YEAH... CHECK IT OUT!!

Like I shared last night I have been wanting a new look for my website. I would love to have a flash site but since I am doing this on my own this is as good as it gets for now. So here is the new unveiling of the JR Photography website. Come take a look and give me your feedback! Thanks.

I think I might throw up.....

Sorry to be so gross but I am just sick to my stomach. I updated some pictures on my website tonight for JR Photography. Well as I was looking at the site I really don't like the way the colors flow, it feels a little loud to me. So I decided to change my site. I have been updating the template for the last few hours and for some reason it will not publish the changes and I don't know how to fix it. I am frustrated because I really like the new one so much better and the old one is now driving me crazy and I DON'T KNOW HOW TO FIX IT!!!! URRRRR!! Ok... enough of my tantrum I must go to bed.. goodnight. :(

Great weekend!

We really had a great weekend last weekend. I didn't take the time yesterday to share it because I figured it might get long. Anyway, Friday we just stayed in and got to bed at a decent time. Saturday morning we lounged around a bit but then we got up and went to the farmer's market. I spent about ten dollars and I got asparagus, tomatoes, pears, kiwi, apples, and zucchini. Yum. It was just fun to go and look. It was pretty scarce as far as vendors go because it was cold and snowing but I still enjoyed it. Then off we went to Costco. We have started the planning process for Brodes first birthday and I am excited. We are going to be grilling in the back yard and just celebrating. I think it will be fun. From Costco off we went to Babies R US. :) Lots of shopping on Saturday as you can tell. We got Brody some things that he needed for summer. He got a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, swim diapers, and we finally decided and ordered his car seat. He is so long that he just hangs out of the infant seat. Last but not least Don talked me into buying a Vikings Jersey. (it was clearanced). It was a productive day. Then we headed home and prepared for our company. A friend of ours came for dinner Saturday night. We don't get to see him very often so it was fun. 

SUNDAY... well that was the best day of course because we celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. It was such a good day. I got up with Brody at 5:45 am! That wasn't fun but by 8am Don got up and I went back to bed. I slept until 11AM!! I don't know the last time I slept until 11. IT WAS WONDERFUL. Don's mom arrived at the house around 12:15 and around 12:40 we were out the door. We went and saw Leatherheads. It was so fun to go to a movie. It had been so long since we had been to the movie theatre. After the movie we went on to the mall and just walked around and talked. We headed off to dinner at the Cheesecake factory.. YUM! Dinner was so fun. We just sat and talked about the last 6 years, reminiscing. We tried to remember a memory from each year and it was crazy. It's only been six years and they are already running together. During dinner Don looks at me and says "You are sooo cute." He has a big smile on his face. " I love when you wear jewelry. I want to buy you a ring. You need to wear more rings." SO after dinner he took me to target and we found a ring. Simple and inexpensive. But it's cute and I like it. Regardless the way that he did it and how he said it was so cute. I loved it. We got home around 7:45pm. We had 7 hours together on Sunday... basically the whole day. It was great. SO that was my great weekend. 

5 minutes for Mom - Motherhood Photocontest

The photo that I chose was taken by my friend Melissa who is a professional photographer. 

To me motherhood is commitment, sacrifice, and love. This picture captures so beautifully the love that my son and I have for each other but more then that you can see in his expression that he cherishes being loved.  Thank you Melissa for taking a beautiful picture. Thank you 5 minutes for mom for hosting a great contest and honoring Mothers. :)

Don't tell him I told you....

If my husband knew I wrote this story he might be some what embarrassed but it really is too funny to pass up. I hope you get a kick out of it as much as I did. If you are easily offended or grossed out I would turn back, don't read anymore, this is a warning!!

There really is no fabulous way to start the story so I will get right to the point. We were laying in bed this morning. Prior to this I had heard Brody moving around so I figured he was up. Don and I were chatting when all of the sudden he let's go... I hope you know what I mean... he tooted. What a guy laying in bed with his wife... so romantic. I am sure no one else's husband ever does this. So anyway, right after we here Brody say Daddy... and then he laughed! Hahahaha... Don and I were cracking up. It was like he knew who was responsible and that it was funny! 

Congratulations Michelle!!

