Overcommitted

My mom tells me that I overcommit myself. She has told me this since high school  - maybe earlier. It is like an illness I cannot cure. She tried to point out earlier this week again that I am still overcommitting myself. I'm not sure I will ever listen. I tried to argue that I was not. Then she pointed out that we were out of town Wednesday-Friday with her at Deb's house. My parents were in town all weekend. I had a dentist appointment in Alpharetta on Saturday (I know it is a long way from our house, but I'm not switching dentists.) We also had dinner with the Lane family on Saturday night. Sunday we spent the day in Snellville with friends, then ran errands on the way home and watched the sermon online when we got home. Monday was dance class for EC and my bible study. Tuesday we had a JumpIts playdate and then Hannah came over for the afternoon. Wednesday was grocery shopping then Kimber and Lily came over for dinner.....okay, fine, I overcommit. But we do have a ton of fun around here!

 EC taught AB how to wash her baby.

This easel lives in our house 90% of the time.

CandyLand from the Harlans is possibly one of our most favorite games. You can also use the cards to play memory match and go fish! Thanks for the awesome bday gift!

Grandma took us to EC's first movie in the theater! Beauty and the Beast was my first movie theater film too. Kathy and Jim took me one year while I was visiting them in Texas. I was so excited when Jim told me I looked like Belle =)

Very focused EC =)

Before church picture. Need to order that tripod so we can get daddy next time!

I'm getting back into couponing. I took a two month break over the holidays. I didn't plan to break, it just happened. I sure paid my dues. It took me about 10 hours to get everything in order and go through two months of coupons, but it is so worth it. I was at Publix yesterday and my total came to $99 and some change. After coupons my total was $74 and some change. Totally worth it. So I spent $74 and saved $65 total. I would love to save more than I spend, so that is one of my goals this year. 

Just from my experience, everything is cheaper at Walmart - of course and they price match. Unless it is a Publix BOGO. Ideally I can match up my coupons with my Publix BOGO and then I really get a deal. I'm working on the SouthernSavers angle. Some of my coupon printers aren't working on the Mac still, so sometimes I miss out on those. I also had a lot of luck at RiteAid earlier this month. I got about $150 of items we would purchase any way, for about $75 out of pocket - and at prices cheaper than Walmart. Plus I'm expecting a $20 rebate check in the mail. But RiteAid can really be hit or miss. I haven't found anything I wanted from there in about two weeks. We are just blessed to live so close to so many stores - even if I do think the Kroger is kind of um, lacking to say the least. I have not taken a couponing class, so that is another goal for this year. 

Today when we picked up coupons from our neighbors, they also gave us a pink, strawberry, princess castle cake. Jerry was making about 8 cakes for this weekend. He had used the "wrong castle" pan, so that yummy goodness came home with us! He had just finished the coolest guitar cake. One day I will get him to teach me...

Yum O!! That was delicious cake! I still cannot believe the way AB was begging me for more.  She was practically screaming CAKE!!! In incoherent baby language of course ;) 

Closet progress/Mommy & Daddy date night

Whew! It has been a busy weekend! My parents came into town on Thursday and I'm sure were not expecting all that we, okay I, had in store for them =) Unfortunately they were here for doctor and dentist visits, or we could have gotten even more accomplished. So what all did we do? Well, first off, we have been spoiling this little sicky. Double ear infections again.

After the doctor appointments on Friday, I got my dad planning the closet. He likes to have projects to do when he visits, so it seemed like the perfect fit.

And he remembered that our freezer in the garage needed a special outlet, so the breaker doesn't trip. I know that doesn't sound safe, but this outlet will only be used for the freeze and nothing else. Here are some pictures of the process.

It looks kind of rough, so I need to get a "bigger plate to cover the mistakes" =) I love how my dad operates.

Back to the closet. Bo came home and helped my dad refine the plan. This is what they came up with.

First they needed a wall in the back and some studs to nail to on the side walls. Off to Home Depot for 2x4's they went!

Then a few measurements were needed and back they went to Home Depot for sheetrock. Bo has informed me that he is glad this is not his profession =)

All the walls are covered!

It took a whole day for them to complete, but they split it up into two days. Considering Bo hasn't worked with sheetrock before and he fired my dad from measuring after the first piece of sheetrock, I say it went pretty well! Now I have to complete all the work to make it look good, cover the screws, fill in the corners, paint. Maybe tomorrow?

