Monday, June 28, 2010

Meal Plan Monday

Monday
Chinese Noodles

Tuesday
Spaghetti w/ Smoked Sausage

Wednesday
Spinach & Feta Pizza

Thursday
Possible date w/ hubby

Friday
Chicken Breast Supreme

Saturday
Chicken Spaghetti

Sunday, June 27, 2010

18 Months

Today, my baby is 18 months old. 1.5 years old. Half way to three. How did this happen? Where has the time gone?
I still feel like it was just yesterday that I brought her home from the hospital and was trying to console her newborn tears through my own "baby blues" tears.
I am certain that the first time I held her, I didn't think it was possible to love her any more than I did at that moment. But now, half way through her second year, I can say for certain that I love her today more than I did that day. How is that possible?
Well, seeing as her life is just flying by, I want to be able to look back and remember who she was at this age, so here's a look into Bailey's life at 18 months.
  • Bailey is just nursing once a day now, at bedtime. Dropping the other feedings has been a breeze for her; much easier than I anticipated. Mommy hates to think about completely weaning and has no plans to do it right now, unless it proves necessary in order to make Bailey a big sister! :)
  • She says more words than I can even begin to count, as well as many sentences. I really feel like I am talking to a little girl, not a baby.
  • She is still a Mama's girl. Wakes up every morning calling "Mama! Mommy! Mama!".
  • She sleeps through the night, from between 8 to 8:30 until anywhere from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m., just depending on the day. The 6:00 a.m. days always start with bringing Bailey into bed to watch tv while Mommy sleeps another hour at least! :)
  • She is taking one nap a day. The time she goes down for nap varies but most days it's by 11:00. She always sleeps for at least 1 1/2 hours, but some days it can be almost 3 hours!
  • She's big into playing with babies. This may or may not be a mommy induced play habit. She loves to dress/undress her babies and push them around in her little stroller.
  • She loves to go outside and to go "bye-bye".
  • She loves to "bupple" (buckle) anything that she can, and is proficient in buckling herself!
  • She has 8 teeth, plus she is working on a molar.
  • Wearing size 4 diapers, and has peed in the potty two times.
  • Wearing 18-24 month clothes, and some 2T.

Oh, Bailey. You have no idea how much we love you and how overjoyed we are that God chose US to be your mommy and daddy. You are a precious gift and one that we are so unworthy of. You are beautiful, inside and out and I can't wait to see all the wonderful things that God has in store for your life.

But, can you please do us a favor? Do you think that the next year and a half could go a little slower than the past year and a half? :)

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Hutch

Well, I haven't taken a picture of our hutch to post, but I wanted to share the ideas behind what we're going to do with it. We're going to work on it today, so I wanted to get this post up before we did that.

I came up with the idea to do a shade of blue/distressed look on my own, since my kitchen/dining room has blue in it already. But then I came across these things, to really give me more direction and give my inspiration "legs", so to say....


I don't even remember how I came across this, but Erin from Lemon Tree Creations did this distressed blue chair. I think this is the color direction I want to go in, but probably not quite as distressed as this, though I do love it!



And then, about a week ago, I was in Grand Home Furnishings, visiting with a friend, and just by chance, we happened to see this.....



If I had an extra $1000 lying around, I would buy this Corner Cupboard. Unfortunately, I don't. However, our hutch IS such that we can replace the plywood (?) backing and replace it with wood paneling painted white to match the backing of this one. I LOVE that look. And the color of this piece leads me to believe a grayish-blue would be best.

We're going to go to Lowe's later and pick out (more like anguish over) paint and get a couple of over things we need for the project. I am SO excited to work on this and can't wait to see how it turns out. Of course, I'll share pics when it's all done. In the meantime, wish us luck. :)

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Survey

Saw this survey on a blog that I read, and I love doing a good survey, so I stole it. :) She said it was really from facebook, so some of the questions may be more suited for there. Maybe you'll learn something new about me that you never knew before!


1.What was the last thing you put in your mouth?
coke

2.Where was your profile picture taken?
blog profile picture - at Anthony's parents' house on Bailey's first birthday

3.Can you play Guitar Hero?
a little-- pretty fun!