Congratulations to Michelle for winning the Signing Time DVD gift set and the board books!! A great big thank you goes out to Signing Time for sponsoring a generous give away. Also I want to thank everyone for participating. :)

This Sunday ~ 6 years

April 27th, 2002. This was a crazy day, a day that I hope that I will never forget as long as I live. 6 years ago from this coming Sunday I married my husband. I know that 6 years isn't long but I just can't believe that it's been 6 years. It's gone by so fast. It's amazing when I look back at our relationship over the years and think about what we have gone through, how we have grown and I can't imagine what is yet to come. I look forward to it though. 

April 27, 2002 was an interesting day. It's probably made some sort of record due to the weather that day. Honestly some people still remember it. It started out cloudy and before the day was up it was raining, thundering, lightening, and snowing. There was no snow to be seen at the start of the day and by the end of the night my new husband was driving white knuckled to the hotel due to utter fear of the blizzard that was before him. We went to bed that night with a blanket of snow on the ground and woke up to the snow being gone. It was really crazy.

I can't talk about our anniversary without thinking back and that is one of many things that stands out to me that day. Anyway, I am so excited to celebrate this Sunday with Don. His mom is coming over to babysit and we have been storing up our gift cards so that we can have a date. We are going to go to a movie and out to dinner at the CHEESECAKE FACTORY!! YUM!! So I had to write about it tonight before the weekend ran away with me and I forgot to mention it. Maybe I will get a picture of the two of us on Sunday and post it on here. 

Anyway, I can honestly say (I know I know but it's true) I love him more today then I did the day we got married. I think that over time the way you love changes and deepens. My husband is the hardest working, most dedicated, loyal man that I know. I am so lucky to be able to spend my life with him. 

Frugality Forgotten......

Not quite but almost. Every week it seems I just get my Frugal Friday post just barely before the clock strikes midnight. I have been thinking lately about buying in bulk and this is what I want to talk about this week. 

I used to think that to buy in bulk you had to be married in a large family. However there are many things to buy in bulk that are non-perishable and that you use regularly that will save you money. Ok... but the obvious toilet paper, pads or tampons (sorry but I had to say it), soap, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, etc. You get the idea. 

We have a Costco membership and recently I had a crazy experience with a coupon. I use Cetaphil face cleanser. I needed a moisturizer because mine had run out. Shortly after I received a Costco coupon for Cetaphil cleanser and moisturizer. You were allowed to use the coupon more then once. So off to Costco with my list in hand. I figured it would probably be $16.00 for a pack or more depending how many bottles were in a pack. So I get to Costco. There are two bottles in a pack of Cetaphil Cleanser and Moisturizer. They were about $9.00 each. ( 2 in a pack). Cetaphil costs $10.00 a bottle at Target. I was really surprised. My coupon was $4.50 off. Did you catch that. So basically I paid $10.00 for all four bottles, at Target this would have cost me $40.00!! So you get my drift ladies that you can save money on many things other then food for your family or diapers for babes. Also look through the coupons. I also bought a HUGE container of coffee that might last us like A YEAR, but I put it in the freezer and I paid $5.00 for it. I think you're getting my point. My savings at Costco were significant enough for it to have it's own Friday blog. So the moral of this story buy in bulk and use the coupons on top of it! Wahoo... we love to save money. 

Your Frugal Friend. 

He's a BOY do you really think I would put him in ruffles??

Yep you heard me right, someone thought Brody was wearing ruffles. If you look at the post with the pictures of him at 11 months his pants are rolled up and buttoned. You have to look at the picture good to see the detail but if you look at it small apparently the pants look like they are ruffled! This is what my sister informed me and didn't understand why I had dressed him so girly!! Hahahaha... I just wanted to clear it up and let you all know that he wasn't wearing pants with ruffles. :)

That explains all the crying...

My poor baby has an ear infection in each ear. This last week he has been teething and miserable. He has had the whole runny nose bit and terrible cough. Well I finally decided to bring him to the Dr. but I half expected them to send me home saying ok new mommy your baby is teething get over it. However, that wasn't the case and now I understand why my week has been so sleepless. 

Getting Your mom off the phone!

