Good gracious I am so behind on blogging. My little munchkin is getting so big, 9 months now. Acutally, she's closer to 10 months. In the past couple of months, I have had many reasons to be grateful for every single blessing I have in my life. Many things have happened to help me reflect on my blessings and I hope that Heavenly Father understands how truly grateful I am.
Some things have occured over the past month that have made me think and ponder. My interests have grown into deep desires to learn more. Some of those interests include couponing, saving money, and a more thorough knowledge of quilting and sewing. Currently the couponing and saving money is taking top priority and I'm enjoying what I have learned so far. Granted, I know almost nothing, but I do subscribe to a few different websites that help with couponing ideas and where to find great deals. I do have to give a plug for the site freebies2deals.com. This lady is amazing at finding deals and free stuff every single day! She's so great. Recently I acquired a steal of a deal because of the few things I have learned. I noticed in the Kmart ad last week that select varieties of Kellogg's cereal were 5 for $10. I had three different coupons, all for $1 off 2 boxes. So, since you don't have to buy 5 at a time to get each box of cereal for $2 a piece, I bought 6 boxes and ended up paying about $9. With the way we go through cereal here at our house, that was a steal of a deal and I was so proud of myself.
I do constantly think about my blog and know that I need to update more. I'll try, but I can't guarantee anything. Until next time! Sorry no pictures.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
Resolutions
Well, I said in my last post that the next post might have some New Year's Resolutions. This is that next post and I suppose I can list a few things I have been thinking about. They may not necessarily be resolutions, but they are things on my mind and I figure I can at least *try* to accomplish some of them.
1) Read at least 5 books this year (that doesn't include children's books). Books for me, not for Claire. I'm already slowly working through President Thomas S. Monson's biography. It's been fun so far reading about his early childhood.
2) More sewing and quilting. I have so many projects waiting for me, but I have told myself I can't start anything new until I finish my other projects. Easier said than done. :)
3) Fold Laundry. Yes, I know it sounds silly but Kory and I struggle big time with folding clean laundry. We usually end up folding it the day before a new laundry day because we need the hampers to carry the dirty clothes. It's a weakness; sad but true.
4) Be Healthier. I wouldn't consider myself the healthiest person, by any means. It's hard to get motivated to exercise and healthy foods are not as cheap as other stuff.
5) One of my resolutions last year was to not be so quick to judge other people. It worked really well for about a month and then fizzled. I find more and more that I just get sick of the gossip and negativity that comes from judging others unrighteously. Giving people the benefit of the doubt really helps me put things in perspective and realize that I would want others to give me the benefit of the doubt. I heard a quote in church last week that really hit home: "If you don't love someone it's because you don't know them." could any statement ring more true? So, my last resolution that I will type here is to be more slow to pass judgement on someone when I have no idea what their situation may be.
Many people get cranky about making resolutions, but I think they help us reflect on our own weaknesses and start improving. So, if you haven't made any resolutions, try to think of maybe just one thing that you would like to do, change, or improve upon this upcoming year. Best wishes!
1) Read at least 5 books this year (that doesn't include children's books). Books for me, not for Claire. I'm already slowly working through President Thomas S. Monson's biography. It's been fun so far reading about his early childhood.
2) More sewing and quilting. I have so many projects waiting for me, but I have told myself I can't start anything new until I finish my other projects. Easier said than done. :)
3) Fold Laundry. Yes, I know it sounds silly but Kory and I struggle big time with folding clean laundry. We usually end up folding it the day before a new laundry day because we need the hampers to carry the dirty clothes. It's a weakness; sad but true.
4) Be Healthier. I wouldn't consider myself the healthiest person, by any means. It's hard to get motivated to exercise and healthy foods are not as cheap as other stuff.
5) One of my resolutions last year was to not be so quick to judge other people. It worked really well for about a month and then fizzled. I find more and more that I just get sick of the gossip and negativity that comes from judging others unrighteously. Giving people the benefit of the doubt really helps me put things in perspective and realize that I would want others to give me the benefit of the doubt. I heard a quote in church last week that really hit home: "If you don't love someone it's because you don't know them." could any statement ring more true? So, my last resolution that I will type here is to be more slow to pass judgement on someone when I have no idea what their situation may be.
