Praise You In the Storm

I can tell you that I am definitely being tested and have been since the last full week of July. Today was kind of the last straw for me...or should I say when I just kind of hit bottom. Luckily our church has been talking about when bad things happen. One thing that has stuck with me is to not question why but to look for the opportunity. I used to always question why when something bad happened to me. I always thought it was always because of my sin that bad things were happening. Yes, when we sin bad things can happen but it doesn't mean that is always the case. This song has been stuck in my head because it's just perfect for my situation. It's not always easy to praise God during a storm, but it's something we should be doing. I do feel at peace with my situation even though I know there are more tears to be shed. I don't like the situation I'm in but complaining about it isn't going to solve anything. Another good song to think of during the storm is by Group One Crew...I've actually posted this before but it's def worth posting again lol

I've got a full day ahead of me tomorrow and I desperately need to clean so I will make this a short post. If you are going through a rough patch just hang in there and lean on the Lord. Life is not easy nor is it by ANY means fair but God wants good things for us no matter what He is always here. On a completely different note have you heard Taylor Swift's new single?? I haven't listened to it completely because I haven't bought it, but I sure love the title lol

*update...i just now listened to it :)

Whirlwind Wednesday

I'm still trying to catch my breath from today. I knew today was going to be crazy, but I had no idea just how crazy it would be. Today was the first day of Awana's. My mom took my two nieces and I had Maddy. We had no idea where to go or what to do, so we decided to stick together to figure it out. The lines were so long, which is good, but Maddy quickly lost her patience. Maddy refused to go at first. She was kicking and saying no and mommy and was just so mad. Thank goodness for this angel who came in and rescued us. She walked right up to Maddy and held her hands out and said, "Do you want to go make a castle with me?" Maddy quit her fit and just listened. She asked one more time and Maddy let her take her and off they went. I seriously wanted to hug her!!! I had every intention of snapping some pictures of the experience, but people were scattered everywhere and you add Maddy's fit and there was just no way for that to happen. I decided to take a picture of her bag and art she did.

When I went back for her she wasn't pitching a fit so I was thankful for that. I think once she gets in the routine of going she will do a lot better. She struggles with change and I think she was pretty tired as well because she went straight to sleep once she crawled into bed. This was a big night for Maddy and my nieces and I'm so very proud of all of them. My nieces were very nervous about going because they don't know anybody, but they both seemed to like it. This wasn't just a big night for the kids...it was a big night for me as well. I tried out orchestra tonight. I only got to play one song because Awana sign ups took forever. I used to play in the church orchestra a long time ago, but it's just so different Fafter being gone for six years. Everybody was nice, but my music reading abilities aren't as sharp and neither is my playing. When I was in the orchestra last time, I was in high school and had band and had a lot of opportunities to better my playing/music skills...I don't have that anymore. I'm hoping it will come back to me after I play for a while, but it's a bit frustrating in the mean time. It's going to be hard on Wednesday's because I still have to get my time in at work and church cuts into my time. I've been praying for a new job...one that will allow me to participate in church without stressing out over my time and production. Before tonight I just knew the Lord would give me a new job, but I'm really not so sure that is going to happen now lol. I won't be playing this Sunday morning, but maybe in a couple of Sunday's I'll manage to get my nerve up.

I tried another pinterest recipe today...chicken parmesan bake

It was super easy to prepare and only took 35 minutes in the oven. I was surprised that Maddy actually ate it. I cut hers up and put it on a plate for her to eat on the way to church.

People at church who knew me before could not believe I had a child of my own. It's amazing how many times I get stopped with Maddy. Everybody comments on her blonde hair and tell me she looks like a doll or tell me she is beautiful. I of coarse happen to agree with all the nice comments, but it's nice to hear other people agree :)

Next week is the final episode of the original teen mom girls and I'm a little sad to be honest. I'm probably going to do a post on this soon. I feel like I've bonded with these girls because when their 16&pregnant show aired I was pregnant with Maddy and I wanted to see how they handled birth and being a mom. Maci lives in my town and hers was the first one I watched...I was hooked from then on.

I'm kind of glad today is over with...now if I can escape the next two days without getting royally in trouble at work I will have made it lol. I hope you all are having a great week!!! Happy hump day!

