I love a good bargain!

I thought I'd share w/ y'all my latest grocery bargains. Today the Bean and I went shopping to Wal-mart for our big trip (yes, I am still shopping there and will do my final analysis soon on which place is cheapest), and I got some great deals using comp (comparison) ads. For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, you can use other grocery stores ads and Wal-mart will match their price. You have to bring the actual ad in w/ you, and they don't honor buy-one-get-one-free ads or percentage ads. I don't always find good deals in the comp ads, but this time I ran across some super deals. In the Bruno's ad, they had Digiorno Frozen Pizzas on sale for $3.99 (regularly $5 at Wal-mart), so I got two. Bruno's also had Sara Lee white bread (usually we buy wheat, but I made an exception for the bargain this week - regularly $2.50 per loaf, I think) and Crest toothpaste (regularly $1.97) on sale for 99 cents each. They also had Simply Orange juice on sale for $3 (regularly $3.38) and bakery French baguettes for 99 cents (regularly $1.33). Food World had Pringles chips on sale for 69 cents (regularly $1). But the deal of the day was Food World's sale of 40 oz bag of boneless, skinless frozen chicken breasts for $3.99 each (regularly $9.68 for the Tyson brand...the only 40 oz size Wal-mart carries - I bought two). If you add it all up, I saved about $17 or so, roughly. Not bad!

Update on the Pain Train

The pain is over! It lasted about 6 days or so and stopped just in time for me to go to my parent's house for Christmas, so I was able to enjoy the holidays! I just KNEW that the doctor was wrong and something bad was going on, but apparently the round ligament pains can be excruciating. My stomach almost literally grew overnight during that time, so I am assuming that the pains came from the baby having a major growth spurt. Hopefully we won't have any more of those any those any time soon!

Round Ligament Pain

So, since Saturday evening I have been experiencing "round ligament pains" associated w/ pregnancy. It started Saturday evening as mild to moderate cramping (similar to menstrual cramps). It got worse and worse, and finally the pain was so bad that I threw up twice early Sunday morning. On Monday I went to the doctor just to be sure that's what it was (I'd already called the after hours number twice over the weekend), and yep, that's apparently what it is. But the pain is so bad that I've basically been bed-ridden since Saturday, and my mom came over to help for a couple of days. She left yesterday, so I'm trying to be a big girl and make it through the next couple of days until we leave for Gadsden on Friday for Christmas.

Has anybody else had these? Apparently they get worse w/ each subsequent pregnancy (never had them w/ the Bean), and they are supposed to come and go, although mine have not went anywhere! Fortunately the doc says they are very uncommon after 20 weeks, so only 3 more weeks to go, and hopefully they'll stop b/f then!

I'm THAT mom.

The post of shame...I was 15 minutes late to pick the Bean up from her mother's day out program this week...15 minutes!!! I am actually going to have to pay money for being late! I even was chastised by one of the administrators. "One More Thing Amanda" finally did one thing too many and got in trouble for it! Eeek. Am I the only mom out there who has done such a horrid thing? Are there any others like me who have horribly misjudged the time and prioritized errands in front of their child?? Please confess if so, and make me feel better!

I'm still alive, and we lost again!!!

I have not dropped off the face of the planet, I promise. We've just had a busy few weeks (probably like everyone else), with the Bean & RR being sick and lots of Christmas goings-on. So, with that being said...

We lost again!! There were only two entries in the dumb Smockingbird contest, and the other entry won! Ok, so it was pretty darn cute, and it was harder to make than mine. I've decided not to enter anymore until I have a worthy entry. That will probably be never, as I like to make easy things b/c they are fast and I only sew during naptimes. At first it was fun just to see the Bean "published", but now my competitive side is coming out and who likes to lose?

Let's see...I guess that's it for now even though that's a pretty boring post!

Foiled Again!

My meager sewing cannot compete w/ the big-time smockers. Yet again, me and the Bean have been bested by a smocked outfit on the Smockingbird's contest. I guess it IS called the SMOCKINGbird for a reason! The girl who won is pretty cute though! And her dress is half smocked - good grief that must have taken forever! At the very least, this contest is a great place to get new ideas. Already there is a cute entry for October. Which outfit should I enter, the dress or the longall? The dress is pea green and brown toile and is reversible to brown and white gingham w/ her monogram in pea green. The longall is chocolate brown w/ pea green dots and has her monogram in pea green.

Halloween (or All Saints Day???) Fun

The Bean ready for the Fall Festival. I thought that they might give out candy, hence the bag. I was wrong. Darn for me, good for the Bean.

