New residents...

Spring is here and I love all the green and flowers popping up. Its amazing how the brown barren ground and trees can bring forth so much beauty. God made such an amazing circle of life that no one else could design.

Amongst the green and flowers, birds are chirping away building nests. One little bird family has found its niche right on our front door! We have a flower door hanger with fake flowers in it. A couple weeks ago, I kept seeing birds working and realized they were making a nest on the door. Even cooler, the hanger is in front of the window so if you are sitting on the far end of the couch, you can see the nest perfectly. We thankfully don't use this door too much, because they are skittish once you walk up to the door.

But I can't wait to watch the growth of this little family. AND feel it is so cool the timing of our little family growing along with this bird family. We can be up all night together! Well, not sure the birds sleep all night anyway.

(Momma/Daddy bird staying back since I am lurking behind the door)

Our most important new little resident will be here before we know it. Ansley's due date is April 25th! Can't believe it myself, I feel its gone fast yet seems I have been hearing, talking, and learning about her for so long. I am anxious about "the change" our family is about to experience. I want to enjoy it so much, and for Garyn to enjoy it! That is the part I feel will be the most unpredictable. I hope I just hold it together and not put too many expectations on "the change."  We are talking a lot about his role as a big brother with all the advantages it has! He seems to like talking about how he can help and definitely wants to hold her.

(Garyn with his big brother shirt)

That being said, I know we will be fine and adjust with time. Just like every other family!
Here is the latest pic of our little girl. I am beginning to think she is going to constantly stick her tongue out or be smacking her lips. She has had her tongue out and been working that mouth in most of the ultrasounds. Last week, Dr. Brody got a  picture of her in the act:

(This is all her face: forehead-eyes-nose-fat cheeks-and a tongue sticking out. Do you see it? She looks like a chubby thing with a big nose! Garyn thinks it is funny that she has her tongue stuck out. )

I just can't wait to see what her personality is like. Nana, also born in April, says that according to her sign, she will be strong willed. Speaking of being born in April, we have several family members with birthdays in April. We'll see if Ansley has her own date or shares it with a relative!

(This is from 2 weeks ago now, Garyn took it before I went to work one night)

Back to nesting, it has begun inside the house, as well as on the front door. All the home projects and bedroom changes going on has gotten me frantic to get settled! Tyler is in full swing with baseball so it has been mind boggling for him to find time to finish the things I can not do. Well, let me say mind boggling for me. He keeps wondering what the rush is! However, he is on spring break this week and getting a lot done. So I have high hopes for finally being done with the big stuff! Then I can move on to the little details like getting the playroom re situated and Garyn's room reorganized (with his bunk beds!). All of this coming second to finishing the nursery! :)

Other than nesting, I am sleeping less; having more heartburn; going to the bathroom at least hourly; and getting out of breathe and tired more. Its all worth it though!

So how is your spring popping up?!

Freezer cooking recap....

Last week, I finally was able to do some freezer cooking. I haven't had many Tuesdays free which is when Garyn is at mother's day out. I am either working the night before or have had doctor's appointments.

I got a good bit done, but not as much as I originally wanted. I also had a major flop trying a new recipe.

I have been wanting to make some type of pizza pockets and I got this recipe from a kids-meal-ideas website. First off, they were really small, so after making a few I made the circles bigger. And then you couldn't put much filling in or else they overflowed. Then I cooked them. As you can see the filling spilled out and the crust is dry having a strong corn meal taste (corn meal is the main ingredient). I just don't think they will get eaten. I threw out all but the ones that weren't overflowing. Oh well, I'll try a different recipe next time.

I did try some new burritos and they are good! I made the normal Brown Bag Burritos and some chicken burritos that I made up along the way. Basically, they have everything the Mexican Chicken Casserole has in it. Rice, shredded chicken, rotel tomatoes, corn, black beans, cheese and salsa. I let all this simmer together a little while and then rolled them up just like the brown bags. I did add some sour cream when rolling up but stopped because it was just melting from the heat and I worried about freezing and then reheating it.

