Everyone's Invited!

Just wanted to post this invitation on here so everyone knows they're invited. The invitaiton is open to anyone and everyone. I'm excited about my first show and also excited to see who will leave the party with lots of free stuff as the winner of the big Mystery Host contest!

If you like FREE stuff you don't want to miss this cooking show! :)

Sickness in our household

Jon and I just got back yesterday afternoon from a Marriage Conference we were at since Thursday night. It was out in Hershey, PA. We had a good time despite Jon coughing all the time and not feeling too great. He's been sick off and on for about a month now with everything from a sore throat, a cough, bad fever and runny nose. About two weeks ago he went to the doctor and was put on antibiotics which didn't seem to do too much. 

The day before we left for the conference Jon started coughing almost constantly all day long. This kept up but got a little better each day until yesterday. Yesterday he started to feel pain in his chest and was having a little trouble breathing at times. So last night we went to the emergency room since the symptoms weren't improving. They did a chest x-ray and discovered he has Pneumonia! They're not sure if is bacterial or viral but they put him on a different kind of antibiotics and gave him some breathing treatments. The chest pain is gone ever since they gave him an IV with antibiotics at the hospital. The coughing has also gotten much better and is now pretty much just when there's something he needs to cough up. We're praying he recovers fast and that I don't catch anything.

As a quick baby update - so much for thinking my morning sickness was gone. ha! I'm still queasy at times and even threw up for the first time since my last post. Since I cannot stand throwing up, I was hoping I'd make it through without doing it at all, but oh well. I threw up right after taking my prenatal vitamin one night - they were getting harder and harder to handle and finally one night when I already wasn't feeling well I just couldn't hold back. My loving husband was so kind and cleaned up the mess for me. He is so great! 

Just a week and a half left before my next ultrasound! We might be able to find out what we're having at this ultrasound - especially if it's a boy. Jon is still refusing to consider it's anything but a boy :). I on the other hand am leaning towards girl - especially the longer this sickness keeps up. Tomorrow I'll be 15 weeks and I'm still queasy pretty often.

Baby Update

I have some exciting news today! Jon and I went for my 2nd ultrasound this morning. We could actually tell it was a baby we were looking at this time. :) At first the baby was just resting in there and not moving too much. We could see the little heart beating but other than that, no movement. As the ultrasound technician continued to prod my belly though, it got the baby moving. After a while it wasn't cooperating at all anymore and was moving all around - we think it had the hiccups :). It was so neat seeing the little hands and feet that waved around every once-in-a-while and it's little nose sticking out. Jon thinks the baby has my nose... we'll see :). Baby is measuring in at a little under 6cm long (from the tip of it's head to it's bum), and is just the right size. I'm 12 weeks 4 days pregnant today and the baby's measuring at 12 weeks 3 days - which is an average for all the measurements. Here's our little cutie:

(the head is on the right and you can see the little nose and an ear - it was so much easier to see on the live video but this is the best we got printed)

(This picture is a view from the back - it looks like the baby has a tail but we think that's a leg/foot)

The ultrasound lady also discovered what is the likely cause of my previous spotting - a pouch of blood in-between the lining of my uterus. She said this is somewhat common and should go away as the baby gets bigger, however, she said not to be surprised if I see more spotting in the future. I have to go in for another ultrasound at 16 weeks so they can check on it. It's good to know there's a reason for the spotting I've had and that it shouldn't be a problem.

More good news is that my morning sickness seems to be finally fading away, yea!! I noticed first this past Saturday that I wasn't feeling quite as sick as usual but I wasn't convinced until waiting a few days and noticing the same thing. I still have queasy times but for the most part I've been feeling pretty good. I seem to be hungrier though too now, and when I get hungry the hunger pains are pretty uncomfortable still. It's better than feeling sick though :).

My belly is starting to visibly stick out now too - especially after eating. It makes everything a bit more real when I look down to see a little bump :).

I think that's about all the baby updates I can think of. I'm looking forward to the second trimester and hoping to get my energy back so I can keep up with my house again and start working on the baby room soon!

My New Business

I'm spreading the word... I have just recently become a Pampered Chef consultant! I'm excited to start this up again since I absolutely LOVE their products and I enjoy cooking and telling people about the products at cooking shows.

