Nicholas got a Hurley t-shirt and Noah got a pair of plaid Ecko shorts!
Saturday, January 30, 2010
My trip to Marshalls . . .
Yesterday I was able to go out-and-about all alone! Imagine that, time to myself outside of this house. It was nice. I went to Marshall's and tried on a bunch of clothes. And truth be told I have the weirdest thoughts in my head when I am in the dressing room. I'm constantly saying to myself, "Oh what a cute dress/shirt - I hope it looks cute on!" And then a few seconds later as I am slipping it on I adamantly say to myself, "Don't fit, don't look good!" I don't have the luxury of buying new clothes, as cute as they might be! So I settle for trying them on for fun - just to see what it looks like; but every-so-often I find something that I am in love with and I just can't resist! And then I have to battle it out in my head, "Buy it, just get it, it's so cute on, you really do need something else other than the same clothes you're wearing . . . " And then instantly I hear another voice in my head that's much more practical, much more in-tune with my reality as a stay-at-home mom, "Seriously Misty, where will you wear this, to pick Nicholas up from school, go grocery shopping, walk around the house? Be real, put it back. It's not fair of you to buy something and not getting anything for Jay. And you know good and well you can't afford to get something for the both of you." So in the end, I put whatever it is back . . . and hope that the person who buys it appreciates it as much as I would if I had made the choice to buy it. I walk over to the children's section and sift through all the cool and cute clothes they have. Cool for Nicholas and cute for Noah. Immediately I select one item each for Nicholas and Noah. I walk straight to the register and pay for it! I do this without a second thought, and although it isn't in my budget to do this nor do the boys really need these items I get them anyway . . . because I never feel guilty about stretching my budget for them.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
A love of Blogs . . .
I am easily inspired by the blog I come across . . . and it's true, I will admit, I have a fettish for surfing the net and looking at blogs. I love photography blogs, food blogs, and crafty blogs. I could spent ALOT of time just browsing through, what I believe to be a talented bunch of strangers. Strangers that so openly share their life in the form of photos, recipies, and the things that they create. I am a homemaker and I find that these blogs have helped me and encouraged me to be better at what I do everyday. Especially the food blogs, I get tons of recipies and ideas that now have become a favorite in our home. So now I'd like to share with you the links that have so inspired me . . .
Joy the Baker - a cooking blog
Becky Higgins Recipies - a cooking blog/ scrapbooking blog
Gourmet Mom on-the-Go - cooking blog
Savoring the Details
Memories on Clover Lane
Beneath My Heart
Joy the Baker - a cooking blog
Becky Higgins Recipies - a cooking blog/ scrapbooking blog
Gourmet Mom on-the-Go - cooking blog
Savoring the Details
Memories on Clover Lane
Beneath My Heart
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Project Life Tuesday Photos
As I was editting and gathering the photos for my project life album I realized it was a very "filled" week, despite the rain. It felt like we were couped up most of the week, but somehow we managed to squeeze in good times with our family . . . enjoy the pics!
Monday Jan. 18 Went to the movies with my cousins. The big kids watched Avatar and the lil' ones watched Alvin & The Chipmunks!
Tuesday Jan. 19 Noah eating fresh oranges. Lucky us, one of the guys at Jay's work is generous enough to have given us bagfuls of oranges and tangerines. Does he know that our boys LOVE fruit!
*I've discovered a few tricks that have allowed me to use vertical photos that will fit into my project life album, I have also discovered a few other nifty tricks that I am so enjoying! Happy Tuesday . . . and for now there is no rain! Yay!
Wednesday Jan. 20 Minimum day for Nicholas. And Noah was so happy to see his brother home earlier than usual!
Thursday Jan. 21 Congratulations to my awesome husband! He surprised us when he came home and handed us his insert for his helmet with his new title! We are so PROUD of you!
Friday Jan. 22 Bleh, Bleh, Bleh . . . 5th day in a row that it rained. Started to get cabin fever!
Saturday Jan. 23 For an impromtu trip to the mountains, it sured turned out to be a blast! Noah awoke from his nap to snow galore! We had a good time with the family once again! Lots of snowball fights, snow angels, and sledding!
