Hey, guys! I hope everyone had an AWESOME Christmas! Ours was lovely, going back to the day after my last post.
On the day of the 22nd Morgan, Daisy, and I got to spend some unexpected time with mine and Nick's niece K. Her mom is the sister who lives in Texas, but K was in the state to spend Christmas with her dad, so we were thrilled to get to see her. On the 23rd we did Christmas at my parents' house. Everybody really loved the homemade gifts I got them. Nick and I both got some clothes, and I got a pair of boots. We also got a gift card to Red Lobster from my brother and his wife. The girls got both clothes and toys, and it was just a sweet time together as a family. The 24th we went to have Christmas with Nick's extended family and there was a neat video montage of pictures from Christmases past. I got a set of stuff from Bath and Body Works, and Nick got a gift card to Olive Garden. That night when we were wrapping gifts I was trying to remove the glass from a picture frame to clean it and the glass cracked. Unfortunately the frame was the biggest gift we had for Nick's dad and stepmom, so he ended up giving them the Olive Garden gift card to replace it.
Christmas morning we opened gifts at home first, and the girls had a blast. Afterwards we went to Nick's dad and stepmom's house for breakfast and gifts. My favorite gift there was a beautiful Stella & Dot necklace from Nick's sister in Texas. It has 3 charms, a silver circle with "mom" stamped in it and two gold circles with the girls' initials. I totally didn't expect to have something over there to open from them because they had already sent us the biggest gift we got from anyone - a nice big check that allowed us to pay the house payment and buy a few things. This was such a blessing, and truly an answer to prayer, because I didn't know how we were going to pay the house payment.
Saturday we went running around for a bit and did a little after Christmas shopping. We bought this coffee maker as a gift to each other, and it is FABULOUS! It was a little pricey for a coffee maker (okay a lot pricey, but we got it 20% off), but we love, love, LOVE it!
But the best, best, BEST thing I got for Christmas wasn't a physical gift. Okay, first of all some sad news. On my meme the other day I said that I hadn't been to any funerals in 2010. Thursday I got word that yet another former co-worker had unexpectedly passed away, but this one was a man I very much liked and respected. In fact, he was my direct supervisor for a number of years, and I always had a soft spot for him. His funeral service was tonight, and I made arrangements to attend with my friend D. Now I've mentioned D on here before. She's been coming to church with us quite a bit lately, and she's really been under conviction, but she had never broken down and become a Christian. The deaths at work lately have really hit her hard, and the funeral tonight even harder. Jim, the man who passed away, was a very strong Christian, and one of my former coworkers shared this story about him: Last week she and Jim were talking about the woman who had passed away earlier that week. They had just come from her funeral, and the coworker sharing the story said that it was weird to think that you just never knew how much time you have left. "That's why you have to be ready," Jim replied. Within just a few days he was gone himself.
After the funeral tonight I asked D if she wanted to grab a bite to eat. She agreed and we went and had dinner. I had been in prayer for her all evening (well for days really, but especially in light of the funeral tonight). Dinner was lighthearted for the most part, but toward the end it turned toward spiritual matters, and I could tell that she had been trying to work her way around to this conversation. We spent a long time talking, eventually moving out to my car where we talked some more. She broke down in tears and asked me to please show her what she needed to do to become a Christian, and I had the amazing privilege of leading her to the Lord! I have to say that this was none of my doing whatsoever - I rambled and cried and went off on rabbit trails and was generally just a terrible evangelist, but God used me in spite of my shortcomings, and I'm absolutely thrilled! This has been such an amazing answer to prayer, and I know that Jim is in heaven rejoicing that such a blessing came from his passing!
So that's been my crazy wonderful week - how has yours been?
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Another Meme
So I was looking back through my archives to see if I had ever done the meme I just posted before. I came across one I did in January 2009, and I was struck by all the changes that have taken place since then. I thought I'd repost it with my updated answers (in red). Feel free to steal it. :)
1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before? Went to Houston, won a trip to Hawaii (although we've not gone yet).
In 2010 I became a stay at home mom for the first time and also launched a photography business.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I honestly can't remember last year's resolutions, but we've decided to make some financial changes this year.
This year's resolution was just to trust God more, and we've definitely had to do that. Next year I'd like to expand my photography business.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes. Unfortunately she also got divorced. We also found out that Nick's sister is pregnant. Sadly, still not me, although at this point that would be something of a financial disaster.
Two girls I graduated high school with gave birth. But considering my 2009 answer, I want to point out that I got pregnant about three weeks after I posted that answer and I entered 2010 with a 13 week old baby of my own!
