..una.vita.benedetta.. ..a.blessed.life..

2009-08-24T15:43:00.001-04:00

I really don't think anyone reads this anymore, since I haven't updated in an eternity. But just in case you happen to drop by, please stop by my brand-spankin' new site:

thisblessedlife.net

See you over there!

2009-07-03T21:51:00.001-04:00

thatnewmusicwebsite.com

Fresh air

2009-02-17T18:15:00.003-05:00

I have been looking forward to spring this year like no other year that I can remember. I think it's a combination of the fact that I'm excited to do some gardening in our yard for the first time, there's lots of exciting things coming up - going to Florida, baby showers, brother's graduation, hosting my first yard sale, parents and sister coming to visit, and oh yeah, a baby due in the summer - which means we have to have spring first! :)

I normally love all of my pink Valentine's decorations (I'm a teacher, and yes, I decorate our house for minor holidays and the seasons!), but I've already taken them down and put up the few spring decorations I have. A few ceramic eggs, a wire chicken, some cool bendy willow tree branches from last year, fresh new Target towels for the kitchen (on clearance for $1.48 total!) and a few other things. Looking at these fresh, springy things in my house is helping me to stay positive - it will come!!

Oh, kids!

2009-02-11T16:59:00.003-05:00

Below are two literal conversations/comments with actual students of mine:

After telling my 5th grade class (a little late, about 16 weeks pregnant):

Maya: "Oh, good! 'Cause I was thinkin', 'wow, she used to be pretty skinny.' "

Kaylee, one of my first graders:

"You look pretty skinny today, Mrs. B------"

"Thank you, Kaylee."

"You don't really look that fat yet at all."

LOL!

19 days til I know whether to buy pink or blue! I can hardly wait!!!!!

Dinner Idea for You!

2009-01-28T18:01:00.005-05:00

Since beef and I are on the outs right now (and we usually had some form of beef at least 2x a week), I've been forced to be more creative with mealtimes. Pork is one meat that I've always been "afraid" of - my mom didn't cook with it a lot growing up, so I don't think I bought it until a few months ago when I decided that I could use pork tenderloins (I think that's what they're called) to cut up for stir-fry.

I really wanted to try a pork roast, so I decided to buy one without giving any thought to the fact that I had no recipe for it! I decided on a pork-shoulder-butt-roast. It weighed a couple of pounds. I went on all-recipes.com and found a recipe for a 5-lb crockpot pork roast. The ingredients were pork, salt and pepper, beef broth, BBQ sauce, and coffee. However, after reading some comments, I learned that the coffee and beef broth weren't even necessary - which is good b/c I can't stand the smell or taste of coffee now, and I didn't have the beef broth in the house!

Monday morning, I put my roast in the crockpot, sprinkled it with pepper, filled a small canning jar (!) with water, and dumped it in. Then I sprinkled some onion soup mix around the water to give it a little flavor, and squeezed a few squirts of BBQ sauce on top. I put it on low for 8 hrs.

I came home from work, and it smelled heavenly!! I squeezed a bunch more BBQ sauce on top, and let it cook for about 20 more minutes. Then I pulled it out and shredded it, and added a few spoonfuls of the "broth" to the meat pile, just to flavor it some more. Chris and I ate it on big buns with some extra BBQ sauce on top, with homemade pasta salad on the side.

All I can say is that we were drooling! This is definitely a keeper! :)

New finds

2009-01-22T19:55:00.005-05:00

Some new internet goodies:

I just read this woman's posts back to August in one sitting - that's how much I enjoyed her writing: missalamode.blogspot.com

Interesting frugal site I found from Meredith's blog: frugalhomemakerplus.blogspot.com

Crystal Paine (of MoneySavingMom fame) has started a new blog dedicated to raising kids.

I've been lurking here for a while, actually: The Nester's sister, (I think her name is Emily?) writes beautifully about life and has great photos to boot.

They're being added to the blogroll - and a few other sides are being deleted because I don't ever read them anymore (ouch-hope that didn't sound prissy!).

Anyone else just dying for spring so you can go yard-saling again?!

My sister-in-law and I are having a yard sale on May 9th at my house and I can hardly wait!

Happy Martin Luther King Day!

2009-01-19T09:29:00.005-05:00

Oh, do I love that man. I mean, I love everything he did for civil rights in this country, and that he was committed to non-violence, and that he wanted a peaceful nation. But right now I'm loving that man because I. don't. have. to. work. today.

Which means....

I got to sleep in til 8 in my deliciously comfy, warm bed with my fluffy "down" comforter
I got to make myself an egg sandwich (workday morning breakfasts are always something boring and fast, like PB toast)
I got all of my lesson planning for this week done before 9:15
I get to start a batch of banana-chocolate-chip muffins at 9:45 in the morning
I get to go hang out with a good friend today and watch only one of the greatest movies of all time: Anne of Green Gables

I mean really, what more could a girl want? Okay, maybe a mani-pedi and a full body massage, but I'll take it. ;)

Whether you're working or relaxing today, or somewhere in between, have a great Monday!

P.S. I do this all the time, and forgive me, but Sandy has such incredible giveaways that I can't help myself. I'm linking to her amazing, fantastic, full-of-gorgeous-pictures-and-ideas-blog so I can get entered in her giveaway twice. Maybe this time........

Ugh.

2009-01-09T13:28:00.003-05:00

Bad vomiting today. Again.

Sunday night, I made enchiladas for dinner (I've made these a bunch of times - we love them). We sat down to eat, and Chris took a bite before me and made a face. lol I took a bite and soon realized they were GROSS. Like, totally bitter and disgusting. We narrowed it down to the wrap tasting bad, because the cheesy meat inside tasted totally normal. We threw what was on our plates and what was left in the pan out. I am usually super cautious about expiration dates, etc., but I did look on the wrap bag and realize that the wraps had expired on Dec. 27th. I just figured, okay, not horrible, because it's not like they were moldy or anything - I threw those away, too.

Well.

Monday morning, I was getting ready for school, and just as I was about to go downstairs to make breakfast, I knew it was coming. I'll spare you the disgusting details, but suffice it to say that it was very, very violent puking. It was horrible and I wanted to die. Unforunately, call-offs have to be made by 6 am and it was about 6:40 at this time. I felt "better" after I puked and Chris reminded me that if I got to school and couldn't make it through the day, to just come home. I didn't feel that great, and had an upset stomach, but somehow I made it through the day. No more puking, however!

I knew it would be weird to start puking at exactly 12 w, so I chalked it up to food poisoning. However, Chris didn't get sick at all, which I thought was weird.

I didn't throw up or feel sick on Tues, Wed, or Thurs.

Last night, I made taco salad (also with ground beef). Well, surprise, surprise! I woke up, got ready, and realized with dread that it was going to happen again. And this time it was waaay worse. Ugh. It was about 6:30, but I didn't care - there was no way I was going through this again. Besides, this time it felt like I could puke again at any time. I called my principals, and went back to bed. My stomach did get upset, but I slept for a few hours and when I woke up I had some saltines and a little cold water. I feel better now.

So, my question is, is it the beef or what? Chris thinks it is the Mexican spices in both foods, because our beef is from Chris's uncle's cows and we've never had a problem with his meat before. Also, the beef last night came directly from the freezer and I defrosted it in the micro. I would think that he's right, but I'm so depressed because I love Mexican food! He thinks maybe it's just too strong for my stomach to handle during pregnancy. I'm not sure what I think.

Anyone care to put in their two cents?

2009-01-03T22:13:00.004-05:00

To me, pregnancy is 8 months of try-not-to-get-hysterical-because-something-might-be-wrong. I mean, until the baby starts moving in a couple of months, I have idea if it's healthy/alive/safe until I see it on the ultrasound machine. God has been very good to me, and I have been able to see this baby 3 times already (I'm only 11 w 5 d today). I know most women only get to see their baby at their 20 w ultrasound, so I'm very grateful that I've had this opportunity. Still, the last time I saw the baby was in the 8th week, so for 3 weeks I'e silently wondered if everything was okay.

I try to stay very positive - a) because I know God's looking out for me, and b) because stress is really bad for the baby. However, when we pulled up to the testing center on Friday, I felt so sick to my stomach. But my fears were soon put to rest! We had a super nice ultrasound technician, who confirmed that my baby has two hemispheres in its brain, two legs, two arms, and a nice strong heartbeat of 169 bpm (yes, I know you will all think I'm having a girl! lol).

Chris and I were getting the biggest kick out of our baby - it was literally doing sommersaults in the womb! The technician was begging it out loud to stay put! I was trying SO hard not to laugh, but it definitely didn't help that Chris was laughing right next to me. At one point she finally said, "So, your child's now doing leg lifts!" haha It was THE cutest thing! Our baby was laying on its back, with both of its knees slightly bent, lifting its legs up in the air in sync. Like it was watching an exercise dvd! The poor lady was having a terrible time getting measurements.

She turned to get a different instrument, and of course, our child completely falls asleep. Um, narcolepsy? :) For the second measurment, she needed it to be awake, so she starts jiggling my belly with the probe and begging it to wake up.

All in all, it was hilarious - if you know Chris, this baby is definitely taking after its goofy daddy.

I just laid there, taking it all in, thanking God for keeping my baby healthy and unquestionably alive.

Oh, and p.s. - we will know the gender on March 2nd! I can hardly wait!!!! :)

Helloooo.....my how life has changed since my last post!

2008-12-30T16:10:00.003-05:00

Hello girls! (And the one guy who I know reads this blog - but I'm not sure if you're still around. :)

It's so funny to me to read over the last two posts and see my comment about being "bloated" and how the weight wasn't coming off as fast as expected while I dieted. It was only a day later (Nov. 17th) that I got my BFP (Big Fat Positive pregnancy test, in bump language), and that "pms-y bloating" has yet to leave my body! It's a pretty ridiculous thing to watch my belly "grow" every day, sometime around noon or later, then shrink every night when I sleep. I am definitely not showing for real yet - just bloaty! lol

As of today I am 11 weeks and 1 day pregnant. I am thrilled to be having a baby - now I just can't wait for my little peanut to get here! I have had two ultrasounds, one at 7w1d and the other at 8w3d (the latter one is my Facebook pic), and I will have one on Friday when I have my 12-week "Sequential Screening."

This is a non-invasive blood test and ultrasound to show a rough estimate of my odds of having a child with birth defects and/or Downs Syndrome. Chris and I went back and forth over having this test, because it can frequently give you false negatives or positives, but after talking to a friend we decided to go ahead with it. This friend had a problem with her baby's placenta that had to carefully monitored that was only identified by this kind of careful test. And anyway, it's another ultrasound picture of the baby - otherwise I'd have to wait til around 20 weeks, I think!

Well, that's enough baby talk for now - I'm sure at least some of you got tired of checking to see when I'd update again, so who knows when you'll actually be back to check this blog! :)

craaaazy week

2008-11-22T10:47:00.003-05:00

sorry about the lack of posts again! this has been an insane week at school. we have a wonderful chorus parents organization, and apparently every year they host a K-7 variety show and a 8-12 variety show to raise money. i guess in the past it has brought in thousands of dollars for us. this is great except that it requires a lot of outside-school commitment. there is an audition night, a dress rehearsal night, and a show night for each variety show (6 nights total). we had the two audition nights last week, and this week was the two dress rehearsals and the K-7 show last night.

i left my house at 6:45 yesterday, and didn't get home 'til after 10 p.m.

so yes, i was a little tired after a week like that!

however, i slept in this morning, and i've been relaxing on the couch for the last couple of hours with my decaf tea.

i heart saturdays.

So....just kidding!

2008-11-16T19:41:00.003-05:00

After I just wrote a whole post about the diet, I have decided not to continue "Flat Belly" and to continue with "Eat Great, Lose Weight" (Suzanne Somers).

I did lose FOUR POUNDS (even with pms-y bloating!) and I am now currently at my college weight!!!! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!

Which translated means that I have 9 pounds to go to reach my goal weight - not super-skinny, and not even what I weighed on my wedding day - but a weight that I feel is reasonable and healthy for my body and stage of life.

I'm so freakin' excited! :) Something about nine pounds just sounds so much nicer than ten pounds to me.

I decided not to stay with "Flat Belly" because it required constant measuring and weighing, and that is really just no way to live, in my opinion.

So, I started EGLW today, and I'll give it a try until Thanksgiving. I've already decided/know that I will eat a normal (although moderate!) Thanksgiving meal, because there's really no point in trying to be that self-controlled. And when you have a mom like mine, you just can't pass up food like that!

Anyway, I'm realistically prepared to gain a pound or so as my body re-adjusts to new foods and a new pattern, but if by next week at Thanksgiving I'm one pound less than where I am today, I will consider that a success :).

Here's to feeling healthy and thinner! :)

"Flat Belly" low-down

2008-11-15T09:54:00.003-05:00

Since some of you asked, the "Flat Belly Diet" is for just that - eliminating belly fat. It's from the people at Prevention magazine. In a nutshell, you jumpstart the diet by a 4-day super strict diet that is supposed to banish bloat (and subsequently make you lose weight), and then you follow a pretty healthy diet afterwards. After the 4 days, you have to have a monounsaturated fat with every meal, which is either olives, olive oil, nuts, or dark chocolate. They based their research on people from Mediterranean cultures who apparently eat all of those foods and have low belly fat.

I'm sure you all know by now that they say belly fat is the worst kind to have - but even seemingly skinny people can have a different kind of belly fat underneath the skin's surface. I'm sure I have both kinds. lol

Anyways, this is my fourth and last day of the anti-bloat phase, and I've lost about 3 pounds so far, which is actually really great considering that I'm also hormonally bloated right now from pms! haha (And normally I gain 4ish pounds at this time of the month, so hopefully when I'm not extra-bloated I'll really be down around 5 pounds.)

My mom bought the book and the cookbook, which is the only way I'd ever heard about it.

I think I might try this until Thanksgiving, and see how it works. My friend Brigette told me about the Suzanne Somers diet, and since my mom said it was also working really well for John and James C., I might try that between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

We'll see! I'll just be happy when today is over.....I'm dying for a cup of coffee!!!!!!!!!!

Flat Belly? Growling belly's more like it....

2008-11-13T16:00:00.004-05:00

i am currently on the 'no-bloat' phase of the flat belly diet.

and i am STARVING, people.

thank GOD (and i really do mean that) that this only lasts four days, and this is day two.

two.more.days.

i think i can, i think i can....

Drama, Drama, Drama

2008-11-09T19:18:00.005-05:00

A few random thoughts from my big ol' comfy armchair in my living room. That's right, people! Living room is moved in! I am SOOOOOOO pumped to have this room basically put together - now my house really, really feels like home again. I am a definite picture person, and it was so soothing to have all of my photos and frames out again yesterday. Plus, it was kinda like an early Christmas to unwrap all of my things again - I forgot I had some stuff!

This afternoon, I spent two hours searching for my keys. It was a nightmare. Not so much because of my personal keys, but because I have about 6 keys on my ring that belong to school. And one of those happens to be a master key to the high school. I was bawling like a baby, but I couldn't help myself, because all I could imagine was that I'd get fired or at the very least, fined a huge amount of money to re-key all the locks. Do you know how many doors are in an average high school building?! Anyway, praise the LORD, they were found in a box in the garage that we had already looked in twice. How we missed them the first two times, I have no idea, but I was a wreck.

