I'm Still Here

I know that I have had lots of these types of posts recently and I don't mean to, really, life just gets in the way. I have been dealing with being tired a lot and when I do get bursts of energy I'm trying to get my house clean. Its been a never ending battle to get my house clean and keep it that way. We have gotten the baby's room emptied, now my husband has to get the room painted so we can get it all set up. We still have about 3 months, but my first baby shower is next month and I really want it ready so I can bring stuff home and put it away. I never got to take before pictures of the room like I wanted to, my camera was dead and it took awhile to find the charger. I'm getting really excited and want to be able to cross something off my never ending to do list. I feel like everything is revolving around being pregnant and getting ready for the baby to come. Since this is my first I'm not sure if its normal or not, hopefully it is or my friends and family are going to be really annoyed with me by the time the baby gets here. She is moving a lot and I can see my stomach move now which really weirds me out. I'm not sure how I feel about being pregnant but I know that in 3 months when she gets here, it will all be worth it.

Tips for a split vegetarian household

I am a vegetarian and I have been for 13 years. When my husband and I started dating I didn't know how to cook meat of any kind, I still don't like touching raw meat, but I have learned how to cook for him so he doesn't starve. For me, making two separate meals is normal, while I was on bedrest my husband told me he didn't know how I did it every day. That was the best compliment I could've gotten from him, just for him to recognize what I do daily. I have been asked if I have any tips to make it easier, so these are my tips:

1. Plan similar meals if possible. For instance I will make Spinach Stuffed Shells one will include pepperoni for my husband the other will not for me. That is the only difference between them so it makes it easier. Another is spaghetti, I make meatballs for him, and plain for me.

2. Make meatless meals that we both enjoy. There are different pasta dishes that we both like so then I only have to cook once on those nights. Toasted ravioli is one that we both like.

3. Baked potato bar, Pizza Bar, or Taco Bar. Prepare everything and put it out and we both make our own. This is fun to do sometimes

4. Make dishes that both need the oven on the same temp so you run it less, or dishes that both use the grill. I love grilled vegetables and I can also grill chicken or hamburgers along with it for him. Lots of meat is cooked in the oven at 400 or 450 and I can make a casserole and put it in along with it, then they are ready at the same time.

5. Do as much prep ahead when get home with groceries or when you have time on weekends. I try to make extra dishes that freeze well and put food into the freezer, then I just pull it out and put it in the oven while I make something for the other person, then it doesn't feel like I'm cooking as much on those nights because I only have to make one meal.

I hope this will help others who are in the a similar situation, I know when we first got married it took a long time for me to figure this out, and lots of things were burned as a result.

Should you compromise?

My siblings are all living in the world, most of them claim to be saved but nothing distinguishes them from everyone else. I believe that Christians should be set apart from the world.

Recently when we have family get togethers if I go I feel very outcasted, a lot of times I don't even get invited anymore or my mom tells me the day of. I know that I don't fit in with them any longer. My husband does not like to go with me because he doesn't like or respect them.

When I do go there are lots of things going on around me that I disagree with and I feel that by being there I am accepting that behavior even if they all know how I feel. I am the youngest of six, and all of them are much older than me. I don't think they see me as an adult yet. If I don't go then my mom will give me a guilt trip for not, she doesn't understand how uncomfortable it is for me.

What do you think, Is it ok to be around people who are engaging in behavior that you do not agree with just because they are family?

I'm Back...

We were on vacation last week, and I planned on getting a couple posts up, but my computer went crazy on me. It wouldn't connect to the internet. I had to leave it alone until I got back, I think I've got it working again, but its still not acting right. So hopefully I can be back to normal soon. Computers are so great until they mess up, then they are a great source of frustration. And I'm certainly frustrated right now.

Blog Break

Well I didn't really mean to not post all last week. Ever since I have found out I'm pregnant (8 weeks today!) I have been stressed to get everything ready for the baby even though I still have 7 months. I am also exhausted and sick a lot so I'm not real productive these days. Hopefully that will all pass soon, but until then I may be a little sporadic in posting. I am being monitored pretty close because I've had 2 miscarriages, I have already had 2 ultrasounds done, and everything looks good so far.

