miscellany monday.

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1. welcome to the 2000's.  i finally did it.  probably an entire decade late.  but hey, better late then never.  i signed up for electronic bill pay.  i was out of stamps and checks; i figured there was no time like the present.  now, if only i hadn't waited so long... i would've saved hundreds on stamps.  what are they like $1.89 these days?!

2. shattered dreams.  i mean knees.  my left one in particular.  i love to run; i used to run 30ish miles/week.  the day hunter turned six weeks and i got the green light from my doc to exercise i ran five miles... i love it THAT much.  in the recent months, while running, when i hit mile two my knee feels like giving out/shattering/collapsing.  it can't be good.  i'm scared to go to the doctor.  plus it costs money.  way too much money, even with insurance.  i'm bummed.  as always, there are way more important things in life than a hurt knee (i have to remind myself).

3. thrive project, week two.  the rule of thirds.  this is a good example of the rule of thirds that my father-in-law took a while back:

see how the plant is off-centered?  you imagine your photo having a 3x3 grid and you line up your subject where the lines intersect.  it makes your photos more artistic and interesting.

my off-centered hunter shot.  love this boy to pieces.

for more on the rule of thirds, visit sweet becky~

4. hunter lovin'. so don't hate us, but we had 60 degree sunshine weather this weekend.  we enjoyed it saturday but then got sick on sunday.  see, you don't have to hate us THAT much (and please forgive me for using THAT much twice in one blog entry).  we visited the pitt street bridge (if you live here and haven't been, GO.) and enjoyed the scenery...

hunter had a blast walking everywhere like a big boy with his daddy.  hunter will be two this week.  my mind can't even fathom it.  it's bittersweet.  

spending, saving and staying home.

i’m not the most qualified gal to be writing this post considering i’ve only been a stay-at-home mom for two years, but i wanted to share our experience of going to one income and living there.  in a few words, i’d call it an adventure.  in a few more words i’d call it a blessed journey of the Lord’s provision. 

our real life scenario:  two kids under the age of two, husband in full time ministry married to a stay-at-home mom. 

spending: babies are expensive.  life is expensive.  when it rains it pours; everything seems to break all at once.  but, God is faithful.  always.  He provides. 

saving: we try to save money as much as possible.  here are some practical ways…

:: i don’t get my hair done , i don’t get my nails done, i don’t get my eyebrows waxed, i don’t get massages.  not that these things are wrong.  but they would be for us.  they aren’t necessities. 

:: i pump bottles instead of buying formula.  (i would nurse, but there were complications and i wasn’t able to.)

:: we buy target brand diapers.  they are really good… never had a leak and i have a boy and a girl; it’s safe to say they are gender neutral!  : )  i know, i’d save more if we invested in cloth diapers.  but, i’m not willing to sacrifice my precious time to clean diapers.

:: we rarely eat out as a family.  and if we do, we don’t spend more than $20.  usually we eat at a Mexican restaurant because they are safe havens for egg-allergy ridden, Hunter, and we can get out of there for under $10. 

:: i never spend more than $10/outfit on our kids.  thankfully, my sweet sister-in-law gives us hand-me-downs for Sage.  i rarely have to buy her anything.  for Hunter, i scour the clearance racks at target.  i recently got him some jeans and jacket for next winter that were $3 a piece.  garage sale-ing is great, too. hubby and i get new clothes here and there.  and when we do, they are mostly on clearance.  and yes, it’s a major treat.

:: we do free things.  go to parks.  go on walks.  go to the beach.  when we do something like the zoo, it’s a splurge.  and extra special.

:: for groceries, i use coupons when possible.  but, i don’t go hardcore like i used to.  i don’t want to feed my family processed preservatives; i think it is more of an investment to spend the extra little bit to buy healthy.  i buy the store brand often and i really think it is just as good as the name brand.

:: we have date nights on our couch with a movie (we used to never watch movies, but now we realize it's a cheap thing to do).  once in a while we go out for special occasions like birthdays or our anniversary.

:: hubby and i don’t buy each other gifts.  **gasp** that is so un-american, right? ; )  again, not that it’s bad to buy each other gifts, we just can’t afford it at this stage in our life.

:: it is possible to do things cheaply… like a baby’s nursery for way under $200 (see below!), and a first birthday party for under $40!

provision: although we don’t have a savings account, we are provided for.  our needs are met.  and that is what the Lord promises.  it doesn’t seem like we should be able to make it, but we do.  glimpses of the Lord’s provision in our life~

:: we lived off of one vehicle (that one vehicle was a money pit and needed repair after repair) for about 10 months.  it was a challenge… i was stuck at home all week long.  however, in the grand scheme of things, it was no big deal.  but still, God , in His mercy provided. - a family in our chuch gave us a vehicle.  yes, i said GAVE.  see, God is faithful. 

