Main course: crockpot salsa chicken tacos

Sides: none

The best part about this dish is that the chicken doesn’t need to be thawed. Take 3-4 frozen chicken breasts and plop ‘em in your crockpot. Dump a medium-sized jar of salsa on top of the chicken {I’ve found that Pace or La Victoria work best}. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. If your chicken is thawed, then cook on low for 4-6 hours. The second best part about this dish is that it’s nearly impossible to dry out the chicken! Once it’s all cooked, I take it out, shred it, and put it back in the crockpot for 30-45 minutes. Serve with tortillas, cheese, sour cream, and whatever other toppings you like on your tacos.

Sunday, August 7: Dinner SUCCESS!

Main course: glazed pork chops

Side dishes: rice pilaf {from a box!} and steamed carrots

For the pork chops, you will need: 4 one-inch thick chops, soy sauce, ketchup, and honey. Trim the fat off the chops and place them in an 8x8x2 inch baking dish. Mix the remaining ingredients {I didn’t measure…just mixed until it tasted good…about a cup’s worth} and pour over the porkchops. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Remove cover and cook for 5 more minutes. My only complaint about this dish is that the chops were too dry. I think 30 minutes in the oven would have been sufficient.

Year: SIX!

2011-08-07T13:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the old ball-and-chain and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. I can't believe we've crossed the "half a decade" line. That's just crazy talk.

To commemorate this momentous occasion {and because we're pretty much just awesome}, I've compiled pictures from each of our anniversaries {you're lucky there's only 6, or else you'd be sitting here for awhile wondering why you aren't as awesome as us}. No matter where we are or what we're doing, I make sure that we stop and take a picture of ourselves ON August 6th each year, even if that's not the day we celebrate our anniversary. Then I print it and stick it in an album.

Here we are on our wedding day. This picture is smaller than the rest because
I couldn't find the original and had to pull it from Facebook, so it's really low quality.

Year: ONE. In Maui!

Year: TWO! In San Diego.

Year: THREE! At Blue Agave for dinner.

Year: FOUR! On a cruise to Cabo San Lucas with good friends.

Year: FIVE! With a screaming newborn.

Year: SIX! With a happy toddler, her baby, and two very sweet Koreans.

To make our anniversary extra-special, our exchange students made us little notes and gifts. They are so sweet and we have really enjoyed having them around.

When Jeff dropped them off with their ride yesterday {they got to visit Universal Studios!}, Lisa handed him this little note:

And here is what she made:

It's just a mish-mosh of trinkets and things she made. So cute.

Last night, we came around the corner to find this from Charlotte:

And this was at the end of the hall. Attached to it were a bookmark and little rabbit keychain.

Aren't they sweet?

2011-08-05T09:19:00.000-07:00

Check out my guest post over at Better Life Bags today! It's all about mommy guilt and how I'm dealing with it.

Happy Friday!

Thrifty Thursday: our home {the hallway decor}

2011-08-04T12:36:00.000-07:00

I'm always looking for cheap, do-it-yourself decorating ideas. For starters, we always forget to budget the "decor" part into our home improvement projects, so there's rarely much left over for my favorite part: the decorating! And second, although I really, really like Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel, I like that I have a lot of unique pieces and decorations in my home.

When it came time to decorating our hallway, I knew I wanted to put up some pictures, but I didn't necessarily want to buy a ton of frames. One, they're expensive, and two, I don't always like how my photo walls turn out. So I came up with this cheap, easy, and unique way to decorate my hall:

Fabric-covered wood boards!

I don't have pictures of the process because I did this so long ago, but I think I can explain it pretty well.

You'll need:

1. Two 2'x2' pieces of thin wood (I got mine at Home Depot for $4 each). It's not plywood; I think that would be too thick. It's about 1/4 inch thick, maybe even thinner.

2. Enough fabric to cover your plywood (three yards should do). I actually bought the individual fabric squares that JoAnn's sells.

