10,000 reasons

What  a year it has been.  There are at least 10,000 reasons for me to praise Him and 10,000 more why I need his perfect love. 

I will worship your name Lord - through all that has passed and all that lies ahead. 

stay-cation

Our family took our first "stay-cation" a few weeks ago.  Corey took the week off and we decided to stay close to home and do some things that we don't normally get to do together.  On Monday, Corey basically had a full day in my shoes.  I had bible study, a board meeting, and a meal to fix for another family; so he hung out with Lawrence all day.  They had a great time doing guy stuff, getting dirty, and even got to enjoy a little Tom & Jerry together.  Lawrence is now hooked and requests it a lot.  I, however, put my foot down and decided that Tom & Jerry is a treat to watch with dad only.  Hopefully dad can explain how hitting anything over the head with a hammer is not very gentlemanly.  I still prefer the Little Angels videos.

We did take off Tuesday and Wednesday to go camping.  It was very relaxing, perfect weather, nice hiking, just what we needed.  

We even watched the sunset while camping.  Can't remember the last time we took time for this.  

 Not bad for camping in Kansas.

On Thursday we took Lawrence to his usual mom's day out.  Which meant that I had a date day with my hubby!!!!!!!!  It was wonderful.  We went golfing, which we had never done together.  Ate lunch at Thai Promise, one of our favorites.  And did some antiquing.  I've sort of got him into the antique thing  :)  We have a list of items that we are looking for and have fun hunting for them.

On Friday we headed to Tanganiyka Wildlife Park.  We have been there a bunch since we have a pass.  But it gets more and more fun with little man getting a little older.  He talks to the animals in their "sounds".

Daddy and Lawrence with the white tigers.

Feeding the Lemurs a $2 craisin.  Some day I am going to 'accidently' have a craisin in my pocket and see if they find it!  The giraffes, monkeys, rhino, and gibbons were also entertaining that day.

Saturday night we went to Prairie Rose Chuckwagon.  It was a fun dinner with some live music.  Banjo / violin style music, whatever that's called.  The only picture we got was inside where it looks like we could be in anyone's home rather than on the prairie.  Oh well!  I was proud of Corey - he only went to the car once to check the score of the K-State game  ;)

Overall it was a nice / relaxing stay-cation.  I really enjoyed the fact that we could sleep in our own beds and little man could nap as usual.  I didn't like the fact that I couldn't get away from laundry / kitchen / house duties.  It was impossible for me to ignore that stuff all week especially after camping.  I also missed eating / trying new food but that's just because I'm a foodie.  Any vacation is a desirable vacation!

my money saving tips (part 1)

I consider myself to be a pretty thrifty person.  No, we don't use reusable toilet paper or anything like that.  I'm sure I could do more to save money, for example, I do not "coupon".  First of all, because I don't feel that I have the time to commit to it.  And secondly, I know myself well enough to know that I am a sucker for a bargain.  If there is a bargain, then I will find a way to justify buying it.  So I don't coupon so that I don't expose myself to all of those awesome deals that I am perfectly content without having.  Sort of like a person with a food addiction going to a buffet and ordering the salad bar only.  Just don't go to the buffet.  I hate buffets.  Anywho, I went through a phase in college where if it was under $10 then I would buy it!  But age has taught me that if it hangs in the closet with the tags, or if I wear it one time and hate it, then the bargain is off.  Yes, I clip coupons here and there and shop sales, but these are a few of my more creative finds!

Day and Night Diapers - Everyone knows that diapers are pricey, but necessary.  I have found that the Target Up&Up brand work really well, and are HALF the price of Pampers.  I use Up&Up during the day (which is the bulk of the diapers anyway) and use Pampers Baby Dry for the nights.

Dollar General - There are a few things that I always get at $$ General - swim diapers ($5 compared to $8),   pregnancy tests ($1 compared to $7), cards ($1 or less compared to $3+), wrapping paper, gift bags, tin pans (for taking meals to other people)....

Book Sets - This has been baby shower season for sure.  One thing I found at Sam's was a set of 3 big touch and feel board books for $11.  I separated them and included one in each gift that I gave.

Gift Tags - I made my own little gift tags for these shower gifts, rather than buying cards.  With 10+ gifts it really does add up.  I use my scrap booking stuff and they are really cute and personal.

Hair Cut - So far I have been able to get away with giving Little Man hair cuts.  People seem surprised when I tell them that I cut it myself, so I guess that's a good sign!  I cut it every 2-3 weeks and it would cost me probably $10 to take him somewhere, plus the hassle of scheduling.

Put up Apples - We have an apple tree in our backyard.  It is a pain, but I put up apples when it produces.  I peel, dice, and separate them into 3 cup freezer bags.  I can pull out a bag and add a few ingredients that I always have on hand to make a yummy apple crisp.  It is my dessert of choice when I am taking meals to new parents - no caffeine, nice size (8x8), and inexpensive!

