Friday, October 31, 2014
Friday, October 24, 2014
Taking A Break
I've decided to take a little break from blogging. I'm not sure how long it will be. It might just be until after volleyball season, which is mid-November, or it might be until after the first of the year.
I may pop in from time to time on a Wordless Wednesday, but for the most part, I'll be absent. Things just feel very busy right now with work & volleyball. I'm going through some changes at work & volleyball season is not going well. Life feels a little overwhelming & heavy right now. Our happy place is our home, so that's where I'm going to focus for a while. We understand clearly that our jobs are just a small part of our blessed life, but they do play a big role in our happiness & how we feel. I'm thankful to God for every good thing. Just hoping a break from having blogging on my to do list, as well as a break from airing things out all the time, will be a good escape.
Before I go, a little catch up and photo dump. Miles & I went to the circus in Martin. It was an interesting affair. Our church provided free tickets though, so we were appreciative of that.
It was unbearably cold and we ended up leaving at the intermission. I grossly underestimated how cold it would be even in the tent. We saw a few interesting/entertaining things (depending on how you look at it) in the time we were there.
Darrin's brother & his family, Aaron, Jessica, Jayci, and Rowan, came to watch Darrin's team play at EKU a couple week's ago. It was a 7 hour trip, one way, with a newborn. Very, very nice of them. Darrin was excited to see our niece, Jayci, and meet our new nephew, Rowan.
Miles is all ready for Halloween. In case you are wondering, this is the Red Power Ranger, not a Michael Jackson Ninja as pointed out by a friend.
Lots & lots of Legos have been going on lately...
Miles writes me love notes all the time. They all say the same things. "Mom I love you"..."Mom Miles" with a heart....a heart with "Mom" in the middle. I get at least one a day.
I received some pretty awesome birthday & anniversary gifts from my mom...
...and a yummy cake. Birthday cakes are a love language in our house...
Miles filled up his sticker chart at school for the first time ever! They only have a certain amount of time to complete it before they trash them and start a new one. He earned a Tootsie pop & was extremely proud.
I think that catches us up. Take care until next time!
I may pop in from time to time on a Wordless Wednesday, but for the most part, I'll be absent. Things just feel very busy right now with work & volleyball. I'm going through some changes at work & volleyball season is not going well. Life feels a little overwhelming & heavy right now. Our happy place is our home, so that's where I'm going to focus for a while. We understand clearly that our jobs are just a small part of our blessed life, but they do play a big role in our happiness & how we feel. I'm thankful to God for every good thing. Just hoping a break from having blogging on my to do list, as well as a break from airing things out all the time, will be a good escape.
Before I go, a little catch up and photo dump. Miles & I went to the circus in Martin. It was an interesting affair. Our church provided free tickets though, so we were appreciative of that.
It was unbearably cold and we ended up leaving at the intermission. I grossly underestimated how cold it would be even in the tent. We saw a few interesting/entertaining things (depending on how you look at it) in the time we were there.
Darrin's brother & his family, Aaron, Jessica, Jayci, and Rowan, came to watch Darrin's team play at EKU a couple week's ago. It was a 7 hour trip, one way, with a newborn. Very, very nice of them. Darrin was excited to see our niece, Jayci, and meet our new nephew, Rowan.
Miles is all ready for Halloween. In case you are wondering, this is the Red Power Ranger, not a Michael Jackson Ninja as pointed out by a friend.
Lots & lots of Legos have been going on lately...
Miles writes me love notes all the time. They all say the same things. "Mom I love you"..."Mom Miles" with a heart....a heart with "Mom" in the middle. I get at least one a day.
I received some pretty awesome birthday & anniversary gifts from my mom...
...and a yummy cake. Birthday cakes are a love language in our house...
Miles filled up his sticker chart at school for the first time ever! They only have a certain amount of time to complete it before they trash them and start a new one. He earned a Tootsie pop & was extremely proud.
I think that catches us up. Take care until next time!
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Stuff I Like
I regularly read a blog called Peanut Butter Fingers. I don't remember how I found her blog, but she mixes health & fitness with everyday life. She's relatable, which is something that a lot of other fitness bloggers totally miss. She usually blogs twice a day and I really like that. Every Friday, her post is "Things I'm Loving". I have tried several things based on her recommendation, from food to websites to make up. Her posts made me think about a few things that I am loving right now, so I thought I'd give it a whirl.
