$20

Makayla and I went into Homegoods the other day in search of a new kitchen rug and maybe more.

*wink wink*

You know how it is when you get in that store (or maybe it's just me?).  Suddenly everything you see is deemed 'gorgeous' and you find yourself saying "oh I just love that!" at about everything you pass.

Now before you think I broke the bank with our shopping excursion, let's tell you I only spent $40 total and it was money well spent!!

The one thing we bought that I had no intentions on getting before we stepped through the doors ended up being the best $20 I think I've ever spent!!

I bought this hamper and am using it instead as a toy bin.

Best idea ever!

We originally had a pink wicker storage box with a liner in this corner.  It's a beautiful thing for storage but wasn't functioning anymore.

Aka - Makayla had toys stacked about 2 feet taller than said box.

So we used this hamper-turned-storage bin instead and I moved her wicker box into the living room.  She has a ton of books stored in a cute $5 goodwill end table that I spruced up a while back.  Problem was..all the books could only fit in it one way and I was always the one having to put them away.  So I moved all the books out of that into the wicker box (now she can pick them up!!) and put various stuffed animals into the end table (again..she can clean up and put her toys away).

You could say that $20 purchase was a win-win situation for mommy!!

Oh a side note..we did buy a kitchen rug..also $20..post on that tomorrow!

Makayla 'stuff'

I thought I'd do a little post on things about Makayla you may (or may not!) know about..so here goes!!

• She wants bacon for breakfast..pretty much 7 days a week.  But she also eats 2 fruits for breakfast too.  The bacon is almost always a must though.
• Lately she does NOT want to go to sleep at night!  She almost always gets up out of bed about 5 minutes after I lay her down.  Then we're pretty much good for the night.
• Speaking of sleep..have I mentioned she's a night owl?  Yup..just like mom and dad.
• She also sleeps in late in the mornings.  None of us are up before 9am.  Fine by me!!
• She's became obsessed with her 'crack'!  Yes..there I said it!  When I get her undressed for bath time every night, she points to her butt and yells "crack!!!"!  Oh..my..word!
• She loves to read.  And sing.  And learn.
• She's still not potty trained.  Not even remotely close.  And I'm actually kinda ok with that.  It'll happen in good time!
• She loves to run her hands through the clothes in my closet and say, "Dress!!"!  She thinks all clothing items are 'dresses'.  Even daddy's.
• My Kindle is her latest addiction.  Pretty sure she's going to need one of those kid versions (Nabi, Nobi?).
• She loves for me to paint her toenails.

Ok..so much for the list.  I'm writing this at night, after I put her in bed.  She's up for the 2nd time and its 12:30!

Anyone else hear the owl 'hooting'?

Secret Ingredient

Not much going on here today.  While I was fixing some dinner (chili, since I've got your attention), I realized that like chili lots of recipes are very adaptable.  You can fix the same thing, in a variety of ways and still come out with a delicious end product.

Like chili.  My "not so secret ingredients" are finely chopped celery and a jar of my homemade salsa!  Today I used a classic staple used in chili, a can of pinto beans, as I always do, but in a brand I normally don't use.

But I probably should because they make a very good quality product!

Have you ever tried or even heard of Margaret Holmes products?  Let me tell you, they make a mean Italian green bean!!

But back to recipes and ingredients.  What I'm wondering is what makes your dishes special?

I also make cheesy corn bread cakes (box of jiffy cornbread mix prepared with some shredded cheese thrown in for good measure, fried in pancake party form in a skillet).  They are a great and easy addition when you don't want to make a whole pan of cornbread!

Hungry yet?

What's your secret ingredient?

Consigning!

So I hit up a great consignment sale over the weekend!  Makayla made out well once again and is getting close to being set for her spring/summer wardrobe.

Did I mention my 2 year old wears a size 5?  Unreal..I still shake my head over that one.

Anyways, for less than $90 I came out with:

4 Dresses (the purple one is definitely a church dress and not for everyday wear)

Bikini from Children's Place

 Cute patchwork shorts from Children's Place

4 Tops

Loved this outfit set

For July 4th..for sure!

Would be cute for the beach!

 

So in total we bought 4 dresses, 3 outfit sets, 1 bikini, 4 shirts, 1 pair of shorts, and a bikini.   I think I made out pretty good! 

 

Do you shop consignment for your kids?

Touches of Green

Hope everyone is wearing a wee little bit of green today, since it is St. Patrick's Day after all!  We love St. Paddy's day around here.

After all..our last name is Green. 

I decorate for the holiday each year.  Fix some special things to eat.  Corned beef and cabbage will be on the menu today, as it is pretty much every year.  Its a favorite of ours and we enjoy it on non-holidays as well.  Potatoes will also be on the menu though right now I'm not sure in what form they will be.  Probably latkes or something.  And this year..I made green fudge!  Its not mint (something I'm not fond of)..just my regular white chocolate fudge that I tinted green..oh so cool!

 

We also have green piggies running around the house today.

 

 

Some homemade green shamrocks, and homemade St. Patrick's Day curtains.

 

 

And a couple of my usual décor for the holiday.

 







 

 

Do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day?

The best "paw-paw"

I have to say, Makayla is a lucky girl.

She's got the best 'paw-paw' a little girl could ever ask for!!

My dad is the best with kids.  He's always loved babies and I knew when I had Makayla they would have an amazing bond.