This is the Bean as a Bama Cheerleader for Halloween and our neighbor Harrison, who was born on the exact same day as the Bean! And his mom and I never met until after they were born! Harrison was a clown.

Roll Tide! We got this costume for FREE from my mom's sewing friend. She gave it to the Bean for her b'day.

The Bean and her good buddy, Ian. Ian is our neighbor also and his mom and I walk together all the time. Ian was a pumpkin.

Yes, the Bean has a dirty face. We were just finishing dinner (spaghetti) when Ian came by.

For Halloween, we went to the B'wood fall festival. There wasn't much the Bean could do, so we strolled around and people-watched w/ our friends Jessica and Annie. It was too cold to wear our costume to the fall festival, but we wore it Halloween night as we greeted trick-or-treaters. RR said that all the kids thought we were lame b/c we gave out Teddy Grahams. They'll probably skip our house next year!! (I would have! There was this one lady in our neighborhood growing up who always gave out popcorn balls or candied apples, and we never wanted to go there. Bring on the chocolate!) We had about 8 trick-or-treaters, which I thought was pretty good! The night ended w/ a bang, as our little cheerleader was running around the house like a banshee and fell on the coffee table and bloodied her lip. Ouch! But a minute or two later, she was up and running again, so none worse for the wear!

What will they think of next?

I'm sure all of you know about this, and I'm probably just way behind, but if you haven't heard about Google Reader, it's the coolest thing. You can "subscribe" to all your favorite blogs and only go to one site to see which ones have new posts! I subscribed to all my faves last night, and this morning I checked it and sure enough, two of them had new posts. The only downside is that I don't think you can comment on the posts from Google Reader. I think you have to go directly to the site. Although there may be a way that I haven't figured out yet. If you know how to do that, post a comment and lemme know! There are also other sites simliar to this, I just decided to go w/ Google.

Update on the Great Grocery Experiment

So, I'm sure you all have been dying to know how my grocery experiment is going along. To review, I have been shopping at Publix using coupons for the past few months, as well as buying certain items at Costco. I have also done Super Suppers twice now. I want to make sure I am being fair to Wal-mart, so I am giving it a try for another few months and using coupons and the comp ads. I am thinking that in the end, it will still be the best bet for the budget, but it sure is nice to have your groceries loaded into your cart and then taken out and loaded into your car at Publix. I also like the free cookie there too. :) I am also always on the search for good budget-friendly meals. If I find any new ones, I'll be sure to pass them along. That is definitely a key to keeping the grocery budget low.

Speaking of groceries, this pregnant lady is getting hungry. I think I'll go rustle up a snack. :)

Big Sister

This is me and my sister-in-law Marianna and their little boy Evan. You can't really see the Big Sister part of the Bean's shirt, but I had to do a light color b/c that's the only solid colored pair of pants she has!

The Bean is going to be a Big Sis! We are expecting baby #2, due on May 28th. That makes me 9 weeks along. The Bean and Peanut (what this baby shall henceforth be called on this blog until future notice) will be 21 months apart. I have been feeling great, and we are very excited! We told my family this weekend. We had planned on going up there anyway to watch the AL game on Saturday, but we also suggested that we all go out to dinner on Friday night. So we to a little Italian place (Hence the phrase "pesto cheese" in my pics...not the best choice of background, I guess...I'm sure all you photographers are ashamed!!) in my hometown. We thought a fun way to tell them the big news would be to let the Bean "tell" them, so we had a shirt monogrammed for her that said "Big Sister" on it. We put a bib on her so nobody could see the shirt when we first got there, then we unveiled it and told her to "tell" everyone what her shirt said. Of course, everyone was excited about the fun news!



For those of you who don't know, it took us 30 months (2 1/2 years) to get pregnant w/ the Bean, and only 2 months this time, so we praise God for this sweet blessing! We are so thankful!

Bathtime!

Are these bad pics to post??? I don't know, but they sure are cute! The Bean likes her bathtime, and I love her new hooded bunny towel/poncho that she got for her b'day!

Leonardo "The Bean" Davinci

In the Bean's Mothers Day Out program, they have a craft time and the Bean has produced some lovely art pieces for our refrigerator. I used to think people who had their kids artwork posted on their fridge were dorks, but now I'd knock somebody for a loop if they made fun of her masterpieces!! Of course, all she does is pat down the pieces, but doesn't she do an excellent job?? :)

Bean meets the Pavement

The Bean had her first real accident and boo-boo yesterday. We went outside to check the mail and our neighbor had her cocker spaniel outside, so the Bean wanted to pet the dog. So I was chatting w/ my neighbor while the Bean walked around and petted the dog, and all of the sudden - splat!! She met the pavement with her face. (She was walking around on the grass, but fell where the grass meets the sidewalk.) Ouch. She actually caught herself w/ her hands, but then couldn't hold herself up and did a face plant. She only cried for about 30 seconds, but there was a little blood and everything! We used Boo-Boo Bunny and a little Neosporin and all was well. This is what the scrape looked like this morning after she got up. She is none worse for the wear, except that it looks like she was in a fight or something!

