Disney store

If you've been reading my blog (or know anything about me), you know how I dislike character anything. I have a caveat or two in regards to this, for example: 1. tastefully made items, or 2. tastefully made and from the Disney store items. There are a few shows that my children adore, and so if I can combine their delight with my two caveats, I am a happy camper.

So recently I have been in search of spring play clothes for the kids. Being play clothes, these need to be items that I can let go of easily if they become tattered, ripped, puked on, etc. So I met my match here, and I've got to say, I may actually be sad if some of these do get ruined in the course of play!

This cute robe was on sale for $10.99, so of course I picked up one for Charity, Cal, and Lot. Of course, Cal's is red. Sooo cute!


This was also super cute, for $4.99! I picked it up right away for Calvin.

I also bought this dress for all three of my little girls - $4.99 EACH!

I also picked up this super cute pajama set for Lottie, for $2.99!!!!!


And that's just a few of the great deals I picked up. The kids are going to be so thrilled when we get this in the mail! I can't wait to see their faces!

If you haven't yet, make sure you check out the Steals and Deals blog. Truly some fabulous tip-offs for great deals online.

Military update

Funny thing is, shortly after I posted the last blog, the National Guard/Army opportunity totally fell through. Well, it didn't fall through per say, there is just no way it could possibly work for us. We took that as the Lord's direction, and shortly after that, we found out that the Navy is really panning out.

Shawn will be going to Richmond on Wednesday to take a test for the Baccalaureate Degree Completion Program (BDCP). If he passes, then his test and paperwork go before a panel to determine if he is indeed accepted into this program. We could know something as soon as mid-March!

If he is accepted, then he is able to SKIP basic and begin getting a paycheck from the Navy while he finishes school. When he finishes school, he heads to OCS (Officer Candidacy School) for 3 months. We would be stationed after that. Talk about awesome.

The other thing we learned today is that his time at home will equal his time deployed. So, if he is deployed for 6 months, when he gets back he will be on base for 6 months.

So, a lot of good news today! We are still praying for the Lord's will, whatever that may be. But we sure do want that test to go well!

Which one?

We are back at this again! Shawn is trying to make the best decision for our family, and quite honestly, there are benefits in both.

The Navy is very prestigious (and awesome uniforms!!), the careers are just fascinating, and the deployments seem to be shorter than the Army. And there's no way we would be back here with family until after he left the military.

On the other hand, Shawn can do a program through the National Guard called Active First, where you enlist into the full-time Army for 2 1/2 to (I think) 4 years, a hefty enlistment bonus, and then another sizable bonus if he returns to the National Guard after the Army time is up. Not to mention, we would be able to move back here if we wanted to. However, the Army's deployments are longer, and we could really be stationed anywhere in the next few years, but he would not have ship rotations like he would in the Navy.

There are possibilities within each branch to finish his last three classes at home, after basic, before Officer's School, or AIT, which we are still finding out info on. That means no deployment until school is done.

I am so glad, though, that this is not a decision he is making with his hands tied, so to speak. He has thought about the military since 9/11, even though he was only 16 at the time. When you mix that with a bad economy and few jobs, the answer is obvious. And I couldn't be more proud!

So here we are again, and we'll just keep praying until we know for sure one way or the other. But we are confident either way, that if the Lord does not want this for us, it will not happen. All that we desire is that the Lord is glorified in this decision, and we are praying to that end! Please pray with us for that!

For my female friends...

I am fairly confident that the only people who check my blog are womenfolk. So let me recommend this and this for your consideration (two of my favorites, although the names do make me chuckle!). Trust me on this, it is worth the research and thought.

But then again, I love cloth diapers, and am very interested in all things that produce less waste and more money.

(Any additional green ideas? I'd love to hear them. Currently I am contemplating how to effectively grow an organic vegetable crop this year, getting rid of my harsh cleaners (except for bleach), returning (once again) to cloth diapers, and composting. Seriously, the amount of trash we put out on a weekly basis is just disgusting.)

So the disclaimer is this. If you do research it, as with anything, there are a lot of strong opinions on both sides. You know, those ones that will say it's detrimental to your health to do otherwise, or you are not clean if you go the other way. My opinion is this: as with everything, do your own research, act deliberately, and don't just "do" because something is conventional, or unconventional at that.

