TGIM???

When my alarm went off Monday, I muttered....thank God it's Monday.  That is something I never thought I would say.  The past weekend was definitely one for the books and not in a good way.

Friday evening was good.  Hallie dyed eggs.  I bought some egg dye on clearance for 90% after Easter.  She has asked me everyday to color eggs.  I finally caved after she asked for the 753 time.  She is so darn persistent.  So next Easter, I'll be buying some full price dye.  Oh well.  I'll take the blame.  I did leave the dye kit on the counter for her to see everyday.  I should have just put it away out of her sight.    

 

She also enjoyed coloring on the kitchen windows with some liquid chalk markers.  I bought the liquid chalk markers off of Jane.com.  The crazy thing....the liquid chalk would not come off a chalkboard, but it comes off glass.  Mmmmkay??  Thank goodness the chalkboard was a cheap one from the Target dollar section. 

Saturday is the day that I never want to relive.  The morning was normal.  I went to CVS Pharmacy, came home, and played with Hallie.  I got Hallie to take a nap around 1:00.  I just sat down on the couch to get on the computer.  All of a sudden I hear a loud, obnoxious knock on our door.  I immediately thought it was my step dad and how I was going to kill him for making the dog bark that was probably going to wake up Hallie.  David got to the door before I did.  It was one of my neighbors.  He said your in-laws house is on fire.  The back of the house can be seen from our front yard.   

Technically, it's my grandparents house, but my parents have been staying there for several years taking care of my grandparents.  My grandmother passed away last year, but my parents have still been staying there to go through everything.  The house was going to be rented out at the beginning of June. 

After hearing the house was on fire, David immediately took off running.  I got another neighbor (the kid's adoptive grandma) to sit with Hallie while she slept.  Her husband told me he called my mom and that she was on her way home and that no one was in the house.  Someone also told me 911 had been called.  At this point, I take off running for the house.  I was not that far behind David.  

David got to the house first, but had not heard that no one was in the house because he took off so fast.  By the time I got there, he had kicked in the back door.  He said he was unable to go in because it was too smoky.  He went around banging on the windows to see if anyone was in there.  I finally made it there and told him no one was home.  We waited for what seemed liked an eternity for the fire department to show up. 

I then called my mom.  I know my neighbor said she wasn't at home, but I needed to hear her voice for confirmation.  She also confirmed that my step dad was not home.  

The fire department showed up and began working on putting the fire out.  Not long after, my mom arrived.  Her immediate reaction was to try to run into the house.  She was stopped by a firefighter.  The firefighter and I both told her that she could not go in there.  She just sat on the ground crying.  Then, she started having problems breathing.  I was scared to death, but started coaching her to breath through her nose and out her mouth.  She was able to calm down and regulate her breathing.  The fire department finally got the fire out, but there was a lot of damage to the house, including smoke and water damage.  We were able to go in and grab a few things.  When I walked in, it was like it was raining on me from all the water that they had to spray.

After things seemed settled, I went home and mom went to her trailer to get ready for my niece's baby shower.  I jumped in the shower to remove the smoke smell and black stuff.  Then, I got Hallie ready.  I let her go out in the driveway and play.  I was getting ready in the kitchen so that I could watch her in the driveway.  I went out to get her and noticed smoke coming from the house again.  The fire started back up.  We got in the car and headed down the road.  I called 911, but I noticed they were already there as I got closer to the house.  David had returned from buying wood to board up the house and noticed it had started again and called 911.  I immediately called my mom to tell her.  She informed she would not be able to make it that she was at the hospital with my step dad because he got in a motorcycle wreck.  He was rushing home after hearing about the fire.  He wrecked turning onto the house street.  His shoulder was hurting.  They were concerned he may have broken it.  Thankfully, the X-rays showed no broken bones.  He was just really bruised and sore.

   pictures of the house

Sunday morning we headed to church.  Hallie was looking super cute and helped cheer this momma up. 

I absolutely love praise and worship, but this Sunday was a little different.  I am always thankful for all God has done for me, but my heart was bursting with gratitude.  As we sang our praise and worship songs, tears flowed from my eyes.  We definitely saw God's protection in the events from the day before.  No one was hurt in either of the tragic events.  We also saw God's favor.  With the house going to be rented out the first of June, mom had already gotten the majority of the important items out of the house.  We talked about how all those items would still have been in the house if it wasn't for the renter.  I am also thankful for friends that are prayer warriors.  As the events happened, I reached out to them.  There is power in prayer!  

The rest of Sunday was spent doing my parents laundry.  Everything was wet and smelt like smoke.  My hands were black from taking all the clothes off the hangers.  We had the clothes on a tarp in the yard.  Hallie helped by using a wagon to take the loads of clothes into the house.  

       

I picked up Bryson from his Dad's that evening.  He was devastated by the news about the house.  He had spent a lot of time in that house.  He cried because of all the memories in the house.  I explained to him that memories are in our hearts and minds and that he will always have them.  

