Frugal Friday 93

Happy Frugal Friday!

Here is how we saved money/spent money wisely/made extra money this week:

- We enjoyed our 6th Anniversary with a sushi dinner and ice cream out thanks to our generous parents! :) Thank you all!

Before heading out to dinner.

Hard to believe how quickly six years has gone!

We are looking forward to many, many more! 

- I closed out the consignment sale with record sales. I made $150 and made $10 for my sister-in-law. Annabeth is still in a lot of the clothing that Jenn sent from the girls so she will make even more once Annabeth outgrows those items.

- At the check-out of the sale, there was a huge gift basket that I could enter to win. I filled out an entry form and was given a gift bag with three kinds of formula just for entering. Since I plan to nurse Owen, as I did Annabeth, I asked around and found a friend who could use one can. The other two cans went to our church food pantry.

- I brought home less than 20 unsold items from the sale. I divided them into three sections: save for winter sale, ThredUP, and Once Upon a Child. Some items (long sleeves and tutus) went back into totes to save for the winter sale as I make the most money per item at the consignment sales and I want to try them again in the fall. I mailed all of the summer Gymboree and Hanna Andersson items to ThredUP to earn store credit with them. Finally, the rest of the clothes went, with items I did not get tagged in time for the sale, to Once Upon a Child. I also took Annabeth's single stroller there to sell. Made: $27.50

- Mark cleaned out both of his closets and had 4 large trash bags filled with clothing he will not wear. We chose to donate it all to our church garage sale which will take place mid-June.

- Tuesday we had a long, rainy afternoon and Annabeth enjoyed watching some Disney shows. On Mickey Mouse Clubhouse they made banana muffins and she asked if we could do the same. We only had one banana left so I hopped on Pinterest and searched for ideas. I found this Banana Breakfast Coffee Cake recipe and it turned out to be very yummy! I cooked some turkey bacon and added fresh fruit for a "Breakfast for Dinner" meal that night.

- Mark worked a night at his part time security job. This was his last night on for May and June as he plans to take off to help me with the kiddos.

- We pre-paid our car insurance for the year. We always save a great deal of money by making one payment instead of monthly payments. Saved: $111

We had a wonderful week waiting for Owen. Keep checking back as, Lord Willing, we will have news of his arrival soon! :)

Happy Savings to All!

"Buy Used and Save the Difference"

Mu-Yin Jewelry - Beautiful Pea Pod Necklace

Quite a few months ago, I stumbled across a beautiful pea pod style necklace on Pinterest. I bookmarked the link and once we know that Baby #2 was a boy, I decided to order one for my Mama's Mother's Day gift. It was an absolute pleasure working with Mu-Yin Jewelry.

Here is the necklace that we ordered for Mama:

I knew that I wanted four peas in the pod, for my sister and me as well as my kids. Since Owen's due date fell on the line between May and June, I wasn't sure if I should pick green for May's emerald birthstone or white for June's pearl birthstone. Ultimately I decided to do three pink pearls (one for me, Lu, and Annabeth) and one blue (for Owen).

Mu-Yin Jewelry is all handcrafted by the artist Mu-Yin Chen in Charleston, SC. Her designs are all absolutely beautiful and I loved that I could really hand-pick exactly what I wanted from the metal color/material, the pearl color, as well as chain length. Her site also includes other beautiful jewelry designs.

I ordered and received our custom made piece in less than 3 weeks time. I look forward to ordering from Mu-Yin again!

Our 6th Anniversary

Six years ago today I married my best friend.

A few months ago Annabeth asked me about our wedding picture and what happened that day. I replied, "That was the day that Daddy and I promised God and each other that we would be together, with only each other, forever." A simple answer but a huge commitment.

I promised Mark, and God, for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, and foresaking all others, keeping only to him all the days of my life.

For better or worse.
In the past six years, we have had some really good times and some really bad times. We have held hands through joy and through sorrow. We have shared words in whispered talk of the years to come and loud, harsh words of anger. We have loved each other and been good to each other and we have loved each other on days when we have been not-so-good to each other. We have loved each other through bright days and dark days.

Richer or poorer.
We have never been rich by the world's standards but I feel that we are. We have always had a roof to live under and food to eat. The Lord has seen fit to bless us with enough for our needs and extra to bless our church and others.

