23 Years
I turned 23 today! This was the first birthday that I haven’t just completely looked forward to for some reason, not that 23 is a “big” number, it’s just an “odd” number and I was pretty content with 22! However, my mom thought I was turning 24 and my Grandpa thought I was 22 so I am realizing that age really doesn’t matter!!
This was another significant age to me because I am now older than my mom was when I was born!! She was 22 and 1 month when I was born and I think it’s kind of neat because I will be 23 and 1 month when Paxton arrives! (I am one year behind her with significant life changes…she married at 18, I was 19!!)
We kept the birthday celebration pretty low key (which we always do!) John David was at a conference all day and brought home Taco Bell…yum! (I’ve probably had Taco Bell for over half of my birthday dinners, I just love it!) We also agreed to a small birthday budget for this year and he did wonderful, he gave me 3 beautiful red roses and a box of Fun Dip (which is another one of my favorite things, I will have to ration it because Paxton and I don’t need too much sugar!)
The “birthday” table!! All of my cards, roses and Fun Dip!
These are so beautiful!
And here’s my birthday cake! It’s far from beautiful but tastes very yummy….Strawberry Cake & Icing, it just doesn’t get any better than that!! (It did turn out much better than last year’s Strawberry Cake though!!)
After eating our dinner, we sat down on the couch and read “Our Love Story” which is a scrapbook I made about us meeting and our 9 months of dating! We spent about an hour sitting together reading, reminiscing & being thankful that God brought us together!
Spending time with my love, enjoying some of my favorite foods, flowers and quality time is definitely a finer thing!!
Linked to: Finer Things Friday
33 Weeks
We have 7 weeks left until our due date, wow!! He’s definitely growing and has become very active! These past 2 weeks he has been constantly moving, especially at night. It seems like as soon as I lay down to go to sleep he decides it’s time to play! Thankfully, I can fall asleep even when he’s moving everywhere!
Sleeping is my biggest struggle now. I’m sleeping okay, I wake up about 3, sometimes 4 times a night and then have a hard time getting back to sleep! Yesterday morning I woke up for the 4th time at 6 a.m. and I laid down trying to get a few more minutes of sleep before the alarm went off at 6:30 but after about 5 minutes of tossing I just went ahead and got up! John David has been letting me sleep in some mornings since I seem to only be able to get solid sleep between the hours of 7 and 10…go figure!!
Other than not sleeping soundly, I still feel amazing! I’m not uncomfortable, don’t waddle too much, can still put my socks on, sit in the floor and get back up without too much trouble and I painted my own toenails last week!! I’m hoping I will continue to feel wonderful during these next 7 weeks while waiting for our baby boy to arrive! (I do honestly believe a lot of it is my attitude about being pregnant…I’m sure I could very easily be “miserable” but I am choosing to think positive!!)
Late last week I began organizing his tiny baby clothes and blankets in his dresser! So much fun! Then Friday night, my sister-in-law came to visit and we looked at everything together, his clothes, diapers, shoes, toys, books, car seat, and on and on!!
Tuesday I spent several hours in the kitchen preparing dinners to freeze for those weeks after Paxton arrives! I put 7 meals in the freezer and I know they will definitely help our adjustment to life with a baby!
Tuesday evening we attended a Labor class at our hospital. We had an excellent instructor and we both feel much more educated about the labor process! We have no strong feelings regarding natural birth or an epidural. We’re planning on me laboring naturally as long as possible and if it becomes unbearable go ahead and have an epidural. Of course plans are subject to change especially regarding childbirth!
Declutter Challenge: February
I’m joining in with Amy for her Declutter Challenge! Amy’s goal is to get rid of 730 items in 365 days (which is 2 items per day!)
I have set my personal goal to have 365 things gone in 365 days! I think this is still a lofty goal…an item a day! And once I reach this goal I’ll continue decluttering…hopefully more than 365 things will leave my home!
My one rule is that hand-me-downs from others don’t count! How is counting someone else’s cast offs helping me reduce clutter? So, if I receive items and decide to pass them on or donate to Goodwill, they will not be on this list!
In January 56 items left my home!!
So how did I do in February?