4. Did anyone close to you die? My grandfather
No. I'm blessed to have attended no funerals in 2010, although I did learn that a former co-worker passed away a week ago.
5. What countries did you visit? Just this one.
Same answer.
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? A SLR digital camera
This coming year I'd like to have the full Photoshop Suite/Lightroom and a better lighting equipment package. And since I've been reading all these craft blogs, I've fallen in love with the idea of having a Cricut machine.
7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? March 3, the day my papaw passed away, and June 26, our 10th anniversary.
January 7, 2010 was the day I went in and quit my job.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? I don't know how much of an achievement you'd consider it, but I did win that trip to Hawaii.
Actually getting a few photography clients. Also, moderate overall success as a coupon ninja, and serious coupon ninja success when it came to Christmas this year.
9. What was your biggest failure? Probably that we could have handled our money better.
Not keeping more on top of the laundry.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Not unless you count strep throat
Nope! Unless you count the time I slipped in our backyard and ended up with a very sore spine and tailbone for a few days.
11. What was the best thing you bought? Probably my car - it's been a great investment so far.
My camera!
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Morgan has really gotten it together with school. She had some issues in October with not really wanting to get her work done, but she's improved 110%.
Morgan has been an ah-may-zing big sister!
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? A couple we've known for years and years and actually introduced. They both just gave up on their marriage and decided to get divorced rather than putting any effort into fixing things.
Barack Obama
14. Where did most of your money go? Bills, food.
Bills, diapers, formula
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Our trip to Houston.
My camera and our trip back to Texas.
16. What song will always remind you of 2008? Anything Hannah Montana. If I never hear Hannah Montana again it will be too soon, but since Morgan sings the stuff in her sleep, I'm probably not that lucky.
Anything by the Avett Brothers. Nick has been playing the crap out of them!
17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? Probably happier, Probably about the same b) thinner or fatter? About the same, maybe a little heavier, but not much c) richer or poorer? Probably about the same, although we really should be richer, Poorer
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Photography
Day to day photography just for myself.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Eating out.
Staying up way too late.
20. How did you spend Christmas? With family, eating, opening gifts.
This year will be the same.
21. Did you fall in love in 2008? Yes, with my husband and daughter, every day.
Yes, with my husband and both of my daughters, every day.
22. What was your favorite TV program? Lost
Lost, until it went off, then Sons of Anarchy and Terriers.
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Nah
Nope.
24. What was the best book you read? I couldn't even begin to narrow that down.
Same answer, although there have been some great ones!
25. What was your greatest musical discovery? That Itunes will let you redownload your purchases if your hard drive crashes!
The Avett Brothers
26. What did you want and get? A better car.
A Nikon D90
27. What did you want and not get? A Nikon D90
Photoshop/Lightroom
28. What was your favorite film of this year? Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Fireproof
Sherlock Holmes
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 31, and I hung out with Nick, went shopping, went to see the movie Fireproof, and stopped to visit with some friends.
I turned 33, and to celebrate we had a cookout with family and friends the day before, then I had a photo shoot. The day of we went to church then went and had lunch with Nick's sister and her husband.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?More money? Definitely more money, and a baby, or at least having one on the way.
Having made enough off my photography to have paid for my camera in full. Right now I'm a little over 50% of the way there.
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? Same old jeans and cute shirts I'm afraid.
Not much has changed here.
32. What kept you sane? Nick beating my butt when I got too stressed, although I probably could have used more of that.
Concentrating on letting God take care of us and our finances.
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Mmmmm....Josh Holloway, although Harrison Ford wasn't bad either.
Still Josh Holloway - Oh, Sawyer, I miss you!
34. What political issue stirred you the most? No politics here, please.
The health care fiasco!
35. Who did you miss? My friend L
Still my friend L, although I got to see her a bit more this year.
36. Who was the best new person you met? I can't really think of anyone new I met in real life that made a big impression, but I met lots of great people on here!
Same answer
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008. Life is not fair - sometimes the people who make the worst decisions can still end up swimming in money.
God is always there for us - His mercies are new every morning!
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. I can't really think of a good answer for this one.
Still can't come up with one!
1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before? Went to Houston, won a trip to Hawaii (although we've not gone yet).
In 2010 I became a stay at home mom for the first time and also launched a photography business.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I honestly can't remember last year's resolutions, but we've decided to make some financial changes this year.
This year's resolution was just to trust God more, and we've definitely had to do that. Next year I'd like to expand my photography business.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes. Unfortunately she also got divorced. We also found out that Nick's sister is pregnant. Sadly, still not me, although at this point that would be something of a financial disaster.
