the dalomba days

Homemade Laundry Detergent

2012-01-22T23:30:00.000-06:00

This is the very popular recipe for laundry detergent floating around on Pinterest!

This is the link to the original post.

1 4 lb 12 oz box Borax found in the detergent isle

1 4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda found in the cooking isle

1 box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda 55 oz found in the detergent isle

3 bars of Fels-naptha soap, found in the detergent isle (My Kroger didn't have this but Wal-Mart did)

2 small containers of oxyclean or store brand oxyclean (try to get about 3.5 lbs total found in the detergent isle.

Grate 3 all 3 bars of soap with cheese grater or food processor.

I then poured everything in trash bag and mixed it well.

Then I poured it in this container & it fit perfectly. I use the scoop that came with the OxyClean and use one rounded scoop/load.

I spent about $17. The lady who originally made this said her batch lasted around 9 months doing around 8/loads per week!

Saturday Steals

2012-01-20T14:48:00.000-06:00

More Goodwill finds!

Job Old Navy shirt & new Chaps tie $6 total

"A" for alphabet wall, green polo, & 2 plaid shorts, $1 each

Reid 2 sweaters $1 each, plaid shorts $1, Job a dress shirt $4,
Nine West purse for me $7, Ava boutique sweater & swimsuit $1 each


2 pants for my niece & Old Navy rain jacket for Brooke, $1 each

Old Navy shirt for Job $5, 2 letters for alphabet wall $1 each, Reid Children's
Place pants, Gymboree & Old Navy shorts $1 each, Converse $3

For Reid: 2 pants, plaid shorts, applique shirt, & pj pants $1 each

Rember Nyugen dress, swimsuit, & robe for my nieces, $1 each

Wreaths for kitchen & dining room $2 each,
I'm going to add fabric rosettes.

Alphabet Wall

2012-01-19T09:41:00.000-06:00

Back in the stone ages before Pinterest when people bought magazines for decorating ideas I'd torn this picture out because I thought it was such a neat idea. There are now tons of these walls in different variations in blog & Pinterest land but I think this is still on of my favorites. I think it's the stripped Z. I've been leisurely collecting letters for Reid's room for probably close to a year. When I get close to the end I may look at Hobby Lobby or JoAnns and fill in what I'm missing but for now it's just the thrill of the find. Several people know I'm collecting so I get text saying "hey do you need a M?" That's what friends are for, right?!? :)

Here is my inspiration photo:

This is what I have so far. I want them all to be different if possible.

I'm gonna paint some, put scrapbook paper over some, etc.

UPDATE: I found a K & P for $1 each!

I've now spent $3.64

Carousel Ride

2012-01-19T09:28:00.003-06:00

Job had a meeting so Reid and I tagged along and walked around the mall during the meeting. I bought BareMinerals with my Christmas money. I'm super excited about trying it. I know so many people who use it and love it. I looked for sales but found nothing. When Job was finished we had lunch then took Reid on his first carousel ride! He loved it. He was so sweet.

He can't stay awake in the car!

Having ChickFilA for lunch.

Waiting to ride!

Big boy

Grizzly Game

2012-01-17T08:00:00.000-06:00

We were given tickets to a Grizzly game so we took Reid & he LOVED it. He stood in my lap & clapped most of the game. The games are so fun because they have so much stuff going on along with the game. Thankful that Reid is easy going & likes to be out & about!

I feel like Reid looks like such a big boy in this pic.

Cheesy fake smile, ha!

14 Months

2012-01-16T20:09:00.001-06:00

Reid you are 14 months! Your personality has just grown & you are so fun. You are growing so fast. You are still wearing a size 4 diaper, size 5 1/2 shoe, & can still wear 12-18 months clothes but the pants are getting short so you also wear 18-24 months. I have finally completely weaned you. That was hard (probably way harder on me). I was super emotional to say the least. You are finally drinking milk from a cup & actually seem to like it now. You love oatmeal, cheddar bunnies, turkey & cheese, pb&j's, chicken, raisins, animal cookies, spaghetti, & pretty much anything else we give you. Your favorite thing to do is read. We read & read & read all day. You hold books while we go on walks in the stroller, in the car seat, or in the shopping cart. I hope you always love to read. You say momma & daddy all day. You know your tongue, ears, hands, feet, & belly. Under no circumstance will you do nose! haha You love when people come over or when we go to church. You will pretty much play with anyone or let anyone hold you. You constantly come hug me, pat my head, and say "ohhhhh." Melts me every time. You have 6 teeth and 2 more on the bottom just have broken through. You love music & love to dance. You don't seem to care about tv at all unless music is on. I think every stage with you gets better & better. I love you sweet boy.

Saturday Steals-Reid's Summer Clothes Edition

2012-01-14T08:14:00.000-06:00

As I've said several times I buy ahead at yard sales, Goodwill, & clearance when I find quality items for dirt cheap. So last week I got his summer bin down to see what I had collected & where I needed to fill in.

Pants:

2 pair of Old Navy kackis, one pair I bought at a yard sale for $1, the other pair brand new for $5 shipped on eBay, the Gap jeans were given to me.

Shoes:

Red Keds were borrowed, navy Toms were a birthday gift, & the red converse my sister bought for $0.50 at a yard sale my niece wore them & now Reid will wear them.

He still needs brown sandals. I have a gift card for a Children's shoe boutique so I'll pick up some there.

Pajamas:

These 4 pair were given to me. My friend Audrey also let me borrow a ton of 12 & 18 mth pj's.

It's been great!

Shorts:

One pair I bought new on clearance with Reid's Christmas money. The rest have been found at Goodwill, yard sales, & eBay. For all 12 pairs of shorts I paid around $16 total.

Brands include: Ralph Lauren Polo, Children's Place, Izod, Gap, Gymboree.

Polos:

The navy was a gift, brown & grey were just over a $1 each at Target, the red Gap one was $1 at Goodwill, white Old Navy one was $5 shipped on ebay, the light blue Old Navy one was bought with his Christmas money on clearance.

$9.50 total

T-Shirts:

15 tshirts for $30 total

4 Ralph Lauren polo ones bought at outlet, several others for around $1 each at Target,

Old Navy, & Children's Place at end of the season clearance.

Swim Wear:

Hat $1.50 at Old Navy, Old Navy swim trunks $1 at yard sale

(Cute little toes-free)

Jon-Jons:

All borrowed from friend.

I paid a grand total of $64 for all!

I save his birthday & Christmas money & any money I make off his clothes at consignment sales to fill in what I need for the next season. I still need to find some chocolate brown shorts, maybe some spare swim trunks, & pick up those sandles. After that I think we will be set for another season.

If doesn't have to cost a fortune to dress your kids, you've just gotta plan way ahead!

Saturday Steals 45

2012-01-09T21:46:00.001-06:00

Here are my finds for last week & today.

Reid two long sleeve button downs for this fall (Old Navy & Childrens Place) $1 each

Plaid shorts for next summer (Kohls brand) $1

New Balance $3

Boutique brown & white gingham pants with ruffle for my niece, $1

Found this on the side of the road while out walking, these big storage drawers are pricy!

I think I'm gonna use it to organize my purses/bags/scarves in our closet.

I've been wanting a Fossil bird purse forever but they are expensive so when I saw this at Goodwill tonight I might have sprinted over! $13

For Reid:

Sperry's $2

New Balance $3

For Job:

Stafford dress shirt, $4

I love when I get Reid dressed everyday & how usually his entire outfit is second hand.

This is one of my favorites for church last Sunday.

His shirt was a hand-me-down, tie was $1 at Goodwill, pants were $4 at a consignment sale, & shoes were $3 at Goodwill. :)

And just because he's cute, here is Reid running around tonight!

Saturday Steals 44

2011-12-31T08:46:00.000-06:00

Since yardsales aren't in abudance I depend on my frugal fixes at thrift stores during the winter.

My 3 stops this week got me:

J.Crew shirt for Job $4, Gap polo for Reid $1, Osh Kosh plaid shorts for Reid $1

My sister is having another girl & she needed a new boppy. This one was $4, I tossed the old cover & underneath its in perfect condition. She's going to order a cover from Etsy. Also for my new niece I found the pale pink WeeSqueak shoes for $2 (they are $36 online). For my niece Ava I got the white Old Navy shirt for $1, Mary Jane crocs for $2, pink Converse for $2, & red glitter shoes for $4.

For Reid, a Children's Place tie for $1. :)

For Job black Banana Republic dress pants $2 & Calvin Klein dress shoes $5.

Fun & Not So Fun Memories

2011-12-30T21:49:00.002-06:00

Christmas Day when we got home from church Reid took a super long nap for him but I didn't think much about it. He hadn't felt great in about a week. Then he was up a few hours & opened presents but just wanted to be held. Then he fell asleep sitting in the chair with me which never ever happens so I put him back down & he slept awhile. When he got up his temp was 101. I gave him Tylenol, bath, & put on cool clothes. He had a mild infrequent cough with no other symptoms.

Here he is Monday when we had to get groceries.

He still acted like he didn't feel well & I battled the fever all day.

By Monday night it was 103.2 and wouldn't go down so I called one of the doctors I work with & he wanted me to bring him by the ER to see him. So I had already given him Motrin & a cool bath so OF COURSE by the time we get there the temp had dropped but not for long.

(Side note: aren't his little New Balances cute, I got those for $2 at a yard sale)

Getting his chest xray.

This contraption works well but looks horrible!

We also checked him for flu & RSV but everything looked great except a horrible right ear infection. Thankfully we knew what the problem was & how to treat. Thankful to work in the ER & have people waiting to help us & got us in & out super fast.

This is Tuesday morning while I was talking to my mom, he fell asleep again sitting by me in the chair. He took 3 naps that day. He just felt horrible.

Then I took him for a walk & again he was out. Poor baby. :(

But today we are SO much better. He is back to his normal self.

We have a few more days of antibiotics.

So today I let him try a PB&J for the first time & he LOVED it!

And just a few things for my memory:

Every night I line up his bath toys on the edge of the tub and he loves. He watches me put each one up there very closely then he'll take them down and put them back. He will adjust them multiple times to have them straight & looking forward. I think that's funny for his age!

Also Reid LOVES books & for me to read to him. This book is the current favorite & I've read it SO much that I don't even have to look at the pages. He brings it to me, sits it on my leg, then reaches for me. I don't care how many times a day he does it I try to always stop & read it to him.

His face just lights up.

Also every day he loves to pull out the wipes. He throws the container down super hard so it will open then pulls them out. So now I just leave him a container with wipes that are dried out and let him go to town! Also look at his cute house shoes. My sister found them at Goodwill for $2, they are GapKids. I never thought house shoes were practical for a baby until I had one that absolutely will not leave on socks but he never messes with these.

Reid has just been sweeter and sweeter lately. He gives the biggest hugs where he wraps his sweet little arms around your neck & says HEY to any & everybody he gets near. People always say hey back & he just loves it!

And lastly Reid & his BFFs Jovie & Jack. I took this at our recent Baptism service.

I love these 3 sweet babies.

Thankful he's feeling better & for a sweet boy!