Keep your fingers crossed this time!

So I entered the Bean and Evan (my nephew) into the Smockingbird's contest again for their b'day outfits. Last month there was only one entry, but of course I didn't enter anything! This time there are already 2 other entries, both smocked, and it's only Oct. 5th!! We'll see!

The Long Awaited B'day Pics!

Evan and the Bean in their b'day outfits, polka dot w/ cupcake applique.

Yes, they are reversible, so the other side is green windowpane check w/ pumpkin applique

The cake, done in colors to match their polka dot outfits. They also had matching small round cakes to destroy themselves.

The Bean pummelling her cake w/ her hat. She ate it at first, but mostly played w/ it and beat it to death w/ her hat. :) We made the hats also - very easy. You can't see it in this picture, but I also made them matching bibs w/ the cupcake applique.

The Bean opening her presents...this is one of the few pics we got of her opening gifts b/c she cared more about the rocks surrounding the pavillion.

Ok, so for a rundown of the b'day: We had Evan's and the Bean's b'days at the city park in Hokes Bluff, near where I grew up and close to my brother and sister-in-law's house. We went very low-key on the decorations w/ only a polka dot tablecloth on the cake table and balloons tied on that table, matching polka dot napkins, etc. We ate cake and opened presents - pretty simple. There were only 2 other kids there, so we didn't do party favors either. The only things creative about the party were their outfits and hats! The party went great, and the only thing that went wrong was the Great Balloon Debacle.

The Great Balloon Debacle

So, my sister-in-law took a pack of balloons to the party store near her house and told them to blow up 20 of them. We thought that would be plenty. When we picked them up about and hour and a half b/f the party, we realized they were the wrong size balloons. My sister-in-law had accidentally bought a pack of tiny balloons instead of normal size, so neither of us were pleased w/ them. But they were already paid for, so we decided just to use them anyway. Well since they were so small, we decided to blow up the rest of the pack (30 balloons) ourselves and tape them to the tables. We had not planned on doing this timewise, but thought we'd be fine. So we go to her house and blow up the balloons. We took the bunch of already blown up balloons inside w/ us so they wouldn't get too hot and pop in the car. Well, we finished up and started to load up the car w/ balloons to head over to the park to set up about an hour b/f the party. Now, as an important side note, the door handle was broken off on my sister-in-law's car so that they had to roll down the window to get in and out of the car. As I was putting the bunch of balloons in the car, I didn't notice that the window was still down. So what happened to our tiny, but only, bunch of balloons? It was sucked out of the window into oblivion!! And yes, it was my all my fault. So after regaining our composure (my sister-in-law and I were laughing hysterically), I said we should go get some more balloons...I thought we'd have time. Long story short, we ended up having to call somebody else to go pick up the new balloons b/c we ran out of time taping all the other ones to the tables. And when we finally did get the new gorgeous large size balloons, they started popping b/c we tried to tie them to the concrete columns instead of the tables. So here's what I learned for the next b'day:

1) Always bring more than 2 people to set up.

2) Allow at least 30 minutes more than you think you'll need.

3) Check the size of the balloons on the pkg b/f you buy them.

4) Make sure the window isn't rolled down b/f putting balloons in a car.

and 5) Don't try to do something at the last minute that you hadn't planned on!

And we were trying to be simple!! Imagine if we'd planned something more involved!! Any of ya'll have any b'day debacles to share?

Menu Plan Monday, uhhh, or Tuesday!

Hey, better late than never! See Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for more menu ideas!

Monday: Horseradish Flank Steak (a la Super Suppers) and Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

Tuesday: leftover steak w/ salad and garlic bread

Wednesday: Double Herb Roasted Chicken and Potatoes, green beans

Thursday: Italian Mini-Meat Loaf, baked potatotes (This is the best meatloaf recipe I've ever had, and I like it better in mini-loaves...it doesn't seem as old-fashioned and icky.)


Friday: Cheesy Ham Chowder (Super good soup, and the leftovers are just as good! RR loves this stuff.)