4.Name someone who made you laugh today?
Zoe - went to Harris Teeter w/ her, Ashley, and James. I enjoy spending time with her every now and then when Bailey is not around - that sounds terrible as I am typing that out, but you know what I mean? I like to be able to focus my attention on just Zoe every now and then. She always makes me laugh.

5.How late did you stay up last night and why?
Umm, I think it was about 11. I would have stayed up later, but Bailey woke up crying and since she has been sick, I brought her into bed with me. That was night #2 in bed w/ Mom & Dad. Hopefully she stays in her own bed tonight!

6.If you could move somewhere else, would you?
No, not now. I love living here.

7. Ever been kissed under fireworks?
Not that I remember. I should make sure that happens this year. :)

8. Which of your friends lives closest to you?
Ummm..... I guess that depends on what kind of "friend" you mean. I consider my neighbor Alesia to be a friend, but if we're talking about a close friend, I guess it would either be Marcy in Lyndhurst or Malisa in Grottoes.

9. Do you believe ex's can be friends?
Sure.

10. How do you feel about Dr Pepper?
Like it. Coke is my favorite though.

11. When was the last time you cried really hard?
Today! I don't deal well with my baby being sick. I hate to imagine what I would be like if anything REALLY serious every happened.

12. Who took your profile picture?
Either Linda or Brynn.

13. Who was the last person you took a picture of?
Probably Bailey.

14. Was yesterday better than today?
No, I think today was better. Just because I was relieved of the fussy baby by my wonderful husband and got to get out of the house for a while. He is great! :)

15. Can you live a day without TV?
I could-- I would not choose to... I'm probably an addict, oh well.

16. Are you upset about anything?
A little upset that hardly any of my plans have worked out this week, but it's all good.

17. Do you think relationships are ever really worth it?
Of course.

18. Are you a bad influence?
Not usually

19. Night out or night in?
In, most of the time.

20. What item could you not go without during the day?
Computer!

21. Who was the last person you visited in the hospital?
My dad, I think. That's been a while though.

22. What does the last text message in your inbox say?
I don't text, so I don't have any! I know, I am so behind the times, but I refuse to pay the extra money for texting! I can call just as easily.

23. How do you feel about your life right now?
Great - I love my life.

24. Do you hate anyone?
No

25. If we were to look in your Facebook inbox, what would we find?
I have no idea-- tons of messages!

26. Say you were given a drug test right now, would you pass?
Just took an antibiotic, but other than that, I'm clean! :)

27. Has anyone ever called you perfect before?
Not that I know of-- far from it!

28. What song is stuck in your head?
None

29. Someone knocks on your window at 2:00 a.m., who would it to be?
The only logical person I can think of would be Alesia or Jimeal from next door if something was wrong. Anyone else should be calling at that time instead of knocking. Of course, 2:00 a.m. calls are usually not good ones, so let's hope for none of those!

30.Wanna have grandkids by the time you're 50?
That would be okay, as long as Bailey is married!

31. Name something you have to do tomorrow?
HAVE to get milk and bread - we are out!

32. Do you think too much or too little?
Too much, definitely.

33. Do you smile a lot?
Not as much as I should. A lady I worked with used to tell me that I need to stop frowning or I'll have to grow bangs to cover my wrinkles. Haha! But I don't frown because I'm unhappy, it's just a habit I guess. Bailey does the same thing, so maybe it's genetic! :)

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Top 2 Tuesday . . . Reality TV Shows



So I came across this girl's blog a while ago, and she does Top 2 Tuesdays and I thought it sounded like fun, but I've just been waiting for a topic that I could actually come up with my own top 2!

This week it's the top 2 reality tv shows you would want to be on. I am a HUGE fan of reality tv, so this was an easy one for me. :)

First and foremost, Survivor!



Now, don't get me wrong. This is not because I think I would be a great survivor, or I would be the strongest, or the smartest, or catching the most fish or anything like that. Probably the opposite. I would probably be the one who is the loner having the emotional breakdowns! But maybe I would surprise myself. Anyways, I would LOVE to be on a Fans vs. Favorites show, just so I could meet all my Survivor heroes!



I have watched Survivor ever since the second season, and although I know it's not as popular as it once was, I love it just as much as I ever did.

My second choice would be The Amazing Race.