Our Weekend

I seem to be writing these later and later in the week. We have a pretty hectic schedule during the week and there just isn't much time for anything. We had a great weekend! We spent more time at home. Friday was my grandfather's birthday. He is still recovering from his hip surgery and it turns out he may be having another knee surgery in the future. I didn't think I would be able to make his party due to work, but our systems shut down earlier than normal which allowed me to go. I kept Maddy up and put on a movie for her to watch so I could finish working....of coarse it was none other than Mickey Mouse! She did a great job of letting me work. Towards the end she was wanting me to hold her, so I just called it quits. I don't have any pictures from the party because I've been without my camera for a while. It was a fun time to spend with everybody and Maddy had fun playing with Aria's toys...until the end and she got mad at Aria. We got home around 11:30 p.m. and went straight to bed. There was no cleaning, there was no staying up, we were just plum exhausted. I've decided that Friday nights are my favorite because I know there is no work the next day and we get to sleep in. I woke up at 10:48 a.m. I was shocked! The power had gone out at some point because Maddy's monitor was turned off, so I got up and didn't hear a peep from her room. She did wake up soon after but it was great to sleep until I woke up. I started to clean up a little until I became a little overwhelmed. I decided it was best to get the stores out of the way first and then clean later. I ended up going to my mom's and off to the stores we went. We went to Publix, CVS, Bi-Lo, Baskin Robbins, and Walmart. We got home a bit late....again, so I never got to finish my cleaning. Sunday is church day and Maddy's still adjusting to her new room. She loves going to church, but doesn't like mommy leaving her. She leeched onto me and they had to pry her off me. I felt so bad! When I went to pick her up she was having fun playing. I'm so happy to have us in church. After church we went home and Maddy played while I cleaned. It's amazing what I can get cleaned in just a few short hours. I never get our house totally clean because I tire out fast. I feel overwhelmed with not knowing where to put everything, so I figure if I just keep doing what I'm doing eventually everything will find a spot. I think this was the most uneventful weekend we have had in a long time. It was nice to not have much to do. Pretty soon fall will be here...and Maddy's birthday for that matter and we will have lots of activities planned. I found a fall "to do" list on pinterest that I am most definitely going to do with Maddy this year...I can't wait for all the holidays :) I don't have many pictures to share, but will find something to post here so it's not so boring lol.

These are hand me down pajama's from my niece. I'm not 100% sure what size it is because the tag is torn off, but I'm pretty sure it's a 4 or 4T. You can tell it's still a little big on her, but not as big as I would have thought. I was shocked! I found out Sunday that she can wear some 4's because the dress she wore on Sunday was a 4...talk about growing up!

I took this picture to send to my mom. He was fixing to get a bath and let me tell you...that was a chore! He did not like me picking him up. I finally got him in the tub and halfway through his bath he found a way to jump out. I was soaked and trying to catch him wasn't easy. We did make it through and he feels and smells so much better!!! I'm going to try to give him a bath at least twice a month.

She fell asleep on the way home Sunday. She was so tired because she hadn't had a nap at all that day. I just love watching her sleep!

On Monday she started her new classroom at school. I will write more about that tomorrow. We have a busy week ahead of us this week because I have enrolled her in Awana's at church. I'm hoping she will love it!

I hope you all had a great weekend and are having a great start to your week!

Coupons & Budgets

As my bills start to add up (and go up) each month, I have had to really watch everything that goes out. As I participate in good deals, or what I consider a good deal, I will more than likely write about it because I love talking about good finds :) I do use a website as I've mentioned before...Southernsavers.com. They take all the work out of couponing for those of us who have zero time to figure it all up. This week was a good diaper deal at CVS. CVS has jumbo packs on sale for $9.49, regularly $11.99 (I think). In last Sunday's paper there were two $1.50 coupons for Huggies diapers. If you buy $30 worth of participating items at CVS, you get $10.00 back. I bought 3 jumbo packs of diapers and 1 toothbrush. I had (3) $1.50 coupons for the diapers and a .40 coupon for the toothbrush, which made it $2.59. My total after coupons was $29 and some change. I qualified for the $10 back, so it's like I paid $19. I saved $13.30...talk about jackpot! I am in need of some more foundation because some silly person left the top off of hers and it's kinda gross now lol. I'm going to take that $10 and use it for my foundation and get $3 back. You only have to spend $10 on L'oreal cosmetics, so if I didn't need foundation I could just get $10 worth, which is maybe two eye shadows and make $3 profit. I think foundation is around $15 so I pay $5 up front, but get $3 back so I am buying foundation for $2. Is it starting to hurt your head a little? I think I need some pictures with this post, but my camera is out of batteries and I don't have anymore and my phone...well, it's running out of room.