Saturday: leftovers

Money saving grocery tip: plant fresh herbs! I planted a little herb garden this year to see how I'd like it. (RR laughs at my calling it a garden...hey, it's a container garden!!) I used to only occasionally use fresh herbs b/c they are expensive, but it is really cheap to plant them yourself and then you have an abundance! I only planted basil, oregano, and rosemary, and I used them a ton and will definitely do it again.

Maybe next time :)

The Bean did not win the Smockingbird picture contest. Sad. No $10 gift certificate for Mommy. I am of course going to assume that she was beat out by degree of difficulty in outfit and not cuteness of model of said outfit. The winner had a smocked dress AND a matching monogrammed purse. Tough competition.

Some of you have asked me to post new outfits I've made...I will do that soon if I can get any good pictures of the Bean wearing them. She likes to grab the camera more than stand still to model the clothes.

Also, some of you have asked about the progress of the Grocery Experiment. I'll update on that soon, I promise!

Hallelujah!

One of my favorite things about going to Target used to be their free sugar cookies in the bakery. In fact, if I had to choose b/tw Wal-mart or another grocery store and Target, Target would always win out b/c of the free cookies. Then just as I was entering the last month or so of my pregnancy, they took them away!!! How dare they do that to a pregnant lady who so looks forward to the free treats! But today I went to Target, and lo and behold - cookies! They are back!! Hallelujah! I had two of them today b/c I figured I had some catching up to do. So go to Target, get a cookie, and maybe even a Starbucks (another treat, although not free) coffee, and shop 'til ya drop!

I've been tagged.

Apparently you can tag people on blogs. Who knew? Anyway, my friend Ginny tagged me to do this name spelling thing. I am supposed to come up w/ one word for each letter of my first name that describes myself. I'll need help w/ the A's - there's three of them! And yes, I will be tagging three other people!!! So watch out!

A - amiable...I feel like I can get along w/ just about anybody. I take after my dad; he says he can talk to a brick wall.

M - moo cow...that is what I feel like nowadays. There is way too much jigglin' goin' on. After having a baby, even if you lose the pregnancy weight, it seems like nothing is quite as svelte as it used to be. And I really don't know that I would have called myself svelte before, so I'm really in trouble!

A - active...I like to be involved w/ lots of stuff. I don't like to just be sitting around not accomplishing anything. For instance, if we're watching TV, I'm also writing thank you notes or sewing buttons on an outfit or reading a book during commercials (or the whole time if it's a ball game). Sometimes this drives RR crazy though, so I don't do it all the time. :)

N - neat...I like things nice and tidy. I organize my closet by colors and sleeve length, I make the bed every morning, and I don't like clutter. Now clean is a different story...I've learned to be clean b/c I live w/ a clean freak.

D - diligent...I see things through to the end. I am not a quitter. I am sort of a steady plodder. I'm not the fastest or the best, but I am responsible and will get 'er done.

A - athletic...not!!! I pretty much could care less for sports. I don't like to watch them on TV, and I certainly don't like to play them. I only exercise to keep myself from becoming an aforementioned moo cow, and I only do that if I have to. I have been known to say the following: Running is of the devil. You should only run if you are being chased, and even then, a brisk walk may be appropriate.

Now for the tags...I am tagging Lauren Goessling, Kari Russell, and Holly Hubbard! (Allison, you are going through the alphabet as it is, so I figure this is a little redundant for you.) You're up!

Oops!

I have all sorts of nicknames for the Bean. Sometimes I call her Sugar Bean, sometimes Sugar Britches, Booger Bean, Green Bean, etc. I pretty much call her whatever comes out of my mouth. However, yesterday I was trying to say Sugar Britches and I accidentally called her Sugar B*tch!!! Oops! Glad she can't talk yet...don't want that to be her first official word!

Also, since many of you have asked, the b'day party went well. There will be a full post about it later, but since I FORGOT TO BRING MY CAMERA, I am waiting on my mom and sister-in-law to make me CD's of their pics. That's what happens when you pack in a hurry!! Another oops!

Roll Tide!

RR is very excited about football season starting, so we went to my parents to watch the first Alabama game of the season. My parents just got a new mac-daddy HD flat screen...the ultimate TV watching machine. So in honor of the event, the Bean donned her AL cheerleading attire. My nephew also wore his AL football jersey. Of course, neither of them actually watched the game. They went shopping w/ us girls and then went to the park to play!

The Nashville Crew

We're back from Nashville, and we had a great time w/ our friends. The Bean was very flexible about missing her morning nap several days, and she had a ball playing w/ her new friends. Above is a picture of the entire crew.