I sat down on the couch about 8:00 to finally relax.  As I sat down, the electricity went out.  Some kid in the neighborhood was flying an inflatable frisbee that the wind caught and flew into the power line or power pole.  I'm not really sure.  David was outside and saw the sparks.  At this point, all I could do was laugh.  

Thank God it's Monday!

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday!!  Linking up with Andrea, Erika, and Narci  and sharing my favorite moments and things from the week.

ONE

After reading Amy's post on the dresses she found at Walmart for her girls, I made a mental note to look the next time I went grocery shopping.  I found this cute cheetah dress.  Perfect match for her black cat shoes!!

TWO

This shirt I bought myself from The Uptown Girl Boutique. 

THREE

I am knee deep in planning our Disney trip, and that makes this girl happy.  Earlier this week, I shared ways we are saving for the trip. 

FOUR

My favorite girl looking super cute before school.

FIVE

My favorite boy working on a school project.  

SIX

I had lots of fun activities planned this week for Earth Day, but Hallie's allergies kicked in, and we were not able to go outside.  We were able to make a dirt cake.  The kids enjoyed taste testing while making the cake.  I'm hoping we can get her allergies under control so that we can do our activities this weekend. 

Have a great weekend!!

Waiting on.....Disney

We are going on a Disney cruise in October.  I have an app on my phone that tells me how many days we have left.  I love watching that number go down.

To book a Disney cruise, we had to put a 20% deposit down.  The remainder must be paid so many days before the cruise.  Our payoff date is in August.  We have the money to pay for the full cruise, but I decided to challenge myself to see how much I could earn to pay for the trip without touching "our money".  I have been earning money for a couple of months for the trip.  I'm pleasantly surprised at the results.  As of today, I have saved $1,735.12.  Here is the breakdown.

local Facebook garage sale groups - $738.00

I have been going through the house cleaning and getting rid of items we don't need or use anymore.  This process has really opened my eyes to how much junk we have.  It's been nice to declutter and earn money at the same time.  I always meet the buyers in daylight, in a public place.  I also make the meeting times/locations convenient for me.  For example, on my way to or from work.

nonlocal Facebook groups - $902.87

All of these sales are from clothes.  Almost all brands have at least one Facebook selling group.  Some brands have several groups.  I just type in the name of the brand I'm selling to search for a group.  For example, I needed to list some of Bryson's clothes he has outgrown.  I searched for Under Armour and found a group specific for kid's resell.  These sales are not local, so I have to send a PayPal invoice.  There is a fee with PayPal.  I also have to pay for shipping.  My earnings of $902.87 is after all fees and shipping.

consignment store - $94.25

There are some items that I don't think are worth my time listing in any Facebook group because the value is so minimal.  These items I bag up and take to a local consignment store.  A few weeks ago, I got a check in the mail from the consignment store for $94.25.    

I decided to blog about my savings to keep me accountable to keep that money set aside for Disney.  It is very tempting to take that money and go on a shopping spree, especially since I know we already have the money to pay for the trip.  I may even do a monthly update to help keep me motivated.  I'm very interested in hearing ways others have saved for a trip or a large purchase. 

    

 

Linking up with Holly for Waiting on Wednesday

Weekend Wrap Up

This weekend was full of family fun.  Just the way I like it!

Friday night, we took the kids to see Cinderella.  Hallie really enjoyed Frozen Fever before the movie.  She did okay during Cinderella.  I think we need to stick to animated movies for a little bit longer.  After the movies, we went to eat pizza. 

It was raining Saturday morning.  Normally hubby is doing yard work on Saturday mornings, so I take the kids wherever I need to go.  The rain meant he had to stay inside.  This meant I got to run some errands kid free.  Yay!!  I leisurely roamed the isles of CVS Pharmacy and picked up some 90% of Easter goodies.  The pooping chicken was a hit with Hallie.     

I also enjoyed a relaxing pedicure.  I opted for a springy pink color.

By the time I got home, the rain stopped and the sun was out.  The kids were going stir crazy from being in the house all morning.  I think the hubby was too.  We decided to head to the local Spinach Festival at the city park.  It was a bust.  Lots of vendors had left because of the rain.  Bryson did the trampoline, and Hallie rode a pony.  The majority of our time was spent having fun at the park playground. 

Sunday morning, we went to church.  After church, we went to eat at our favorite Mexican restaurant.  When we asked the kids where they wanted to eat, Hallie said she wanted to go see amigo (our favorite server at the resturant).  He always approaches us with a huge smile and "hola amigos".  He calls Bryson "amigo" and Hallie "little one".  He makes our dining experience enjoyable.  
 

After church, I snapped a few pictures of Hallie, and Bryson got to learn how to mow.  He did a great job, but he did complain for hours about how his thumbs hurt.  Sorry bubba, that won't get you out of doing it next time :) 

Later that evening, we went to my brother's house for a barbeque with his family and my parents.  It was a perfect ending to the weekend.  

Friday Favorites

For some reason, this week has flown by, but that hasn't made me less ready for Friday to get here.  Here are my favorites from the week!

