Fall weather in Oklahoma is amazing. Mornings and evenings are cool, and the days are warm. I was wondering yesterday... if the weather stayed like this year round, would I get tired of it? I'm not sure. As long as there was variety and we had an occasional rainy day or day cool enough to wear a hoodie, I think I'd love it. The one thing I miss is colors. Leaves here change, and are pretty, but they lack the brilliance and POP of those in the north.
Baby Girl is growing and changing so much! She crawls ALL over the place now. I love watching her go full speed ahead in pursuit of some object. Things that never fail to get her attention: the remote, laptop, or cell phone left on the coffee table. It's like she has a radar for these things. She also like to pull things off the small pantry shelf in the laundry room, and try to gnaw through the packages... things like oreos or fruit cups. She babbles almost incessantly, with great fervor and a myriad of expressions. I can't wait for the day when I can understand what she's telling me. Her new favorite food is cheerios, which she can feed herself and grips in her little fist as if they were long-lost treasure. She's amazing.
Exercise is going well, in the consistency realm. And wonder of wonders, I am actually ENJOYING the workouts. TurboJam. Not bad, really. Not annoying and not too intimidating. My only complaint is that the numbers I see on the scale are barely dropping, even though I'm working my butt off several times a week and watching what I eat. Numbers aren't dropping, but my jeans are fitting better and there is less baby fat hanging around. So I am grateful for that... It's just... wouldn't you think that after six+ weeks of exercising a person would see more weight loss than 5 pounds? Maybe not. Guess I'm just impatient! Eventually I WILL get into that next smaller size of jeans, and then after that the jeans that are stored away til I fit back in them... my goal!
I'd like to break into the world of Etsy. It's such a delightful place of whimsy and discovery and charm and fun! There's a few ideas in my head, and am very slowly getting my shop set up. Anyone have tips or ideas on how to make an Etsy shop successful?
This song has been stuck in my head for a couple of days (thank you Army Wives)... it made me think though and reminded me to continually ask God for help and guidance, even when it seems that I don't "need" it.
"...Wishing on stars only when you see 'em
Is like asking God for help only when you need it
But I'm wishing anyway...."
Showing posts with label baby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baby. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Saturday, June 5, 2010
little sister
My youngest sister is visiting me for three weeks. THREE whole weeks!!! It's SO very wonderful to have a part of my family here with me. I really love Oklahoma and my life here, but a girl does get homesick now and again. Anyway, we've been hanging out lots, having GREAT times. Sixteen is a fun age. :) Time at the pool, playing with Baby Girl, shopping, baking, movies... it's been a lovely three days so far. :) AND.... I'm giving her a crash course in couponing and finding deals. So far we've hit up Walgreens (sweet deals!), Target (more sweet deals), Krispy Kreme (do I hear a shout out for free donuts??), introduced her to Chikfila (free spicy chicken sandwiches!), and checked out the brand new QT (three cheers for .49cent drinks). We also stumbled on coupons for free drinks at Taco Bell and more free donuts from Krispy Kreme, so you can guess where we'll be eating... Now we need to work some exercise into our plans. (bah humbug!)
Baby Girl has discovered the fine art of rolling over, from her tummy to her back. It's incredibly adorable to find her in her bed in the morning, not on her tummy, but on her back, rolling around and talking to herself. Even at 4:30 in the morning...
Sweet deals this week:
Walgreens: we spent $10.92, saved $56.38, and have $4.50 in RR! We got: 4 boxes Kotex U products, 4 bags of Hersheys pieces, 3 bars Neutrogena face soap, 7 packs of Orbit gum, 3 cans Arizona tea, 2 bags of Lifesavers, 1 Butterfinger, and 3 bottles asprin. Not bad for $10, eh?
Target: (we totally rocked here!)
I think I threw my receipts away when I cleaned out my purse, but I can tell you about the 40 bottles of Sobe Lifewater for only $5 oop!!!! Target had a deal this week that for every 10 bottles you bought, you'd get a $5 gift card. We used a .50/1 Target coupon for each bottle, and did four separate transactions. We spent $5 the first time, and then the second transactions we used the $5 GC. The third transaction we had three B1/G1 coupons to add to the .50/1 Qs, so we only used $2 off the GC. Last transaction we had two b1/g1 Qs, so we used the remaining $3 on the GC and came out with an extra $5 GC. I think we did pretty good, eh?
This week will bring more sisterly, deal-finding adventures.... we'll be sure to keep you posted!
Baby Girl has discovered the fine art of rolling over, from her tummy to her back. It's incredibly adorable to find her in her bed in the morning, not on her tummy, but on her back, rolling around and talking to herself. Even at 4:30 in the morning...