If you or anyone you know would be interested in hosting a cooking or catalog show, or a fund raiser, let me know! It's very easy to do and a lot of fun. Plus, you get all kinds of free and discounted products.

In my first 30 days (which end Jan. 16th) anyone who hosts a show for me with receive an extra gift of either a Cranberry Hot Pad/Trivet or Sweet Cinnamon Sprinkle & Chipotle Rub. That would be on top of the other host benefits that you would usually get. I know it's late notice to do a show before January 16th, but I figured I'd mention it in case anyone's really excited to get one of those things free.

Here are some links to the Host and Guest Specials for the upcoming 2 months:

January Host Special - This is an especially great month for hosting!
January Guest Special

February Host Special
February Guest Special

In addition to the monthly specials, Hosts always get all of the following:

~ Free products of your choice.
~ Half-price & discounted products.
~ 10% discount for a year.
~ Free shipping on your order.

So, spread the word to anyone you know that might be interested in hosting a cooking show and getting all kinds of free stuff.

I don't intend to turn this blog into a constant advertisement for my Pampered Chef business; however, I may occasionally post if there is an extremely good deal going on :).

Browse the most recent catalog here.

A Heartbeat, A Christmas Tree & A New Title

Baby Update:
Morning sickness is still a symptom of pregnancy that I experience regularly. Sometimes it seems like maybe it's getting a little better, but then there's nights like last night and the night before where I feel as sick as ever again. Monday I was 9 weeks along so now I'm well into my 10th week. Time is thankfully going by pretty quick. My house is still far from neat and tidy but I have been able to keep up with it here and there so it's not so bad. Jon continues to be a huge help around the house - often making or helping with dinner and just being willing to hang out at home with me and take it easy most nights. Exaughstion is another symptom that's been following me around all the time. Most mornings I'm just crawling out of bed around 10am and I'm still tired and ready for bed by 10:30 or 11:00 at night. The last three days I've noticed a little bit of spotting again, so yesterday I went in to see my midwife - just to ease my mind. She was able to find the baby's heartbeat with her Doppler device and I was able to hear it as well! She also took a look and said everything else seems fine. All this was very comforting and it was so neat to hear the heartbeat for the first time. My next scheduled appointment is the day before Christmas Eve. Jon is planning to come with me to that one so he can hear the heartbeat as well. That should be fun!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Tuesday night Jon and I went out to get a Christmas tree, then came back and decorated it - I know, we're a little late this year. We decided to go with a somewhat smaller and skinnier one this year since last year's tree took up a bit too much of our living room. I think we found the perfect one.

I'm enjoying the lack of clutter on the tree for probably one of the last years for a while. With a little one on the way I'm sure it won't be long before our Christmas trees starts to fill up with lots of ornaments the kids make and want to display. :) I haven't done much more decorating since we put the tree up. Hopefully tonight Jon can help me with some of it. As soon as it stops raining Jon will be putting up the lights outside too. Can you believe Christmas is only 13 days away! Oh my, I shouldn't have counted... now I'm feeling a bit behind. I've still got about half my Christmas shopping to do and I've got to finish our Christmas letter and picture to send out, plus bake some cookies and other holiday treats and finish decorating the house!

Jon's new responsibilities at work:
As of last week Jon is now the photographer for his company - along with all that he was already doing. He is excited to be learning photography and is looking forward to shooting his first newly re-designed home today. The company has a very expensive camera and professional lenses, lighting, etc. for Jon to use. He said there is a LOT to learn but he will enjoy the break from office work whenever he's able to get out to take pictures. He's also glad to be getting more experience in photography because it's something he has wanted to learn more about for a while. Jon used his works camera to take the above picture of our Christmas tree. Here's my photographer at work:

****Baby Alert****

Yes, the wait is over: I'm pregnant!! The baby is due July 13th 2009 - I'm 8 weeks today :). After having the miscarriage last time we decided to wait a little longer this time before telling everyone - although we still told our parents and families early on.

After finding out that I wasn't pregnant the last time that I could have been, Jon and I decided to do a fast to pray that God would bless us and allow me to get pregnant. What a merciful and loving God we have - He answered our prayers! That next month is when I got pregnant. We're continually praising and thanking God for the little answer to prayer that's growing inside of me.