My friend Katie had her wisdom teeth out yesterday & mentioned wanting some of my homemade chocolate ice cream so I whipped up some & while I was dropping it off she snapped some pics of Reid. She is SO talented & of course I'm in LOVE with the subject.

Christmas Day

2011-12-26T13:22:00.000-06:00

Christmas morning Job left early for church to set up. This is my handsome boy headed to church. Our service was great this morning. We did lots of scripture reading & the music was perfect. After church I headed home to get Reid down for a nap. He must have been sooo tired because he slept two hours!

Christmas for us this year was different for sure. First thing was we offered to host Christmas for Job's family at our house & second Job's cousin, Johnny asked if Job would marry them at our house on Christmas day. He agreed so we had a wedding, ha!! Johnny & Misty dated less than 2 months and decided they knew they wanted to get married so why wait & plan a big wedding. So I with the help of MIL planned it for her. We got a wedding cake made, everyone signed a large Christmas ball for the "guest book", I took the pictures, & Misty's mom bought her a bouquet!

Here is the cake:

Misty & Johnny

Her bouquet:

During the ceremony:

Rings & license:

What more do u need?!

Misty & me:

Reid after his long nap & about to open his gifts:

Cutting the cake:

My front porch:

My tree:

My mantle with Reid's new stocking that came in one day before Christmas:

Reid's gifts from Christmas Day:

Our Christmas season was packed full & so much fun. I loved having a one year old this year. I loved starting new traditions & making memories with him. He is such a blessing to us. We are SO thankful for Jesus his birth & resurrection for without this we are nothing. We are excited to start a new year! We love to talk about our goals for the next year & write them down.

Have you been thinking about New Years Resolutions yet?

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
(Isaiah 7:14 ESV)

Christmas Eve

2011-12-26T13:00:00.003-06:00

Christmas Eve morning I cooked breakfast for the 3 of us. We had sausage balls & scrambled eggs. Reid loved it & I loved putting him in Christmas pjs, he looked so cute.

Then we used the Jesus Storybook Bible for our family devotion.

It's SUCH a good book. Our friend Kathe gave it to us.

Then dada helped Reid open his little gift from us.

His first little dump truck. :)

After we got ready & Reid got up from his morning nap we headed to see my parents, sister, BIL, & niece. We all decided on Thanksgiving what favorite things we'd like to cook.

My favorite desert EVER: my dad's fudge!

I made stuffed mushrooms, tortilla roll-ups, & those are my moms oyster crackers.

We then opened gifts.

Sweet cousins. Reid LOVES Ava & she LOVES him. She told her mom that she wanted her new sibling to be a boy so he could be twins with Reid, haha.

My moms gorgeous tree. It is so full & pretty but its fake!

Reid got this cute sock monkey.

My parents in their matching tshirts.

Ava feeding her new Baby Alive doll. She was beyond thrilled that it can poop.

Rocking with papa.

Reid's cute gifts. He got a DVD player for the car, a movie, clothes, sock monkey, balls. He also got super cute twin size sheets & a step stool for when he is a little older.

These are my gifts. My dad picked out the watch & purse, I was super impressed. My mom got me the cute pottery & scarves. Ava got me the handsoap. My MIL got me a new iPhone 4 & a zoo membership. I also have some cash to spend. :)

After gifts Brooke & I did hand/foot print crafts with our kids. I love this and I'm sure in a few years I won't believe how small that cute little footprint is.

We then headed back home because Reid was SO tired, got him to bed, then got everything ready for church the next day.

-Brittany

Christmas Eve-Eve

2011-12-25T21:03:00.002-06:00

Friday afternoon my family, my sister & niece Ava & parents went to visit my grandfather, aunt, & uncle. They live about 1.5 hours away. Reid slept most of the trip. We all brought some food & had a late lunch together. Then we opened presents and got to hangout awhile.

We then came home got Reid ready for bed then one of Job's best friends/college room mate & his wife came by to hang out for awhile. They live in Nashville so we don't get to see them often.

We had a fun evening!

Brooke & Ava

Reid & me

Ava, Strawberry Shortcake, & me

Us 3

Sweet cousins.

I think Reid is teething again if judging by the huge amount of drool!

My mom & me

Sweet husband of mine!

Mom, sister, niece

My sister & me with our parents

Reid & my grandad

Reid's gifts for the evening!

Saturday Steals 43

2011-12-20T10:49:00.003-06:00

I ran in Goodwill last week and found several cute things!

I got Reid these Nikes for $4 that he can wear in a few years.

Two button down shirts for future, $1 each.

Plaid short for next summer for $1 & I got my niece this ZaZa Couture dress for $1.50.
They sell for $70-80 online.

Love good deals!!

December So Far...

2011-12-20T10:00:00.005-06:00

We've had a busy month so far! I have to work 3 days per month so I got all those done early in the month so I could enjoy several weeks off & do fun Christmas stuff.

We took Reid to a local Christmas light show. It was a drive through where you played a certain radio station in the car and the lights followed along. Reid loved it.

Reid had a play date with Gideon. They are about 2 weeks apart.

We helped host a fun desert shower for our friends Evan & Kathe. I'm a bridesmaid & Job is helping perform the ceremony next month!

The ladies from our church got together for an ornament swap & brunch, we took zero pics.
I did some shopping with my mom & sister & niece.

Our church served at our town's Christmas tree lighting & then our community group adopted a family and took them groceries & gifts Friday. I enjoyed meeting their sweet family. We took pics but not with my camera.

We went to the 8th annual Kubler Christmas party. Everyone brings their favorite appetizer & we play dirty Santa. Job got an iTunes gift card & I got 3 bottles of OPI polish. :) My favorite.

The girls: this pic will look different next year bc 4 of these girls are pregnant!

The guys:

We've watched our favorite Christmas movies: Home Alone & Christmas Vacation.

Job, Reid, and I spent the day together last week getting our Christmas shopping finished. We had lunch at ChikFila which is a huge shocker if you know us, lol. I have everything wrapped & all my grocery shopping done.

Yesterday my MIL took us to lunch & to get my early Christmas present: a new iPhone 4. I got the white one this time & I'm loving it!! I got my old iPhone 2.5 years ago & it had seen better days. She also got us a zoo membership!

Last night we too Reid to Zoo Lights.
I have pictures standing here when I was little :)
This little girl walked up & kissed Reid :)

Tomorrow our church has a baptism service, going to see my grandad Friday, spending the day with my family Saturday, then we are hosting Christmas here after church Sunday with Job's family!

13 Months

2011-12-13T10:56:00.001-06:00

Reid you are 13 months old!

You are still wearing a size 4 diaper, size 12-18 month clothes, size 5 shoe, & weigh 25 pounds. After you turned one I started decreasing how many times you nursed. So about a week before you were 13 months I started only letting you nurse in the morning & before bed. I'm working to wean you fully now. You take 1-2 naps per day usually around 1 1/2 hour each. You sleep well at night. You LOVE your dad, if we go upstairs you go straight to his office, or if the garage goes up you run to the door.

You will eat about anything except milk is still a struggle. When I cut out your daytime feedings it took you 9 days to try milk from a cup. You LOVE music & love to dance! When Jimmy Fallon comes on you get soooo excited. You have learned to throw temper tantrums when you don't get your way. You are all over the place. You just walk around and do your thing getting in to stuff and playing with toys. You love to say hey to everyone we pass in the store. You'll let anyone hold you & love being in your stroller.

We have had a SUPER busy & fun month with you. You have loved the Christmas tree & broken several things & partially unwrapped several things. We are excited about this Christmas with you b/c you'll love ripping opening the paper. Last year you were only 6 weeks old at Christmas.

Time flies!!

You are the sweetest little boy in the world & I couldn't love you more.

Reid's 1st Birthday Party

2011-11-25T21:34:00.016-06:00

I had the best time planning Reid's birthday party. I decided months ago to do a carnival theme after seeing some cute ideas on a blog I read. My friend Katie took pics of us 3 before the party & during. It was SO wonderful to enjoy the party & not worry about missing out on taking pics.

These are a few pics from the park before the party started. I made his shirt & found the polka dot balloons on eBay. I borrowed the high chair.

The invite:
My friend Kathe made them & I LOVED them.

The birthday banner:
I backed all his monthly pics with scrapbook paper & attached with twine.
I hung it from the mantle.

The favors:
I used business cards I already had, downloaded a CIRCUS font for free, & attached them with twine I already had to animal crackers. I had these in a basket by the door so people could grab them on the way out.

The food:
Job's mom made chili so I had this little area set up with bowls, sour cream, cheese, & spoons. I used tickets as the napkin rings. I bought 100 off eBay for $1.79.I made labels for all the food using business cards then backed them with polka scrap book paper from Hobby Lobby. Each sheet was only $0.59. My mom made rotel & we grilled hot dogs in the fire pit outside that I borrowed. I made strawberry & lemon cupcakes with homemade cream cheese icing that had red/white polka liners that I found on eBay. I made the toppers using some free printables & my sisters scallop cutter. We also had "caramel apples" which was apple slices & caramel dip. We also had bottled water. I printed out these free labels I found online. I just hot glued them to the water bottles. We drank out of mason jars (my mom already had) & I order red/white stripped straws from Etsy.
I also had peanuts in a vase I had.

I already had the gumball machine & gumballs on clearance at Target. To drink we also had sweet tea & lemonade. I already had the large drink containers you can see in the back (the other one was still in the fridge I just added a label & ribbon. I used stripped, polka, & natural & red burlap also.

The entertainment:
I had this old red frame of my grandmothers in my garage so I hung it from the ceiling with hooks/twine to create a photo booth. I tried to get most of the guests to get in the photo booth. :) It was so fun. I made the pennant banner too.

I set up a little area for photo props.
I found mustaches at Old Navy of all places for just $2.
I got the glasses, wig, & clown nose at a party store.

The smash cake:
I gave Reid a cupcake and he wasted no time smashing it in his face & eating it all!

The presents:
Reid got fun new toys, lots of cute shirts, & sippy cups.

He also got some super cute shoes including a pair of Toms. :)

He also got this cute owl hat & melamine plate from Etsy.

We are so thankful for wonderful friends & family to help celebrate Reid's 1st year!

12 Months

2011-11-25T20:53:00.003-06:00

Reid you are ONE YEAR!!!!

Time has flown with you. Just last Thanksgiving you were 12 days old & this year you are running around eating turkey!
You are everywhere. You even run from me when you have something you know you shouldn't. We had your 1st birthday party & it was so much fun. You got lots of fun toys & new clothes. You will eat anything I give you & you love people. You say "hey" to everyone we pass in the store & will let anyone hold you. You still wear a size 4 diaper & 12-18 month clothes & a size 5 shoe. You don't love shoes at all & hate socks. You still have 6 teeth. Our routine has changed a little bit. You now nurse 4 times per day: early morning, before both naps, & before bed. I'm slowly weaning you by dropping feedings. You have become a much better napper. You usually sleep close to 2 hours in the morning & around 1 1/2 in the afternoon. You come to our room in the morning around 4:30-5:30 to nurse & then wake up between 7:30-8. You wake me up by giving me slobbery kisses, putting your face on mine, patting me, & saying "oh, oh" over & over. You love to play with dada. If I ask you where he is you always walk to his office. You love bathtime, we no longer use the bathseat, you crawl all over the tub and as soon as you get in you grab your two orange bath toys. You love to play with other kids. I can tell you are learning more how to use your toys. You've started rolling your cars & throwing the balls. You laugh sooo hard when tickled, its just so sweet. You love the Christmas tree & really don't mess with it like I thought you would. You are so sweet & we are excited to do fun Christmas activities with you over the next month.
We love you sweet boy.