Two girls I graduated high school with gave birth. But considering my 2009 answer, I want to point out that I got pregnant about three weeks after I posted that answer and I entered 2010 with a 13 week old baby of my own!
4. Did anyone close to you die? My grandfather
No. I'm blessed to have attended no funerals in 2010, although I did learn that a former co-worker passed away a week ago.
5. What countries did you visit? Just this one.
Same answer.
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? A SLR digital camera
This coming year I'd like to have the full Photoshop Suite/Lightroom and a better lighting equipment package. And since I've been reading all these craft blogs, I've fallen in love with the idea of having a Cricut machine.
7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? March 3, the day my papaw passed away, and June 26, our 10th anniversary.
January 7, 2010 was the day I went in and quit my job.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? I don't know how much of an achievement you'd consider it, but I did win that trip to Hawaii.
Actually getting a few photography clients. Also, moderate overall success as a coupon ninja, and serious coupon ninja success when it came to Christmas this year.
9. What was your biggest failure? Probably that we could have handled our money better.
Not keeping more on top of the laundry.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Not unless you count strep throat
Nope! Unless you count the time I slipped in our backyard and ended up with a very sore spine and tailbone for a few days.
11. What was the best thing you bought? Probably my car - it's been a great investment so far.
My camera!
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Morgan has really gotten it together with school. She had some issues in October with not really wanting to get her work done, but she's improved 110%.
Morgan has been an ah-may-zing big sister!
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? A couple we've known for years and years and actually introduced. They both just gave up on their marriage and decided to get divorced rather than putting any effort into fixing things.
Barack Obama
14. Where did most of your money go? Bills, food.
Bills, diapers, formula
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Our trip to Houston.
My camera and our trip back to Texas.
16. What song will always remind you of 2008? Anything Hannah Montana. If I never hear Hannah Montana again it will be too soon, but since Morgan sings the stuff in her sleep, I'm probably not that lucky.
Anything by the Avett Brothers. Nick has been playing the crap out of them!
17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? Probably happier, Probably about the same b) thinner or fatter? About the same, maybe a little heavier, but not much c) richer or poorer? Probably about the same, although we really should be richer, Poorer
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Photography
Day to day photography just for myself.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Eating out.
Staying up way too late.
20. How did you spend Christmas? With family, eating, opening gifts.
This year will be the same.
21. Did you fall in love in 2008? Yes, with my husband and daughter, every day.
Yes, with my husband and both of my daughters, every day.
22. What was your favorite TV program? Lost
Lost, until it went off, then Sons of Anarchy and Terriers.
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Nah
Nope.
24. What was the best book you read? I couldn't even begin to narrow that down.
Same answer, although there have been some great ones!
25. What was your greatest musical discovery? That Itunes will let you redownload your purchases if your hard drive crashes!
The Avett Brothers
26. What did you want and get? A better car.
A Nikon D90
27. What did you want and not get? A Nikon D90
Photoshop/Lightroom
28. What was your favorite film of this year? Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Fireproof
Sherlock Holmes
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 31, and I hung out with Nick, went shopping, went to see the movie Fireproof, and stopped to visit with some friends.
I turned 33, and to celebrate we had a cookout with family and friends the day before, then I had a photo shoot. The day of we went to church then went and had lunch with Nick's sister and her husband.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?More money? Definitely more money, and a baby, or at least having one on the way.
Having made enough off my photography to have paid for my camera in full. Right now I'm a little over 50% of the way there.
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? Same old jeans and cute shirts I'm afraid.
Not much has changed here.
32. What kept you sane? Nick beating my butt when I got too stressed, although I probably could have used more of that.
Concentrating on letting God take care of us and our finances.
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Mmmmm....Josh Holloway, although Harrison Ford wasn't bad either.
Still Josh Holloway - Oh, Sawyer, I miss you!
34. What political issue stirred you the most? No politics here, please.
The health care fiasco!
35. Who did you miss? My friend L
Still my friend L, although I got to see her a bit more this year.
36. Who was the best new person you met? I can't really think of anyone new I met in real life that made a big impression, but I met lots of great people on here!
Same answer
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008. Life is not fair - sometimes the people who make the worst decisions can still end up swimming in money.
God is always there for us - His mercies are new every morning!
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. I can't really think of a good answer for this one.
Still can't come up with one!
