The Proof

"Mommamama" might have been the first spoken word... but it only counts when you get it on camera. And so, friends, I give you... "Da-Da". Forgive the shaky video. :-)

Gettin' 'em started early...

My dad has been hinting for a while that he wanted to take Morenna for her first ride on a 4-wheeler. Until recently, my answer was an adamant "NO!". But for whatever reason - perhaps the fact that I wholeheartedly trust my Dad? - I gave in and let him take her for a ride. I completely expected the typical Morenna breakdown that occurs anytime she's around loud noises, people she doesn't know, things she doesn't like, etc. But I was pleasantly surprised that she took it all in stride and even gave a brief smile at the end. I guess she trusts her G-Daddy, too. :-)

This video is a little blurry and there's no sound (I need a new camera!), but at least you can get the gist of the event.

PS: Naked content disclaimer - It was a really hot day and Morenna had spit up all over her clothes, so I just gave up. :-)

Dinner with the Schwartz's

Pork Chops with Cranberry Pear Sauce... a la Schwartz!

3-5 medium thick-sliced pork chops
salt/pepper/garlic powder
2 T. butter, divided
2 T. apple juice
1 T. lemon juice
2 t. honey
2 T. dried cranberries
1 red pear
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. cloves

Melt 1 1/2 T of butter in a medium skillet over high heat. Generously coat pork chops (both sides) with sea salt, pepper and garlic powder and place into skillet. Allow to fry until browned. Turn and cover. Meanwhile, mix apple juice, lemon juice, honey and cranberries in a small saucepan and allow to soak for 5 minutes. Thinly slice pear. Add to cranberry mixture along with remaining butter, cinnamon and cloves. Cover. Bring to boil and cook until slightly thickened. Uncover pork chops and allow to fry in juices for another 5 minutes. Remove and top with sauce.

Image courtesy of www.wholefoodsmarket.com

Our Day (By Morenna, and by proxy, Mommy)

Our day included getting up at 6:45 for no apparent reason...

Our day included a mega trip to Harris Teeter for triple coupon days where we passed the time trying to overcome the hiccups without crying too loudly...

Our day included one 10-minute morning nap that was prematurely ended by the trash truck...

Our day included three poopy diapers...

Our day included ruining clothes four different times, though not by said poopy diapers...

Our day included one 10-minute afternoon nap that was prematurely ended by the recycling truck (no offense guys, but could you please keep a twenty-mile radius from our house during sleeping and non-sleeping hours? Otherwise you will have a bad case of Mommy-Rage)...

Our day included more than two clocked hours in the rocking chair and two Andy Griffith Shows trying to induce sleep...

Our day included petitioning Daddy to skip class to rescue us from the brink of sleep-deprivation insanity...

Our day... still continues.

But sleep must come sometime, right?

A little somethin' somethin'

A wonderful recipe for a yummy, but healthy, drink! M and I tried this tonight and loved it. I took the original recipe and added a few changes. Enjoy!

Virgin Mango Pina-Colada

1 mango - peeled, seeded and cubed
3/4 cups ice cubes
2 teaspoons white sugar
1 cup frozen pineapple
1/3 cup water
1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk

Blend well in a blender.

CVS 8/24-8/30

Pretty good run for CVS this week. There were a couple different ways to organize my purchases for this week; a good reminder of the value in playing around with the different transaction combinations for your purchases in order to score the best deal. The list below includes all the items I bought, but is organized for the buyer to pay the least out of pocket (OOP). However, though cheaper, doing the transactions in the order below will leave you with no leftover ExtraCare Bucks (ECBs). And to me, that is a sad thing. So at the end I'll tell you how I did things a little differently.