:: God’s people are generous and have been Christ’s hand’s extended in some major ways in our life beyond the gift of a vehicle.

:: we received a notice saying our mortgage was going to go up.  in my head i had foreclosure written in our future because we honestly couldn’t afford anything more.  it ended up only increasing by $8.  thank you God.

perspective:  i’m learning that i must maintain a grateful attitude and can never entertain deserving thoughts.  in our culture, it is ever so easy to feel like we are entitled to certain things.  i fight that all the time.  but God promises to give us our daily bread and i’m learning how to be content with that.  plus, any sacrifice that we make for me to be able to stay home with our kids is really nothing at all.  it’s a huge blessing to raise them.

to those of you that have asked (like cait!) about how we afford to keep me home, i hope this gives you a bit of an idea.  : )

 

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 

(Matthew 6:25-26 ESV)

miscellany monday

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1. hey grandma,

when you call my cell phone and i don’t answer, it doesn’t mean i am not home.  i take my cell phone with me everywhere.  that’s the beauty of it.  so next time you leave me a message you don’t have to say “well, i guess you’re not home right now since you aren’t answering.”  : )  i might miss the good laugh, though.  you are so cute.

2. mommy and me.

it’s really fun to see your own mannerisms coming out of the little people that live with you…

 i usually am a big wide open smiler.  evidently sage is too.  must be a girl thing.

  3. less is more.

am i right or am i right?  except when it comes to groceries and exercise.  oh and diapers and wipes, too.  i have this new less is more mantra and i’m trying to really simplify our lives.  it’s mostly still thoughts floating in my head that i want to bring to fruition.  also, i have had a brilliant thought… the less you go to the store, the less you spend.  i know, i’m genius.  if you’re like me, you go to the store for one or two things and then end up with a whole cart full of things you didn’t know you needed.  and probably don’t need.  this happens especially at target; it’s those darn clearance end-caps i tell you.  but like hubby says, just because it’s cheap doesn’t mean we need it.  and even if it was 50% off, it was still 100% more than we needed to spend.

4.  smile. pass it on.

supposedly this 4^th Monday of January is the most depressing day of the year according to some study done somewhere.  the study said that people are lonely after the holiday busyness, they are now receiving their credit card bills from Christmas over spending, and it’s pretty much cold and dreary outside.  so, whatever you do today and wherever you go, have a smile on your face and you might help cheer up the world.  this is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.  -psalm 118:24

: )

5. curious about cleaning.

i'm usually a get it done all at once in four hours kind of cleaning girl.  but, i'm slowly realizing that four hours for cleaning are hard to come by.  i know several ladies that set their timers for thirty minutes a day and clean.  then their house gets cleaned, little by little, all week long.  i'm going to adopt this idea.  how do you clean?

(via)

introducing the farmgirl, her paintings and the thrive project.

look what came in the mail for me yesterday...

(cutest wrap job ever.)

this beautiful painting of our home that i won from sweet becky of farmgirl paints.

excuse the post-workout garb and the not-so-hairdo. and yes, the pack 'n play has taken over our fireplace for now.

i think it found it's home in the dining room.  we will cherish this painting always.  this is the home we brought our babies home to.  i told becky that i wanted to hang it in three different places all at once just so i could always see it.  : )

now, back to the artist.  i know i've mentioned her before (how can i not?!); she's so talented and i love her style.  she paints, makes jewelry... you must visit her etsy.  i bought a necklace of hers for my mom for Christmas.  it is gorgeous. 

becky is learning photography and teaching her readers too.  i'm joining in on the fun.  she came up with the thrive project.  she explains what she learns in her class each week, then we can join in on the action by putting it to practice and linking up.  in becky's words: "I called it the Thrive Project because photography is just one area I want to thrive in this year.  It's my special word.  Now it's a project.  How cool is that? :)"  and, there's a chance to win something cool at the end.  see for yourself ~

this week's project was to play a bit with the shutter speed.  it's tricky, i tell you.  your shutter either opens quickly or slowly.  the slower it opens the more of a blur, the faster it opens the more crisp the picture looks.


take for example, this beautiful waterfall from our trip to hawaii.  my honey took it.  he knows about photography.  see how good the water looks blurred?  and the rest of the pic is in focus.  this takes skill.

i'm still waiting for my skills to come knocking.  this is my blur:

hunter flying his buzz lightyear and woody around the house  

sage eating her sock.  (at least i'm trying.)