Fried Brain
I feel like my brain is fried right now. I've been rushing around trying to get everything finished for Christmas while still juggling the house and kids and it's wearing me out! I'm done with almost everything but the wrapping. Oh, and that other batch of lotion I have to make. And the rest of the lip balm. And the sugar scrub. And those other two Question Jars. Oh, and the other two sets of crayons. Oh yeah, and I still have to apply the sealer to the other 7 sets of coasters I made. But that's it. Except for whipping up those sets of glass stone magnets. So really - I'm practically done. Look, I've got 71 hours left till Christmas - don't judge me!
Anyway, I need a minute to be not-creative, so I'm totally going to steal Grace's Christmas meme:
1.Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Definitely hot chocolate, although I do like to have about a half a glass of eggnog once a year.
2.Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
I don't technically wrap. I bag. If anything actually gets wrapped it's generally by Nick. But either way, they're packaged.
3.Colored lights on tree/house or white?
White inside, colored outside.
4.Do you hang mistletoe?
We used to, but I haven't found anywhere to buy it in a couple of years.
5.When do you put your decorations up?
Okay, I'm going to tell you the worst thing in the world: It's three days till Christmas and my tree still isn't up. Normally I put it up just after Thanksgiving, but this year I wanted to wait because I figured Daisy would be tearing it apart. Then after a few days I realized it's up in the attic and we don't have a ladder. So I decided to just decorate a small fake pine we have out year round. And I'm totally going to do that. Right after I finish those glass stone magnets...
6.What is your favorite holiday dish?
Ummmm, I'd have to say sausage balls. But only if they're really moist and cheesy.
7.Favorite Holiday memory as a child?
Christmas Eve. We opened gifts at home and at both grandparents' houses on Christmas Eve, and I loved coming home after the final celebration and discovering all over again all the
gifts I'd gotten earlier in the evening.
8.When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
My parents never did the Santa Claus thing with us, although someone always dressed as Santa to hand out gifts on my dad's side of the family. In fact, when my brother was about 4, he nearly started a riot among a room full of kindergarten-age cousins when he declared that the man in the red suit was really Uncle Claude.
9.Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Now that we're grown with families of our own, the celebration gets stretched out some. This past Friday we did my dad's side of the family, Thursday we'll do my parent's house, Friday we'll do Nick's extended family, Christmas morning we'll open at home then at Nick's parents' house, and sometime next week we'll do my mom's side of the family.
10.How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
Well, normally it's a very rustic, woodsy, fishing cabin type theme. This year it's going to be a bit more Charlie Brown since I'll be scavenging stuff from around the house to decorate with.
11.Snow! Love it or Dread it?
Love it, although I hate driving in it.
12.Can you ice skate?
Nope!
13.Do you remember your favorite gift?
The year I was 10 I got a 100 piece accessory set for my Barbies. Morgan still has some of the pieces to it around here somewhere.
14.What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
Family.
15.What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?
My sister-in-law's amazing boiled custard.
16.What tops your tree?
Hehe, usually a miniature fishing hat.
17.Which do you prefer giving or receiving?
Definitely giving.
18.What is your favorite Christmas Song?
O Holy Night
19.Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum?
They're okay.
20. Favorite Christmas Show?
Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
21.Saddest Christmas Song?
I’ll be Home for Christmas
Anyway, I need a minute to be not-creative, so I'm totally going to steal Grace's Christmas meme:
1.Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Definitely hot chocolate, although I do like to have about a half a glass of eggnog once a year.
2.Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
I don't technically wrap. I bag. If anything actually gets wrapped it's generally by Nick. But either way, they're packaged.
3.Colored lights on tree/house or white?
White inside, colored outside.
4.Do you hang mistletoe?
We used to, but I haven't found anywhere to buy it in a couple of years.
5.When do you put your decorations up?
Okay, I'm going to tell you the worst thing in the world: It's three days till Christmas and my tree still isn't up. Normally I put it up just after Thanksgiving, but this year I wanted to wait because I figured Daisy would be tearing it apart. Then after a few days I realized it's up in the attic and we don't have a ladder. So I decided to just decorate a small fake pine we have out year round. And I'm totally going to do that. Right after I finish those glass stone magnets...
6.What is your favorite holiday dish?
Ummmm, I'd have to say sausage balls. But only if they're really moist and cheesy.
7.Favorite Holiday memory as a child?
Christmas Eve. We opened gifts at home and at both grandparents' houses on Christmas Eve, and I loved coming home after the final celebration and discovering all over again all the
gifts I'd gotten earlier in the evening.
8.When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
My parents never did the Santa Claus thing with us, although someone always dressed as Santa to hand out gifts on my dad's side of the family. In fact, when my brother was about 4, he nearly started a riot among a room full of kindergarten-age cousins when he declared that the man in the red suit was really Uncle Claude.
