A Tale of Two Weekends

It was the best of weekends, it was the worst of weekends.

Here's a recap.

Friday. I've slept since then; I no longer remember what happened other than being at work and wishing I could think of a good reason to go home and enjoy the 70 degree weather. It's days like Friday that I'm glad I don't have a window to taunt and tease me while I'm stuck behind my desk. Hubs wanted to rent a movie--Dinner for Schmucks--and I fell asleep within three minutes. Oh how I miss falling asleep on the couch without a care in the world! Felt good and I didn't miss much from the movie, so I'm told.

Saturday. Up early, as usual with Ellie. Dan made omelets with spinach, tomatoes and onions. Yum! I'm so lucky to have an awesome breakfast cook! Took Ellie's Valentine's pictures in her little red tutu I made while watching The Biggest Loser Tuesday night. Of course they're cute--she's in them, after all. But, she was tired so she didn't give the camera very much sass. She's finally at an age where I feel like we can be away from home several hours running errands or goofing off. Spent most of the afternoon at the Apple store in Penn Square then off to eat at Ted's. She tried refried beans, tortillas with cheese, sour cream and guac. She loved being a people watcher!

What a sweetheart!

So, up until this point, this was a great weekend. Until we get home. <insert dramatic organ music here> E was a little cranky, probably due to a lack of nap, so she lays down for a nap. She wakes up...102 fever! She's never really had a fever, so Mommy and Daddy were a little freaked out, plus lots of ups and downs throughout the night. So...

Sunday. Had to miss church. :( Luckily, a pediatrician from E's doctor's office was in this morning, so we waited with other miserably sick kids and their parents to see the doctor. Welcome to flu season, people! Not what E had--knock on wood--but the doc confirmed my suspicions: double ear infection. Boo! I want my poor baby to feel better pronto. Luckily she did good in the waiting room and passed the time by feeding her daddy Cheerios! Look at the concentration on that little face. Gosh, I love that girl!

My Little Big Girl

Ellie is 10 months old now; doesn't seem possible, but the red in my eyes and my 5 a.m. wake-up routine remind me it's so. She's moving up from the 'baby' room at both daycare and church, which makes her my little big girl.

My little big girl wears bows in her hair. Not bows on a headband, in her hair! When you have lots of it and it's constantly in your face and your food, having it away from your face is important. And, she's does that with style.

My little big girl is a talker. "She get it from her mama," as her daddy would say. She's well versed in "uh-oh", I swear she said "meow" and I'm pretty sure she's saying "huh?" when I tell her something. She can hoot like an owl and make a monkey noise. Of course, she adores her monkey feet pjs!

My little big girl is always in go mode. She points. She reaches. She pulls. She chases...Peaches, that is. Poor dog! Soon she'll get her first taste of dog food because at some point, Mommy will lose the race to the bowl! And, the race to the fireplace. And, the race to the, well, you get the idea. Oh, she'll turn around if you holler her name, but only long enough to wave at you and then continue toward the off-limits item.

My little big girl will be sky diving at age 3; she's a risk taker. It seems that she has the spiritual gift of finding the most dangerous or "no no" object in the room (see go mode). She's fearless at this age, which excites me and makes me a nervous wreck all at the same time. I hope she holds on to that fearless nature and God gives Mommy some supernatural peace.

My little big girl is funny. Silly, really. She loves to dance, clap, high five and can wave like nobody's business. If waving hi was an Olympic sport, she'd be on the top of the podium. Waving, of course.

Here's my little big girl!

People at the Gym

I know there are a lot of random, weird things I do that aren't normal compared to the average person, but please tell me someone other than me names people they see at the gym. Anyone? I'm not talking about mean, body-related names, just nicknames because you don't know their real one. For instance, tonight I worked out with Cowboy Randy...or was it Sandy? Dandy? Handy? I'm not sure; the first initial on his western belt was covered with a belt loop. Oh, the torture! Maybe it was just Andy.

Then there was Mother and Daughter Slow Jam. Working out as a family = awesome! I commend parents for setting a good example and helping their children learn healthy habits, but when you slowly walk two-wide on an indoor track, you become Mother and Daughter Slow Jam. <<dialogue in Lacy's head, "Come on, you can do it. Push harder, run faster. Just make it past Mother and Daughter Slow Jam and then you can stop.">>

Speaking of NASCAR lingo (two-wide) enters Jimmie, Jimmie Johnson that is. Not only does this Jimmie look like my friend's husband--who's also named Jimmie--but he's quick. So, when he runs past, I try to keep up with him as long as I can and take advantage of the draft. Jimmie has nice calves, too. I'd like some too, please. Minus the hair. And, more feminine looking.

So, here's to a healthy 2011 Cowboy Randy, Mother and Daughter Slow Jam and Jimmie. Hopefully we'll see each again.

Time to go watch the Biggest Loser, shower up and eat my Sara Sara cupcake half...I mean, broccoli. Yum!

Baggy Camo Pants Girl (my gym name tonight)

Oh, Happy Day...My Pioneer Woman Cookbook Came In The Mail!

So, yesterday I did the happy dance because the knock on my door around 5 p.m. was the UPS man delievering my The Pioneer Woman Cooks cookbook.

And, my precious daughter was still awake so he didn't make me a mad mommy by disrupting my child's sleep cycle. I swear, if you want to make a mama upset, wake up her child from a nap. I've seen devil horns pop out from a mom's head one too many times over this issue, and I myself have been known to give the stink eye on occassion.

Anyway, back to the glorious, calorie-filled cookbook. Yum! If you're looking for low-cal, this ain't it. Lots of the recipes remind me of the food I grew up eating as a kid, with a new twist or kick added. I think this mac n' cheese may be in my future this weekend.

Don't you just wanna eat the screen? Delish!