In sickness and in health.
We have walked through four surgeries together. Mark was by my side and I labored towards the delivery of Annabeth. Mark held my hand as we watched our daughter's body enter the world, he held me as we prayed for a miracle, and he was with me as we heard that first teeny, tiny miraculous cry when the Lord gave her life again. We have loved each other through the surgeries that followed that day, an injury and surgery following an arrest Mark made, and through our health journey with Annabeth.

Foresaking all others, holding only unto each other.
We do not spend our days looking forward or back at who we might have hard or who we might have in the future, instead we know that we are meant for each other alone. We waited for each other and we will spend our days, how ever many are given to us, only with each other.

All the days of my life.
We chose this wording because we believe marriage is forever. Marriage, in our hearts and minds, is not just for this life but for this life and the Life Eternal.

It is my greatest honor to serve our Lord each day as Mark's wife. I thank and praise the Lord for my husband who seeks the Lord and to do His will alongside me each day. May we continue to live in Christian marriage and may we do His will all the days of our lives. Amen.

I will love you forever. 

Photo Credits: Michelle Forche www.memoriesbymichelle.com

Frugal Friday 92

Happy Frugal Friday!

Here is how we saved money/spent money wisely/made extra money this week:

- I had the opportunity to test a new shampoo and conditioner through an eRewards survey. I received a bottle of each in the mail and $3 eRewards for my time. I loved the shampoo and the mid-size bottle will be perfect to pack and use when we go to the hospital to have Owen.

- Our neighborhood had a community garage sale. We did not sell from our house since the weather was forecasting rain and storms on and off Friday and Saturday. I was glad we did not bother since it rained a huge portion of the weekend. We did shop some and I found Owen 5 very nice sleepers/pajamas for $1.25.

- Last week I joined Ebates and this week Mark did. We each earned a $10 gift card through referrals and purchases. We should receive them in the mail in 3-4 weeks.

- Mark's mom brought us lunch on Saturday. We all enjoyed the free Dairy Queen meal. Thank you!

- Monday night we dropped off 100 items at the Here We Grow Again - Indy South sale. The sale is just a few miles from our house and very easy to take things to. I had more items that I could have tagged but was just too worn out lately to get it all finished. I made sure to tag our high dollar items first. I will update next week with our profit.

- We pre-shopped the consignment sale. I found 9 items and came in $6 under budget. I found three items on my list: blanket sleeper for Owen, tea set for Annabeth, and a leotard for Annabeth in the next size up. We also found a picnic basket toy that Annabeth loved, shirt for Annabeth, Brave nightgown, a boutique outfit for Annabeth, an octopus onesie for Owen, and a special three piece dress up outfit for Owen with a bow tie. Annabeth has been wanting to get him an outfit like this but they are way too expensive new. I decided that this $5 one was the one for her to get him.

She was SO happy to find a tea set! 

We have been looking for a while and I was glad to find one she liked at a great price. 

- We went nearly two weeks without a grocery trip. This forced us to eat lots of items we had been ignoring in the pantry and freezer. We were able to use up quite a few items that had been open and we completely used up other items to make room for pre-baby shopping trip storage.

- I shopped ThredUP (through Ebates) and after using my credit on their account I paid just $.97 out of pocket for two new-with-tags items.

- Our friends the Jones Family sent us a HUGE bag of clothing for Owen. They dress their son Karsten how I want to dress Owen and I love getting clothes from them! Owen will not need a single thing in 24 months or 2T thanks to sweet friends who have shared so much!

- We were able to send our giant foam playhouse home with our friends the Stair Family this week! I am so thankful that they wanted it and that it is out of our garage!

We had a wonderful week despite a huge change in the weather. Monday was in the 80s and it felt like summer was here, then some rain came in, and it turned to cold, rainy 60 degree weather. We enjoyed time outside in both temperatures.

We hope that you all had a wonderful week as well!

Happy Savings to All!

"Buy Used and Save the Difference"

Frugal Friday 91

Happy Frugal Friday!

Here is how we saved money/spent money wisely/made extra money this week:

- On Friday, we enjoyed an afternoon outside with a homemade ice block project for Annabeth as well as the evening at the park. The ice block project was introduced to us by friends at Homeschool group. We simply found plastic toys, put them in a Pyrex pan with water, and froze overnight Thursday. Then Friday, Annabeth enjoyed using tools and water to chip away and melt the ice to get each of the toys out. It was about two hours of fun for free! We used the excess water to water our flowers that day so we did not have to use an extra water from the faucet for that task.