One thing that has stuck with me since I have been couponing, is the diaper deals. I used to just buy the big box of diapers at Babies R Us for $41.99 and be done with it. I thought it was the best deal. I think it is if you need a lot of diapers and none are on sale. I've learned that those big box of diapers actually cost more per diaper than the small packs. In the jumbo pack at CVS there are 27.  Those diapers cost roughly .17 a diaper, whereas the big box would have cost me around .29 a diaper. My math is probably wrong somewhere, but you get the idea :)

On top of getting a good deal on diapers, I am also going to try out a method of budgeting I've read about before...can't remember who, but I think it may be Larry Burkette. The idea is to figure out what your budget for everything is and put the amount of money you have budgeted for a particular item in envelopes and once you are out of money for that item then you are done until next payday. For example if your grocery budget for the week was $100, then you would put $100 in an envelope to take with you. I would suggest making a list before going to the store and calculating costs, so you have no chances of going over. I'm hoping this will help me stay on target in my budget. I tend to see all these cute things for Maddy and want to buy them all, but I kinda need to stop lol. I did use my personalized tote I talked about here and it was a huge help. I was able to carry all my extra coupons in case I found something I wanted/needed and I was able to leave my purse in the car. Maddy thought it was a great idea to put all the candy at the checkout lane in our bag while I was paying. She has the hang of shopping....grab everything you want and stick it in a bag and somehow it's magically paid for lol...if it's in the basket...it's ours to keep ;)

One more work day and we are done for two!!! We also have Labor Day coming up so woohoo!!!

Midweek Ramblings

I am already exhausted and it's just 9:35 a.m. I had to make myself get up early to get some stuff done for work that would have caused some errors if I didn't get done. I didn't do too bad. My alarm was set for 6:35 and I ended up getting up at 6:42. Sure, I poured me some coffee and then sat in the floor and watched the news a little before I got started, but I was still able to get some work done before getting Maddy up. It doesn't help that I've been fighting sinus' this week and my throat has been hurting and I feel run down because of it.

My bed time since I've moved into my own place seems to have changed to 12-12:30 a.m. If I didn't need sleep I would stay up until 1 a.m. at least and get my house clean. I'm not a stay at home mom (although I really wish I could be and still have income coming in) but if you were to see my house you would certainly think I was. I'm still trying to develop a routine that works for me.

I tried my first pinterest recipe this week and I must say I was impressed. It's called pizza casserole. I didn't think it would be as good as it said it was, but it really was. It's probably my second favorite meal I've cooked since I've been here. Maddy seemed to like it as well.

I did a before and after shot. I needed a bigger pan really because the juices spilled out a little, but oh well.

I'm not going to write about how to make it since it's not my recipe in the first place. If you have pinterest I definitely suggest looking this up :)

My grandmother surprised me yesterday with some homemade cookies. They were chocolate chip with cranberries in it, or craisins. It didn't really sound good to me and I was really not sure I wanted to try it, but I'm so glad I did. They are so yummy!!! I ate way too many yesterday, but did save some for Maddy. Even Maddy liked them so it was a win win.

I don't know what's wrong with me, but for the first time ever I forgot Maddy had water day yesterday. I woke up late and I think that had a lot to do with it. I was happy we got to school on time. We walk through the door and her teacher asked if she was ready for water day. My face fell and I about just cried right then and there. I offered to go get her a suit and shoes but they had an extra one she was able to wear. I felt so horrible! I know I would forget my head if it wasn't attached.

School started back on Monday here in town and that means my nieces had their first day of second and fifth grade. My oldest niece had a rough start to her first day because they got there a little late and there was no where for her to sit and her teacher wouldn't acknowledge they were standing in the door way. I am not ready for my baby to be in school, but in just two short years we will be among the back to school people.

