A Break in the Snow and a Princess Party

We are finally seeing a break in our cold weather and snow. Our road is still covered in a thick layer of slushy ice, but school is back in session! Emma was thrilled to be able to get back to preschool last Friday. Before that, she was certain that preschool was done for the year. Each day she would wake up and ask "Is there too much snow?" And the answer was "Yes" every time.

The best part about going to back to preschool Friday was that the kids were finally able to have their Prince & Princesses Valentine's Day Tea Party. The girls came dressed in their princess dresses, and the boys sported their knight or prince attire. Our little princes.....


The "tea" was chocolate milk. The treats were heart-shaped and yummy. The games were fun and loud. Valentines were exchanged with a great deal of enthusiasm.



I can't think of a better way to spend a Friday morning... with my princess.

This post is linked to Gratituesday hosted by Laura at Heavenly Homemakers and Finer Things Friday hosted by Amy from The Finer Things in Life.

Birthday on a Budget: The Wrap-Up

We were finally able to have Emma's birthday party last Saturday. No snowstorm was going to keep us from it this time! The birthday girl was a star, and everyone had a wonderful evening. Let's start with a few pictures from the big event.

The birthday girl with her cake

The Candy Land cake

The silly birthday girl herself

All in all, we spent just over $100 for a party that was planned for about 20 people (all adults except the birthday girl and one baby cousin). The weather made our party smaller, but the budget was for 20 people. The $100 included gifts, food, decorations, balloons, and paper goods.

Here are a few ways that I was able to keep costs under control and still splurge on some fun things.

Plan, plan, plan.... Then plan a little more.
I had to start early to save. In fact, had I planned ahead a little more, I could have probably cut our budget in half. I had to plan to redeem my Swagbucks for Amazon gift cards. I had to get my Amazon order placed in time for paper goods, balloons, and gifts to arrive.

I also watched the CVS ad for a pop sale. Getting pop for almost-free allowed me to spend our money on more fun things. Planning paid off.

I kept it pretty simple.
Our menu consisted of two kinds of soups, LOTS of crackers (scored for almost-free over the past few months), Panera bread with spinach dip (courtesy of my parents), a veggie tray, cake, ice cream, and candy (more on candy later).

I used what we already had.
I was able to use our regular soup bowls, silverware, and tablecloths. I printed some images to go on the cake. I also used a $25 gift card that I won to help defray some of the costs.

There are couple of things that I would do differently next time.

Plan, plan, plan a little more.
I could have gotten better deals on the food had I done more shopping in January. I also could have spent less out-of-pocket on the paper goods, gifts, and balloons I got through Amazon. But I didn't redeem all of my Swagbucks in time to order everything. I used some Swagbucks gift cards and paid some out-of-pocket.

Choose a simpler theme.
I tried to steer Emma toward a theme that was something she's currently interested in. Right now, she would spend the entire day playing board games, and Candy Land is a favorite. It sounded like an easy theme to run with. However, once we chose it, I had a hard time finding plates, cups, napkins, etc. in the Candy Land theme. I ended up having to pay shipping, and I always try to avoid that with Amazon.

This theme also made for a rather expensive cake. I wanted to do it up right with candy all over it, and I did. But we ended up not eating all of the candy (with much thanks from our dentist), and I overbought. I only used a few pieces out of several bags of candy. I was wishing we had a bulk food store! Emma loved the cake, but a simpler theme would have saved some cash in the cake decorating department.

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Overall, I'm pleased with what we spent. This is the first time that I've ever tracked our expenses for a birthday party. I usually spend $20 here and $30 there without paying attention. Now I have a better idea of what to budget for next year's 6th birthday bash!

For more great frugal ideas, stop by Frugal Friday hosted by Life As MOM.

Valentine's Day - All Year 'Round

Today is Valentine's Day, and I know that there are a lot of people who spent the last week or so scurrying around trying to find gifts that say I love you. I am blessed with a husband who - through his words and actions - shows love all year. Sure, we've had some fun (and even pricey) Valentine's Days in years past. But those days didn't make me love him more.