Spooning water onto her duck-filled ice block. 

She loved getting to have her swimsuit out and on already this year! 

- We spent Saturday putting Owen's room together. By reusing furniture from our families we did not have to buy any furniture for his nursery. We also repurposed quite a few supplies and decorations we had on hand to decorate the walls. We did spent about $40 on extra supplies and some adventure signs (50% off) from Hobby Lobby. We really wanted Owen to have a special room that was designed just for him and we were so happy to be able to accomplish that goal for under $50.

- We over bought paint supplies for Owen's room. We returned the unused cans to Hobby Lobby for a full refund.

- Mark worked two evenings at a part time job.

- We gave homemade Mother's Day and Graduation cards over the weekend.

- After Luke and Cassidy's graduation party we went home with a bag of salad mix. It made two meals for me and is one of my current favorite things to eat.

- We were able to save $10 on Owen's diaper bag by combining a store sale and a 15% off remaining registry item coupon. We paid less than $30 for a very nice, backpack style diaper bag. We still have our one from Annabeth but it was an over-the-shoulder one that was difficult to carry especially in the beginning when I wore her all the time. We also were thinking that with two, I will want to be able to chase with two free hands.

- While looking through our bank accounts, Mark found that we had unclaimed rewards points from our debit cards. We thought the program had ended a long time ago but we were able to cash in points for $14 which we added to our savings account.

- Mark cut his hair at home. I cut Annabeth's hair at home as well.

- I signed up for Ebates I have seen the commercials about people earning back money from what they purchase online but always assumed there would be some kind of monthly fee. Finally, I looked into it and found that it is FREE! I do not do a great deal of shopping online but I was pleasantly surprised to see that both thredUP and Amazon offer cash back through purchases. I earn money on each of those sites by selling clothes (thredUP) and by taking online surveys (Amazon). I like that I can now earn extra cash back on the purchases I make on those sites using credit I have earned.

- Our sister-in-law and nephew sent us a HUGE box of clothes for Owen. Once Owen has outgrown these items, I will sell them for her and send her the profit just as I do with the hand-me-downs that Kati and Elli send for Annabeth. It is a wonderful cycle for all of us!

Annabeth had alot of fun opening Owen's box from Nate.

She was so cute and kept pulling items out, saying, "I remember when 

Nate weared this as a baby!" 

- We purchased some gift cards for graduations and birthdays this week. We bought the ones we could at Kroger because they offer 4x fuel points on gift card purchases. This will help us save money when we buy gas next time.

- Mark bought a large bag of cutie oranges at Walmart and they were turning mushy much faster than we were eating them so Annabeth and I took half of them to share at Homeschool Group. I was glad to see the kids enjoy them instead of them going to waste.

We had a great week and enjoyed some cooler weather! We are looking forward to: the city pool opening May 16, Annabeth's last day of preschool, our 6th wedding anniversary, and the arrival of Owen.
Keep checking back in for updates! :)

Happy Savings to All!

"Buy Used and Save the Difference"

Owen's Nursery

Over the weekend, we finished putting Owen's room together for the summer.

Annabeth slept in her rock and play in our room for her first four months - until she turned over too much and too often to safely continue sleeping in it. I expect that Owen will stay in our room a similar amount of time so we are leaving the room as our guest room his first few months. We are hoping for my family to come and stay some and we want to have a room that still works for them to sleep in and/or escape to while they are here on and off this summer.

Mark cleared off/out his man-room furniture and those things went to our bedroom, his closet, and the school room. We moved in Owen's dresser, nightstand, and rocking chair which came to us from my parents' house. We have left the futon, my sister's from college that we are storing for her, for our summer guests.

We had a lot of fun decorating and we think we put together a special and unique nursery that will last quite a few years. Take a peek:

 The top of his dresser.

Deer clock from my sister, wooden truck made by me in middle school woodworking,

basket from Mark's parents for Easter filled with Owen's first books. 

Our Reading/Nursing Corner.

Nightstand from my parents' house, red chair from my cousins' nursery over 30 years ago,

and new toy basket quickly filling up with "boy" toys.  