I got a neat grocery tote online for a $1 +$3.99 shipping. It normally costs $8.99, which I don't think is worth it at all. I haven't used it yet because I just got it, but you get to personalize it and I love the way it turned out.

It's from York photo so go check them out and maybe there will be other promotions.

Manny has decided he loves my side of the bed. I either have to sleep in the middle, or on the other side. It's quite cute.

That's all my ramblings for now. Happy hump day!!!

Our Weekend

Another weekend has come and gone...they just go way too fast! On Friday we did our normal routine of playing, eating, and getting Maddy to bed while I finished working. We did cuddle up a few minutes before Maddy went to bed and caught the last part of Mickey Mouse.

I got an interesting text from my mom Friday night.

It was supposed to say I just got the "shock" of my life!!!! Gotta love technology lol. I love Friday nights because I know I don't have to worry about work the next day and I generally get to sleep in. I find myself not knowing what to do with my time after work and end up just laying on the couch and watching tv. I woke up at 9:29 a.m. Saturday morning and just said, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I needed the sleep! I had plans of going to Georgia for their tax free weekend to exchange a few shirts I bought for Maddy up in Gatlinburg. My niece's spent the night with my mom Friday night so we headed over to my mom's so we could all go in the same car. Maddy loves my nieces and they all had a fun time running around the house. I meant to bring my camera, but completely forgot! I find towards the end of July I just stop taking pictures and then pick it back up in September for Maddy's birthday. We finally hit the road...it's about an hour drive down there. On the way my niece decided she was hungry so we stopped by Chick-Fil-A for some yummy food. Maddy did very well while we ordered and ate. After we ate we went to the OshKosh outlet and that's where the craziness began. I forgot Maddy's stroller and when you take her in a store like OshKosh she just goes crazy and runs around and pulls the clothes and hides under the clothes rack...yeah...it's loads of fun. My mom let me grab Maddy's shirts first and then I took Maddy back while my mom let my niece's pick out some clothes for school. While they were getting their clothes I found myself picking up more clothes for Maddy...before I knew it I racked up a nice bill. I love OshKosh, but goodness they have too many cute clothes that are kinda pricey...even in the outlets and it makes it hard. I had plans of going to Old Navy for me some clothes because I don't really have anything anymore. I decided after OshKosh I probably wouldn't get me anything because I spent too much, but I was going to look anyways. Old Navy had a line a mile long so we went in and turned right around and went right back out lol. I'm very happy to have gotten Maddy the clothes I did...I'm a clothes-a-holic for Maddy. On the way home this is what my mom's backseat looked like

You know technology has taken over when your car looks like this lol. The girls have a DSi and Maddy has my phone watching a movie. Maddy LOVES their dsi and played on it a good bit on the way up.

After the outlets we headed back to my mom's house and we all played outside. We raced each other in the yard for a while. Maddy did a good job of keeping up with us and we made sure to let her win some too. She was loving it! After we played outside it was time to take the girls home so me and Maddy rode with them and Maddy cried when we left and there was no more Abby and Sara. We had to go to Publix to get a few things that were on sale and then we went to Baskin Robbins for some ice cream. Maddy loves picking out her ice cream and she chose Strawberry Lemonade. After ice cream we had one more stop to make and that was Wal-Mart. By the time we got to my mom's house it was midnight or close to it. Maddy had no nap at all that day. On Sunday we went to church and Maddy tried out her new room. I don't think she likes it as much as her other room. She told me the lady took her baby. I don't know if they aren't allowed to hold their comfort item in this class or not because they have cubbies. I guess I need to ask. When I went to pick her up she looked confused/unsure. I hope she continues to like church. We then went to Red Lobster to celebrate my uncle's birthday. Maddy was all over the place! We had a total of 16 people, 3 of which were toddlers. It was a fun time though. After lunch we came home and Maddy played and I cleaned cleaned cleaned. I made good progress on our house, but still have a long way to go. 

