Saturday, January 28, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Ten on Tuesday
It is Tuesday, right?!?
1. Do you ever get to where you feel like you are behind on everything? That is where I am right now.
2. On Saturday, Justin and I were able to go use his gift card to BLT Steak that his company gave him for his 5 year anniversary with them (thanks Nel - for watching the girls again!). It was amazing! Great ambiance, wonderful service, and the food was amazing! My personal favorites were the two things that were complimentary - ha! First they bring out Gruyere PopOvers with creamy, flavorful butter and sea salt. DELICIOUS! I could have eaten a dozen, easy. And after dinner, we were too full for dessert - which was sad - but then they brought out two little chocolate petit-fours that were amazing! Best one-bite dessert ever, and the perfect way to end a filling meal! If you have a chunk of change to spend on a date night, I highly recommend BLT! Because of their prices, I seriously doubt we will ever eat there a second time, but a girl can dream anyway!
3. I am back into serious coupon-ing, and am reminded how much I don't enjoy it. But, it will help with the budget, so I am forcing myself to stay positive about it!
4. There is an amazing opportunity for me to interact with some of my online photography mentors in person next month. I am praying that this will all work out, since if it does it will be free. A crucial word in our vocabulary these days! ;)
5. In case you are wondering about all the budget talk, it has overtaken many of our thoughts and conversations around here as of late. Justin's company reduced everyone's salaries by 20%, so we are scrambling trying to figure out how this will work for us.
6. The hardest part of a tight budget for me right now, is constantly explaining to the two older kids why we aren't doing something. They are used to doing whatever we all feel like doing, whether that is eating out, picking up drinks and snacks while shopping at Target, or going to a museum or movie on an off day. Reminding them why isn't a fun conversation, and their reaction hasn't been the best so far. UGH!
7. The second hardest part of me is the healthy food issue. I have a strong desire to only feed our family real food. No chemicals, dyes, artificial anything - which is in more things than you realize. And sadly, food corporations have made it expensive to eat healthy in this country. Absurd.
8. Jogging was doing something nasty to my knees, which I still can't figure out, so I bought Jillian Micheal's 30 day shred on Amazon instant. My first day was yesterday, and it was hard. But nothing could have prepared me for how sore I would feel this morning!!! That's how you know it is working, I guess!
9. Could someone give me a free vacation? A real one? That would be fabulous!
10. I love having this blog, as a place to put everything out there! If you got this far, thanks for reading! I hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday!!!
1. Do you ever get to where you feel like you are behind on everything? That is where I am right now.
2. On Saturday, Justin and I were able to go use his gift card to BLT Steak that his company gave him for his 5 year anniversary with them (thanks Nel - for watching the girls again!). It was amazing! Great ambiance, wonderful service, and the food was amazing! My personal favorites were the two things that were complimentary - ha! First they bring out Gruyere PopOvers with creamy, flavorful butter and sea salt. DELICIOUS! I could have eaten a dozen, easy. And after dinner, we were too full for dessert - which was sad - but then they brought out two little chocolate petit-fours that were amazing! Best one-bite dessert ever, and the perfect way to end a filling meal! If you have a chunk of change to spend on a date night, I highly recommend BLT! Because of their prices, I seriously doubt we will ever eat there a second time, but a girl can dream anyway!
3. I am back into serious coupon-ing, and am reminded how much I don't enjoy it. But, it will help with the budget, so I am forcing myself to stay positive about it!
4. There is an amazing opportunity for me to interact with some of my online photography mentors in person next month. I am praying that this will all work out, since if it does it will be free. A crucial word in our vocabulary these days! ;)
5. In case you are wondering about all the budget talk, it has overtaken many of our thoughts and conversations around here as of late. Justin's company reduced everyone's salaries by 20%, so we are scrambling trying to figure out how this will work for us.
6. The hardest part of a tight budget for me right now, is constantly explaining to the two older kids why we aren't doing something. They are used to doing whatever we all feel like doing, whether that is eating out, picking up drinks and snacks while shopping at Target, or going to a museum or movie on an off day. Reminding them why isn't a fun conversation, and their reaction hasn't been the best so far. UGH!
7. The second hardest part of me is the healthy food issue. I have a strong desire to only feed our family real food. No chemicals, dyes, artificial anything - which is in more things than you realize. And sadly, food corporations have made it expensive to eat healthy in this country. Absurd.
