Seedlings

Tonight we took a trek to check on the seedlings in the greenhouse.

My Dad and Jeremy started the seeds on Tuesday night.  This will be our second attempt at a garden.  I won't say anything about the weeds and blame our first garden failure on hail.  It's all in the past...

My Dad's geraniums moved from his basement to the greenhouse.  It was a pleasant 105 degrees in "Grandpa Sam's green house" last weekend.

Baby cakes doesn't want to miss out on any action.

Going fishing...

...(sort of) in the backyard.

 

 

 

Darn it feels good to be a gangster

 This super cute shirt was a gift from my coworker Stephanie.  Asher got just as many compliments on his shirt as his sweater when we went grocery shopping on Saturday.  The sweater was actually one of Jeremy's when he was little and it was made by his Mother.  I love it!

 

The end

Well, let me just say, I made it to the end,  Thank goodness.  Let me just say, I don't plan on doing that again anytime soon.  The end result, I lost 3 pounds and I can have my raisin bran back

Day 5 of discipline

 Well, I made it through the BBQ, and hopefully I didn't end up looking like a snob for bringing my bag of cauliflower and carrots.  They did serve up some amazing loooking  brisket, beans, homemade mac and cheese, etc.  But I was being tested, and I stuck to my guns.  Fast forward a couple days, and I just finished day 5.  For the record, it was the worst day yet...

A little recap for those of you who think I may have fallen off my rocker.  The cleanse I am doing is known as the GM diet.  It was created by General Motors to help their employees and families become healthier.  How cool is that.  Except I hate the word diet.  

So today, was lean beef and 6 tomatoes.  I love tomatoes, but they are not in season right now, therefore, today was really blah.  I seriously could only stomach 5 tomatoes, and I just threw away the sixth one.  Horrible, I know, but I don't want to look at another tomato for a while.  Two more days, two more days. 

Proverbs 15:32
He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.

Day 3 of discipline

What in the world is she talking about, and why is she sharing it with me?  I am sharing this, because by writing it out, I will hold myself even more accountable.  I am doing a 7 day cleanse, and I am beginning my third day.  This by far will be the most challenging day because we just got invited to someone's house for lunch.  I'm a little scared, and I don't want to break.  

You can find the link to my cleanse here. 

But let me give you a little recap.  

Friday:  Day one, my diet consisted of fruit and only fruit.  All the fruit I can handle, except for bananas.  That was all good until I came home from work and grilled brats for the boys.  They also had some chips and fruit.  As much as I wanted to break, it was day one.  I'm not a quitter.

Saturday:  Day two, I began my day with a baked potato with one pat of butter.  The rest of the day was all veggies.  It wasn't too bad, because I was looking forward to some saltiness after having fruit the day before.  Jer was left to fend for himself and made burgers and hashbrowns.  I so wanted to break, but I stuck to it.  What is 7 days.  

Sunday:  All the fruits and veggies I can handle.  No potatoes and no bananas.  I had a peach and an orange for breakfast and have an apple to snack on on the way to church.  We're about to leave for church soon, and got invited to someone's house for lunch.  They are having a BBQ.  I think I will be bringing a bag of cauliflower, brocolli and carrots.  I don't want to seem rude, but I am being tested.  Had I known of the invitation earlier, I wouldn't have started the cleanse on Friday.  But I did start it on Friday, and I have two days under my belt.  He is testing me. 

This is not just about loosing those last 10 pounds of baby weight (which I have already lost two of), it's about discipline and becoming closer to God our Savior.  Lent isn't about giving up something for 40 days(ish) that you could really do without anyway, it's about challenging yourself and finding ways to become closer to Him.  I want to do this, I want to prove to God how much I love him, and how much I appreciate the sacrifices He made for me.  Pray for me...

Job 5:17
"Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty."

Eating outside

80 degrees on March 16th.  We're eating outside...

Enjoying the nice weather

Um, can I just say, the weather is out. of. this. world!  We have been soaking it in as much as possible in the evenings.

Landon has even hopped back on his bike. He hasn't rode his bike much since this incident almost a year ago. 

Asher, well, he's been enjoying his time from the snugli.  That thing rocks, and I'm wondering why I didn't get one when Landon was born...At any rate, we just can't get enough of this weather!

cute tooshy

If you are reading this twenty years from my original post date Asher, let me just say that I never posted these pictures to embarrass (no pun intended) you.  You see, that tooshy is just oh so cute.  And those chubby little legs, oh they make me just squeal!

Ahem, ok, what was I saying?  Water, yes, the water.  This is how much you love the water Asher.  Trying to climb the bath tub to get in. You were getting so mad, you couldn't get in that tub fast enough!

Getting into everything...

 

8 months old

Once again, a few days late, but Asher is now 8 months old.  Asher is such a happy little guy, who is now constantly on the move!

In the last week, Asher has learned how to crawl, pull himself up on everything,

and just get himself in trouble...

 

By the way, don't those last two photos reminder you of older brother! 