this is a crisper variety...

i'm really looking forward to learning this photography stuff.  just so i can take good pictures of my kids.  thanks a million, becky, for the painting and the photography lessons!

a day in the life.

because you're just dying to know what i do all day?!  right?!  in all my spare time.  ; )

y'all {maybe i'm turning into a southern girl after all}, my life can be summed up in one not-so-simple word: crazeeeeeee.  and yes, all those e's are necessary to fully stress the meaning of the word... after all,  i've had two children under two for almost eight months now.   

but guess what?!  i love it.  i'm thankful for all the craze.  

i'm thankful for changing who knows how many diapers every day {because i could be using cloth diapers and not only have to change them, but rinse and clean them too}.  i'm thankful for pumping milk 4 times/day for my little prettily plump girl {because formula is expensive.  and this way i'm saving pennies while burning calories.}.

notice her massive amount of arm rolls.  just means there's more to love.

it is a blessing to be home with my kids all day.  because i get to capture moments such as these...

they couldn't love each other more, and yet, they seem to find a way to every day.

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,

the fruit of the womb a reward.

 (Psalm 127:3 ESV)

during the days while daddy is at work i'm lucky if i get to eat breakfast or lunch.  which is probably a good thing since i have no ability to bridle my painstaking desire for chocolate.  i'm a sweets person.  i could pass up savory food all day long if it meant saving my calories for a lavish bite of chocolate.  {yet another reason why i like to pump bottles... i burn at least 400 calories/day and something has to make way for the chocolate}  which brings me to this recipe.  best chocolate chip cookies i've ever made.  thank you tyler florence.  should it scare me that they are named "my big fat chocolate chip cookies?"  probably.

which brings me to my workout time.  i love to run... but the kids and i have been sick and sick people should not go outside in the cold and run; lately i've hung up my running shoes.  so, this means i have a nightly date with jillian michaels {and it's really hard to workout late at night, but it's the only time that really works in the schedule}.  i do about 20 minutes of plyometrics/weight training and then 15 straight minutes of abs.  sometimes it feels like i have meningitis afterwards because i probably use my neck muscles more than i should and my abs less than i should.  which is also why i don't have a six-pack like she promised.  **sigh**  okay, seriously though, carissa, there are more important things in life than exercise.  i know, i know.

on to more meaningful things... i read the Bible while pumping {i love my ESV study Bible}.  kelly says that i pump just so i can have 30 minutes four times a day to sit and do nothing but read.  he's absolutely right.  

oh, i should share some style tips.  hmmmm.  here's my tip:  when you're a mom, get ready and learn to be okay with throwing style out the window.  there will be no extra money for new clothes {no matter how cheap they may be} and the funny thing is, if there happens to be money in the clothing budget then you'll spend it on the kids.  so just be prepared for that.

if you want to share a day of your life, head on over here!

miscellany on this monday.

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1.  the giveaway winner.

congrats, to lily @ a lil' story!  you are the proud new owner of a lisa leonard gift card. i think it is especially sweet because i know lily plans on getting the marked by love necklace with her daughter, evie's name on it.  evie was born into the arms of Jesus at 36 weeks.  what a special necklace this will be.  happy shopping to you, lily!  by the way, lily has an adorable blog and a beautiful family.  : ) and, thanks so much, lisa, for this beautiful giveaway... we all adore your jewelry!

2.  #thisthing.

i'm not on twitter.  i have no urge to tell people what i may or may not be doing at any given point in the day.  plus, it would be too much to keep up with.  anyway, i started seeing #thisthing on facebook statuses and thought it had to do with twitter?.  i don't know.  whatever it is, i think it's cool. #thisthingiscool.

3. i want some ikea.

i've never been.  **gasp**  the closest ikea is about 3.5 hours away.  we are in need of some furniture (twin bed for hunter... he's days away from a jail brake, and an organizational type thing for toys) for cheap (and before you tell me to check craigslist, i already have.  i found nothing worthwhile.) which can only mean one thing.  an ikea trip is in our future.  i'm anxiously awaiting it.  do you ikea?  

4. finding joy.

everyone should know about rachel at finding joy.  she's a wife to a cancer survivor, mother to seven, yes seven, homeschooler,  and a major encouragement to me.  her ability to see the Truths of Scripture in the everydays of life is inspiring.  the way she balances everything without dropping anything is amazing.  i admire her, and i'm certain you will too.