9.Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Now that we're grown with families of our own, the celebration gets stretched out some. This past Friday we did my dad's side of the family, Thursday we'll do my parent's house, Friday we'll do Nick's extended family, Christmas morning we'll open at home then at Nick's parents' house, and sometime next week we'll do my mom's side of the family.
10.How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
Well, normally it's a very rustic, woodsy, fishing cabin type theme. This year it's going to be a bit more Charlie Brown since I'll be scavenging stuff from around the house to decorate with.
11.Snow! Love it or Dread it?
Love it, although I hate driving in it.
12.Can you ice skate?
Nope!
13.Do you remember your favorite gift?
The year I was 10 I got a 100 piece accessory set for my Barbies. Morgan still has some of the pieces to it around here somewhere.
14.What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
Family.
15.What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?
My sister-in-law's amazing boiled custard.
16.What tops your tree?
Hehe, usually a miniature fishing hat.
17.Which do you prefer giving or receiving?
Definitely giving.
18.What is your favorite Christmas Song?
O Holy Night
19.Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum?
They're okay.
20. Favorite Christmas Show?
Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
21.Saddest Christmas Song?
I’ll be Home for Christmas
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Christmas Crafting
Okay, so I know - I've totally not been posting like I should. But I've been a busy bee, I promise! Nick had to go to Atlanta for some training classes for work on Monday and got back tonight. Morgan was home sick from school last Wednesday and Thursday (thus lots of make-up work), then school was out because of the weather Monday, Tuesday, and today. So it's been a busy week as a solo parent.
But I've also been doing lots of crafting for Christmas! God has been really good in providing some wonderful options for gifts. Because Nick's sister and her husband (the ones in Texas) are so far out of our league financially and they always get us such nice gifts, it completely stresses me out every year trying to come up with something nice for them that we can afford. Not that they would make a big deal out if it, but they've always been so generous to us that we really want to get them something they'll love. All that I had to start with was a panoramic picture of the lake I had taken off the upper deck of their lake house when we were there in August. I found a 9x24 frame at the Goodwill for $5, and I'm going to try to refinish it, and I ordered a print of the picture to fit into it. Then I came across some great craft blogs, and I've been busy making some really neat things to supplement not only their gift, but also gifts of some others in the family that we didn't have much for.
I got the ideas for the dressed-up post-its (hello, teacher gift!) and the coasters here. I actually did the coasters with rub-ons instead of napkins or paper, and I'm in L-O-V-E with how they turned out. Plus the tiles were only 16 cents each at Lowes! I've got enough tiles left to make two more sets, and I think I'm going to see if my artist husband will paint them for me. The post-its were 12 pads for $3.94 at Wal-mart, and the scrap-book paper I used for the craft I already had.
The snowman crayons are TERRIFIC! I found the idea for them here. Daisy is right at the age where she has discovered coloring and scribbling, but standard crayons and pencils are sometimes hard for her to keep steady. I'm going to make another set for Nick's sister's little boy (4 months older than Daisy), and my cousin's little boy (8 weeks older than Daisy). I will say that I ended up having to use 11 full size crayons for each snowman , but fortunately I had stocked up on crayons when they were twenty cents a box back when school started, so I had all I needed. I will, however, have to go with non-primary colors for the other two sets. The most labor-intensive part of the whole thing was unwrapping all the unmelted crayons. The mold was a silicone muffin pan I got at Target from the dollar bin (well, the $2.50 bin). I just filled the cups and stuck the whole thing in the oven on a cookie sheet at 150 degrees. It took about 45 minutes for them to fully melt, but I think they turned out great!
The little tin pots are homemade lip balm. I found the recipe for that here. My mom and dad actually came by yesterday and surprised me with almost all of the supplies I needed for that. My mom used to make candles and knew of a great wholesale place to buy that sort of thing, so they got me the lip balm pots along with some beeswax, fragrance, glycerin soap, lotion bases, soap dyes, and lotion bottles, along with some baskets and bath poufs so that I can put together some gifts sets. I also got some epsom salt and made bath salts (which I still have to package), and I'm going to make some sugar scrub as well.
But I've also been doing lots of crafting for Christmas! God has been really good in providing some wonderful options for gifts. Because Nick's sister and her husband (the ones in Texas) are so far out of our league financially and they always get us such nice gifts, it completely stresses me out every year trying to come up with something nice for them that we can afford. Not that they would make a big deal out if it, but they've always been so generous to us that we really want to get them something they'll love. All that I had to start with was a panoramic picture of the lake I had taken off the upper deck of their lake house when we were there in August. I found a 9x24 frame at the Goodwill for $5, and I'm going to try to refinish it, and I ordered a print of the picture to fit into it. Then I came across some great craft blogs, and I've been busy making some really neat things to supplement not only their gift, but also gifts of some others in the family that we didn't have much for.