Blogging Break

I took an unexpected blogging break, life has just been so busy this week. At my job, our Internet and phones were disconnected from our building twice, so we have been dealing with that at work. At home we are planning a "kids crusade" which is coming up quickly, so we have been working on that. I'm really praying we can get 60 kids for that, the most we have ever had is 52 once. So we have been out promoting it, hopefully it will help us to bring in some new kids, and get our regulars excited about church again. With summer just around the corner and church camp coming up and end of the year things there is just so much going on, and I don't even have kids yet. So I am going to try to make it a point to be around here more, because it doesn't look like things are going to calm down any time soon.

Catching up

I have had a really crazy week. So I will quickly update you so you know why I've been so scarce lately.

My truck broke down on Tuesday...We thought it might be the water pump, so we replaced that, and it still overheats after 10 mins of running. So we are going to have to put it into the shop on Monday and have the radiator looked at, hopefully it doesn't cost too much.

I have started going out on visitation, with my church on Saturdays, so now I feel like I don't have any time off, I'm either at work or at church, and its starting to get to me. So I'm trying to relax more in the evenings.


At work, we have gotten really busy and started new stuff so I have 10 things on my desk all the time, and there is always something that doesn't get finished.



So I am hoping that things will calm down very soon, I am also hoping that I will get to go grocery shopping this weekend, because we will have to start eating out if I don't go soon. I really need to start working out again, but I can't seem to fit that in either.

Out of My Rut

This weekend I have gotten a lot accomplished at my house. I am so excited. I am starting to feel like myself again. I cleaned most of house, and did the dishes, and all the laundry. I also started clipping my coupons...I have about a months worth to clip, and there have been times I've bought stuff knowing that I have an unclipped coupon at home. It frustrates me, but with going out of town and then not feeling like doing anything it hasn't gotten done.

I didn't feel like grocery shopping so I made a small list and my husband and I went together on Saturday. I mainly didn't want to deal with the crowds. I really need to do a big shopping trip because I'm only buying what will get us through the week no stock piling. Hopefully next week I will feel like doing that.

I also feel like working out again. I have gotten so out of shape its embarrassing, so I'm going to start slow because I know that my body can only handle so much.

Here's to a great week!

Valentines Day

I have never liked Valentines Day. I prefer not to celebrate. My husband shows me he loves me everyday, not just February 14. I don't want flowers or anything special on that day only. I don't need society to tell him to buy me things. Flowers die, chocolate goes to my hips, bottom, and thighs. If my husband wants to buy me these things he can do that all year round.

My husband doesn't listen to me, so every year even though I tell him this-he still buys me flowers and chocolate. He is probably one of the few men in the world who doesn't have to do anything and yet still does. He is one of the sweetest men I know, and I love him for it.

I'm Back

I am back from vacation. We had a really great time visiting some family. We had planned to stay in a hotel, but they insisted that we stay with them so that saved us quite a bit of money. They had some car trouble so we stayed an extra day so we could help them out. It was a very relaxing trip. Hopefully I will be able to set into a normal routine again soon.

I was supposed to have jury duty today but I was excused, so I am happy to be back to work. I was really worried about my paycheck in the coming weeks and everything is taken care of. I attribute that to God providing for us because we are faithful to tithe to him. So many people get upset when they go to church and they have a message about tithing. But that is something that we are required to do, and God always takes care of our needs when we are faithful to him. My husband ran all the oil out of his truck and it was running really rough so he took it for a oil change, they were amazed it was still running. I know its because God took care of us.

Ice Storm

Here in Oklahoma we are having an ice storm. This is my dogs first time to see ice/snow. There is a thick layer on the ground, they love going outside and playing in it. My husband was kicking the snow on them, and they were trying to catch it. It was very fun to watch from inside my warm kitchen. The dogs like to eat the snow and run and slip they really seem to love it.

I do not drive in the ice, so I have been home for 3 days with my husband. We are really getting stir crazy, there is only so much you can do. We cleaned and rearranged 2 rooms. We also got rid of things we no longer need. And we are still bored, with nothing to do. Luckily, the ice is starting to thaw, so hopefully I can go to work tomorrow. I am on vacation next week, and jury duty the week after. So I have a lot of stuff at work to do before leaving for vacation, and I will only have 2 days to do it. Now I think I will take a very relaxing bubble bath, because there is nothing else to do.