5. camera colloquy.

i know zilch about cameras.  imagine your great-great grandmother on facebook and you have the perfect picture of me with a camera in my hands.  well, my girl, becky at farmgirl paints (also known as awesome.  also known as my blog crush.) is way into photography.  she got a new camera and is even taking a class.  the best part is that she is writing all about it.  so, she's paying for the class and teaching me in the meantime.  thanks becky!  yet another reason why i love you. : )  i have always adored a good picture, (who doesn't?) but i haven't had the motivation to want to learn how to take one.  until i read this post.  (thank you again, becky.)   i'm turning into an aperture aficionado, an iso enthusiast and a shutter lover.  and meanwhile, i'm learning a handful of lessons.

lesson #1: when your subjects are your children and they are under the age of two AND you're shooting in manual it takes mad skill.  i'm not at that level.  

although he was posing pretty nicely for this one.  i'm glad he dressed for the occasion. 

 lesson #2: when you're working with a semi-broken dslr, it takes extra skill.  yet again, i'm not at that level.  and, although i know something is wrong with this one, i don't quite know how to fix it.

lesson #3:  a little girl will start to get antsy and eventually scream like there's no tomorrow when forced to sit in the sun.  daddy dubs this picture as "Jesus coming back just for sage."

lesson #4: if you take hundreds of pictures, you might just get one good one.  maybe.  and it might be slightly good enough for a watermark.

i don't normally keep dried roses around the house.  except for these.  they're almost seven years old and from the evening kelly proposed to me.  : )

not our home.

yesterday, while watching the news, the anchor had a segment with suzanne somers.  if you aren't aware, (because i know we're always up to date on suzanne... wink, wink) she has a new book out called, sexy forever.  you're on your way to barnes and noble, this minute, riiiiight?!  ; )  essentially, in the amount of time she was on-air, i discovered that i should avoid everything, live in a tree fort, eat nothing but milled barley and organic tomatoes, and then, just then, i'll be sexy forever.  cha-ching!  ladies we have found the golden ticket.

seriously, though, she went on and on about toxins and how they're everywhere.  in your carpet.  food.  soap. clothes.  make-up especially.  and then she talked about diseases and cancer and tugged at your every heartstring.  while i do know there is a lot of truth to what she said, i also know that i can't live my life worrying about the toxin levels in this or that.  it's fine and dandy to eat as healthy as possible, to go all-natural, and organic.  but, to do so because you are living your life in fear, fear of getting cancer or any disease, fear of dying, then that's no way to live.  everybody dies... not to get morbid on you, but it's true.  and if we go on living in fear of dying then we aren't living.  most importantly, the Word says: "and which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his life span?" (Luke 12:25 -ESV)  our days are in the Lord's hands alone.

and, as believers, we must remember that this earth is not our home.... my hubby reminds me of this often.  he has severe hearing loss and a constant ringing in his ears; he doesn't know what silence is.  i can only imagine how nagging it must be.  he says it's a reminder for him to long for Heaven where his body will be restored.  we are far from home.  we belong in the high countries.  (if you like C.S. Lewis, then the two previous lines are for you.)  in this life we will have sickness, disease, and hardship... all of which make us all the more eager for Heaven.  the place of perfect peace.  and rest.  so, sorry suzanne, i'm not really interested in being sexy forever... i'd rather be praising Jesus for eternity.

Haleakala Volcano.  this was taken in dec 2004, on our honeymoon in Hawaii.  i'm pretty sure that Heaven will look a lot like Hawaii.  ; )

misc. mon. + LISA LEONARD giveaway

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1. when parent's text. 

oh my goodness.  if you want a few good laughs you must visit... it's all about parents texting their kids.  here are a few favorites:

2. bieber fever.  

our three year old niece, camryn, is a hoot.  she announced the other day that she has a crush on justin bieber beaver (in her words).  we were laughing about it over dinner and she proclaimed; "justin beaver is not funny.  he's beautiful."  she's three!  

3. a gift for parents.  

noisemakers are heaven sent, if i do say so myself.  we just bought one for sage.  one of the white noise varieties is a honking horn.  are you kidding me?!  since when is a horn white noise?  needless to say, we'll probably be returning this one.  even so, the womb sound helped her to truly sleep like a baby last night.  i told you it was heaven sent.

4. thanks grandma!

my grandparents from CA were just in town and left sage a precious set of knitted goods.  my grandma's hands have been busy!  sage loves to be adorned in the blanket, hat, scarf and jacket.  if you don't look closely, you might mistake her for a big ball of pink yarn.  : )

 

 

5.  the best for last! 

i took a break from giveaways, but when lisa leonard contacted me about doing one, i said absolutely yes in a skinny minute!  her jewelry is simply elegant.  and stunning.   visit my review blog to WIN!