About two weeks after we found out I was pregnant (when I was a few days into my 7th week), I noticed some spotting. Since my last miscarriage started with spotting, I began to panic and it wasn't more than 20 minutes before I was almost positive I was having another miscarriage. I pleaded with God to keep the baby safe, but I didn't have much hope. I called Jon home from working on Christmas lights over at the Inn and he came right over. Thankfully He had more faith and hope than I did! We prayed together and he kept saying he wasn't sure this was a miscarriage. We called both our parents to let them know to be praying. Jon's parents came over to lay hands on me and pray for me. During their prayer Jon said he felt a strong calm and peace and he said he was almost sure the baby was ok. That was very comforting to me, even though I hadn't felt the same.

Sure enough, the next Day when I went in for an ultrasound, the baby was measuring to-the-day, exactly what it was supposed to be and the lady saw a heartbeat!! I got to see the heartbeat too - that was really neat. My midwife also said everything else looked great. The baby was too small to see anything but a dot and a sack, but here's the ultrasound picture:


The baby is to the left side of that blob in the middle :).

Starting near the end of my 7th week, my morning sickness really kicked in. This little baby has been keeping me on the couch or in bed most of the time for the past week and 2 days! Before that I would feel queasy every-once-in-a-while, but nothing consistent. Now I feel sick most of the day - especially at night when it's the worst. Food doesn't appeal to me at all, even though I'm so hungry all the time. I have to force myself to eat.

Thankfully I haven't been throwing up - although I'm not the throwing up type - I can't stand the thought of it even more than I don't like the sick feeling, so I do everything I can to keep myself from throwing up.

Those of you who know what my house looks like normally - and how I like to keep it fairly neat and orderly at all times - would be shocked to see the mess it has become! I would take pictures but I'm too embarrassed to even do that! Dishes are piled up on almost all open counter space; to walk into our room you have to step over piles of dirty laundry - you can barely see the floor; the bathroom hasn't had a good cleaning in at least 2 weeks, and the rest of my house has clutter everywhere! I cannot believe how much of a mess it has become. My wonderful husband has been so patient and understanding during this season! He's always telling me to take it easy and rest, and that he's fine with the house being messy and him having to make his own lunches in the morning. He's even done the dishes and made dinner a few nights! I'm so thankful for him. :) Thank you love!

Today I plan to use any energy I get to start attacking the messes. So far I've picked up all the laundry and sorted it, then put a few loads in. I was about to start the dishes when nausea hit me so I had to sit down - that's when I decided to start this post. Now I'm feeling a little better so I better get going to do what I can before it starts again.

Even though it's not too fun feeling like I do these days I wouldn't have it any other way. I know that as long as I'm feeling sick the baby is doing well, so I'll take the sickness thankfully for as long as it lasts - hopefully just till the end of my first trimester - 4 weeks from today :).

I'll do my best to regularly post baby updates as the weeks and months go by. Thank you to everyone who's been praying and will continue to pray!

FREE BATTERIES

I just had to post about an AWESOME deal I got Monday at CVS. I was so excited! Here's what I got:

And all that for $0.91 out-of-pocket! 

I also left with more Extra Care Bucks (which are like cash) to spend at CVS on a future trip than what I started with. For any that are interested in how I did this, read below:

1st Transaction:

Buy 4 Glade Glass Scents @ $2.50 each

Use 2 B1G1 (buy-one-get-one) coupons

Use 1 $1/1 coupons ($1/1 means $1 off one)

Total: $4 after coupons

Buy 3 packs of Duracell batteries @ $5.99 each

Buy 1 pack of Duracell batteries @ $5.49

Use 2 $5/2 CVS tearpad coupons (found near the batteries)

Use 4 $1.50/1 coupons

Total: $7.46 after coupons

Buy 2 Lindt Excellence Chocolate Bars @ $2.49 each

Use 1 B1G1 coupon

Use 1 $0.75/1 coupon

Total:  $1.74 after coupons

Total + Tax: $13.89

Pay with $12.98 ECB's (Extra Care Bucks) from previous CVS shopping trips

Pay remaining $0.91 in cash

 

Get $5 ECB's (Extra Care Bucks) back for buing $10 worth of Glade products

Get $15 ECB's back for buying $20 worth of Duracell batteries

So in that transaction I used $12.98 worth of my previous Extra Care Bucks plus $0.91 cash and ended up with $20 worth of Extra Care Bucks - a profit of $6.11.