I also made the Mexican Chicken Casserole which as usual I divided into 2 separate dinners. Then I tried money saving mom's brown sugar twists. I like them but will add more sugar and cinnamon next time. They aren't quite sweet enough for us. But are great dipped in honey!



I also froze some cooked ground hamburger meat and shredded chicken for use in other meals. So here is the final tally:

2 Mexican Chicken Casseroles
10 Brown Bag Burritos
10 Chicken Burritos
bag of shredded chicken
not pictured:
bag of cooked ground beef
20 brown sugar biscuit twists
and a few pizza empandas

I may try to have a smaller freezer day in the next couple weeks. I had some meat recipes I wanted to try that are just marinated or somehow prepared meats to add sides to when making dinner. We'll see if I can get some more stocked away before Ansley comes! Less than 7 weeks until my due date!

March goals

Fun:
-Enjoy the month with life as I know it now, it is all about to change! No sleep, more responsibilities, more laundry.....but a new little life to love and hold, as well!
-Have one date night
-Do as many things outside with Garyn as weather permits!

DIY/Craft:
-I have lots of painting to do for Ansley's room...finish baby bed, start changing table, and possibly paint a dresser
-Help Tyler with deck/french door project as much as possible
-Paint Ansley's name sign
-Paint Easter door hanger with Garyn that I bought last year on sale

Cooking:
-possibly do a small freezer cooking day
-continue to cook/ eat at home all but what we budget for

Cleaning:
-try to keep cleaning habits up so that I feel the house is basically clean
-finish cleaning out anything that will not stay in Ansley's room
-wash new clothes and bassinet bedding for Ansley

Teaching/Learning:
-keep working with Garyn on writing his name
-work on counting to 30 without any glitches
-keep looking at preschools

Budgeting:
-tally up Jan. and Feb. expenses for next years tax deductions
-stay on top of budget and weekly cash flow
-start saving for beach trip

Prayer/Devotion:
-Continue morning quiet time
-Keep prioritizing devotion/Bible reading

Other:
-wash and take dogs yearly shots!
-take JBF sale items
-wash and list cups for eBay and anything else I may find

Complete vs. Incomplete

My, February is over?! I know it is the shortest month but it seemed even shorter....time just doesn't slow down so you would think we would be accustomed to it but we aren't, are we?

The internet has been down lately with the storm so I am finally tallying the goals of February and to quickly post them I am listing them in a completed and uncompleted fashion...

Complete:

-Had a great Valentines with my husband. We went to P.F. Changs and saw the movie "Unknown" which turned out really good (But we did this the weekend after Valentines and Tyler was unusually disturbed that I did nothing special on the actual day which I never really saw him that day because of working)

-Had a wonderful time at the Women's Retreat last weekend

-We ate with some friends a couple different times once at their house and once at ours without the hubby's

-Tyler loved his Honduras trip which also makes me happy

-We spent so much time playing Wii games, not sure if that's a great thing or not, but Garyn has loved every minute of it.

-Garyn and I have also spent a good amount of time with learning, he is getting better at writing his name and even wanted to write it this morning at MOPS, he needs lots of help, but I am proud that we got that far in a month.

-Finished cleaning out Garyn's clothes that he could not wear anymore

-Housework has been easier since I have kept it routine to clean a bathroom or mop each day rather than letting it buildup

-I had a Freezer day yesterday, which is technically March but I'm counting it! lol!

-I got the baby bed sanded and started painting it, I also think I have the dresser thing solved

-Did all I could do to the master bath and blogged on it! Yea, one more project done!

-Tyler began the french door/deck project and it has gone smoothly so far!

-I have researched some preschools & think I have chosen one, but still going to look at a couple more

-Prayer study is almost done, it has been great, and devotion time has been a lot more of a priority for me!
  This past weekend at the women's retreat helped me to make it even more of a priority.