Sweet deals this week:
Walgreens: we spent $10.92, saved $56.38, and have $4.50 in RR! We got: 4 boxes Kotex U products, 4 bags of Hersheys pieces, 3 bars Neutrogena face soap, 7 packs of Orbit gum, 3 cans Arizona tea, 2 bags of Lifesavers, 1 Butterfinger, and 3 bottles asprin. Not bad for $10, eh?
Target: (we totally rocked here!)
I think I threw my receipts away when I cleaned out my purse, but I can tell you about the 40 bottles of Sobe Lifewater for only $5 oop!!!! Target had a deal this week that for every 10 bottles you bought, you'd get a $5 gift card. We used a .50/1 Target coupon for each bottle, and did four separate transactions. We spent $5 the first time, and then the second transactions we used the $5 GC. The third transaction we had three B1/G1 coupons to add to the .50/1 Qs, so we only used $2 off the GC. Last transaction we had two b1/g1 Qs, so we used the remaining $3 on the GC and came out with an extra $5 GC. I think we did pretty good, eh?
This week will bring more sisterly, deal-finding adventures.... we'll be sure to keep you posted!
Monday, May 24, 2010
head above water
I have thought about this blog often in the past couple of weeks. Visions of sitting down and typing have played through my mind at regular intervals. I think this has been the busiest I've been since I was pregnant, and trying to accomplish it all with a four-month old baby was no small feat. Besides being incredibly busy with THINGS to do, PLACES to be, and TASKS to accomplish, there has been turmoil to sort through. Small family dramas, employment uncertainties, life decisions, etc, etc. The few times I did try and write, my mind refused to cooperate, begging instead for a few moments of silence and time to just zone out. It looks like things are slowing down now, and I'm glad. I think much more of what felt like chaos, and I'd break down in tears... and then only a day or two of watching fluff filled movies, eating comfort food, and snuggling with my baby and husby would have helped me recover!
It's a curiosity really, the things that God allows into our lives at times. Like when we feel we are doing everything right and on track, and yet life is HARD. Like when it feels that curveballs are being thrown one after another and there is no way to see them coming and prepare. We beg God to give us just a glimpse of what He is doing and it feels silent... We hold on, knowing that He is good and faithful, but wanting to see evidence. It's a hard road, but one I will continue to walk, even though I have my days of stopping to cry and say, "God, please! I need some air!". One day, all this will be clear. I am really looking forward to seeing the big picture for this season of our lives...
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In other news, Baby Girl is growing SO much lately! Not only has she jumped into the next size diapers and clothes, her development is progressing more every day. She rolls over now, from her tummy to her back. (A look of wide-eyed shock accompanies this feat.) She's beginning to lay on her tummy and play happily for a few minutes at a time. She grabs at toys that dangle about her. She laughs and giggles. EVERYTHING captures her interest. She is getting to be so much FUN! She is my light on gray days. :)
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In couponing and deal finding news, I totally rocked CVS the past two weeks. A new store opened near me, and mailed out a set of coupons. $10 off a $20 purchase, a free 2 liter of Coke, and up to $3 off a CVS brand product. They allowed all coupons to be combined into one purchase, so it made it easy to pay a dollar or two for over $20 worth of stuff. The best part? I live in an apartment complex, and many of my neighbors threw their coupons in the junk mail bin up by the mailboxes. I snatched up as many as I could and made SEVERAL trips to CVS, doing multiple transactions each time. We are totally stocked up on Coke, Vitamin Water, pop, and bottled water... Not to mention toiletries, makeup, paper goods.... It was SUCH an incredible blessing to be able to get so much for so very little.
All of this for only $2.71!!!!! (A savings of almost $200!)
It's a curiosity really, the things that God allows into our lives at times. Like when we feel we are doing everything right and on track, and yet life is HARD. Like when it feels that curveballs are being thrown one after another and there is no way to see them coming and prepare. We beg God to give us just a glimpse of what He is doing and it feels silent... We hold on, knowing that He is good and faithful, but wanting to see evidence. It's a hard road, but one I will continue to walk, even though I have my days of stopping to cry and say, "God, please! I need some air!". One day, all this will be clear. I am really looking forward to seeing the big picture for this season of our lives...
---------
In other news, Baby Girl is growing SO much lately! Not only has she jumped into the next size diapers and clothes, her development is progressing more every day. She rolls over now, from her tummy to her back. (A look of wide-eyed shock accompanies this feat.) She's beginning to lay on her tummy and play happily for a few minutes at a time. She grabs at toys that dangle about her. She laughs and giggles. EVERYTHING captures her interest. She is getting to be so much FUN! She is my light on gray days. :)
----------------
In couponing and deal finding news, I totally rocked CVS the past two weeks. A new store opened near me, and mailed out a set of coupons. $10 off a $20 purchase, a free 2 liter of Coke, and up to $3 off a CVS brand product. They allowed all coupons to be combined into one purchase, so it made it easy to pay a dollar or two for over $20 worth of stuff. The best part? I live in an apartment complex, and many of my neighbors threw their coupons in the junk mail bin up by the mailboxes. I snatched up as many as I could and made SEVERAL trips to CVS, doing multiple transactions each time. We are totally stocked up on Coke, Vitamin Water, pop, and bottled water... Not to mention toiletries, makeup, paper goods.... It was SUCH an incredible blessing to be able to get so much for so very little.