Sunday Jan.24 Our tradition after church is to go to mum-mum's house. I was hanging out with my mom in the living room when I realized it was quiet (this is unusual with my two boys). Went to go check on the boys and this is where I found them. Hangin' with their "cool" uncle! This photo warms my heart, I know how much my brother loves these two boys, and they love him just as much!
*I've discovered a few tricks that have allowed me to use vertical photos that will fit into my project life album, I have also discovered a few other nifty tricks that I am so enjoying! Happy Tuesday . . . and for now there is no rain! Yay!
Friday, January 22, 2010
rounded corners
learning photoshop elements . . . and i finally figured out how to do rounded corners on my photos. yay!!!
another pic. of noah - the soldier boy!
another pic. of noah - the soldier boy!
Simple Joys
This photo is one of the many pictures included in my slideshow once my screensaver mode kicks in. I love this picture . . . it reminds me of the simple joys in life. It reminds me of how much I love summer, the beach, and the fresh ocean breeze.
Noah boy
It's another day of rain . . . ugh! One whole week of it and now I'm ready for it to be DONE! I'm dying to take a walk outside - get some fresh air. Until then, it's indoor activites for us.
Lastnight, right before bedtime, Noah comes out of his room and asks his dad to help him put his uniform on. All of a sudden Noah was chanting, "Present Arms - Forward March!" Too Cute . . .
Lastnight, right before bedtime, Noah comes out of his room and asks his dad to help him put his uniform on. All of a sudden Noah was chanting, "Present Arms - Forward March!" Too Cute . . .
He definitely keeps us laughing on a daily basis. Some of the things he says are so funny & witty. Sometimes it's hard to believe he's only 2 years old.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Rain, Rain Go Away . . .
It has been raining here in so. Cal. since Sunday evening. With the exception of Monday and taking Nicholas to and from school everyday this week I have not left my house. Do I have cabin fever . . . sort of. But I like to stay home during this kind of weather and I'm in the middle of a good book, so I'm perfectly fine with being home.
I just sent Jay off to pick up a few groceries. Yikes - that kinda makes me nervous. Usually I'm the one that takes care of that, or at least we go together. But again, I don't like to go out in the rain. So I just have to cross my fingers that Jay does a good job shopping!
I was looking at my last post . . . you know the one with the yummy andes mint cookie :-) And yes I will post the recipe. It is a delicious cookie and I'm so proud that I can make that for my family. In fact, it makes me pretty darn happy that I bake most of my kids "sweet treats." Being a stay at home mom has forced me to be more cautious in how we spend our money. And that includes, even our grocery bill. In the beginning, I'll admit, I baked because it was "a savings" to make it myself. Now I actually love that I make things my kids love and look forward to for their treats. The same goes with cooking dinner. We don't eat out often - in fact very rarely do we get that luxury. But guess what, it's okay. In fact it's a good thing because we've discovered that for the most part we can cook a better meal here at home in comparasion to a meal we'd pay for. We've all agreed that the best part about eating out isn't even the food, it's that someone else will clean up after. And that's super nice! I won't lie :-) But there are so many advantages and so many good things that my kids are learning from our efforts and our ways of frugality. They are more grateful for the times we do get to splurge. It's super neat to see my kids faces when they're able to order an appetizer, main meal, and a desert (although those are very rare occasions). I am glad to be teaching them and setting the example of appreciating how hard their dad works for us, for me . . . for me to be able to stay home with them. I know that in the end of all this sacrificing and sometimes even struggles . . . I will have two very fine young men that will value so much more than material things.
Just thought I'd share. Happy Thursday.
I just sent Jay off to pick up a few groceries. Yikes - that kinda makes me nervous. Usually I'm the one that takes care of that, or at least we go together. But again, I don't like to go out in the rain. So I just have to cross my fingers that Jay does a good job shopping!