Transaction One

• Zipfizz Sports Drink(my husband adores this stuff so I was super excided when it was on sale!) - $5.99
• Kotex Liners $1.49
• (2) CVS hand sanitizers - $2.99 each

Total: $13.46 + tax

Used:
- $2/$10 CVS coupon (available here, page 30)
- $1 Kotex coupon (7/20 SmartSource) and also here.
- (2) $2 CVS Skincare, available here.
- $5 ECB (from last week)

Total OOP: $1.46 + Tax

Received:
$5.99 ECB for Zipfizz
$1.49 ECB for Kotex
$1.00 ECB for hand sanitizer


Transaction Two

Zipfizz Sports Drink - $5.99

Total: $5.99 + tax
Use: $5.99 ECB from transaction one
Total OOP: Tax

Receive: $5.99 for Zipfizz

Transaction Three

Huggies Mega diapers - $13.99

Total: $13.99 + tax
Used:
- $2/$10 CVS coupon (available here, page 30)
- $2 CVS coupon for Huggies (received as printout for scanning my card at the ExtraCare box)
- $1 manufacturer coupon
- $5.99 ECB; $1.49ECB; $1.00ECB

Total OOP: $0.51 + tax

Overall, a terrific deal for diapers! However, since I wanted to have ECBs left over for next week, I actually did only two transactions.

Transaction One included (1) Zipfizz; (1) Kotex; (1) CVS hand sanitizer; = Total OOP: $1.49.

Transaction Two included (1) Huggies Mega pack; (1) Zipfizz; (1) CVS hand sanitizer; = Total OOP: $9.19.

Still not a bad deal considering the diapers. And now I have a $5.99 ECB (Zipfiz) and a $1.00 ECB (hand sanitizer) left over for next week. Sound complicated? It really isn't... :-)

CVS 8/17-8/23

Here's the CVS tally from this week:

Transaction One

1 Infant's Advil - $5.79
3 Puffs Tissues - (3) $0.88
2 Glade Air Fresheners - (2) $0.88
2 CVS Gold Emblem Candies - (2) $0.88

Used:
$2/$10 CVS coupon (available here, page 30)
$1 off Advil
$1 off 3 Puffs Tissues (8/3 P&G)
BYGO Free Glade (8/3 SmartSource)
$1 Gold Emblem (CVS coupon)

$5 Extra Care Buck (ECB) from last week

Total OOP: $0.24
Received: $5.79 ECB for Advil (monthly CVS deal)


Transaction Two

2 Johnson & Johnson First Aid Tape
1 box of Band-Aid Ultra Strips

Used:
$2/$10 CVS coupon (available here, page 30)
$1 Johnson & Johnson First Aid (8/10 SmartSource)
$1 Band-Aid Ultra (6/22 RedPlum)

$5.79 ECB

Total OOP: $0.81
Received: $5.00 ECB for buying $10 worth of Johnson & Johnson products (CVS weekly deal)

I was really happy with this transaction, but kinda wish I could have done it all for one measly dollar. :-) I know, I know... don't push it. :-)

Babies Don't Keep

A friend of mine remarked recently how in order my house was. I laughed, thinking, if only she looked behind my closet doors. :-) I love being organized. I love being clean and clutter-free. But the truth is, I fail at it everyday. Sure I have my daily list of things "to do" to keep the house straightened, the birds fed, the plants watered, and Morenna clean and smelling good. But I often find myself discouraged that it can't all seem to be done at the same time.

I thought I would adore being a stay-at-home mom... and I do adore the "mom" part... but the "staying home" can certainly be difficult.

I rock my baby, but I notice that I missed a spot when I dusted yesterday. I get on the floor with my baby and her toys, but I'm more preoccupied with the dog hair remaining on my living room carpet from Uncle Buddy's (my parent's dog) visit last week. I smile as I feed Morenna her cereal, but there are irritating crumbs under my bare feet that need vacuuming.

A post I read today reminded me of the importance of not having it all together. God gives us just the grace we need to make it through the important things today. Not the trivial. My Mom used to sing a poem to me when I was little (I'm not sure of the author).. and it has really struck home with me lately. It's my guidepost today:

Cleaning and scrubbing
Can wait till timorrow,

For babies grow up
We've learned to our sorrow.

So quiet down cobwebs,
Dust go to sleep,

I'm rocking my baby,
And babies don't keep.

On the move!

There are two new things at our house... Goodnight Moon and a baby on the move!