So I don't know if your mom is anything like mine but when I tell her I need to get off the phone she keeps talking. Now I will have to say for my mom's sake that she lives far away and when she has the time to talk to me she really wants to talk because she  misses me. However, there are times when I will be trying for 20 minutes or longer to get off the phone. So today I am sitting there with wet hair and needing to go. So finally I walked into the bathroom and started blowing drying my hair. Not very subtle is it. My mom says "What is that noise." I smiled to myself and said I am blowing drying my hair. My mom "Ok... I will let you go, love you bye." I don't think she has ever gotten off the phone so fast. hehehe.. my poor mom. I hope Brody never does this to me!!!! HAHAHAHAHA.. I am totally kidding, I will probably be just like my mom.  I DO LOVE YOU MOM!!! But I just had to share, it was too funny. 

Mommy Moments

I should make this a regular post because I seem to have quite a few mommy moments lately that I could probably put them in a book and make some money making people laugh at my expense. Mommy moments is a term that I use to describe moments that for a moment my brain has shut off and I am not thinking. Ok. so here are two moments in the last couple of weeks that just make me go... REALLY??? Enjoy.

My sister from Florida called me one Saturday morning. I was woken out of a dead sleep and couldn't get to the phone fast enough. So I allowed myself a few minutes to try and wake up. When I dialed the number back I got a message that said this number is no longer in service. I thought that it was totally weird, she just called me from this number how can that be. I kept trying to call and kept getting the same message. I started to worry. I am a worrier. What if something was wrong when she tried calling? What if she tried calling while driving and was in an accident, and on and on and on... my mind was reeling. I called my other sister at work and told her. Well she had just received a text message from her earlier. So she decided she would text her and have her call me. Sure enough my sister calls me right away. Ok... go ahead and laugh but I started crying when I heard her voice because I had gotten so worried about her. Now comes the ridiculous part.... so my sister asks me to try calling her again. I call her and I get the same message. I can't figure out what in the world is going on. So I finally decide to look closely at the number and realize that the number we have entered in our phone for her didn't have a one in front of it!! :) Yep it's kind of hard to call long distance without the one. Oh boy! Time to go back to bed.

Ok. Here is another one. This one is kind of a doozy too. Yesterday morning my hubby asked me if I was going anywhere with the Brodes today. I thought about it but no if we went anywhere it was going to be on a walk. Well after he walked in and out of the house about 3-4 times he finally left for work. I didn't see him drive away but I saw our car  pull up in front of the house and thought what did he forget this time. He sat outside the house and drove away again. Well I didn't think about it the rest of the day. Brodes and I went about our day and in the afternoon we went for a walk. In the evening I was starting supper, feeding Brody when I looked outside the kitchen window only to see the car parked in the back just outside our fence. I thought to myself when did Don get home? Why isn't he coming inside? I figured he was on a business call or something. So I went about my business but after about 10-15 minutes I thought he certainly has been out there a long time. Then the phone rang and here is calling me from his work phone. Why in the world would he call me when he can come inside? I said hi and asked him where he was. He states that he is on his way home from work but has to stop by the office. I seriously thought he was pulling my leg. So I proceed to ask didn't you take the car this  morning? He informs me that he took the truck. I some how hallucinated that I saw him outside the front of out house that morning in our car and then saw him drive away in it! So who's car did I see and who was sitting in it?So anyway the whole time he had the truck and the car had been parked out back all day! You can't make this stuff up...

Ok.. so here are a couple more.

 - I took the crackers out of the  cupboard the other day for lunch and then couldn't find them anywhere when I went to give some to Brody. I find them later in the fridge. Whoops. 

- I think everyone has done this one time or another but I was in the shower and couldn't remember if I had washed my hair or not. So I washed it and then remembered that I had already done so. Oh well... at least my hair will be extra shiny. 

- I keep forgetting my mommy moments to share with all of you, seriously I will be going over them in my head and in a matter of minutes think ok... now what were they again.

I hope you enjoyed mommy moments by Jennifer. :O

WHY WHY WHY????