I don't know if its the fact that my home feels homey again or because of all of the economic problems in the country (or a mixture of both), but I'm going to start getting into the CVS thing again. Kathy has been inspiring me to get my butt in gear again, and there are a LOT of great deals this week.

I'm going to make myself some decaf with my Vanilla Caramel creamer and cut me some coupons ;).

Thanksgiving is only 18 days away!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. I posted a video link on my Facebook site (99 balloons) - I found it from myheartismyhome.blogspot.com and seriously, seriously....you need to watch it.

2008-11-02T19:06:00.004-05:00

ahhh....

just spent an amazing weekend with chris and 8 other couples at a couples' retreat up at spruce lake resort. all of the couples were from our church, and we spent the time laughing and eating a ton, and just getting to know our spouses better. it was such a nice change of pace from the monotony of going to work, making dinner, working on the house, and going to bed! i loved it and i hope we can go back next year.

just finished typing up the rest of the week's lesson plans (ugh) and now i get to help chris do the living room floor (lucky me!). our ceiling was finally installed on thursday night, the walls have been painted, so all that's left is the floor. then we can finally bring our sofas and chair in from the garage and have a place to relax at night that is not the dining room table or the bed. i think i just might die of happiness when that happens.

off to work!

Randomness

2008-10-22T15:45:00.004-04:00

Aren't you just loving fall this year?! We've been drinking a lot of cold apple cider this year, but on Saturday I was at this cute little shop and they had hot apple cider with oranges as part of a big fall sale. It was blissful. lol

The older I get, the more I appreciate Thanksgiving as a holiday - in fact, it's now my official favorite. Of course I appreciate Christmas more in the sense that it's symbolizes Christ's incarnation (and all of the wonder and mystery and grace and promise that involves), but if we're strictly speaking holidays, Thanksgiving now tops my list.

Why? Well, it suddenly dawned on me last night that for the past 6+ years, Thanksgiving has represented the first time after many months that all of my immediate family is together again. The food, the parade, the fall colors, spending quality time with everyone, the knowledge of Christmas still coming....it all combines to make it just the best day/weekend of the year! I think every year that I get older, I appreciate my life more. Especially after this year, with all of its unexpected heartache - my family really is so special and I cherish them all so dearly.

Anyway, if I had the motivation to load pictures right now, I would show you my fall decorations, because they're super cute and classy if I do say so myself.

But I currently have over 500 photos on my camera. Would you want to upload them and sort through all 500?

I didn't think so. ;)

Time for Curves! I'm slowly losing weight again and have a definite goal I'd like to reach before I reach the holiday season!

Embrace the loveliness of today!

Wow.

2008-10-17T19:14:00.003-04:00

Are you guys still out there?! :) I know it has been ages, but believe me, I've had good reason. I know you're all waiting for pictures of the house, and I hope to have those up on Facebook by Sunday night. So much has been happening in my life recently that it seems a little crazy to try to compress it into a blog entry! It's not that I haven't wanted to be blogging - it's that there's TOO much to talk about and I've been overwhelmed about where to begin.

So.

I'm going to start small.

First thing I wanted to mention: I don't know if any of you are still into the CVS thing (I know you're trying, Kathy! Whoo hoo!), but I have a good idea for you if you want to get into the the extra-care bucks thing but didn't want to cough up initial dough. For the month of October, CVS is offering 5 ECB for $15 purchase of assorted Starbucks products. I don't know about all of you, but there are TONS of people on my Christmas list who are coffee/Starbucks fanatics. This is a great way to get some shopping done early, and then have 5 left to spend at the store. With those 5 ECB, you could pick up some cute fall decorations that are on clearance right now or you could roll it over to buy something else that will give ECB.

Second thing I wanted to mention: One of my all-time favorite blogs, 4 Reluctant Entertainers, is doing another giveaway. I'm mentioning her here because she will put my name in twice in the drawing and she gives away the most amazing gift baskets! I have entered quite a few of her giveaways but haven't one yet. However, this one is a fall giveaway and since I am a fall fanatic (ask my husband), I would LOOOOOVE to win it! If you've never checked out her website, well...you're crazy. It's awesome. So go! Hurry! :)

That's all for now. Valspar's "Churchhill Hotel Maple" is calling my name (we're going to paint the living room tonight! Gooood times.....)

Hellooooooooooooooooo bloggy world!

2008-09-08T16:01:00.002-04:00

I have been meaning to update for a while but my life has been whirling out of control (yet in a good way, lol). We officially got our house on Aug. 15th, and have spent every day since then working on it! Chris and I like to joke that in 3 weeks we have brought the value of our house down about $30,000. haha This is because that a lot of people in our area (I'm not trying to be mean, but socioeconomically it is a little lower here) would have just moved right in to this house, paneling and smelly carpet and office-tiled ceilings and all. We just had a big vision for this place, and so a ton of stuff has been ripped out and thrown out and changed around.

We actually moved in on Saturday night.....it's really more like camping out, because we have two functioning bathrooms and our bedroom is liveable but we don't have any appliances. No fridge, no oven, no washer, no dryer! Oh, the things that get pushed out of your mind when you're a first-time homeowner working night and day on renovating your house! lol We went in Saturday to buy our fridge, thinking they could probably deliver on Saturday. Oh, no - it's definitely back-ordered til Friday! It's okay, you can laugh...we laughed at ourselves and our stupidity! haha

So we are living out of a cooler, a microwave, and a toaster. Did I mention we haven't moved our kitchen table in yet? So we eat on the floor. And did I mention our kitchen is completely being overhauled? So we can't currently use the sink. So we use paper and plastic for everything. (Yes, I do feel a tiny bit guilty about that).

So, besides living in chaos right now, we've both also been working full time. I also got a cold for four days over Labor Day weekend, which really added to the fun! hahaha

Honestly, yes, it is a little overwhelming, but each day we see progress and thankfully we have a large house with a garage to store most of our things. As soon as the kitchen is put together (hopefully by the weekend), life will be a little less weird.

So............THAT'S why I haven't been posting!

Pictures will come after my kitchen is fixed! :) Stay tuned!

And I currently have 3 gray hairs in my head....so maybe pray for me! lol :)

2008-08-15T23:06:00.003-04:00

I am a happy homeowner! :) We closed at 3:00 today, and let me tell you, I think Chris would have driven home on two wheels were I not in the car - that's how pumped he is (and me too). We worked on the house as soon as we got back, took a quick dinner break, and then went back until about 9;30.

Our house was fully carpeted (except the kitchen and bathrooms), and there were hardwood floors underneath (Chris and I love wood floors, so to us, it's just stupid to cover up all that beauty!). We spent most of tonight ripping up the carpets throughout the house, and it's pretty ridiculous that now the house looks about 200% worse! hahaha Things just have to get worse-looking before they can get better, unfortunately.

I'm not sure how much I'll be on in the next two weeks....I might have time and I might not, between the house and school starting. I will definitely be posting pictures, so keep checking back! I love blogging and I promise, I will be back.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

P.S. Did you all see Michael Phelps's crazy win tonight?! I seriously got goosebumps. :)

I Really Should Play the Lottery.....

2008-08-13T20:41:00.002-04:00

.......because Chris and I are also going to be closing on our first house on Friday! Our loan came through and everything's all set now! We are so thrilled with this good news.

It is funny how my life usually tends to end up.....it's generally all-or-nothing, and this is definitely no exception. This house has given us a bumpy ride, but we are SO thankful that God chose to see it through for us and it really seems to be His plan, given all of the things that seemed to go wrong at first with excess paperwork and needing to fire our initial realtor (long story, but it was definitely merited).

Some of you know Liz P. from school, and she's home from teaching in Korea for only about 9 days before she heads back. I'm going to Staten Island tomorrow to visit her for the day, and we're also going to the Korean Consulate! I'm sure Consulates are actually very boring, but I'm excited to be in the inside of one! lol Oh, and to see Liz again. haha

My days of relaxation are quickly coming to an end.... :)

But I think I'm okay with that.

I Got a Job!!!

2008-08-06T16:10:00.003-04:00

It has been two years and three months since I graduated from school (wow, exactly three months), but yes, I FINALLY HAVE A CONTRACTED JOB!!!!! God is faithful!!!

I got the call this morning!!!!!!!! I finally get to do this! :) Even though I've taught music in a public school before, that was always a long-term sub position. It was mine, but not really. This is my classroom(s), my kids, my program, from the beginning of the school year 'til the end!

I am just...giddy with excitement. As my mom said, "This has been a long time coming!"

Praise the Lord!!

The high-school music teacher (who is super sweet) left me with her number the other day, so I called her back. She is going to take me on a tour of the campus (K-12 is on the same campus) and show me my classrooms and introduce me to the principals and let me ask her questions. :) Then on the 19th I go in with the other "new hires" and sign my contract and learn about the district, and then on the 26th, THE KIDS COME!! I can't wait!!!!

Thanks for praying! :)

August 5, 2006................

2008-08-05T14:55:00.002-04:00

I've been married for two years today! Craziness!

It's truly remarkable how much deeper my love for Chris has grown since our wedding day. We have both changed so much over the past two years of our lives.

I have more respect, admiration, and love for this man than ever before.

I am so blessed.

Craaaaazy Times

2008-08-04T12:25:00.004-04:00

Well, this is shaping up to be quite the week! On Thursday (our home phone had conveniently bit the dust Thursday morning) I received a ~~call~~ message from the superintendent of the school district that interviewed me two months ago. He said that there had been a job opening with two applicants, and I was one of the applicants (I didn't understand at first, either) and could I please call him back at the office or at home? Well, we hung out with one of our best friends from college on Thursday (and saw Get Smart, which was hilarious), and bought a new phone on the way home (late that night) and plugged it in when we got home.

Early the next morning, our new phone rings while I'm eating breakfast. It's the superintendent, asking if I got the message! I explained about the phone dying, and he proceeded to tell me that the position I had previously applied for was now open and that he wanted me to come in and have a second interview. He mentioned salary and how he could make me "very happy."

So, I went in for my intereview today. Of course I was terrified! :) My head knows that God is totally in control of this whole thing (after all, I had already put it out of my mind), but that didn't help the butterflies in my stomach. I think the interview went well, and he told me that the board members had all given me excellent ratings on my past interview and that he really liked me. He also told me the salary, which is lovely. At least in my opinion. For a teacher. :)

Unfortunately, my competition (lol) is interviewing again tomorrow, so I won't know their decision until sometime after that. So if you feel led to pray that she oversleeps her interview or decides not to show up or something, feel free. hahaha

But seriously, if you want to pray that God leads this man to give me the job, that would be much appreciated!!!

Oh, the other news: At 2:00 today, Chris is signing the new contract for the house we've been looking at. He's bringing it home, and I'll sign it tonight, and our realtor thinks Fannie Mae will be willing to close by August 19th!!!! I could be a homeowner in two weeks or less! Which would really be amazing, because I haven't shared a fraction of all the troubles we've had with the search for a house.

So, by the end of this week, I could have a brand-new house coming and a brand-new job to start!!!!!

(Or I could potentially have neither. Which would be a real mood-killer. lol)

I'll keep you "posted"!! (Aren't I hilarious?!)

Recipe Time

2008-07-30T12:24:00.003-04:00

My sister-in-law, Naomi (she doesn't have a blog, otherwise I'd link her!), found this recipe on allrecipes.com and let me say, it is fab. It is a lip-smackin' combination of the three best kinds of cookies: peanut butter, oatmeal, and chocolate-chip.

Here you go!

Peanut Butter Cookies IX

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, white sugar and peanut butter until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, wheat flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the peanut butter mixture. Finally, mix in the oats and chocolate chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

3. Bake for 8 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are golden. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.

Photo: A little crisp, due to my horrible oven, but still SO good!

Buon appetito!

I Need Your Input!

2008-07-29T10:24:00.004-04:00

1) My sister-in-law (and my father-in-law) are growing (what I consider to be, at least) a large garden this year. It is producing tons of string beans and yellow wax beans right now. Does anyone know how to make 3-bean salad (you see it a lot at picnics)? Or maybe you have Maggie Matz---'s recipe (I don't like to use last names on the internet), if you live in the area I grew up?

2)Has anyone read any good books lately? Christian or otherwise? I haven't read a good book in a while and am curious to see if anyone's read anything good.

Thanks! :)

New finds

2008-07-29T10:20:00.002-04:00

A few websites I just discovered that I thought I'd share with you:

Kingdom First Mom: basically a hands-on money-saving blog

Days to Come: also a lot to do with finances (more things to do at home)

Also, one of my favorite bloggers is finally back but at a new location! Sparrow's Nest has moved to www.the-sparrows-nest.blogspot.com. Of course, I could be the only one on here who cares, but I think her house and family are so cute and I love reading her posts.

Enjoy!

Pics are up

2008-07-27T21:39:00.002-04:00

My Dominican pictures (four albums' worth!!) are all loaded on Facebook. Enjoy! I kinda explain most of the photos so you have some idea of what's going on in each of them. There were well over 200 so I couldn't actually post them all here. :)

I was in Connecticut from Thursday - Saturday just for a quick trip to spend time with my mom and sister (my Dad was working most of the time, unfortunately). It was so nice to have some girl time - watching Project Runway and Gilmore Girls episodes, going to Puffin (I'd never eaten there before and I loved it!!!), and shopping at the factory outlets. My sister left for NYC with her friends early on Saturday morning, but mom and I got a chance to go to a few yard sales (I didn't find anything, surprisingly) and then came home to have waffles and hang out with my dad. Friday night we all went out to eat with my grandparents, which was nice. My grandmother is still really having a hard time not being bitter and angry (the doctors are still not sure/not telling what killed my uncle and my grandparents are seriously considering getting a lawyer), so that was a little hard. She cried a little bit, too. Some of you know my grandparents so if you think of her, just pray for her, will you? Thanks.

I Made a Craft! I Made a Craft!

2008-07-22T11:04:00.010-04:00

Yes, that is definitely breaking news. I haven't done any kind of arts 'n' crafts since 7th grade, when beading your own necklaces was all the rage and everyone I knew toted their beads and fishing line around in plastic boxes (ah, but I digress ;).

Anyway, there are so many crafty women online that I have been inspired to start thinking outside the box when it comes to finding ways to decorate my home.

I was at Goodwill a month or two ago when I saw two shadowbox-type things - "whitewashed" wood frames, with some incredibly tacky dried flowers glued to the inside.

(In my hurry to rip them out I forgot to take a photo.)

The new, crafty part of my brain thought, "I can do something with those!"

So I brought them home, and they sat.

And sat.

Finally, I asked my sister-in-law to borrow her glue gun. I had never used a glue gun before, although my mom used one alllll the time when we were little because she used to enter craft shows and sell some really cute stuff. Apparently the crafty gene stopped with me. Ah, but I digress again. ;)

Anyway, I had a whole bunch of real-live sand dollars that I had picked on the beach last year during our vacation in Maine. For a whole year they had sat in storage. They are so intricately beautiful that I knew I wanted those in my shadowboxes (my bathroom's "theme" is the beach - not tacky bright blue and yellow beach, but creams and whites and seafoam green, and only shells and sea glass and sea pottery that I or my brother have found.)