Shutterfly Giveaway Results

2011-11-10T14:50:00.001-06:00

Comment 2, 13, 16 were chosen with random.org.

Sarah Robbins said...: I can always use more Christmas cards! My favorite part is the food, along with all the time with family. We're going home this year and I.cannot.wait!

Brooke said...: I LOVE CHRISTMAS... family time, shopping, music, food, decor, you name it!

sherry L. said... I am a big kid, love opening presents!

I'm emailing you!

Burlap Wreath

2011-11-02T11:06:00.003-05:00

I bought this grapevine wreath for $2 at a yard sale recently & around $4 of Burlap at JoAnns with coupons. My sister made the rosettes during our recent crafting day.
Then I cut a large piece of burlap to hang it.

Love the wreath against the red door!
(The paint for it is called Cherry Red from Lowes. I got it for $0.63)
I also had some left over money from selling house stuff so I bought a new door mat from Target.
I love it! It was a pretty inexpensive spruce up to our curb appeal!!

Trick or Treating with Ava

2011-11-01T22:15:00.004-05:00

Last night I went with my sister, her husband, & niece Ava since Job was out of town.

We had lots of fun. I think Ava might have enjoyed ringing doorbells as much as getting candy. :)
This lady had her house decorated like a Halloween wonderland. She said she had copied something done by Martha Stewart.

A very pretty princess:

A very scary monster:

Sweet cousins:

With Uncle Ron:

Me & my sweet boy:

After we were done Reid & I went to visit some of our church members that were having Halloween parties then headed home before 9. We are party animals!

Saturday Steals 42

2011-10-31T09:18:00.003-05:00

Here are my finds:
Children's place fleece jacket & Converse shoes, $3 for both

1 Gap button down, 2 Gap t-shirts, 2 thermal Old Navy shirts, $4.50 total

All but 2 things will go in future bins but I'll be glad I have it when that time comes!
Don't forget to enter my Christmas card giveaway!

Halloween Weekend

2011-10-31T08:55:00.005-05:00

Friday afternoon Reid & I met my sister & Ava at Chik fil A where Reid had a few licks of ice cream and loved it.

Headed to eat:

Then we walked around JcPenny for awhile. Ava & Reid LOVE each other.

That evening Job & I took Reid to his moms school to
their carnival then we went to a conference.

Saturday morning Job had to go back to conference so Reid and I went to yard sales.
After Reid's nap I stopped and got us lunch.
Reid had his first kids meal from ChikfilA. :) He loved it.
We spent a few hours at our church booth at a Trick or Trunk type thing.
Then we met Brooke & Ava & went to my parents church festival. I took no pics.
Sunday after church we grabbed a quick lunch with everyone. This was Reid on the way home.

So tired after a busy weekend, he took a 3 hour nap. Then our small group came over we grilled & played corn hole. We haven't decided tonights plans yet! A lot different Halloween this year. Last year I was VERY ready to have a baby!

Don't forget to enter my Christmas card giveaway!

Shutterfly Christmas Cards & a Giveaway

2011-10-28T10:17:00.009-05:00

Since we have gotten married we have always done a Christmas card but last year it was even more fun to do one as a family of three! Here is our card from last year.

We used Reid's newborn pics & included his birth stats so it was a Christmas card & birth announcement since he was born just six weeks before Christmas.

This year these are some of my favorites:

I love the colors of this one & the multiple pics.

Look at this cute card with chevron print, so cute:

And since Reid is almost one I have thought about doing one of these photo books for his first year memory book.

I waited too late to do a Halloween card but look how cute this is:

This would be so fun for a kids Halloween party!

We've gotta take our pics & then make the hard choice of which card to choose.

The best part? Shutterfly is letting me give 3 lucky readers a code for 25 FREE cards!

Leave me a comment & tell me your favorite part of Christmas!

I'll draw a winner in 2 weeks!!

First Haircut

2011-10-27T16:00:00.005-05:00

Reid got his first haircut today! He did great, no tears or fussing!!
We kept a steady stream of goldfish coming, ha.

Here are the before pics:

During:

After:
Such a big boy, he looks older. I love his little faux-hawk.
Jennifer cut it so cute!

We all 3 got haircuts today! :)

Big Boy Seat & Jack Turns 3!

2011-10-26T10:20:00.003-05:00

Reid got a big boy carseat! I heard Britax was a great carseat so I started looking on Craigslist and found one a grandmother had for her grandchildren that never really got used. When I went to pick it up it was covered in plastic with the owners manual attached and not a single stain or any signs of use. I got it for less than 50% of what retail would have been. He loves it.

His first ride forward was to Jack's 3rd birthday party! Jack & Reid are gonna be BFFs. They just don't know it yet. Jack had a fun train themed birthday party. I can't believe he is 3, I remember going to see him in the hospital when he was born & sooo tiny.
Our attempt to get a pic in their matching shirts I made.

Pooped after the party!
A new carseat & he's getting his first real haircut tomorrow!
This is toooo much! :)

Eleven Months

2011-10-19T20:42:00.003-05:00

Reid you are 11 months! I seriously can't believe it. You've been busy in the past month. You took your first steps the day before your 11 month birthday! You are sleeping much better. You finally are sleeping in your bed all night until around 5 am & taking 2 good naps. You say ma-ma all the time and I love it! You still nurse every 4 1/2-5 hours during the day.

Our daily routine is usually like this:
You wake up around 5 am, I get you out of bed, put you in our bed, nurse you and we fall back asleep til around 7:30. We head downstairs I give you fruit & oatmeal. You usually have bananas or pears mixed with oatmeal or sometimes you eat an actual banana & dry cheerios. You nurse around 9:30, we play in the living room til around 10:30-11. You play very well alone. You just crawl around and play with random things-empty milk jugs, your wipes, remotes, you have large plastic coins that you love to bang together. You sit at the backdoor and watch our dog. You nap around 10:30-11, lately you've been sleeping an hour give or take a little. We are very excited about this. Until recently you were fighting me for naps but for your dad you'll go right down without a peep. I usually give you a snack when you wake up, play then you nurse again around 2. We then play, run errands, etc, you nap again around 4:30, I start dinner around 5. I nurse you before dinner. We try to eat around 6 and we give you what we are eating with in reason or you eat vegetables cut up. You go straight from highchair to bathtub. We then play in the floor and read. You usually don't go to bed til 9:30 & I usually nurse you to sleep.

You've tried lots of new foods this month. You haven't turned anything down so far. You've had a few bites of spaghetti, broccoli, chicken fried rice, apple slices, goldfish, & chicken tenders.

You can still wear your 6-12 month shorts/polos. Your winter clothes are 12-18 months but are a little big. You still wear a size 4 diaper. You wear a size 4 or 5 shoe and hate wearing them. I'm interested to see your weight at your 12 month appointment. You have developed a dramatic attitude when you don't get your way. You'll lay your head and cry, so pitiful! You LOVE and dance to any music that comes on tv. You crawl like lightening when the dishwasher or fridge is open. You love bathtime.

You are so sweet & affectionate. You love to give me big sloppy kisses. I couldn't love you more. This has been the sweetest 11 months and I couldn't be more thankful to spend my days taking care of you. Love you sweet boy. :)

Mini Master Bedroom Re-do

2011-10-17T17:11:00.005-05:00

Like my sister says "a room is never truly finished." I happen to agree 100%. I'm always re-arranging & tweaking. Since we moved in a year and a half ago I haven't really bought or done anything to my master bedroom other than hanging curtains. I just used what I had and it was just plain and bare, in my opinion. So I started thinking what I could do to change it up. I loved my quilt I bought over 5 years ago but decided to pull out the green in it and let that be my new accent color so everything didn't seem so blue. So I left my sister some money while we went on vacation and she did some shopping for me while I was gone. She does home decor on the side & love to shop especially with other peoples money, haha!

First up: new bedside lamps. She found this pair of lamps at Lowes. I would have never thought to look there. I think they were $40 each. She also re-decorated my nightstands.
My nightstand: She got the bird on clearance at Gordmans, everything else she pulled from around my house.

Job's nightstand: The only thing we added was a $0.60 chess piece from Goodwill the other things were from around my house.
Next to Job's nightstand is my grandmothers chair with a $1 yardsale throw & 2 pillows I already had in it.

I got these beside table on clearance at worldmarket.com years ago.
I love their chunky farmhouse legs.

The bed: the only thing she added was this throw pillow found at Marshalls for $15, it's probably my favorite thing in the room. :) The iron piece over the bed was a birthday gift a few years back & the white bedding I bought a few years ago. It's a shabby chic set from Target.

The dresser: she moved my old bedside lamps to the dresser because I didn't have anything on the dresser, she also added a basket & 2 green frames from Marshalls. I already had the moss balls, pottery, book, & cross. The big black mirror is from Target. I've also had it a long time.
I redid this $30 Goodwill dresser when we lived in our apartment.

New addition to the room: my friend gave me this armoire!!! I cleaned it up, spray painted it green, distressed it, & added new hardware. We plan to mount our small flat screen above it so I'm not sure what decor if any I'll put up there because it can't be very big.

This is the view of the room standing in the doorway:
The curtains are just 96 in panels from Target.
See the wall to the right of the window? I can't put any furniture there because of the closet door so we decided to do a gallery wall. I LOVE it! Everything we gathered from around the house & it turned out perfect. :)
Here are before pics of our room.

The best part of this room makeover???
Just like my dining room it didn't cost me anything. I sold things I wasn't using to buy things for this room. Doing that is a great way to get things you love without even touching your budget!

Stop by Thrifty Thursday!

Saturday Steals 41

2011-10-15T16:48:00.009-05:00

Ok, so I'm behind on posting my latest finds so here is the last few weeks of stuff. :)

Warning: Long post!

For Home:
Cross, $1, yard sale

Grapevine wreath, $2, yardsale-this will be my fall wreath when I'm done!

For Me: 2 cans of Paul Mitchell Hairspray, $1 each, yard sale
(I already took the other one upstairs to use)

Long sleeve t-shirt, $1 yard sale

Fall Purse $1, yard sale

2 shirts (originally from JC Penny), $3 each, Goodwill

I mentioned wanting some yellow flats so my friend Kathe handed these down to me!

Owl Necklace, $1, yard sale

For Reid: 4 solid navy shirts in various sizes, grey hoodie, kackie pants for next summer,
2 pairs of pj's, $4.25 total, yard sale

Rain boots, (it will be awhile before he can wear these), $1, yard sale

Longsleeve thermal shirt, $1, Goodwill &
small red/white bowl to use for this birthday party, $0.60 Goodwill

I found these on eBay, more than I normally spend but these are basically brand new
& he needed some tennie shoes for winter. $10

Baby Gap navy shoes $2, yard sale

I didn't find these 4 toys at a yardsale but a friend gave them to me in exchange for monogramming a few shirts so these were FREE. :) I had been wanting one of these little tables for Reid b/c he enjoyed it at a friends so we worked a deal!