I have this sinking feeling in my gut. I never win anything. Really I don't. Most likely the random number generator will pick the person before me or just after me. So why is it that I am spending so much time entering all of the contests for the bloggy carnival. I can't stop. It's addicting. My eyes are starting to glaze over but there is a chance to win gift cards, books, jewelry, hand bags, t-shirts, and on and on and on.... how can I resist.. maybe just maybe I will win one. :)

Want to win a $25.00 gift card

Go to Un-domestic Mommy! She is giving a gift card away an honor of the bloggy carnival. Make sure you show the link on this page and we will both be entered twice. :) WHOOPPIEEE 

Signing Time: Review & Giveaway!

Have you ever had a desire to teach your child a second language? When I was a little girl we had an extended family member who was deaf. I didn't know how to communicate with him. I remember that it has been from that point on that I have always wanted to learn ASL. Due to the fact that I had a desire to learn sign language I have always known that I wanted to sign with my children. I was so excited to find Signing Time and even more excited when they agreed to let me review their products. Signing with your baby is wonderful but videos, books, flash cards all offer wonderful reinforcement. Signing Time provides more then just videos, so make sure you check out their website to see everything that they provide. 

If you have never considered signing with your children I would recommend it. Signing may increase communication skills, decrease tantrums and frustrations, and increase bonding with parents. It doesn't need to be a chore, or something that takes a lot of time but can easily be added to your routine and daily activities. Signing Time makes learning sign language easy and natural for you and your children. Join Rachel, Alex, Leah and Hopkins as they sing, dance, and sign their way into your home. Signing Time is fun and engaging. The minute that I turned on the video Brody was so excited. He loved the music. We have watched our videos several times and they are engaging even for an 11 month old. I would recommend Signing Time for anyone who has the desire to learn ASL and parents who want to teach their children. Signing Time will teach you and entertain you through singing, dancing, and animation. 

I am so excited to announce that Signing Time will be providing a generous giveaway to one lucky winner!! The drawing will go through April 25th at 11:59pm. Only U.S. residents are eligible. One Lucky winner will be selected by random on April 26th. Signing Time will be giving away Signing Times dvd gift set volumes 1-3, and board books. To qualify for this drawing you must do the following.

1. I would love to hear why you have a desire to learn ASL, or teach it to your children. 

2. Check out Signing Times website. Come back here and tell me about the products that they have that are most appealing to you. 

3. Please make sure to leave an email so that I have a way of contacting the winner. 

Ok. So that should be pretty simple right! :) Please provide an answer for each step!! As soon as the winner is chosen I will contact you via email with the instructions on how to proceed with claiming your prize. Thank you for participating. 

One last thing is that this giveaway is an honor of the BLOGGY CARNIVAL. There are hundreds of bloggers this week all participating and their giving away a variety of things ranging from gift cards, books, jewelry, and the list goes on. It provides a fun way to meet other bloggers! Make sure to check out the BLOGGY CARNIVAL.

AND THE WINNER IS.....

Congratulations Laura!!! You are the winner of the Baby Legs! Thanks to everyone for participating. Starting tomorrow there will be ANOTHER review and giveaway! This is an honor of the bloggy carnival. SO FUN! If you are not familiar with this I recommend you check out. Bloggers from all over the place have giveaways for a ton of different stuff. Check back tomorrow to see what I will be giving away!! :)

Thank you!

I really want to thank everyone who was so encouraging to me the other day. There was a lot of wisdom, encouragement and support! Thank you for your thoughtfulness. 

11 months old!

I can't hardly believe that we are quickly approaching a year. I am excited and sad. It's so crazy how fast the time has gone. Here are a few pictures of the cutest 11 mo. old ever. :) Hehehe... 

BTW.. still not walking... it might not be until 12 months... we will see! Do  you remember what you voted on??

Avocados YUM!

In this household we LOVE avocados. Not that it's that interesting to read about but I am excited to say that Brody has jumped on the band wagon and loves them too. I fed him some today for the first time and it was so funny because he chowed down. And BONUS because they are so good for him. :)

When was the last time you...

played your favorite song & danced like crazy, danced or played in the rain, laughed until you cried or peed your pants (I don't recommend the ladder) :), got in a water fight, sang at the top of your lungs without worrying about someone hearing you, built a tent in your living room, played make believe, ran through the sprinkler, climbed a tree, played in the grass, wore eccentric hats or funky socks, walked bare foot outside. 

