New house, new me.

I'm ashamed to admit it....but before we moved, I cannot remember the last time I actually made a dinner for my family.  I threw together spaghetti every once in awhile, but I hadn't done actual meals for Marty and Avery in a very, very long time.  And I'm not really sure why.  Sure, a lot of our stuff was packed because we were moving.  Sure, I was exhausted and overwhelmed.  Sure, after getting off work, going to whatever babysitter's house Avery was located that day and then driving the Bluegrass Parkway to get home, I had about an hour before Avery's bedtime to get things accomplished--and taking that time to cook a meal didn't seem appealing in the least.

Those are all things of the past.  We're moved.  Our house is a wreck, but we're moved.  I'm actually sleeping at night--hallelujah!  I am home within 30 minutes of getting off work, as opposed to the hour to hour and a half after I got off when we lived in Bardstown.  It's time for me to bring back my "Proverbs 31 Project" and get back in touch with my inner culinary diva.

I love cooking.  I'm not fantastic at it, by any means.  I can't look at ingredients and throw them together to make a tasty meal...as much as I would LOVE to be that person. But I can follow a recipe and I can substitute things for other ingredients I like to eat.  More than that, I love being able to provide for my family.  As much as I want to pretend I'm an "independent woman," inside I would love to be the stay at home, June Cleaver type of mom that has a hot meal on the table for her husband and kids every night.  So I'm going to take baby steps to get there.

Menu!  Recipes!  I'll be posting my menu again and I'll be featuring some of my favorite recipes here on the blog.  Share the wealth, right?

Monday--Ham and cheese sliders with poppy seed sauce (detailed recipe below) and asparagus
Tuesday--Relay meeting--no cooking from this mama!
Wednesday--Church dinner (we went to church to celebrate Brooklyn's fantastic news from surgery!)
Thursday --Stop and go sweet chili (posted on my blog a couple of months ago)
Friday--Garlic bread pizza 
Saturday (tonight)--Leftovers
Sunday--My speciality!  Chicken Stir Fry
Monday--Taco night with Spanish rice
Tuesday--Relay meeting (again!)
Wednesday--Hamburgers, tater tots and corn
Thursday--Tortellini with Alfredo sauce (Marty LOVES this stuff...he'd probably eat it once a week if I made it)
Friday--Homemade ham and pineapple pizza
Saturday--Leftovers

As you can see, I'm starting off slow.  A lot of the meals I have planned are pretty easy, slap 'em together and put 'em on the table kind of dinners.  I hope to get in the hang of cooking dinner again and then start busting out the hard stuff again.  They say it takes 30 days to make something into a habit.  All I have to do is make it a month!!

To make it a little easier, I picked up a "Mom's Journal" when I was in Walgreens the other day.  It was on the clearance section for like $1.50 or something like that.  It's kind of like a monthly planner, but instead of slots to fill in appointments and stuff, it has spots for your weekly meal plan and the grocery list to go with it.  Voila!  I'm a planner, a writer, so this seemed like the perfect solution to me.  Problem?  It's totally "mommy-ish":

Lame, right?  And it comes with stickers.  Gah.  I'm currently trying to think of ways to make it stylish and not so "HEY EVERYONE! LOOK AT ME!  I'M A MOM!!"   You know?

Back to the food.  On today's post, I'll be featuring the recipe for ham and cheese sliders with a poppy seed sauce (modified from this recipe).  Holy geez, these things are good.  Make them....you won't regret it.  And since Easter's coming up, you guys are going to need a lot of uses for that leftover ham.  :)

Ingredients:
Package of 12 original Hawaiian Rolls
Thinly sliced honey ham (or whatever ham you prefer)
Swiss cheese
1/3 cup mayonnaise

Poppy seed sauce:
1 tbsp poppy seeds
1 1/2 tbsp yellow mustard (may do less if you don't like the taste of mustard)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1.  Cut each Hawaiian roll in half.  Spread mayonnaise over each side of the roll. 

2. Put honey ham on each bottom roll.  I put a piece and a half of ham on each of my sandwiches.  You can add more or less, depending on your love of deli meat.  I won't judge :)

3. Put Swiss cheese on top of ham.  I bought the Walmart brand Swiss cheese slices...and those suckers are ha-uge.  So I folded them in half and put a half a slice of cheese on each sandwich.  Again, based on your love of cheese, you may wanna do more or less.

4.  Close each roll and put in a baking dish.  Place them close together.  I use a small baking dish that they can all fit into snugly.

5.  In a separate bowl, whisk together ingredients for the poppy seed sauce.  Pour evenly over the tops of the rolls.  I use every last drop of the stuff because I know how fantastic it is.  That's your call.  Drown 'em or just brush the tops of them with the sauce. 

6.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.  Take them out and devour.

I can honestly say that these sandwiches haven't passed "the husband test" yet because he hasn't been hungry both times I've made them (is that a man thing?  I'm ALWAYS hungry).  Which is completely fine with me because I want to hoard them all to myself.  Two of these sandwiches fills me up, so there's PLENTY of leftovers.  I've eaten them every day since I made them Monday night.  I love them. 