2nd Transaction:

Buy 6 packs of Duracell batteries @ $5.99 each

Buy 2 packs of Duracell batteries @ $5.49 each

Use 4 $5/2 CVS tearpad coupons (found near the batteries)

Total of $26.92 after coupons

Pay with $26.92 worth of Extra Care Bucks from previous transactions

Get $30 worth of Extra Care Bucks for buying $40 worth of Duracell Batteries.

So in my last transaction I used all of my remaining Extra Care Bucks which was $26.92 (It was actually $27 but since my transaction didn't cost that much I lost out on $0.08 worth of ECB's). But I left with $30 worth of Extra Care Bucks - a total profit for the day of $3.08.

Just to clarify incase anyone was following the math in my last transaction - If you pay at CVS using only Extra Care Bucks and coupons you don't have to pay tax - that's why you'll notice I paid no tax on the second transaction.

Isn't that exciting!? I got all of what was pictured above for just $0.91 out-of-pocket, plus I left with $30 ECB's to spend like cash on a future transaction at CVS!! 

Finally - Pics of Myrtle Beach

Alright, I'm slowing going to catch up with all the blogging I've been missing. Starting with these pictures from our vacation to Myrtle Beach back in September.

This year we took Nate & Shawna's car down for a change - normally we take our car. It was tight but luckily we were able to put a bunch of our stuff in others cars so we got it all to fit.


Here's Jon outside of Cici's pizza. This restaurant has become a tradition to stop at on the way down. They have all-you-can-eat pizza and salad bar. It's very cheap and the pizza is pretty good. Don't ask me who started the tradition of stuffing ourselves at an all-you-can-eat place right in the middle of a 12 hour car trip! 


Here we are! We finally made it through the approximately 11.5 hour drive.


There are tennis courts right outside of our room so almost every morning some of us play tennis. This is Jon, Nate & Alysa. I think I played one morning - I'm not a big tennis player :).


The guys always play football on the beach a few days:


Kassia, Shawna, Amanda & I out on the beach:


With Amanda getting engaged the week before we left for Myrtle Beach, it was common for Shawna, her and I to be seen sitting on the couch like this, looking up wedding invitations, or dresses or doing some other kind of wedding planning. We had a lot of fun :).


This is another Myrtle Beach tradition. We always go to Miyabi - a really go0d Japanese Hibachi grill - for at least one meal. This trip our group took up four tables the size of this one:


Another tradition we have is spending an entire day at nearby Pawleys Island crabbing and fishing. To crab we tie a piece of raw chicken on the end of a rope and throw it in the water. Then you wait for a while to let the crabs climb onto it and then slowly pull the rope in and catch the crab with a net. We always catch about a 5 gallon size bucket full of crabs. Jon and Brendan are then usually the ones to boil them all and get the meat out. Here's Jon and I on Pawleys Island:


Me fishing at Pawleys Island:


This is at a fishing pier not far up the beach from where we stay. We take the extra chicken from crabbing and feed it to the sharks there. This is one reason you'll never see me in the water with everyone - after seeing how many sharks there are I'm too scared to get in the water. I think I was in once this year. The entire time I was in I wouldn't let Jon leave me alone and I was out within maybe 5 minutes or so.


Jon caught a pretty good size shark while fishing out on the beach one night around 1:00am. Some of the guys cut it all up and Jon made breaded and fried shark meat. Only after all that did we find out there's a very large fine for catching a shark on the beach. Oops! The locals don't want people pulling sharks in and scaring away all the vacationers. At least Jon caught it in the middle of the night so no one else saw but the guys that were fishing with him.


Here they're boiling down the shark head to get the teeth out - it smelled horrible and looked disgusting!


This is at another one of the restaurants we always go to while down in Myrtle Beach. It's called Ryan's and it's a big buffet with lots of good food.


There's also always one night where we all get together for an outdoor pot luck dinner. Here's the food line:


Here's Jon and a few of the other guys holding the buckets above their heads till they fill up...


And then letting them go so they get colder that usual water dumped on them. Then they run over and jump in the hot tub.