Simply Smooth Shampoo & Conditioner
I've been having a terrible time with my hair for the last year. It's very damaged no matter what I try. I've learned recently that your hair is a strong indicator of your overall health. My doctor and I have it narrowed down to low iron and possibly thyroid issues. Until we can get those issues under control, this shampoo & conditioner make my hair at least manageable. It's expensive, but if you are desparate, it certainly helps. I order it from Amazon.
Walmart Savings Catcher App
I learned about this from a friend at work. It's a free app & here's how it works. You scan your Walmart receipts up to 7 days after your purchase. The app take 2-3 days to compare prices with local competitors, which includes stores up to an hour away. If lower prices are found, you get the difference in the form of an e-card, which can be used online or in the store. I've been using the app since Aug. 26th and I have $14.96 credit available. I love that it tells you exactly which items were lower, and what store had the lower price.
ThredUp
I learned about ThredUp.com from the PB Fingers blog. It's an online consignment store. You can sell your clothes or buy clothes. I sold some of my clothes and made a decent amount, but then I sold some of Miles' clothes and lost a lot of money. If you decide to try it, make sure you read all the details. Your percentage is based on what they are going to sell each item for, so you practically give away items that are less than $10. It's a very easy process though. You just request a bag, fill it with accepted items, and send it back in the postage paid bag. They are picky about brands, so make sure you do your homework.
I don't have a great way to sell my clothes, so even though you take a big hit, I still like this the best of any options I've tried for my clothes. I have bought several items from them and really like that part of it. They are very reasonable & the shipping is cheap. I've bought around 10-15 items and have been happy with all but 2 of them. It's kind of like Ebay with a middle man that inspects the items.
Flameless candles with timer
I bought a few flameless candles at Hobby Lobby recently. One was for inside a lantern & a real candle wouldn't have worked. Darrin noticed that they have a timer on them. If you choose the timer side, they will come on at the same time every night and stay on for 6 hours. Mine come on at 6pm. I probably wouldn't turn them on very often if I had to manually do it, but I love walking by and seeing them on. They are battered operated, but I haven't had to change the batteries yet.
Crocs
My sister-in-law, Crystal, has gotten me hooked on these Crocs. I've never had any Crocs before b/c most of them aren't very cute, in my opinion. They are just flat, ballet shoes and they are so comfortable. I can wear them all day without my feet hurting, which is an accomplishment. Even my tennis shoes hurt my feet after an entire day of wearing them. I have these Crocs in brown & leopard. I'm thinking about buying them in black & rounding out my collection, which is what I do. I typically wear an 8.5, but I wear an 8 in these, just in case you order online, go down a little. They would be great for my teacher friends.
Canz speaker
This was a Christmas present from Crystal last year. If you've been to my house for any reason, you know we use this all the time. It's a wireless bluetooth speaker. We connect from our phones and play Pandora. It's simple to use and has a great sound. We use it every time we have company & Darrin listens to it a lot when he's getting ready in the morning. You can buy them on Amazon. Highly recommend. Speaking from experience, it's a great Christmas gift too!
Hope you enjoyed this edition of Stuff I Like. Maybe I'll do it again some time. Let me know if you try any of these recommendations!
Simply Smooth Shampoo & Conditioner
I've been having a terrible time with my hair for the last year. It's very damaged no matter what I try. I've learned recently that your hair is a strong indicator of your overall health. My doctor and I have it narrowed down to low iron and possibly thyroid issues. Until we can get those issues under control, this shampoo & conditioner make my hair at least manageable. It's expensive, but if you are desparate, it certainly helps. I order it from Amazon.
Walmart Savings Catcher App
I learned about this from a friend at work. It's a free app & here's how it works. You scan your Walmart receipts up to 7 days after your purchase. The app take 2-3 days to compare prices with local competitors, which includes stores up to an hour away. If lower prices are found, you get the difference in the form of an e-card, which can be used online or in the store. I've been using the app since Aug. 26th and I have $14.96 credit available. I love that it tells you exactly which items were lower, and what store had the lower price.
ThredUp
I learned about ThredUp.com from the PB Fingers blog. It's an online consignment store. You can sell your clothes or buy clothes. I sold some of my clothes and made a decent amount, but then I sold some of Miles' clothes and lost a lot of money. If you decide to try it, make sure you read all the details. Your percentage is based on what they are going to sell each item for, so you practically give away items that are less than $10. It's a very easy process though. You just request a bag, fill it with accepted items, and send it back in the postage paid bag. They are picky about brands, so make sure you do your homework.