I was looking at my last post . . . you know the one with the yummy andes mint cookie :-) And yes I will post the recipe. It is a delicious cookie and I'm so proud that I can make that for my family. In fact, it makes me pretty darn happy that I bake most of my kids "sweet treats." Being a stay at home mom has forced me to be more cautious in how we spend our money. And that includes, even our grocery bill. In the beginning, I'll admit, I baked because it was "a savings" to make it myself. Now I actually love that I make things my kids love and look forward to for their treats. The same goes with cooking dinner. We don't eat out often - in fact very rarely do we get that luxury. But guess what, it's okay. In fact it's a good thing because we've discovered that for the most part we can cook a better meal here at home in comparasion to a meal we'd pay for. We've all agreed that the best part about eating out isn't even the food, it's that someone else will clean up after. And that's super nice! I won't lie :-) But there are so many advantages and so many good things that my kids are learning from our efforts and our ways of frugality. They are more grateful for the times we do get to splurge. It's super neat to see my kids faces when they're able to order an appetizer, main meal, and a desert (although those are very rare occasions). I am glad to be teaching them and setting the example of appreciating how hard their dad works for us, for me . . . for me to be able to stay home with them. I know that in the end of all this sacrificing and sometimes even struggles . . . I will have two very fine young men that will value so much more than material things.
Just thought I'd share. Happy Thursday.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
YumO
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Project Life Tuesday
Photos for my Project Life Album
day 15: Finally made it over to Barnes & Noble to use my giftcards. These are the two books that I bought and I am so excited about starting "The Help" I've heard such good reviews on this book. Thank you Kelly for giving me the giftcard for Christmas - oh how I love giftcards
day 16: We finally openned up your Elefun game. What fun! We played a few times before nap and then played a few more times after dinner with bo-bo. What a fun game for all of us to enjoy with you, Noah!
day 17: Lately it has been nothing but love for mommy! And I love it, I do. It's hard though because sometimes I feel like I can't do too much because all you want to do is have me hold you. But I remind myself, it won't be long before the days come and you won't want to snuggle so much anymore. I, truly, love that you are a mama's boy.
day 18: How nice that Nicholas chose to buy pizza for us. It was what he wanted for dinner on this particular night. It wasn't in my budget but it all worked out because we were out-and-about doing grocery errands after school. Me and my crazy, loveable boys enjoying some good ole' Pizza Hut!
day 19: Pieces of Noah all over our house. This is what our house looks like on a daily basis. I can become overwhelmed sometimes, and on this particular day I felt just that. Overwhelmed. Instead of getting upset about all the things left for "mom" to pick-up and clean-up I decided to grap my camera and snap away. In the blink of an eye these days will be gone . . . my house will be clean and in order just how I like. And I know that instead of feeling content with my clean house, I'll feel lonely. So when it's all said and done, it's okay that it's messy, there's plenty of time for clean :-)
day 20: Stayed home all day and rested. Jay went to Asan Fiesta and the boys and I opted to stay home. It was such a nice, lazy day. Jay even went out and bought me Cherry 7-Up for my upset stomach. I love Cherry 7-Up . . .reminds me of "treat drinks" Shirley Temples!
day 21: I love when we can go to church as a family and although it's difficult for the boys to sit still during mass, I always feel complete when we are all there together. Jay only gets to join us twice of month because of his work schedule. When Jay can attend with us . . . it's always a treat after church - donuts! All three boys love donuts!
day 15: Finally made it over to Barnes & Noble to use my giftcards. These are the two books that I bought and I am so excited about starting "The Help" I've heard such good reviews on this book. Thank you Kelly for giving me the giftcard for Christmas - oh how I love giftcards
day 16: We finally openned up your Elefun game. What fun! We played a few times before nap and then played a few more times after dinner with bo-bo. What a fun game for all of us to enjoy with you, Noah!
day 17: Lately it has been nothing but love for mommy! And I love it, I do. It's hard though because sometimes I feel like I can't do too much because all you want to do is have me hold you. But I remind myself, it won't be long before the days come and you won't want to snuggle so much anymore. I, truly, love that you are a mama's boy.
day 18: How nice that Nicholas chose to buy pizza for us. It was what he wanted for dinner on this particular night. It wasn't in my budget but it all worked out because we were out-and-about doing grocery errands after school. Me and my crazy, loveable boys enjoying some good ole' Pizza Hut!