Oh, and the reason we split the work into two days is because this mommy and daddy need a much deserved date! We tried to fit one in over the holidays and it just didn't work out.

If you are wondering why EC's lips are so shinny above, it is because she was putting eye makeup on her lips - yuck!

I promise, she did not learn that from me! There are no words...

My parents were oh so kind enough to keep the girls so we could get dinner and see a movie. We ended up sneaking our Moe's into the theater, so we could sit in a quite, empty theater and talk. It was perfect =) You may think we are crazy, but it was fun! So glad those burritos fit in the pockets of my big huge coat! =)

And you can see EC was perfectly fine getting rid of mom and dad for an evening!

She had Grammy and Poppa to herself for a whole hour and forty-five minutes before AB woke up!

Well, hopefully I'll have more pictures for you soon! We have the ballet bar almost complete too!!

EC's first tap class and Pipo's birthday

EC had her first tap class last Monday. Needless to say, she LOVED it!

She loved taking her backpack, because she had to have two sets of shoes she NEEDED to bring the backpack.

She loved putting on her own shoes.

And then changing to her tap shoes for the first time.

Marching in tap shoes was Quite fun!

And I really wish this one wasn't blurry. She has such a great time at dance!

Tuesday we celebrated Pipo's birthday at J,M&G's house! M cooked the most amazing lasagna, but it wasn't lasagna with a red sauce. I cannot really describe it, it was just amazing =) Look at how close in size AB and G are!

And they are 4 months apart!

Did you know it is really hard to get a picture of three little ones looking at the camera at the same time and smiling?

And AB's latest trick is operating the Ipad. She tried and tried to unlock the Ipad until she was successful. Then somehow turned on the Ipod app to her lullaby music - that part was mostly luck, I think.? She enjoyed her accomplishment by swaying back and forth to the music for a while.

It was fun while it lasted!

My beautiful girls

Two people have sent me this article link recently. I really liked it the first time I read it and I have been thinking more about it since our last hospital trip with Annabelle. When we checked in, the lady taking her name commented that she was "so beautiful" and that we "needed to keep having babies because you just don't see pretty babies any more".
Everywhere we go with the girls at least one person comments on how beautiful they are on the outside. I do mean EVERY single time we are out in public even if it is just a 5 minute run in and out of Kroger. Tonight we went out with my parents and ALL the waitresses in the restuarant were huddled over by the drink stand (8 feet away) commenting on how cute AB was and then one said, "Just wait until you see her big sister over there in the blue dress." Then you hear a whispered eruption of "Awe, how cute!".
Don't get me wrong, I do love to hear that my girls are beautiful. And of course, I think they are the most beautiful little girls in the world. But when you are trying to teach a three year old that there is more to being beautiful than wearing "beautiful dresses" and having beautiful blonde curly hair, it is NOT easy in this world.
So give the article a quick read. It may change how you speak to little girls.

And yes, it is still okay to let them know they are beautiful, just don't let that be the only topic of your conversation  =)

Kiddo Cuteness

It is so fun to just sit and watch the girls. I used to go over to EC's daycare at lunch every day just to sit and watch the children play. I would stand at the window to her classroom and just watch until one of the children noticed me. Then I would take EC to the nursing room. After we finished up, I always stayed to play for at least a few minutes, offering up my lap to one of the other kiddos if EC didn't mind. I miss my Parker J snuggles, Asher, Chase, and Braelynn's too =) So you can imagine, one of my favorite things to do now is to just sit and watch the girls play. Of course my time to sit is way more limited. I don't have the daycare teachers running around me doing everything - it is just me here to get it all done. But I try to sneak in a few minutes after their naps to just watch them in action.

We had a friend over today. She was just standing and leaning back on our upstairs gate this afternoon. And the next thing I know, AB is standing and leaning against the railing close by and mimicking her new friend. All I could do was smile, pause, and soak it in. Watching little ones grow into big people is a blessing.

AB recently learned how to give "kisses" or maybe she has known for a while and we haven't =) Now keep in mind, she is only giving those slightly open mouth, heavy breathing kisses that are only cute when given by babies. But I still count them as kisses. I forgot what those were like as EC learned how to give closed mouth kisses. It is so much fun to rediscover these cute, sweet baby things.