3. Staple gun and staples

4. Some sort of thin string, ribbon, or yarn (baker's twine would be really cute)

5. 10 screws

6. Mini clothes pins (I think I got mine in the scrapbooking section at Michael's)

7. Nail gun and nails

8. Several 4x6 pictures

First, cut the wood down to 1'x1' pieces {so each 2' piece should be cut into 4 different pieces. You should have 8 pieces total}.

Next, cut your fabric into 14"x14" pieces, wrap it around the wood, and staple it to the back. Cut off any excess fabric {this will help it to lay flat against your wall}.

Once you're done applying all the fabric, use a nail gun to attach the pieces to your wall. I left about 1-1 1/2 inches between each board. I rarely ever use a level or measure things when I'm putting them on the wall; I just sort of eyeball it. This is why there are so many nail holes in our walls.

Jeff just nailed right through the boards and into the wall:

As you can see, I used three types of fabric and placed my boards in two rows.

Next, I had Jeff place screws in between and on the outsides of each board, making sure not to screw them all the way into the wall. You can see where the screws were placed in the following two pictures:

See the screw on the right?

See the screw near the top left?

Then I took my string, pictures, and clothespins and strung the pictures up using the screws as anchors for the string {it's basically like a clothesline but with pictures instead of clothes!}. I wrapped the string around the screws and strung it back and forth until I liked how it looked.

I did the same thing in our office, but without any pictures:

{I told you our office is a mess! Believe me now?}

This is a great way to decorate a large space for very, very cheap! Each of these projects cost me around $25 and I got to pick colors that match my house and my taste.

Happy thrifting!

Summer Snapshots

2011-08-03T20:00:00.000-07:00

I love Summer. I don't know if it's my favorite season {because I really, really, really like Fall}, but it's pretty close to the top. Here are some snapshots of what we've been up to:

Eating our first Oreo at movies in the park.

Carousel ride at Balboa Fun Zone.

Swinging with "beebies!"

Watching Yo Gabba Gabba from our new leather chair.

Getting all sandy at the beach.

Playing in the sand.

Playing in the sand some more. I'm pretty sure we brought most of the sand home with us.

Playing in the water at Pioneer Park.

Examining where the water comes from.

Love her sweet profile and blonde curls.

I am exhausted but totally enjoying every minute of this summer.

What I Wore {Wednesday}!

2011-08-03T19:45:00.000-07:00

I was really bad about taking pictures again this week, but I did remember to snap two:

Monday:

Shoes: my mom bought them for me before I got married {6 years on Saturday!} at one of those little hole-in-the wall stores at the mall. They are literally falling apart, but I still love them.

Jeans: do I have to say?

Gray t-shirt: Kohl's??

Brown/gray striped tank/pinafore: Nordstrom Rack

Tuesday:

{This picture is horribly blurry, but I only took one because I thought it was decent enough}

Shoes: Target

Jeans: Not going to bother,

but please notice that the hole on my left pant leg is growing by the day.

Green/black shirt: Kohl's

White undershirt: H&M

Necklace: No idea

Black/white checked headband: Forever 21

If I could just lose a few more pounds, I'd have a whole new wardrobe. I literally have about 10 pairs of {nice} jeans sitting in my closet that are a tad too tight. My favorite brand is It! Jeans, which are sold at Nordstrom, but I usually get them at the Rack for around $40. I love a good deal.

Anyone have any good suggestions for a {cheap} and easy-to-follow workout/diet plan?

What I Made {Monday}!

2011-08-01T06:49:00.000-07:00

Last night Jeff ever-so-lovingly told me that I’m the most disorganized organized person he knows, meaning that I know where everything is, but it doesn’t necessarily have a permanent “spot” in our house. I blame it on our lack of closet organizers; I can be very organized if given the proper tools. We’ve lived in our house for a little over 4 years and I’ve only been able to convince Jeff that our bedroom closet needs an organizer. I think I finally convinced him that our office closet does, too, because this is what our office looks like right now:

See all of that stuff on the floor? It has a place in the closet, but every single time I need to wrap a present, or grab an extra bag for the beach, or want to make a card for someone, everything has to come out so that I can get to what I need. Thus, it stays on the floor like this. What’s the point of putting it all away if I’m just going to yank it all out again in a couple of days?