For Job: LL Bean Fleece $2, yard sale

Aeropostale patchwork shorts $2, yard sale
Love stretching our money & finding great things!!

Total cost was $36.85

Playing in PJs

2011-10-13T09:55:00.001-05:00

What is sweeter than a freshly bathed baby in pjs?
Reid is always in a great mood right after his bath & loves to play.
I could just squeeze him to pieces.

Learning to brush his hair. :)

Happy Birthday Aunt Brooke!!

No Girls Allowed!

2011-10-12T17:20:00.004-05:00

Today Reid had 3 sweet little boys over to play. I work with all their moms but since I'm not working very often I don't get to see them much.

Max is 7 months, Peyton & Grayson are 9 months, & Reid is almost 11 months.

They are so fun to watch play. Max wanted to suck on Peyton's head, Grayson shook Reid til he cried, Reid went around to everyone trying to get a bite of something, & Peyton crawls like a caterpillar. They are SO stinkin' cute!

I think Grayson is telling Reid a story here. :)

Tired of sitting

This is a "stop kissing my face" look! :)
Thankful for sweet friends & precious healthy babies!
Reid must have decided to show his friends he was a big boy because while all of us moms & babies were sitting in the floor Reid took his first 2 steps!!!!!

Crockpot Dumplings

2011-10-05T08:55:00.001-05:00

Here is a great easy recipe for chicken & dumplings. For some reason I've always been intimidated to try to make dumplings but when I saw this on Pinterest I tried it & it was great.

Here are your ingredients & the link to step by step instructions. ENJOY!
*once I added my biscuits I cooked for 1 hour.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-04T19:38:00.006-05:00

Job's mom teaches at a very tiny school and they had their class field trip to a local farm/pumpkin patch. She invited us along. We went to the pig race which Reid wasn't a fan of, fed goats, picked a pumpkin to bring home, & went on a hayride. And of course we took a zillion pics of him. He wore his cute fall shirt I made. :)

He wanted to eat the hay & the sun was sooo bright he wouldn't look up.

Hanging with mama

Feeding goats with da-da

Such a fun day with him!

Yesterday I was in a crafty mood so I made this tiny fall pennant banner, framed a fall subway art printable for free, & put this little candy corn dish that I got for $1 on an easel. I'm going to do a few more things for fall. I've also gotta show you my mini-master bedroom makeover. I'm hoping to finish distressing the armoire tomorrow. :)

Vegetable Soup & 2 Dips

2011-09-19T18:05:00.007-05:00

Crock pot vegetable soup:

1 lb cubed stew meat
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 can sliced or diced potatoes with juice
1 can sliced carrots with juice
1 can green beans, drained
1 can corn with juice
Lipton beef onion soup mix
S&P

Mix all in crockpot, cook on low for 6 hours.
This turned out really good & took about 7 minutes to make dinner. :)
Love soup in the fall with a grilled cheese!

Captain Rodney's Cheese Bake:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
One 8 oz pack cream cheese
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 green onions (chopped)
6 Ritz crackers (crushed)
8 slices bacon (cooked and crumbled)
1/2 cup of any Captain Rodney’s Glaze

Mix mayonnaise, cream cheese, cheddar and onions in greased quiche pan. Top with crackers and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Top with bacon and Captain Rodney’s Pepper Glaze. Serve with crackers. (I prefer wheat thins)

Stop what you are doing and buy this glaze!!!!!!!! This dip is perfection, seriously.
It's sold in gift shops around here but you can buy online for the same price.

Chocolate Chip Dip Recipe:

1 package (8 ounces) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese (softened or cubed), softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (6 ounces) miniature milk chocolate chips
Graham cracker sticks (2 boxes are needed)

In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugars and vanilla; beat until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. Serve with graham cracker sticks. Yield: 2 cups. This recipe is from allrecipes.com that I found on Pinterest.

This was soooo yum. I made it for the engagement party.

I've been trying to make a new recipe each week, I've loved trying new things!

Our Week

2011-09-19T17:41:00.004-05:00

Job went out of town for a conference Wednesday through Friday so I made some other plans b/c I don't love staying alone! Wednesday my friend Hillary came over & brought me lunch, so sweet. Then b/c her hair looked so cute she dyed mine for me. First time I've ever done it out of a box, I think. I really like how it turned out & for $7 it fit my frugal style. That night a group of us went downtown to eat at Majestic Grill for Kathe's birthday. So good! Thursday Kathe & I went shopping during the day then Hillary came back over & then Kelsey & Kathe came and spent the night with me. We stayed up late talking. Sound fun huh?? Except two little secrets that Kathe was getting engaged the next day & Kelsey Saturday. It was SOOOO hard to not say anything but so fun to listen to them talk & wonder when they'd get engaged. Kathe & Evan started dating about 4.5 months ago & several of us played matchmaker so it's so fun to see them getting married soon!!

Kathe & Evan

Audrey with her babies

Me & my sweet boy

Friday Evan told Kathe they were having a birthday dinner at his Nana's house. So when Kathe arrived at Evan's he proposed then we were all waiting at Nana's to surprise them!!! Such a fun night & so thankful for sweet friends!

Engagement party spread

Most of the girls

Kelsey got engaged Saturday morning. (She's next to me in the above pic.)
Saturday night Job married his cousin & got to wear a robe. He loved it! haha

Such a FUN weekend celebrating with everyone!

10 Months

2011-09-13T17:05:00.002-05:00

You are now 10 months!! I can't believe in less than 2 months you'll be ONE!

You are everywhere now. You can crawl like lightening & pull up on anything & cruise around anything but haven't taken any steps alone yet. You "talk" constantly. As soon as your eyes open you start talking. You belly laugh all the time & it's sooo sweet. You take 2 naps per day usually about an hour max. Your nighttime sleeping is better but you still get up once. You now have 6 teeth (4 on top, 2 on bottom). You still breastfeed about every 4 hours. I'm still working on adding more food into your diet. You like to drink water from your sippy cup & still love to eat cheerios. You've started gagging when you eat peas so I'm gonna get some other veggie options at Kroger later. You wear a size 4 diaper & have recently started hating getting it changed. You love our dog & squeal when she runs through the house. Your summer clothes are still 6-12 months but I've started putting some of your fall stuff on. It's 12 months but still big. I've been putting Robeez on you and at first you weren't a fan but you are getting more used to them. You love to bang any 2 objects together & play with the most random things. You eat any & everything off the floor. You've started to show an attitude when you don't get your way. You've had lots of hand spats for eating rocks from the fireplace & spinning toilet paper off the roll & eating it, ha!

Matching da-da.

Cute little bedhead.
You are sooo sweet & I couldn't love you more. Every where we go people ask if you are always so happy & tell us how cute you are. You are the sweetest blessing & I have so much fun with you.

Vacation Day 9

2011-08-21T16:53:00.005-05:00

Our final day of vacation!

We stayed in such a nice hotel in Birmingham, I loved it. Around 11 Saturday morning Job went to have lunch with the groomsmen & get ready to take pictures. I requested a late check out & Reid and I stayed at the hotel til around 2 then headed to the wedding. I watched the wedding from the lobby b/c Reid wanted to laugh & squeal every time someone walked by & it only got louder when he'd see Job. After the wedding we headed to Botanical Gardens for the reception. I got to catch up with lots of people including several people I graduated high school with.

This is Kimberly, Gavin, & Margaret.
(Margaret was one of my bridesmaids & she just got engaged!)

All of us with Mrs. LaJuan (the groom's mom)

Our family (by this point Reid was getting sleepy)

Job & Aaron

Reid & Aaron (the groom)

The reception was so fun with talking & dancing. It was a great way to end our vacation!
We are glad we are home, unpacked, & refreshed!! :)

Vacation Day 7&8

2011-08-19T21:57:00.005-05:00

Yesterday we started the day with some beach & pool time. Then after Reid's long nap we had lunch at John's Gyros (a place Job found on Trip Advisor). We both had the gyro with feta & it was one of the best meals we had.

The gyro place had no high chairs so he had to sit in a big boy chair.

We then went back to the outlet mall for more shopping then went swimming again. After we headed back to our hotel to do laundry & pack. We had leftover pizza for dinner and watched Big Brother.

After we got out of the pool yesterday I took the opportunity for some cute naked booty shots :)

Sweet baby feet.

He loves to stand anywhere!

Today we left the beach and headed for our 2nd wedding of the trip. Reid had another great car ride, we stopped once to grab some lunch & so I could feed Reid. We stopped by the tux place, checked in our hotel, & got to the rehearsal by 5 then dinner at 7. We are SO excited for Anna & Aaron & loved getting to see everyone and catch up!! Now we are heading to bed!

Rehearsal Dinner

Love his sweet smile.
Tomorrow is wedding time!
Can't believe vacation is almost over but SO thankful for every minute of it!

Vacation Day 6

2011-08-17T20:06:00.004-05:00

We were pretty much bums today! We got a few groceries at Publix, swam, did laundry, had pb&j's for lunch in our room, napped, swam some more, ordered pizza again, & watched Big Brother. Tomorrow is our last full day here so we are doing more shopping & eating out for dinner.

Vacation Day 5

2011-08-16T19:43:00.007-05:00

Today Reid slept til almost 8! yeah :) We went to the beach for a few hours. I nursed Reid on the beach, definitely a first for us. Job played with him in the sand while I layed out for awhile. I have some awkward tan lines now, ha. Then we got in the pool for awhile.

View from our room-

Beach baby-

Pool time-

We then came upstairs took showers & all 3 took a nap. Next we headed to Lulu's for an early dinner. We set on the deck by the water & boats kept passing by. Reid loved it. The food was really good too.

We then went back to the mall for awhile & now we are hanging in our room. I'm about to put Reid to bed then read or watch tv with Job or we may just go to bed too!

Vacation Day 4

2011-08-15T20:59:00.005-05:00

Today was another relaxing day! First thing today we went to the beach but I'm not comfortable letting Reid float in his floaty in the ocean so we went back to the pool. I think he enjoys it way more & I don't have to worry with him getting hit repeatedly by waves. After we swam Reid napped while we got ready then we went to the Shrimp Basket for lunch. It was really good.

Next we went back to the outlet mall for a few hours. There I had the best frozen lemonade ever. We came back, I fed Reid, and attempted to let him nap. The nap didn't happen so we went back to the pool for awhile. He loved playing with a beach ball.

Sleepy boy after swimming

Our plan was then to let Reid nap then go out for dinner but he & I fell asleep & didn't wake up til 7:30 so we ordered pizza in & watched Design Star. LOVE vacation days like this-soooo relaxing!

Watching Design Star

Vacation Day 3

2011-08-14T20:29:00.006-05:00

Today we drove to the beach. Reid did SO good again in the car. We stopped at the huge outlet mall then checked in our hotel. I fed Reid then we headed down to the beach. Reid didn't love the ocean at first but then started to love every time the water splashed him.