I got the ideas for the dressed-up post-its (hello, teacher gift!) and the coasters here. I actually did the coasters with rub-ons instead of napkins or paper, and I'm in L-O-V-E with how they turned out. Plus the tiles were only 16 cents each at Lowes! I've got enough tiles left to make two more sets, and I think I'm going to see if my artist husband will paint them for me. The post-its were 12 pads for $3.94 at Wal-mart, and the scrap-book paper I used for the craft I already had.
The snowman crayons are TERRIFIC! I found the idea for them here. Daisy is right at the age where she has discovered coloring and scribbling, but standard crayons and pencils are sometimes hard for her to keep steady. I'm going to make another set for Nick's sister's little boy (4 months older than Daisy), and my cousin's little boy (8 weeks older than Daisy). I will say that I ended up having to use 11 full size crayons for each snowman , but fortunately I had stocked up on crayons when they were twenty cents a box back when school started, so I had all I needed. I will, however, have to go with non-primary colors for the other two sets. The most labor-intensive part of the whole thing was unwrapping all the unmelted crayons. The mold was a silicone muffin pan I got at Target from the dollar bin (well, the $2.50 bin). I just filled the cups and stuck the whole thing in the oven on a cookie sheet at 150 degrees. It took about 45 minutes for them to fully melt, but I think they turned out great!
The little tin pots are homemade lip balm. I found the recipe for that here. My mom and dad actually came by yesterday and surprised me with almost all of the supplies I needed for that. My mom used to make candles and knew of a great wholesale place to buy that sort of thing, so they got me the lip balm pots along with some beeswax, fragrance, glycerin soap, lotion bases, soap dyes, and lotion bottles, along with some baskets and bath poufs so that I can put together some gifts sets. I also got some epsom salt and made bath salts (which I still have to package), and I'm going to make some sugar scrub as well.
But my very, very favorite gift is the Question Jar. This is such a neat idea, and it cost me almost nothing. Hobby Lobby had the jars for half off, the raffia I had, and the flower I made out of a twenty cent piece of felt. This is a jar filled with some really neat get-to-know-you-better questions on strips of card stock, and best of all, Pamela Donnis, the lady who created the idea, even has a PDF you can download for free with the questions already on it! She also has the tutorial for the flower. I found the list of questions to be interesting and thought-provoking. While there were some pretty standard ones in there (like "What would you do with a million dollars?"), there were also some that I had never thought about before (like "What was the most interesting class you ever took?"). I bought three jars, and I'm making one to give to each of Nick's two sisters and brothers-in-law, and one to my brother and sister-in-law. Eventually though I'm going to make one for me and Nick too.
In other news - well, there is no other news. TTWD seems to be TTWdon'tD these days, and I've pretty much let it drop. Life is chugging along, and for the moment it's just less complicated without it. If there's ever a lesson I've learned it's that stirring that particular pot never fails to send some doubts and insecurities to the surface too, and I can always do with fewer of those.
Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!
Friday, December 10, 2010
Good deals and oddly specific spanko gear
Hello, everyone. How's everybody's Christmas season going? I got a few more great deals the other day. Hasbro has some great toy coupons right now and I got four of each of these completely free at Target and Walmart.
I also got a coupon for $10 off $10 at Zazzle.com. I had previously ordered some business cards from them using a similar deal, so I was excited to get another offer. Right now they have free shipping on everything, so that made it even better. I ended up ordering a button, a magnet, and a keychain. My total after the coupon was only $1.05, and when I got the package yesterday they had (accidentally?) included an extra keychain. I probably should have ordered something for someone else for Christmas instead, but how could I pass up a Naughty Photographer keychain? Actually, they had a huge number of oddly specific products like that, so if you'll got look, chances are you'll find something in your line of work. :) Might make for some cute stocking stuffers for the spanko you love.
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Monday, December 06, 2010
Date Night
Nick and I had a lot of fun at his company Christmas party night before last. The company he works for sells high-end cars, and they like to try to give their employees a night experiencing life on the high side, so they always try to pick an exclusive venue for the party. One year it was held at a local historic theater. One year they completely rented out a very expensive restaurant. One year it was held in a very exclusive dining club. This year they rented out the dining club attached to the sky boxes of our city's college football stadium.