It was quite a site watching them all eat, and the three of us moms took them all out to eat two days in a row. We think our waitress hated us the second day. :) Since the Bean and I ate out basically for every meal, she ate a lot of chicken fingers. She even ate a whole piece of supreme pizza one night. Somehow today, the brussel sprouts I tried to give her didn't seem so appealing. Hmmm, I wonder why?

Nashville, here we come!

RR has a conference in Nashville this week, so the Bean and I are headed there with him! We are planning on hanging out w/ our friends, the Stephen's and the Russell's while we are there. So I probably won't be blogging much this week, b/c we'll be out having fun. :)

Update on the walking: the Bean has taken as many as 6 steps by herself, but that's it so far. :)

First Steps!!

The Bean took her first steps all by herself day before yesterday, August 20th, 2007. My dad had knee surgery that day, and she took her first steps in the hospital visiting him. (Everything went fine w/ the surgery, btw.) My nephew Evan had just taken his first steps that morning in the hospital as well, so we are thinking that the Bean did not want to be outdone. Maybe she'll be competitive like her Daddy. She hasn't taken any steps by herself since that day (she did it several times that day), but I'm just waiting for her to take off. Eeek!! Am I ready for that???

Future Supermodel?

The Smockingbird (kid's fabric store) is showcasing "customer creations", so I entered a couple of photos of the Bean. So here she is modeling my creations in all her glory. :) If she wins the contest, I get a $10 gift certificate to the Smockingbird. (They choose...wish y'all could vote!!) Free stuff for uploading two pics I already had of something I'd already made - not bad! She's photo #1 and #5.

Enjoy!

Menu Plan Monday

Hello all! Here's the menu for the week! See Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for more!

Monday: taco salad with homemade salsa (see archived post)

Tuesday: roast chicken, roasted potatoes, rolls

Wednesday: meatloaf, baked potatoes

Thursday: chili dogs, oven-baked fries

Friday: RR & AC will eat leftovers...I'm going on a retreat!

Yummy

Last night we had our new neighbors over for dinner last night, and I thought I'd post the yummy dessert recipe we had. I made a friend's Derby Pie recipe, which is almost identical to this. Also, I ended up waiting to use the pork loin that I put on my menu for last week until night, and may I say again that you have GOT to try this recipe! It's great for company.

The Grocery Experiment I: Coupons

So, for those of you who don't know, I am trying out a new grocery shopping regimen. My neighbor Erin spends about $200 less per month than what we do, so I am copying everything she does for a couple of months to see if her system works for us. They have a little boy about 3 months younger than the Bean, so we should be spending about the same amount. (Disclaimer: she is still nursing and therefore does not have the $40/month formula cost that we do.) So here's her routine: she does her "big" grocery trip at Publix and uses coupons from the Sunday paper. She takes advantage of their buy one get one free sales and plans her menus around that and their sale items. She also shops at Costco for several items. Lastly she uses Super Suppers, or at least she has for the past 2-3 months. I have been shopping at Costco for just a couple of items, and using Wal-mart for my "big" grocery trip with no coupons. I grocery shop every two weeks. I'll post on coupons, Costco, Super Suppers, and at the end, whether or not my new routine saves me money.

So, onto the topic at hand: are grocery coupons worth it? Well, I decided to get an 8 week subscription to the Sunday paper to find out. The subscription cost me $10, or $1.25 per week. The first trip to Publix I saved $7.55 in coupons, and another $22.57 in BOGO sales for a total savings of $31.12. The second trip to Publix I saved $13.23 in coupons and another $9.32 in BOGO sales for a total savings of $22.55. The biggest bargain so far has been using a 75 cent coupon on a BOGO Nature Valley granola bars, so I got two boxes of granola bars for only 67 cents. (Publix doubles your coupons every day up to $1. I.e. if you have a 50 cent coupon, they'll double it to $1, but if you have a 55 cent coupon you only get 55 cents off.) Obviously, the paper easily pays for itself. So no matter where I shop, I am now a believer in coupons. Even at Wal-mart it would've saved a few dollars.

So far, so good. Next I am going to try out Super Suppers. Erin and I are signed up for next week. I'll keep ya posted.

More hair-do pics!!

Here are more hair pics of the Bean. I mean, can she get any more adorable??? FYI, she is not quite walking yet. She walks w/ her push toy all around the house, but she's not brave enough to attempt it on her own quite yet. She turns one the last day of this month! Crazy. Also, aren't her jammies cute? $5 at Ross. :)

Bed head

The half-up pony tail

The half-up pig tails

Ok, so this is not a hairstyle pic per se, but Cousin Evan paid us a visit the other day, and this pic was just too cute not to post. The Bean was so excited about her visitors. (Uncle Drew, Aunt Marianna, Mimi and Grandpa were also here.)