Asher is still not into any sort of food other than gerber puffs.  He loves to feed himself, but as I mentioned before, has this crazy gag reflex and will throw up at the drop of a hat.  Thus we are still just drinking formula.  If only he would get more teeth (just has 2)...

Asher's three favorite things in his life right now:

1. His baba
2. Being naked
3. The vacuum cleaner (seriously goes bananas when I open the closet door to get it out!)
4. Taking baths (I end up just as wet as him!)

We love you so much Asher Sam and are so blessed we were chosen to be your parents!

Does he look sick to you?

 

On Wednesday, I noticed Asher was coming down with a cold.  Over the next couple days, he was a little more tired and didn't have a super big appetite, but he was sleeping really well.  I gave him a couple nebulizer treatments and thought we were on top of it.  On Friday, I decided to take him in just for reassurance.  I thought I would rather pay a Dr. visit and hear that everything was ok, than make a trip to the ER over the weekend.  You've been there right? 

Asher ended up with RSV and had a severe double ear infection.  Keep in mind we just finished antibiotics from a previous ear infection just five days before that.  I was completely shocked because like I said, he was sleeping so well at night.

Needless to say, we got stronger antibiotics, an oral steroid and bumped up the albuteral to every two hours.  

Today, Asher is perfectly fine and you would never know that he was not feeling well just a few days ago.  In fact, he is all over the place.  Remember he just learned how to crawl a few days ago.  Click here to read about that.  He is now super crawling, and just this morning he pulled himself up on the dog crate.  

Since this morning, Asher is pulling himself up on everything.  He even took two steps around the ottoman.  While I'm so excited to be entering a new phase, I am also on edge watching his every single move. 

Let's talk money

Let's talk about that dirty word, money.

A few weeks ago, Jer and I were sitting down talking finances.  We decided that we could be saving more, and we could be giving more.  That afternoon, I handed over the checkbook and told Jer to come up with a plan. 

Here's what Jer concluded.  We rarely use credit cards, so we didn't have to worry about that, but no more debit card.  From that day on out, we are operating on a cash budget.  

Each week we get a set dollar amount in cash out of the ATM.  Everything except the monthly bills comes out of this weekly allowance.  Gas, groceries, clothing, out to eat, diapers, etc.  We don't have the cash, we don't get it. 

While I was dreading it at first, I love it!  I have always planned my monthly menus and stuck with my grocery list, but I am so much more conscious about what I buy.  So we've been at it for three weeks, and here is what I have learned so far:

•  Plan your menus and make a thorough grocery list.
• Stick to the list, unless you find an incredible deal.  For example, I didn't need shampoo and conditioner, but there was the brand I use on clearance.  It would have been silly for me not to get it.
•  Use your calculator to figure price per unit.  Surprisingly, it's not always cheaper to buy the store brand, especially if you have coupons.
•  Use coupons, but only buy it if you need it!

Here is an example of my coupon shopping.  My Mom gave me her $10 off coupon for JCP.   They were clearancing out winter clothing and I picked up tee shirts for the boys for next year.  They were on clearance for $2 a piece, so I owed nothing.  Not even sales tax.  Epic score!  (Because it was her coupon, I gave them back to Mom and told her to give them to the boys for their birthdays.)

 

For those that know me, you know that I am a classic, I mean classic type A personality.  Not sure why I wasn't doing this before, but it's working now.  It's helping me and hopefully helping my children distinguish between wants and needs.  

After all Luke 12:15 says, And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 

Homemade laundry detergent

About two months ago, I had an idea to make my own laundry detergent.  This actually came before our budget makeover.  It's something I saw on my obsession love Pinterest. 

You can find the recipe here.  But let me break it down for ya.  You will need:

•  1 - 4 lb 12 oz box Borax
•  1 - 4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda 
•  1  - 3 lb 7 oz box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
•  3 bars of Fels-Naptha soap
•  2 small containers of Oxy Clean or store brand Oxy Clean (this was optional, but um, I live with three boys.  Nuff said)

I found all these ingredients in the detergent isle at Wal-Mart and the total cost came in around $16.  The original recipe says it will last approximately 9 months, if that's the case, big score!  I made the detergent in mid January, and have barely put a dent in it.  In fact, it didn't all fit in this container, so I have even more than this.  I'm curious to see how long it lasts for us.

Overall, it works just as good as any other detergent.  I must say, it took a bit getting use to a powdered detergent.  I feel like I need to let the grated bar soap dissolve in the washing machine before putting clothes in, although the reviews say that's not the case.   It also does not sud, so I feel like I'm not using enough, but they say all that's needed is one oxyclean scoop.  In the end, I like it.

Roy Rogers and the Lone Ranger

We've really taken notice lately, there is a lot of garbage on TV.  With that said, we've been spending our TV watching time watching the Christian channel.  There you will find the classics, Lassie, Roy Rogers and the Lone Ranger.  Between all the shooting, there must be some good morals in there somewhere, right?!

 

Well, Landon has taken a real liking to Mr. Roy Rogers and the Lone Ranger, often running around as if he's on a horse shooting.  Could be worse right?