So at the risk of weirding everyone out, I will now rest my case :)

Check this out...

GRE Update

Since my last post on my last Getting Rid of Excess campaign, I've lost 3 more pounds! This puts me way ahead of the .8 lb per week goal. Yay! This brings my total weight loss down to 36 lbs lost, 42 to go!

Now I'm going to find a sweet ticker to add, to keep me all motivated and all. In th words of my sweet little boy, "Peace".

Caterpillar Bedding

I found this awesome bedding set at a fabulous website, so I picked two up right away. Fortunately, I had a little stash saved up to buffer the cost. Either way, $40 is not bad for a bedding set. Normally, I dislike character ANYTHING. It's cheap, bad quality, breaks easily, etc. Plus I just don't like primary colors. But compromise here - I LOVE the Hungry Caterpillar, and so do the children. I will be glad to not have a bunch of random blankets on the beds and a sheet dilemma every time someone wets the bed!!

But let me just make a confession on this. I have been putting off buying bedding for the children for forever. Why? I am really bad at decorating. I love a tastefully decorated room! But I am really poor at it. But, I am determined to learn. One room at a time!

Getting Rid of Excess - again

The farther removed from Emmie's birth we get, the more my house seems to be decluttering itself. In fact, over the past few weeks, it has become habit to mentally go through the "keep, donate, or toss" mantra every time I straighten up. The last biggest thing? Losing that baby weight. Oh, how it has been plaguing me! This weight seems to want to cling to me forever, and although that sort of affection would flatter me from ANYTHING else in the world, it's becoming annoying and frustrating. So here's the deal. I have a workout video. And the ability to go running in the mornings. I currently need to loose 45 pounds to get to where I want to be. And I know I can do this. I would love to have this weight shed by the time Emmie turns 1, which would mean I have roughly 37 weeks until my goal date. So, that would mean .8 lbs per week, and 1 1/2 lbs by March 1st. This seems so incredibly daunting! But.... (deep breath).... definitely possible. So let's do it!

J. Crew Sale

This is the J. Crew Long Rivington boot. Italian leather, 2 1/2 in. stacked kitten heel. Retail price? A cool $228.00. Purchase price? $60. For two pairs.


This is the British Millerain oilcloth anchor peacoat. Retail price? $250. Purchase price? $20.

That was only three of our purchases! I am hooked. So next time that sale rolls around, we will be there, and there for much longer than this go round. Yay for sales!

Yeeeeah, remember that routine?

Emmie's look captures it! As of lately, it's been like, "What routine?" However, that routine was, IS, a fabulous guide for us! I love it. I do. But then we got sick last week with a tummy bug. Oddly enough, the day Shawn got the news about the layoff was the day it really hit. So needless to say, we have not followed it since! BUT, I am thrilled to get back to the fun on Tuesday (Mom takes the older 3 on Mondays and Fridays until lunchtime!). Yay for order and less chaos! I'm telling you, I was a new woman once this house had been sanitized and cleaned. So we'll see how it goes this week!

CVS, I love thee...

Perhaps I take too much joy in my trips to CVS. But I just cannot help it. The above products totaled just over $53, and I shelled $17something out of pocket after my coupons and extra bucks. PLUS I got $14 in extra bucks back on my receipt. I truly cannot get enough of this!

Tomorrow I will be going to Kroger to pick up a few deals there (Lord willing). Sundays are just so great though - church, family, and CVS. I love it!!

So long, 84...

Well, it happened. Shawn's work was shut down last Monday, and he's officially jobless. It sounds worse than it actually feels, and the Lord chose the best possible time for this all to happen. Shawn is doing well, and is content with what we have been handed. Even though this is the second layoff in a year and a half, this one was by far the easiest. So friends, please pray for us - that we will trust the Lord's goodness and provision. We need our faith to be sustained throughout the duration of this! But as my dear friend told me on Monday, the Lord is just as sovereign now as he was the day before we got the news. Shawn has it down, also - "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord!". We are in the Lord's school - I can only pray that we will learn whatever He is teaching us well, and for His glory!