I think the past few weeks of my husband doing everything he could to speed my post-op recovery have really spotlighted his ongoing desire to serve his family. He's done laundry, run errands, and been encouraging when I got discouraged. He's so faithful with showing love every day in the little things.

And trust me... Those little things really add up!

This year, we decided together that we were going to keep Valentine's Day low-key. We just had Emma's birthday party last night (more on that later), and we knew that we'd be worn out by today! We started the day with heart-shaped pancakes... which got a "Wow!" and big eyes from Emma. We headed to church and came back for heart-shaped sandwiches for lunch. We had a couple of little gifts for Emma, but for the most part we're just enjoying each other's company today.

I am blessed to have the love of Valentine's Day all year 'round.

Happy Birthday to My Baby!

My baby turns 5 today. That's a whole hand's worth of years old. She's SO excited about being 5! Mommy's not sure if she's ready for it or not. *sigh* But I am incredibly proud of the kind, thoughtful young lady she's becoming. I know that God has big plans for her, and I'm excited to see them unfold.

Happy birthday, Big Girl!

Finally Back Home

Thank so much for all your kind words and promises for prayers as I had my surgery on Monday. It was a little bit more extensive than they had anticipated, so they kept me overnight for observation. My husband had his laptop with him, and I tried to log in to update you. But would you believe that my blog site was blocked by the hospital's filtering system!? I guess I was just supposed to sit there, stare at the ceiling, and rest, right?

I'm back home... a little sore... but ready to recuperate and find some deals! Thank you all again for your sweet words of encouragement!

Prayer Request... For Me This Time

I just wanted to let you know that I'm having some outpatient surgery done on Monday. Nothing major... just some girlie stuff. I'll spare you - especially our male readers! - the details. I just wanted to know if you could remember me in prayer. I've been battling with fear about the whole thing all week. This morning in church, we sang the song Hosanna and one part specifically caught my attention.

When we see you, we find strength to face the day.
In your presence all our fears are washed away...
washed away.

I just need to remember that it's in God's presence that the fears are washed away. His peace is able to sustain us... even when we're not sure what's coming next.

So, I appreciate your prayers. I'll let you know how everything goes, and - of course - be back with more deals before you know it!

The Word for the Day Is.... SPRINKLES

Well, we finished our cookie project today. I was amazed at how much time and effort Emma put into each and every cookie that she decorated. Wow! I think that her goal for each cookie was to get more sprinkles on it than she did on the last one. And she was pretty successful! Here's how they came out....

This little lady was incredibly proud of her handiwork! And well she should be! These are by far the prettiest cookies we've ever enjoyed for Christmas!

Baking Cookies for Santa

This is the first year that Emma's been interested in Santa at all, so it's been kind of fun. She's made up her mind that she has to leave cookies for Santa... Not just any old cookies, mind you! Hers have to be "shape cookies with icing and sprinkles." Hmm... We've never made cutout cookies!

I went hunting for a recipe and found a great one at allrecipes.com (HERE). I mixed them up this morning, and they chilled while we shopped today. This evening we rolled up our sleeves and rolled out some cookies. I was pleasantly surprised at how much Emma was into it! I guess the pictures tell it all...







Tomorrow night will be icing night! Did you know that Santa must have chocolate sprinkles??

I'm Almost an Aunt!

My brother called at 1 a.m. to say that they were at the hospital! The plan was to induce labor on Thursday, but Miss Addison had other plans. Please pray for a safe delivery and for the proud new parents! I'll be back in town soon to update you!

For All of You Buckeye Fans Out There....

If you're not from Ohio, you might not appreciate (or get) this as much as those of us from the Buckeye state! This one's for Emma's daddy.... Go Bucks!

Okay... For those of you not from Ohio, these are the O-H-I-O hand motions that Buckeye fans do during the game. :) When Emma was learning her alphabet a couple of years ago, we would start this O-H and wait for her. One time she said I-J-K-L-M! Now she's got the O-H-I-O down!

Works for Me Wednesday: Entertaining the Dog when Company Comes

Meet my dog Lizzie. Lizzie is a Jack Russell Terrier, reportedly one of the most intelligent dog breeds on the planet. Most days I would agree with that statement. She learns very quickly, and she is quite well-behaved....