Well that's all. We had a great time once again down in Myrtle Beach!

I'VE DECIDED TO VOTE DEMOCRAT

Dear Family,Friends, and loved ones,

I know you all will be very surprised by my next statement, so I have listed below the reasons why I have decided to vote democrat this year.
Please take the time to read through them carefully, for I really would prefer if you understood my reasons before we next speak.

My Reasons:

I'm voting Democrat because I believe the government will do a better job of spending the money I earn than I would.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe I make too much money. I believe that since the government cannot take half of my talent, abilities, blood, sweat, tears, stress, and frustration to give to some other person who does not offer the talents and abilities I do, nor share my same work ethics...well then half of the money I EARN should go to that person instead.

I'm voting Democrat because freedom of speech is fine as long as nobody is offended.

I'm voting Democrat because when we pull out of Iraq I trust that the bad guys will stop what they're doing because they now think we're good people.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that people who can't tell us if it will rain on Friday CAN tell us that the polar ice caps will melt away in ten years if I don't start driving a Prius.

I'm voting Democrat because I'm not concerned about the slaughter of millions of babies so long as we keep all death row inmates alive.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that businesses should not be allowed to make profits for themselves. They need to break even and give the rest away to the government for redistribution as THEY see fit.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that when the terrorists don't have to hide from us over there, they'll come over here, and I don't want to have any guns in the house to shoot them with.

I'm voting Democrat because I love the fact that I can now marry whatever I want. I've decided to marry my car.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe oil companies' profits of 4% on a gallon of gas are obscene but the government taxing the same gallon of gas at 15% isn't.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that with the help of Acorn, my vote will count, and count, and count, and count, and count!

I'm voting Democrat because I think President Carter's fair housing law and President Clinton's extension of such, had nothing to do with the current economic disaster we face today. Besides, Barney Frank would never lie and Fanny and Freddy must be honorable institutions or else Barak would not have taken so much money from them, and would never have had one of their chief officer's as part of his campaign team! Please, Barak went to Harvard - so he cannot be that dumb.

I'm voting Democrat because I am a woman, and only Democratic women are stood up for by Women's Rights groups!

I'm voting Democrat because in the New Socialist United States, in order to make any real money, I will have to move to Hollywood to get a job as an actress. I hear they don't like republicans and lack of talent does not matter, so now I should have a real shot!

The final reason I am voting Democrat this year... with all this global warming, hell must have frozen over!


* * * * *

Now that you understand my logic, it kinda makes you wonder why I would have EVER voted Republican, now doesn't it?

p.s. I stole this letter from an email that a co-worker of Jon's sent out. :)

A Must-See Video! Tons of Info. - FACTS

MAKING Money Shopping + Free Stuff

Ok, so I said in my last post that you'd learn soon why it's so helpful that I have all that extra storage space in my newly re-done basement. Well, here's why... I need it for stockpiling all the free or close to free stuff I've been getting lately.

A blog I discovered a few months ago: Money Saving Mom is what got me started playing "the drugstore game". I have always clipped coupons and used them for things we would normally get, but I never realized until recently, the possibilities and potential in couponing and smart shopping. I won't go into all the nitty gritty details of how to get started and all the lingo that fellow couponers use, etc. because so many blogs including moneysavingmom.com already have done such a great job at explaining all that. I just wanted to share with you my Walgreens & CVS shopping trips from this week. It was a really good week for stockpiling! So here goes... hopefully I don't make your head spin too much!

WALGREENS

Here's how I got all this stuff FREE, plus made $6.27:

Buy 2 Windex Spray Bottles -- 2/$5.00
Use two $1/1 manufacturer coupons
Submit for Easysaver Rebate of $2.00 ($1 each)
$0.50 each after coupons and rebate

Buy 5 Glade Carpet & Room Odor Eliminators -- $1.99 each
Use five $1/1 manufacturer coupons
Submit for Easysaver Rebate of $5.00 ($1 each)
FREE plus $0.05 overage after coupons & rebate

Buy 1 Scrubbing Bubbles Fresh Brush Max Starter Kit -- $3.99
Use $3/1 manufacturer coupon
Submit for Easysaver Rebate of $1.50
FREE plus $0.51 overage after coupon and rebate