Needless to say, stuff is always getting lost in the vortex that is our office. We’ve lost insurance cards, credit cards, and a slew of important receipts. Where do they go? I have no idea.

Anyway, all of this is to point out that I really, really, really do not like being disorganized. It drives me bananas.

And if I cannot organize my office closet, then I’m bound and determined to organize another part of my life. So…in my desperate {and somewhat pathetic} attempt to get organized and stay that way {drumroll please}…

…it’s {another} new series: What I Made {Monday}!

A few months back I started meal planning on a regular basis along with clipping coupons and shopping sales {this means visiting a few different grocery stores to get the best available prices}. To hold myself accountable {because to be honest, cooking and baking are my least favorite of my domestic duties…and yet they take up so much of my time} and hopefully share some new recipes with you, I’m going to start posting some of the highlights from my menu {and maybe some of the failures, too!}.

So, with no further ado, here is what I made over the last 7 days:

Monday, July 25: DINNER FAILURE. This was the l-o-n-g-e-s-t day ever. I left work at 2:30 so that I could pick up our exchange students at camp by 3:15. When I got to my car, it wouldn’t start. I thought it was the battery, so I called a tow truck. He jumped my car, got it started, and as he was pulling away, I realized that hello! the power steering was out and I could not turn the wheel. So I chased him down the drive at work, he came back, managed to back my car out {there was no way I was going to do it. I was parked between a Lexus and a BMW…one of which is the CEO’s. Can you imagine hitting your boss’s car? No thank you}, and then towed me to the nearest Chevy dealer. All of this mayhem took 2 ½ hours. {For those of you who are desperately concerned about the fate of our sweet little Koreans, you need not fear. I called Jeff, my mom, my dad, and Jeff’s mom to see if anyone could pick them up. No one picked up their phones, so I called the guy who organized the whole exchange program and he picked them up}. And then I had to wait another 45 minutes or so for Jeff to come pick me up. In Irvine. Not Tustin Irvine, but Lake Forest Irvine. And then, since the nice exchange-student-organizer man had our students, Jeff and I stopped for dinner. {Oh, and for those of you who are desperately concerned about Sadie’s whereabouts during this time, your minds will be calmed to know that she was safe with Jeff’s mom. Thank you for your concern}. So alas, all of this is to say that I did not make dinner on Monday night. Jeff and I had Buffalo Wild Wings and the kids had leftovers from Sunday night {steak fajitas}.

Tuesday, July 26: Since we were down a car, I had to chauffer Jeff to and from work. He was picked up at 5 and the girls at 5:20. This made for a late start for dinner, so we had In ‘n’ Out. I wouldn’t say that this was a complete dinner failure, because In ‘n’ Out is always good, but it certainly wasn’t on my original menu.

Wednesday, July 27: ??? {DINNER FAILURE}

Thursday, July 28: DINNER SUCCESS! Grilled chicken with white rice and salad. Jeff grilled the chicken and brushed it with World Harbors brand Maui Mountain Sweet ‘n’ Sour sauce. It was delish. I made white rice because I think our exchange students are missing their staple food {people are not kidding when they say that Asians eat a lot of rice…our girls have told us that they have it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner}.

Friday, July 29: DINNER SUCCESS! Low fat Philly cheese steak sandwiches {from Betty Crocker’s Healthy New Choices cookbook}. These are SO good and they are really easy to make. You’ll need:

2 medium onions, chopped, sliced, or diced

¾ pound thinly sliced cooked lean roast beef {Oscar Meyer makes a pretty good one}

4 French rolls or hoagie buns, split

¼ cup of fat-free Italian dressing

4 slices reduced-fat cheddar or American cheese

Cook onions in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat until they’re tender {add olive oil or cooking spray to the pan first}. Stir in beef and heat through.