Until company comes.

When company comes, Lizzie morphs into someone else's dog. I'm sure of it, because MY dog *ahem* never acts like that. So, to recapture the normal behavior of MY dog, I have devised (and tested) a plan.

I have company coming this weekend. My cousin, whom I've not seen for a couple of years and who is a total stranger to Lizzie, is visiting from Virginia. She is bringing her dog, adding to the potential craziness of my dog. So, when I stopped at Kroger to pick up a few items for the week, I also picked up two nice-sized soup bones. They're in my fridge right now. I'll be cooking them tomorrow.

No, I'm not making beef vegetable soup. (Though that sounds like a pretty yummy meal to serve guests!) I'm making a distraction. I'll store the cooked bones in the fridge until Thursday evening when my cousin arrives. At that time, we'll spread out an old blanket in one corner of the kitchen and give Lizzie her bone. When my cousin's dog enters the house, we'll invite him to the blanket and give him a bone too.

Trust me... I've done this... And it works. The dogs are so intent on those bones that they could care less about us! And I like it that way.

For more ideas that work, stop by Works for Me Wednesday hosted by We Are THAT Family.

Finer Things Friday: Playing Dress Up

When you think about the finer things in life, what comes to mind? How 'bout this?

Playing dress up.... What could be finer? For more finer things, stop by Finer Things Friday hosted by Amy's Finer Things.

First Day of Preschool 2009

Whew! Yesterday was kind of a blur! It was the first day of preschool for Emma, and she was literally jumping-up-and-down excited. It was a little tough to get her to sit still long enough to take a few pictures.

She had a wonderful first day and is glad to be back with the same teacher again this year. We're all thankful for our church providing a Christian school for Emma to attend. We're certainly thankful for her wonderful teacher. And we're especially thankful for this sweet little lady!

What are you thankful for today? To see what others are thankful for, head over to Gratituesday hosted by Heavenly Homemakers.

Birthday Wishes

Today is my mom's birthday! I am so very blessed to have this wonderful woman as my mom. She's one of the most kind, thoughtful, and generous people that I know. She's quick with a word of encouragement, a smile, or whatever you need! I am so thankful for her!

She's on staff at our church, and our pastor was kind enough to have the entire congregation sing to her during the service this morning. I'll bet that was the first time she's had "Happy Birthday" sung to her in four-part harmony!

Emma spent some time at Kroger picking out the appropriate number candles for her grandma. So I'm off to finish getting the cake ready for those candles. Oh, my mom is such a good sport!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Gratituesday: For the Love of Bikes

Our daughter's birthday is in January, so that means that the bulk of her gift-receiving is done when the weather is cold and snowy. That's not the ideal time to get a new bike! A girl can only ride so many laps around the dining room, you know.

A while back we decided to get Emma a new bike this summer. The one she started learning on last year was a great auction find that my parents made. It did the trick for starting out last year, but it was too small for this year.

Armed with a Toys 'R Us gift card (from redeemed National City points) and some cash, we headed out to hunt for a big-girl bike. My husband kindly assembled the bike, and now look at her!

She makes it up and down the street a few times before calling it quits each time. And her daddy patiently walks the road with her.

Summertime... a new bike... and a patient daddy.... What more could a girl ask for?

What are you grateful for today? Head over to Gratituesday hosted by Heavenly Homemakers to see what others are grateful for.

Gratituesday: My Brother

It's Tuesday, and as I reflect on what I'm thankful for today, my brother comes to mind. Yesterday was his birthday, and we got to share part of it with him! God just had it all worked out. I was needed for a quick road trip for work, my husband and daughter came with me, and we spent the night at my brother and sister-in-law's house.

It was fun to share dinner and give him his birthday gifts ON his birthday! Now that we're both grown and live two hours apart, we often celebrate birthdays a few days (or sometimes weeks) before or after. So this was truly a treat!

My brother and I used to fight just like all siblings are known to do. But now we get along really well. I'm thankful for the godly man he's grown to be, the loving husband he is, and the wonderful daddy he's soon-to-be!