I love this show as well. Traveling is so much fun and I would love to go on this show with Anthony. We could be the "married Christian couple" stereotype on the show. :) I often try to imagine how Anthony & I would handle being on the show together. I am certain that we would fight some but I think we could work really well together using our strengths to complement each other.



I just think it would be such a great opportunity to travel the world and have so many great experiences. If I didn't have a child, I might actually apply for this one!

Monday, June 21, 2010

Meal Plan Monday

Monday
Sausage & Potato Bake

Tuesday
Tortellini

Wednesday
Hubby's Favorite Casserole

Thursday
Spaghetti w/ Smoked Sausage

Friday
Easy Quiche

Saturday
Chinese Noodles

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Happy Father's Day!

Well, our Father's Day didn't turn out quite as we would have liked it to... we were supposed to go to Busch Gardens with the whole Tyler family, but unfortunately, Anthony and I both got sick last night and didn't sleep much at all. So needless to say, we were still not feeling well this morning, so we decided it would be best to come on home. We got passes that are good until September so we'll just make another trip soon.

Anyways, on to brag on my husband for a minute. :)

I always knew he would be a good dad. Seeing him interact with his nephews and my niece confirmed that in my mind even before we were married.

But I have to say that he has probably defied even my expectations of him. I am pretty sure he loves Bailey more than he ever thought possible.




The older Bailey gets, the more fun they have with each other. Don't get me wrong, he could feed, diaper, and rock her with the best of dads. But playing, rough 'n tumble play, chasing play, tickle till you pee your diaper play, that is his niche. And Bailey cannot get enough of the playing, or enough of her Daddy.


Anthony, thanks for being such a great caretaker, provider, playmate, and example to our little girl. There is no one who I would rather share the joy and responsibility of parenting with. We love you very much!

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Recap

Just thought I'd recap the past couple days, since I have nothing better to talk about... ha! I actually do have some posts in mind -- the decorating advice for my hutch post, the newly painted Bailey's bathroom post, and one where I have a question for you guys about something I just want to get your view on. Anyways....

Yesterday, Wednesday, we stayed home most all day. Before church, we ran to CVS, because I finally have decided to start my couponing career with CVS (finally, right Courtney!?). I knew that it could definitely be a great opportunity for me, and very profitable, but to start getting the ECB's (Extra Care Bucks, just spent like cash), you have to pay something, granted not necessarily much, upfront. I just hadn't wanted to shell out anything, but they had a great deal on Old Spice bodywash this week, so I did it! They had Old Spice (and Gillette) body wash on sale for $4, and you get back 4 ECB's, so it ends up "free". Plus, I had a B1G1 coupon. So I got 2 body washes (there was a limit of 2 on the ECB deals) for $4.00 and I got my little slip for 8 ECB's. So I'll use that next time there's a deal I want. Hopefully I can get lots of great deals now that I am started! I've been wanting to get into this for a while, so I'm so happy I finally did it!

After CVS, we went to Wendy's and had dinner with Ashley, James, & Zoe. Wendy's has their kid meals for 99 cents on Wednesday evenings, but let me say... I do NOT think we'll be going back there for a while! They SO did not have it together. The line was 10 miles long and SLOW as could be. I really think we waited in line for 10 minutes, if not 15. Ridiculous. So if you've ever been to Wendy's, you know how they have someone writing your order down before you actually get to the register? Well, they still do the same thing, but instead of writing it down, they do it electronically so they can just send your order to the front register. (Probably been like that a while, but I haven't been in there in a very long time.) Well, when Ashley and I get up there, BOTH of our orders were more expensive than they should have been. Good thing we added up how much they were supposed to be. So like I said, probably not going back there for a while.

Then it was on to church. I am leading the small group of 7th and 8th grade girls this summer, and I'm really enjoying that group of girls. They are sweet and a lot of fun. Every single girl who was in my group last night is going to camp next week. So I'm going to be praying that God does some great things in their tender, young hearts!

Zoe came home with us to spend the night after church. I always let her stay up way too late when she is here, but what are aunts for, you know? We're supposed to do all the things that moms don't let them do. :)

This morning we went to storytime at the library, then to Target, then to Grand Home Furnishings to meet up with my friend Amanda (used to be Hill) and her mom who had come into town with her dad, who sometimes visits this store. We visited there for a little bit and then had to come for Bailey to get a nap. After nap time, we met up w/ Mom, Ashley, and James and went to the Virginia Discovery Museum in Charlottesville. It was $4 a person and we were not overly impressed, except for the observation beehive, which was totally awesome. It wasn't bad, but I was expecting more, so we probably won't be going back there again. I have heard that the Harrisonburg Children's Museum is much better, so hopefully we can go there soon.