Garden - Unfortunately we did little more than break even with our garden this year.  A big hail storm prevented the abundance of vegetables that I was hoping to share with all our friends. We did get 2 zucchini and a couple batches of brushetta, spaghetti sauce, and pico.

Mpix - A photographer friend of mine told me about this little secret called mpix.com.  That is where I have all of our professional pictures printed.  Great quality and super inexpensive (an 8x10 for $1.99!!!).  The trick is finding a photographer that will sell you the CD of pics without charging you $300.  So far so good.

Frontline - A must have for any dog owner, but so pricey.  I recently found an equivalent to Frontline at Wal-Mart.  The brand is Adams and we haven't had any problems with fleas or ticks.  And believe me, Copper would find them with as much as she's in the "country".  It is 1/3 of the cost - $5 per month.



What do you do to save money?!    

mexicana grill

I love to make new recipes.  But I sometimes get in a funk because it is hard to find healthy beef recipes that peek my interest.  After a lead from a friend, I tried a Chipotle inspired dinner last night.  It got an 8 out of 10 from Corey (probably the highest score he's ever given to something other than dessert!).  And I definitely overate, so it passed for me too.  That means it will go on a recipe card and into my rotation!

I thought I would share the recipes in case you're in the mood for a little mexicana!


Barbacoa Beef

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/04/barbacoa-beef.html


Cilantro Lime Rice

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/03/chipotle-cilantro-lime-rice-4-pts.html


Pico

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/pico_de_gallo_a/

enough already

I will admit that I am a conflict avoider.  A peace maker.  A drama hater.  I hate debating.  Although it isn't all bad, it is something that I have had to work on in marriage because some conflict is healthier than none.  


It has been impossible to miss the headlines regarding Chick-Fil-A.  But I've pretty much stopped there.  I don't read all the articles with opposing views.  I accidently catch a blurp on the news or a facebook comment.  Some call it apathy.  But for me, I have zero confidence that the media is going to give me a fair story.  Read one article and get one opinion.  Read a different article and you are told that everything you already read was a lie.  Blah Blah Blah.  It's all drama.  What it boils down to for me is that I do not believe that it is my job to pass judgement on another person.  And I sure as heck am not going to make a case based on the media.


For some reason I decided to read this article regarding the situation.  Maybe because a friend posted it and I trusted the source?  I don't know.  But I found myself enjoying the perspective.


http://jenhatmaker.com/blog/2012/07/27/in-the-basement

a grateful heart

My life is so full.  I have been thinking lately about my thankful heart.  Just this week I have been blessed with:


-A kinesiologist who is a Christian and can get me back in working order in two appointments.  This is the third time that I have had herniated discs in my lower back (all since giving birth).  And oh my, is it not only painful but debilitating.  Talk about a reminder of how weak we really are.  I am thankful that this time wasn't nearly as severe, maybe because I am in better shape.  But it is so humbling to be 32 and gimping around like a crazy old lady.    I am beyond thankful that I found this dr shortly before it happened the first time and he is not only an amazing doctor but an amazing Christian.  He and Corey have both seen how much pain I have been in and have had such caring hearts.


-A mother and mother in law that stepped up and offered to take Little Man for a few days so I could recover.  Although this time has been easier because I don't have to carry him everywhere, a 2 year old doesn't allow much laying horizontal time.  Laying horizontal means jungle gym to him!  He has had a blast on his mini vacation and I have a feeling there was a little spoiling going on!


-A husband that I enjoy spending time with!  It was a treat for us also to have some time together.  Although it wasn't under ideal circumstances because I couldn't paint the town or work in the yard; but we did get to go out to dinner to a place we wouldn't take Little Man.  And last night we played cards.  Good times!


-A son (that I really miss right now) that I get to stay home with and watch him learn and grow.  He amazes me every day.  He is interested in the concept of Over / Under right now.  Especially when we are driving Under a bridge or Over a bridge.  He is also recognizing some letters already.  I had no idea to expect it at this age, then several weeks ago he brought me a letter from the fridge and said 'P' (and he was right!) and did the same thing with 'I' and 'O'.  At that point I realized that he is really interested in letters.  His favorites are B, I, O, P, C, L.  He likes to have his name on the fridge, so while I am cooking I will have him find the letters of his name.  The 'W' (double-u) is confusing and he usually brings me a 'U'!  And he usually calls the 'X' a cross!  He is also saying 'What's this?' a lot.  He wanted to know what the staples were called that held his book together the other day!  Their curious little minds amaze me!  I am beyond grateful for the time that I have with my healthy boy that I get to love on every day!  I realize that it is a gift.

no tears

I am so sad that I feel like I could throw up.  Can't say that I have ever felt this way before.  I don't even have tears.


Clinging to the verse:

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance."  James 1:2