Many people get cranky about making resolutions, but I think they help us reflect on our own weaknesses and start improving. So, if you haven't made any resolutions, try to think of maybe just one thing that you would like to do, change, or improve upon this upcoming year. Best wishes!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Angel girl
I find it hard to blog sometimes when I don't have pictures available on my computer. A blog is always more interesting with pictures. I have a few that others took during Christmas time. It's been so nice to have a break from work and just spend time with my angel girl. She is growing way too fast but I love watching her try to sit up and crawl. When I find the adapter cord for my camera, I will post a video of baby Claire trying to crawl. She looks like a swimming frog. :)
I've been too spoiled during my break. I think it will be hard to go back to school tomorrow and start teaching my 1st graders again. *sigh* Claire and I have had so much fun together and I will miss her terribly during the day.
Here are a few pictures from Christmas Eve at Grandma and Grandpa's.
The Christmas Dress from Grandma
Claire can open her mouth really wide when she eats!
She ALWAYS has her hands or her finger in her mouth
Momma, look what Santa brought!
Christmas Eve night and Christmas day were spent at Meemaw and Papa's house. We spent the night, got up and went to church, then came home and opened presents. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures from that event because my camera battery died! But I will take a picture of some of the loot and of her darling rocking chair that Papa got from a Reservation when he went on a recruiting trip for UVU. It is so cute!
It was fun to have a baby around for holiday celebrations and I can't wait until next year!
Maybe my next post will be about New Year's Resolutions.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Happy Halloween!
Our family is big on Pumpkin carving. For as long as I can remember, it has been a tradition in our family to go to a pumpkin patch and choose lots of pumpkins for carving. I would always get so excited to see how big of a pumpkin my dad could find so he could carve some fantastic pattern into it.
Here are ours. These ones would be considered EASY carving!
As an adult, I haven't been a huge fan of Halloween. I love the fall season, but Halloween is definitely not one of my favorites. I think it's slightly ridiculous to spend tons of money on a Halloween costume and I'm not creative enough to come up with something super cool by myself. Plus, wearing scrubs to work is my idea of a perfect day! So, I'd rather be comfortable than cool. :)
And last, but not least, our baby kitty! She's not litter box trained yet but she is VERY good at cat napping.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
thankful
I just have to post this, even if no one reads it. I was thinking yesterday "If Aflac Insurance were a man, I'd marry it for it's money." This is true. About 2 years ago we enrolled in a supplemental maternity plan covered by Aflac. The numbers promised a nice cash return IF they decided to cover ALL costs listed in their maternity plan.
For a couple of months this summer, we've been struggling big time with the finances. Generally Kory and I are really good at saving and keeping our money at bay. But this time, it didn't work out well. My paychecks for summer always come at the same time in one big lump sum to the tune of $6,000+. Well, this summer Claire came, Kory had to pay for 2 grad school classes instead of just one, Claire's medical bills came, and mortgage payments came. Add all of that up and it equals more than $6,000, plus all the other smaller expenses that just seem to add up. We thought borrowing a good chunk of change from my parents would help, and it did. But, it wasn't enough. 3 days ago, we were down to $50 in my bank account and Kory holding onto his money in order to pay for his next grad school class. We were worried and definitely did not want to ask my parents to borrow money for a second time in less than a month.
We continued to pay our tithing and have faith that we would somehow make ends meet. Yesterday, we got a check in the mail from Aflac. I was thinking it might be something around $1,000 which would barely get us through until I started getting monthly paychecks again. But NOOOOOOO, Aflac decided to send us more than 3 grand. Kory was practically dancing when he saw the check and we felt immense gratitude in our hearts for our blessing we had received. This will be more than enough to get us through until my next paycheck. Thank you to Heavenly Father for blessing us as we pushed forward with faith. I just hope we have learned our lesson. I think we have.
