Summer Recipe List

5/10/12

I am motivated to try new recipes....and I'm excited about it! Life has just been the same-old food for a while and I want a new boost. This pregnancy has a lot of food looking good, too, so that helps. I find myself on the computer at night looking for new recipes. A new website I've taken interest in is Eating Well. They have some pretty decent recipes. It's similar to Cooking Light. Here's some of my list. You can click on each Title and it'll take you to the recipe :)

Green Apple Wrap

This looks great for a snack

Southwestern Layered Bean Dip

Party Dip..yes

Florentine Ravioli

Different cheese ravioli recipe

Inside-out Lasagna

Love the vegetables in it....yum

Seven-layer Salad

Looks great for family get-togethers and parties!

Strawberry Lemonade

I really want to find a good drink without chemicals and crap in it. Hope this works!

Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Sandwiches

This looks yummy

These are just a few of the recipes I'd like to try. I continue to add to the list, daily. I've already made a couple new things and loved them! I'll have to update with how things go.


ONE MORE THING.......

Something I want now. Definitely on the Christmas/birthday list. Fitbit!!! I saw that Chalene Johnson was talking about it and I checked it out. Awesome. I have looked into Bodybugg for a client, specifically, and I think this looks better. Plus, it's less than half the price and no monthly fee. It tracks your steps, calories, food in, different activity levels throughout the day, and your sleep pattern. You can track it with an app on your phone and it connects wirelessly to your computer. This thing is beyond cool. Click on the Title below and it'll take you to the website. It's really cute too. So this is random but it's now on my wish list :)


Fitbit

Definitely the Plum color. Of course.

Have a blessed day!

Cloth Diapers Update

5/8/12

I bet you're DYING to know how I'm doing with the cloth diaper venture....maybe....well, I'm going to tell you anyways. Actually, it is going pretty well. I did have a little trouble the other week because Abby pees a lot at once. She goes on her potty throughout the day so she can hold it decently well, which means more pee. Plus she drinks a lot of liquids so she was leaking through her diapers and pants. My solution without throwing in the towel? Doubled up on the inserts. Here's a picture....

The white cloths on the right are inserts. So instead of putting one in the diaper I put 2 in. Now no leaking. Yay!! 

These are the diapers I use, if you're curious. I am using Sunbabies. This is the same diaper, but as you can see, it changes size with the snaps. It's for a 7 pound to 35 pound child! Great way to get your money's worth. 

If you're thinking of switching but not sure, I would say it's worth the money.....especially if you aren't spending a fortune on brand new diapers. DiaperHq is pretty awesome and it's in the Michiana area. You can get good deals on stuff. Also, there's a huge network of selling used cloth diapers. Just type in Used cloth diapers on Facebook and you'll find several groups. 

Let me explain the process of diapering I do. Put the diaper on Abby. Change when she is wet. You take the insert out and put them in the bin/trash can just like you would throw away a disposable. If they poop, just rinse off the poop. Sometimes if it's in a ball (I know gross) you can just toss in the toilet and the diaper might not really be dirty other than pee. So no rinsing. Otherwise I'm just going outside and rinsing them with our hose (in a spot where we don't walk and in the landscape). Then place in the bin/trash can. You really DO NOT need a laundry room....just a trash can/bin....same as having disposable diapers.

For washing I just put all the diapers in the washer (inserts and diapers but separate, which was already done). I do one cycle NO detergent and on COLD. Then I do a heavy cycle with HOT water. This does an extra rinse for me. I use the All Free and Clear detergent (or whatever is acceptable on the list). Then I dry the inserts in the dryer and line dry the covers. Sometimes I stick them outside on chairs. Then back all over again. I wash them about once every other day....sometimes every night but not usually. I assure you, IT'S NOT THAT HARD. Once you figure it out for you, it's pretty simple and I don't think it's too much different than using disposables. 

If you're interested in saving money, do it. So you might have to clean poop off a couple diapers a day (for older kiddos). But if you exclusively breastfeed you don't have to rinse the poop off at all.....not sure why but I've been told multiple times this. For ME, I see it as, my husband is working all day to make us money, so if I can do something to save us a SIGNIFICANT amount of money (which we need), I can suck it up and clean a little poop out of a few diapers. It's really not that bad, I promise.

