No Butch Burgers For Us.....

instead we did this!

poor Rob got a Kidney stone last night as we were driving to Butch Cassidy's. Half way there he started complaining of his side hurting. Three minutes later he was nearly in tears and pulled the car over so I could drive. I turned the car around to take him to the Urgent Care clinic by our house, but it was rush hour and traffic was horrible. I was horrified watching him wretch in pain in the passenger seat. He then decided he wanted to go to the Emergency Room instead (I think halfway because it was closer and halfway because he was scared it was something more serious). Anyway we got there and they got him to a bed and with pain medicine relatively quickly (about a 1/2 hour). I left and took Brady over to Justin & Britni's so he wouldn't be there with all the nasty swine flu victims. THANK YOU SO MUCH BRITNI! Ya'll are wonderful friends and I don't know what we'd do without you!!!

They did a CT scan and saw that it really was a kidney stone like Rob had suspected and they also delivered the news that there are a few more in his kidney's just waiting for their turn! YAY - more fun to look forward to!!! Anyway they sent him home with some heavy duty pain meds and we were able to make it home & be in bed by 10:00. Thankfully we weren't there all night! He felt great this morning, like nothing had ever happened. He just left a couple hours ago to work a 14 hour shift - lucky him. I think we'll try again for Butch Cassidy's on Wed. or Thurs.

Now for my Walgreen's treasures that I promissed...................

I got all of this for $12.13!

It would have been a little less except that I had to split it into 3 transactions to get all the Register Rewards and on the second transaction Rob forgot to hit the employee discount button so I missed the 15% discount on those items.

Here's what I got:

3 Oral-B Advantage toothbrushes

4 bags of candy corn

1 Vaseline Sheer Fusion Lotion

3 (3 pack) Ivory Soap - yes, this is really the kind we use, it's great soap.

2 Morton Salts

1 Dental Floss

1 (100ct) coffee filters

1 (2pk) Emergen-C

3 Venus Razors

2 Fusion Razors (one is manual the other is powered)

The total cost of all this before coupons, register rewards & discounts would have been $80.43, that means I saved 85%!!!! Awesome! I know most of you probably think this is a bunch of junk, but it is all stuff that we use. It might not get used this week, but it WILL get used at some point.

Saving Money!!!

I love a bargain and I'm a self-professed Cheap-O with a capital C. In our local Sunday paper yesterday there was an article on a local mom that saves hundreds of dollars every month on groceries by couponing and shopping local sales. I immediately checked out her blog and am so inspired. I've heard of this type of stuff before using the Grocery Game, but didn't shop at the stores they had "lists" for in our area. But this lady actually lives here in Mobile and on my side of town. You would not believe the amount of money she saves. The downfall is that she does most of her grocery shopping at the new Publix across the bay which is a good 45-60min drive for me. But like I said, she lives on my side of town and she makes this drive weekly and saves a TON of money so I think it might just be worth the gas $$ and my time to give it a try. Plus I love any excuse to take a little trip over there :)

She also buys most of her toiletry items from drug stores like Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid. I've heard of people making out like bandits at these stores, but have never given it a try......and the hubby works for Walgreens so I can use his employee discount on top of the savings. I bought 3 copies of the Sunday paper yesterday to get extra coupons and I've scoured the Walgreens ad and made my list. Brady is napping right now, but when he wakes up we're heading out to stock up and visit daddy at work. If everything works out like I've planned we'll do very well on our trip.

This lady (her name is Shannon by the way) also posted today about Restaurant.com with a coupon code (CHEF) to save 80% off of their already reduced gift card prices. She said she has used the website before and it really is legit. So of course I hopped on over there and lo and behold Butch Cassidy's (our favorite burger joint) is one of the participants. So I ordered 4 $10 gift certificates (which you print right then & there) for a whopping $3.20. There are some conditions - valid Mon-Thurs. for dinner only & you must spend at least $15, plus they add 20% gratuity - but HELLO we have no problem with any of these! I think we'll be dining out this evening :) I'll let you know if there are any issues using the certificates. Britni - I don't remember if you & Justin like BC or not, but there are other local restaurants listed as well!

See What I Mean???

This is my "craft room"

Somehow I have to serve dinner on this table tonight, then drag all this junk back out and repeat the process again tomorrow and maybe again the next day. Do you see why I don't sew or "craft" very often?

I might as well show you what I've been working on....new covers for the throw pillows on our couch. I found this fabric on the remnant table at my favorite fabric store here in Mobile, Five Gold Monkeys. I must admit, it's not the prettiest fabric in the world, but it matched our color scheme and it was marked down to $5/yd when the original price was $26.95/yd. Can't beat that! I've never made these covers before so I figured it would be a good practice fabric.

I've been wanting to make new covers for a while, since we've had our others for quite a while. I normally buy covers from Pottery Barn, but they are EXPENSIVE! Usually anywhere from $30-$50 per cover and I need at least 6 of them for our couch. The total for this one was about $6. Also I always want to buy "seasonal" covers for Christmas/Fall/Spring/Summer to change the feel of the room. But, HELLO, we're not rich! Now I can make as many as I want. They are very easy to make also. The hardest part is measuring and cutting out the fabric. You can find the tutorial I used here.