Now we're just enjoying a relaxing evening, watching the Celtics play and getting ready for our VA Beach trip tomorrow. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Freezer

Just wanted to share an update on what happened with the freezer we were getting. Well, I ended up not getting my Chipotle, because the lady couldln't meet us till 8:00, so Anthony went by himself.

So he got the freezer, and when we brought it in yesterday it seemed bigger than what we thought it was going to be. So Anthony checked the back and it said it was a 7 cu. ft., not a 5 cu. ft. like the lady said it was. Well, I guess we got a good deal cause we paid less for a bigger freezer, but it's really bigger than what we want.

So Anthony put it back on craigslist, but turns out, I told Ashley about it and she said that she and James want it! So they're going to buy it from us, and we'll just keep looking for a 5 cu. ft.!

Monday, June 14, 2010

Meal Plan Monday

Monday
Hot Dogs

Tuesday
Popcorn Chicken Salad

Wednesday
Sausage & Potato Bake

Thursday
Skillet Tacos

Friday
VA Beach for the weekend

Whoops

Just wanted to check in and say I am still alive for anyone who was wondering. We had a super busy weekend and last week I didn't feel like there was anything going on that was exciting enough to blog about. I still haven't even made my meal plan for the week yet! Yikes! Which I think may be partly the cause of us perhaps eating out tonight. But I have a good reason. Haha. I think we are going to be buying a chest freezer from a lady in Charlottesville. Anthony found it on craigslist. It is just a small 5 cu. ft. freezer, but I don't think I need anymore than that. I just have times (after shopping trips where I find good deals) where I think there is NO way I am going to be able to get everything in my freezer. This freezer is only 3 to 4 months old and she's going to sell it to us for $100.

So hopefully this works out. So when I was thinking of where we could stop and get food in Charlottesville, Chipotle came to mind... mmm.

So anyways, I'll have my meal plan done tonight and hopefully I won't be so boring this week as I was last week! :)

Monday, June 7, 2010

Meal Plan Monday

I just need to put in my plug for weekly meal planning. If you get to dinner time every day and find yourself wondering what in the world you are going to throw together, you really need to try meal planning. I could NEVER go back to doing without it!

Monday
Potato, Zucchini, & Tomato Soup (ended up not having this on Saturday because we stuffed ourselves at Kevin & Sarah's Adoption Celebration!)

Tuesday
Beef Enchiladas

Wednesday
Chicken Patties

Thursday
Coney Island Hot Dogs

Friday
Italian Spaghetti Pie

Saturday
Picnic @ Courtney & Phil's
I'm bringing Cheddar Cheese Mushroom Macaroni

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen things I am wanting/needing to do. Maybe this will help motivate me to actually get some of them done! :)

1 - Paint our master bathroom.

2 - Paint Bailey's bathroom.

3 - Decide what to do with and help Anthony finish working on the hutch his parents gave us about 2 years (or more?) ago! I need to decide if I just want to stain it or paint it. I think I'll take a picture of it and do another "advice" post. I am SOOO "decorating challenged"!

4 - Refinish the frame to a mirror I just bought on clearance at Target today. It's a little banged up, and just needs a little help to look awesome.

5 - Clean up/organize the office. Again. This is definitely our problem room.

6 - Clear off the junk that has accumulated on our dressers and night stands.

7 - Find or make some type of mail holder to hang in the kitchen/dining room.

8 - Find some type of riding toy for Bailey to play with outside (from a yardsale or craigslist).

9 - Get a sliding screen door for our back door.

10 - Touch up paint around the chair rail in our dining room.

11 - See about getting another cable jack put in our living room. Our tv is on a wall now where I never imagined having our tv when we picked where we wanted the jacks. So right now, we have the huge long cable coming from one wall, and draped over a door way to connect to the tv on another wall... ugh!

12 - Get a new remote since ours is wacky and doesn't work right all the time.

13 - Organize the food in my cabinets.


Oh geez... where do I start!? :)