CVS 8/3-8/9 -- Stop #2

With all the good deals this week, I just couldn't help but going a second time. Little did I know that the candy deal from three weeks ago was still going on (under the wire, I might add) so I decided two more transactions wouldn't break the bank even if they might tip the scale. :-)
















Transaction One

• (2) Dove Bags Dark Chocolate - $4.49 each
• (1) Dove Chocolate Bar - $2.49

Used

• Buy one Dove bag get one free
• $2/$10 CVS coupon
• $5 ECBs

Total OOP (out of pocket): $0.11 with $5 ECBs

Transaction Two

• Scott 12pk Toilet Paper - $6.49
• (2) Pert Plus Shampoo/Conditioner B1G1 - $3.99
• CVS Mouthwash - $2.39
• Colgate Toothpaste - $2.99

Used

• $2/$10 coupon
  
• (2) $2 off Pert Plus
• Free CVS mouthwash from earlier this week
• $1 Colgate
• $1 Scott
  
• $5 ECBs

Total OOP (out of pocket): $0.48 with $2 ECBs to spare

And we're on to next week...

Pearly Whites

Pray for us. We're teething today...

CVS 8/3-8/9

Back by popular demand, here are my CVS wheelings and dealings for this week! Not another huge week for me, but I obtained some good deals, including a couple of things we needed.

Did I mention a brand new CVS store opened up a mere two miles from our house? As an announcement of their grand opening, the store sent around some great coupon fliers, including a $5/$15 coupon! I was very grateful.

Transaction One

Bought:

• (2) Dawn Dishsoaps - $0.88 each
  
• (1) Crest Toothpaste - $2.49 each
  
• (1) Oral-B Toothbrush - $2.49 each
  
• (1) Colgate Toothpaste - $2.99 each
  
• (1) Infant Advil - $5.79 each

Total: $15.52
Used:

• $1.00 Crest Toothpaste coupon
• $1.00 Colgate Toothpaste coupon
• $1.00 Children's Advil coupon
• $1.00 (2) Dawn coupon
• $1.00 Oral-B coupon
• $5/$15 coupon
  
• $4.00 in ExtraCare bucks (ECBs) *ECBs are basically paper money that you can use at CVS on any future purchase
  

Total Out of Pocket (OOP) expense: $1.56
Earned: $10.79 in ECBs

Transaction Two

Bought:

• (1) Almay Eyeliner - $8.99
  
• (1) CVS Cotton Pads - $2.99
  
• (1) L'oreal Styling Gel - $4.99

Total: $16.97
Used:

• $1.00 Almay coupon
• $3.00 CVS product coupon
• $1.00 L'oreal coupon
• $10.97 ECBs

Total OOP: $1.34
Earned: $5.oo in ECBs; (1) free CVS mouthwash

All in all, not a shabby deal. I was a little disappointed that I wasn't able to score any of the Pert Plus that they had on sale this week (it was buy one at $3.99 get one free and I had two $2.00 coupons, making the deal a $0.01 moneymaker). According to the manager they sold out of all the bottles early this afternoon, but she graciously offered me a raincheck for them, so I guess I'll just pick those up next week. :-)

I'm Alive!!!

Yes, I'm still alive - contrary to the recent state of my blog. As I mentioned before, my writing time has been channeled towards composing a newsletter once a week on all our recent household happenings as well as updates about our baby girl for our family and friends. (It's easier for me to write the e-newsletter than to post on my blog, for some reason. If you want to receive a copy of the newsletter just shoot me off an email at first initial, M, last name at gmail dot com).

But things have been hopping here for us. My mother-in-law paid us a two-week visit in the middle July. It was a real treat to have her here (hey, live-in babysitter!) and I know she appreciated getting some quality time with her first grandchild. Morenna certainly loves her Nana.

M's been really busy at work and has been forced to work some crazy hours, much to our disappointment. He's actually in the process of considering a new job with a large consulting firm near our home. Feel free to keep that in your prayers! I think he's enjoying fatherhood on the whole. I remember back in our college days I often wondered what M would look like as a dad. He always told me he didn't want to have children (a little white lie at the time) and I figured I could see why - he never seemed like the daddy sort. But boy could I ever be more wrong. He is so great with Morenna and seems to enjoy her more and more everyday!