Set oven control to broil. Place rolls cut side up on a cookie sheet; brush with dressing. Broil with tops 4-5 inches from heat for 2 minutes.

Divide beef mixture among rolls. Top with cheese. Broil about 1 minute or until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

Saturday, July 30: DINNER SUCCESS! Spaghetti with meatballs. I bought the meatballs from Henry’s {normally I buy them frozen} and they were really good. Just popped them in the broiler to heat, boiled some noodles, and warmed up some marinara sauce. My mom actually has a really good recipe for spaghetti sauce that I’ve never bothered getting from her. It’s much better than the store-bought stuff, and I should probably try it some day.

Sunday, July 31: DINNER FAILURE! We ignored the rain {in July?? Really?} and took the kids down to Corona del Mar for the day. I totally forgot to leave meat out to unthaw, so we kind of pieced dinner together. All the kids had frozen dinosaur chicken nuggets, French fries {yum? Not really!}, and corn. Jeff and I had turkey burgers, French fries, and corn. Not the greatest dinner ever, but it worked. On a side note, I’ve officially decided that I do not like turkey burgers. I had one bite of my burger and decided to call it quits right there. Something about them just grosses me out. I can handle turkey meatballs, ground turkey tacos, Thanksgiving turkey, but not turkey burgers.

This was a really long post…sorry! It won’t be so long next time.

P.S. Check out Better Life Bags sometime this week for my guest post {I'll let you know when it's up}! When you do, make sure to check out their "about" section--they have an amazing ministry going on in Detroit, MI!

snoring sisters

2011-07-30T22:14:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't blog or who don't use Blogger, they have this handy-dandy tool called "stats" that allows me to see how many people have viewed my blog, what countries they're from, what operating systems they use, etc. I love looking at the stats. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside when my blog numbers creep up. Blogger is also nice enough to compile a list of the top search keywords that have brought people to my blog. There's never been anything there. That is, until last week. Someone googled "snoring pregnant" and found my blog, and that makes me really happy.

That means that some poor woman out there got pregnant, started snoring, woke her bad self up from a dead sleep, and thought "there's no way that was me." Until her husband confirmed it in the morning.

And then she thought "this could not possibly be a side effect of pregnancy. It just can't."

So she googled it.

And she found my blog.

And she learned that snoring is, in fact, a very common side effect.

More common than most women would like to admit.

And when she found my blog, she read it and felt better about her plight.

Because now she knows that there is at least one other crazy-snoring-pregnant lady out there.

Hang in there, snoring sister{s}. You've got a friend and confidant in me.

Anytime you need to whine about the horror show that is pregnancy, give me a holler.

*Disclaimer: Just so you know, I didn't hate being pregnant. I just didn't like it very much. Between the incessant, 9-month nausea spree, heartburn, rectal pain {yes, rectal pain}, swollen feet, and sciatica pain, I had a hard time enjoying my pregnancy. I really do hope that any subsequent pregnancies are much, much more enjoyable. There are wonderful things {you know, like feeling your baby kick for the first time} that pregnancy brings, but I'm not a lovey-dovey mushy sort of person, so I rarely talk about those.

**Second disclaimer: I have my MA in English, and I still have a hard time remembering the difference between "affect" and "effect." I know one is a noun and one is a verb, but I seriously can never remember. I actually try to avoid using either word, but sometimes it's necessary. Thus, if you see them on here and they're misspelled, please be a dear and ignore it. xoxoxo

What I Wore {Wednesday}!...or not

2011-07-27T13:43:00.000-07:00

So apparently I did not take one picture for What I Wore this week. Sorry. Things have been really crazy.

But I did find this gem of a picture for your viewing pleasure:

I'm usually too frazzled to think to take pictures of Sadie when she has meltdowns, but I couldn't pass this moment up.

Happy Wednesday!

The {South} Koreans are coming!