Menu Plan Monday

This is my first time to do Menu Plan Monday. I typically plan my meals for every two weeks, so we have a very fluid plan. I.e., if my husband wakes up that morning and wants something different than what I've planned, I can oblige him b/c we have so many options available. That being said, this is the APPROXIMATE menu plan for the week. For more menu plans, visit Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Monday: not cooking...RR has a meeting at the church, and I am going to a Super Suppers tasting (Anybody tried that??? Would love to know your opinion on quality, taste and price.)

Tuesday: BBQ baked potatoes

Wednesday: manicotti (will freeze 1/2 for later), salad, garlic bread

Thursday: chicken pot pie, mashed potatoes (will freeze a second pot pie for later), rolls

Friday: homemade pepperoni pizza

Saturday: good 'ol Hamburger Helper...yes, that's right. RR LOVES the stuff and likes to have it pretty often. He calls himself a "quantity eater", not a "quality eater." He does not like stuff that includes "fancy" ingredients like capers or artichokes or most vegetables!!! :)

Sunday: pork tenderloin, green bean casserole, leftover mashed potatoes (a very easy and extremely tasty rub)

Enjoy!

More pics of the Bean

I have had a request for more pics of the Bean, so I shall oblige. Those are always the most commented on posts anyway! I really need to think of more interesting things to post about. Enjoy!

Look at my muscles!! I can walk with assistance!

I crawled in my toy box and thought it was hilarious! Don't you??

Vacation pics

Mimi (my mom) w/ the babies (the other baby is my nephew Evan)...love the mohawk and pigtails!

Having fun w/ Mommy in the pool

Isn't Dada a gentleman?

Sorry these are so tardy, but here are a few pics from vacation. :) Enjoy!

Movie recs, anyone?

RR has so far liked none of the movies I have on our Netflix queue. Anybody have any recommendations? We've seen most of the really popular ones...so you may have to think hard! Our latest movies was Moulin Rouge. Weird. The one before that was The Hours. Weirder. RR especially likes drama, action or sports films. We did watch the Freedom Writers - that was good!

Things I Enjoy Part 2

I thought I'd put a few things the Bean enjoys:

• taking stuff out of drawers or baskets and throwing it around (this can occupy her for quite a while!) The evidence is above!!


• anything Mommy and Daddy are eating


• walking around with her push toy


• clapping her hands


• going for strolls


• being outside


• being around people, especially her Mimi, Grandpa, Uncle Drew, Aunt Marianna and Cousin Evan


• Daddy coming home each day


• dogs

Things the Bean doesn't enjoy:

• the top 0' the morning diaper change


• going to the nursery


• baby food (she wants to feed herself!)

T'hings I enjoy about the Bean:

• her toothy grin (8 teeth so far!)


• sweet (and sometimes slobbery) kisses and hugs


• snuggling (very rare nowadays)


• baby babble (especially mamamamamama)

I'm not dead yet!!

Anybody recognize that quote from Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail??? Anyway, I did want to let the world know that I am not dead nor have I decided to quit blogging. Right after the last post, we left for vacation, then there was the week of the 4th and then my new embroidery machine messed up so I had to take my computer (since it holds the machine's software) along w/ the embroidery machine to the repair shop. Argghh. I've had the machine a month, and it's now at it's second repair shop. Hopefully it will get fixed this time.

To copy the blog ideas of others, here are some things I'm enjoying right now:

• white chocolate frappe from Seattle Drip drive through in Homewood...to DIE for!
• using all the gift certificates from my birthday
• sewing clothes for the Bean
• having my computer back!!
• so you think you can dance
• afternoon walks w/ my neighbor and friend Erin (you're back in town - yea!!)

Here are some things I'm not enjoying:

• the Bean waking up early again (we went through a blissful two weeks of 7 am to 7:30 am...ahhhh)
• the ongoing embroidery machine debacle!!
• the extra poundage I need to lose (the white chocolate frappes do not help in this department)

My husband, the triathlete

RR has started to do triathlons here lately, and I am really proud of him. He's lost weight, really stuck w/ his training, and most importantly, has had fun! Here are some photos of him in the Buster Britton from a few weeks ago. This is his 4th event. He did the Mercedes 1/2 marathon, a duathlon (bike and run), the Y-Tri (YMCA mini-triathlon) and then the Buster Britton, a full triathlon. The Bean and I were there to cheer him on! He did great.

