Memorial Weekend FUN!!

We went to the lake for the holiday weekend. It was great weather and we all had a good time together. My sister came with us and my inlaws were there too.Isaac and I went out to dinner for his birthday together. After which we took a nice walk in the woods where I got eaten alive by mosquitoes. I'm still waiting for those bites to go away!
Above you can see the excitement when Nate found a turtle on the beach. Daddy wouldn't let us keep it. ;-)
This isn't exactly the family beach picture that I've always wanted but its something. Nate had a blast in the lake. It was a little chilly for me.
And of course what is a weekend at the lake without some s'mores by the campfire? Good times.

Scraptastic!

I went to a crop last weekend with a friend and got some fun pages done. Sorry I'm late in posting them! Other crafty ladies share their projects at Sunday Scrappin'.

This is one welcoming our Lil' Joe into the family. That whole saying about the second child not getting as many pictures as the first... I'm not sure thats true in our family. Joe was pretty darn cute! I had a few pix of Nate in hats and had to use them. I think it turned out pretty cute.
Here is a two page layout of pix taken throughout the summer last year. We love going to the lakehouse!
These are random funny pictures of Nate. It was fun to finally be able to put them on a page.
I've had this stack of Christmas/winter paper for years and I really enjoyed finally getting to use it!
This was cool because I was able to incorporate the paper that the doc's office recorded all my weights and measurements at all my prenatal appointments.

Pictures!

I spent the morning at the art museum gardens with my cousin taking her senior pictures. It was such a beautiful day and we had alot of fun finding new scenic spots and trying out new poses.

We've been trying to set this session up since last fall! I'm so glad that we were finally able to make it work! If you are interested in seeing a slideshow of her pictures check out my photography blog.

Loser Progress Report

I have been working hard at implementing new healthy habits into my life. I have been taking advantage of my trial membership at Curves by doing their 30min circuit MWF and I have also been walking and working out (sometimes weights, sometimes yoga) with a friend on the days that I do not go to Curves.
I believe that I'm more likely to stick with changes if I do not try to do too many at a time. I think it helps to do one or two for awhile until they become a habit then add another after awhile. That is my reason for not changing much about my diet right now. I have gone from never working out to working out nearly every day. That is a big change. I am keeping an eye on my portion size most of the time but I'm not counting calories or anything (yet).
While I am not exactly seeing huge results just yet, I do believe this is a small, but important step in the direction of a healthier life for me and my family and that is the goal I am trying to focus on. Though if I lose a few pounds in the process I would not complain!

TV Season's End... Now on to Summer Blockbusters!

Sigh... as you may have noticed... our favorite tv shows are ending their seasons and going on their annual summer hiatus. Here were the season finales that I was entranced by (spoiler alert):

Grey's Anatomy: Well, Izzie got cancer. Married Alex (when Meredith and Derek were supposed to be getting married). In the final episode George joined the army and then ends up a John Doe in the ER after saving a girl from getting hit by a bus. And Izzie survives the dangerous surgery but has lost her long term memory. Derek and Meredith get married on a sticky note. Then in the final minutes George and Izzie meet in the afterlife (or something like that). Sigh... it was sad but surprisingly I did not cry.

The Office: The staff goes to the company picnic. Michael reunites with Holly for a skit that bombs. Scranton kicks butt in the volleyball tournament. Michael passes up the chance to tell Holly he still has feelings for her but has hope that they will eventually end up together. Jim and Pam find out they are pregnant! Aw!

Heroes: This season Nathan started hunting down people with abilities. ThenAngela Petrelli let us see how "the company" was formed all those years ago. Sylar met his dad. We got to see Nathan die and Sylar become Nathan. Now Mrs. Petrelli and HRG are back to lying to their families again. This season was not quite as good as the first couple, the writing was a little cheesy at times. Who knows what next season holds!

Biggest Loser: My sis and friend and I watched the second half of this Loser season religiously. We were really rooting for Tara and were a little let down that Helen won. Two older contests won. That was unexpected! And if America had voted Ron into the final three then Michael would have won the at home prize! Ha! That kind of amuses me. It has motivated me to get more active though.

Lost: So much happens in this show its hard to recap. The Oceanic Six made it back to the island and ruined the love nest Sawyer and Juliet had set up in Darmaville. Sayid tried to kill Ben but Kate took him to the Others to save him. We found out that Elloise Hawkins (Ellie) and Charles Whidmore are Daniel Faraday's parents. And it ended with a bang (maybe) when Jack tried to blow up the island and change the past/future. Whew. I have been trying to catch my sister up as she has just recently started watching the show. Its so challenging trying to fill in all the blanks for her when I have so many questions still myself. I am really hoping that the final season ties up some lose ends for us!

** I am not a regular watcher of Private Practice but did see the finale and I was freaking out! I will have to watch the season premeire just to see what happens!

So... there you have my quickie recaps of the shows that I am hooked on. Let me know what your faves are. It will be a long summer without new episodes! What will we watch in their absence?
I guess I will probably hit the theaters a few times for some much anticipated movies that will be coming out soon! I'm particularly looking forward to: The Proposal, My Sister's Keeper, Transformers 2, My Life In Ruins, The Ugly Truth, and Julie & Julia. Most of these are romantic comedies that I'll probably watch with my girlfriends but I might talk my hubby into seeing a couple together! What movies are you hoping to see this summer?