-Budgeting has gone good, I like having the limits for shopping. We are still saving but nothing has really been set aside for the vacation yet

-I have worked on the JBF items

-Garyn has an appt for the dentist! We will see how that goes!

-Sold 4 items on Ebay, nothing big but its better than them sitting in the basement!

Incomplete:

-I didn't get the dresser cleaned off

-Did not paint Ansley's name sign

-Did not hang the pictures or the mirror in the hall

-I didn't get to reading any of the books suggested at MOPS...not sure when that will get done

-Still haven't made appt for dogs, really need to do this before Ansley is born!

-We had lunch at home a lot, unsure if I really kept options for Tyler, he is a little pickier and can't do much more than use a microwave when at school


Be on the lookout for March goals tomorrow...

Master bath redo

We live in a ranch style home built in the late 50's, I believe, early 60's maybe......?
But having small closets and a small master bath are typical for these homes. Our master was not as bad as the peach/pink tiled hallway bath but was not great either!

Before:

Very tight fit around the shower door and sink area as you can see in the last picture. Plus, another one of those wall heaters! The tile is a concrete gray and black with a more natural gray mix on the floor. I really wish they had gone with the natural grays throughout the shower. So we were originally trying to work with that theme and do some black/white/gray items. As you could see, by the first picture, it still looked pretty bland.

So we got a smaller sink/cabinet set that was a honey maple wood stain and I actually thought about painting it black to begin with. And I found some gray paints (2 separate quarts) in the "oops" paint selection over the last 6 months or so for $1 each. We decided to mix them together to make sure we had enough since they were very similar in color and the same brand.

Tyler began this project during the snow week that he was off from work. Earlier than we had expected to start it but it was the one inside-only job we had most of the materials for and could use his time off wisely!

(The round device on the ceiling was a heater/fan that did not work, very old school!)

SO anyway........paint, wainscoting, new sink/cabinet, lighting and different towel fixtures lead us to this finished project:

We decided to paint the shower tile once again (we left the floor the natural gray tones), because it looked even more like jail-house-gray after painting the rich gray on the walls. And I really liked the cabinet and didn't want to mess it up by painting it, so the black trim tiles didn't go with it either. The floor was left the same linoleum to save time and money. It is gray grid lines and small blue diamonds. The walls sometimes have a blue tone to them so the floor works nicely with the color scheme!

I still want to change the mirror to something nicer and am unsure on the towel rack.....I love the style of it but when you put a large towel on it it really sticks out over the toilet and this is the best place to have a towel bar.....any suggestions would be great!

However, I love the overall sleekness of the room and the extra room at the sink. The counter space is limited but we are trying to keep only the items we use on a daily basis out.

Glad we have one more project complete (although there are a couple things Tyler still has to do, as always)

We have begun the next project........

See this big hole?? My stress for weeks was the fact that a large window was being removed and then Tyler was going to have to refill the hole.......but you'll have to wait to see how it all went down! 

pieces to the puzzle

I have many fond memories of doing puzzles when I was younger. My grandmother used to have one on the dining room table at all times. We would spend time together working and talking finishing them. A very important family friend loved puzzles, too, and I often stayed at the table with him for hours working on one. Garyn has a heart for puzzles, like myself. We often sit down and do puzzles together now learning about each other as we work.

I have had a lot of thoughts lately about how life is filled with pieces that come together to make it whole....like a puzzle.

God amazingly created this earth, us and the way we all live together. Some pieces are closer and more important but all the while need the other pieces to function.

On Saturday, when I was driving to Atlanta to pick up Tyler from the airport upon his return from Honduras, I thought a lot about our main 4 piece puzzle. Tyler, Garyn, myself and now Anlsey make a whole. Sentimentally, I thought about how when one of us is gone for an extended amount of time, life is just different. We need each other more than I usually realize.