Today I danced. I blared my favorite song & danced my little heart out. It was so fun, you can't help but smile. I dance around with Brody but I haven't danced like that probably since I was in college. :) Then I started to think about other things that I used to do that for some reason as  an adult I have  stopped doing it. Some of it I kind of understand but I hope that everything on that list I will do with Brody at least once. I think sometimes we take ourselves too seriously. I certainly know that I do. Thank  God for little children, who remind us to play, dream, and be silly. :) 

blibber blubber blabber

I have written a lot about what God is teaching me or what's going on in my life. I have been praying a lot about the Lord renewing my mind. I have many struggles, as we all do, but certain things I guess I just really need to relinquish. So I go in spurts where I am pretty consistant in talking to God and reading his Word. Actually I am probably in the Word more then I ever have been but sometimes there is this defiance in me. I feel this pull, reminder, or whatever you want to call it daily telling me to come and spend time with him. Sometimes I do and sometimes blatantly I do not. I hate when I ignore it. I feel so sad and yucky. As I said in a previous post I have been sad lately. I think there is more going on then what I shared, some of it I know what it is but some of it I can't exactly pin point. However, I need to be in God's Word. Clearly this is going to make a difference yet I don't do it. So I woke up in the middle of the night only to be reminded that I can not do anything without God, He is the vine and I am the branches without him I can not do anything. To me this was God's way of reminding me of the importance of reading his Word and abiding in Him. That if I truly want certain areas of my mind to be renewed that I have to stop trying to do it on my own. I woke up this morning just awed again by how much God cares for me. I constantly walk away from him and he never gives up on me. Always pursuing me and reminding me of what I need in my life. I think regarding many things I am in a battle right now. I don't want to seem like I am complaining because my life is good but it's not easy. Being at home is great but maybe part of the challenge now is too much time in my head to think. :O So anway, I warned you this was blibber blubber blabber and you read it anyway. I guess the point is that this is somewhat of an update on what God is doing in my life with the lessons that he is teaching me. It's on going but he is faithful! Praise the Lord. 

Frugal Friday

Hello Friends. So it's 11:24 and I remembered that it was Friday which meant that I was supposed to write today about being Frugal. Thank goodness I remembered before midnight. :)

So I want to continue more on the line of food. I think that this is where we probably spend a lot of extra money. So let's talk about generic products. I used to buy Campbell Chunky soups. I am not saying anything wrong with Campbells, I bought them for a reason. However, it's not real cheap for a can of soup. I started buying the Target brand market pantry and I saved over $1.00 a can. That's a big difference. I think with generic brands you need to be willing to take a little chance. Some generic brands are fine, but certain things generic don't taste good no matter how you spin it. For example, CHEERIOS!!! YUM... the generic just doesn't cut it, so we buy it in bulk and it's actually equivalent. Also if you don't have the option for bulk there are always coupons for cereal. 

Another topic and some people might have an opinion on this but you can take it or leave it. Most communities have food shelves or something similar. If the local community has a food shelf and there are no income requirements it's eligible for anyone to use. I think often we don't think that we should be using these options or that we don't qualify but they are there to assist anyone in the community. There is a food shelf in our area that my sister helped me find. The shelf buys the food at such a cheap rate because it's in bulk so they are able to sell it very inexpensively. In return they ask that you give back to your community in some way. Don does things for the neighbor lady, I volunteer at church, etc. All of these things count but they don't keep track anyways. It's an honors system. The point is it's there for anyone to use and take advantage. If it helps save on groceries and allows you to put some extra money in savings then that's great, or allows you to pay extra money on a bill. So check out your community, see what is available for assistance and take advantage of it! That's what it's there for. :) God Bless and have a great weekend.

Your frugal friend. 

so sad & frustrated...