So I arranged and re-arranged about a hundred times.

I glue-gunned the sand dollars and used duck tape to hold the back together. The Nester would be oh-so-proud. I had a blast.

Then my darling husband told me he didn't want to make two more nail marks in the bathroom, since we're leaving our apartment in about a month.

So for the next month or so, they'll just rest on my window table, where I can stare at their beachy wholesomeness while I watch tv. :)

I need a mental vacation......

2008-07-15T12:19:00.003-04:00

Ahhh! I'm so sorry about my poopy posting. It's just that every time I have logged on with the intention of posting, I get so distracted and caught up with all of the other stuff online that I missed over my 10-day absence that by the time I even think about posting on my own blog, I am way too tired to come up with anything to write. I'm really starting to think about timing myself on the internet, like some of you have mentioned that you do. I just feeling like I'm missing so much if I don't read everything! I always start out with Money Saving Mom (because I don't want to miss any money-saving tips), and then I end up following her blog to coupon sites or other blogs, and then there's my several e-mail accounts, facebook, friends' blogs.......the list goes on. My brain just gets on information overload, I guess! For those of you who time yourself each day, do you find that it's satisfying or stressful (meaning, are you okay with stopping your time on the internet, or do you feel like you need lots more time?)

Please understand that I know in the scheme of life, "internet time" is not really a crisis of global proportions. But it is something that I would like advice on, if you're willing to give it!

I'm also sorry about not posting pictures yet - I still feel like my life has not yet bounced back from this trip! I have been sleeping 9-10 hours every night since we got back (we averaged about 7 or less while we were down there, and now my body cannot get enough sleep), plus my stomach has been rebelling against eating American food again. I finally went and got my pictures developed yesterday (it cost me $45, can you believe it?!!!!!), and created an adorable little 6x8 photo book of our trip at CVS that is free after ExtraBucks (try it this week! it's so fun and easy). I promise pictures are coming sometime soon!!

It's just that my head still feels like it's swimming - the other day I put spices in the fridge and then looked for them for 10 minutes until I realized what I had done. So please bear with me! :)

I'm Baaaaaaack!

2008-07-11T10:25:00.003-04:00

Oh my goodness, I do not even know where to start! To say that our week in the DR was amazing would be selling it short. It was just....so fantastic! Meeting people from Chris's past, experiencing the Dominican culture, taking communion with brothers and sisters in Christ in a Spanish-only church, starting with pieces of wood and nails and constructing a chapel by the end of the week, leading children's songs in Spanish and playing with village children.....it was seriously indescribable. We got back really late on Wednesday night and I am still trying to sort through all of the laundry piles - I've done 7 loads so far, but who's counting? - and start up our life here again. Oh the stories I have for all of you! And I promise I will post pictures.

But first, I need to continue to waddle through the mess of laundry and luggage that is still our apartment.

I can't thank you enough for praying!

2008-06-30T14:23:00.003-04:00

First of all, I just want to thank everybody who showed support for me and my family either through e-mails, cards, messages, or coming to my uncle's wake. It was definitely one of the worst weeks of my life, but the body of Christ is definitely an amazing thing. Example: a man from my church handed Chris an envelope on Wednesday night with a Bible verse and $100 inside to cover our travel expenses - not from him, from someone else who wanted to remain anonymous! It was definitely a small glimpse of God's provision in the midst of a horrible time, and I'm really thankful for whoever that was - you know who you are! :)

Anyway, some of you already know that Chris and I are leaving in an hour and a half (!!!) for the Dominican Republic with the team from our church. It has been a ridiculously crazy week - house inspections, my uncle's sudden death, travel to Connecticut, taking my final and test 3 for class today....and oh yeah, leaving the country. But seriously, I am SO excited for this trip. I am really glad to be away from sadness for a while, and to be able to concentrate on other people's needs. I think it will be very healing.

Be back in 12 days or so..........

2008-06-23T14:48:00.004-04:00

Dear Friends,

My heart is very heavy today. Some of you already know from Facebook that my Uncle Jason, my dad's youngest brother, died suddenly this morning. It was very, very fast. He was admitted to the hospital early yesterday morning and quickly became deathly ill. He already had lupus, and something else complicated matters - they're not sure if he contracted bacterial meningitis or some other deadly bacterium, because it takes days for cultures to grow in a lab and they can't tell yet. His organs shut down and his blood became toxic and a lot of other things too horrible to have to write out let alone live through.

He died this morning at 4:30 am. He is only 35 years old. He was married, and had two kids - Ava, 5, and Jake, 2. He was not a Christian.

I know that people always "perfect" those who pass away in their minds, but my Uncle Jason really and truly was one of those great people that you were so happy to know. He was hilarious and was always, always making you laugh. He was a total goof-ball. He was a social worker in inner-city New Haven, working with kids on probation and helping them to get their lives back on track. He was an amazing Dad to his kids. Last time I saw him was when I was in Connecticut and he had come up to visit with Jake and Ava. Ava sat on his lap and he was telling us all about her little boyfriend and school and he was teasing her and she was laughing. He told us the different activities she does every day at school and big things coming up for her (things a lot of moms know, but not dads). He had such a zest for living. He was an incredible, mouth-watering, self-taught cook. He was always so sweet and kind and loving and happy and good.

We prayed so hard for a miracle, and God chose not to give us one. I don't even know the words to describe the emotions I feel right now besides total devastation and heartache and sadness. My cousins have no dad, my aunt has no husband, my family has no Uncle Jason anymore! I honestly keep trying to picture the world without him in it, and I just can't. I can't. I can't believe he's never coming back.

My uncle knew about Jesus, and I am thankful that he knew he could die before they put him in a drug-induced coma....only so that maybe he would have cried out to God in his point of weakness, even though he couldn't speak at that point. It's not really possible for me to believe at this point that he could be in eternity without Jesus. That's way too overwhelming for me right now.

I'm not asking you to pray; I need you to pray. There will be a memorial service in the area that my parents live on Wednesday, then a wake and a funeral down toward New Haven on Thursday night and Friday. A lot of you do know us personally, and I need you to pray for my extended family - all of whom are unsaved. I need you to pray that God gives us immense grace as we look for ways to share Jesus again with our family if they are open to it. I need you to pray for my Dad and brother, especially. They're really not doing so well.

If anyone happens to read this who does not know Jesus, please do not hesitate to contact me. I would love to talk to you about the life and joy and peace that can be found in knowing Him.

Thank you, dear friends.
The prayers of the righteous can accomplish many things! - James
Jessica

Accepted Offer!

2008-06-21T12:01:00.003-04:00

Well, we finally got an accepted offer! They accepted yesterday and we signed more paperwork last night. We have our inspection Tuesday night - which is the part that I'm really scared about (where things broke down for us last time, remember?). At least things are finally moving! Thank you God! :)

We're off to buy a new camera today for our trip to the D.R. Mine is from 2004 and is basically a great-great-grandpa in the camera world. Isn't it crazy that a four-year-old camera is considered ancient in the technology world? lol Anyway, those of you who know my brother know that he is an amazing photographer, so I called him this morning to ask his advice. He said that Sony makes really good cameras in the $250 and under range, so I think that's what I'm going to set out to look for. Does anyone have a camera that they love/hate? I'm not sure I'll actually purchase one today, so I'm open to suggestions!

Happy Saturday!

Sweet summertime

2008-06-17T10:56:00.007-04:00

Well, sorry about the lack of recent updates this week! We have been having a lot of house drama - too much to list here - and I won't bore you with the details. Suffice it to say that we are still waiting on the bank to accept/reject our counteroffer so that we can hurry up and get our inspections done before our 10-day time limit is up. This wouldn't be a problem, except that the time we will be in this country is quickly drawing to a close. We leave for our 10-day trip in the Dominican Republic on June 30th. Technically, we have internet in the mission dormitories, but I really just wanted to be completely focused on this trip and the people I was serving and not be stressed out everyday about the house.

So if anyone from Fannie Mae is reading this, could ya hurry my house along?!

Thanks.

Anyway, I did get to go strawberry picking on Friday, and it was great! I got nine pounds of strawberries, and only have about two cups left. Yes, we love us some strawberries up in these parts. ;)

Two of my favorite things to do with this most delicious of all fruits:

Strawberry "shortcake" (on biscuits is the way I really make it):

And strawberry jam.....(disregard the clutter on my counter - everything once again had to be pushed back from the wall since we found more ants last night! ahh)

The thing about jam: my sister-in-law and I made freezer jam on Saturday, and it really, really is SO easy. Anyone can do it. Freezer jam doesn't require any kind of special seals or boiling. And it is soooooooooooooo good. You will want to eat it plain. By the spoonful. Trust me on this.

Hope you're enjoying warmer weather and strawberries and sunshine and all of that good stuff that June brings. ;)

2008-06-11T20:14:00.002-04:00

Tonight we put an offer in on house number two!!! Here's hoping! :)

Oh and I got a 101 on my first test in my math class! Good day, good day!

Thanks for the tip, Mary! I guess I would need to get an egg slicer first though (and thanks for that hint about the dishwasher...did you all read that?). Another thing to keep my eye open for at yard sales....lol as if I need another excuse to go....

Sigh

2008-06-10T14:41:00.003-04:00

I was saddened today to realize that a fellow blogger had copied one of my blog ideas only a day after I originally posted. This is not the first time she has done this. She's not a regular commenter or anything, but I knew that she read my blog and vice versa. She's not anyone I know in real life, but she does profess to be a Christian.

She has recently been writing about/asking others for new ideas for her blog, saying that she was fresh out. I guess I'm mostly disappointed because she has a ton of readers, and I have...well, not a ton :)...and maybe she has figured that since so few people read my blog, no one would realize she was copying my thoughts almost exactly?

I e-mailed her today about it. Because even though we live in this virtual world, as Christians we are supposed to admonish one other when someone has done something unpleasing to God. I was very kind - not rude at all, although I wanted to be! haha

I've just always hated when people condescendingly say, "Copying is the sincerest form of flattery."

No, actually, it isn't.

It's unethical, lame, and just plain rude.

*Whew* Okay, had to get that off my chest!

In other news, has anyone gone strawberry picking yet? I've been waiting for about 3 months now and I think I'm going to go this Friday, since I don't have class. My mouth is dying to taste strawberry shortcake again. Does anyone have a great strawberry recipe? Please share!

[new to me] Good Things

2008-06-09T12:05:00.008-04:00

I have two things I wanted to share with all of you today.

First, this amazing book, which I discovered at our local library:

This woman is seriously a genius when it comes to organization. And it's not your usual lame tips like, "Have a way to sort your laundry." :) She is hard-core about home organization, and offers a lot of tips that I never even thought about - just little things that make you think, "duh!".

For instance, one of her little ideas is to designate certain areas of your dishwasher's silverware holders for certain silverware. Rather than having spoons, knives, and forks scattered in each little holder, put only like silverware next to each other. You can grab it in a bunch rather than spend 5 minutes picking each fork out of the holder, then the spoons, etc. Of course, I don't have a dishwasher right now, but hopefully that tip will help all of you fancy people out there who are lucky enouch to have this ~~most basic machine that every woman in 2008 deserves to have to save hours of unnecessary work every day~~ machine in your kitchen.

She covers a ton more stuff in her book....most of it really easy stuff like that, but stuff that really makes sense.

She even inspired me to organize and label the shelves of my closet.

I realized that I was buying duplicates of an item (like lightbulbs, for instance) because I didn't know they were already in my hall closet. I realize this list makes me seem OCD, but this is my only closet (yes, you read that right - I don't even have a clothes closet. Yes, you have permission to feel bad for me.) and I really wanted it to be organized. In all honesty, I actually had fun doing it (gasp!).

The second [new to me] item is this website: http://thepioneerwoman.com/. I just discovered her today, but boy-oh-boy am I excited. This woman gives step-by-step pictures of all of her recipes, and ohmygoodness do they look amazing!

Be inspired! Have a wonderful day. :)

Update on the Ants

2008-06-05T11:17:00.004-04:00

Well, the ants aren't gone. Yesterday I did kill about 45 (literally) within about 3-4 hours.

It. was. not. a. good. day.

My husband may or may not have gotten some desperate voicemails.

Anyway, I sealed, I killed, I sprayed, I doused papertowels in rubbing alcohol where there was a big gap between the carpet and wall (hard to describe). I bought some ant spikes and put them outside. I killed more ants. I started to feel like I was going nutso.

Chris came home and poured gasoline over the line of hundreds (literally - no exaggeration) of icky black ants walking in a line across the driveway into the corner of our bedroom wall.

That made me smile.

Has my landlord done ANYTHING yet?

Nope.

God bless my friend Lindsay, who offered to let me come over tomorrow, since I don't have class, to watch Friends and escape my house. Friends and a place of escape. Now that's true friendship. ;)

(By the way, Mary, I'm taking a 3-credit math class for the entire month of June to satisfy the 6-credits of math required by PA for me to be a music teacher and/or subsitute teacher next year. You don't even want to get me started on their logic for that!)

Thanks for sharing your stories, you guys! It really makes me feel better to know you guys have dealt with this, too. I keep telling myself it could be worse.

It could be spiders.

The Ants Come Marching Into My House, Boo Hoo, Boo Hoo

2008-06-04T11:16:00.005-04:00

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I feel as though my LIFE is being over-run by these insects!! I'm literally on the verge of heart palpitations, I kid you not. We discovered itty bitty ants about 2 or so weeks ago in our kitchen - I had labored for hours over a hot stove (no really, I did) to make two beautiful apple pie tarts, left them cool on the counter, and came home to find them swarming with ants. Dis.gust.ing. So, we borrowed some Terro ant killer from my mother-in-law (once we realized where they were coming in), and they have all but died off. Still a few every now and then, but they go straight to the Terro and then leave. Okay. *Sigh of relief*. I can deal with that.

But.

Last night, we discovered carpenter ants in the bathroom. Waaaay worse (in my opinion, anyway). They move like 80 million times faster, and I swear, these things have 9 lives. You can whack them with your husband's Adidas sandal like, 12 times (hypothetically, of course), and they will not die. It's like they enjoy testing you or something. Or the more likely conclusion that I've decided on: they want to ruin my life and make me paranoid.

Well, DH and I spent about 45 minutes last night sealing off - with duct tape; classy, right? - every possible hole they could be entering. We live in a basement apartment, and saw some coming out of some holes and some other ones coming out of a hole in the dryer pipe/vent. DH sprayed Kilz for good measure, and then we turned the empty dryer on high to teach those mean ants a lesson.

Except.

This morning Chris and I found one in the kitchen, which totally thwarted all of our ideas about entry. Chris told me it was probably just a renegade ant from last night.

Except.

I came home from class (have I mentioned I'm taking a class yet?) and saw 2 in the kitchen, and 5 in the bathroom. One ant was even carrying another ant! The nerve.

Of course, if this were my own home, I would have called an exterminator (or at least some ant killer!) first thing this morning. Except....it isn't. Chris called our landlord last night and then again this morning after I called to tell him I'd found more. (In all honesty, while they're just horribly annoying to us, they really could be eating the inside of his house - apparently these are the house-eating ants.)