Adventure Signs.

Purchased 50% off from Hobby Lobby.  

"O" Button Monogram from Miss Charlotte and Rosie. 

Hunting and Fishing Sign from Matt and Jenn for

Mark's birthday a few years ago. 

It was perfect for the Man Room and works for Owen too! 

Fishing Rod Name Sign.

The rod was Mark's Great-Grandpa's and Mark painted (with glow-in-the-dark paint)

Owen's name. The letters are hooked on with fishing gear and there is even a lure and fish

on the left side. This is currently above the futon and later the crib will go below it. 

We had a lot of fun working on his room together and enjoyed making plans for our little boy while we worked. It is amazing, and a little hard to believe, that he will be here in less than 4 weeks. We are so thankful for the blessing of Owen Merit in our lives! 

Frugal Friday 90

Happy Frugal Friday!

Here is how we saved money/spent money wisely/made extra money this week:

- Annabeth and I went on a lunch date to Benjamin's. A nice lady gave Annabeth $1 to buy herself a cookie. The kids meals there come with a cookie so we added the $1 as an extra tip to the tip jar.

- We went to Dollar Tree and found some good deals using up part of gift cards from Christmas. We were able to get some new bubbles for outside and also found some deer themed party favors for the Deer Party Annabeth wants to have for her birthday.

- We went to Kohl's to purchase a couple of more 3 month outfits for Owen, as much of what we were gifted was 6 months and larger. They were also two sets that I have been waiting to go on sale and they finally went! While there, Annabeth found a little Palace Pet toy that she wanted. I agreed to let her get it if she chose a toy at our house to get rid of. She chose her foam playhouse! We received it as a hand-me-down this winter and with Owen coming it takes up way too much space. I was more than happy to let her trade that out for a tiny dog that fits in her hands. Our friends the Stairs, who have four girls and a big basement playroom, will enjoy it I am sure!

- Mark and Annabeth went to Lowe's to purchase their flowers and soil for this year. Each spring they spend time picking out flowers and planting them together. Mark still had some gift card money from Christmas so he did not pay out of pocket for them.

 Posing with her new flowers. She was so proud to have "big girl" pigtails today! 

- Saturday I went, alone!, to Target to pick up items on our registry. They did not have the size wipes I had registered for so I called Mark and had him add the ones they did have to the list. Also, I looked at a toy tote in person and decided it was what I wanted. Since the tote was on sale this week, Mark added that as well. Then, I checked out with a $1 off the wipes coupon + 15% off remaining registry items coupon. We saved enough with the coupons that the wipes were FREE!

- Annabeth and I refashioned our Derby hats with materials lying around the house. For hers we used a ribbon from Luke and Cassidy's wedding as well as a toy horse that has been used on our hats the past two years. I used ribbons and little roses from Grandma Chico and feathers from a Halloween project on mine. I thought we looked quite festive for free as we enjoyed watching the Kentucky Derby.

- On Monday, we got Annabeth her very own library card! We have been sharing mine but I realized that when Owen comes someone else may take her to story time the first few weeks. I knew that she would not like coming home without her books so we opened her own account.

- I made morning doctor appointments on Tuesday and later I realized it meant Annabeth would have to miss her gymnastics class. Class is $10/class/week, paid upfront each month, and nonrefundable. I spoke with the dance school owner and she allowed Annabeth to take her gymnastics on Monday evening with a different class and teacher so we would not lose our $10 on the missed session.

- Tuesday evening we played outside and found lots of caterpillars in our yard. Mark caught some of them and Annabeth enjoyed feeding them leaves. I am so thankful for my family that is happy to just enjoy nature together.

- I finished tagging all of the items for the Spring Consignment Sale. I only got 100 items tagged this season but made a point to tag the very high end pieces that she has outgrown. I do not have to turn items in until the third week in May but I was worried I may not have the energy to get it all done at that point. It was one of the last remaining Pre-Owen projects that I had to do and I am happy to have everything ready to go.

- Although it has reached temperatures in the 80s some days we have not turned our AC on. We, thankfully, have ceiling fans in about half of our rooms so we just enjoy eating, playing, and working in those spaces. Our house was also well designed so that our bedrooms and living rooms never have direct sunlight and all stay fairly cool.