Those of you who are close to me are already aware of this but I just need to write my feelings down. I don't quite know how to stop being sad, and I am just frustrated with some relationships in my life right now. In the last year & a half I have hurt two friends. Totally two different circumstances, friends, & situations but it's weird to have this happen in such a short time frame. But apparently I have hurt these people to the point that they don't even want to be friends anymore. I am writing this now because one of the relationships is very fresh. Going through this now makes me feeling like I am reliving the other experience even though they were different situations. I understand how and why I have hurt this person but I had to make the decision that I made for myself and my family. It needed to happen and now I have lost someone who meant a lot to me in order to protect the ones dearest to me. I find myself sorry sometimes, angry other times, baffled, frustrated. I don't understand why relationships have to be this hard and hurt this much. The funny thing is that both of these friendships probably weren't the healthiest or the best for either of us involved. There needs to be some growing all around but it doesn't make it easier to loose. I truly hope that God is able to bring healing, peace and comfort. Maybe some day I will be have to have a friendship with both of them again. 

Ok... so on to the weather...

WOW!! I am just as happy as a bed bug. Brody and I went outside today. I put a pair of pants on him that roll up into shorts. My mom bought them for him, their plaid with a matching hat. It's pretty cute on him. Anyway rolled his pants up and put on SANDALS!! I let him down and let him crawl around the yard. It was so fun to watch him touch the grass, pick up the sticks, and take in our yard in a way he hasn't had a chance to yet. You could tell he was happy to be outside. :) I LOVE SPRING!!!  Now we are going to go on a walk!! Ohhhhh... i love it. 

What a beautiful day...

I bet you think I am talking about the weather, although that is beautiful I am referring to the fact that I got my bathroom thoroughly cleaned today. I love the smell of bleach. :) It hasn't been forever but it's been to long, if that is the only thing I get done today I am happy. So as you can imagine that this is what inspired my poll. I couldn't help myself. I frequently wipe the bathroom down with lysol wipes but I don't clean it thoroughly as often as I like. Quite frankly my friend and I were discussing that you when you clean the bathroom or the kitchen it takes so much time and within a couple of days it doesn't look like you did anything. So at least I have one or two days of a shiny bathroom. :) 

Blog Header

So I am going crazy. I want to add a family picture to my header and it's not working. When I edit the header and add the picture it either replaces my blog header, so you don't see the name of the blog, or it's just the picture with no heading and looks funny. For some reason I got the picture to show up at the bottom of the page but can't get it at the top! What in the world is going on??

I am so exhausted....

I feel like I could possibly throw up I am so tired. You wanted to know that didn't you?? I got about 4 hours of sleep or less last night. Brodes had a tough night! :( Poor guy. So it's after midnight... and you ask why in the world are you still up... all i got for you... I DON'T KNOW!! Good night. 

BABYLEGS: Review & Giveaway!!

Stylish, comfortable, functional, fun & funky! What else can I say? One of my favorite things about BabyLegs is that they look adorable on but they have many functions and that is what makes them an excellent product. Here are some of the functions of BabyLegs; ease of diaper changing, protecting the legs & knees of crawling babes, great for newborn & young babies, leg warmers under jeans & dresses (much easier then tights!), & great for lounging around the house. Don't think for one minute that BabyLegs are just for girls, they have the cutest styles for boys as well. Brody received an adorable pair of BabyLegs and they just accentuate those chubby legs that we love to kiss, bite, squeeze and tickle. BabyLegs is sponsoring a giveaway for one lucky winner. You will receive one pair of fuzzy cream BabyLegs. They are super cute. The giveaway will go through April 18th @ 11:59pm. The winner will be posted on or around the 19th. :) In order to be eligible you must go to the BabyLegs website, look around & tell me which pair you would love to have for your kiddo. There are many adorable styles so it's going to be hard to choose. If you would like to sign up more then once just link this giveaway on your blog & you can have two chances to win!! Have fun and thanks for participating. 

Sassy has a giveaway!!

So my girlfriend is having a giveaway on her blog. It's for Little Yaya's boutique. The giveaway is for an adorable blanket that are home made. Make sure to check it out on SassyFrazz's blog.

WE GOT STEPS!!!!!!

Brody has taken TWO steps. We aren't officially calling it walking. Would you?? We figured walking is more when he can walk from one thing to another without help. How old were your kids when they started walking? 

Frugal Friday

Sorry I missed last Friday but I will try to make it up to you. This week is all about cooking & grocery shopping. So here are a few things that we do. 