Schedule

This week I didn't do well with getting up at 5. I did get up a little early and do my devotion every morning. I figure that maybe taking baby steps with getting up early will help me. I had a very early meeting at work on Wednesday so I had to get up at 5:30 to make it on time. I actually got up at 5:20. Today I got up at 5:30 and did my devotion and worked out for 45 mins. I was so proud of myself. I hope that I will be able to keep this going...2 days in a row is really good for me.

This week Crystal is encouraging us to go to bed early. According to my schedule 11 is when I should go to bed. Last night I was getting ready for bed and grabbed a book to read, my husband took and it from me and said goodnight. It was 11:15. I hate to admit it, but I think that's what helped me get up this morning. So I am going to try to follow my own schedule and go to bed at 11 every night and try to get up at 5 every morning.

Head over to Biblical Womanhood for more information and inspiring ideas to get on track for a morning routine.

Schedule

I wrote a schedule a couple of months ago that would accomplish all the things I need to accomplish and still give me time to spend with my husband and to read in the evening. The problem is that I cannot get myself out of bed in the mornings. Every morning I hit snooze for an hour or more. It is so frustrating for me. I am really hopeful that by posting my morning schedule on here it will help me be more accountable. The only time I have to work out is first thing in the morning because my husband goes to bed very early at night. I have not been able to work out because I can't get out of bed. I really want to work out because I know this is the only way that I am going to lose weight. And by working out in the mornings I automatically make better food choices.

Crystal over at Biblical Womanhood is hosting a 6-8 week long getting back on track with your morning schedule. I definitely need this.

My Schedule:

• 5:00 Wake up, make coffee, Devotion
• 5:45 Get dressed, Go to gym
• 6:00 Work out
• 7:00 Home, Shower, Get ready for work
• 8:00 Leave for work

New years goals

My goals for this year:

1. Post more regularly on here

I started this blog in 2008, I love the accountability that it gives me. I originally started it so that I could post my shopping trips, and share the ways that I am saving money on groceries. I get so excited when I am able to save money and I love to share with others who are doing the same thing.

2. Post the sales of a local store

I recently discovered a store here in my area called Homeland. They are the only store around here that doubles coupons. I am still learning how all this works with double coupons, but I'm excited to learn. I tried to look up to see if other blogs detail their sales and I couldn't find any so I am going to.

3. Lose 50 more pounds

I discovered climb of fitness in October, and took part with Becky on a weight loss journey through a book called Faithfully Fit. I really enjoyed reading it but I wasn't able to finish it. I am going to start again and post updates weekly.

4. Gain an understanding of budgets

I have always written down a budget, and it always looks good on paper, but for some reason I can't seem to get it from paper into reality. This is one I need a lot of work on, because I don't know what I'm doing wrong, usually we blow the budget by eating out way too much, but my husband and I have very little willpower when it comes to money. We need to learn to live like we have no money.

5. Pay off debt, Save money

After I figure out how to stick with a budget I want to tackle some of our debt. I have gotten a lot of doctor and hospital bills recently and I really want to have a baby this year (God willing) I don't want to have a ton of debt when I do. I would love to be a stay at home mom so I need money in savings so I will feel better about quitting my job.

6. Go back to school in August

This is one that will definitely happen. I want to get my masters degree in education so that I can be a school teacher. I am very excited about doing this but there is a lot I need to do in order to be able to get enrolled. But it is definitely a priority right now.

7. Be a better Christian

I need to read my bible a little more regularly than I do, and I need to have a better prayer life. There is always room for improvement.

Deep Freezer

I recently got a deep freezer, I have only been using it for a few weeks and its not full yet, but I'm already realizing that I need some sort of storage system. I have stuff everywhere and in no order. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to organize a deep freezer? Thank you

Surgery

I had surgery on Wednesday to remove my gallbladder, I haven't been able to get off the couch until today and I get light headed if I am up for too long. The surgery did go well, now I am supposed to rest and recover. I am just not good at sitting in one spot for long periods of time, my husband keeps telling me to stay still because I want to move. He has taken really good care of me, I'm so lucky. I hope to be back to work part time next week, I'm not sure how realistic that is but I can't sit at home for another week. I also want to go shopping which I haven't been able to do. On Wednesday my husband went to pick up a pain medicine for me and I had a $30 coupon for cvs prescriptions. I sent it with him, he hates using coupons, but he did. They lost the coupon he had dropped off at first. He had some problems because the girl was new and didn't know what she was doing, he ended up getting $50 on two gift cards for me because of the trouble. I am so excited and he was so patient, which is why they gave him an extra gift card. I thought it was very sweet of him to use my coupon.