8. Jogging was doing something nasty to my knees, which I still can't figure out, so I bought Jillian Micheal's 30 day shred on Amazon instant. My first day was yesterday, and it was hard. But nothing could have prepared me for how sore I would feel this morning!!! That's how you know it is working, I guess!
9. Could someone give me a free vacation? A real one? That would be fabulous!
10. I love having this blog, as a place to put everything out there! If you got this far, thanks for reading! I hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday!!!
Friday, January 20, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Jan 19
She is a very messy eater.
Her favorite thing to do is run her gooey fingers through her hair so I have to give her a bath.
She loves baths.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Jan 18
She finally lost the other bottom tooth. I thought it was never going to happen, she refused to wiggle it or let anyone else wiggle it. It was hanging from a thread. Finally, eating an apple worked its magic!This picture scares me a little. =)
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Ten on Tuesday
1. I didn't take any pictures yesterday or the day before, so no picture-a-day. But, I am giving myself grace and moving on to taking a new picture today!
2. My husband had a rough day yesterday, he went hunting and got stuck up on the mountain knowing his 2WD truck would not make it down through the mud. I went through a hundred scenarios in my head waiting to hear that he had gotten down safely. I am thanking God for my father-in-law who was ready and available to go buy chains for Justin and drive them up to him - going alongside him to make sure he made it down safely. We are so very blessed for awesome family members!
3. I went running twice last week. Slowly. I do not like jogging - it does not make me feel good, but I want to be doing something. And jogging is free, which is essential at this time in our lives and budget. I would prefer a gym membership with childcare. Second choice would be Zumba for Wii. But neither of those will be happening any time soon, so I will try to jog three times this week instead.
4. Yesterday I spent three hours sorting and organizing all the toys in our house. THREE HOURS. That is ridiculous! We should not have that much stuff! But, it is hilarious... every time I set something in the "to-store/sell" pile my older two freaked out and Jaelyn would run over and start playing with it. The irony.
5. Valentine mini-sessions will not be happening after all. Easter anyone?!?
6. Speaking of mini-sessions, soon I will not be offering them as a regular option. They will be 3-4 times a year at certain locations... so if you are thinking of needing one this year book soon before they are done.
7. We are back to a cash budget. I loathe cash. People used to use this stuff all the time?!? ;o)
8. This is the first time in my life I have found myself interested in politics. And I am finding that is not really a good thing, as my experience with others in that regard is a downer. Maybe I will write a whole post on this issue.
9. I am working my way through a cookbook I have called cooking essentials - it teaches you proper technique for all facets of cooking and I find it really fun so far! My dinner rolls on Sunday were pretty good, but the lamb chops on Friday were a flop. Personally, I can't wait to make the apple pie. I have never made a pie from scratch! Mmmm!
10. I know #9 appears to conflict with my health effort in #3, but I believe in all things in moderation... even apple pie! =)
Love you all! Happy Tuesday!
2. My husband had a rough day yesterday, he went hunting and got stuck up on the mountain knowing his 2WD truck would not make it down through the mud. I went through a hundred scenarios in my head waiting to hear that he had gotten down safely. I am thanking God for my father-in-law who was ready and available to go buy chains for Justin and drive them up to him - going alongside him to make sure he made it down safely. We are so very blessed for awesome family members!
3. I went running twice last week. Slowly. I do not like jogging - it does not make me feel good, but I want to be doing something. And jogging is free, which is essential at this time in our lives and budget. I would prefer a gym membership with childcare. Second choice would be Zumba for Wii. But neither of those will be happening any time soon, so I will try to jog three times this week instead.
4. Yesterday I spent three hours sorting and organizing all the toys in our house. THREE HOURS. That is ridiculous! We should not have that much stuff! But, it is hilarious... every time I set something in the "to-store/sell" pile my older two freaked out and Jaelyn would run over and start playing with it. The irony.
5. Valentine mini-sessions will not be happening after all. Easter anyone?!?
6. Speaking of mini-sessions, soon I will not be offering them as a regular option. They will be 3-4 times a year at certain locations... so if you are thinking of needing one this year book soon before they are done.
7. We are back to a cash budget. I loathe cash. People used to use this stuff all the time?!? ;o)
8. This is the first time in my life I have found myself interested in politics. And I am finding that is not really a good thing, as my experience with others in that regard is a downer. Maybe I will write a whole post on this issue.
9. I am working my way through a cookbook I have called cooking essentials - it teaches you proper technique for all facets of cooking and I find it really fun so far! My dinner rolls on Sunday were pretty good, but the lamb chops on Friday were a flop. Personally, I can't wait to make the apple pie. I have never made a pie from scratch! Mmmm!