For a couple of months this summer, we've been struggling big time with the finances. Generally Kory and I are really good at saving and keeping our money at bay. But this time, it didn't work out well. My paychecks for summer always come at the same time in one big lump sum to the tune of $6,000+. Well, this summer Claire came, Kory had to pay for 2 grad school classes instead of just one, Claire's medical bills came, and mortgage payments came. Add all of that up and it equals more than $6,000, plus all the other smaller expenses that just seem to add up. We thought borrowing a good chunk of change from my parents would help, and it did. But, it wasn't enough. 3 days ago, we were down to $50 in my bank account and Kory holding onto his money in order to pay for his next grad school class. We were worried and definitely did not want to ask my parents to borrow money for a second time in less than a month.
We continued to pay our tithing and have faith that we would somehow make ends meet. Yesterday, we got a check in the mail from Aflac. I was thinking it might be something around $1,000 which would barely get us through until I started getting monthly paychecks again. But NOOOOOOO, Aflac decided to send us more than 3 grand. Kory was practically dancing when he saw the check and we felt immense gratitude in our hearts for our blessing we had received. This will be more than enough to get us through until my next paycheck. Thank you to Heavenly Father for blessing us as we pushed forward with faith. I just hope we have learned our lesson. I think we have.
Monday, July 4, 2011
special times
My sweet girl is growing so fast. She had her last round of casts on June 20 and got them removed July 1. July 1, she got her new "shoes." No photos yet of those shoes, but let's just say Friday was miserable for Claire, Kory, and I. The Dr. had explained to us on a few different occasions that her feet would be sensitive when the casts were removed because they hadn't been touched by anything. When he would examine her feet at each appt. she would pull away from the doctor and usually cry because he had to touch her feet. So, I expected her to cry when she got her shoes, but I didn't expect her to cry so hard she would turn purple, let alone do it for 2+ hours. It broke my heart. Finally Kory decided to give her a Priesthood blessing. As soon as he did, she calmed right down and has been so much more peaceful ever since. In fact, here's a picture of her this morning, playing with daddy. As you can see, she's back to being our happy, peaceful baby.
We blessed her yesterday at church. The blessing was beautiful and we had so many family and friends come to support us. We even had lunch at my parent's new house in Provo that is still vacant. We borrowed a bunch of folding tables and chairs and just made do with wonderful company and food. The dress Claire is wearing was my blessing dress. So special!
And that's my baby girl.
We blessed her yesterday at church. The blessing was beautiful and we had so many family and friends come to support us. We even had lunch at my parent's new house in Provo that is still vacant. We borrowed a bunch of folding tables and chairs and just made do with wonderful company and food. The dress Claire is wearing was my blessing dress. So special!
And that's my baby girl.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Shower Time
One thing I love about my baby Claire is that she is so good in the mornings. I can usually feed her, change her diaper, and then let her lay on the floor or in her bassinet with little to no protesting. This allows me one of the most precious times of the day: shower time.
A lot of moms relate their stories of "I finally got a shower" or "I've learned to take fast showers" because of their babies interfering with that time in some way or another. I don't think I'm going to be that mom; at least not right now.
Shower time is MY time. It's when I ponder life's mysteries, if you want to put it that way. Truly, it's one of the rare moments of my day when I am actually deep in thought and attempt to work some things out in my head. It's my time to receive inspiration. Why is that? Probably because the only thing I can hear is water (and occasionally a little whine here or there) and I'm a water girl. I love being in the water, I love swimming; to me, water feels amazing! And when it's warm, and hitting my body in a soothing way, I could hang out in the shower all day! Sometimes my shower is 5 minutes, sometimes it's a lot longer. Either way, I love it.
That's just one more reason why I love my baby. She allows mommy to have "shower time."
A lot of moms relate their stories of "I finally got a shower" or "I've learned to take fast showers" because of their babies interfering with that time in some way or another. I don't think I'm going to be that mom; at least not right now.
Shower time is MY time. It's when I ponder life's mysteries, if you want to put it that way. Truly, it's one of the rare moments of my day when I am actually deep in thought and attempt to work some things out in my head. It's my time to receive inspiration. Why is that? Probably because the only thing I can hear is water (and occasionally a little whine here or there) and I'm a water girl. I love being in the water, I love swimming; to me, water feels amazing! And when it's warm, and hitting my body in a soothing way, I could hang out in the shower all day! Sometimes my shower is 5 minutes, sometimes it's a lot longer. Either way, I love it.
That's just one more reason why I love my baby. She allows mommy to have "shower time."
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