We sat and just let the water splash us for awhile. Then Job and I got to talking about God's creation & how truly incredible it is. It's all I can think about when I stare at the ocean. We then played in the pool for awhile. Reid loves to splash in his floaty. I need to get a pic of him in it tomorrow. Now we are watching Big Brother & deciding what to do tomorrow.
Thankful for a great day.

Psalm 24:1-2
¹ The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof,^[a]
the world and those who dwell therein,
²for he has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.

Vacation Day 2

2011-08-13T21:10:00.004-05:00

Reception

Today we had breakfast in our room. Reid played then napped. Job went to play basketball with the groom & groomsmen. I stayed in the room & hung with Reid, watched Hoarders, & helped a friend get a blog set-up. Reid and I didn't make the wedding ceremony because he woke up cranky and so I decided we'd just go to the reception because by then he was fine. The reception was probably one of the prettiest I've ever been to. It was in an old boutique hotel with gorgeous food displays and a fun band. We are headed to bed soon and driving to the beach in the morning. We are excited and can't wait for this down time for our family. :)

Playing before bed

Vacation Day 1

2011-08-13T07:55:00.005-05:00

We left home about 10am yesterday. We drove to part 1 of vacation, about 3 hours away. Reid was perfect on the car ride. He slept or played with his toys. You would have never known he was back there. When we stopped to pick up Job's tux Reid had pooped. I mean like everywhere, between his fingers, on his legs, carseat everywhere so that was fun to clean in the hot sun. Next we went to Job's favorite book store down here and Reid & I stayed in the car so I could feed him. We then checked in our hotel, Reid played for a little bit, then napped while I got ready. Job went to the rehearsal then picked us up on the way to the rehearsal dinner. It was at an art museum and was so nice. A lady from our hometown offered to walk Reid around the museum during dinner. Our meal was delicious. We left a little early because it was almost 10 and Reid was winding down. Today Reid and I are gonna hang around the hotel and play while Job plays basketball with the groom/groomsmen then wedding tonight & beach bound tomorrow!

9 Months

2011-08-13T07:23:00.004-05:00

Reid you are now 9 months! This past month has been so fun. Your personality grows everyday. You can now crawl everywhere and quick. You can pull to standing but haven't tried cruising yet. All day long I dig stuff out of your mouth. You love to play with my pots & pans while I cook. You can drink out of a straw (I let him have some of my water). You love to clap and play patty-cake. You love cheerios & still don't eat much baby food at a time but don't really seem to dislike it. You still nurse about every 4 hours/5 times a day. You have 4 teeth, 2 on top & 2 on bottom. You still wear 6-12 months but are starting to outgrow some of them especially in length. You wear a size 4 diaper & we recently switched to Target diapers & I really like them. We are on our 1st vacation with you & it's so fun to have you here. Everywhere we go we get compliments on how cute & sweet you are & we would have to agree! :) We are so thankful for you and couldn't love you more. How will you be 1 in 3 months???

Redbirds Game

2011-08-02T12:01:00.004-05:00

Our church staff & a few others went to a Redbirds game downtown Saturday night.

It was sooo hot, we didn't end up staying for it all.
We sat on the bluff and had fun talking. I'm not really sure any of us paid attention to the game. Maybe next time we can pick an activity with air conditioning. :)

My 2 favorite people :)

Evan & Kathe aka media dorks :)

Anna & Garrett

Staff kiddos.

I somehow missed getting pics of our other staff!

5 Year Anniversary

2011-07-30T09:56:00.007-05:00

Our 5th anniversary was yesterday. Wow, where does time go??

Thursday night we went on a movie date. I fed Reid right before we left & Kelsey from church came to watch Reid. He went to bed about an hour after we left.
We went to see Captain America & loved it!

Reid & Kelsey

Us heading to the movie-blurry.

Yesterday morning Reid & I snuck out before Job got up & got him breakfast.
Last night the three of us ate at Windy City then did some window shopping.
I'm obsessed with one of their salads & Job got chicken parm.

We came home & put Reid to bed and watched a movie & shared this.

I didn't think we were doing presents because we've been saving for vacation but Job got me something anyway. Our vacation is really our gift to each other. He got me my 3rd bead (the white one) for my Troll bracelet he started for me. My favorite thing he gave me was a list of 75 reasons he loves me. :)

I never knew 5 years ago how incredible marriage would be. I'm so thankful the Lord was so gracious to give me a spouse who's perfect for me.

We look so different now!

Saturday Steals 40

2011-07-30T09:41:00.006-05:00

Yard sales were better today than the past few weeks. I always love getting house decor but lately I've been so excited to find any accessories, jewelry, or clothing to help with my wardrobe.

Vera Bradley wallet

Navy shirt with sequins

New orange dress (excited to take this to the beach)

Reid swim trunks 2T & 3T (will go in the future bins)

Black cardigan

Iron key holder

Everything was $1 each!

July 23-27

2011-07-27T18:16:00.005-05:00

Saturday night we went to a cookout with our church & I realized we have very few snap shots of the 3 of us. I need to remedy that. :) I have eleventy billion of Reid, ha!
(Like my $1 yardsale shirt?)

In the past few days Reid has gotten a little better about eating some baby food and I've given him a really ripe banana a few times & today he tried plain Cheerios. He loves feeding himself.
He's growing up. :(

This child LOVES to bounce.

I took this little video today of him clapping & trying to crawl towards me but his left foot wouldn't cooperate. He can scoot all over the place & he is finding any & everything on the carpet. Yesterday I dug bark, a grape stem, and paper out of his mouth. Maybe I need a new vacuum or to use the one I have more, ha!

I worked a few hours Monday & today. I'm trying to get my days in before our vacation that's coming up in 2 weeks! We are excited & in need of a get away. It's our first vacation as a family of 3 & we are celebrating our 5th year anniversary. (It's this Friday so we are celebrating a little late.) Last night while we watched tv and Reid played on the floor by me I worked on tagging all my consignment clothes. I'm hoping to do well so I can buy his clothes for next summer with that money when the summer clothes clearance out.

If anyone has any suggestions for fun things to do or favorite restaurants in Orange Beach,
leave me a comment!

And last but not least I just jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon & I love it! Why didn't I think of that???

I've gotta go, I've got a hungry little boy ready to nurse!

Hanging with Da-da

2011-07-23T14:08:00.004-05:00

One of my favorite things is watching Job & Reid together. They LOVE each other and I couldn't be more thankful for such a sweet supportive husband. He loves to play with Reid & helps me so much with him. Job can make him laugh more than anyone.

Watching TV upside down

Saturday Steals 39-Reid's Winter Wardrobe Edition

2011-07-23T10:35:00.009-05:00

Since I was pregnant I'm always buying ahead for Reid. I have bins in the top of his closet where I store upcoming items. They are labeled by size with my label maker. :) Yes, I'm a dork. I decided to look through all of his things with a big upcoming consignment sale to see what I needed to fill in the gaps for this fall & winter. Some of these things you may have seen before.

Some items are things I bought on clearance, some are hand-me-downs, yardsales, or consignment sales.

7 Shirts, 1 vest, corduroy jacket, approx $9 total (2 are new)
Brands: Gap, Childrens' Place, Gymboree, Polo, Osh Kosh

13 pants, $29.50 total (6 are new)
Brands: Old Navy, Gap, Izod

8 Shirts, $22 total (all but 1 are new)
Brands: Gymboree, Old Nacy, Circo
(All the solid ones I'm going to applique/monogram)

3 1-piece outfits $1.50 total
Brands: Polo, Petit Ami (retail $39), Angel Dear (retail $48)

11 pajamas, $4.50 total (6 are new)
Brands: Gerber, Children's Place

3 toboggans, mittens & tons of socks, $8.50 total
Brands: Gymboree, Old Navy, Circo
I think we are pretty much set except for shoes and I luckily have a gift card
for a children's shoe boutique!

Not bad for $75 total!!!

Ava's 4th Birthday Party

2011-07-21T09:41:00.003-05:00

We had my niece's 4th birthday party at our house. My sister rented a huge inflatable water slide that we played on before the guests arrived. :) So fun!

It was mermaid themed & my sister found the cutest invites & cupcake toppers from Etsy.

Sweet cousins:

Brooke & me:

Job & me:

My sweet boy:

Fun night, everyone had a great time!

Dining Room Re-do

2011-07-20T09:09:00.004-05:00

I'm always wanting to redecorate something. It's just a hobby & love making old things pretty again. For awhile, I've been wanting to work on my dining room. The table was too small for our needs. We have a community group for our church here each week and just needed more table space. So I started looking. I quickly discovered even the cheaply made stuff was way out of our tiny budget so I decided to shop Craig's list. My sister & another friend have found antique dining sets on Craig's list. I wanted a table with leafs so I could accommodate lots of people & wanted at least 6 chairs that I could reupholster to update. The first set I found was $400 and the lady was unwilling to decrease the price so about 2 days later I found basically an identical set for $250 & the seller lived a few miles away so the next morning I went and picked it up for $225. It came with 3 leafs. Yeah!!!

Before pics:

It needed an update so my sister suggested I paint the chairs an off-white so 9 can of Rustoleum Heirloom White later the chairs were done. I just put a huge tarp in my garage and did a light coat 4 days in a row giving it plenty of time to dry in between.

I bought 3 yards of fabric at JoAnn's 50% off for a grand total of $32 & had lots left over.
I just unscrewed them, ripped off the old fabric, & used a staple gun to attach the fabric then screwed the seats back on-with the help of my hubby.

As I mentioned in my previous dining room post I didn't love the curtains they were very temporary. I wanted the same curtains from my living room so I looked on e-Bay & found 2 brand new panels for $53 shipped!!! They are $50/panel at Pier1.

(The pennant banner is from my niece's bday party. I've left it for now)
I still would like different wall art instead of the green shutter but I haven't decided what I want yet. Also any suggestions for a center piece? I don't want place settings because we use it too much to constantly move that stuff off/on the table & I don't want fake flowers.
Chair:

Guess what the best part is????
I didn't spend ONE dime out of pocket. I looked around my house & found things I no longer use or love & sold them. I actually profited money! My sister & her friend have a small business which easily explained is an online local yard sale. I've continued to sell house decor & other furniture & am currently saving that money for a master bed/bath re-do.
Dining room before:

After:

This dining room meets our needs so much better & has been great for our frequent company.
What could you sell to get something you truly love??

I'm linked to Thrifty Thursday & Thrifty Treasures!

8 Months

2011-07-19T20:54:00.006-05:00

Reid you are 8 months!

A lot has changed in the past month. You are scooting all over the place and crawling towards toys that you want. You are so close to pulling up. It's hard to believe you will be one before we know it. You are no longer sleeping in your pack n' play in our room. You start in your room in your bed every night but very early morning end up in our bed to nurse & I usually fall asleep and never put you back. Your daddy & I lay in bed and play with you every morning. It's one of my favorite parts of the day.