Journey of Money...Jehovah Jireh

5/2/12

Now that I have entered my second trimester (that went fast), my emotions seem to be taming down a touch. Praise. The. Lord. It's hard when you're on a roller coaster almost everyday of highs and lows. I am usually pretty even with my emotions, and usually on the high end of happy/excited. So this has been a struggle.

Anyways, if you've read previous posts, you know what my thought process has been. The struggle now is to not wish for the future or want to change the past. It's good to learn from choices you've made and recognize what you could do different in the future, but it's not healthy to dwell on the past or really, the future. It's important to make the most of each day and live in the PRESENT. That's what God calls us to. He wants us to recognize our need for Him and live intentionally.

How am I living intentionally for Him right now with the issue of money? Well, right now working full-time or anymore than I am now just isn't really an option. I know God wants me to be with my daughter, and I love it. Her life is more important than our money situation. I know that if we could "go back" and get less student loans or a cheaper house, we would....but WE CAN'T. And that's ok. God has a purpose and plan for what we are in right now.

What I decided to do is to P.R.A.Y. 

Knowing the truth about our situation still doesn't change it. This is really hard. I like to change things immediately. What I have to do is bathe it in prayer. I have to say, "Listen God, we messed up, knowingly at times and unknowingly other times with finances. We surrender it all to You." 

Jehovah Jireh = The God who sees. The God who Provides.

No matter what situation, God is still our Provider. His grace is always abounding. I can say that we are doing ALL we can to not spend money on wants....we are only spending money on needs. I know that God will continue providing for us. How do I know?

"I was once young, now I am old. I have never seen a godly man abandoned, or his children forced to search for food." Psalm 37:25

"Then you will take delight in the Lord, and he will answer your prayers." Psalm 37:4

"And my God will supply your every need according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19

I have decided to claim that The Lord is My Banner (found in Exodus 17:8-15). One way of doing this is praying over these scriptures and others. I have also written them out and am putting them around the house. God has put it on my heart these past few days to do this. There is power in the Word of God. Also, my husband is out working his heart out for us, I believe it's my job to be an advocate for him and our family while I'm home all day. What better way to praise our Savior, teach my child, and grow my walk with Christ? 

Thanks for the prayers :)

Table Reveal

5/1/12

It's done! The table is complete! Take a look. Here's the table before polyurethane. 

Here's the polyurethane. I used a foam brush to put it on. I used long strokes. I didn't realize how glossy the polyurethane would be. I accidentally got gloss instead of satin. 

After a couple coats of gloss, I went out and got satin. I think it toned it down and looks a little better. It's still glossy but that's alright :) I still got a nice black table out of it.

Here it is with the nice table cloths on it. I like it!

Here's another thing I did. I spray painted my wine rack piece. Well, as you can see, the table didn't look so good. I put one thing on it and the paint chipped off. So I sanded, repainted, and did a coat of polyurethane. 

BAM! Look at the difference!! I think it looks great. 

Now to finish the chairs...soon! I am liking the way this is turning out. What a difference paint makes, huh?! Stay tuned....

Journey of Money- Psalm 40

4/24/12

"But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, "Great is the Lord!" As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer, do not delay, o my God!" Psalm 40:16-17

Psalm 40 is really speaking to me today. Lately God is doing a work in me....a difficult one. I have asked Him to...this is what I get! Haha. It's amazing how after almost 5 years of marriage I still battle with insecurities such as money. Heck, I battle with a lot, just ask my family. lol. I battle with projecting my frustrations of money onto others, being prideful, too opinionated about certain subjects, and wanting to change others how I think they need to be changed. At this moment in time I wish we were the ones looking to buy a house because we could sit down and change things. Thus comes strong opinions onto friends and family who are looking to buy houses. ha! But I don't think that's what God wants. I think He wants to change us, not our circumstances...such a hard pill to swallow sometimes.

It's been a struggle for me lately (can you tell?!). Being the wife of an entrepreneur, well it's tough at this stage in the game. Not enough income to live off of but so much time devoted into the business. Payment doesn't come every 2 weeks. Sometimes it's hard when the business is getting attention but the regular day job isn't because I don't know what this week's paycheck will look like for bills. It can just be tough. The instability is hard for trying to have a budget because the income isn't the same every month.