2011-07-22T12:46:00.000-07:00

We are so excited! Tomorrow we have two Korean exchange students coming and they're staying with us for 4 weeks. I cannot pronounce their Korean names, but their American names are Charlotte and Lisa and they are both 11 years old. Can you imagine sending your elementary-aged children across the world to stay with a strange family? Both families filled out forms and from what Jeff and I could gather, they just want their children to experience America in a safe, fun, and loving environment. One of the parents even mentioned that she'd love for her daughter to attend church if possible.

They go to camp Monday thru Friday from 9-5 and have fun outings {such as Disneyland and Universal Studios} all day Saturday. So basically we have them for breakfast, dinner, and Sunday-funday. We plan to take them to Sea World/San Diego and possibly the OC Fair. While they're here, we have FOUR 1st birthday parties to attend, so they'll get a nice taste of how important the 1st b-day is to Americans.

Because they are so young and this is the first time away from home for both of them, I really wanted to make them feel comfortable and welcome in our home, so I made them "Welcome to America!" care packages. I found these cute caboodles {remember those?} at Target and put fun, girly things in them {including Lip Smackers!}.

I hope they enjoy their stay! We are excited to "show them America!"

Thrifty Thursday: our home {the wood-burning stove}

2011-07-21T13:28:00.000-07:00

Before I get this post started, can I just get a big A-M-E-N for naptime?

It is the only thing that keeps me sane.

With this post, I'm introducing another new {hopefully weekly} series: Thrifty Thursday! Like I've mentioned several times before, we are on a tight budget. But...I feel most alive when my creative juices are a-flowin'. As we all know, crafting can be expensive, so I've figured out some cheap ways to update our house and I'm excited to share them with you, my beloved readers!

A couple months ago, Jeff and I decided to bite the bullet and get new flooring throughout our entire house {not cheap. Or thrifty. Keep reading to get to the "thrifty" part of this post}. But before it was installed, I really wanted to paint everything that needed painting. So we repainted the living room {more on that later}, the baseboards, the windowsills, and any other area that might pose a threat to our new floors if it were painted after installation {as if having a toddler doesn't pose a threat!}

At the last minute, I decided that the wood-burning stove and surrounding bricks needed a pick-me-up. Even though this was a big area, I wasn't worried about the outcome; I spruced up our mantel a few years ago using the same technique. A little note on the wood-burning stove: since the day we moved in, it's been a thorn in my side. I don't understand why you would install one of these puppies in a home in SoCal, but alas, we are stuck with it for now. Removing it would mean fixing the surrounding ceiling, walls, and floors. We've never even burned wood in it {who knows if it works??}, but I do have some 6-inch pillar candles placed inside it that I burn when company comes over. It gives it a nice glow.

Last Christmas, we put our tree where Sadie's toys are located and I put a garland around the top of the bricks. I really loved being able to enjoy my tree whilst {did you know that "whilst" is one of my favorite words? I use it whenever possible} doing the dishes or rocking my sweet girl to sleep. But for the rest of the year, this dang-ol' beast was not enjoyed. That is, until I decided to paint it. Now I'm really digging this unique fixture in our home.

Materials:

Krylon flat black spray paint: $5

Krylon semi-gloss khaki spray paint {2 cans}: $10

Acrylic paints {1-2 tubes of each color}: $10

Sponges: $0 {stolen from my husband},

but I'm sure you can find one for around $5 at Target or Wal-Mart

Drop-cloths: We already had these in our garage

Blue painter's tape: Again, we already had this handy

Total project cost: $30

{would probably cost $40-$50 if you need to buy tape and drop-cloths.

You could use masking tape and sheets if you want}

Before I painted the bricks, I used a flat black spray paint on the entire stove. It's probably 30 years old and was faded and rusting in some areas. That was a huge improvement all by itself.

First I used plastic drop-cloths to cover the surrounding areas.

For the basecoat I used a semi-gloss Krylon spray paint. You can see my little test area on the right. I didn't even clean the bricks before painting. I've tried cleaning them in the past, and no amount of scrubbing has made a significant difference.