Morenna herself is, well, just amazing. She continues to surprise us with her developmental growth. She's starting to teeth now, but so far it hasn't been too traumatic for baby or mommy. She rolls from tummy to back and back to tummy.

She likes to sleep on her side (at least I think she does since I put her to bed on her tummy and she's always on her side when I go to get her in the morning). She's sleeping through the night like a champ (8-9pm to 6-7:30am) and she loves to scoot around and knaw on her toys. Sitting up is also a new activity.

I have to say her favorite place is probably either outside or on her Mommy and Daddy's bed. We're keeping my parent's golden retriever for a couple of weeks and she's enjoying the presence of another slobbery companion.



And me... well, I'm just loving life. What a joy it is to be a wife and a mother. A challenge, yes, but what life-endeavers aren't? I'm really enjoying my new hobby of bargain shopping. Since we've gone down to one income, I'm gripping my wallet a little tighter these days, but the resulting effect has been terrific. I'm loving all the deals I am able to score each week at places like CVS.

My most recent trip was just yesterday. It wasn't one of my most glorious trips ever, but I was pretty excited to obtain the following items for just over $2:

• 1 package of make-up remover pads
• 1 16 oz bag Skittles
• 1 package of Bandaids
• 2 bars of Dove dark chocolate
• 3 packages of Mentos
• 1 Revlon lip gloss
• 1 package of M&M Premium candies
• 1 Clairol Natural Instincts hair color (and no, I don't color my hair... it was for a friend :-))

What's even better is that I have $4 in CVS money to spend on my next visit. Whoo hoo! I'm loving it! And to make things even better, my local grocery had triple coupon day last week. In all I spent over $90 just in coupons alone... and some items the store actually "paid" me $0.10. $0.25 or $0.90 cents to buy. Tee hee :-)

And one other money-saving activity has been our little garden: two tomatoes and one pepper plant. Somehow or another, our little pepper plant has become the fertile king of the land, popping out eight peppers so far and leaving 40 blooms to go. Very interesting.

So that's a little glimpse into our lives. Hope all is well with you!

If You Came Over to My House...

You would see: A pile of unorganized shoes by the front door; Morenna's exersaucer in the living room with multiple burp rags scattered about; paper snow flakes that are still hanging on our back door and a pile of coupons on the kitchen table.

I’d probably feed you: Banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (homemade), peach pie (also homemade), chips and salsa or some really delicious Bing cherries I have in my fridge.

And offer you this to drink: Milk, homemade iced tea with mango, cranberry/blueberry juice, water, hot tea or coffee. Sorry, no soft drinks.

I’d undoubtedly ask if you’d read: Any good theories on LOST or the recent, stupid, Washington Post article on racial bias.

I’d want to play this music for you: Coldplay's new album, Viva la Vida

I’d want to tell you the latest about: Morenna's sleeping habits; the money I've saved by shopping at CVS; my devotional time; Morenna's first laugh.

I’d probably suggest a game of: Carcassonne, Settlers of Catan, Backgammon.

I might show off: My new laptop or my new cell phone. Both are pretty spiffy.

I might get on the computer and show you: Recent snapshots of Morenna or one of the recent newsletters.

If it was a long enough visit, I might watch: Transformers on our home theater system. I love showing off the bass in that movie... or if it was a ladies gathering perhaps a Thin Man, or Jane Austen favorite?


Many thanks to Leeann for the inspiration for this post. :-)

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all our friends who are new Daddys this year!

And here's to two very special "Daddys" in my life - you guys are the best!!!

Houston we have a problem

Once again you'll have to pardon my lack of posts. M has had to take the laptop to work with him this last week and I'm not able to download pictures on our old desktop here at home. Bummer. And last week I was home in Ohio bogged down with yet another sinus infection! So no posting then, either (not that I would post using my parent's crawling dial-up anyway).