I don't have a great way to sell my clothes, so even though you take a big hit, I still like this the best of any options I've tried for my clothes. I have bought several items from them and really like that part of it. They are very reasonable & the shipping is cheap. I've bought around 10-15 items and have been happy with all but 2 of them. It's kind of like Ebay with a middle man that inspects the items.
Flameless candles with timer
I bought a few flameless candles at Hobby Lobby recently. One was for inside a lantern & a real candle wouldn't have worked. Darrin noticed that they have a timer on them. If you choose the timer side, they will come on at the same time every night and stay on for 6 hours. Mine come on at 6pm. I probably wouldn't turn them on very often if I had to manually do it, but I love walking by and seeing them on. They are battered operated, but I haven't had to change the batteries yet.
Crocs
My sister-in-law, Crystal, has gotten me hooked on these Crocs. I've never had any Crocs before b/c most of them aren't very cute, in my opinion. They are just flat, ballet shoes and they are so comfortable. I can wear them all day without my feet hurting, which is an accomplishment. Even my tennis shoes hurt my feet after an entire day of wearing them. I have these Crocs in brown & leopard. I'm thinking about buying them in black & rounding out my collection, which is what I do. I typically wear an 8.5, but I wear an 8 in these, just in case you order online, go down a little. They would be great for my teacher friends.
Canz speaker
This was a Christmas present from Crystal last year. If you've been to my house for any reason, you know we use this all the time. It's a wireless bluetooth speaker. We connect from our phones and play Pandora. It's simple to use and has a great sound. We use it every time we have company & Darrin listens to it a lot when he's getting ready in the morning. You can buy them on Amazon. Highly recommend. Speaking from experience, it's a great Christmas gift too!
Hope you enjoyed this edition of Stuff I Like. Maybe I'll do it again some time. Let me know if you try any of these recommendations!
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
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Monday, October 13, 2014
Weekend Wrap Up
I had off today for Columbus Day, so this is a wrap up for a long weekend. We had big plans this weekend, but sickness got the best of us. I made plans early last week to spend the weekend at my mom's while Darrin's team was playing out of town. I also came across some free Titans' tickets, so I made plans for Miles and I to go to the game together before driving home on Sunday. I had been fighting a cold for several days in the midst of this planning, but I never dreamed it was hang on for so long.
After feeling completely miserable on Wednesday night, I finally text my mom on Thursday morning to let her know that I had been sick and wasn't sure it was best for me to come. She agreed and we decided to cancel. It's a good thing, b/c I feel even worse on Thursday night. Plus, the weather for the weekend kept looking worse and worse, especially for traveling. I ended up going to the doctor on Friday and got some meds for a sinus infection. I felt better most of the weekend, but have felt worse again today. Really hoping this passes soon. I'm tired of being sick!
Miles woke up on Saturday morning complaining of a sore throat and headache. Again, I was so thankful we decided against our weekend trip. He ended up feeling fine all weekend, until last night. He started running a fever & a few other little symptoms. Usually I try to let him fight it off without running to the doctor, but given how bad I felt, and how much he's been exposed to lately, we went to the doctor today. It appears to be viral. He's still running fever now. Hoping to get him back to school on Wednesday. I leave out of town on a work trip on Thursday, so let's all say a little prayer that we are both back up to speed by then.
Now that we have fully discussed our medical issues, which I'm sure was thrilling, here are a few highlights from our sickly weekend.
Miles left me a few notes on the door in the garage...
Miles was none to excited about our cancelled trip, so I made it up to him by a date to Taco Bell on Friday night. When I told him about not going to Marmee's house or the Titans' game, we were actually on the way home from daycare on Thursday. He's such a homebody that I underestimated how upset he would be. He cried so hard and screamed so loudly that I finally started crying b/c my head was hurting so badly. As soon as he saw me crying, he stopped and started saying, "it's ok, it's ok momma". When we got home I laid on the couch immediately. He rubbed my back and asked me what I needed. It was good to see a compassionate side of him. It was also good to show him that other people matter and that sadly, the world doesn't revolved around him.
Saturday, we stayed home all day long. We played Chutes & Ladders. Side note...I will never understand how Miles can put together Legos, operate our DVR & DVD player, play all kinds of games, but Chutes & Ladders is COMPLETELY lost on him. He doesn't understand anything about it. That game will be in the next yard sale. I've attempted it for the last time.