You've gotten your 1st tooth in & the second one just broke through.
Is that not the cutest?? :)

You say da-da constantly & said momma once. It was probably completely unintentional but I'll take it! You went on your first out of town trip & did great. Even when our air quit working with 1.5 hr to go. In Mississippi, that is miserable!!
You still wear 6-12 month clothes & a size 4 diaper. You weight 21 lb, 14 oz.
You are 29 inches long.
You nurse 5 times a day (every 4 hrs during the day). I try to give you a little baby food each day but 1 jar lasts about 3 feedings b/c after about 4 bites you have lost interest. You LOVE puffs. I think you would eat them til you exploded. You've gotten pretty good at picking them up & getting them in your mouth. You also love baby Mum-Mums.
You love playing with your toys & with daddy's iPad. You do well sitting in church with me except for at times you want to jabber loudly or grab the person's hair that sits in front of us. You truly are a happy baby. You will go to anyone & lots of the girls & some of the guys at church love to hold you and love on you.
You go to bed usually between 8-9 and get up at 7:30a. You nurse still nurse late at night & early morning. You take 2 naps a day (most days). You sleep around 45 min-1.5 hours. We just lay you down and you are usually out without a peep. You sleep with a blankey but don't really care if you have a paci or not.
You still love to play in the bathtub & chew on your toys. You usually play in the tub while I stand at the sink & blow dry my hair.
I couldn't be more thankful for you.
You are the sweetest blessing & I look forward to each day with you.

Checking In...

2011-07-18T20:16:00.006-05:00

We are still here! I've been waiting to post Reid's 8 month post bc we have a pediatrician appointment tomorrow & I wanted to include his weight/length.

We've been busy as usual. We had my niece's birthday party here last weekend.

We made a quick trip out of town to visit a friend's dad in the hospital, it was Reid's first long car trip & he did great. We tried a great Greek restaurant while we were there-sooo good!
I just did a dining room re-do & I'm loving the changes, I've gotta post pics!

We recently did a much needed carpet cleaning so Reid had tons of room to play. He has gotten so into playing with his toys.

This face looks like he was caught doing something...

Just the sweetest face I've ever seen.

Reid loves riding in the shopping cart. He smiles at everyone we pass. :)

Reid is 'crawling' all over the place. He is very close to pulling up too. Slow down!

This little video is just Reid sitting & playing. :)

Tomato Soup

2011-06-26T13:02:00.000-05:00

My grand dad sent me a large box of tomatoes & since Job doesn't like raw tomatoes I decided to try 2 new recipes to use them all. My sister makes tomato soup (a lot) so I got her recipe & changed it up a little.

8-10 fresh tomatoes, peel, place in blender
1 can fire roasted tomatoes, place in blender
juice of 1 lime
grated onion (maybe 2T?)
milk (1+ cup)
chicken broth (1+ cup)
tomato juice (1+ cup)
cream cheese (I added this part)
salt, garlic to taste

I simmered this awhile on medium then poured the soup through a colander saving the some liquid to the side b/c I wanted my soup thicker. I put back on stove then I added in 1/2 block of cream cheese & a little of the broth. I think the cream cheese made the soup! We had this for lunch along with a grilled cheese, it was sooooo good!

I also made this salsa recipe, yum!

Saturday Steals 38

2011-06-25T12:57:00.004-05:00

Last week was a week that makes you want to go to yard sales every Saturday. Today was a yard sale day where you wished you hadn't bothered getting out of bed.

For Reid a vtech toy for $1. It spins & sings & lights up, he loves it.

3 gingham shirts to use for doing appliques, great quality fabric & extremely cheap. I always scan the clothes at yard sales for anything that could be used for my appliques.
$1/each

That is all! Better luck next week!

Swimming!

2011-06-24T08:50:00.001-05:00

Reid has now been swimming three times and loves it!
He just kicks & kicks. I love him in his little trunks & sun hat.

Here is his beach towel I made to match his trunks:

After a long day of swimming:

I don't know if he could be any sweeter?

Working on the House

2011-06-23T08:22:00.007-05:00

I've been doing little house projects that I can do for little to no money.

Here are a few:
I took an old frame I had and used a staple gun to staple several rows of twine & then used clothes pins to organize my fabrics in my sewing room.
These aren't all of them but ones I use the most.

I had these old frames that I got from Goodwill years ago that came with the yellow mats so I printed off some of our recent family pics and hung them in our 1/2 bath.
(I've since touched up the black paint b/c they looked a little scratched)

We had this shower curtain at our last house so I got it out and hung it over our shower door in our bathroom. My plan is to get some fabric with light blue, turquiose, & green and sew a ruffle to the bottom to pull all the colors together. I was tired of looking at that shower door.
I spent $5 getting a new rod.

I added this little scripture plaque a friend gave me to the old door I have propped in my living room.

This frame I got at a yard sale for $0.50. I removed the art work, used leftover paint from Reid's room to paint, then distressed it, and added a little stain on top. Then I printed off FREE vintage flash cards spelling on his initials. I hung this in his bathroom.

My front door needed a revamp so I got paint from Lowe's premixed called Cherry Red (I think) for $0.63. I also repainted my "D" and added new ribbon.

Also forgot to show my mother's day gifts:
This frame I'm in LOVE with

& this cute Family wall sign.

I have some other projects in progress that I'll show soon!
So all these projects for less than $10!
What can you do to spruce up your house for next to nothing???

Saturday Steals 37

2011-06-22T08:09:00.005-05:00

Here are my last couple of weeks of yard sale finds:

Been needing small ironing board for sewing room & found this one for $2!
$25 retail

Found Audrey's little boy Jack this Woody costume for $1 & found her little girl a pink shopping cart for $1. (don't have a pic)

This past Saturday is why I get up at 6 am on Saturdays!
Found this awesome table for $15.00 and put it behind my sofa & sold my old sofa table for $15.00, score!

4 necklaces, $1 each

Kitchen for Reid, soooo cute for $4.00, someone gave me the pots and pans awhile back and I had them in his closet. I just cleaned it up and replaced a missing knob. I think he'll have lots of fun with it.
Stop by Thrifty Treasures!

Seven Months

2011-06-21T19:26:00.007-05:00

Reid is now seven months! How is this possible???

Reid you are SO sweet. I love you more everyday. You can now completely sit up by your self & roll all over the floor.
I'm not sure how much you way but for sure over 20 pounds. You wear 6-12 month clothes & a size 4 diaper but it's a little big. You still nurse 5 times a day and now that you are 7 months I have been giving you a half jar of vegetable baby food twice/day. You've tried carrots & peas so far and done well with both.

You "talk" so much and say dadadada all day. You still have no teeth but as much as you drool & chew on everything I expect them anytime! You still love bathtime, you love to play in the water, & chew your bathtoys. Your bathseat is a lifesaver!

You've now been swimming 3x and loved it each time. You love that you can sit up in the grocery cart while we shop. You love to play with a stuffed pooh bear, your dinosaur spoon, & your spin-a-letter. I let you sip my ice water & you love that too. You are a momma's baby for sure. You love your daddy but during the night there is no substitute for me. I'm still working 3 sometimes 4 times a month and you and your daddy have man day while I'm gone. :) You love watching other kids play & will laugh and smile at just about anyone who talks to you. You've been taking 2 naps a day & going to bed around 8 at night. You still sleep in your pack n' play in our room but we are planning to send you to your bed soon! You still get up during the night some not to eat but I guess maybe you wanna hang out, ha! You usually fall right back to sleep.
I couldn't love you more, I thank the Lord for you daily, and can't think of anything greater than being your mom & Job's wife. Thankful for the Lord's sweet blessings!!!

Is there anything sweeter than a freshly bathed baby in pj's?

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2011-05-27T09:20:00.005-05:00

Today on SUYL is share your favorite appetizer recipe. My sister got this from allrecipes.com and it's always a hit. I don't have a pic so use your imagination.

Ingredients

2 (10 ounce) cans chunk chicken, drained
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup Ranch dressing
3/4 cup pepper sauce (such as Frank's Red Hot®)
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 bunch celery, cleaned and cut into 4 inch pieces
Directions
Heat chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. Cook, stirring until well blended and warm. Mix in half of the shredded cheese, and transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, cover, and cook on Low setting until hot and bubbly. Serve with celery sticks and crackers.

Saturday Steals 36

2011-05-23T13:34:00.004-05:00

I haven't posted Saturday Steals in awhile either. I haven't been going to many sales due to weather, church events, & I worked a Saturday. We went to a craft festival this past Saturday and I stopped by this moving sale on the way. I'm glad I did. I got Reid several great things for this fall, all 12months. It's always nice to have some clothes to start the next season/size with.

First pic:
Gap jeans, Children's Place kacki's, 2 pair athletic pants

Second pic:
Fall appliqued jon-jon, Carter's pj's, Petit Ami gingam button down, Children's place white button down, & shoes

All for $3!!

Reid's First Bite of Food

2011-05-23T09:08:00.004-05:00

We gave Reid his first bite of food a few days after he turned 6 months. I mixed a little rice cereal with breast milk and he really seemed to like it! He has also tried oatmeal. In about a month I think I may start some vegetables. Part of me is sad he is already to this point but thankful he is growing into a healthy little boy.

Six Months

2011-05-23T08:31:00.005-05:00

Reid you are now 6 months old. I truly feel like time has flown since you were born. You have been the sweetest gift and I love everyday with you. You smile & laugh constantly and I just can't get enough of it. I'm so thankful for your little life & that I get to spend my days loving on you, teaching you, & just doing life as your mom. You wear a size 3 diaper & 6-12 month clothes that are still a little big. As of 6 months you were still exclusively breastfed but since I've let you try oatmeal & rice a few times and you seemed to like it. You nurse every 4 hours and usually take a good morning & good afternoon nap. We let you cry it out a few times and since we just lay you down with a blanket & you are out. You like to hold your blanket next to your face. You usually

nap in our bed.

You light up when you see your dad. You are so loved by our Revision family someone is always holding you and you don't usually seem to mind. Your cousin Ava looovvvess you. You just stare at her while she talks to you. You still like to play with your pacifier more than you do suck on it. You also have a dinosaur rubber spoon that you like to hold. You also chew your fingers and suck your thumb. Recently Audrey let us borrow her jumper & bath seat and both have been sooo great for your age. You love baths!

You like to play with toys more and can roll all around the floor and sit well assisted & can for maybe a minute without assistance until you fall over. You love to play with our iPhones, if you are fussing Baby Aquarium will immediately calm you. You want to be holding something, anything at all times waterbottles, cups, remotes, etc. You love to be in the stroller. We've been running and you love to lay in the stroller and just chill. You are happy unless sleepy or it's past meal time. I don't think I could love you more!

Happy 1/2 Birthday sweet boy!!

Reid's First Easter

2011-05-02T20:12:00.004-05:00

I think I've had blogger's block lately. We've just been busy with usual things & I had a pretty big order of shirts to applique. Click here to see some of the designs/fonts I have & things I've been making.

Our first service at Revision was incredible. We had such a great time & it was so special. Going to eat with people who don't go to our church usually doesn't happen anymore because by the time we are done & cleaned up it's late & most people don't want to wait that long. We ended up going to eat sushi with a few people after church. Then I worked for 3 hours that evening.