We can't always be together obviously, and its so hard to imagine, but one day Garyn and Ansley will start their own puzzle. One of the most significant times that I was able to understand and relate to my mother n' law, now known as Nana, was when Garyn was in his first weeks of life. Tyler was once in her womb and a major piece to her puzzle of life. I had been, too, for my dad and mom. Seeing how much Garyn meant to me, helped me to completely understand the way our own parents feel towards us. Just like the old saying goes...that one you heard over and over..."One day, you'll have kids and understand"

Even though, we do have to let go of our children one day, they are always a part of your puzzle. Tyler and I are a part of our parents puzzle and have just added another picture of our own to the side.

Friends, family, church, memories, work...they also are part of our puzzles, whether we realize it or not.

Orphanage Emmanuel is now a part of Tyler and I's puzzle pieces. The staff, children, places and presence of God there tugs at our heart. We feel that we will always return, as much as we can, in order to keep this piece in tow.

Tyler, as he was supposed to, found us a new piece while there. Rosa and Karina, our first 2 sponsored girls, have both returned home with family. Them leaving didn't mean they left our puzzle, just moved out further to the edges. I still often think of them and pray they are well and safe. But little Omar is the new piece, a new member at Orphanage Emmanuel that needed a sponsor. Though I haven't met him or seen him, a place for him is growing in my heart. A pure reflection of God's love for us. I know God loves him and has a plan for his life. I can be a physical expression of that love for God because I know that is what he has called us to do and gives us the desire to do whether we want to or not.

Just can't wait to meet him and love on him. He is only one, as of Jan. 31st. I promise to post pictures!

I feel the same way about little Ansley, of course. Knowing that she is about to be a big piece of our puzzle just makes my heart swell. She already is actually. Once we see her and learn about her personality it is only going to be harder to imagine the 3 piece puzzle we had before she came into existence.

I know God has all of our puzzle pieces in His hands, big and small. He places them when the time is right. He knows the full picture and knows when we are ready to see more of it. I pray that I won't try to move any pieces on my own. We all know that when you try to make a piece fit that isn't right, it just never works!

I am thankfully for my big pieces and little ones, too. I felt so whole on Saturday knowing Tyler had returned safely and we all were together again.

Have you ever felt like life was a big puzzle?

ThisWeek's $60

Found some decent deals this week to share....

Went to CVS and got the pictured items for $7.90 total with tax!

2 Old Spice deodorants, 2 Wisk laundry detergents, and a pack of gum...thought that was a good deal considering the detergents were originally $8 each. I am sure they are only $5 or $6 at other stores since CVS can mark things up a lot. But with them being B1G1 free and a $2 off coupon for both, it makes them less than $2 each. Same for the deodorants...

Also had a trip to Aldi's, $16.06, where I got bananas, milk, eggs, strawberries, tomatoes, some valentines candy and applesauce.

Then Bilo and Publix are in this picture...

Bilo:
Fritos
can of mushrooms
kid's toothbrush
3 cans of Chef Boyardee
3 Lean Cuisines frozen meals
2 can Pillsbury biscuits
and a 20 lb bag of Purina dog food (not pictured)

Total was only $23.14

Publix:
2 boxes Eggos
Betty Crocker cookie mix
2 boxes Fruity Pebbles
2 Healthy Choice Fresh mixers
2 4-packs of Fiber one yogurt (25 cents ea!)
3 Jello packs
1 pack of Scotchbrite sponges
and a 2 liter (penny item)
plus we got a fountain drink and 2 chocolate heart candies that were on sale

Total there was $16.65!

Grand total was $63.75

I also went to Target and bought some diapers and wipes, Garyn some shoes and 2 Cascade. I am thinking about adding this minus the shoes to next weeks.....trying to stock up on diapers and its been harder to stay in my $60 range when doing that, may need to bump it up. However, I am getting good deals on them and can't pass it up!

Hope you found some good deals and are having a good weekend. Garyn and I are at my brother's and later get to go get Tyler from the airport! Can't wait to see him!