Buy 4 Scrubbing Bubbles Flushable Bathroom Wipes -- $2/$5.00 x 2
Use two $0.75/1 manufacturer coupons
Use two Buy-one-get-one-free coupons to get two free
Submit for Easysaver Rebate of $4.00 ($1 each)
FREE plus $0.50 overage after coupons and rebate

Buy 1 Nivea Mens Body Wash -- $4.99
Submit for Easysaver Rebate of $4.99
FREE after rebate

Buy 2 Glade Wisp Candles -- $5.99 each
Use buy-one-get-one-free coupon to get one free
Get $3 in Register Rewards (good on my next purchase)
Submit for manufacturer Try-Me-Free mail-in-rebate of $5.99
FREE plus $3.00 in overage after coupon, Register Reward and rebate

Buy 2 Scrubbing Bubbles Action Scrubbers -- $3.99 each
Use two $2.75/1 manufacturer coupons
Submit for Easysaver Rebate of $3.00 ($1.50 for each)
Submit for manufacturer Try-Me-Free mail-in-rebate of $3.99
FREE plus $4.51 overage after coupons and rebate

Buy 3 Glade Scented Oil Candle Holders -- $3.99 each
Use three $2/1 manufacturer coupons
Submit for Easysaver Rebate of $6.00 ($2 each)
FREE plus $0.03 overage after coupons and rebate

Buy 5 Glade 4 oz. Candles -- $1.99 each
Use five $1/1 coupons
Submit for Easysaver rebate of $5.00 ($1 each)
FREE plus $0.05 overage after coupons and rebate

Buy 2 Crest 6.4 oz Toothpastes -- $1.99 each
Use two $1/1 Walgreens coupons
Use two $1/1 manufacturer coupons
FREE plus $0.02 overage after coupons

Total before coupons & rebates: $79.79
Tax Paid: +$4.55
Coupons, rebates & Register Rewards: $-87.46
10% bonus for getting Easysaver rebates on a gift card: $-3.15
Total Made on Transaction: $6.27

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

CVS

Here's how I got all of this FREE:

Buy 1 Arm & Hammer Essentials Cleaner -- $2.50
Use $1/1 manufacturer coupon
Submit for manufacturer Try-Me-Free mail-in-rebate of $2.50
FREE plus $1 overage after coupon and rebate

Buy 1 32oz Vitamin Water -- $2.29
Receive $2.29 back as Extra Care Bucks (to be used like cash on next transaction)
FREE after ECB's

Buy 2 Always Infinity 18ct Pads -- $4.98 each
Receive $9.96 back as Extra Care Bucks ($4.98 each)
FREE after ECB's

Buy 1 Colgate MaxFresh Toothpaste -- $2.99
Use $1/1 manufacturer coupon
Receive $2.00 back as Extra Care Bucks
FREE after ECB's

Buy 1 Bic Soleil Razor -- $5.99
Use $2/1 manufacturer coupon
Receive $4.00 back as Extra Care Bucks
FREE after ECB's

Buy 4 Bic Soleil 4 ct Razor Refills -- $5.99 each
Use four $2/1 manufacturer coupons
Receive $16 back as Extra Care Bucks ($4 each)
FREE after ECB's

Buy 1 Mentos -- $0.79

I used Extra Care Bucks (ECB's) that I had from previous transactions to pay for this transaction. When you use an ECB in a transaction your total must be the same or more than the total of your ECB or you will loose the extra ECB's. This is why I bought the Mentos - to get my transaction up to the right amount so I didn't loose part of my ECB's. After the above transaction I now have $34.25 in Extra Care Bucks to use like cash on future purchases at CVS.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alright, now I've probably thoroughly confused some of you but hopefully also I've made some of you curious and interested in the whole idea of couponing and drugstore shopping. In just two months or so of doing this I've accumulated a very good supply of household things such as: toothpaste, mouthwash, toothbrushes, makeup, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, razors, shaving cream, medicines, feminine supplies, cleaning supplies, air fresheners, laundry supplies, dish washing supplies, and many other things including some food items - all for either FREE or VERY little. I'll admit, it does take a good amount of time to get started and learn the ins and outs, but at the end it's totally worth it, at least for me! If you've got questions I can try to answer them, or there are all kinds of blogs and websites out there that are dedicated to this type of stuff.