College football is big business in our town, so this was everyone's favorite place yet. There are always all kinds of games, and Nick won a $50 gift card. I got some neat pictures of the stadium (rare to have a chance to get pictures of it empty as generally we wouldn't be allowed inside other than for a game). We really wanted to get down on the field and take pictures, but were told it was off limits. About halfway through the night Nick disappeared with three of his coworkers. A few minutes later he called my phone and told me to get on the elevator and bring my camera. Turns out they had found the open door to the roof of the stadium! I got some really neat pictures up there, and what a rare opportunity!
As we were leaving for the night a guy Nick works with and his wife came spilling out of the building into the parking lot, giggling up a storm. They had found a way onto the field and were just giddy with the experience. Nick and I immediately headed back into the stadium, and they showed us how to get there. We got about 20 pictures from on the field, and it was the highlight of the night. It's a good thing we hurried though, because when we got to the door to get back outside one of the stadium employees had her hand on it to close it and lock it. She was very nice about it - she didn't scold us for being somewhere we shouldn't have been, just remarked that we were lucky we hadn't been locked in. I was elated to be able to get such rare photos, and Nick was on top of the world to have gotten to walk around where so many football legends have played. All in all it was a great night.
Yesterday was low key - church for all of us followed by some last minute Christmas shopping for me while the kids stayed at home with Nick. I can't believe we're only 19 days from Christmas!
College football is big business in our town, so this was everyone's favorite place yet. There are always all kinds of games, and Nick won a $50 gift card. I got some neat pictures of the stadium (rare to have a chance to get pictures of it empty as generally we wouldn't be allowed inside other than for a game). We really wanted to get down on the field and take pictures, but were told it was off limits. About halfway through the night Nick disappeared with three of his coworkers. A few minutes later he called my phone and told me to get on the elevator and bring my camera. Turns out they had found the open door to the roof of the stadium! I got some really neat pictures up there, and what a rare opportunity!
As we were leaving for the night a guy Nick works with and his wife came spilling out of the building into the parking lot, giggling up a storm. They had found a way onto the field and were just giddy with the experience. Nick and I immediately headed back into the stadium, and they showed us how to get there. We got about 20 pictures from on the field, and it was the highlight of the night. It's a good thing we hurried though, because when we got to the door to get back outside one of the stadium employees had her hand on it to close it and lock it. She was very nice about it - she didn't scold us for being somewhere we shouldn't have been, just remarked that we were lucky we hadn't been locked in. I was elated to be able to get such rare photos, and Nick was on top of the world to have gotten to walk around where so many football legends have played. All in all it was a great night.
Yesterday was low key - church for all of us followed by some last minute Christmas shopping for me while the kids stayed at home with Nick. I can't believe we're only 19 days from Christmas!
Friday, December 03, 2010
It's beginning...
...to look a lot like Christmas! This evening Nick and I took the girls to see a locally famous Christmas light display. Unfortunately Daisy slept through the whole thing, but we'll go again before the season is up. :) This family goes all out every year, over 70,000 lights between the father's house and the son's house. Both homes have light displays synchronized to the music on a local radio station (a different one for each house), and the show is free. We've been for several years in a row now, and it's always a treat.
The $60 I got to put in the bank yesterday was definitely needed - without it we would have gone about $11 overdrawn plus the fees! God is so very good to us! Another blessing I forgot to mention:
If you've ever bought baby formula, you know how ridiculously expensive it is. A 24 ounce can of Enfamil powder will run you about $23, and even the Wal-Mart brand is about $14 for the same size can. While I breastfeed (and obviously she's on solids too now), Daisy still takes formula on a regular basis just because I've found it's the most consistent and effective way to make sure she gets all her needed nutrients when she's not a big fan of the solid food I put in front of her. What we've been blessed enough to have access to buy for most of her life has been a large can of formula at Sam's. It's a 3 lb (48 oz) can for $19.97. Compared to other options, this is a great deal! However, this formula is really only meant for babies up to a year.
Enfamil and Wal-Mart both make formula intended for toddlers, but we're back to the $20+ dollar range for a 24 oz can. Wednesday I was in the discount grocery outlet they just put in near our house and I found that they have shelves upon shelves of Nestle Nido Kinder, which is basically a "next step" for formula fed babies. It's marketed to Hispanic communities, but the store I was at pulls overstock from all kinds of businesses. Rather than a formula, it's a milk product fortified with vitamins, minerals, and prebiotics, and is better for toddlers her age. What's so fantastic about this for us? It's $9.99 for a 3 1/2 pound can! I've been wanting to wean her off formula for a couple of months now, but I just don't produce enough breast milk any more to completely satisfy her urge to nurse, and I was afraid that she would miss the nutrients in formula since she can be a somewhat picky eater. This solves that problem while cutting our formula expense by over half!