All of this for only $2.71!!!!! (A savings of almost $200!)
Saturday, May 1, 2010
SCORE!
Grandpa S. was in town today with a few hours to kill in between the young uncle's baseball games. Husby recruited Grandpa and the boys to watch Baby Girl while we ran a few errands together. (Yay for mini-dates!) We left the boys with brownies, sandwiches and a sleeping baby, while R & I went to Target. It's nice to go out without the baby every once in a while...
My $3 Snuggle Qs arrived in the mail yesterday so I stacked them with $1.50/1 Target Qs and scored us some FREE Snuggle! (x4!) Then I found a cute purse on clearance for $3.74 and used a $5/1 purse coupon. The overage allowed me to get one more bottle of Snuggle for like... 20cents. Total for 5 bottles of Snuggle and 1 purse? $1.48. Oh yeah!!!! This is my most awesome trip yet!
My $3 Snuggle Qs arrived in the mail yesterday so I stacked them with $1.50/1 Target Qs and scored us some FREE Snuggle! (x4!) Then I found a cute purse on clearance for $3.74 and used a $5/1 purse coupon. The overage allowed me to get one more bottle of Snuggle for like... 20cents. Total for 5 bottles of Snuggle and 1 purse? $1.48. Oh yeah!!!! This is my most awesome trip yet!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Starting New
Every so often I make a resolution to myself to begin blogging regularly... A few posts are made and then I get distracted and forget, or fail to make the time. And yet, I really like blogging. So here I am, once again, making a resolution to start blogging. Again.
Life is a little different now, and yet still very much the same. Difference #1: The baby is here, and how incredibly precious she is. Three months old already! She's got the chubbiest cheeks and thighs with the cutest rolls... *sigh* I fall more in love with her every day. Difference #2: I'm no longer working and am officially a SAHM. Funny thing... I don't really miss it. Methinks I was meant to live life this way. Umm... I guess those are the biggest differences.
Mommyhood is awesome. Yes, there are trying days, but the joys - like seeing my daughter's face light up in a huge slobbery grin - erase all the irritations. Lack of sleep? Yes, but holding her warm little body in the middle of the night fills me with a new burst of energy. Fussy and clingy all day long, leaving me with little time to do anything else but hold her? I forget all that when she falls asleep on my chest while we rock in the rocking chair, sucking her little fist. She's overtaken my life, and I couldn't mind less.
I have a new hobby. It's not all that glamorous, but it's fun. For me, at least. Couponing! It's a game. A challenge. And I get a little crazy over it sometimes. But it's been SO cool to see our food and household item selections grow without spending any more money. Rather than living from one weekly shopping trip to the next, having to almost completely stock up each time, we now have extra ahead of time. Advance warning: from time to time, I am going to post about my savings adventures and deals I find. Hope it doesn't bore you, and if it does, well... you were warned!
Today I'm babysitting a 7 month old. He's been hanging out with me and Baby Girl all day. It's been a little interesting... Baby Girl, who can't yet entertain herself, and K. After I agreed to watch him I wondered if I'd been crazy, but gratefully it's gone rather well. (knock on wood) Their naps have alternated a little, overlapped some, and right now Baby Girl is still asleep while K sits on my kitchen floor, happily banging plastic measuring cups together. All in all, I give today's adventure a two thumbs up!
One more thing, and then I'll go for today. I must get this post-pregnancy body back into shape! The first 6 weeks were ok, and even good - I felt so small after delivery. But now... ugh... My goal: to fit back into my clothes, not only from pre-pregnancy, but from pre-marriage! (Why is it that the first year of marriage so often leads to extra pounds?) That's a good 20 pounds or more and it's going to be brutal... I love eating and hate exercising. Accomplishment: today while the babies were both napping I did 30 minutes of Pilates. Cheer me on!
What's new in YOUR world?
Life is a little different now, and yet still very much the same. Difference #1: The baby is here, and how incredibly precious she is. Three months old already! She's got the chubbiest cheeks and thighs with the cutest rolls... *sigh* I fall more in love with her every day. Difference #2: I'm no longer working and am officially a SAHM. Funny thing... I don't really miss it. Methinks I was meant to live life this way. Umm... I guess those are the biggest differences.