I spray painted the entire brick area. If you are going to do something similar, make sure you have breathing masks readily available. Because I couldn't really move to a "well-ventilated" area for this project, the breathing mask was essential.

Finished base coat. As you can see, some of the red color from the brick is still showing through. I think this gives the bricks texture and depth.

Next, I took acrylic paints {darker colors than my base coat} and a sponge I found in the garage {I stole it from the bucket that houses all of our car washing materials}. I cut the sponge into several 2x2 cubes. This made it easier to apply just the right amount of paint. Then, I started dabbing and sponging away.

It didn't take much to get my desired affect; I think I only used a couple of colors {raw sienna and espresso}.

After the first layer of acrylics.

After the second layer of acrylics.

After I was done with my initial layers, I went back and added more color anywhere I thought it was necessary.

After all my touch-ups. I tried adding a dark olive green color, but decided it was too much. To cover it up, I simply wiped it away before it dried and then added one of the other two colors I had already used over the area.

All done!

Here is a picture with all of the furniture back in place {and the new carpet!}. If you look to the left and under the window, you can see our new chair rail. If you look to the right, you can see that we still haven't finished installing it...or the new baseboards.

I'm thinking about adding something to the part that connects the stove to the ceiling {you know...that long tube-y thing}. Perhaps I'll wrap twine around it? I think that would give it more character and charm, but it would take a lot of twine! Eventually Jeff is going to build a mantle so that it feels like an actual fireplace, but for now it's fine.

Close-up of the details.

Happy Thrifting!

What I Wore {Wednesday}!

2011-07-20T21:45:00.000-07:00

With no further ado:

{From left to right}

Sunday:

White shirt: ???

Pink tank top: Wal-Mart

Navy blue shorts: Old Navy

Shoes: Ross

Monday:

Shirt/dress thingy: Mervyn's (I know, right?)

White tank: H&M

Leggings/tights: Ross?

Shoes: Kohl's

Necklace: ??

Tuesday:

Yellow shirt: TJ Maxx

White tank: H&M

Jeans: same ol' same ol'

Silver sandals: Ross

{Do you all notice that little pink boat in those pictures? It's supposed to be in the bathtub, but it got all nas-tay so I stuck it in the trash can in our bedroom. As you can see in picture #1, someone pulled it out of the trash, knocking over the wastebasket in the process. I'm not going to mention any names, but let's just say it wasn't me and it wasn't Jeff. It appears, however, that neither of us cared to place it back in the trash can for at least 2 days.}

You might be surprised at how hard it is to get a good picture. Below are some out takes.

On the left: You can't have a flash {but you still need plenty of light!}

On the right: Your husband needs to get the heck out of the shot.

On the left: too far away

On the right: too close

But for the heck of it:

Shirt: a gift from my mom

Jean shorts: Old Navy
{Side note: they have some great not-too-short, not-too-long,
not-too-tight shorts this season, making it easy to stay true to my vow to
wear "shorter" shorts this summer!}

a topic i don't like: our budget {yikes!}

2011-07-19T20:57:00.000-07:00

*This is a long one, so bear with me. Apparently I have a lot to say about money. Disclaimer: this post is in no way an attack or passing of judgment on moms who work full time. You have to do what works best for your family; this is simply what works best for mine.*

One thing that Jeff and I have never been able to fully agree upon is how to run our finances. We agree that they do indeed need running, but neither of us really like the stress of making sure there's enough money to pay the bills {I'm not sure I know anyone who enjoys that kind of stress}.

Until last September, Jeff was in charge.

He'd be all "Hey hon, do you think you can stop spending money this month?"

and

"Hey Linds, did you really need that shirt? Can you return it please?"

and

"I really need you to check our bank account before you buy something for the house again."

and

"Do you think you can try to pick up some extra shifts this month?"

and

"Can we afford for you to give your shifts away like that?"

{On a side note, can I just mention how thankful I am that the last two questions are no longer applicable? Yee-haw!}

And I'd be all "You're not my dad! Don't tell me how to spend my money! Don't tell me how to live! You can't force me to work!" And then I'd stomp down the hall to my bedroom and slam the door behind me.