Confession time.  I have 8,833 pictures on my phone...eeek.  I'm sure at least half of them are of my favorite girl.  She is into making crazy faces and poses lately.  I have to take at least 30 pictures to get a good picture where is she is smiling. 

This week my favorite little boy participated in a STEM competition.  STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.  Only two kids from each class get selected to be on the team.  I'm so proud of my smart little man.

Target is having a sale on select dresses.  The sale is buy one, get one 50% off.  While browsing, I found a couple of items.  Those items are now sitting in my cart, waiting to be purchased :)

I think this jumpsuit is pretty dang near perfect.  It may meet all my requirements.  It is cute.  It looks comfy, but I wouldn't know for sure without trying it on.  It's a decent price, and it has great reviews.  

I'm in love with this maxi dress.  I just can't decide which color I love the best.  Unfortunately, this dress isn't part of the sale.

I have been working on losing those winter pounds I have put on.  I have started logging my food into My Fitness Pal again.  Yesterday, I shared my favorite protein snacks.  Today, I'm sharing ice cream that is better for you than most ice cream and tastes great.  I first bought Arctic Zero ice cream about a month ago.  The flavor was cookies and cream.  It was ok.  I never craved it.  Ohhh, but the cookie dough chip flavor!!  This flavor is awesome.  I have been eating it every night.  Another confession.  I bought an extra carton to take to work.        

Happy Friday!!  Hope everyone has a great weekend!  Linking up with Andrea, Erica, and Narci for Friday Favorites.

I Couldn't Live Without....Protien

Ok, I could probably live without protein, but I wouldn't be very happy.  Shelly over at The Queen In Between has a series going on called Fit for a Queen.  Her last post mentioned Fitness Pal, and using it to view the nutrition you consume, not just your calories.  This really hit home for me.  I started focusing on this part of Fitness Pal about a year ago.  Let me tell you, it was eye opening.  I learned that I rarely consumed the protein I should, and I almost always consumed way too much sugar.  So, I thought I would share some of my favorite ways to get some extra protein throughout the day.


Yogurt
I have tried several yogurts and so far The Dannon Light & Fit Banana Cream is my favorite.  I have always hated yogurt because it was too tart for me.  This one is not.  One thing I have learned is to look at the sugar content.  Some yogurts have almost as much sugar as a coke. 

Beef Jerky
I'm a meat and taters kind of girl, so it's no surprise I love some dried meat.  I've heard some people say that Beef Jerky has too much salt.  I have tried the lower salt beef jerky and didn't like it.  I try to consume 100 ounces of water a day, so I don't worry too much about salt consumption. 

Protein Bars
There are a bajillion protein bars out there.  Quest protein bars are probably the most popular bars.  I do like them, but they aren't my favorite.  I feel like they are a dessert bar and too sweet to eat right after a workout.  Power Crunch Peanut Butter Creme is my absolute favorite.  I could probably eat one for every meal.  They are on the higher side on the fat content, so I usually just eat one on workout days.

 

I'm always interested in seeing how people incorporate more protein into their diet.  I would love to hear any suggestions.  Thanks!

Linking up with Katie for I Couldn't Live Without, Vanessa for Thinking Out Loud Thursday, and Annie for Thoughts on Thursday. 

Easter 2015

Easter weekend was full of family traditions. 

We color eggs every year.  The little ones always sport just underwear.  Bryson has finally moved up to wearing a shirt...haha.

We found a fun Easter egg kit with crazy faces and hair.  The hair was supposed to be glued on with sugar glue.  Ummm what?!?!  Ain't no body got time for that.  Glue sticks for us.  Who's going to eat the shell anyways?

We had a little egg hunt for the kids on Saturday evening.  We purposely didn't mow the grass the weekend before so that we would have some good hiding places.  Bryson's eggs were camo and actually pretty hard to find.  Hallie would find one of his eggs and point it out to him.  He was not appreciative of sister's help.  He was determined to find them on his own.

 

Easter baskets ready Sunday morning.  I had to be at church early to work, so I didn't get to see Hallie open her basket.  The Frozen chocolate surprise eggs must have been a big hit since they were all open by the time I got home.  The Easter bunny even left something for the hubby :) 

 

 

They had a very cute Easter background for pics at church.  This is the first year we did not color coordinate as a family.  I had planned on it, but I had to work, which meant church t-shirt for me.  Serving in the kids ministry was definitely worth giving up coordinating outfits. 

After church, we stopped by the house to get a change of shoes for the Easter egg hunt at my mom's.  Bryson left with me early to go to church.  He finally got to go through his basket.  He was super surprised to get a rare skylander trap.    

We had the traditional egg hunt at my mom's.  No kids are too big.  Heck, even adults hunt.  I mean, there is money in some eggs. 

Hallie was over the picture taking and letting me know.

I love that there is land where we can all spread out and have fun.

Later that night, Hallie got to enjoy another gift that the Easter bunny left.  Man, that bunny sure knows she loves Frozen :)