On the whole, though, we're doing exceptionally well. Morenna is growing like a weed and is a bit more of a handful. She's taken to standing up whenever anyone will help her and consequently she wants to be held all the time! She's sleeping well, though, so I'm able to spend most of her waking hours with her and still get things done in the meantime.

M and I are looking into buying a mini-van. Don't jump to conclusions, and no, we're not getting ahead of ourselves. It's just that Morenna's carseat barely fits into my Civic, and it's hard to get to her during our long trips back and forth to Ohio. All the SUVs we looked at had gynormous consoles between the driver/passenger seats, which is exactly what we're trying to get away from. We looked into the Honda Odysseys and fell in love with them. Come this July, you might see me driving one. Holy cow... that will be the day.

A long weekend lunch...

With our extra time this past weekend, M and I decided to be a little extravagant with our cooking:

Grilled Salmon
Scallops with Procutto Ham and Rosemary
Black Bean Relish on Greens
Biscuits

Yum!

What's New...

Here's the truth of it: I'm horrible at blogging. Finding time to blog each day (even each week) continues to be a losing battle for me, but I'm trying. :-)

Things continue to be busy for us. M finished his finals last week (whew) so I've been able to redeem some of my free time for other things. He now has only 15 credit hours left before he will officially be finished with his degree.

I celebrated my 25th birthday last week as well. For once in my life I felt old and tired... but I blame Morenna for that since I was up with her most of the night before. :-) My parents made a last-minute trip over for my special day, and so M and I were able to have a date-night together and went shopping. Yes, shopping. I hate shopping, but I recently discovered that none of my pants/shorts fit. Surprisingly it isn't due to weight (I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight a week after Morenna was born) but the fact that my hips expanded more than I had thought. Thanks to hip-hugger jeans, none of my pants would fit and a shopping trip was a necessity.

It was nice to get dressed up for a date with M. We grabbed a quick family picture before leaving Morenna with my parents (she didn't want to cooperate for the picture):
This past weekend our little family packed up and went to Virginia Beach for the law school graduation of one of our good friends from undergrad. It was our first overnight trip away from home (not staying with family). Morenna did great and we even had the opportunity to take her to the ocean for her first visit. It was cold and she was bundled up like an Eskimo, but nevertheless... she was there.
I should add that part of the reason I haven't been blogging is because each week I put together a newsletter about Morenna for our family and close friends. That pretty much exhausts my creative writing abilities. :-) If you'd like to receive the newsletter I'd be more than happy to send it to you. Just shoot me off an email at: *first initial**middle initial (M.)*last name*@gmail.com.

Homemade "Geddes"

Ok, so maybe this image isn't as good as the professional artistic photographer's, but seeing how it's my baby in the picture I think it's close to perfect :-).

I'm trying to decide whether to title it
Firefly or Ladybug

Grace

I found this post today at Girl Talk to be really encouraging:

Grace When We Need It

Tell me you can’t relate to this scenario. You talk to a woman who is in the middle of a trial. She testifies to God’s overwhelming and sustaining grace. You marvel at her peace and joy that belies her suffering. But instead of praising God for His evident faithfulness, you begin to imagine yourself enduring her ordeal. "How would I cope?" "I don’t think I could handle it." "I hope it doesn’t happen to me." With high-definition clarity and color you see yourself in the midst of her ordeal. Grace is nowhere to be found, and you are gripped by fear and dread.

So often we ignore the awesome displays of God’s faithfulness to people in trials and instead imagine ourselves in their situation, minus the grace of God. We would do well to heed Elisabeth Elliot’s wise reminder that there is no grace for our imaginations. None. It’s simply not available. God is not waiting in the wings to help us through whatever horrible imaginary trouble we can conjure up today. But His goodness is stored up and will be abundantly poured out whenever we walk through a real trial.

I’ve passed along this piece of advice to oodles of women. Maybe that’s because there are so many like me who easily submit to fear. So let’s resolve together: the next time we observe someone going through a trial, let’s turn off our imaginations and instead fix our gaze on the marvelous, abundant, overwhelming and timely grace of God—the same grace that will be available to us when we actually need it.

“…do not fear anything that is frightening.” 1 Peter 3:6