I was so proud of myself for not screwing up the velcro! Now I can remove them to be washed or just change them up whenever.

I only made this one last night, because I started pretty late. I'm going to try and finish two more tonight. Then I'll start shopping for some prettier fabric ~ maybe something Christmasy!

Getting Inspired

Last night as I was lost in internet land I came across a few crafty blogs that I fell in love with. I adore fresh, brightly colored, funky fabric projects and desperately wish I was a better seamstress. The few projects I have made always turn out crooked and with uneven seams. I don't know if that has anything to do with my lower than the lowest end sewing machine (which was a gift from my mama and I am VERY appreciative for) or if it has something to do with user error. I'm pretty sure it's the latter. Regardless, I don't have a lot of time for sewing projects anyway. But I was certainly inspired after seeing LifeinGrace's new craft room! Oh how I wish I had space for one of my own - maybe I would be a little more crafty if I didn't have to lug the sewing machine out to the kitchen table and put it away every time I wanted to make something!

Here are my new loves....

V and Co.

Pleasant Home

PortabelloPixie

and of course my two all time favorites....

Anna Maria Horner

Heather Bailey

It's Almost Time!!!

I've been working hard planning Brady's 1st b-day party and I can't wait to celebrate! This has been the fastest (and hardest) year of my life. But it has been a wonderful journey! It really makes me sad that I can't hold my tiny baby in my arms and nurse him anymore. I really miss those days. I don't miss the lack of sleep, but I really miss my tiny baby, especially now that he's 27 pounds and my arm goes numb if I carry him too long!

His birthday party is going to be small - mostly family and a few friends. We're traveling to our hometown in Ohio so all our family can attend. We're having the party at the local pumpkin patch and we plan on taking a hayride together. I really can't wait. I haven't been to Shaw Farms in at least 10 years, probably longer.

Brady turned 11 months yesterday and he absolutely would not sit still to let me take a picture of him. Today was no better. I'll get one eventually though! Rob actually called me from work yesterday to remind me what day it was and to take pictures. This is how our conversation went:

Me: hello?

Rob: do you know what day it is?

Me: ummm....

Rob: Brady's 11 months old today.

Me: Oh wow, I forgot!

Rob: yup, I can't believe it either.

Me: Ugh oh! I guess it's time to get started on the next one...........(half joking and waiting for an objection)

Rob: OK

Me: What???

Rob: I'm fine with that.

Me: Really?

For those of you that know me well you know that I've had baby fever for the past 6 months. But Rob wasn't quite on board yet. He asked me a couple weeks ago when I wanted to start trying for another, but I wasn't sure if he really wanted to try yet. Preferably I think I'd like to wait till Jan. or Feb. before we start trying again, only because if I got pregnant any earlier the baby would be due in the middle of next summer, right when we'd be trying to sell our house again. I don't think I want to deal with that kind of stress! However, part of me kinda wants to just let nature take it's course and if it happens before then, so be it. I really didn't enjoy getting pregnant last time, because everything was so "planned" if you know what I mean. It was kind of stressful. And then there was the dreaded 2 week wait every month, waiting to see if it worked. I would much prefer to not stress out and instead enjoy life! But I must confess I'm scared to not be in control!

I'm really trying hard not to worry about so much though and instead trust God and follow him (and his plans NOT MINE!). Which leads me to these two books I've been reading and wanted to share. Both are excellent. The second one took me a while to "get into it", but I've been trying to take it slow and digest what is being said. The Beth Moore book is great. I've only read about the first 50 pages but I've already learned so much. I chose this book because I tend to gravitate more towards the "self-help" kind of christian books - you know the kind that tell you how to live. I've read so many of those books but I'm kind of getting tired of them. I wanted to read something with a little more "meat" to it. Beth does a great job at really setting the scene and helping you understand the historical context and the way society was at the time the disciple John walked with Jesus. She brings up questions I would have never thought of, and I'm so glad she does, because it's really helping me pay attention and understand some things I would have otherwise skimmed over and not thought about.

I was in Lifeway this past weekend and the Beth Moore book was on sale for just $5! That's actually the only reason I bought it - glad I did. The other book I bought for about the same amount when our church bookstore went out of business. It was one of the few books left and I didn't want to look rude and walk out without buying anything, so I picked it up, not really expecting much out of it. Maybe God knows I'm a cheapskate and only buy things on sale and intentionally put these in my path? Hmmm....

My Latest Project

Just practicing for the birthday shirt I plan on making for him.

I swear he is looking more like my dad every day.

Funny, because when he was born I could have sworn he wasn't mine.

He didn't look a thing like anybody in my family.

Soon we'll be calling him "little Richard".

Check out those teeth!

You can find the tutorial here.

Show Us Your Life - Favorite Recipes!