First of all I will plan a dinner menu about two weeks at a time. When you do this try to use what you have on hand. Look through the cupboards and see what you can make for dinner based on those items.

Once you have your menu for the two weeks then you should be able to determine what you need for groceries for the next two weeks. ( you can do this one week at a time as well. i just stretch it out to avoid grocery shopping.)

When you go shopping stick to your list, nothing extra. I don't know about you guys but in order to do this I must go, not the husband. Whenever my darling husband goes he comes back with pop, chips, or a candy bar. He is so naughty. 

So onto cooking. I will make breakfast for supper. Breakfast is cheaper. We have cut back on the amount of meat that we cook with and add more vegetables. Meat is expensive. Also you can eat vegetarian once a week... beans & rice is one of our favorites, grilled cheese and soup, or vegetable stir fry. There are a few options.  We also will have cheap burritos... refried beans, shredded cheese in a tortilla with sour cream. :) 

Eating out - DON'T!! Hahaha.. jk. It's hard to do if you are like us, we love to eat out. However, when you make a menu for your meals it makes it easy not to eat out because you already have a plan for supper. If you are going to eat out split a meal. Most of the time they give you more food then necessary. If you do fast food use the dollar menu. Don and I ate off the dollar menu a few weeks ago from BK and we ate for less then $5.00. Ok. I think we are officially cheap... ummm I mean frugal. :) Add anything else that you want to share and I hope you enjoy my little tidbits. :O

This is what I have been up to.....

So this is really only part but it's kept me busy. I took pictures of Amity and Darin last week and have been spending much of my free time editing. The week before that I had my contest going on and that was the week we found out about Anna. So I guess there has just been a lot going on. Not to mention that I don't know how to keep my contests at the top of my blog so I worried that people wouldn't find it if I posted!! :) Sorry it's been so boring. I have a BUNCH of new pics of Brody. We have been able to get outside and that has been wonderful so it's been fun to get some pictures of him outside. Anyway, that is just a brief update there will be more to come. 

And the winner is.....

BUNNY B! Thank you to everyone for participating. It was so fun to have so many entries for my first giveaway. I enjoyed reading what people wrote! Bunny B enjoy your stationary. Thanks again everyone. :)

A Beautiful Tribute

Yesterday and today was the wake and funeral for Anna Meg. There isn't much to say I guess about the wake. It was informal. We walked in and everyone was visiting. We saw many people we hadn't seen in years. 

Today (the funeral) was bittersweet. I have never seen two people who are truly a tower of strength. Certainly Anna's parents have their struggles but today was all about Christ and celebrating Anna's life. They started the service by singing to God. We sang "Blessed be the name of the Lord." In this song the words are "You give and take away, You give and take away, my heart will choose to say Blessed be your name." There isn't a doubt in my mind that Nate and Lisa believe this completely in their hearts, the Lord has taken Anna home and they will continue to Glorify God. I know that it's not about them but about God through them. That is what I saw today. The point of the sermon was that there are no answers to why these things happen, the only answer the pastor had was JESUS. :) It's so so true isn't it? The Lord has to be our Rock, he is our Redeemer, Savior, Healer, our all in all. Today the Lord was praised, Anna was honored. Anna's dad got up and spoke. It was rather gut wrenching, but it was truly amazing. I believe that the Lord held him up as he spoke. He shared who Anna was with us, talked about her life, her personality, the things that she loved. It was really great hearing him talk about his baby. He stated more then once that they were so proud of her, it was so evident and they were right to be proud. At 3 years old she endured more then some of us will ever experience in a life time. She was a courageous, faithful, intelligent, and compassionate baby girl. Anna Meg was loved deeply and will be missed dearly. 

Poll Results....

I thought I knew the answer to this when I created the poll... without a doubt the place I had wanted to always go was Fiji. :) BUT.. since I created the poll I thought long and hard about that answer. If I ever had a chance to go to one place I would actually choose Italy. Everything in me has always wanted to go there and I believe that you would get to see more then just being on an Island. However, I would be ecstatic if I ever got to go to Fiji as well. It was a tricky question really because every place I put I have longed to go but if I had to choose just one it would be ITALY!!!! OHHHHH..... I would love that. :)