New hair-do's

Here's a new hair style...the pigtails! And just for those of you who think she never lost any hair, check out the back view. She lost some in the back, but it was covered up with the longer top hair. She has a comb over. I think the Bean likes the piggy's...that's why she's giving me a thumbs up! Enjoy!

The Big 3-0!

I am turning 30 tomorrow! I've had the most wonderful b'day this year. RR threw me a surprise party last weekend, and boy was I surprised! All my friends and family came. And tomorrow night he's taking me out for a date, and (this may be the best part) letting me sleep in while he gets up with the Bean. I haven't done that (except when we've been out of town) since she's been born! And I'm having a pedicure done tomorrow too.

I don't feet weird at all about turning 30. Maybe I'd be more reflective or whatever if I didn't have a baby, but taking care of her doesn't leave me much time to think! What I've thought most about is how blessed I am...what wonderful friends and family God has given me. God has been very good to me for the past 30 years, and I am thankful.

I am however, getting my hair colored on Friday...more gray showing up every day! I may be 30, but I don't have to look it! :)

Update: I ended up not having my hair colored, as my stylist thought I didn't have enough gray yet, and the temporary hair color I was going to do fades quickly in the summer sun. And my actual birthday was great! The pedi looked great, and RR and I had a great time on our date!

The Best Salsa Ever

My husband and I are self-proclaimed "salsa snobs." We will choose the Mexican restaurant we go to based off how good their salsa is. (Our favorite in town is Hacienda on Valleydale.) Also, we will not buy the nastiness in a jar from supermarkets that masquerades as salsa. Yuck! So I usually make my own when we want some salsa at home. This is best as a dip, since it's a little on the thin side compared to some salsas. So if you like yours chunky, you may not love this recipe. Or you may want to just finely chop everything instead of putting it in the food processor. But we think it's pretty great!! The cilantro and lime are what really make it good! It also very easily doubles.

"Restaurant Salsa"

1 10 oz can diced tomatoes
1 can Rotel
1 tomato, chunked
1/2 small onion, chunked
3 green onions (w/out scallions)
1/2 bunch cilantro
1/2 lime (just the juice)
salt to taste
2 slices jalapenos (or more to taste)

Use food processor or blender to mix everything together until smooth.

Sew precious!

Okay, so it's a corny title, but I have enjoyed sewing a few outfits for the Bean, and I think she looks precious in them! Don't be impressed...these outfits could qualify for "sewing for dummies." But they are pretty inexpensive and fast to make! The purple outfit cost about $4 minus the monogram, and the green dress cost about $2. Cheapy cheapy! The purple top is actually a dress pattern called the Lucy, but it's a little short, so I made it a top. And the pants are called the Lettie. The green dress is called the Holly, and it comes w/ a matching boys romper pattern. I am going to try to attempt to do appliques on my machine as some point here soon, so that will save even more money if it turns out ok. Sew easy, and sew little money!!! (Corny, I know.) FYI, the Bean was not the most cooperative model, so these are the best pics of the clothes, not of her. :)

Adorable photos!

My friend Jessica took pictures of the Bean the other day at a local park, and they turned out so great! I can't decide which one I like the best. :) Y'all can vote, if you like, and help me decide. Click here to see our Gallery.

Patience

I think it is true what people say about asking God for patience. Do, and He will give you plenty of chances to either choose patience or impatience!! That has been my prayer for myself lately...that I would be a patient person. I am usually so selfish...wanting things to go exactly how I want them to, and when they don't, I lose my patience!! The latest "trial" is the Bean standing up in her crib for naptimes. I put her down, she stands up and cries, I go put her down again, she stands again, etc. This went on for 30 minutes today for her afternoon nap. Usually I would get frustrated, but God was gracious and allowed me to be patient with her.

I thought, what a great picture of my relationship with my heavenly Father. I try to stand up to Him in defiance, but He gently puts me back where I should be and is infinitely patient with me. What a great God we serve!!

But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. ~ Psalm 86:15

Just wanted to post some recent pics of the Bean. She is crawling everywhere, and pulling up on anything she can get her hands on. Her toys are totally boring to her now for the most part, and she'd rather follow me around everywhere. :) She won't even sit still for her Baby Einstein videos, which she used to love! She isn't really taking steps yet, but I don't think that's too far down the road. We'll see. :) For now, I'm just glad that I'm still faster than she is!

Thanks to my Mom for the cute outfit in this picture. I love anything seersucker!

We're BACK!!