EC is still her sassy, cute little self. The other night Bo said, "Okay, I'm getting up at 5." EC responded, "Okay, I'm getting up at 10!" I can wish right? =)  And I still love the way she says, "No, no, no mommy" when I say something incorrect. It isn't bratty, just cute in a "you got it all wrong" kind of way. It is also precious when she asks Bo, "May I have this dance?" Or tells him, "You are my prince." And really, we own only two Disney movies and she has only seen each one time.

Doesn't she just look like she is talking Grandma into something really good?  =)

AB is trying more words these days. She is attempting cup, ball, up, and a few more I cannot remember at the moment. She woke up one morning on vacation, looked up at me and said "momma" more clearly than ever. She is still saying dada as well since she knows he will hold her whenever she wants =)

These days are flying by. My AB is one, ONE! When did it happen? Okay, going to grab a few more snuggles and hopefully a little rest.

Some Goals and a DIY

New Year's Resolutions anyone? Well, we aren't much for resolutions, but this year I thought it would be nice to make a list of things I would like to be more purposeful about.
More like a spring cleaning of all the thoughts rolling around in my head.

After seeing this post last year, I set out to make my very own reminder to "Live my life with purpose." His purpose. So my mom taught me how to paint flowers and this is what I ended up with (I did this months ago).

It was really simple to make.
I used a wood plaque from Michaels (and it was of course purchased at %40 off).
I taped off the front of the plaque making sure it was completely covered, then sprayed the edges with silver spray paint I had on hand.
Using acrylic paints and a few paint brushes (also had on hand), I painted the rest by hand.
There was a little cheating with the letters.
First I printed the words in the fonts I wanted using word and our printer.
Then placed the paper where I wanted the words on the plaque.
I used a ball point pin to trace the letters, making sure to press down hard enough to leave an impression on the wood.
I followed that up with a paint brush, so no it isn't perfect but it is perfect for me!

These colors are much more my speed than the Kelly green from the original post and blends great with the poppy picture from my mom that hangs over the piano most of the year. But best of all, it hangs on the wall I see every time I go up the stairs or out the front door. I LOVE my little reminder.

Okay, sorry to deviate from my topic, but that was a fun project!

I received an email this morning about "organizing every room of your home" and read my friend Kelly's post about 2012 Home Goals, when I finally gave in and decided I needed to write everything down. I have seriously been nesting like a pregnant lady in her second trimester and I cannot seem to get everything finished as quickly as I can think of new things to do. I must be making up for all the nesting I did not do when pregnant with AB!! =)

1. Pick out a better "school" program for EC. We have a great time doing "school work" at home, but I feel like EC is getting bored with me, so this needs to be accomplished quickly. Anyone have suggestions?  Here is a picture of one of her Christmas gifts. She had to write her name on them before opening them.

2. Reorganize my house. Christmas and the few weeks following feel like a binge and purge experience. Never a good or fun experience. I want to go through every inch of my house to get the things we don't use regularly back out of our main living spaces. I have already done this in the bathrooms and linen closets. I'm thinking one area/room every three days and take off Sundays. Maybe I can finish spring cleaning before spring arrives, so there will be enough time for all the crafty spring projects!

And before you comment on all the free time I must have on my hands because my towels are rolled, you should try it. It really doesn't take much time and it means I can fit more towels in the same space. Really, you should try it.

3. Refresh our Monthly menus.

4. Refresh our Monthly budget. Bo and I are taking a very bold step to be debt free by the end of 2013. We are taking almost 50% of out budget and throwing it at the one student loan we have left. It is going to be so extremely tough, but I really think we can do it!

Found via Pinterest

5. Finish EC's hairbow holder so I can get them out of that box on her dresser. (Maybe on Friday if it actually makes it up to 60 again.)

6. Create a display for EC's first dance slippers since she just outgrew hers overnight, tear...

7. Finish out the extra closet in EC's room to be her dress up closet.  It will be a place to hang her "beautiful dresses" on hooks, shelves for her shoes, and extra storage. This will require sheetrock, my dad, my hubby, and a weekend. Maybe the weekend of Jan 11th... What do you think mom? =)

8. Move the bookshelf out of my craft room and up to EC's room because we need more room for books! This will require painting it white and finding a new storage solution for the craft room.