Meanwhile, the ants are free to terrorize me. Which means I want to cry.

If anything happens, I will let you know.

As for me, I'll be looking at ceilings, floors, and walls anxiously for the rest of today, feeling like a crazy person.

And wishing I was as cute as Elizabeth Hasselbeck on The View.

Thank you soooooo very much

2008-05-28T21:18:00.001-04:00

Well, it really went pretty well over all! I was interviewed by two board members, the superintendent, the high school music teacher, and the elementary music teacher (whose job I would be taking). They all sat on one side of the 20-foot long board room table, and little old me all by myself on the other. Talk about a scare tactic! lol The superintendent told me I was enthusiastic and sure of myself, and that he liked that in a person. Bombshell of the evening: I had to sing and play the piano for them!!!! Can you believe it?! I mean, I see their point, but I was NOT expecting that at ALL. Thankfully, the song they picked for me was quite easy, and then the el. teacher accompanied me as I sang "Do-Re-Mi" from The Sound of Music (she picked it out for me, since I totally blanked when they asked me what song I wanted to sing - I mean, really!) . They clapped afterwards. It was really quite cute, although totally nerve-wracking.

SO, that was my story, in a nutshell. The whole thing only took about 30 minutes, and of course I came home early from visiting my family in CT to rush around, updating my portfolio, and do you think they even asked to see it? Of course not.

Well, at least it's ready for next time. haha

Thanks for praying! You guys are the best!

Butterflies in my stomach....

2008-05-27T09:17:00.002-04:00

Tonight at 6 I have my first-ever public school music job interview. I am terrified. I fully realize that if this job isn't meant to be, it isn't meant to be, and I have peace with that part of it. I'm just more terrified about the interview itself. I mean, all I know is that it's in the board room. Does that mean the whole school board interviews me? Or just the superintendent? What kinds of questions will they ask? Will my portfolio be up to par with others'? Ahhhhhhhh! :)

So, if you think of me today or tonight, will you please pray? I already feel kinda sick to my stomach, and I'm hoping that when I go to work (last day at CB today!) my mind will at least be occupied with something else.

I'll keep you posted!

Music to Your Ears

2008-05-22T08:23:00.003-04:00

I just added a playlist (see below), since apparently it's what all the cool kids are doing. Haha ;)

It's just a random sampling of some of my favorite songs, and I'm sure I'll be adding and taking away as time goes on. I set it so that it won't automatically play unless you chose it to, which should help those of you without hi-speed internet (like me). *Sigh*

Enjoy!

How Ironic

2008-05-22T07:04:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I got a call from a superintendent in our area saying that I will be receiving a letter in the near future that details the times I can come in to interview for the music teacher position I applied for. (!)

I would very much like this job - we could definitely use the money, and it would probably be my last hurrah of teaching for oh, a few decades or so. ;)

Would you pray that I get it, if God wants me to? Thanks.

P.S. In my post yesterday, I was in no way implying that I would look down on anyone who works full-time and has kids (hopefully all of you know me well enough to know that!) I was merely commenting about how my own views had changed about the way my life was going to be. I certainly don't have all of this stuff figured out yet. :)

It's Funny How Time Changes You...

2008-05-21T09:28:00.007-04:00

I'm not working today, as there was no call for subs (I even called and asked - nothing). I secretly love these days off. I love being able to wake up and make my own schedule for the day, bake if I want to, clean the house a little bit more than normal, and run any errands that need to be done.

Even just a year or so ago I was considering teaching even when I had kids, or thinking about a variety of options so that I would be able to do it all - stay home a little with my kids, yet still be able to do my dream job (that was assuming I would get a high-school music position). But I can honestly say now that the desires of my heart have changed. A few years ago I would have bristled at the statement I'm going to make, but I can honestly say that all I want to do is stay home, take care of my house, and raise children (and eventually homeschool them, at least for a few years).

It was the quasi-feminist in me that felt the idea of staying home and only being a "homemaker" was so oppressive. I had talent! I was a good teacher! I wanted to be fulfilled by taking part in the career I thought would make me happy. Staying at home was so blah to me. All day? Every day? No thanks.

Maybe it is partially my husband's doing that my thoughts have changed about all of this. He would love to have me be able to stay home (part of the reason he is starting his online business). He is never negative about it when I don't get a subbing job - only genuinely happy that I got stay home and get things accomplished. I always thought this would make me feel second-class, but it really and truly doesn't. Making my home a comfortable and lovely place to be - whether that is via my attitude, the decor in my house, or the things I concoct in the kitchen - brings me such joy that I never thought would be possible before.

Do I miss teaching music a little bit sometimes? Of course. Do I wish that I was teaching high-school chorus right now? Absolutely. But given the option between the two? Well, I guess you could say that my heart is leading me home.

So for now, I'll continue to work. We still want to buy a house, and since I can earn money now, I will. But when the time comes for us to start our family, I'll be very much looking forward to it.

(Photos: "We're wild about music!"- one of my bulletin boards in my K-2 classroom last year -the stars on the left are for the bulletin board next to it; leading my 5th-grade Select Chorus in our Grease mini-musical for the Relay for Life cancer event; leading the entire 5th grade in their Grease program - singing "We Go Together"; and me with some of my awesome 5th grade kids. Check out my hair - that is post-program-sweaty-music-teacher frizz for you!)

2008-05-20T18:27:00.003-04:00

So sorry about the lack of posts lately. This is usually what happens: I come home from work, and by the time I make dinner, clean up, do some housework (or, as in the case of today, come home from work completely exhausted and eat leftovers and do absolutely nothing besides take a shower), that all I want to do is vegetate in front of the computer and read people's blogs. (By the way, I really do read all of your blogs [I mean those of you lovely people who comment on here], as well as a bunch of other blogs that I lovingly stalk [i.e., I read all about their life everyday and could probably write a paper about the person even though said person and I have never met. I can't help it if someone is that interesting!].)

But by the time I have relaxed and caught up on everyone else's life, I'm usually too tuckered out to write anything on my own blog. At least, that has been the case for the past week or so.

Anyway, I promise to write something interesting soon. Really. I do. So just bear with me, okay?

And thanks to those who encouraged me with Curves. I love it. :) The comments and Curves, that is. ;)

I'm Ready to Roll....

2008-05-13T22:33:00.005-04:00

So, I have gained a ton of weight since my wedding 21 months ago. I mean, it's shocking. Like seriously. We're not talking less than 10 pounds, here. I mean, so-much-it's-too-embarassing-for-the-internet-to-behold.

All growing up, I was pretty thin. Weight? Never really an issue. But around my sophomore year in college, things started to change... namely, my metabolism and body weight. I was able to take off 17 pounds for my wedding in August '06, and was able to keep most of it off until maybe January or so.

Then the you-know-what hit the fan. Or so they say ;)

Anyway, through a series of events, including reading a random blog, talking to my mom, and thinking a lot about the subject, I have decided to join Curves (yes, I know, now I really sound like a grandma. Oh well). I tried Curves a few months ago when they had a free fitness study, and I lost 6 pounds in 3 weeks, without dieting. But it was November, Chris was laid off and in grad school at the time, and Christmas was coming and money was so tight. So I didn't join.

I kept telling myself I'd work out when the spring came, since I am now blessed with the metabolism of......a warthog. Well, spring is here. Have I been motivated to just go out and jog? Ummmm, NO. (Honestly, I will never understand the mind of people who can just pop out of bed at 5:30 and jog a few miles. I'd rather be chubby and stay in bed, thanks.)

I kept thinking about joining again, but we're trying to be extra careful with our money in order to continue to save for the down payment on a house.

But over the weekend, I finally realized that money shouldn't be in the way of me feeling confident and healthy about my body.

So, I went back on Monday, and joined.

And it is so refreshing!

I love how Curves is real women - granted, the majority of them (except maybe my 30-year-old sister-in-law and a few others) were born 20-40 years before me. But I love going there and not feeling like an ogre just because I don't have fake boobs and work out in a sports bra and wear little tight shorts with writing on my butt. You know what I mean?

I'm not aiming for my high-school weight again; just a healthy weight that I think would suit this stage of my life. I have a loooong way to go, but boy am I pumped! Can I just encourage you to make a similar choice, if you've been considering it? Thankfully, Chris was totally supportive. (Plus, he's had a full-time job again for the past several months.) The money will work itself out. (And providentially, the owner gave me a great discount on the registration fee, even though I technically "didn't qualify" for any of the current promotions.)

Our bodies are worth it!
Here's to being healthy and confident again!

2008-05-10T15:31:00.003-04:00

I'm in CT for a few days visiting my family....be back on Monday or Tuesday!

2 Fun Things to do with Zucchini

2008-05-07T19:55:00.006-04:00

Yes, I am very aware that the title of this post makes me sound like an 85-year old grandma from the depression years.

However! (and yes, I'm smiling over here in front of my laptop), since I believe firmly that good news should be shared, I am sharing two of my favorite recipes that utilize this lovely green vegetable.

Numero Uno:
I learned this one from my mama, who (although actually Irish) married an Italian and therefore learned to cook exceptionally well with olive oil and garlic:

- Chop up zucchini, summer squash, and a red pepper into various sizes and shapes
- Saute with olive oil and salt until slightly tender
- Add several teaspoons of garlic and saute for a minute or two longer (because burnt garlic is truly wretched)
- If you don't have red pepper, subsitute crushed red pepper for a punch of color and a little zing
*my addition

Buon appetito!

I can honestly say that my darling husband LOVES when I make this. This coming from a man who used to eat iceberg lettuce with cucumbers and croutons and French dressing and truly believed that was a magnanimous concession on his part in the way of vegetables. We've come a long way, baby.

Numero Dos:
If you've never tried these before, don't groan. These are truly amazing. You will notice tiny bits of green, but honestly, I think I actually might possibly like these even better than real brownies. Try them and see. If you do end up thinking they're gross (which will never happen, but still!), console yourself with the fact that you made your colon happy with the extra fiber. ;)

Zucchini brownies (from Allrecipes.com)

1/2 C vegetable oil
1 1/2 C sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 C flour
1/2 C cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 C zucchini, shredded
chocolate chips, as desired *my addition

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 13x9 pan. Mix first 3 ingredients until well blended. Mix next four ingredients in separate bowl. Stir into sugar mixture. Fold in zucchini and chocolate chips. Spread evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Tonight, I had planned on using zucchini with dinner, but quickly realized that I was going to have two much. So I kept 2 C zucchini out for the brownies, which I'll make either tonight or tomorrow. No waste and two great recipes! Aren't I fancy?

Happy cooking!

So...

2008-05-06T18:07:00.001-04:00

If I walked to the ice cream shop last night with Chris, does that count as exercise?

What about if it was soft serve?

Juuuuuust checking.

CVS: Real-Life Example

2008-05-04T14:58:00.006-04:00

Okay - I had a great day at CVS yesterday, and you can, too!

This is what I got:

3 rolls of CVS paper towels ($.99 each; Buy 2 CVS products, Get One Free in May)
1 Chapstick 100% Natural chapstick ($2.99; gave 1 ECB back)
1 Adidas deoderant ($4.99; gave 4.99 ECB back)
1 Colgate 360 toothbrush ($3.99; gave 3.99 ECB back)
1 Aquafresh Extreme Clean toothpaste ($2.99; gave 2.99 ECB back)
1 Aquafresh Advanced Whitening toothpaste ($2.99; gave 2.99 ECB back)

Here's what I used:

$1.50/1 Aquafresh Premium toothpaste coupon
$1.00/1 Aquafresh Advanced Whitening coupon
$1.00/1 Colgate 360 toothbrush coupon
$3/$15 CVS purchase coupon (see post below)
$12.98 in Extra Care Bucks

Here's what I paid:

$.45

Here's what I was given:

15.96 in ECB

Here's what I'll soon get:

$4.99 check (mailed to me) from the makers of the Adidas deoderant (I had a coupon for a free deoderant from the newspaper a couple of weeks ago)

Today's newspaper's SmartSource insert has two coupons you can use on the toothpaste deals. Go to CVS and pick up one Aquafresh Advanced Whitening toothpaste and one Extreme Clean toothpaste. You will spend $3.48 for the two tubes, and you will receive $6 to spend at the store next week!

This could be the start of something really beautiful.

;)

How to Make $18 in Less Than 20 Minutes

2008-05-02T15:39:00.007-04:00

Every so often , CVS will release coupons that take a total off of your purchase price. For those of you who have said you're interested in what I do at CVS (basically getting all of my toiletries for free or next-to-nothing!), let me suggest that you take advantage of this offer. You can print out as many $3/$15 purchase coupons as you want if you follow the directions here. Yes, it does take a little bit of effort, but it truly is as though CVS is putting money in your pocket. I printed out six, and so for the next six times I travel to CVS, I can "spend" $12 (with ECB, of course!) and get three dollars to use on something else in the store - kleenex, eggs, candy, toothpaste, you name it! A little time in front of the computer equals $18 I didn't have to spend out of my own pocket. If you have any questions about how to access it, feel free to ask me! I will say that I followed Crystal's directions exactly and I was able to access it.

Speaking of CVS, here is an example of some of my purchases recently:

This purchase cost me absolutely nothing. Usually that doesn't happen, because of taxes, but that day it did. YAY! I had a coupon for the body wash and the dish detergent. The three beauty products cost $6 but gave $5 in return. The body wash also gave $4.99 back. It was a while ago, so I don't remember a lot of the details. April was a great month for body wash and beauty supplies.

I made this purchase on Monday:

I got three gift bags (with their own tissue paper!), four bottles of dish detergent, and two bottles of CVS Pharmacy-brand Tylenol.

The gift bags cost $4.50 for three (but gave $5 ECB back)
I had a coupon for the dish detergent ($1/2), and they were BOGO free
The Tylenols were $3.99 each but gave $3.99 in ECB back.

I used my $3/$15 coupon, the last of my ECB (I usually roll them over but had used them on some more expensive, non-ECB returning items, like sunscreen for Chris and Jergen's Natural Glow face moisturizer for me, so I was down to only $10.98 in ECB). I had to pay $3.25 OOP this time, but I received $12.98 in ECB back.

So, next time I shop, I can get $15.98 worth of items absolutely free, using my ECB and my $3/$15 purchase.

Let me encourage you to travel over to Crystal's blog today and check out the monthly deals for May at CVS. Notice all of the items that are "free" at CVS AND have a coupon from a newspaper that would apply to them, too. That's how you can make the most out of your CVS purchasing - for instance, when you buy an item that costs $3.99 and gives $3.99 in ECB back, using a $1 coupon lets you get that item for free plus another dollar item, such as a box of kleenex.

And if it eases your mind a little, my paper printed today that CVS's profits were up this year by several million dollars! So get out there and shop! :)

2008-04-26T15:26:00.004-04:00

You all are just lovely - thank you SO much for all of your encouragement! Chris and I spent about an hour and a half today driving around looking at houses, and getting out and looking at a few unoccupied ones. We definitely still have houses on the brain. Somewhere out there is the perfect first home for us (at least that's what I keep telling myself over and over when I start to get depressed about it again!).