Yup. That's pretty much how it went for five long years.

Until last September, when I went back to work after my maternity leave and realized that maybe I could take over the finances. After all, I was home pretty much all day with a baby. I had time to pay the bills. Assuming we had the money to pay them. Because, you know, you have to pay your bills with money. Edison and AT&T don't accept really yummy homemade chocolate chip cookies as payment. Nor do they care if you have a really cute baby living in your house.

So alas, I became our financial manager. Jeff loves it. Me...not so much.

I'm just not good at it. I forget to pay the bills that aren't set up to auto pay. And I forget to make sure that my paychecks are deposited before the bills that are auto debited go through. So then our account gets overdrawn. And we incur overdraft fees. Ugh.

I've decided that it's best if I don't know how much money we have in our bank account. Not because the low numbers will stress me out, but because the seemingly high numbers give me a false sense of security.

You know...I spend more because I feel like "there's enough. We'll be fine."

Not. a. good. thing.

Especially since our income has been cut in half over the last three years. That's right. I said it, and I'm not takin' it back: h-a-l-f.

You see, for as long as I can remember, I've wanted to be a mom and a wife. Plain and simple. When I was young and people would ask what I wanted to be when I grew up, I'd happily say: a stay-at-home mom! I think this is why I wasn't all spazzy about my grades in college; I knew that I'd get married, work until I had kids, and then magically be able to quit my full-time job and stay home with my little loves.

It's funny how reality hits us at the most inopportune moments. Typically on days when you're all hormonal, have hair greasy enough to fry eggs on, and don't realize until the end of the day that that spit up you couldn't "find" this morning actually landed on the back of your shirt.

Or on the day that you figure out living on one income in SoCal is next to impossible. Especially if you own your home. And have car payments. And like to run your A/C on hot summer days. And drive places. And eat.

But over the last 3 years, we've figured things out {financially, that is. We definitely don't have it "all" together}. In August '08 I quit a decent-paying job to start grad school. We managed to pay off one of our cars right before my classes started, which gave us a little bit of financial wiggle room. To make ends meet, I worked at House of Blues as a food server and subbed for Orange Unified. Some days I worked from 7 am until 1 am. But we did it, even during months that were slow at the restaurant. We learned to save for rainy days and realized that we could actually survive on less than we thought.

And then in September '09 I got pregnant. And nothing could prepare me, Jeff, or our finances for how crappy I would feel. For. nine. whole. months.

{Another side note: for those of you wondering when we're going to "try" again...I haven't forgotten the horror show that was my pregnancy, labor, delivery, and recovery. So the answer is: I don't know.}

So we cut back again. We didn't eat out much, didn't buy new clothes, and thankfully, my parents paid for our gas. At this point, our income was 30-40% less than when I was working full time.

And then came Sadie. And I didn't want to go back to work. In a restaurant. With late hours and cranky customers. But I did because I had to. For the third time in 2 years, we cut back again. But this time it was different; it was so that I could have my "dream" job. We canceled our cable and landline. We switched cell phone carriers so that we now have rollover minutes and free mobile-to-mobile. With our tax return, we managed to pay off our second car {read: we have no car payments!}. By using my amazing networking skills {ha!}, I managed to secure a job as {basically} a freelance editor. Actually, I reached out to an old friend/colleague/editor and she happened to need a good editor/employee. So now I work from home. And. it's. awesome. But we did have to cut back again. About another 10-20%.

That means that in the last 3 years, my income has been cut by roughly 60%. Jeff is making maybe 10% more than what he made 3 years ago. So that means that our combined income has been reduced by about half. How have we done it (or rather, how are we doing it), you ask?

Prayer. And lots of it.

Determination. At times, I've had 3 jobs going at once. While finishing my MA.

And being 8 months prego.

Planning. Plan meals, shop sales, clip coupons. Plan your budget. Stick to it.