Don't get me wrong, we are still paying our bills. I may make things out worse than they are on here...I am not really sure. We are still living, eating, breathing, and paying the mortgage. God is still providing for us. He is still doing awesome things with Kyle's business that I am not even mentioning. It's just difficult to swallow the reality of  no "flexibility" in our budget at this point. Not having money to save for things we need to be saving for, etc. Or taking a vacation not even once every other year!

Whoever is reading this, please just pray for me. Hormones have been tugging at my emotions lately and since I have asked God this request (ohh), I am struggling (I really hope I don't regret these posts later). I need His help more than ever right now emotionally. So thank you for those that are :)

But.......I got my wipes today!! Love it. I am doing all I can to save money on my end. I put the wipes in my wipe warmer with water, bath soap, and a drop or two of melaleuca oil (tee tree oil). Already used one on Abby and it was soft! By the way, I have not forgotten about the table. There is no movement on it and the chairs currently. Since we are being extra careful, I have not bought more spray paint to finish the chairs. I will be able to soon though! Then I can do a post with the finished look. It will be good :) Thank you for your prayers and reading my rants lately.

"As for you, o Lord, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me!" Psalm 40:11

Money-Saving Journey...cloth diapers day 1

4/20/12

Alright, so one way to save money...big time....is switching to cloth diapers. Yes, now! It's fantastic. Apparently there's a lot of women that cloth diaper around here and as kids are getting older and potty trained, mom's are selling their used diapers. What a great alternative to buying full price diapers (which can get expensive). So I now have a good stash that will hopefully last me a while. Here are a few :)

I have bought 16 diapers. Now here comes the money-saving part....I spent $72 on them!!!

PLUS, this diaper pail cover (blue sticking out the trash can) came with the diapers. More money saving right here.

I'm going full force with this cloth diaper situation so why not cloth wipes?! Well, Diaperhq has a deal on cloth wipes right now so I got buy 1 get 1 50% off!! 20 wipes for $13.50. Amazing! So how much have I invested into this scheme? $72 for diapers and pail insert, $10 for trash can, $14 (with tax and no charge for shipping) for wipes, and $13 for a HUGE thing of detergent safe for cloth diapers/wipes. That's $109!!!!!! Wow. That's amazing to me. I thought this venture might be hundreds or thousands of dollars. Nope. This is really going to save us money, and we'll make it up fast. 

So I've invested this money...the question is...success or fail to switch? Well, today was the first day and it was a SUCCESS. Abby did fine with them. I did have 2 that leaked on the sides but I looked up possible problems and tried something different. I snapped a couple of the snaps to make the diaper more snug on her and no more leaking! She even had a big poop before bed and zero leaking. I didn't even know she had pooped until I was taking it off. Praise the Lord! And it really wasn't bad to rinse it off. I have to go outside at the moment and use the hose but it's not like there are that many poopy diapers from her at this age. 

So money saving project #1 seems to be going well so far! I am super excited about all this...ask my husband :) And here's a picture of my angel at the doctor. She carried along Minnie (Mimi is what she says) and her baby doll. I love her. Honestly, she looks cute in these diapers :)

Table Progress

4/18/12

What better way to save money than getting a table for free (from great friends) and turning into what I want for about $30.00 (paint $8, polyurethane $4, spray paint $15 ish)! I have wanted a black table that seats 6 people for a while now. Bam, it's almost a dream come true! Here's the progress on my project...

The table is coming along, but I've had a couple "issues" along the way. Let me share. I spilled 1/4 of the can of paint on the table when I didn't know my MIL had shaken and opened it. So I went to shake it and SPLAT, all over. So we panicked (I panicked) and we started rolling like crazy to cover the table. But once my MIL rolled over it again to make sure it was smooth, the paint started peeling off!! Minor set back. Here's the disaster....

But the next day I sanded it well and applied another coat (using a foam roller). Now it's looking better!!

I sanded again and added a 3rd coat. Beautiful now! The chairs are primed and ready to be painted but I need to get spray paint for them (since we are watching money carefully this probably won't be for another week).

I have applied one coat of Polyurethane to protect it and will be doing probably 2 more coats (I used a foam brush to apply and did long strokes to cover "strips" of the table). See the paint on floor in the bottom left of the picture? That's from my spill. Thank goodness it spilled on the table and not me and the carpet behind me! Stay tuned for more updates!