We have been enjoying lots of sunshine days and have been trying to really soak up our last month as a family of three. We are looking forward to Owen's arrival in the next few weeks!

Happy Savings to All!

"Buy Used and Save the Difference"

Words That Cut Through The Noise

I have found that often I find words of conviction and encouragement come at unexpected times and unexpected places. It never ceases to amaze me through who/what/where/when/how the Lord speaks to me.

Tuesday morning, I was registering at our hospital for our 36 week ultrasound and on the registrar's desk she had this:

Gracious

Slow to anger

Abounding in love

Good to all

All who call upon You

You will rescue and forgive

This is why I live

You lived a life I could never live

You died the death, oh, that I deserve

She kept asking me questions but all I could do was stare at her handwritten note. I pulled a pen and paper out of my purse and began to write: "You lived a life I could never live. You died the death, oh, that I deserve." I had to remember the way it was written. She said, "Okay, you are good to go." I said, "Just a moment please, I am writing down your quote there."

She shared that it is actually lyrics to a song that she heard on K-Love. She said the first time she heard it, she pulled her car into a parking lot, and googled the lyrics on her phone and just read them over and over again while praying.

I wrote them down Tuesday on a scrap piece of paper and have been looking at them again and again. This week in school, Annabeth and I are working on understanding the Resurrection and I keep going back to the fact that Jesus really did live a life that none of us ever can. A perfect, sinless life and yet He is the one, the only one, that took it all to the cross. For us. For the most sinful and undeserving of people and He did it with grace and with love.

I pray that I may try to be good to all. I pray that I might try to live a better life and to never fail to remember the price He paid for me, for you. 

*Song lyrics from "That's How You Forgive" on Shane and Shane's album Bring Your Nothing. Publishing: Fair Trade Global Songs / River Oaks Music Company / Waiting Room Music (BMI) Writer(s): Shane Barnard

Tearing Up "THE" Room

Today we had our hospital tour in preparation for Owen's delivery.

We are delivering at the same hospital that we had Annabeth at but they have undergone extensive renovations since that time. They have new delivery and postpartum rooms as well as a completely redone NICU. We took the tour before having Annabeth and, obviously, used each of those rooms while there with her but I really felt like I needed to see it all again, especially with it being new. I know that Mark and I both face triggers from Annabeth's traumatic birth. I knew that it would be extremely important for us to see the hospital again facing Owen's birth as a completely different experience than Annabeth's.

Two weeks ago, I called the Nurse Navigator and requested a tour. In talking a bit about our history there, I found myself sobbing. I am not a big crier and I definitely do not like to cry in front of people and it just seemed to come out of nowhere. I have worked so hard to make Owen's baby book, nursery, etc all his own. I want him to be his own little person and not just Annabeth's baby brother but following a traumatic birth it is very common for that experience to overshadow the next one. The nurse was so helpful and stayed on the phone with me for over 30 minutes talking through things. I was thankful for her 15+ years professional experience as well as her own emergency delivery story.

Today before our tour we met in her office and then before we saw each step of the tour she made sure both Mark and myself were comfortable continuing. I clearly remember checking in, the inside of our delivery room, NICU, and postpartum but for whatever reason I don't remember the hallway at all. In preparing for delivery, I have been doing quite a bit of visualization exercises as I walk through various scenarios. When we arrived on the unit today, I realized that I really did not remember the actual hallway or unit layout at all. Mark did though. He told the nurse, "We can see any room but that one at the very end of the hall. That was "the" room." She said, "Really? It's being torn up today." Sure enough, the door had a "DO NOT ENTER. UNDER CONSTRUCTION" sign and we could hear them ripping it apart.

The rest of the tour went really well. The new delivery rooms are absolutely beautiful and look like a spa. The NICU is totally different and much more patient and family friendly than what we had with Annabeth. (We do not foresee that we will need the NICU at this time but I wanted to see it just in case) The postpartum rooms will be opened May 21, so we are telling Owen that he has to stay put until we can have a beautiful, new spa-like postpartum room!

The tour made me feel more calm and prepared. It reassured me that this can, and hopefully will, be a different experience. I pray that I will hold him first. I will do skin-to-skin. Mark will hold him with me. The staff reminded me that I have the right to try for the birth that I want and that I will be safe.