If I have learned anything from this, it's a) a thorough home inspection (even though it's pricey) is SO worth the investment, and b) get the appraisal after you get the home inspection. Why pay money to find out the worth of a home you're not going to buy, anyway? Because this house was a foreclosure, we had a very short timeline to work with. But in the future, if we can delay the appraisal, we will.

I know that you guys live scattered across the country, but here in Northeast PA we're having some fabulous weather! Chris and I are going mini-golfing tonight - and I'm going to a big flea market early tomorrow morning before church with my friend Lindsay (I'm thrilled!). Have a great weekend!

Something Happy, Something Sad

2008-04-23T20:51:00.005-04:00

I'm baaaa-ack! :) I have a lingering hacky cough with some congestion, and I think today I sprained a muscle coughing (no joke) because I'm in a lot of pain on my right side. STILL, I am a normal, functioning, non-streppy throat human being again! Hooray!

So as you can see from the title, I do have some sad news. We had the inspection on the house today, and it did NOT go well. I mean, there are a LOT of problems with the house that we just simply couldn't see without the trained eyes of a professional. Mold in the attic, multiple pests (including mice!), serious foundation issues, plumbing issues, serious sewage issues....I could go on. For a house that looked like it was well-taken care of, those two guys helped us see a lot of issues and helped us to realize that this house would be a money pit. When all is said and done, you can't truly fix a house that's on a bad foundation - you can only put a band-aid on it. We are still waiting for his official report, but it's pretty much a no-go.

So, besides being out about $625 dollars (between inspections and paying for a professional appraisal, which we needed to get our mortgage), it also hurts emotionally. I know that sounds corny, but I had already moved myself into that house, you know? I was planning parties there, decorating, landscaping, all in my mind. It was pretty devastating to stand there and hear all the things they were saying about my house.

Except it isn't my house, thankfully.

Although I have cried a LOT over this house today, at the end of today what I mostly feel is relief. Sure, I'm gonna miss that money, but we can make it back.

But praise God, I am not going to be throwing thousands and thousands of dollars away on a home that I know now would never truly be fixed.

It's still pretty depressing, but not a black-hole kinda depression. It's weird to feel regret, sadness, disappointment, and relief all in one big package.

---

But, since I promised something sad and something happy, here is a little treat that got me through all those strep-throaty days that I wanted to share with you all. Maybe it will cheer YOU up!

I modified this from my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook:

1 6 oz. cup of Dannon Light 'n' Fit Vanilla yogurt (so good!)
1 banana, sliced
1 3/4 C frozen blueberries
a splash of whole milk (count to 3 - lol!)

Blend and top with whipped cream. Makes 2 servings. De. Lish.

2008-04-17T19:52:00.002-04:00

It's official! I have strep. First time in my life, in fact.

So now I can literally say that subbing is going to kill me.

Ha. Ha.

A little sick-bed humor.

I am now on amoxicillin for the second time in less than 30 days.

That's right, folks.

I am a pharmacist's dream.

2008-04-16T13:26:00.002-04:00

Two things:

I am home sick today, rather than subbing for high school choir. There was no way my shell-of-a-voice was going to be heard over a choir of 50+ in an auditorium. I'm pretty sure I might have strep throat. Except that I've never actually had strep throat, but I do know that my speaking capacity has diminished and that I feel that my air hole is tightening due to the feeling of a large mass inside my trachea. And.....did I mention that it's agonizing to swallow, and my head hurts, and I'm very tired? YAY!

This site is alleviating my boredom, giving me something to do in-between my long naps on the couch. I discovered her a few weeks ago, and I simply can't get enough of her recipes, house decorations, and adorably cute sons. Enjoy!

2008-04-16T13:14:00.003-04:00

Funny how I have been a Christian for nearly four-fifths of my life, and yet sometimes I am hit with the simplest of all ideas about my faith.

As I have written on here before, I substitute now, and it is usually no picnic. I consider myself to normally have very good classroom control, but when you are in a room full of adolescents who know that you're not 100% sure of what you're doing (even though you're acting your darnest, and can usually fool them!), it gets a little exasperating day after day. The boredom, the not knowing anyone's name, etc.

And so usually, I offer up tiny little snippets of prayer throughout the day. "Oh Lord, let me get through this. Let me have a good day. Please! "

On Monday morning, it dawned on me.....um, hi! Praying for myself all this time? What is wrong with me?!

On Monday, I prayed this: "Lord, please let me just bless at least one child today. Amen."

The day becomes an adventure. How many kids can I smile at? How many can I be extra-kind to? How many can I offer a compassionate word to?

It wasn't that I didn't do all of those things already. In fact, I think most teachers do, too. After all, you don't go into teaching because you hate children. It's just that they weren't intentional. I know what you're thinking: "Isn't intentional worse? Doesn't that mean that somehow you're faking?"

No. It means that rather than "be myself" and pray that I have a "good" day, the Lord and I are going to make a good day, rather than having the good day make me.

2008-04-15T20:47:00.002-04:00

I really and truly have not forgotten about my little blog; I am getting sick (again -in less than a month!) and have been feeling wretched, plus I'm trying to work as much as possible, like picking up weekend shifts, to save up for the house. Which, by the way, we signed papers saying we agreed with the bank's offer, and now we're just waiting for all sorts of very expensive inspections. SO. I will write something more fascinating on here sometime very soon. In fact, sometime this week. Promise.

2008-04-11T21:51:00.003-04:00

I think it's sufficient to say that I am basically obsessed with yard-saling (doesn't that word look ridiculous?) I'm not sure why, but somewhere in my genetic make-up I have been programmed to get a rush of adrenaline and a large dose of whatever-it-is-that-puts-you-in-a-good-mood (epinephrine?) when I see those magical words on a (usually) bright neon sign. It calls my name.....piles and piles of ~~junk~~ delights, and who KNOWS what you will find?! What's not to love?!

Tomorrow I'm going to a church rummage sale (I went to one last weekend, also). Every other morning it is a struggle to get out of bed, but when my alarm goes off on a yard-sale day, Bam!, I'm off and running - and there's no turning back. If I get anything good, I just might have to show ya tomorrow. ;)

*The house saga: the bank gave us their final offer today! $8,400 less than their original, but $13,500 above what we had counter-offered at! Ahhhh!! Where's my fleece when I need it? Gideon had it so good......

Update on la casa

2008-04-10T20:19:00.003-04:00

We put the offer in, and they counter-offered with a price $900 less than their asking price. We resubmitted our offer, this time $3,000 higher. Chris said we're going to keep playing this game until we "meet" or until they tell us they have a final offer. I agree with him now. I mean, why not? They're a bank, and we really don't have anything to lose besides money! ;) Tonight we went to the house again with one of our realtors and Chris's oldest brother, who is a contractor (and built his own house), so he could look at the house from a technical perspective. He said it looked good. (Of course, we still have to have a licensed inspector come to check out stuff like mold, pests, etc.) We are waiting to hear about another counter-offer from the bank, hopefully tomorrow! Being there again tonight only made me want it even more! It isn't extravagant or expensive. It will be a great starter home for a few years and it will get us out of our apartment we're in right now, which has had some very serious problems with mold (read: unhealthy!!!!!!) this year. I just keep praying!

Shake What Your Mama Gave Ya......Or Something Like That....

2008-04-08T19:03:00.004-04:00

This post is all about using what you've got....in the kitchen. lol ;) I blogged a few weeks ago about how hard I was trying to not let any food go to waste - even produce - and I have to say, it's been almost fun to be really creative with what I have on hand. I figured I would give a few examples of things that I've done recently, hopefully to encourage you to do the same!

Lettuce - Okay, so I get reaaaaally grossed-out by wilty, brown lettuce. But have you ever noticed that lettuce usually browns on the "thick" part first, and the leaves last? I had about 1/2 bag of lettuce starting to get icky the other day - and was about to chuck it before I remembered: "Tostada Pizza!" This is a Mexican-inspired recipe (duh, Jess) from my BH&G cookbook that requires shredded lettuce on top. I had the rest of the ingredients, so Voila! I ripped off the perfectly good and crunchy leaves, chucking only the brown "thick" parts. (Seriously, what is that part called?!)

Blueberries and Bananas - I have a great muffin recipe that needs 3 very ripe bananas. Usually when I buy a bunch of bananas, for some tremendously mysterious reason, one is always left for days. Now I've started to purposely do this - adding one brown banana at a time to my freezer. When I have 3, I pull them out to defrost and make some muffins. My favorite blueberry muffin recipe (also from BH&G) only uses 3/4 C berries - perfect for that last little bit left in the bag.

Assorted produce/deli items - One of my favorite things to eat (all year round) is a pasta salad. I have found this to be a great dumping ground for tiny bits of left-over veggies. (I'm not a big fan of vegetable soup.) I've chopped up broccoli, peppers, cukes, even small pieces of carrots! Those small cuts of cheese left from a block can be cut into blocks and thrown in - so can leftover pepperoni or ham. Half a box of leftover pasta, a little Italian dressing, and some parmesan cheese, and you're good to go!

Ice cream - when you're left with a little bit of ice cream in your freezer, scoop it out and throw it in the blender with some milk! My mom used to do this all the time growing up to make more freezer room, and we loved it. I have yet to do it with my new blender, but it's a fun idea.

Just a few ideas to get those creative juices flowing! Hope this is a little inspiring for you guys! :)

butterflies in my stomach....

2008-04-07T16:24:00.004-04:00

Edit: We put our offer in last night - it took almost THREE hours, ugh! - and were pleasantly surprised at how upbeat and encouraging our realtors were, considering that we offered $18,900 less than the asking price! It was an insane amount of paperwork, and we're nearly 100% positive that we'll have to put in another offer once the bank counter-offers, but thankfully it's only minor corrections each time the price changes. I will keep you posted!!!

...so i think i mentioned last week that we were trying to get into a house. well, we were able to see it on friday, and we are putting an offer in TONIGHT! in case you were wondering, i'm perfectly ~~calm~~ terrified about it. it is a foreclosure in incredibly good shape, yet my darling husband is intent on low-balling the number when we make the offer tonight. his point is, why not try low since the bank is already desperate to have it sold? he figures the worst that can happen is that we get rejected and put in a higher offer. i see his point, but maybe it's the girl in me that feels that somehow that's not polite. i'm gung-ho about paying less if we can get away with it, but slightly terrified to see the looks on our realtors' faces when they hear what we're offering (aka their commision). the only thing that makes me feel better about all of this is the fact that this technically isn't "their" house (realtors can show you any house in the market, even ones not listed through their realty company - a fact i didn't know until a few months ago). so, i'm hoping they just see this as a bonus - the only way they're getting any money out of this is because we sought it out and asked them to show it to us.

*phew* anyway, i certainly do have butterflies in my stomach. we have been praying earnestly about this house, because it is in such good shape and the price can't be beat (well, according to Chris it can! lol). our meeting isn't for 3 hours! what in the world will i do until then?!

2008-04-02T15:58:00.002-04:00

Since I am substituting now, and have a lot of extra time on my hands during the day, I have a lot more time to read. I have started a list of books on the side of my blog. A listed book means I have finished it and feel comfortable about others reading it. If a book catches your eye and you're wondering about reading it, feel free to ask me on my blog, facebook, whatever! I'll send you a mini-review. :)

2008-04-01T19:43:00.005-04:00

In the spirit of blantant copying, I'm taking Amanda's idea and making bulleted points....I have not the brain power after a long day of work to actually write an entire post about one topic. Thus:

my husband got done from work early today and actually made dinner tonight. fish-sticks (yes, i keep them in the freezer, they're a throwback to my childhood!) and white rice. ahhhh....processed and bleached american comfort food! lol
i worked at cracker barrel today and decided that since i was starving (thank you, job that barely allows you time to go to the bathroom, never mind bringing food to work like normal human beings) i was going to order myself strawberry shortcake off of the new dessert menu. i do believe i could eat some kind of strawberry/cream/sweetbread combination in very large quantities, daily, until the day that i die. which would probably be in 3 years if i actually did.
i have been thinking a lot about the presidential elections, and the guy i thought i was going to vote for is actually no longer the guy i am going to vote for. i'm not sure which shocks me more, my initial thought of a candidiate or the one i am now probably going to vote for. and yes, i specifically said "guy." she is not even an option, thankyouverymuch. does anyone else out there just wish we had another option? i will probably be writing a lot more about this in the future, but that's all i'm typing about it for tonight.
it also dawned on me yesterday (apparently this has been a week of awakenings?!) how odd substituting really is. i mean, seriously, in what other job are you given no orientation, no map of the building, no specific rules or guidelines to follow (other than "please don't let anyone bleed to death, hold anyone hostage, or blow up the school"), no training in the subject matter, no knowledge of anyone in the building's title, status, or position, and yet still expected to ensure that learning takes place? the thought hit me as i was teaching "desktop publishing" (the teacher left no lesson plans, class charts, or even the titles of the classes she was teaching, by the way). i was baffled yesterday by the absurdity of it all. so odd.
i am reading the atonement child by francine rivers. this is the second book of hers that i've read - the first was redeeming love. i bawled like a baby over that one. i still think her writing is a little cheesy at times, but somehow so compelling. i can't seem to put it down.
last but not least, we are still looking at houses.....we think we may have found a great one....we just need have our realtor take us inside first. ;)
aren't you just dying for your stimulus check to just get here already?!
the end. :)

It's Frugal Friday Time!

2008-03-28T09:43:00.005-04:00

I am linking to Biblical Womanhood today because after all of my CVS posts this week, I have a few thoughts about how to make frugal gifts from your CVS purchases. Aren't I fancy? ;)

Graduation baskets:
For a high-school graduate like me who was going to college in the middle of the Ohio cornfields (yeah Cedarville!), without a car, this was such a blessing! My aunt's gift to me was a big plastic shower caddy (which I'm sure you could get at Wal-Mart or the dollar store for $3 or less) filled with all sorts of bath supplies! She loaded mine with shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, a toothbrush, a pretty washcloth, razors, shaving gel, lotion, and more. If you're like me and have a stockpile of toiletries, pick yourself up a caddy and maybe some nice lotion, and you have an easy gift that most graduates will really appreciate once they get to college and realize they're broke!

Wedding shower gifts:
A close family friend from my church did the cutest thing at one of my bridal showers. She composed a little story about Chris and I, and inserted words from everyday household products to "fit" with the story. I have the story filed away, but to give you an example of how she might have done it: "I hope you will "Snuggle" [dryer sheets] close together often." Or, "I know you will bring each other lots of "Joy" [dishwashing detergent] in the years to come!" I'm sure you could creatively think of your own story, or get ideas from the internet. It was SO cute - as she read, her daughters brought each of the items to me.

This would require a little more purchasing, but you could certainly supplement it with your CVS buys - candles, air fresheners, dishwashing detergent, etc. There are many little household items you can pick up at CVS, and just like my graduation basket, this was such a blessing to me when we moved to a new state after we got married and we were trying to save all the cash we could. I still have some of those items, almost two years later!

A little creativity goes a long way - and these gifts will be remembered for their thoughtfulness long after the party is over!