We are back from our FL trip, and it was WONDERFUL! Really, it couldn't have gone better. The Bean did GREAT at her grandparents. (Thank you Lord!) She slept well, ate well, and played her little heart out. They took her to the park and let her try the baby swing, which she loved. They said she just laughed and grinned every time they swung her. I was initially anxious about leaving her for such a long time, but God did "abundently more than I could ask or think."

As for our trip, the resort was fabulous. I slept in, ordered room service, laid out by the pool, ate like a queen, watched movies w/ RR, read two books, and thoroughly enjoyed myself. The food there was awesome.

Now, not to disappoint anyone, but I didn't take any pictures! (I should be ashamed, I know.) Either I couldn't find someone to take the pics when I needed them, or RR wanted me to wait, or I forgot my camera, etc. (You can, however, click here to see where we stayed.) But regardless, I have beautiful memories in my head.

The Big FL Trip

RR and I are leaving tomorrow morning to go to FL for a few days on a business rewards trip. I dropped the Bean off today at her grandparents, who will be taking care of her while we're gone. I was so sad! (I had to console myself with some cookies from my favorite hometown bakery.) But Mom called me tonight and the Bean is as happy as can be, so hopefully she'll stay happy for the whole trip and won't even notice we're gone!! (Ok, she can miss us a LITTLE bit.) I am looking forward to sleeping in late, laying out by the pool, eating whatever I want, and drinking all the Diet Coke one girl can handle.

Grocery Organization

Last week I went on my big shopping day, which made me think some of you might like to see my grocery system. Yes, I am a big nerd who has an organized way of shopping for groceries. Go ahead and make fun, but the system works!! First, I have a grocery list typed up (similar to this one) that I have posted on my fridge at all times. When I use the last of something, I just highlight it on the list. I also have a section for write-ins...items that you randomly need that week, like artichokes or edamame or something. (Yeah right, like my husband would eat anything with the aforementioned ingredients!!! Strictly meat and potatoes, my man.) There is also a section for the meal plan for the week, or two weeks, since that's how often I do my main shopping trip. That way I know what meals I am planning on making and can make sure I have the ingredients written down on my list. Lastly, I have a small section for meals for other and/or parties. I was always forgetting to write down ingredients for something I needed to bring somewhere, so now I have a section that reminds me to look at my calendar and see if I have any event coming up that I need to bring food to. My list is organized by aisles at my local Wal-Mart, so that way I don't miss anything. When I get done shopping, I save the list and fold it up so the meal plans are showing and stick it on the fridge...that way I can look and see what my options are the day before and lay out meat to thaw or ask my husband what he'd like for dinner the next night.

Using this method is great b/c I rarely forget to write anything down, I rarely miss anything at the store and have to backtrack, and I know what's on the menu for that week at a glance. And just in case anyone wants to know, I didn't come up with this idea. I stole it from someone else. :) Use the list I linked to or type up your own and customize it to suit your needs. Maybe there are other grocery nerds out there like me who will like the system. And happy grocery shopping!!

Book Recommendations, Anyone?

I am going to Florida on vacation with RR (my husband's nickname) next week, and my parents are keeping the Bean. Woo-hoo! (Even though I will miss the heck out of the Bean.) It's gonna be great - sleeping in, eating great food, and catching some rays. This is a business rewards trip that RR earned, and it's all expenses paid! They even give you a per diam (sp??) for meals, and you get presents with your turn-down service every night. I am planning on spending a great deal of the time laying out by the pool and reading something that takes very little brain power to follow. Which brings me to my point...does anybody have any recommendations? Something fictional, please, and preferably available at the library.

Handmade Baby Clothes and Gifts

I discovered an online business run by a friend of a friend that sells the cutest handmade children's and baby's clothing. It's called Elle-T's. I have some of the same sewing patterns and have made a few dresses for the Bean, like the one she's wearing in this picture. (It's called the Lucy...sorry you can't see the dress super well.) But Elle-T's has super cute add-on's, appliques and monograms, and her prices are reasonable. She also has reasonably priced baby gifts, like onesies and burp cloths. Check it out!

Testing, Testing, One-Two-Three

Ok, I have decided to give this blogosphere thing a try. I don't know how much I'll be able to post, as the Bean (what I shall hearforth call my 8 month old daughter on this blog) keeps me pretty busy. So this is a test to see if the blogging thing is worth my time or not. We'll see. If there's anything you'd like to hear about, lemme know.

Here is a fairly recent picture of the Bean. She has 6 teeth now and is crawling everywhere and trying to pull up. She's a joy and her smile lights up a room!!