The real change of heart, the reassurance came in knowing that "the" room is no more.
The room where her heart stopped.
The room where I delivered a blue, gray, lifeless baby.
The room where she was supposed to breathe and didn't.
The room where my heart broke.
The room where we experienced our greatest sorrow.
THAT room is gone.

It doesn't take away that day. It doesn't take away all of the memories. It doesn't take away the pain. It doesn't leave me completely unafraid for Owen's delivery. But now I know, walking in to have him, I won't pass that room and, Lord willing, it won't all happen again.

35 Weeks

Yesterday we turned 35 weeks!

Time is flying by! It is so hard to think that Owen will be here, Lord Willing, in 5 weeks or less!

My mental "safe" week is 34 weeks and I feel really good about having made it past that point. I know that from this point on he is really just putting on weight and working on strengthening his brain, heart, and lungs. I also know that anytime he comes now should be "pretty safe" and that our amazing NICU team will be able to help him along if need be.

We have been taking semi-weekly pictures. With Annabeth we were very diligent about taking pictures every two weeks but admittedly this time has not been quite so precise. I am trying to really focus on getting them taken now because I know that I will regret it later. Yesterday I was standing for the picture and Mark seemed to be taking it from a funny angle. I couldn't figure out why until I saw the picture later. He caught Annabeth behind me mimicking my belly-hugging stance.

Annabeth is so in love with Owen and is so excited to have "my baby brover O" here to do everything with together. I love that she really helped name him and that she knew from the day that we found out that he was a boy, her Owen. I pray that they will grow more and more in love with each other once he arrives and through their lives. Nanners Loves O!

Frugal Friday 89

Happy Frugal Friday!

Here is how we saved money/spent money wisely/made extra money this week:

- I colored and highlighted my hair at home. I saved $5 with coupons and spent just $12.

- Mark came home from training in Alabama and fixed our broken vacuum and the broken dryer. We saved on service calls by waiting for him to be home to fix them. The dryer part we ordered on Amazon, with Amazon bucks I earned doing surveys, fixed the dryer completely so it was a $0 fix!

- We ordered Owen's car seat through Amazon Smile*. The car seat was on sale (10% off) + we used Amazon money I earned through online surveys ($43 worth!) + free shipping = 50% Savings!!!

- Mark worked one night at a part time job.

- Annabeth and I found 8 items for $13 at Goodwill. We found her a new dress up dress (Barbie Princess) and 7 items for Owen. I was very excited to find a sheriff shirt, Colts onesie, and Notre Dame outfit!!

- On the way home from our Tuesday doctor appointment, I resisted the urge to stop for fast food. We came home and made turkey-bacon BLTs - cheaper, healthier and we used up fresh produce.

- I was able to sell some curtains and decorative pillows on a Facebook Garage Sale Site. We have not used any of these items in the two years at the new house so it was time for them to go! Made: $15

- I received my upfront payout through thredUP for six items I mailed a few weeks ago. I will keep the money on their site and use it as credit for a future purchase. Made: $17.50

- Last week the kids received a diaper box of hand-me-downs so this week we refilled the box and took it to Goodwill. I am trying really hard to get rid of an item for every item that we bring into the house.

- We stopped at the post office to mail a birthday package and one of the ladies gave Annabeth a very nice FREE coloring and activity book. It has lots of neat activities and little lessons about "The Wonders of America."

- We enjoyed a Thursday picnic at the park and play day with our Homeschool Group. We were all very excited to see a beautiful owlet up in one of the trees!

- As we left the park, I noticed that pre-voting was open at the community center. Annabeth and I stopped for a quick lesson about the importance of always voting. I voted and Annabeth enjoyed getting a free sticker. Since voting is free I will mention it here as a frugal activity and hope that ALL OF YOU (at least those in Indiana) remember to vote on or before next Tuesday in Indiana's Primary Election.

Overall we had a good week working around the house. We got lots of work done in Owen's room so that we will have space for him to come home to! :) Just 5ish weeks to Owen!

Happy Savings to All!

"Buy Used and Save the Difference"

*We choose to support Every Mother Counts though Amazon Smile and Amazon donates 0.5% of all qualifying purchases to their organization. Every Mother Counts is "a non-profit organization dedicated to making pregnancy and childbirth safe for every mother. We inform, engage, and mobilize new audiences to take actions and raise funds that support maternal health programs around the world."