Okay, those are the major tasks taunting me right now. There are more things I would love to do around the house, like hang curtains and make a few more diy art pieces. We would also like to create a little office upstairs and possibly take down the bed in the guest room. There is always a huge stack of papers to go through and my Thirty-One business expenses to prepare for taxes.. but for now this list will do!

What is on your to do list?

Happy 2012 everyone!

Did you know? AB's accident

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all have enjoyed some time off with your friends and family. We had a great and busy vacation this year. It is the only time every year we are guaranteed one entire week with Bo without work emails - thank you GA Tech for closing campus between Christmas and New Year's day! He was also able to take off a few days the week before Christmas, so tomorrow will be our first day without him in almost two weeks =( Back to reality.
Speaking of reality, most of you know AB had an accident last Friday. It was quite possibly the scariest moment of my entire life, so here's the story. Bo, AB, Jess, Laura and I came home from my parents house on Thursday. Friday afternoon we were getting ready to meet Dez to take AB's one year pics. I was sewing a last minute pair of bloomers, when Scott, Amelia, Austin, Eric, Eden, and EC arrived at our house.

Some of the older kids had gone upstairs and Scott was telling us a story when we heard someone fall down the stairs, hit the gate and the hardwood at the bottom. It was AB. Amelia was closest so she ran and picked up AB. Yes we all know that is not the way to respond, you are supposed to let the child get up on their own, but every parent's natural first response is to hold their child.  So when Amelia picked her up I saw AB breath in very deep - like a child who is about to scream as loud as they possibly can. Amelia handed her to me and I immediately tried to hold and comfort her even though she was as stiff as a board. I was talking to her and trying to sooth her when I noticed that she still had not cried or released her breath. So I pulled her forward to look at her and when I did I screamed. She did not look like Annabelle. She was blue tinged and her face looked like someone who was seizing. Bo was right beside me so I handed her to him and ran for my phone before I realized there were a handful of people who also had cell phones. So I went back to her and yelled for someone to call 911. Little did I know that my brother and Jess were already on the phone with 911. It was just one of those situations where you didn't stand around thinking "should we call?" They just did. After AB was with Bo, we saw her eyes roll back into her head and she went limp on his shoulder. Then her eyes opened back up and just look dazed and sort of swirled around. I was talking to her, telling her I loved her and telling her to stay with me, as though she could actually understand me. Bo laid her on the floor, thinking he would need to start CPR when AB finally started crying.

All of this felt like it went on forever, when I'm sure it all took place in a matter of minutes or seconds.

Firemen arrived within 10 minutes and AB was still screaming at the top of her lungs. But when those three large men came in, we sat her up on my lap like, and she clung to me for dear life. That is when Scott said he saw her in the process of falling from the lower steps and couldn't get to her. Picture me immediately thanking God she wasn't at the top and still thanking him because she was alive. Some part of her hit the gate and her head hit the floor. The older kids had gone up the stairs not long before AB fell. The aren't used to closing our gate and I'm pretty sure Eric and EC followed them up the stairs as well.
The firemen tried to look at AB without making her scream even more, but they had very little success. I was checking her soft spot nonstop to make sure it wasn't bulging. Thank you Lord for soft spots.
So we took her to the ER to get her examined and to be close in case she needed immediate medical attention, but mainly we wanted answers. We have had our fair share of children falling and hitting their heads, but until Friday we had not had an experience like that. After talking to the ER doctor, we now know that children sometimes respond to frightening situations by holding their breath until they faint. That explains the rolling eyes and falling limp. So now we know. Did you know? Well, if you didn't, now you do. Maybe this can save you some heartache if such a frightening thing happens to a little one you love. AB is fine now. She doesn't seem to have any lasting damage. Her bruise is gone and she had the BEST time at her party on Saturday. I would say it was the happiest she has been in weeks (due to those double ear infections that hit a couple weeks ago). But we have spent a lot more quality time snuggling lately. I'm pretty sure she didn't leave my arms again on Friday or most of Saturday. And you can bet, we kept those stinking gates locked and monitored the rest of the weekend. And if I have my way, our one day house will not have any stairs between the main living areas. I'm not opposed to basements used for storage that can be closed off by a door, but stairs are an accident waiting to happen. Trust me.