I watched Darrin's game online. This really is the life....in my living room, in my sweats. A friend was telling me that Gene Chizik's wife watched all of Auburn's games in a room by herself with a security guard. I like her style. I'm thinking if I could swap the security guard for a babysitter, we'd be in business.
Miles was a big boy at the doctor today. He was terrified that he was going to get a shot even though I promised he wouldn't. He had to have a strep test and he handled it like a champ.
We all went to church yesterday and then watched a lot of football and everyone napped. The return of lazy football Sundays are back! Well...back until it's time for Sunday afternoon left raking. I think we might have two more weeks before it's time to start that again. Since we've been cooped up all weekend, I swapped my summer & winter clothes, which included bagging up clothes for donation & consignment, and washing about 10 loads of laundry. It was a huge project that I'm very glad is finished. Not a whole lot going on around here, but it was surprisingly productive. Miles can't go back to daycare tomorrow b/c he's still running a fever. So, I'm working until noon and then Darrin will work the rest of the day.
That's all I've got folks. Looking forward to feeling better, checking a work trip off the list, and watching two home volleyball games this weekend. Hope everyone has a great week!
After feeling completely miserable on Wednesday night, I finally text my mom on Thursday morning to let her know that I had been sick and wasn't sure it was best for me to come. She agreed and we decided to cancel. It's a good thing, b/c I feel even worse on Thursday night. Plus, the weather for the weekend kept looking worse and worse, especially for traveling. I ended up going to the doctor on Friday and got some meds for a sinus infection. I felt better most of the weekend, but have felt worse again today. Really hoping this passes soon. I'm tired of being sick!
Miles woke up on Saturday morning complaining of a sore throat and headache. Again, I was so thankful we decided against our weekend trip. He ended up feeling fine all weekend, until last night. He started running a fever & a few other little symptoms. Usually I try to let him fight it off without running to the doctor, but given how bad I felt, and how much he's been exposed to lately, we went to the doctor today. It appears to be viral. He's still running fever now. Hoping to get him back to school on Wednesday. I leave out of town on a work trip on Thursday, so let's all say a little prayer that we are both back up to speed by then.
Now that we have fully discussed our medical issues, which I'm sure was thrilling, here are a few highlights from our sickly weekend.
Miles left me a few notes on the door in the garage...
Miles was none to excited about our cancelled trip, so I made it up to him by a date to Taco Bell on Friday night. When I told him about not going to Marmee's house or the Titans' game, we were actually on the way home from daycare on Thursday. He's such a homebody that I underestimated how upset he would be. He cried so hard and screamed so loudly that I finally started crying b/c my head was hurting so badly. As soon as he saw me crying, he stopped and started saying, "it's ok, it's ok momma". When we got home I laid on the couch immediately. He rubbed my back and asked me what I needed. It was good to see a compassionate side of him. It was also good to show him that other people matter and that sadly, the world doesn't revolved around him.
Saturday, we stayed home all day long. We played Chutes & Ladders. Side note...I will never understand how Miles can put together Legos, operate our DVR & DVD player, play all kinds of games, but Chutes & Ladders is COMPLETELY lost on him. He doesn't understand anything about it. That game will be in the next yard sale. I've attempted it for the last time.
I watched Darrin's game online. This really is the life....in my living room, in my sweats. A friend was telling me that Gene Chizik's wife watched all of Auburn's games in a room by herself with a security guard. I like her style. I'm thinking if I could swap the security guard for a babysitter, we'd be in business.
Miles was a big boy at the doctor today. He was terrified that he was going to get a shot even though I promised he wouldn't. He had to have a strep test and he handled it like a champ.
We all went to church yesterday and then watched a lot of football and everyone napped. The return of lazy football Sundays are back! Well...back until it's time for Sunday afternoon left raking. I think we might have two more weeks before it's time to start that again. Since we've been cooped up all weekend, I swapped my summer & winter clothes, which included bagging up clothes for donation & consignment, and washing about 10 loads of laundry. It was a huge project that I'm very glad is finished. Not a whole lot going on around here, but it was surprisingly productive. Miles can't go back to daycare tomorrow b/c he's still running a fever. So, I'm working until noon and then Darrin will work the rest of the day.
That's all I've got folks. Looking forward to feeling better, checking a work trip off the list, and watching two home volleyball games this weekend. Hope everyone has a great week!
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