2008-03-26T14:13:00.006-04:00

Today has been such a relaxing day. I woke up at 6:30 to make my dearest some breakfast before work. After waking up and accidentally dropping something in a toilet I had just peed in (i.e., a horrible way to begin a new day on earth!!), and then having about 3 million things in the kitchen fall because my eyes were half shut, and having the things stay on the ground because I was too grumpy to pick them up, I finally remembered the Good Reason I do not do this on a regular basis. I love my husband, but mornings have none of my love.

Anyway, I had a doctor's appointment today, which is why I wasn't able to work and thus the bold and (I thought!) magnanimous statement I had made to my husband last night about making him breakfast before a long day. I am happy to report that my doctor said my ear looks free of infection but that I have a slight swelling of the ear canal, which is probably why things are still a little muffled in that ear. (As far as she's concerned, I am basically healed! THANK YOU for praying for me! :)

My day scooted along quite nicely....grocery shopping, library, light housekeeping, etc.

About half an hour ago I went to Biblical Womanhood and read a post about Crystal's friend whose husband had suddenly died in a boating accident on Easter Sunday. I went to the woman's site, and I wanted to cry as I scrolled down through her last week or so of blogging. She was working on her house, she was a new member of her church, she had just gotten a great deal on her camera, she was killing mosquitos in her house, for goodness' sake.

And then, one day, her husband dies.

I cannot possibly help but take note of this. She lives in Australia on a farm, but her life has many overall similarities to mine. Building a life with her husband, writing about things that caught her eye or excited or frightened her. And then God takes her husband away.

And everything is over, or so it seems.

....................................................................

Of course I will continue to write about my life on this blog, and of course it will include my quirkly little interests like cooking and yes, buying stuff at CVS.

But can I please encourage you to take the time today to tell your husband (or wife) how much they mean to you? Thank God for the life that you have together. If you're fighting, fix it. If you've been meaning to do something kind, do it. If you haven't laughed together in a while, talk about old dating stories over dinner. Go get ice cream. Take a walk.

"Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. " James 4:14

Rejoice in the day the Lord has given you. I know this sounds horribly morbid, but the love of your life really and truly could, in God's providence, be gone tomorrow. You have no idea how long God has given them to you. Live and love to your fullest today!

2008-03-24T10:05:00.002-04:00

For those of you who were praying for my ear, thank you! It actually started bleeding (for real) on Saturday and Sunday, but it hasn't bled significantly since yesterday morning. My mother-in-law is a nurse, and after talking to her and another nurse at church yesterday, I found out that (unfortunately) this is still actually a good thing - fluid is normal and means that my ear is still healing. I go back to the doctor on Wednesday, so I just ask that you continue to pray if God puts me in your mind! I have had issues with this ear since I was little, and already have slight hearing loss in it anyway....and as a musician I really want to keep good hearing in both ears.

Thanks you guys!

2008-03-24T09:54:00.004-04:00

Remember that post back in February where I had spent a little over $30 at CVS? I said that it would be worth it to spend a little extra now, but since I was getting 41 ECB, I would make that stretch as far as I could? To encourage you to shop at CVS, here is a list of everything I have gotten since February 8:

4 Colgate toothpastes
2 Gillette Fusion razors (men)
2 boxes pantiliners
Excedrin
gum
2 3-packs Irish Springs soap
Purell hand sanitizer
8 rolls paper towels
2 packages Mach 3 disposable razors (men)
2 bottles Crest mouthwash
2 packages cotton swabs
5 bottles of Vitamin C
cough drops
2 boxes tissues
gummy bears
2 Lypsyl lip glosses
2 Oral-B toothbrushes
Venus Embrace razor (women)
Maybelline lip gloss
Listerine mouth wash
2 L'Oreal curling mousse bottles
Pledge duster kit

The total amount of cash that has left my wallet is only $11.87. Plus, I still have $30 in ECB to spend, plus $2.50 on a CVS card (after today).

It really, truly works! And my total would probably be lower if I was even half-way decent at math in my head at the register ;).

It's that time again!

2008-03-24T09:14:00.005-04:00

I had to share what I'd been getting at CVS lately:

This was from two weeks ago:

All of the Vitamin C bottles are part of the March deal: pay 2.99, get 2.99 ECB (free for someone who's already paying with ECB)
The razor was 9.99, minus my $4/off coupon, giving 6 ECB back (also free for me)
The toothpastes were also 2.99 and giving 2.99 ECB, but I also had a coupon for $1/2, so they were free "with overage" as some people say.

So, I used $5 worth of coupons, paid with 22 ECB, and got 23.94 back in ECB! My oop expenses were $.93 (to cover tax, i guess?)

This was from last week:

The L'Oreal mousse for my hair (I'm basically out, so this was awesome!) was B1G1 Free (4.99 for 2)
The Maybelline Superstay Lip Gloss (which I am now in love with, by the way) was $8.99 but gave 8.99 ECB back (again, free for me)
Listerine Mouthwash (technically "for kids" but Chris uses mouthwash daily, and this just has a "minty" taste, so I bought it) was 2.99, giving 2.99 back (free)
Lypsyl was a March deal (pay 2.99 get 2.99 ECB back)
The Pledge duster set had a rebate attached, so it will be free for me once I get my rebate check back (side note: I always cut out rebates from coupon books. If I can get the product completely free - minus the cost of a stamp - I usually will try it. It takes a while, but they do always send you a check - and once I even got some coupons included, too! This Pledge duster is great and I actually had fun (haha).

I used the $3/$15 "Beauty" coupon from Money Saving Mom. I gave them $21.93 in ECB and will receive $4.59 in the mail from my rebate, plus I immediately got 14.97 ECB back. Technically, I bought a toothbrush with this transaction that I thought would give me ECB back. It didn't, so I'm going to return it today (I will get 2.50 back for it on a CVS card). So, you could say my total was 17.34 in ECB, plus 2.12 oop, and 14.97 plus 2.50 plus 4.59 as money I am getting back. Is this confusing? It makes sense to me! :)

I think that if I could be a personal shopper at CVS, I would make it my full-time job. lol ;)

So.

2008-03-21T18:10:00.002-04:00

Last Saturday, I started to get a cold. My throat was sore for two days (typical), then I got a full-blown cold. Sounds innocent enough. I rested, took my Vitamin C faithfully, and felt great yesterday - thought I was over it.

This morning, around 4:45, I awoke from a dream where I had been clawing at my ear. I woke up because my ear was killing me - I mean, I was in agony. I wondered if I hadn't made my ear hurt from touching it a lot in my sleep. I took two ibuprofen and tried to go to sleep.

Well, the pain didn't go away, and it was really, really intense. Chris thought I probably had fluid in my ear from my cold, which made sense since I could hear a little crackling when I laid my head down. I made an emergency appt with the doctor.

About 1/2 hour before the appt, I hear a lot of little popping sounds, like little tiny guns going off in rapid succession in my ear. Brownish-pink fluid starts flowing out (I know, tmi). I knew this was not good.

I get to the doctor, and she told me that basically, my eardrum perforated. The fluid was too much, so a little hole was created, which relieved the pressure in my ear (which explains the weird fluid and the relief I felt by the time I got to the doctor). I had to buy some ridiculously expensive medicine (tip: do NOT get your meds at CVS! shocking prices), and I have a follow-up on Wednesday.

Besides being in still some pain and discomfort, I'm kinda worried. The doctor would NOT promise me that I won't have hearing loss because of this. Has this ever happened to anyone else before?!

2008-03-19T22:43:00.003-04:00

This woman is simply hilarious. Go visit her. She is the complete antithesis of any image you might have in your head of a typical homeschool mom of (soon-to-be) 12. In fact, I like her so much, I've permanently linked her to my favorites.

Just in case you decide you want to go back. 'Cause you will.

Seriously?

2008-03-11T18:11:00.017-04:00

Several months ago, my sister and I drove up to the Starbucks drive-thru window in my hometown. My sister ordered, then I ordered my usual: tall cafe mocha, decaf/skim. I never get asked questions.

However,

a man took my order that day.

He repeated it back to me, then said,

"Okay, no whip, right?"

Pfffff.

"No, that's okay, you can give me a little."

What do I hear back through the innocent little metal box?

"Seriously?"

Now, on the one hand, one can feel sorry for this man - indeed, a measure of pity. For no man who has spent significant time with a girlfriend/fiancee/wife would ever dare to question the mental processes of a woman ordering or eating food. Especially a woman ordering chocolate. Or more specifically, chocolate-in-coffee. What this man did not - and probably cannot ever - understand, is that to a woman, it is perfectly rational to order skim milk and then put whip cream on top. I'm saving up my calories for the good stuff. I'm being good on the bottom, so the top can disobey the rules a little. Makes perfect, rational sense in my world.

This obviously was not the same world this man resided in.

So.

I just laughed, and said yes, and I got my delicious tall cafe mocha decaf skim with light whip and drove away.

All that to say, I was reminded of that experience this morning, when I made my whole-wheat flaxseed waffles (YUM!),

slathered with this

drizzled with this

with a side of turkey bacon.

Because the calories of fibery waffles and low-fat bacon and lower-fat spread and lower-sugar syrup equal one big delicious okay-for-me, right? RIGHT? Can I get an amen, ladies?

Edit: Lest anyone be alarmed, I did not actually EAT that entire stack of waffles. I made a double-batch, and those were about 1/4 of all that I made. Although I may or may not have wanted to consume them all. Without breathing.

*Recipe for these can be found in the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, page 130. I sub flaxseed for half of the called-for eggs. Be forewarned, though, that flaxseed will make the waffles runnier, so you will have to cook them a little longer than normal. Simply cook them longer now, and then you can just pop them in the toaster on the "warm" button so that they won't get burnt. (This is assuming that you will freeze a batch - this is what I always do.)

2008-03-10T17:16:00.002-04:00

I am so excited about the next few weeks! On Friday night, we'll be going to Olive Garden with my in-laws and another couple to celebrate my sister-in-law's 30th birthday. Saturday, we're packing it up and going out to Cedarville for a few days! I can't TELL you how excited I am to see my brother and sister (and meet her boyfriend) and a few college friends that still live in the area. We'll be staying til Tuesday morning, which means we also get to go to chapel and eat in Chuck's! haha *sigh* the memories! Chris used to be in an Irish folk band at Cedarville (way, way cooler than it sounds! :), and he's going to "reunite" with their annual St. Paddy's day performance. We arrive home on Tuesday night, and on Saturday my parents and Jill are coming to visit for Easter! Can't wait.

I subbed today, and I think I actually might be falling for the little people. *gasp* Yes, it may be true. I've been seriously contemplating getting my master's in education, and not music education, for two reasons. First, from a technical/job standpoint, it broadens my horizons, and second, I'm thinking strongly about possibly teaching (upper) el. ed some day. Of course, it will be a while before I get my master's, but the thoughts are simmering, that's for sure. I thought I was a die-hard high-school girl, but who really knows..... ;)

It's time to wash some dishes before hubs (I love how she calls her husband that - it kills me) comes home. We're having burgers (we just paid for 1/4 of a cow from my husband's uncle, who raises them - to say we have a lot of available beef would be an understatement - yeehaw!) with grilled onions, homemade pasta salad, and either sauteed zucchini or garden salad with cukes. I don't know about you guys, but I am NOTORIOUS for letting produce go bad. I'll typically use 3/4 of a cucumber/bag of carrots/bag of lettuce/bag of apples, and magically *forget* what I have until I periodically purge the veggie drawer and find it inedible. So, I'm trying to be better and save a little cash.

Speaking of cash, I had a fantastic day at CVS today, but that's just another post for another day. :)

2008-03-05T21:08:00.012-05:00

Well, it's been a lovely - and easy! - week at CVS so far! Here are two pictures to get you started....I'm not finished yet because I'm still waiting for them to re-stock some items.

Tuesday's shopping:

2 Crest Pro-Health ($3.49 each; 3.49 ECB back - so, FREE! I found them at the end of the toothpaste aisle in a special display)

2 Mach 3 disposable razors ($7.99 each; giving 5.00 ECB back. This week's paper had a coupon for $3 off - so they're free, too! We definitely don't need these for Chris, but my brother works with a lot of homeless men in Springfield, Ohio, so we're giving these to him - along with a lot of other CVS free finds! - on our next trip to Cedarville. I LOVE the fact that my addiction to bargain shopping can actually be a blessing to other people! Isn't that awesome?! haha)

Bounty paper towels - $4.99 w/$1 coupon from this week's paper. No ECB back but it's okay because we really needed these!

I had that $19.99 ECB from a while back, so I used that, and then I paid $1.02 (my store won't accept ECB for the remainder if all that's left is taxes, apparently). I left with $16.98 in ECB to spend.

Wednesday:

I went to a different store today because we had to drop one of our cars off at the garage. This store is also out of the Vitamin C deal and the Venus razor deal, but I was able to find toothpaste, toothbrushes, and lip balm here!

2 Cross-Action toothbrushes ($4.99 each; 4.99 ECB back - I had a $2/2 for these, which is sweet)

1 tube Colgate toothpaste ($2.99; 2.99 ECB back - I also had a $1/1 coupon for this)

Lypsyl beeswax lip balm ($2.99; 2.99 ECB back - no coupon for this, but still free)

All three of these items are found in the red March 2008 booklet in the very front of the store when you walk in!

I paid $11.00 in ECB, yet still had to pay $1.96 OOP, which is a little frustrating. I didn't have any small amounts of ECB left, which is why I just paid the $1.96 in cash. Walked away from that with $15.96 in ECB! I have a new total of $45 ECB to spend at CVS. Music to my ears!

If you want to learn the basics about CVS shopping, check out Money Saving Mom. It's kinda sad, but even Chris now types that site in first for me if he happens to be on the computer right before me! It's the first site I visit anytime I'm on the internet. :) If you have any questions about this week, feel free to ask me or check out her site!

Okay, so this last picture isn't from CVS, but I had to share. Our local library has a little magazine/book exchange. They have magazines up front (donated by readers) that you can purchase for 25 cents. I love it because I can usually can get an up-to-date magazine wicked cheap. Well, today I saw this book - "Martha Stewart's Favorite Cookie Recipes." Anytime I see those five words in conjunction, I stop and look. :) It was only a quarter, and the book's listed price is $8.95. I did what any intelligent woman would do, and snatched that baby up!

Go out and get some great CVS deals this week, girls! I'm here to help if you need me!

2008-03-03T16:32:00.003-05:00

Oh, and p.s., I 've been reading some cool books lately and thought I'd share:

1. Soul Survivor, by Phillip Yancey
I'm sure we've all read one thing or another by Phillip Yancey. I had only read one so far, and I have to say, I wasn't all that impressed. But then I found this book at Goodwill, and thought I'd give it a try (I need a steady stream of books and magazines at my house to read during high-school sub days!). It is very well written, and gives fascinating accounts of the lives of the 13 "mentors who helped my faith survive the church." It's part history, part biography, part theology, part personal journey. Very engaging.

2. Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food by Jessica Seinfeld
With my husband's love of all things Seinfeld, and my love of cooking and cookbooks, especially any and all PINK cookbooks (my main cookbook is pink), it was basically inevitable that I check this book out. I have to say, it's FABULOUS! This kind of stuff is right up my alley. Jessica has managed to find amazingly versatile recipes that at look downright mouthwatering (I haven't tried any yet), yet all hide some kind of vegetable or fruit purees in them. Every recipe has a picture by it (what every smart cookbook writer should do), and she gives really easy instructions as to how to go about pureeing, freezing your purees, and then expertly masking them behind things like meatloaf, grilled quesadillas, cookies, and cakes. I'm not sure that I want to go to all that trouble yet, but I'm definitely going to be buying this book for myself when I have children.

3. An Affair With a House by Bunny Williams
Apparently this woman is a famous designer. I'd never heard of her, but this book caught my eye in the front of our library due to its gorgeous front cover of a stunning New England home. This book will make you drool - not necessarily for her decorating style, which I thought was ostentatious and cluttered, but for her property. The woman has 12 acres in Connecticut (be still my heart!) with a main house (built in 1840, I think), guest barn, guest house, pool house, aviary, conservatory, greenhouse, and multiple gardens. Oh. my. word. All people deserve to live like this! :)

Just call me Holly Homemaker, please

2008-03-03T16:16:00.004-05:00

Today I received the most glorious blessing (in disguise, of course). I got no call to sub at 5:30....6:00....6:30....or 7:00. Now, generally, this stinks, because we could definitely use the money (we're trying to buy a newer car, because ours are pooping out all the time). Normally when I don't get called to sub, I call up Cracker Barrel and they let me come in. However, having talked to my manager last week, I knew they weren't going to be short this Monday.

So, I embraced my day as a housewife, free of all responsibilities. It was lovely.

I made pancakes, checked all my favorite websites, got an unearthly amount of dishwashing done (definitely my least favorite household task), did 2 loads of laundry, folded 3 loads of laundry, scrubbed down the inside of the microwave (had a salsa dip explosion in there yesterday - not pretty), straightened the living room, researched and typed out all of this week's praise and worship songs for teens, sorted out coupons (you heard me! haha), vaccumed, went to my sister-in-law's house for her mini-muffin tin and to get some snuggle time in with my baby nephews, and went grocery shopping. Which still leaves me time to make some banana-chip muffins for my hard working man and make dinner (Southwest grilled chicken w/salad and seasoned noodles on the side).

Seriously, aren't these kinds of days wonderful? I feel like I have reclaimed part of my life. Or at least my countertop and my laundry room. ;)

Plus, it's like 85 degrees here today. Or maybe 50. But hey, it's gorgeous, and that's all that matters! Here's to productive days!

2008-02-29T15:57:00.002-05:00

Good weekend coming:

going out with my husband tonight to get him some new jeans, then a latte and shameless magazine reading at barnes 'n' noble (hey - i'll take a date with him any way i can get it!)

a relaxed day of housecleaning/some errands tomorrow, then going to our friends josh and lindsay's house to play cards. lovely.

and i'm off! have a great weekend!

Today I Almost Poked My Eyeballs Out For Fun

2008-02-25T17:18:00.004-05:00

.... or, "My Day as a Substitute High School Band Teacher."

Let me tell you, I think substitute teaching is actually under-rated. That's right.

I'm so tired of people with MORE college degrees than me, with a contract and yearly raises and great benefits, being CRAPPY teachers.

You cannot give high-schoolers 15 minutes of workbook assignments for an 82-minute block period. And I don't care if this isn't elementary school, it IS a good idea to have a seating chart so that the poor clueless sub can have the name of the bad kid to use when she needs to tell him to stop-talking-when-i-am-talking-and-get-off-your-desk-and-i-will-be-taking-your-i-pod-and-cell-phone-now-that-you-are-inappropriately-using-in-school.

And you'd better believe that when you leave "students may study" as your "sub plans" for your guitar class, that the students (God bless music students, the most responsible in the high school) are going to tell the sub, when asked, that those are in fact the everyday plans.

I'm tired of horrible teachers being paid to do a job that others would love to do - and do it well.

On the other hand, I DID get to observe the chorus teacher last period. And when I heard those 50 high-schoolers singing tight harmony for "Yesterday" and basically caressing the notes of a gorgeous medley of American folk songs, then I remember why I endure endlessly boring and stressful days of substituting.

For the chance to teach those kids some beautiful music again someday.

2008-02-20T10:13:00.003-05:00

I have been struck frequently lately by how easy it is for humans, in general, to adjust themselves to any new situation. In other words, how anything can feel normal if you live with it long enough. In many situations, this is helpful - scientific, even: homeostasis allows our cells to find balance - to get the correct amount of sodium or water or whatever they need. It prevents us from sickness and implosion.

But have you ever noticed how easy it is to fall into a bad kind of normal? Sin has that dulling effect on us, doesn't it? The same sin, the same laziness, the same not-so-good thing, either done to us or by us, done over and over and over again, can strangely mutate itself into becoming the accepted and even the praised.

I recently purchased The Hiding Place, one of my favorite books, from Goodwill. I read this book over and over again when I was younger. And I remembered again how striking it is when Corrie ten Boom, released from her concentration camp, is awestruck at seeing a hot bathtub, clean sheets, a simple tablescape ready for dinner. Simple comforts she had lived with all her life, yet post-Ravensbruck, they were extravagant.

Oprah recently talked with a homeless man who had been the subject of a social experiment - the "experimentors" randomly gave him $100,000, then followed him around to see if his life would change. Even in a nice hotel room, he preferred to sleep on the floor.

What has become normal to you? Are you living the abundant life Jesus died to give you? Have you let some subtlties creep into your life - is your sense of normal being altered into something sinful without you even noticing?

Recently, we got rid of our tv. For a lot of reasons. Tv always amazes me in that when you live without it (like at Cedarville, or with one fuzzy channel our first year of marriage) you can almost forget that it exists. Put it in your house, and you can easily spend hours after work, relaxing, flipping channels, blowing time on mindless entertainment. Without our tv for several weeks, its amazing what we've gotten done - we read and talk so much more. Watching three hours of tv every night became easily normal because we let it become so.

Think on this profound quote by C.S. Lewis:

"Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."

Jesus Christ did not call us to live our lives as placid and mindless people. We are called to be radical.

If your normal needs to change, make it happen.

You have a magnificent Lord to glorify and not a lot of life in which to do it.

2008-02-17T21:01:00.005-05:00

I hope you all had a lovely Valentine's Day! Mine included a surprise box of flowers from ProFlowers (whoo hoo) and a Bible that is soon coming. My husband is the kind of man who will take ages just to think of one thing he wants for any kind of special occasion, so I just made the thinking easy this time and made my man a big pan of lasagna (one of his favorite foods, and one that I have never made in our marriage. why? couldn't tell ya), garlic bread, and a nice big salad. Then Sara Lee and I made a nice big strawberry cheesecake for dessert. It was a really, really great evening, just the two of us at home with my adorable Target candles lit :). It was V-Day 4 years ago that things started cooking with us, so it was fun to remember the good times....back when my husband had a huge crush on me and I told him that I loved him dearly but we would always simply be best friends. HA!

Friday night, Chris and I hung out with two other young couples and went to Friendly's (basically the only well-known restaurant out here in the PA boonies that is not 1/2 hour away). A lot of laughing, tons of fun.

Saturday I was husband-less, since Chris was working on his Dad's house. My day consisted of some great Goodwill shopping (it's my yard-sale fix in the winter months), and watching 4 episodes of Grey's Anatomy Season 3 (guilty pleasure ;). Then my darling hubby came home and we just relaxed. Saturdays are my bum days, and I am not ashamed! :)

Today: church and Sunday lunch with the family. We had a "cast party" for the teens that were involved with the Christmas play I wrote. We ate pizza and watched the video of the play that my brother-in-law put together. It's always funny to watch something like that - we had a great time.

Time for another work week. Tomorrow's Presidents' Day, so I'm working at CB 11-7. Looking forward to money, but not for work, that's for sure......

2008-02-13T20:41:00.005-05:00

Okay CVS people.....here is a post just for you!

Last Friday, I went to CVS and got the following:

1 Garnier hair masque treatment
2 bags dark chocolate m&ms (SO addicting)
2 bottles (?) hand soap
1 shea butter body wash
2 deodorants
1 box kleenex
1 Venus Embrace razor
1 package peanut butter crackers
1 bottle Purell w/aloe sanitizer
1 Precision Xtra blood glucose monitor

I used a $9.99 coupon for the monitor, a $1 coupon for the sanitizer, a $1 for the body wash, and a $1 for the deodorants. I also had a $10/$50 purchase that had printed on the bottom of my CVS receipt. I stupidly forgot to use the $6 ECB I had remaining. Oh well.

My total OOP (out-of-pocket) was $32.81. Granted, that sounds like a lot, and it is. But before Christmas, money was a little tighter, and I purposely used up all my CVS bucks. Now I've spent a lot up front, but that transaction gave me 41 ECBs to use! For the next several months, my OOP should be less than $1 every time. (Those of you who know me, I'm not becoming diabetic - the monitor was on sale for $19.99 last week and gave $19.99 ECB back. Coupled with the coupons I had, I got it for free, got $19.99 back, and I'm going to donate it to someone at church. See how fun this is? :)

Fast forward to this past Monday, when I went to CVS again. Now here comes the fun part, where you can join in if you've kept your coupons from the Sunday paper! (P.S. ALWAYS do that ;). The paper had a $4 off coupon for the Gillette razor and a $1 coupon off of the Colgate toothpaste. Go to CVS and buy:

1 razor ($9.99)
1 toothpaste ($1.88)

This equals $11.87 + tax.
Then hand them your $4 coupon and your $1 coupon.
Your new total will be $6.87 + tax.
You pay that, and you'll receive a $6 ECB from the razor and a $1 ECB from the toothpaste. Basically, you broke even....and now you have $7 to start playing the game.....

My husband loves these razors (they're battery-powered), and because CVS has promotions on them all the time, we currently have 4 in our home - and I've basically gotten all of them for free.

So, I got my razor and toothpaste for 83 cents. (The downside to the ECB is that you have to use the exact amount listed on the ECB. So if you have an ECB for $2, and buy $1.15 worth of gum, CVS won't accept the $2 ECB. You'd THINK they would, since they just gained 85 cents, but I guess they figure you'll overspend. To keep my sanity (and because I'm horrible at quick math in a register line), I usually just let myself spend some change if its under $1.) All together, I now have $48 in ECB to use.

So, what are you waiting for? GO PLAY THE GAME!!!

*For more info, check out Crystal at moneysavingmom.com. CVS info is listed on her sidebar.

2008-02-09T10:11:00.000-05:00

Ahhhh....the weekend. Last night was fun. I made what is fast becoming our Friday Night Staple: my very own Bacon, Onion, and Tomato pizza*. Then I made brownies and we went to my brother and sister-in-law's house to play Cranium Turbo (one of the best presents I received from my bridal showers, I might add). Today I slept in and now its snowing and beautiful and I just made a huge breakfast and I. love. Saturdays.

As a totally random note, I'm reading Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope, because I want to actually know what the man says and not just repeat the rumors everyone spreads about him. He talks about the shockingly low scores that many high schoolers in this country test at (considereing the fact that we're the richest and most powerful country in the world) and says there is no reason why great, qualified teachers in this country shouldn't be making $100,000 a year. After the day I spent yesterday substituting (aka babysitting a high school French class), I think this man is on to something.

*You need:
a bag of Wal-Mart pizza crust mix
a can of diced tomatoes
one onion, chopped (I throw mine in the food processor)
7 or 8 pieces of turkey bacon (this is a staple in our house!)
pizza sauce
mozzarella cheese or whatever you like
olive oil

Preheat oven to 450. Make the dough and set aside for 5 min. Cook the bacon in a skillet. Roll out the dough and brush crust w/olive oil. Top dough w/sauce, then cheese, then onions and bacon and tomatoes. Sprinkle with a little more cheese. Cook until golden. YUM. :)

2008-02-05T19:05:00.001-05:00

*Sigh* Why can't all holidays be pink?

Speaking of Valentine's Day, Sandy is doing another Giveaway. I've seen pictures, ladies, and she gives away wonderful things! This one is Valentine's Day themed. I'm linking here so that I can enter the drawing twice. Go check out her website - it is fabulous!

2008-02-04T14:41:00.001-05:00

This blog has been so boring lately - sorry! I have been so busy this past week, and then for the past few days I've had a head cold. My head could explode into little bits at any moment. Did you catch the hyperbole? As in, "an exaggeration for effect?" Haha...I finally got to sub today (first time in a public school since May - hooray!) and that was what I taught 5 rotations of fourth graders. I was in a special education classroom, and for part of the morning, my job was to teach 4 fourth graders who struggle in reading. FOUR. As in 1, 2, 3, FOUR. Last year I had 744 students. This woman has it made, I tell you. I had a good time!

Also....

2008-01-29T17:11:00.000-05:00

Does anyone else get Rachael Ray's magazine? Because I made her "Nacho Spuds" last night (from the insert in the middle) and they were FAB-U-LOUS!!! SO easy, and wicked good. In fact, I just had some more about half an hour ago when I got home from work, and I dare say they're better a day later. In my world, you just can't go wrong with Mexican.

2008-01-29T16:52:00.000-05:00

First of all, I just want to thank all of you who either wrote here or told me in person that you were praying for me. I had two serious issues last week, one medical and one private, that were just weighing so heavily on my heart. Praise God, the doctor thinks I am fine medically and does want me to have one more test, but everything looks okay. The other issue is still pretty serious but I am slowly working through it. Things always seem so much darker when they first occur, you know? I have talked to people about it and while the situation is not resolved, my will to work it out is a lot stronger.

God is so clever, though, isn't He? It's as if He was saying, "Jess, seriously, you need to be closer to me than you are right now. So, __________ is going to happen, and then you will cling to me. Not my fault you're an idiot!" hahaha His thoughts are not mine, that's for sure.

In other news, sometimes the only cure for a depressed girl is to go SHOPPING! Right?! Understand, I can't even tell you the last time I went shopping for myself (and no, CVS doesn't count!) So that's what I did yesterday. Now, understand that when I say shopping, I spent about $90 or less. I got about 31 various items, including household items, jewelry, and clothes. AND I DIDN'T SPEND MORE THAN 9.00 ON ANY ONE THING! Isn't that marvelous?! I hit up Old Navy and got some AMAZING deals, then I went to Goodwill, Target, and CVS. Some of my favorite finds?
.89 jewelry at Old Navy (p.s. I always fill out those ON online surveys that come with your receipt sometimes, and they give you 10% off your whole purchase for doing it - attach it to 75% off sales, and you've got it made)
a fabulous ON black blazer (perfect for work!) for $8.54
adorable pink polka-dotted pj pants for $9.01 (okay, a penny over $9 :)
a big plastic football bowl at Target for $1 - perfect for the Superbowl
2 red and 2 clear glass heart candle holders from Target (love it for Valentine's Day!) - $2 for all four

It's a good day when you can go on a spree and get tons of stuff for very little. Ahhh, retail therapy.

2008-01-24T18:58:00.000-05:00

I need prayer, please. I know some of you don't know me personally, but this week I have had to confront two different serious issues that I can't discuss here. Those who are Christians, I ask that you pray for me and that I will have the strength and the wisdom to know how to deal with them. Thank you.