day 19: Pieces of Noah all over our house. This is what our house looks like on a daily basis. I can become overwhelmed sometimes, and on this particular day I felt just that. Overwhelmed. Instead of getting upset about all the things left for "mom" to pick-up and clean-up I decided to grap my camera and snap away. In the blink of an eye these days will be gone . . . my house will be clean and in order just how I like. And I know that instead of feeling content with my clean house, I'll feel lonely. So when it's all said and done, it's okay that it's messy, there's plenty of time for clean :-)
day 20: Stayed home all day and rested. Jay went to Asan Fiesta and the boys and I opted to stay home. It was such a nice, lazy day. Jay even went out and bought me Cherry 7-Up for my upset stomach. I love Cherry 7-Up . . .reminds me of "treat drinks" Shirley Temples!
day 21: I love when we can go to church as a family and although it's difficult for the boys to sit still during mass, I always feel complete when we are all there together. Jay only gets to join us twice of month because of his work schedule. When Jay can attend with us . . . it's always a treat after church - donuts! All three boys love donuts!
Monday, January 18, 2010
Complete Randomness
I am extremely disappointed that the Chargers lost. I really am. But I can only imagine how the players feel. I woke up this morning and thought, UGH, I wish they would've won.
Noah is napping right now and I am a little ahead of the game as far as my household chores. As soon as he wakes up we're heading down to Oceanside (yes, eek in the rain!) I'm meeting Nicholas and his cousins at the movie theater; they'll be watching Avatar and I'm gonna take Noah to see Alvin and the Chipmunks. It's definitely a nice way to spend the day . . . watching moives.
Today while eating breakfast with Noah, I started to make out my menu for this weeks meals. We've started creating our meals based on the sale ads. I realize that many people probably do it that way . . . but we've always bought in bulk (Sam's club) and then created our meal menus from there. I think we were spending way too much money that way. So I'm doing things a bit different now. Here's our menu,
Tuesday: Chicken Curry (stew style) and Ham & Bean Soup and green beans (this is really two meals but some in my family aren't crazy for japanese curry.)
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: KFC (yay for coupons!) and all sides will be homemade, red rice, baked beans and/or scalloped potatos, and coleslaw
Friday: Leftovers
Lately we've been only cooking once or twice a week and then using the rest of the days for leftovers. It's been working out fairly well . . . and not to mention we're not wasting food or money. And I am very big on not wasting. I am interested to see how much I will spend this week on my groceries.
I know that this is such a random post. But today that's just how I'm feeling - random. Tomorrow is the day that I post my Project Life pictures so stay tuned :-)
And here's a picture just because I don't want to post without sharing this picture of my "sweetheart"
Noah, you have my heart always! I love you!
Noah is napping right now and I am a little ahead of the game as far as my household chores. As soon as he wakes up we're heading down to Oceanside (yes, eek in the rain!) I'm meeting Nicholas and his cousins at the movie theater; they'll be watching Avatar and I'm gonna take Noah to see Alvin and the Chipmunks. It's definitely a nice way to spend the day . . . watching moives.
Today while eating breakfast with Noah, I started to make out my menu for this weeks meals. We've started creating our meals based on the sale ads. I realize that many people probably do it that way . . . but we've always bought in bulk (Sam's club) and then created our meal menus from there. I think we were spending way too much money that way. So I'm doing things a bit different now. Here's our menu,
Tuesday: Chicken Curry (stew style) and Ham & Bean Soup and green beans (this is really two meals but some in my family aren't crazy for japanese curry.)
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: KFC (yay for coupons!) and all sides will be homemade, red rice, baked beans and/or scalloped potatos, and coleslaw
Friday: Leftovers
Lately we've been only cooking once or twice a week and then using the rest of the days for leftovers. It's been working out fairly well . . . and not to mention we're not wasting food or money. And I am very big on not wasting. I am interested to see how much I will spend this week on my groceries.
I know that this is such a random post. But today that's just how I'm feeling - random. Tomorrow is the day that I post my Project Life pictures so stay tuned :-)
And here's a picture just because I don't want to post without sharing this picture of my "sweetheart"
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