Letting go. Of having "stuff." Of upgrading our house. Of buying lots of new clothes (can you tell that I really miss being able to shop for clothes whenever I please??).

So for those of you wondering how stay-at-home moms do it, the answer is: by sacrificing. By trusting God. By being responsible with what He's given (and giving) us. And planning. And being creative. And finding cheap entertainment. And clipping coupons. And shopping at 4 different grocery stores to get the best deals.

No, it's not always easy. Yes, I hate dragging my toddler to all those stores. Yes, I want granite countertops and a new vanity in the guest bathroom. No, I don't always enjoy shopping at Ross. But it's totally worth all the sacrifices we've made if it means I get to spend more time with my baby. Because I know her really well. Better than anyone else. Because I. am. her. mother. And she needs me {but it's quite possible that I need her more...more on that in another post}. And there is no amount of money or financial security that is worth missing out on this--or any--time in her life.

I think if you really want to make it work, you can. And as much as I hate being the money manager for my household, it has forced me to take a long, hard look at our finances and make them work for our personal goals and desires for our family.

But now that I've learned that, I think I'm going to hand them back over to Jeff. I like having electricity, and taking hot showers, and perusing the internet. And I think if I forget to pay one of those bills one more time, those things just might be shut off.

-LH

P.S. I've heard Dave Ramsey's book is phenomenal.

Have any of you read it and put his practical tips to use?

What I Wore {a day late}!

2011-07-14T16:25:00.000-07:00

Once again, I'm late posting What I Wore. I really want to keep it to Wednesdays because I think the title has a nice ring to it, don't you? Plus, I have some ideas for this blog {updates to come} and keeping this series on Wednesdays fits nicely with my ideas.

BTW, I'd like to take my blog to big places. You know, like maybe actually make money blogging since I enjoy it so much? So feel free to spread the word about EllenJay's. I'd appreciate the love.

Okay, enough of that.

Have you noticed that I really like to bargain shop? Any clothes I've bought in recent years (read: since I quit my full-time job to go to grad school) are from places like TJ Maxx, Ross, and Nordstrom Rack. Sometimes I even think that Target is too expensive. You'll find that my clothes rarely come from Nordstrom, Banana, Gap, or any other place I deem as "too expensive." Sadie's clothes rarely come from these stores as well (only if we get them as gifts or get a gift card). Jeff and I have made a lot of sacrifices so that I can stay home with our sweet girl and name-brand clothes are out of the question right now. The same goes for stuff in our home: it's mostly from Home Goods, TJ Maxx, and Ross. If you see anything in our home that's from Pottery Barn, it was a wedding gift!

Alright, onto what I wore:

Saturday--off to a hoe down

Cream undershirt: Tilly's? Target? It's so old I can't remember.

Brown flower shirt-dress: Forever 21 before it got so popular

Jeans: same old Steinmart pair

Cowboy boots: Target! Jeff bought these for me the first Christmas we were married and I had to

promise that I would actually wear them. I pretty much wore them to pieces. On this particular night, I had to hot glue the sole back on! I think we got our $30 worth!

Sunday--off to a family BBQ

Yellow shirt: Ross

White undershirt: H&M

Shorts: Nordstrom Rack

Shoes: Rainbows! Probably from Tilly's

Monday--off to work!

Black undershirt: Nordstrom Rack

Grey collared shirt: Ross

Black/grey pants: Express

Shoes: Target

Tuesday--I forgot to take a picture.

Wednesday--off to Bible study.

Shirt: Ross

Jeans: you guessed it

Sandals: Rainbows again

Thursday--all dressed up and nowhere to go! We ended up grocery shopping. Good times with a toddler.

White short-sleeved shirt: Kohl's??

Grey and white striped shirt: Nordstrom Rack

Jeans: same ol', same ol' (maybe I need to buy another pair...this is getting embarrassing)

Shoes: Ross (see below for a close-up)

I am really enjoying this whole what I wore thing. It's really forcing me to stop and think about what I'm wearing. If I'm embarrassed to take a picture in it, then I either change or spruce it up a bit.