That was our weekend in a nutshell. I hope you all had a great weekend and are having a good week so far :)

Wednesday Wandoms

I am so ready for this week to be over!!! I'm ready for this month to be over, for this year to be over! This week hasn't been all bad. I know as soon as I write this the total opposite will occur, but that's ok. Maddy has gotten over her little mood swings as of this week. I think she needed some time away from here as much as I did. In all reality, it's just part of the toddler years I know, but I do think the new scenery did her a world of good. In the mornings when I tell her it's time to go she actually says ok, like it's no big deal. On Monday I whirled around and started to think she might be a little sick because she always fights me when it's time to go...I really don't blame her. When it's bath time she just goes with the flow and does whatever she needs to do...same with dinner time and bed time. I know her mood will go down hill again at some point, but I have really been enjoying the mood swing free week.

I have actually started Christmas shopping for Maddy...I believe I may have mentioned this in another post. It finally came in today and now I have the hard part of keeping it a secret until Christmas. She's actually seen a picture of it on my phone because I forgot it was on there and I let her look at the pictures on my phone quite often...oops. I was really hoping to keep it a surprise for everybody until Christmas, but I must share it with you guys now lol. She is getting a leap pad 2. It's basically like an ipad for kids. Maddy knows how to work my phone...including how to unlock it without my even showing her how. When I saw this leap pad it just screamed Maddy. It has a rear and front facing camera and she can even take video if she wants. I went ahead and set it up for her now because I was curious how it all worked. The age range for it is 3-9 and I think 3 is kind of pushing it, but I may be completely wrong. Most of the apps I saw started with age 4...there were a few that started at 3. Right now it'll just be something fun...especially when we are in restaurants or in the car or anywhere we have to wait. I think next year she will really benefit a lot more from the learning aspect of it. The photo/camera and the music app is what really made me decide to get it for her now. I am curious as to how long the batteries will last and I also think there should be some sort of screen protector for it... especially with the age range they have it for. I read there is an AC adapter you can buy for it. I think I will plan on buying one once she is a little older. All in all I'm pleased with it so far. I think she will have a little trouble at first getting back to the main menu/home screen and using the stylus and putting it away because it's skinny and I even have trouble putting it in it's slot because you have to have it just so. I hope she really enjoys it and it's not something that just gets tossed aside lol.

Up until yesterday, Maddy's birthday theme was going to be Caillou. We were talking about her birthday yesterday morning and I told her it was going to be Caillou. She looked at me and said, "No, I don't want Caillou...I want Barney." That really surprised me because she chooses Caillou over Barney, but here lately she has been into Mickey Mouse. On the way to school I had the Birthday Express catalog in my lap and she asked to look at it. She changed her mind from Barney to a ladybug theme. The ladybug theme is super cute and I love the colors! I was hoping to not have to order from the Birthday Express because it gets real expensive. I gave her a choice between Caillou, Barney, Elmo, Ladybug, Clifford, and Mickey Mouse. She decided on Mickey Mouse. She has no option of changing her mind now because after school we went to pick up Mickey Mouse birthday decorations. We pretty much have everything except the balloons and it came out quite a bit cheaper than if we ordered from Birthday Express. 

That is an idea of what we got. We also got party favors for the kids and Mickey Mouse ears for Maddy to wear. My mom is going to make a Mickey and Minnie Mouse cake...well..they will be individual cakes. She's actually made the mickey mouse cake once this year for my nephew's 1st birthday. Maddy had lots of fun picking out the decorations and did such a good job of listening. I am so proud of Maddy and just love her to pieces!

That's really all the exciting news I have to share for now. I feel like in some ways the days are passing way too fast because I can't get my house cleaned. I wouldn't have thought taking a weekend trip would have made much difference, but it's been a nightmare trying to clean while I'm working overtime. I did clean some tonight, but I was getting tired so I decided to lay in bed. I'm hoping to get things back in order this weekend. Oh!! This week Maddy has been in her new classroom at school some. She has loved going in there. She's only been on Monday and Tuesday...she said she didn't go today. I hope she continues loving it in there once she is full time in there. This Sunday she will be starting her new sunday school room. She has moved up to the 3 year old room. She was supposed to start last week, but we were out of town. I'm hoping she handles the change ok. Every aspect of her life has involved change and it's been real hard on her. 

I hope your week has gone better than mine!