10. I know #9 appears to conflict with my health effort in #3, but I believe in all things in moderation... even apple pie! =)
Love you all! Happy Tuesday!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
January 13
When she is ready to go to bed, she is sure to let you know! If only all my kids could be that way! =)
Just stuff
For some reason, I have cried every day for a week! Not all sad tears, mind you... sometimes happy tears, sometimes tears at the wonderment of God's love... really I cry at everything. Apparently I am just more emotional right now. I am sure subscribing to Momestary did not help matters. Thanks a lot PigBear. =)
This article and video of Dr. Drew's discussion with Mark Driscoll astound me. I am disheartened at how the media can just pick and choose what they would like to show the general public. All the time I am more and more thankful we chose to give up cable television and the "news" in this house. I wholeheartedly recommend it!
Thinking of doing Valentine Mini-sessions that include cards for your kids to hand out at school. Any takers?!?
One of the best parts of my week is picking up my produce box from Pinnacle Farms on Wednesday! All the colorful veggies I wouldn't have bought ordinarily are SO fun to experiment with! This week we received oranges bursting with flavor and beautiful rainbow chard. Though I never can figure out what to do with radishes since I don't like them raw.
With our new financial situation, I am trying to find more contentment with staying at home - which is much harder for me than it sounds. Trying to focus on being a homemaker, instead of just a stay-at-home-mom. There is a difference, I think. This house should be more homey, and I know "mom" tends to set the tone for that "homey" feeling. So, that is my focus this month... checking my attitude and heart, focusing on what I say and how I say it - to help my family say, "Ahh... I'm home." Next month, maybe having a clean home?!? Surely I could do that for one month.
Maybe.
Whatever.
Love you all! Thanks for stopping by. Picture of the day to come later on!
This article and video of Dr. Drew's discussion with Mark Driscoll astound me. I am disheartened at how the media can just pick and choose what they would like to show the general public. All the time I am more and more thankful we chose to give up cable television and the "news" in this house. I wholeheartedly recommend it!
Thinking of doing Valentine Mini-sessions that include cards for your kids to hand out at school. Any takers?!?
One of the best parts of my week is picking up my produce box from Pinnacle Farms on Wednesday! All the colorful veggies I wouldn't have bought ordinarily are SO fun to experiment with! This week we received oranges bursting with flavor and beautiful rainbow chard. Though I never can figure out what to do with radishes since I don't like them raw.
With our new financial situation, I am trying to find more contentment with staying at home - which is much harder for me than it sounds. Trying to focus on being a homemaker, instead of just a stay-at-home-mom. There is a difference, I think. This house should be more homey, and I know "mom" tends to set the tone for that "homey" feeling. So, that is my focus this month... checking my attitude and heart, focusing on what I say and how I say it - to help my family say, "Ahh... I'm home." Next month, maybe having a clean home?!? Surely I could do that for one month.
Maybe.
Whatever.
Love you all! Thanks for stopping by. Picture of the day to come later on!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Jan 11 - it's like Christmas all over again!
Trigger chewed up the cord on this Christmas gift the second time Paige was playing it. The new cord finally arrived today and the girls were very relieved!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Jan 10 - Extreme close up
This is how close she gets every time I point my camera at her. Silly girl!
Monday, January 9, 2012
January 9
She is always wanting to be outside with her sisters. Too bad she tries to eat rocks all the time!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Friday, January 6, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Holiday Wrap Up
You are going to get the Reader's Digest version of our holiday season - sorry about that! Honestly, I was the horrid, typical photographer and neglected my own family's pictures during busy season this year. But, I plan to make up for it... with frame-a-day! Right here though, no second blog to go to. But first... our holidays:
Making a paper chain... but I didn't take a picture of it hanging!
The girls each decorated a few on their own, those were my favorites.
Our little, fake Christmas tree that only had kid ornaments on it this year. The girls still loved it, though! Kids are so great like that!
Playing in the snow in Payson.
They always love snow! Even if it is old and hard. ;o)
All ready for church, in their matching dresses from Grandma Linda on Christmas Eve.
And somehow I didn't take many pictures of all the present-opening events this year. I think there must be more on my phone. But, rest assured the girls got way too many wonderful things and were more than thrilled!
Then we had the Swopes over on New Years...
And Paige ended the night spooning with Trigger on the couch by 9:30pm! LOL!
Hope you all had wonderful holidays this year! Looking forward to a lot more blogging in 2012!!!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Sunday, January 1, 2012
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