Mommyhood is awesome. Yes, there are trying days, but the joys - like seeing my daughter's face light up in a huge slobbery grin - erase all the irritations. Lack of sleep? Yes, but holding her warm little body in the middle of the night fills me with a new burst of energy. Fussy and clingy all day long, leaving me with little time to do anything else but hold her? I forget all that when she falls asleep on my chest while we rock in the rocking chair, sucking her little fist. She's overtaken my life, and I couldn't mind less.
I have a new hobby. It's not all that glamorous, but it's fun. For me, at least. Couponing! It's a game. A challenge. And I get a little crazy over it sometimes. But it's been SO cool to see our food and household item selections grow without spending any more money. Rather than living from one weekly shopping trip to the next, having to almost completely stock up each time, we now have extra ahead of time. Advance warning: from time to time, I am going to post about my savings adventures and deals I find. Hope it doesn't bore you, and if it does, well... you were warned!
Today I'm babysitting a 7 month old. He's been hanging out with me and Baby Girl all day. It's been a little interesting... Baby Girl, who can't yet entertain herself, and K. After I agreed to watch him I wondered if I'd been crazy, but gratefully it's gone rather well. (knock on wood) Their naps have alternated a little, overlapped some, and right now Baby Girl is still asleep while K sits on my kitchen floor, happily banging plastic measuring cups together. All in all, I give today's adventure a two thumbs up!
One more thing, and then I'll go for today. I must get this post-pregnancy body back into shape! The first 6 weeks were ok, and even good - I felt so small after delivery. But now... ugh... My goal: to fit back into my clothes, not only from pre-pregnancy, but from pre-marriage! (Why is it that the first year of marriage so often leads to extra pounds?) That's a good 20 pounds or more and it's going to be brutal... I love eating and hate exercising. Accomplishment: today while the babies were both napping I did 30 minutes of Pilates. Cheer me on!
What's new in YOUR world?
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
summer news
The summer is flying by far too quickly. It's been a little but of an adjustment for me, being here - in HOT Oklahoma, but I'm managing. Quite often, spending time outdoors is nearly impossible, but I do enjoy leaving my patio door open some mornings, and I rejoice when the days are mild and not scorching. We've been blessed to be able to take a few little trips... I've been home to Michigan twice! Once in early June for the siblings' graduation parties, and then Ryan and I went last week for our wedding reception. It was a lovely time, and SO wonderful to see friends and family... as a married couple. Also, we were able to go to Houston over the 4th of July weekend and spend time with P.J. and Paulina. They are such a wonderful couple, and growing together so much. I'm very proud of them.
A bit of big, exciting news.... In early June, Ryan and I found out that we are expecting a little one! Our bundle of joy is due to arrive around Valentine's Day. :) My morning sickness (or rather, "all-day sickness") is mostly over now, but I still tire rather easily. We had our first doctor appointment a few weeks ago and were able to hear the heartbeat.... Quite an amazing thing! God is SO creative and amazing.
In the time I've been married to Ryan, I feel as if my eyes have been opened to what God is doing in our lives so much more than I ever took time to notice before. Beginning with Ryan's ankle ordeal and God's provision through all of that, and on to month-by-month, and day-by-day, provisions... I'm amazed. Last fall I was introduced to the song "God of this City", and I have fallen in love with it. At the most random moments, lines run through my head... "For there is no one like our God..." and "Greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done - here..." It's such a hopeful song. A reminder of all that God is, all that He always will be, all that He wants to do in each of our lives and in the world... A reminder of the hope that He provides...
You're the light in this darkness
You're the hope to the hopeless
You're the peace to the restless
You are....
You're the strength in our weakness
You're the love to the broken
You're the joy in the sadness
You are...
There is no one like our God....
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done...
Here.
He is good, isn't He?
A bit of big, exciting news.... In early June, Ryan and I found out that we are expecting a little one! Our bundle of joy is due to arrive around Valentine's Day. :) My morning sickness (or rather, "all-day sickness") is mostly over now, but I still tire rather easily. We had our first doctor appointment a few weeks ago and were able to hear the heartbeat.... Quite an amazing thing! God is SO creative and amazing.
In the time I've been married to Ryan, I feel as if my eyes have been opened to what God is doing in our lives so much more than I ever took time to notice before. Beginning with Ryan's ankle ordeal and God's provision through all of that, and on to month-by-month, and day-by-day, provisions... I'm amazed. Last fall I was introduced to the song "God of this City", and I have fallen in love with it. At the most random moments, lines run through my head... "For there is no one like our God..." and "Greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done - here..." It's such a hopeful song. A reminder of all that God is, all that He always will be, all that He wants to do in each of our lives and in the world... A reminder of the hope that He provides...
You're the light in this darkness
You're the hope to the hopeless
You're the peace to the restless
You are....
You're the strength in our weakness
You're the love to the broken
You're the joy in the sadness
You are...
There is no one like our God....
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done...
Here.
He is good, isn't He?
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