Reid's Nana (Job's mom) got Reid swim trunks, beach towel, sunblock, swim diapers, and hats. My parents (Mimi & Papa) got Reid swim trunks, beach towel, & a pool. We are set for summer swimming & our beach trip! Someone gave me this outfit awhile back so I saved it for Easter. He looked so cute in it! Probably last time he will be wearing it b/c he is chunky.
18lb, 1 0z at 5 1/2 months.

Reid is almost 6 months, I can't believe it. I think I might let him try cereal soon!

Book List

2011-04-15T08:35:00.004-05:00

Today on SUYL is show us your book list.

I read a ton when I was pregnant like What to Expect When Your Expecting, Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy, The Everything Breastfeeding Book, Babywise, & several others.

Now I'm currently reading:

And this also:
Voddie Baucham has rocked my world about children. R-o-c-k-e-d!
You can listen to his sermons online also, I encourage it!!

Currently in my quiet times with the LORD I'm reading and studying 1 Thessalonians. That's what we are going through on Sunday mornings at church so I'm studying that at home as well.

I have to work at reading books. I enjoy it once I get going but starting is sometimes the problem. There are always books I want to read but I have trouble finishing them in a timely fashion. Job reads & buys books CONSTANTLY! You should see all his books. I could never, ever read them all.

Aaron & Anna's Engagement Party

2011-04-13T21:50:00.001-05:00

Last weekend we went to Aaron & Anna's engagement party in Oxford. Of course I'm behind on blogging. Aaron & Job lived together in college, his younger sister Lauren & I were best friends. Lauren & Aaron played matchmaker & introduced Job & me. This is the same family we went to see in July when I was preggo. They are so special to us and are so excited that Aaron is getting married this summer. We love his fiance, Anna. Perfect match! Job is a groomsmen in the wedding. Here are a few pics from the night.

Job, Reid, & me.

LaJuan (Aaron's mom), Job & me, Richard (Aaron's dad), & Aunt Liz. (Aaron's aunt)

Chase (another one of Job's roommates) & Paige, us, & Aaron & Anna.

Zach (L) & Gavin (R)
These were 2 of my best guy friends in high school. Zach was Lauren's boyfriend. The 4 of us hung out a ton, Lauren's parents even took the 4 of us to Myrtle Beach, SC one year, so fun!!!
Gavin & I weren't a couple we just were all great friends.
And just for fun a few pics from the South Carolina trip. These were before digital age so they are pics of pics. Looking at these makes me miss Lauren so much. She was such a special friend & really wish she could see Reid. I know she would love him.

Five Months

2011-04-13T21:04:00.005-05:00

I seriously can't believe Reid is already 5 months. I know I say it every month but he's getting big so fast. He is the sweetest!

Reid, You have become quite the chunker. We are a little late going to your 4 month appointment (bad mom, I know) so I'm not sure your weight but I'm guessing close to 18 lbs. In the past month you have started rolling over. You even rolled off the couch which of course scared you & made me feel terrible. You are still completely breastfed & eat about every 3 hours during the day & sleep til about 5 am then have breakfast & fall back asleep until about 7:30a. Your eczema has been under pretty good control & we are so thankful for that. You laugh so much especially when dad plays with you. No teeth yet but you want to chew on everything. You like the pacifier okay but you usually just want to play with it or chew on the side of it. You 'pop' it out of your mouth so loud. It's so cute. Naps are getting better. On days I work you take several long naps for your dad, I'm apparently not as good at the nap thing! You still wear 3-6 month clothes & a size 2 diaper. Your 6 month clothes are a little too big. There is nothing I love more than taking care of you each day. I just love our days together. We LOVE you & are so thankful for you. We are planning a beach trip this summer & can't wait to take our first family vacation together!

My friend Katie got a new camera & asked to practice taking pics of Reid. Of course I said yes! We took these in my back yard & I love them!!!
Thankful for another sweet month!

Stretching My Money

2011-03-31T21:45:00.002-05:00

You all know by now that I LOVE to get things on sale, at yard sales, & Goodwill. Tonight I went to my first consignment sale. It was huge! 30,000 items to be exact!! It was very overwhelming but I went with a few things in mind. A high chair, shoes, & pants. I found 2 out of 3.

This Eddie Bauer high chair was $40. They retail for $120 at Target.

Each of the shoes were $2. The middle & left are from Old Navy, the right are Weebok brand (around $15-20 retail).

Best part was a lady from church gave Audrey & I each $25 giftcards so I paid $21 total!
Plus I checked my current sales & I've already made $10 so far.

These are a couple of other things I've gotten lately.
Ked's $5 (at another tiny consignment sale)

Izod shorts & Gymboree fleece pants $2 each.

I love finding good deals & buying ahead. I recently switched out all of Reid's clothes & got them washed & ready for the summer. I found 6 plain pocket t's, brown sandles, 4 pj's, 10 shorts, 8 polos, 3 pants, & 5 jonjon's. Most of this stuff was bought with giftcards or was a gift. What I bought was between $1-$5 each. The only thing I need for summer is swim trunks.

Our Church

2011-03-31T20:08:00.002-05:00

Kelly's Korner is hosting SUYL and today is tell us about your church.

Pic from Launch Day-Reid was about 7 weeks old
Revision Church is a body of believers in the city of Olive Branch, MS. We launched on January 9th, 2011 and could not be more excited to be involved in Christ's work through our city.

My husband is a pastor there. He is the teaching/community groups pastor. It's been great so far, such a blessing for our family, and an answer to a long line of prayers.
We love the church, the staff we work with, and the city we are trying to reach.

Our community group meets at our house every Sunday and we LOVE it. Getting to know new friends & old friends better has been so incredible. So thankful the LORD has allowed us the opportunity to walk through life with these people.

Our Purpose
The purpose of Revision is to reach the people of Olive Branch through the efforts of the gospel as we emphasize the truth of Scripture, grace to the undeserving, and the renewal of culture through gospel transformation. The goal is not to become the next cool, trendy church, but to effectively implement the gospel in such a way that more churches must be planted. Revision Church is being planted in partnership with Lifepoint Church of Senatobia MS, the X-Tended Missions Network, the Missisippi Baptist Convention and is in affiliation with the Southern Baptist Convention.

Our Vision
We strive to be an ever-maturing body of believers intentionally investing in the community around us for the purpose of redeeming the culture through the power of the gospel and the influence of Spirit-filled believers at work throughout Olive Branch and the Memphis-metro area.

Revision will embody the gospel in and around the city in three primary ways:

Truth - Revision Church is a Christ-centered church representing Truth in culture. As we follow the teachings, mission, and very person of Jesus Christ, we are empowered and confirmed by the absolute Truth that is Christ and His gospel. All truth proceeds from the very person of God. We see Truth as a “singular” word meaning that there is one Truth, and that Truth is found in Jesus alone.

Grace - Revision Church seeks to portray the grace of God clearly to the city in an effort to freely pour out the grace of God onto the city. We will never express the Truth more pertinently than when we exude the characteristics of Christ. Therefore, grace must be our primary trait as we reach those in need of a transforming gospel.

Renewal - Revision Church is committed to building a great city, not just another good church. We desire to see a renewed city that exemplifies the new city to come. As missionaries, we seek to “go out” into culture as Jesus did, instead of telling the city to “come to us.” Additionally, we believe that true life-transformation cannot happen apart from the gospel of grace established in Truth.

These three characteristics are essential as we strive to bring glory to God through lives changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Values:
The Gospel – We value the gospel above all else, God’s work as demonstrated throughout Scripture to redeem fallen creation. The Scriptures are the ultimate authority and their message is one of grace to the undeserving. As a result, we will hold the proclamation of this truth in the highest regard, and our pastors will be expected to devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word above all else. We seek to apply the gospel to all facets of our lives personally, corporately, and as a message for the city. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Acts 6:1-7)

Worship – We believe all of life is worship: working, eating, sleeping, parenting, singing, etc. It is our greatest joy and desire to see Jesus honored in and through our lives. Though worship is not just music, we highly value the act of corporate worship. It is a time of gathering together to praise and worship Jesus through singing, Scripture, and ordinances as a community of believers. (Romans 12:1-2; Colossians 3:16-17)

Prayer – We value the privilege of being able to converse freely with God through Christ’s intercession, lifting up requests and thanksgiving while receiving direction and fellowship through the Holy Spirit. (Philippians 4:6-7; Psalm 66:12-20)

Cultural Renewal – We value cultural renewal as a result of the influence of the gospel through believers intentionally involving themselves in the affairs of the community with the intent of redeeming the area spiritually and socially. This desire for renewal is valued both at home and abroad, as we follow the Spirit’s lead in strategically planting churches locally, nationally, and internationally, all with the purpose of renewing their respective cultures through the power of the gospel. (Jeremiah 29:4-7; Matthew 28:19-20)

Sacrificial Giving – We value giving away freely of our time, energy, income, and possessions to serve the church and the city by seeking justice and life transformation in and through the gospel, especially for the poor and needy. (2 Corinthians 8:7; James 1:27)

Relationships – We believe gospel-centered relationships are necessary in the lives of Christians, as the church is not simply a building, but a body of believers. These relationships are essential for accountability, encouragement, exhortation, spiritual maturation, and corporate worship. We also highly value individual discipleship, which involves the nurturing of younger Christians by more mature believers in order that they may grow to be more like Christ in spirit and in deed. (Acts 2:42-47; Hebrews 13:17)

Growth – We value growth for all believers, that we would consistently be maturing in our spiritual walk as Christ continually sanctifies us. We believe that all Christians have the capacity to grow in their knowledge of God and His Word. This is achieved through personal study and prayer, as well as doctrinally sound preaching and teaching. (Matthew 22:37; Colossians 1:28)

Beliefs:
Authority of The Scriptures – We believe that the Bible is the inerrant, infallible, verbally inspired Word of God and is our absolute authority for faith and life (2 Timothy 3:16–17; 2 Peter 1:20–21).

Triune Personal God – We believe that the God of the Bible is the one and only true God who personally exists in three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is active and involved in His creation and He cares about our lives (Deuteronomy 6:4; 2 Corinthians 13:14).

Incarnation – We believe that the eternal Lord Jesus Christ came in flesh and dwelt on earth as fully God and fully man, living a perfect, sinless life, and dying a brutal death on the cross for our sins, thereby satisfying the wrath of a holy God, and that His literal, physical resurrection from the grave defeated sin, death, and Satan and ensured our justification (John 1:14; 1 Corinthians 15:4; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 1:3–5).

Humanity – We believe that mankind was created in the image and likeness of God but naturally separated from Him by sin and therefore in need of an atoning Savior (Genesis 1:26–27; Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:23; Romans 5:8).

Eternity – We believe in a literal heaven and hell and that Jesus Christ will return again to judge the earth and to establish His eternal kingdom (Matthew 6:20; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 2 Thessalonians 1:9).

Salvation – We believe that a person comes into a right relationship with God by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone, whose blood was shed for the forgiveness of our sins, and that once saved, we are kept by God’s power and secure in Christ forever (Ephesians 2:8–9; 1 Peter 1:18–19; John 10:27–30; Romans 8:1, 38–39).