Clothing: 7
Books: 12
Crafts: 8
Decor: 4
Kitchen: 4
Other: 5
Total: 40
Craigslist Sales
- Comforter $15
- Potrack $20
- Scrapbook Paper $10
- Mandolin $100
- Jacket $25
Grand Total: 45 items
Money Made: $170
Making $170 for our unwanted stuff is wonderful! We have less stuff and more money!!
Now I have 264 items left to reach my goal!
Are you thinking about decluttering in 2010? Here is a video post about getting rid of 30 Things in 30 Days! It is amazing how much you can get rid of if you just get rid of 1 unwanted item a day…easy decluttering!
Links:
Amy’s February Declutter Update
Did you do any decluttering in February? Do you have any plans for attacking your clutter in March?
Preparing for Motherhood: Stocking the Freezer
Once a month I spend a few hours in the kitchen and prepare foods to put in my freezer which make dinner, lunch and breakfasts easier! It is wonderful going to the freezer and pulling out a dinner on a night that I just don’t feel like cooking or when we’ve been away all day! Having meals in the freezer has saved me a lot of money!
Now that we’re anticipating the arrival of our son in 7 weeks, I’ve been focusing on building up a nice stash of meals for those exhausting evenings when I don’t want to cook! Having a freezer full of meals will allow me to focus more time on adjusting to being a new mommy and still eat good home cooked meals which are much healthier and less expensive than picking meals up!
Last month, I began my freezer stash for after the baby comes. Today was another baking day. I spent 4 hours in the kitchen (with several breaks to prevent tiredness!) After those 4 hours I had prepared 7 meals and 2 individual portions for my husband to take to work!
- Meatloaf x2 (All I need to do is mix up Sweet & Sour Sauce, heat and it’s ready to eat!)
- Lasagna x2
- Pizza Pockets (2-4 packs, 1-3 pack, 2-2 packs) (The 2 packs are perfect for my husband’s lunches!)
My post-baby dinner freezer stash now contains:
Dinners:
1- Sausage Pizza
3- 4 packs Pizza Pockets
1-3 pack Pizza Pockets
3- 10 packs Italian Meatballs
2- Lasagnas
2- Meatloaves
That’s 12 nights that we don’t have to worry about dinner. We’ll just pull something out, let it thaw, add a side and dinner will be ready!! I plan to have another freezer cooking day in a few weeks to add to these meals.
Here are some other easy freezer recipes to help build your stash of meals:
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
More information about freezing foods:
Freezer Tips from Phoebe at Getting Freedom
Maximize Your Freezer’s Potential and Minimize Freezer Burn from Amy at The Finer Things in Life
Preparing for Motherhood Posts:
Cornbread
2 cups self-rising cornmeal
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Preheat a well greased 8-inch iron skillet (or 8×8 baking pan) at 425°.
Blend all ingredients, stirring until moistened.
Pour batter into preheated skillet.
Bake 25 to 30 minutes.
Remove from pan and serve!
This is delicious and moist cornbread! Goes perfect with a country dinner and I love it leftover, reheated and drizzled with a little bit of maple syrup!!
Linked to: Tasty Tuesday and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Hello Children
I know we look young! We are young! I’m 22 and he’s 23 but do we really look like children?
Well, apparently we do!
A few weeks ago we walked into the Wal-Mart garden center and the greeter (who was in her 70s) greeted us with a “hello children!” I was stunned, I mean I’m 7 months pregnant and definitely showing!! We managed to walk past her and make it into the store before laughing because it was pretty funny!
Well, last Thursday it happened again! We walked into the funeral home and were greeted “hello children,” (this time by a man in his 60s!) Once again, we said hello, walked on by and had a little giggle!
I am beginning to develop a bit of a complex!! I’ve been told before that I look like I’m about 16 and my husband does too but there’s just something about us being together and me 7 months pregnant that makes me sensitive to people thinking we’re children!!
Well, I suppose when we’re in our 40s we’ll look like we’re in our 20s since we still look like children now!!
Welcome to my blog! It's is a glimpse into my life as a wife, soon-to-be mom & follower of Christ. I share about my family, frugality, sewing, cooking, and all things related to living a simple life!