Did you PW fans know Ree will be in town for a book signing Feb. 5 in OKC and March 4 in Norman? I'm so there! If it sounds like I have a girl crush, I think I totally do...but apparently I need to stand in line because so many of my friends do, too. We love you Ree!

$.81 for Groceries!

So, I did a little grocery shopping last night and had a pretty amazing trip, savings wise. At Homeland, my first transaction was $8.66 and my second was merely $.81 cents, tax and all! Walgreens was a different story. I needed milk. No coupons. No reward dollars. Had to pay full price. :( Boo!

Anyway, here's what I got for a grand total of $12.38.

• 4 Campbell's Select Harvest soups
• 1 Coffee Mate Sugar Free Hazelnut 32 oz. creamer
• 1 64 oz. orange Gatorade
• 1 Old Orchard apple cran juice
• 1 gallon 2% milk
• 4 Grand's biscuits
• 2 Land O Frost Smoked Ham lunchmeat
• 1 Ball Park franks
• bananas (Ellie loves bananas!)
• 5 Weight Watchers yogurts
• 1 bottle Aleve
• 1 Garnier Fructis conditioner
• 1 Garnier Fructis shine spray

Without sales and coupons, I would have easily paid $50 for these items. I'm loving my new found passion for being a frugal mama when it comes to feeding my family! Check out these websites if you want to learn more about couponing and saving some of your hard-earned dough.

CouponCloset.net
MoneySavingQueen.com
SimpleSavingSavvy.net
CouponMom.com
TheKrazyCouponLady.com
 

2011 Goals

Yep, I'm starting out the New Year behind. But, I have good reason. You see, lots of people fail at their New Year's Resolutions after, like, a week, so if I wait a week to publicize mine, I'm guaranteed to make it through the first week of January. Wish you would have thought about that, huh? :)

So, last year I accomplished all of my New Year's resolutions. Impressed? You would be until you hear that I only had two and they were: 1) Have a baby--I was already 5 months pregnant, just so you know. 2) Lose weight--which of course I did, because I had a baby and she weighed 8lbs, 2ozs, so there went almost 10 pounds instantly! I love it when a plan comes together!

This year, I decided I'd up the ante and try for something a little more difficult. More challenging. More rewarding. More fun. So, here are a few resolutions, in no particular order.

Run more. Yep, you read that right. I said run and I don't plan on anyone chasing me, so what gives? I got into a great routine of running three times per week last spring and summer, and I felt so healthy and accomplished. Until one day late last summer--in mid run--I thought, "I'm tired. I don't want to run today." So I stopped, got in my car and drove home. GASP! I know, right? So, my goal this year is to pick back up on my running routine and even run the 5k walk at the Memorial Marathon this year. Who's with me?


Grow more spiritually. I'm so blessed to have a church and pastor that brings the Word of God each and every weekend. He doesn't just bring it...he BRINGS it! I'm committing to a more active prayer life and I've already started getting up at 5 each morning and I'm putting His Word first in my life on a consistent basis. Dan and I are starting our lifegroup back, too. I'm so excited cause I've missed it so much!

Be more creative and crafty. In 2010, I was so inspired by various blogs about photography, sewing, crafting, cooking and more. This year, I plan to take more time out of my schedule to do simple, homemade crafts that help me exercise my creativity and help me feel accomplished. I finally got my DSLR I've been slobbering over for years, so there will be lots of photography sessions in my future. Good thing I have such a willing and beautiful model ready for her close-up.

My next purchase is a sewing machine because Santa forgot it this year. I already have several projects lined up that are way beyond my skill level, like threading the bobin. Seriously, all you sewers out there, this sister needs some help!

Cut out expenses and save more. If you've been around me over the past three months, you've probably heard me utter, "Well, the coupon lady said this..." or "I saw on the coupon lady's website..." because I've learned so much about shopping with coupons this last fall. I'm not talking about clip and snip to save $.50; I'm talking savings of about 25% off my total bill last month and it gets better the more I learn. I hope to continue to cut back on my grocery bill and stash more money away in our savings. And, pay my car off early. We can do it! We started the envelope system and it's really working to keep us on track financially. Nothing but momentum in 2011! Every year we drink a little more of the Dave Ramsey Kool-Aid and I'm lovin' the flavor!

Well, there you have 'em. There are plenty more aspirations for this year, but I don't want to overwhelm myself, which is easy to do. I'm one of those oh-look-it's-a-shiny-object people. Actually, an oh-look-it's-a-soccer-ball-pillow person ( I said this to a friend mid-story after seeing the before mentioned ball).

Anywho, hope you all have a wonderful 2011. Best wishes in the New Year. Comment and tell me what your resolutions are and I--oh, look there's the shiny orange publish button...

It's Official. I'm a Blogger!

After mulling it over for about a week, I've decided to start a blog. Hence, Moonbeams in a Jar. I was talking with my husband--who once said that blogging was stupid--about how quickly the pace of life seems to have picked up since we had our daughter in the spring. Every day is something new with her and I don't want to forget how blessed our family is and continues to be. And even though I'm self-described 'vanilla', there are things that Dan and I see, do and experience worth documenting, too.

So, my hope for Moonbeams in a Jar is to be a place where I can share our family stories, pictures, my spiritual journey, crafty projects, home improvements, recipes and more with those I love--and any others who like what I have to say.

Why Moonbeams in a Jar? Yes, it does have a special meaning. It reminds me of my childhood. It's a line in an old song my grandpa used to sing to me called Swinging on a Star. I couldn't think of a better blog title--after the first five tries were rejected! :)

So, I hope you enjoy Moonbeams in a Jar as much as I hope I enjoy working on it. I'd love to hear from some of my blogging friends about your motivation and what you enjoy most about making your daily or weekly posts.

Until next time!