Have FUN!! Happy Shopping :)

What I've Been Up To

I'm Back! And I've got quite the list of things to update you all. First let me say, I'm sorry for those of you who regularly check my blog looking for updates and for a few months now, have found nothing. Hopefully after this post you will have some idea of what's been keeping me from blogging.

Since there's so much to say and I'm not sure where to start, I guess the easiest thing would be a list. Here goes:

~ On August 25th Nate & Shawna had settlement on their "new-to-them" house which they just moved into last week. The house was a fixer-up place that needed quite a bit of work to be livable for them. So, up until last Tuesday when we helped them move in, we were over there at least a few nights a week helping clean, tear down walls, paint, install closets, clear their yard, etc, etc. At first it seemed overwhelming but it's been really cool to see the house transform into a very cute, livable place. If I had some pictures I'd post them but I don't. Maybe I'll get some from Shawna later on.

~ One week in mid-August I decided I was going to completely re-do my basement to make it a usable and inviting storage space - a project I had been putting off ever since getting married. Our basement was old, smelly, dirty and creepy according to me. I very much avoided even opening the basement door, and I would only go down there in broad daylight while Jon was home - even that only happened a couple times since living here. I know, you all think I'm crazy, but you didn't see my basement before!

While I was motivated I wasted no time. Jon's mom graciously offered to help as well. We hauled everything out that was down there. Then we vacuumed and washed down everything. The ceiling was unfinished and not very pretty looking so we stapled up heavy duty plastic to keep dirt and insulation from falling down; it also gave the room a much nicer feel. Next we painted the walls, floor and stairs. And finally I went out and bought some heavy duty storage shelves for all around and filled them up with all kinds of things I had been storing elsewhere in our little house.

Unfortunately I didn't take pictures before we started, but I did take some mid-process and finish pics (below). It really looks like a different basement! I actually go down there quite often now, without any fear. It's so nice to have the extra storage space too (you'll learn more about why in another post). I still have a few more little things to do in the basement to finish it up, like fix some of the plastic on the ceiling and hang a fabric curtain all around so I can't see in the crawl space, but for the most part it's done. Here are some pics:

MID-WAY (we had already cleaned and painted the walls)

AFTER

~ Another thing that's been keeping me busy is watching my cousin Rhonda's son Aaron every Thursday from 8:30 am - 4:40 pm. Aaron is now about 3 months old but I started watching him when he was just over 2 months. He's a big boy and sometimes quite a handful but I've been learning a lot and gaining more experience having a baby around all day one day a week. I'd post some pictures but Jon's been taking our camera to work every day so I never have it around when Aaron's here.

~ We went for a week vacation to Myrtle Beach 2 weeks ago but I'm going to write another post with pictures of that so I won't say anything more right now. Stay tuned!



~ The rest of my garden really took off after I posted the last post. I had tomatoes and peppers galore for a while! With the tomatoes I canned 28 quarts of fresh tomato sauce. I'm hoping that will last us until next year for making homemade spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce and any other recipe I find. As for the peppers, we had a lot of habaneros as well as bell peppers which I left on the plants till they turned red. I washed, cut and froze a few quart sized bags of red bell peppers to use in all kinds of recipes throughout the winter. The habaneros were for Jon and he used them to make two different types of EXTREMELY HOT hot sauce. He also dried some and ground them down to a powder to sprinkle on food. The powder is so strong that when he uses it to sprinkle on food some of it becomes airborne and if you're right near him you feel it on your lips and in your nose! I stay clear of it and don't even like touching the jar. :) The picture above is our stash of tomato sauce and hot sauces. Which are all stored down in our newly re-done basement of course.

~ The week before we left for Myrtle Beach two of our friends, Amanda Reinford & Steve Heebner got engaged and they asked Jon and I both to be in their wedding party. I was asked if I would be Amanda's Matron of Honor and I gladly excepted! Amanda was my maid of honor for my wedding so it's really neat. All the little details that come along with being Matron of Honor have been occupying some of my time these last few weeks as well. I love it though! Weddings are so much fun - especially when you're in them and you know the people getting married. Manda & Steve's wedding is in early January so there's not long to wait!