This is my first time participating in Kelly's Show us Your Life tour. This week's theme is favorite recipes. I am far from being a good cook, and most of my favorite recipes are "borrowed" from other people. Some of my favorites though are listed below.

No Bake Cheesecake - better than the "real thing"!

-I'm not exactly sure of the origins of this recipe. My mom used to make it all the time when I was little. It was my Dad's favorite and now it is Rob's favorite as well. I believe my aunt got this recipe from a sorority sister of hers back in the 60's. It's delicious.

First, you need to make a graham cracker crust. You can use a store bought one if you must. Personally I think they're nasty, but whatever floats your boat. Here's how to make a homemade one....

1 1/2 sleeves graham crackers

1/2 c sugar

1 stick (give or take) butter

-crush the graham crackers in a baggie. I usually throw them in a large ziplock, break them up some with my hands, then use a rolling pin to crush them up really fine.

-put the crumbs in a bowl and mix in the sugar

-let the butter soften, then either use your hands or a pastry cutter to mix in the butter (I use my hands, it's more fun).

-spread the mixture into a pie dish and press it firmly down in the bottom as well as along the sides.

-bake in a 350* preheated oven for roughly 10 min.

-make sure you allow the crust to cool before adding the filling!

Filling:

1 pkg. cream cheese

1/4 c. lemon juice

1 can sweetened condensed milk

-let the cream cheese soften, then mix the ingredients together on high, till it's not lumpy anymore (mine is usually still a little lumpy b/c I'm impatient and don't let the cream cheese soften enough).

-after the pie crust cools, spread the filling in the crust & place in the refrigerator for a few hours till it's firm. Don't eat too much at once or you'll get a belly ache!

That's about as original as my cooking gets. However, here are some links to some of my other favorite recipes!

Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookies

these are worthy of being sold in a bakery, I promise!

Spicy Chicken Farfalle

The Best Chocolate Cake

Bacon Cheeseburger Chicken

Onion Strings

Chicken Parmesan

We need to buy a plunger....and other stuff.

How is it that in 3 years of living in our house not once have we had the need for a plunger, but this little (almost) 11 month old can clog the toilet in just one diaper change? For those of you that don't know, we use cloth diapers. Which means when B goes #2 we must "dump the load" in the toilet before putting the diaper in the wash.

I did notice he didn't poo much yesterday, which explains the 3 stinky diapers today - and the abnormally large "presents" he left for me to clean up! Just one of those little "gifts" was too much for the toilet to handle!

He makes his daddy proud!

Brady was also cracking us up tonight at dinner. I made chicken parmesan and he ate an entire chicken breast by himself! Feeding him is so much easier now that he can often times eat what we are having and I don't have to make special meals for him. Anyway, he was eating his cut up chicken and of course rubbing it all over his face. The hair in the back of his head of sticking straight up and he looked too cute. He's been very entertaining lately.

Look at this face. Isn't he the most handsome baby you've ever seen?

Also, as I was blog hopping about a week ago I found a tutorial on how to make faux roman shades out of cheap-o mini blinds. The girl that posted the link had made some for her son's bedroom and I thought they were too cute, so I decided to give it a try myself. You can find the tutorial here. I must warn you though, it is very confusing. I really had to think it through as I was doing it. Please don't ask me questions about it though, it makes my brain hurt thinking about it!

Making them was actually very easy and I am quite pleased with the results, just the tutorial was hard to follow. Now that I know what I'm doing I think the next time will be much easier. I am planning on making some more for our master bath and kitchen windows.

I've still got a lot more updating to do. I realize I haven't blogged in a very long time, so I probably don't have any readers anymore. I accept that - it's my own fault! However, since I don't really have time to scrapbook, this is kind of a place for me to record some memories. I'm going to try to be better!

Snuggle Time!

I absolutely LOVE that Brady is now getting to the age where he can lay around and snuggle with us. Granted, he must be VERY tired to do so! On Tuesday night we snuggled as a family on the couch for the 1st time & Brady actually fell asleep laying there! Rob carried him to his room and tucked him in for a little nap. So sweet!

p.s. do you notice my new blog header??? Yeah, I made that myself! Go me!

The Vacuum

Brady's new favorite toy.

I can't wait till he's old enough to do chores!

Sorry about the lack of updating. Blogger is terrible to upload pictures to. It take so long. However, I've been taking an online course to finally know how to use Photoshop Elements which we purchased over a year ago! Now I know how to resize files so they'll upload A LOT faster. The only problem is it takes time to open them up, edit them, & resize them. So I'm not really saving any time :( I'll try to get better though.

We've been staying busy with different activities. It's Wednesday so we had our weekly playgroup. We usually meet at a local park, but this morning we met at another mommy's house. We had a lot of fun. Brady loves playing with the other babies.....and all of their fun toys!

When we got home he crashed and I've been wasting time on the internet! I need to clean very badly so I'll be doing that this afternoon, as well as grocery shopping, before heading out to my Bodypump class tonight at 5:30.