Dad's Birthday Surprise!!

Just wanted to share a few pictures of my little brother's return. It was a great surprise for my dad. Can't believe it has been over a month now that he was here. Such a great but short visit.

They are In...

Mother's Day was great.

It started with coffee with my mom before she went back home. Then my in-laws came over and we had breakfast. Afterwards my hubby and father in law put up the shelves in E's room.

Here are a few shots!



Notice the blue tape on the wall. That is for another shelf that will go up shortly. It is low enough for her to reach when she gets older. Here is an closer look at them.

Preparing the Soil.......

The title comes from being a farmer's kid. You prepare now for what you want in the future. I love watching the show Extreme Couponing when I catch it. I also love watching the Suze Orman show, Dave Ramsey and Till Debt Do Us Part. Yes, it is a little dorky but if you know anything about me I love to save money. I read every article I can about saving money , how to become a millionaire, preparing a nice nest egg, pretty much anything that has to do with money and future financial freedom. I think I have been doing good so far but there is always more to learn.

I would love to be super financially stable and get to retire at a young age. The other part of that is that I know I won't stop working because of who my parents are and how they raised me. But one day I really would like to retire and have enough money in my "pocket" to really enjoy it.

I know that if I want to live comfortable in the future I have to be smart now. This includes grocery shopping. So I am not planning on becoming an extreme couponer but I do plan on using coupons and using my mom's techniques of shopping and freezing. I also want to get better at meal planning. Meal planning is becoming important for me right now because I feel a little short handed on time since having E. I want to be smart with my time and use it wisely so that I am enjoying her as much as possible.

So I am not exactly extreme couponing but who doesn't want to save a buck when they can. My mom was an amazing shopper, heck she still is. She feed 11 kids 8 of which were boys. That was a lot of mouths to feed. So she is savvy. When things were on sale she bought and froze everything. Everything that could be frozen was.

So I have been planning meals, buying stuff on sale, freezing prepared meals, and using things in my pantry. I do not want to have stock piles of grocery items and never use them either but I want to be prepared and smart about what I do buy.

Here is to being savvy while grocery shopping, couponing, meal planning and keeping a budget.
Here is to preparing the soil for a bountiful harvest!!!

E's Nursery

Okay, today I decided to post a few pictures of E's nursery. I know she is almost 4 months but better late than never. The real reason for the post is because (God willing) this weekend her daddy is going to be putting up her shelves he built for her so we need some before and afters.

This is her crib and wall decal. The decal turned out amazing. My dear friend, E-beth, came over and help a very pregnant lady's vision come true. What a blessing to have someone so willing to help out! I think it looks so great in her room. I love it and we even impressed the hubby by how accurate we were in measuring for the crib. I use we very loosely here, I simply did the leaves the rest was done by E-beth.

Please ignore the storage bag under her crib. A future project in the making. It is a storage bag we had on hand already and decided to use for her excessive amount of blankets.

Here is a different angle of her wall and crib. On the far right you can see a bare wall. That is the spot for her shelves. (It is the best picture I had at the time.)

Below is the daybed in her room with owl pillows my friend, MAC, made for her. Aren't they just the cutest? The pink & yellow striped pillows were made by none other than myself. I think they turned out cute, if I say so myself. The rest of the pillows and comforter we already owned. And on the far top left hand side is the Sesame Street Alphabet poster I pick up for $5 at the JBF sale. It is perfect for her room.

Here is a full view of the day bed and rocker. Notice the windows. They give such amazing light in her room. I am still working on the whole curtain issue. I want something light and bright but haven't found what I am looking for. I did start some plain white curtains but gave up after the first set. Notice that on the left there are curtains but not on the other. It is a work in progress, what can I say?

This is her dresser/changing table. I really wish I had pictures of the before. Her daddy worked so hard on this and I think it is so beautiful. Again, a little shoot out to E-beth, who walked us through the whole refinishing of the dresser over the phone. E loves looking at herself while we change her diaper. I love it because it is not new and it has character but mostly because her daddy worked so hard on it. I can't help but smile when I see it in her room.

(This pic. isn't the best but you can see the bare wall where her shelves will be in the reflection of the mirror.)

Here is a close up of J's hardwork. Isn't it a beauty? The handles are original to the piece. J decide to just spray painted them. They turned out great and I love them!

Stay tuned for the updated pictures of her bare wall and new shelves!

A Little Late...

Tuesday was my hubby's birthday and our anniversary.

It was a great day. I dropped off the baby and surprised him by returning home to pick him up for breakfast. Before E we always had breakfast on his day off then would run around and rummage through Habitat for Humanity or go to Home Depot. We are crazy like that. Since E we haven't gone out to have breakfast together. So we did all the things we use to do before her. And it was fun. It made us grateful for the time we got to spend together but also reflect on how much life has changed.

Happy Birthday & Happy Anniversary to the most amazing guy!! Love You!

Back To Work

I truly believe in mind over matter. While I was pregnant I told myself that I would not be that person who hated it. I wanted to enjoy it and I wanted to reflect that on the outside as well. And I think I did a pretty good job at that. And before E was born I decided I wanted to not be that parent who was so concerned about the dishes, laundry, dinner, etc., that I didn't take the time to enjoy my child.

I have gone back to work full time. And it is hard. It is hard to have to leave her and have no other choice. It is hard because I can't think of anything else but her throughout the day. It is hard because I can't stop thinking about all the things I am going to miss out on in the future. But I have made up my mind. I am not going to dwell on those thoughts I am going to be present where I am everyday. When I am at work I will continue to think of her but will be at work because that is where I need to be. And when I am home I will be home with E & J. Work and dishes will always be there. Those things will never go away even if she is with me.

So I have tried so hard to be well prepared with dinner, laundry, dishes, etc., so when I pick her up I can hang out with her for a while. I am working on organizing myself enough to be present all the time. I have learned so much in that last 12 weeks. I admire all mothers, but mostly I admire my sisters for being able to balance all the hats they wear. I know it is possible to do it all because I see them balance life with such grace.

This is what I strive for...for grace to be all that I need to be for those around me and for myself, for the ability to enjoy it all now and have no regrets later, to know that failing is inevitable but rising is a choice, for loving wholeheartedly even when things are not easy and for being able to see beyond the moment...to be forever grateful.

Happy Stacker

How cute is this. My friend, Mary Alice, made E this happy stacker. Isn't it just the most adorable thing you have ever seen. She is amazing and so talented. I just wanted to share this because I felt so loved when I saw her making it. It took her an entire day and by that I mean sun up to sundown and still part of the next morning.

But it is beautiful and I know E will love it just as much as I do.