~ Lastly something that's really been taking up a lot of my time these days is learning to MAKE money shopping at CVS, Walgreens & Rite Aid. You may have noticed a little while back the new link button that appeared on my side bar to the left. It has the picture of the little piggy bank and it says "Money Saving Mom" on it. That is the blog that started it all for me, and got me hooked on saving money, stock piling, and shopping at drugstores. There are so many more details to share and great bargains to tell you about that I'll dedicate another post specifically for this latest hobby of mine. :)

I think that's just about everything. At least all the main things I've been doing. Since this post is getting so long I'm going to end abruptly here and I'll start on the next post right away!

My Garden

I know I haven't been blogging much recently. I've got plenty of things keeping me busy. Just one of those things is my garden! This is the first year I did a garden and I guess you could say I started out with a pretty good sized one. Lets see, I planted about 6 cucumber plants (a few seedless plants and a few regular), 8 tomato plants (four plum and four beefsteaks), four bell pepper plants, 3 Jalapeno pepper plants, 2 habanero pepper plants, meadow mint tea, 6 basil plants, parsley and oregano. Here are a few pictures I took back in July when my garden was just starting to grow. The bush on the right is mom Friedrich's blueberry bush.



This is the view from the other side of the garden:


My little herb corner:


I transplanted just a few (maybe about 10) tea plants from my parents house and look how fast they grew:


This is a picture from today, I can't believe how everything is growing so big!


Quite a difference huh?! I had to stake up all my pepper plants except the habaneros, because each one fell over at some point from the weight of all the peppers growing on them.

My cucumbers are currently growing like crazy! For the last three days straight I've gotten 5 a day and before that it was more like 2 or 3 a day. Needless to say we've been eating so many cucumbers I think we might turn green!

Jon's Jalapeno peppers also took off a week or so ago. They are slowing down a little now but he's already gotten a few quart sized bags full of them - some of which I froze, some Jon made into a super-spicy-hot pepper spread, and some he just fries or grills to eat with whatever we're having for dinner.

The rabbits keep eating most of my tomatoes that turn red - which luckily hasn't been many so far - so tomorrow I'm going out to buy chicken wire to put around the garden so they can't get in. I'm hoping to make tomato sauce so I can't have all my tomatoes being eaten!

Earlier this week I cut down almost all my basil to make pesto sauce for freezing. There's already more basil growing! A few weeks ago I also cut some to dry for filling my spice jar. I guess 6 basil plants was a little too much :).

Ok, this post about my garden is getting pretty long but if you'll bare with me I have one more thing to tell about. In the early days of my gardening this year there were about 4 or 5 trees growing right outside the one corner of my garden. Some of the trees were as tall as our house so unfortunately they were providing way too much shade for my plants - which all needed full sunlight. So my wonderful husband cut them down for me one Saturday. Here are some pictures:

He secured each tree with straps before sawing so that when they fell they wouldn't fall on top of my garden:




Some of the smaller trees he drug away but there were also a few that were really heavy so he used his mom's car to drag them off:


What a difference that made in my garden! I'm so thankful for Jon's help and his willingness to do all that work for me! I would never have been able to do it without him.

Amazing Transformation

Jon just sent me an email with before and after images of a picture he touched up at work. The "after" result was so amazingly different than the original picture that I just had to post them so you could all see. This is just one type of thing Jon does at his job:

Original picture of the house:


After Jon finished touching it up:


Isn't he good??!!! hehe Alright, that's all. Just wanted to brag a bit :).

Independence Day!

We had a party yesterday to celebrate the 4th of July. Here are just a few pictures:

The guys played bocce ball for a long time. They went all the way around the yard.


Kassia, Shawna and I sat in the hot tub while the guys played bocce ball, then we sat outside the pool and watched the guys swimming - the big pool was too cold for us :)



Jon broke the diving board... it was on it's last let anyway. Everytime one of the guys would jump off it we could hear a crack - I'm suprised it didn't break sooner than it did.


We had lots of yummy food. Jon grilled up chicken, hot dogs and shrimp.

At the end of the night we did fireworks. Here's two good pics of them. Shawna is holding a roman candle that shoots out balls of colorful fireworks. Jon's just about to throw the one he has in his hand.



It was a muggy overcast day but we managed to have a lot of fun anyway :). Happy belated Independance day everyone!