2008-01-21T22:50:00.000-05:00

I heart Jon and Kate + 8, Project Runway, and Flip That House.

I heart getting hired as a substitute, even though I still have to get a drug test and a physical (Hallelujah Chorus now resounding in my head!)

I also heart Rachael Ray's "Janet's Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake*", which I made today. Yum-o!

Ahhhhh.....love all around.

The end.

*Everyday with Rachael Ray, May 2007, page 105

2008-01-17T19:56:00.000-05:00

Today at work a girl came in with her parents and sat down. She looked to be about my age, and she also appeared to have Down Syndrome or some other mental disability. The thing that got me about this girl is that she was wearing a headband. This wasn't just any headband, though - this baby had sparkly Minnie Mouse ears and a veil coming down the back. Basically, it looked like what they'd give a bride who was celebrating her honeymoon at Disney World. Otherwise, this girl had normal clothes on. She just sat there, the whole time, quietly eating dinner with her parents.

I don't know why exactly, but that just warmed my heart today. I'm guessing she loves that headband, and asked to wear it out, and her parents simply couldn't refuse. To see her, so content with herself, her headband, her veil, and her shrimp....well, it did my heart good.

2008-01-15T17:49:00.000-05:00

Last night I had a little dinner party. It was just us and Chris's parents, but we had such a great time! Let me tell you, a large part of me was just excited to be able to use my napkin rings from Gabe's (a great little store they had in West Virginia and I've never seen anywhere else) for the first time!

The menu:
3-cheese pepper/onion/chicken bowtie bake (haha - my mom's delicious recipe!)
garlic bread
garden salad
oatmeal cake with cocount-brown sugar icing for dessert (courtesy of Mary - my father in law loves this cake, and I happened to have made it the weekend I got engaged - this cake is
gooood! :)

I didn't think to take any pictures last night, but here's one picture of the cake - delish!

Our apartment is so tiny, and my poor father-in-law had to be squeezed into the corner and couldn't really get out unless we moved the whole table! But we had such a good time, and I'm glad I didn't let the tightness of the space hold me back from having them over - Sandy at 4 Reluctant Entertainers would be so proud of me!

I am so thankful for good food, good times, and wonderful in-laws that love us and the Lord.

2008-01-12T13:24:00.000-05:00

I have been in a cooking slump lately. Maybe it is because my Rachael Ray subscription ran out in August, and my new subscription (a full year this time!) hasn't arrived in my mailbox yet. Actually, I think it's because I'm just plain tired and famished when I come home from work and the thought of standing on my feet for another hour just doesn't appeal to me. I cooked every night last year - and we're talkin' lip smackin' good dinners, with sides. Oh dear. I love cooking, and I love my husband. I really do try....I've just been brain-dead when it comes to new recipes lately.

I did try virgin beer-battered fish the other night. And by virgin, I mean that we don't drink beer (aka-pee-in-a-bottle - yuck!), so we didn't have any beer, so I researched on the internet for half an hour for substitutes for beer (and club soda is apparently the only thing remotely close), so I asked my poor, poor husband to go to out twice to the store, and so the recipe eventually ended up becoming fried fish with club soda instead. It didn't turn out too bad, if I do say so myself. Of course, anything smothered in tarter sauce can't taste too awful anyway, right? Yummmmmm.

Tonight I think I'm going to make burgers with carmelized onions and Rachael Ray's "Oven Steak Fries" (30-Minute Meals 2; page 201). Monday my in-laws are coming over and I'm making my mom's awesome 3-cheese and 3-pepper chicken and bow-tie casserole with salad. Does anyone have any quick week-night meals that work for them? Please share them with a desperate housewife. ;)

2008-01-12T09:31:00.000-05:00

Enter my life:

The scene opens onto a tiny, cute little living room. It is 9:00 on a Tuesday night. DH is watching some kind of sporting event. Wife is meticulously placing pharmacy/household goods into a stackable position on the floor.

DH glances over at wife, face puzzled: "What in the world are you doing?"

Wife does not look up from her task: "Organizing my purchases for my CVS photo."

DH, still completely confused: "What?"

Wife: "I always post what I get at CVS, because people like to see what other people can get for so cheap."

Incredulous DH: "You're kidding."

Wife: "Nope."

DH: "You don't take a photo of your receipt and put it on the internet, too, do you?"

Wife laughs and shakes her head at what her darling husband can never understand........

So:
4 Reese's Whipps
Excedrin Migraine
Colgate toothpaste
2 bags of trash bags
2 boxes of storage bags
2 bottles of dish detergent
2 boxes of 100-cal Reese snackers
4 Christmas plates (.09 each!)
Bag of Christmas bows (.49)
Christmas tree skirt (.49)

Plus DH was with me and he purchased beef jerky, a map of our area, and some candy.

We paid 19.81 oop, using $5/30, a $4/20, and a $3/15, plus lots of manufacturers's coupons. Subtracting what DH bought, I actually paid $8.81 (although the cashier rang in a mysterious $4 item that I did not pay for and didn't realize until I got home - tragedy!). So technically, I paid $4.81 for the above things and got $10 ECB back for them.

The end. :)

2008-01-06T19:45:00.000-05:00

I have to go to work tonight for a 9:00 mandatory meeting that was announced on Monday.

I get to drive over half an hour each way for a half hour meeting that I will get paid about $3.60 for.

Ugh.

Subbing canNOT happen fast enough.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-04T18:43:00.000-05:00

Warning: Completely random post....

We have been so busy recently! We had Chris's (immediate) family's Christmas on the 21st, his extended family Christmas on the 22nd, I directed and wrote a teen play and conducted teen girls in a musical number on the 23rd, we drove to Connecticut and had my family's Christmas (extended then immediate) from the 24th-26th, and then we traveled to Indianapolis from the 27th to the 30th for Mark and Kari's wedding. hahaha....I am just glad to be home. As much as I love people, I don't like constantly living out of suitcase or always being on the run like that. I swear, Chris and I must have spent literally months of our lives driving in the car over the past few years. At least, I feel like it. Well, it was definitely worth it to see family and friends.
- - -
In other news, my PA certification finally came, the day after Christmas! Hooray! I had to work all this week, but Monday I am going to drive a few school boards before I teach lessons to drop off a copy of my cert. Hopefully I'll be subbing within two weeks! I am DYING to be back in classrooms!

- - -

Last year, I kept our Christmas decorations up for a while, but this year, we are so squeezed for space that I took most of them down last night. It is SO tedious to have to take down Christmas ornaments and wrap them, isn't it? Thankfully, I had Friends to keep me company last night. Chandler makes me laugh, without fail, without question.

- - -

I am so happy it's Friday -waitressing all week wears me out! Although, I am picking up a shift for a girl at work tomorrow night. The restaurant has slowed down a ton since Christmas is over and I need a little cash-o-la (as my mom would say). I tried to make a 3-bean 15-minute chili tonight, but I have to say, it didn't turn out that great. It's so disappointing when you spend the time and food to make something and it's just gross, isn't it? Anyway, we still had homemade bacon and onion pizza tonight. I taught my husband to make it, and I have to say, it wasn't half bad.
- - -
Chris and I are totally addicted to house shows - "Flip that House", "Property Virgins", "Property Ladder", and the list goes on. It is truly amazing to see how stupid people are with major financial decisions. :)

- - -
Okay, really, really random: if anyone shops regularly at Aldi, you HAVE to try their "Southwestern Salsa" - you can find it on the side with cheese and meats. It is, bar none, the best salsa I have ever had! Whenever we buy it, I inhale it. Which is why there is a half-full jar of salsa in my fridge tonight that has only been open for about, oh, 25 hours. :)

Have a lovely weekend!

"Soon it will be Christmas day...."

2007-12-19T20:52:00.000-05:00

It hasn't felt like Christmas all along, and now I finally feel "Christmasy", and it's going to be over in six days! I have basically everyone shopped for...there's one or two more items that I need to pick up still. I am very proud of myself (!) for buying all SEVEN of my nieces' and nephews' presents for less than $35! ($32.61, to be exact). And we're not talking dollar-store gifts, either! We're talking soft Ty animals for the little ones, a bracelet making set for my 9-year-old niece, a little white puppy that comes with its own pink purse, quality children's books, and more. I'm so excited to see them all open their little gifts. I only wish I had more to spend on people. Seriously - isn't that the best feeling?!

Today my Lia Sophia jewelry that I ordered in October finally came. If any of you have their catalog, I got the "Flaunt" bracelet as a hostess gift, and let me tell you, it is stunning! Can't wait to wear it over Christmas. I also got a set of earrings for my sister.

Work has been crazily busy the last few days, but I guess that's a good thing! We need extra cash since we're both not working at all next week, with traveling for Christmas and then going to Mark and Kari's wedding in Indianapolis. Can't wait to see old friends again - some I haven't seen in over a year. It will be lovely.

Last thing: Went to CVS today; wasn't that great of a week for ECB deals but I had some from Black Friday that needed to be used. Got "Pure Cashmere" body wash (definitely one of my favorite things about CVS - I never spent my money on body wash before! haha), Sootherbs throat drops, batteries, Johnson's baby swabs (stocking up on the free baby stuff while I can - good for making a basket for a new mom!), and gum. My total OOP was 49 cents and I got $3 back. Not that great, but oh well! I'll take it!

Super Savings WEEK

2007-12-16T16:08:00.000-05:00

I am linking this to Crystal's Super Savings Saturday, but really this was just a great week at CVS. On Monday (minus a Twix that my husband consumed before a photo was taken):

....for 43 cents!
On Tuesday (CVS is right on my way home from work, if I want it to be):

...for 17 cents!
On Wednesday:

...a little bit more - 4.52....I definitely COULD have used ECB but I just wanted to be able to save them.
And on Saturday:

....for 1.19! Suffice it to say, CVS has stocked our medicine shelf with enough tissues to last a winter (or two :).

The glass Christmas tree isn't from CVS (50 cents from Goodwill!) but it's holding the Reeses candy that I purchased. This wasn't a great week for gaining ECB (I only got 7 back, I think), but it was a great week for free batteries, kleenex, baby care products, and for getting some things I really was out of (like mascara and hair gel) for very cheap. I love this store!

2007-12-10T16:46:00.000-05:00

Does anybody else feel like Christmas is kinda weird this year? I mean, I don't know what's wrong with me, but I'm not feeling as Christmas-y as normal. I mean, I've been to a Christmas party, I have the tree up, the house is mostly decorated, and I've even made two batches of Christmas cookies/candy with my sister-in-law. I'm just not feeling it yet! I'm a weirdo, I know.

The weeks are flying by; I'm so busy with working, teaching voice/piano, singing with the church choir and working on directing the teens' skit. I was also informed that I'm going to be in charge of all of the music for the mission trip to the Dominican Republic that Chris and I are going on with our church next year - and it all needs to be in Spanish! haha Well, at least I have 6 months to refresh myself.

Here is a picture of our tree (I got the poinsettas cheapo from Cracker Barrel, and I have to say, I love them! Our poor tree is still a little bare, since we are still building up our supply of ornaments. Most of them on there now are still homemade ones from when Chris was little :). Oh, and the purple hippo is not for us...it's a gift for our niece that I haven't wrapped yet. lol

I'm also in love with my new Willow Tree nativity set, which was originally $54.99. I was able to get it for only $13 after sales, my employee discount, and a gift card I found at work and nobody came in to claim. :)

2007-11-27T19:26:00.001-05:00

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving! What a blessing to be with my family again....I also got to see my dearest Stephanie....loveliness! Now it's back to the grind. PA mailed me today saying that they were missing a Praxis test, and so my application was put "on hold." Grrr! So I called ETS today, and they said that they had made a mistake and that they were re-sending my Praxis scores. Whew! I did NOT want to have to send another $40. So, hopefully that will all be taken care of shortly and I quit waitressing and go back to teaching!

Only someone from Money Saving Mom will appreciate this, but here are my CVS purchases from Black Friday:

I got q-tips, 3 boxes of freezer/storage bags, 2 tylenol trial capsules (good for traveling), body wash, a package of Hershey's extra-dark chocolate, 2 toothbrushes, toothpaste, Advil PM, and a package of razors.

I spent about $8-out-of-pocket and got a little over $20 in ECB (I made one or two mistakes). Anyway, I'm glad to be operating with over $20 in ECB from now on! Best of all, we actually use EVERY SINGLE ONE of those items. From now on, I hope to keep our oop to under $3 each time!

2007-11-20T20:42:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving is coming SOON! I love this holiday, and most of all, I LOVE the fact that it's the first time my family has been together in one place since the summer. We're leaving tomorrow after work, and we'll have our family Thanksgiving dinner at noon on Thursday. I, like always, will be watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. It just wouldn't been Thanksgiving otherwise! I don't watch the whole thing, just bits and pieces in-between helping my Mom and eating nuts out of the bowl. :) I am determined to be in NYC one of these years and see the parade in person!

After we eat at our house, we will be heading out to a dessert party hosted by friends of ours from church. A bunch of friends will be there - including people that we used to go to church with and have since moved. I can't wait to see everyone.....and I am VERY excited to be bringing Paula Deen's "Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars with Streusel Toppin'." Liz made these once last year, and OH MY WORD, are they awesome! You can find the recipe here. I will be dreaming of them all the way to Connecticut!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-17T13:36:00.000-05:00

I have been learning so much from various blogs, particularly Kacie and Crystal, about how to save tons at CVS. I personally had never shopped at CVS before for my normal body/pharmacy items, because I always thought the prices were out of control. I shopped at Wal-Mart for everything, often buying generic when the product was comparable in quality. Well, they opened my eyes to the wonderful world of CVS savings! For anyone new to CVS, check out the CVS:101 links on their sidebars.

Anyway, several weeks ago, I purchased Brita filters and Degree Deoderant from CVS. Using a $4/20 coupon I got from signing up for a new CVS card, and a coupon for $2 off the deo that I had from the paper, I spent $20.12 out of pocket. In return, I was given $10 in ECB.

Fast forward to this past Monday. I started out slowly, like they recommend. I was able to purchase:

2 bottles of Palmolive dish detergent
1 bottle of Tums Smoothies (60 count)
1 package of CVS cotton swabs (500 ct. plus 50 bonus q-tips)

I had another CVS coupon ($2/10), then a $1/2 Palmolive coupon, then a $1/off Tums coupon from the CVS diabetes booklet in the back of the store. Using $5 of my ECB, I only paid $2.85 out of pocket BUT I have a rebate (check last Sunday's paper!) for the full cost of the Tums. Since I am a rookie :), I didn't understand until I got to the register that you have to use the full dollar amount of the ECB or you don't get any back. However, I didn't lose any money, since I'll be getting the refund from Tums. My cashier was very, very gracious, and was actually excited for me to earn all of the ECB that I did from my receipt!

All in all:
I earned $6 ECB from this week's purchases
I still have my $5 ECB from my original purchase
I will be making $1.84 BACK from my Tums rebate

Basically, I got FREE STUFF, I earned MORE MONEY at CVS for next week, and I actually MADE COLD, HARD CASH!

I am so excited to see tomorrow's paper!