Anyway, I'm headed to bed, Good night!
The $60 I got to put in the bank yesterday was definitely needed - without it we would have gone about $11 overdrawn plus the fees! God is so very good to us! Another blessing I forgot to mention:
If you've ever bought baby formula, you know how ridiculously expensive it is. A 24 ounce can of Enfamil powder will run you about $23, and even the Wal-Mart brand is about $14 for the same size can. While I breastfeed (and obviously she's on solids too now), Daisy still takes formula on a regular basis just because I've found it's the most consistent and effective way to make sure she gets all her needed nutrients when she's not a big fan of the solid food I put in front of her. What we've been blessed enough to have access to buy for most of her life has been a large can of formula at Sam's. It's a 3 lb (48 oz) can for $19.97. Compared to other options, this is a great deal! However, this formula is really only meant for babies up to a year.
Enfamil and Wal-Mart both make formula intended for toddlers, but we're back to the $20+ dollar range for a 24 oz can. Wednesday I was in the discount grocery outlet they just put in near our house and I found that they have shelves upon shelves of Nestle Nido Kinder, which is basically a "next step" for formula fed babies. It's marketed to Hispanic communities, but the store I was at pulls overstock from all kinds of businesses. Rather than a formula, it's a milk product fortified with vitamins, minerals, and prebiotics, and is better for toddlers her age. What's so fantastic about this for us? It's $9.99 for a 3 1/2 pound can! I've been wanting to wean her off formula for a couple of months now, but I just don't produce enough breast milk any more to completely satisfy her urge to nurse, and I was afraid that she would miss the nutrients in formula since she can be a somewhat picky eater. This solves that problem while cutting our formula expense by over half!
Anyway, I'm headed to bed, Good night!
Still plenty to be thankful for
Well, we're into December now, and God continues to provide. Yesterday I found a really cute plaid shirt in the bag of stuff Elizabeth had sent home with me the day before. It was just Morgan's size, and she loved it. In fact, she put it on to wear to church that night. While we were at church, Elizabeth texted me and asked if she had accidentally put a plaid shirt in the bag. Oops...turns out it belonged to her mother-in-law (who lives out of state), and Elizabeth needed to send it back to her. Morgan was pretty sad about it, but we dropped it off on the way home from church. When I got home, Money Saving Mom had a coupon posted for JC Penney for $10 off a $10 purchase. I went online and after fighting the extremely slow site for a while, I managed to snag a very similar plaid shirt for her for all of 44 cents out of pocket!
I knew yesterday that we needed about an extra $20-$30 to put in the bank to cover our outstanding charges (the JC Penney charge won't be billed till next week when they ship). I didn't have any way to come up with the money, and I had gone through all my pockets and purses and only been able to come up with $7. Then one of my clients decided to buy a CD from her session. It was only a small CD, but it gave us $60. I met her to give her the CD and get the money, then got the check in the bank 15 minutes before closing time.
We are facing some serious bills this week, and I know that Nick's paycheck won't be enough to cover it. An average check would be a stretch, but this week will be short because of Thanksgiving. All of that said, it's wonderful to know that God is going to provide, even if I don't know how He 's going to do it.
Saturday night is Nick's company Christmas party, and we're really excited about having a date night! I can't believe we're just over 3 weeks from Christmas! I've decided to try to do something Christmasy with Morgan every day until the 25th. Yesterday we sang Christmas songs on the way home from church. Today we got milk shakes and listened to Christmas music while we waited on my client to meet us. Perhaps a bit of a slow start, but it's getting us in the spirit. :) Normally we have our tree up by now, but I'm a little terrified to put it up right now with Daisy so extremely curious and mobile, lol! We'll probably put it up next week, but I can't help remembering my brother at her age. He was forever pulling ornaments off and being scolded away from the tree. One day my mom and I were in the kitchen when suddenly we heard a crash, and ornaments flew through the dining room - we rushed into the living room to find the tree overturned and my brother waving his arms wildly from underneath it. Hehe - he was fine, and we didn't have any problems with him touching the tree after that. :)
Oh, speaking of Christmas, Wal-mart has a couple of cute (and inexpensive!) shirts that I thought were really cute. Sorry if the picture quality is poor - I was using my phone to take them. The first one says "Naught or Nice, You may need to check the list twice." The second one says "Naughty but Sweet".
Anyway, I'm off to bed. Have a great night!
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