What are you thankful for today? To find out what others are thankful for, stop by Gratituesday hosted by The Heavenly Homemakers.

Gratituesday: My Husband

I just realized that it's Tuesday, and I haven't posted a Gratituesday post for a couple of weeks. I'm thankful for many things this week, but especially my husband. My schedule has been bizarre for the past few weeks. I've had to work extra -- because of my own procrastination -- and have had a couple of weddings that I've been working on for customers. My husband has been wonderful about all of it. Tonight he offered his help in any way that I needed it. I was working on a one-person job at the time, but I may take him up on the offer tomorrow. He's not complained about any of my craziness lately... just been super supportive... and for that I'm thankful!

What are you thankful for today? You can see what others are sharing over at Gratituesday sponsored by Heavenly Homemakers.

Itch to Pitch: The Update

Can you post an update when there's nothing to update? Argh! As I sit in my office/workroom, I realize that I haven't made much progress in here lately. My goal was to have it all done last week. Then life stepped in and made that pretty much impossible. I guess they were good problems though... mostly orders for wedding invitations and wedding thank you notes. So those had to come first so that I could keep my customers happy. I've got another wedding to work on this week, but I'm still hopeful that I can continue to make a dent in the office mess.

If you're stopping by for the first time, you can see the original post (including my messy "before" pictures) HERE and my first update HERE.

You can stop by the Happy Housewife's Itch to Pitch (HERE) and jump in with your own project too!

God Bless Old Navy!!!!

Okay.... I have a dilemma..... My four-and-a-half-year-old is off-the-charts tall for her age. Most people ask if she's going to be in first grade next year. She'll be in preschool. This isn't a big problem for us.....

...until we have to buy her clothes...

...especially swimsuits.

She's into the big kids' sizes, and the swimsuits for girls that age could grace the cover of some magazines.... on twenty-five year olds. We literally walked the entire mall tonight in search of a little girl-style swimsuit for her. I'm talking a traditional tank-style swimsuit. Ruffles or cartoon characters would be nice... but not mandatory. Not a two-piece. Not Hannah Montana. Nothing with the sides completely cut out. Nothing where her lower backside will show when she bends over. I mean... this kid plays like crazy in the backyard when we fill her little kiddie pool. We live in town and get a good amount of drive-by traffic. There's NO WAY she'd be comfortable in the swimwear we saw. There's no way her dad (or her mom) would allow her outside to play in any of it.

Thank God for Old Navy!!!

They had several swimsuits for little girls in the bigger girls' sizes. We ended up with a cute little black and hot pink floral tank-style suit (which of course I don't have a picture of yet!). It fits perfectly with a little room to grow. It ties across the back to keep everything covered. (Yes, most of the tops of the bigger girls' swimsuits expect there to be more up-top than she has at age 4.) It's modest while allowing her to swim, run, jump, play.... and be a little girl.

I've noticed more and more that we have to hunt like crazy for clothes that keep her looking like a little girl. It takes quite a while for us to build her wardrobe for any given season. But it's worth it when we dress her each day and she still looks four-and-a-half.

By the way, if you're in need of swimwear for yourself or a little one, Old Navy's offering their swimwear for $5 from Friday, June 26 through Sunday, June 28. You can also snag some coupons at OldNavyWeekly.com to make this an even sweeter deal!

Father's Day - I am Blessed

Me with My Dad in the '70s

When I hear the words Father's Day, I realize that I am so very blessed. I have a wonderful dad. He was always there when I was growing up, and he is a HUGE part of my life today. He is a great role model for us, showing us how to love God and love each other. No matter what is going on in his own life, he always has time for us.

Emma with Her Daddy in 2007

I am doubly blessed, because my husband is also an amazing daddy. Emma is definitely a daddy's girl, and I love that! He is never too busy for her, and I'll often hear her happy squeals as they wrestle, tickle, and chase through the house. In fact, they are both outside now, Jason at the grill and Emma playing in the yard. My husband is a model of God's love, grace, and faithfulness.

My brother is a daddy-to-be, and I'm thrilled that he has these two men to model is dad-ship after. I know that he's going to be a wonderful daddy too.

I thank God that He has blessed me with these dads.