Boy was I right!!  We celebrated my daddy's birthday recently and I got a few good pictures of them..in all their glory.

My favorite!

 

 

I can't get enough of watching them play together.  She always enjoys going and seeing her 'paw' and playing with him.  Something I'll never be thankful enough for!

Sharpness of the tounge

We've all been there.  Or maybe its just me.  Anyways, we'll say something before we think about it.

And then you can never take it back.

The Bible speaks of how we should guard our tongues because it can be damaging. 

Proverbs 21:23 - "Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles."

James 3:8 - "But the tongue can no man tame; [it is] an unruly evil, full of deadly poison."

On Sunday, my tongue got the best of me.  In front of everyone at church, no less!  To say I felt terrible is an understatement.  But a long story short, I had to drive back to the house to grab my keys to the church (we just live about 1/4 of a mile from our church) because nobody could get in.  I left Damon and Makayla with the rest of the congregation waiting on the steps of the church.  Makayla, of course, cried when I left and the whole time.  When I got back and raced up the stairs to unlock the door, Damon let loose of her hand and she fell.  She's ok..she scratched her nose up a bit.  But I snapped at Damon and told him in a harsh voice "You HAVE to hold her hand!!!!". 

Not my proudest moment.

I apologized to him but you know, when we say something and apologize we can be forgiven, but its always not forgotten.  The scripture from the book of James rings very true in my case as no man can tame his tongue.  Or woman in this case!  This is an area of my life that needs work.  I know with God's help I can get better. But I also know that I'll never be perfect.  I'll fail.  And fail again.  But I'll strive until my time is up to control this tongue of mine. 

Because those I love are dear to me and the last thing I ever want to do is hurt them. 

A Little Something Different

So I thought I would talk a little about something I don't bring up on the blog that often.

Make-up!

I love make-up.  Wear it everyday.  I don't like the over-done look.  Natural looks best!

About a month ago, I bought a couple new products at good old Wal-Mart to try out.  I was very impressed and have to say I made some good choices!

1. Equate (Wal-Mart brand) Age Resisting Classic Cleanser.  I normally use some sort of face wash when I bath to get the make-up off my face at night.  This is the knock-off of Olay Age Defying Classic Cleanser and I feel like it does a great job!  My face feels clean after I use it and hey..I might not be 'old'..but it doesn't hurt to start a good 'age-defying' regime even at my age!
2. Equate Anti-Wrinkle Cream with sunscreen.  Again..doesn't hurt to start early with an anti-age regime!  I use this under my concealer everyday and it helps the concealer to go on smoother.  Doesn't leave a greasy mess on my skin, and I have oily skin so that's a plus!
3. Yves Rocher Riche Crème Ultra Reconstuctive Balm.  I bought this years ago from the mail order beauty company Yves Rocher (they are pretty awesome if you've never checked them out!) but hadn't used it..ever.  In fact, it might have been a freebie in one of my orders now that I think about it.  Anyways, after I began using this my neck started to break out in splotches.  So I stopped using it.  But then I realized it wasn't this product, it was some perfume I got for Christmas!  I'm allergic to aloe vera (I know..right?) and I didn't realize it was in my perfume.  I haven't started using this again, but I plan on it!  It has all natural ingredients and I used it after I bathed at night, sort of as a night crème, if you will.
4. Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation.  I gotta say..I love this stuff!!!  I love all of Rimmel's products, I've used several of them especially in the powder/foundation line.  Its my go-to brand, plus its inexpensive!  I would say though that you need some sort of cream to put on before you use this unless you have SUPER oily skin!  I forgot to put on my Anti-Wrinkle Cream one day and went straight to this..it didn't go on as smooth as it does when I use my cream beforehand, so I would recommend doing that.
5. Maybelline "The Colossal" Volume Express.  I love mascara, but its not something I truly need.  I have long lashes (don't be jealous!) but I like for them to kind of pop and wearing mascara does that.  This is a good mascara, I have no dislikes about the product.  It works for me!

So that's been some new products I've tried as of late!  And..in case you were wondering..I did get a picture of myself on day right after putting on my make-up (Did I ever mention I wear make-up pretty much everyday?  I feel naked without it plus I like looking nice for my man!).  I thought my complexion looked pretty great!!

 

What are some of your favorite make-up products?

One.

Bear with me, as this post is something that's been 'swirling' around in my mind for the past 24 hours or so.

One.

I have one child.

And that's probably all we will have (unless the Lord will see fit that we have another..and if He does..that's ok with me!).

You know what..that's what Damon and I planned.  We never had planned on having a bunch of kids.  To be honest, I never planned on having any.  But God changed my heart on the first Christmas we celebrated together in our new home and I longed for a child after that.

After having a miscarriage, I became pregnant the following month.  I was thrilled.  And scared.  And everything else a new, expecting mother could be.  Until I heard Makayla's first cry in the delivery room, I was afraid.

I'm not afraid to have more children.  I'm just content with one. 

 

 

God destined me to be her mommy.  This is something I cannot be more thankful for each day.  I know so many others right now who are facing different things related to motherhood.  First time parents, second time parents, even third time parents!, infertility, adoption, thinking about adoption.  Each has their own unique path, their own story to tell.

 

But my story starts with one.  And ends with one.  And I'm ok with that.  And I pray for those who are struggling with their own unique joys and burdens that comes along the path we call 'motherhood'.