Kroger Deals!

I got a few good deals at Kroger today that I wanted to share. Here is a link to their weekly ad if you want to check it out.


Kraft Dressings were on sale for $1.69 and I had a $1.50/1 coupon = $.19 spent

Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce on sale for $1 and I had a $1/1 = Free!!

Garnier Fructis shampoo and conditioner was on sale for $1.99 and I had $1/1 coupon = $.99 ea

Garnier Fructis hair color was on sale for $3.99 and I had a $2/1 coupon = $1.99 spent

Bar S hot dogs were on sale for $.88 and I had a $1/2 coupon = $.38 ea

There were alot of decent sales going on but these were the best deals that I got today. I was stoked and I had to share! Don't forget that alot of Krogers double coupons up to $.50 all the time!

Park Fun!

Can I just tell you how happy we were to finally get some spring-like weather? Seriously! This winter seemed unbearably long to me. I am excited to get out the boys' summer clothes out (not so much mine;-) and enjoy the outdoors a little more. We love to go to the park and play. Or take walks in the woods and feed the fish in the pond. Nate finally got the hang of pedaling and loves to ride his trike up and down the sidewalk.
What are your favorite things to do in the summer?

Faves

I am loving being able to learn from other frugal moms via their awesome blogs. There are so many of us out there now trying to save our family money where we can and when we find a good deal we want to tell everyone we meet! Well, I know I do! Anyway, here is some link love for a few of my favorite money saving blogs/sites:

Money Saving MOM

Queen of Free

"Cent"sible Sawyer

The CheapSk8Mom

Daily Essentials and Deals

If you have any favorite money saving blogs I should check out please let me know!

Loser?

So, one of the things on my 30x30 list is feeling comfortable in my own skin. I have been really struggling with this one lately.
When I weaned Joe last Aug/Sept-ish I was at 165lbs, which was about what I weighed when we got married in '03. I was feeling pretty good, but still felt that I could use to lose some more weight. But my metabolism changed alot when I stopped breastfeeding and winter set in, keeping me indoors alot more and now, I'm 25lbs heavier. I am down to just a couple of pairs of pants that fit me at all, none without a muffin-top. This is not good for my wardrobe, bank account, health or self esteem!
But I am taking action. I've started a 30 day trial of Curves through the Avon/Curves Fitness Study. I worked out at Curves twice last week (then we were out of town), and I went yesterday. This morning I walked two miles and did some weights with a friend at her appartment's gym.
I'm trying to make better choices at meal times without being on a "diet". I'm really bad at diets. I'd much rather not have the things I love be off limits because if its off limits it just makes me want them more!
Its not exactly the Biggest Loser or anything but I could use your prayers as I try to get healthier for me and my family's sake!

New To Do List

I have had a growing "to do list" lately and it never seems to get done. Sometimes that really bothers me. I am one of those people that gets a certain amount of satisfaction from checking things off of my list and would really get satisfaction from having a completed list. But alas, some things just keep getting rolled over onto the next list and the next list. Its a vicious cycle.
And then I think about what is on those lists: grocery shop, email so-and-so about such-and-such, vacuum living room, plan playdate with Nate's friend, update calendar, plan church event, clean bathroom, clip coupons, meal plan, etc... All are things that need to be done but what eternal value is found in these things? Some more than others. I was feeling less satisfaction from checking those things off of my list as I thought of more important things that were not ending up on those lists. So I have created a new list. It is not one that I will check things off of. These are ongoing things that I want to strive to do daily, weekly, whatever. These are things that may include some of those old things but they give them more importance and value than just the task alone. Here is what I have so far.
- Spend time with the Lord so that I can feel Him guiding me in my daily life
- Show and Tell my family and friends that I love them
- Play and have fun with my kids and husband that we may enjoy one another
- Help manage our family's finances and resources so that we can make the most with what God has blessed us with
- Feed my family healthy meals and encourage an active lifestyle so that we might have long lives together
- Teach my children about Christ, character, and the 3 R's that they may grow in spirit and knowledge
- Keep track of our family calendar that we may have balance in our life, time with friends and family, time for relaxation, time for work, etc
- Read to my boys that they may learn to love to read on their own someday
- Minister to the needs of my husband so that he will feel loved and respected and appreciated
- Be an encouragement and support to my friends and family that we may edify one another
- Find ways to be active in my church and community that I may grow in the body of Christ and show unbelievers His love and life

Few more pages...

Alright. I have been able to get a little more scrapping time the last couple weeks. I hope I can keep it up! Here is what I have to show off this week!
I really like this two page layout of the testing we've gone through with Joe. The first is blood/urine tests, MRI, then the EMG. The letters and numbers are ones I diecut for this layout at a crop months ago... and I just got around to doing the pages this week... I know, I'm such a slacker! ;-)

I think this one is cool because the headline was part of an advertisement in a scrapbooking magazine! I just happened to have airplane paper that coordinated. I thought it went well with the pregnancy photos. I love it!
Then this is a display board that I did for my friend's doula business: Birth By Design. One of the labor pix is from our home birth with Joe.
If you want to join in the Sunday Scrappin' fun just post your scrapbooking or paper crafts and link up to the Sunday Scrappin' blog! Crafts are always more fun when they are shared!