Happy Thanksgiving

In honor of Thanksgiving I wanted to post what I am thankful for:

1. The Lord my Savior
2. A loving, supportive, Godly husband
3. A wonderful extended family
4. A great church family
5. Good health insurance-I have used it a lot lately

I have so much in my life to be thankful for, things may not always go my way but God is always in control and I praise him for it.

Commercials

As anyone else noticed lately that the commercials have been getting worse and worse. We have a DVR so I record most of my shows and watch them when I have time and then I can fast forward through the commercials. But because I have been sick and at home I have been watching a lot more TV. So many of the commercials have sexual undertones to them. Most of them I find really offensive. Its sad when you avoid certain shows or channels because you know what is on there but when its just a commercial and you don't know when it is going to be on its hard to avoid. We watch mostly sports especially right now with college football, NFL, and basketball all on leaving the tv off is not an option with my husband. We have really been trying to protect ourselves lately and have been a lot more conscious of what we are watching. We will not watch movies rated R because we know we don't want to see what is in those movies. We recently watched Fireproof, that was one of the best Christian movies I have ever seen. I highly recommend that to everyone.
Has anyone else noticed that the commercials are not clean anymore?
What do you do to protect your family, leave the tv off?

Back to Reality

I am back from vacation, I go back to work on Monday. We went to Dallas and did some shopping. We got some Christmas shopping done which was my goal. We got some bad news while we were on vacation. I was told a few days before we left I was pregnant. On Tuesday night when we got home I miscarried. This is the second time this year. I ate pretty healthy over the weekend, just a lot more than normal. I am trying to get back into eating right. The first time I had a miscarriage I ate really bad using food for comfort. Now I am more conscience about turning to God for comfort through this time so I will not use food for comfort. I want to be in good shape the next time I get pregnant. I want to have the healthiest pregnancy that I can, and losing weight and eating right before I get pregnant is the best way to do that.

God is good

Last night when I left work, one of my tires was flat. I have an air compressor that I keep in my back seat. Its very small, you plug it into your lighter and it is very powerful (I highly recommend these for everyone). So I called my husband to ask him if he thought it would be ok to air it up and drive home on it. He said yes, so I started to get out my air compressor and get it all plugged up. A woman in a SUV drove by and asked me if I had a spare tire, I told her yes I did, then she asked if I needed any help changing the tire. I said no I could handle it. But the offer was so nice and really meant a lot to me. Had I needed to actually change the tire I definitely would have needed her help because I have never changed a tire. I have only observed. So I am thankful that she offered.

This morning when I got up the tire still had air in it so I figured it had a slow leak but I couldn't see nails or anything. One of my other tires has a slow leak in it, its on the drivers side so I air it up every couple days. So I took my car to a tire place not far from my house to ask them if they could find the leak and fix it. I knew that if both tires had to be replaced they are the cheapest, so I was figuring on spending $30-$50. They found the leaks and were able to fix them both so I only had to pay $10. I was so relieved. God is so good.

Just last night my husband and I were talking about money. I was starting to stress because we had planned on buying a fence so the money was in the checking account but we still haven't done it yet. I don't like money to sit in my checking account because then we are tempted to spend it. We just started a savings account about 3 weeks ago so we do have some money saved but it is supposed to be for vacation. The brakes on my husbands truck are grinding really bad and it has just started in the last week and has progressively gotten worse. So we have to get new brakes on his truck. He is just happy that we have the money to do it with, but I was stressing out about it. He pointed out that if this happened a couple months ago, we wouldn't be able to do it at all, so he is grateful that God has provided us with the funds to do so. We are finally getting our hearts right about money, it just taking longer with me. God is really good to us even though I don't deserve it.