Church – We believe that God graciously chooses to use the church, the body of Christ, in order to spread the gospel, and that He uniquely and sovereignly gifts believers in order to accomplish His purposes for His Kingdom’s sake (Ephesians 4:15–16; Romans 12:4–8).

If you are in the Memphis area, check us out!

A Day in the Park

2011-03-25T07:56:00.001-05:00

We've been so busy lately so Monday we didn't have a ton going on so Job suggested we have a picnic in the park. We stopped and got Chik fil A & had lunch on a picnic blanket. It was Reid's first time in the park. I know he will really love it next spring. It was so nice to sit outside in the gorgeous weather, relax, & talk to each other. Then of course we couldn't pass up the opportunity to snap away pics of our sweet boy. Days like this can't be beat. :)

Four Months

2011-03-24T14:34:00.005-05:00

It's hard to believe you are 4 months already! Your little personality is so sweet. Everyone says you are such a good, sweet baby. That is until you are hungry! You weigh about 16.5 lbs, a size 2 diaper, & 3-6 month clothes. You haven't rolled over yet but are really close! You still love your bath, to pull my hair, & like your pacifier more. You are still completely breastfed. You eat about 7 times a day & sleep about 6 hours at night get up around 5 to eat then fall right back to sleep for a few hours. This month we found out you had eczema but we are doing are best to keep you symptom free. You drool constantly and chew on anything you can get your hands on!

He laughs & smiles constantly. We took him to the park for the first time & he is now big enough for his umbrella stroller. He loves to sit up in it. He is starting to notice the tv more & more & loves Baby Aquarium app on my iPhone. I keep Reid in church service with me and he makes it through most of it before we go stand in the back. We are still working on naps, some days he sleeps for 1-2 hours other days nothing really to speak of.
This is one of my favorite new pics!
Sunday afternoons we come home from church and all snuggle in our bed and take a long nap, it's one of my favorite times of the week! We LOVE being parents & are so thankful for our sweet boy!

Saturday Steals 35

2011-03-19T09:49:00.002-05:00

I combined my yardsale & Goodwill finds this week.

New twin size bedskirt in package (for Reid's room in a few years) $2

Friends Scene it game (Brand new) $3
Book $2
Robeez shoes $2 (Retail for $30)

So excited yard sales are back!!!

I'm Behind

2011-03-18T14:56:00.006-05:00

I've been slacking on blogging lately! Job has been working on a sermon series so he has had the computer for the most part. I work 3 days/month now and I usually try to get them over with in one week then have 3 weeks off & this is my week to work. We've been busy with the church & having so much fun doing it.

Updates:
1. We each got a new "toy" with our income tax return.
Job's pick:
iPad2

My pick:
A monogram/embroidery machine!
I haven't done much with it. I'm waiting on my threads to come in & bought some SUPER cute fabrics from Hobby Lobby!

2. Reid was diagnosed with eczema. He finished steroids today & have been trying several suggestions to get his skin in better condition. We are using Selsun Blue shampoo to bathe him in every few days & Eucerin cream head to toe daily.

3. He is now 4 months old which reminds me I need to do his 4 month post.

4. We had dinner with an awesome family who taught us how they home school & do family worship. We never thought we would home school now we are more convinced than ever.

5. We went to my aunt/uncles 50th anniversary celebration. They are some of my very favorite people and as I listened to people share memories about them & watch the picture slide show I couldn't help but tear up. What a godly example of a marriage!

I can't think of anything else very exciting. I've just been taking care of Reid & Job and loving every minute!!!

Psalm 31:19

How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you.

Clipping Coupons Like Crazy 15

2011-03-18T14:29:00.007-05:00

I've been working so hard on couponing & stock piling. I'm trying not to wait until I'm out of something to buy it. I haven't posted in awhile but I'm proud of this one!

24 boxes of pasta used 12 $1/2 coupons from here plus they were part of the MegaDeal.
Made them all FREE!

Pampers diapers were closeout price of $8.00- used $2 off paper/$2 ecoupon
paid $4.00

3 cans diced tomatoes $0.50 each-part of Mega Deal

Lever 2000 2pk $0.99, had $1 coupon-Mega Deal
Free

Bought Olay Face wash -($2 ecoupon) got 2pk Olay soap for Free
paid $3.59

Dove Soap 2pk-part of Mega Deal used $1 off coupon
paid $0.50

Kroger cream cheese $1

Philadelphia Cooking Creme-part of Mega Deal used $1.50 off coupon
paid $0.50

Maybelline Mascarsa $4.79 used $1 off ecoupon/$2 off paper coupon
paid $1.79

Bought Gillette deoderant $4.29 on sale for $3.00 had $1 off ecoupon got Gillette body wash for free.

Not pictured 2 Kroger ground turkey

76% savings
Paid $25.74
Saved $71.95

Yard Sale Flashback

2011-03-05T16:40:00.006-06:00

My sister did a post here about some of her favorite yard sale finds over the past few years so I decided to copy her and do the same! We have so much fun getting to hang out & stretching out our money. It's totally curbs my retail therapy appetite for a fraction of the cost. :)

Here are some of my favorite finds:

House Decor

Kid Stuff for Ava & Reid

Clothes/Accessories/Beauty Products

Kitchen Items

Holiday Decor

Ready for a Saturday that it's not cold & rainy so we can get to shopping!

Lately...

2011-03-03T11:01:00.008-06:00

We've been BUSY. When did I have time to work full time? Planting a church is busy! Lots of lunch & dinner meetings, small groups, ladies night, etc. I've taken a little break from blogging & I deactivated my Facebook account. I just needed a break from Facebook. It was just a distraction I didn't need right now. I really feel like the Lord is working in my life and I felt if I'm checking it more than I'm reading the Word then maybe I just need a break. I'm sure I'll get back on eventually but I just want to focus on other things right now. Our community groups at church have started and I'm loving it! We are hosting it at our home & I feel like everyone has gotten close really fast & love hanging out together. We are still trying to open our home & have people over as much as possible. I've also been meeting women from our church for lunch dates. I have loved getting to know new friends better. :)

Here are a few pics from the past 2 weeks:
Reid loving tummy time & loves to sit up (with assistance).

Kathe & me at Revision Ladies Night.
Ladies Night.

1st time in the jumper.

1st time wearing shorts. (Thanks Audrey for the clothes)

1st night in cloth diapers, love them!

He loves his lovie. :)

Reid snoozing & shopping with me.

Outback for my mom's birthday.

Thankful for time together & making memories with our family of 3!
Can't believe Reid is almost 4 months old!!

How I Stay Organized

2011-02-21T21:17:00.001-06:00

How I Stay Organized

If anyone know me well they know I love to be organized. My MIL bought me a label maker for Christmas one year! I love it. I don't like clutter & try to keep things in their place. I'm sure this will get harder when Reid becomes more mobile. I've always been this way, I probably get this from my neat freak mom. :)

This my weekly guidelines I attempt to do:
Sunday-meal plan, organize, & clip coupons
Monday-grocery shop, food prep, clean out fridge, microwave, countertops
Tuesday-vacuum all carpet
Wednesday-sweep & mop kitchen & 3 bathrooms, change sheets
Thursday-dust all rooms
Friday-clean bathrooms x3
Saturday-either take a break or play catch up from a missed day :)
Daily I'll work on dishes and laundry b/c that stuff never ends!

Sometimes it happens, sometimes not. It's simply a flexible guide.

When I was working full time a planner in my purse was a must have. Now that I'm home we have a family calendar on the fridge. We have so much going on with the church, people coming over, Job's meetings, appointments, etc this helps us not to double book anything.

I'm a huge basket person! They keep us organized & from going up & down stairs all day. Job is a neat person but having a set spot for stuff helps him even more.

We have this one on our sofa table that keeps pens, bills, address book, stamps, camera, chargers., etc. That way mail isn't all over the place & random things that would normally be lying around have a place.

This one under this table holds Reid's diapers, wipes, creams, clippers, Germ-x, etc.

This one in the bottom of the armoire holds blankets to curl up on the couch with.

A few toys for Reid downstairs.

This one holds shoes by the front door. Keeps from tracking stuff all over the carpet & from carrying our frequently worn ones up and down the stairs all day.

A basket at the bottom of the stairs so when I clean everything that needs to go up can go in it and I can make ONE trip upstairs and bring the basket back down when I empty it.

I use baskets in the bathroom. Here is a few in our master closet. One for extra toiletries-toothpaste, soap, etc. One for medicine. One for travel size items & samples.

Air freshner & ladies items by the toilet.

In Reid's bath. We got SO much of this stuff as gifts, I shouldn't have to buy any until the 3rd kid, ha!

Blankets on Reid's dresser.

On our dresser for random items-our Bibles, books we are currently reading, a few diapers, etc.

By having things in basket in their zone it keeps from making so many steps because I know right where everything is.

If only I could keep my car tidy. I keep a grocery bag in there for trash, wipes, and napkins. Other than that it's always a mess. It drives Job insane. He can't stand clutter in the car or garage!

What do you do?

Stop by Thrifty Decor Chick's Blog for other organizing ideas!

the dalomba days

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Saturday Steals

Alphabet Wall

Carousel Ride

Grizzly Game

14 Months

Saturday Steals-Reid's Summer Clothes Edition

Saturday Steals 45

Saturday Steals 44

Fun & Not So Fun Memories

Christmas Day

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve-Eve

Saturday Steals 43

December So Far...

13 Months

Reid's 1st Birthday Party

12 Months

Shutterfly Giveaway Results

Burlap Wreath

Trick or Treating with Ava

Saturday Steals 42

Halloween Weekend

Shutterfly Christmas Cards & a Giveaway

First Haircut

Big Boy Seat & Jack Turns 3!

Eleven Months

Mini Master Bedroom Re-do

Saturday Steals 41

Playing in PJs

No Girls Allowed!

Crockpot Dumplings

Pumpkin Patch

Vegetable Soup & 2 Dips

Our Week

10 Months

Vacation Day 9

Vacation Day 7&8

Vacation Day 6

Vacation Day 5

Vacation Day 4

Vacation Day 3

Vacation Day 2

Vacation Day 1

9 Months

Redbirds Game

5 Year Anniversary

Saturday Steals 40

July 23-27

Hanging with Da-da

Saturday Steals 39-Reid's Winter Wardrobe Edition

Ava's 4th Birthday Party

Dining Room Re-do

8 Months

Checking In...

Tomato Soup

Saturday Steals 38

Swimming!

Working on the House

Saturday Steals 37

Seven Months

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Today on SUYL is share your favorite appetizer recipe. My sister got this from allrecipes.com and it's always a hit. I don't have a pic so use your imagination.

Ingredients

Directions

Saturday Steals 36

Reid's First Bite of Food

Six Months

Reid's First Easter

Book List

Aaron & Anna's Engagement Party

Five Months

Stretching My Money

Our Church

A Day in the Park

Four Months

Saturday Steals 35

I'm Behind

Clipping Coupons Like Crazy 15