Thursday, I made my "stop and go sweet chili."  Marty said it was better than the first time I made it and...Avery ate it!  My little girl went from eating everything in sight all day long to picking at her food and barely eating anything for dinner.  All in all, I'd say it was a dinner win for this Super Messy mom. 

Happy cooking (and eating) y'all!

Welcome to my new home!

Several of you have told me that you can't wait to see pictures of our new house after I've decorated it.  Well, if that's the case, you'll be waiting for months :)  I'm still wading through boxes, piles of things that I don't have a place for yet and items that don't have a home.  It'll be a looooong time before this house is decorated the way I want it.  Plus, I don't want to rush and throw up a bunch of stuff on the walls just for the sake of having decorations.  I want to take my time and make sure that I'm putting up stuff that I really love that makes my house look good. 

With that being said, here's a little sneaky peek of some of the things that I have done, that I'm really super happy with....

Growing up, my mom had a "country/antique/Americana" kind of style.  And I HATED it.  If I never saw another antiqued piece of furniture or gingham print, it would be too soon.  Then, I got married and had a house of my own to decorate.  I found myself gravitating towards..... *gasp* .....antiques.  And rustic-y things.  And old wooden items.  Shocking, I know.  Right now, I'm really obsessed with window panes, old keys and wooden shutters.  Expect lots of those as I take you on a tour of my home in the future.  For now, here's a picture of our dining room wall and parts of my kitchen.

Gah.  I'm so in love with this navy wall.  When we moved in, this wall was yellow on top and a striped wallpaper on the bottom.  My future idea is to add wood to the bottom part of the wall to resemble bead boarding (found on Pinterest, of course).  That's a future kind of project, though. 

Now, the kitchen.  This kitchen is about to be overhauled.  In the very near future.  But for now, I'm working with what I've got. 

Cookbooks, farm animals, antique coffee tin and a rustic white picture frame?  I am my mother. 

SO excited about this one.  I've had this Dr. Pepper (my favorite drink) crate for practically forever.  I never really knew what to do with it.  In our old house, it sat above our cabinets, doing nothing.  In this house, the counter space in this kitchen is ridiculous.  Thus--a spice "rack" to hold my alphabetized (I hear you judging me) spices!  Hooray!  Also, Hammy the pig likes to watch me cook.  He was one of two animals in the clearance area at a local restaurant.  My sister took the sheep and I couldn't leave poor Hammy there by himself.  He's my kitchen friend....just not when I'm making bacon :)

 Lastly, the toaster oven my Meemaw bought me last year.  I LOVE it.  Doesn't it just SCREAM retro?!?  May seem silly to you, but I love the design of this toaster oven.  So cute.

That's it.  The rest of my house is a complete and total, undecorated disaster.  But I promise, the second I decorate it, you'll be the first to know. 

Color Runnin' It. {part 2}

My favorite ideas are ones that come together with excitement and enthusiasm in a short amount of time.  That's the way this Color Run idea has happened....I posted on my blog yesterday afternoon about doing the Color Run, and within a couple of hours we had 8 members, costume ideas and possible team names.  I. Am. SO. Pumped.  Do you even realize?  Not only am I getting to do the Color Run (which is on my bucket list), but now our team is DISNEY THEMED.  With DISNEY COSTUMES.  Cue the Hallelujah Chorus.

Here's what we've decided on:  our team name is going to have something to do with Disney....like the Dashing Disney Divas or something along those lines.  We're each choosing a Disney character.  You have to wear a white t-shirt (as required by the Color Run) and we're all wearing tutus to go along with our character.  This isn't a character that's been picked yet, but you get the idea:

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Belle!  So you get the idea!  We're still playing with logos, but this seems to be the favorite so far:

Here's our team and characters chosen. 

If you can't tell, I'm EXCITED.  And our team is still open!  If you want to join, we're going to sign up online....if we sign up before April 1st, we get to register for $35 ($10 off the registration price). 

Here's a new development.  I've talked a lot about Brooklyn and all the amazing fundraisers that are happening to help out her family.  One of those events is a marathon, with all entry fees going to Brooklyn.  In addition, there's a 5K in memory of Addison Jo Blair--another little Elizabethtown girl that lost her battle with the same cancer that Brooklyn's been diagnosed with.  Another girl on my Color Run team thought that we could support these two local families by running (a.k.a. probably walking) these marathons as well.  Bonus?  We get to wear our super sweet outfits more than once.  Win-win people. 

If you're interested in Color Run-ning, running for Brooklyn or Addison and wearing AWESOME Disney themed tutus, let me know.  We'd love to have you :)

Ready to {Color} Run!

I've needed a swift kick in the bee-hind to get back on the fitness track.  I've said I'm going to watch my weight, I'm going to count calories again, I'm going to eat healthy breakfasts, blah, blah, blah.  Haven't done any of it.  I needed a motivator.  And I think I've found it:

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Whaaaat?!  The Color Run?!?  Only the "happiest 5K on the planet!"  Seriously, they say so:

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I've reallllllly wanted to do a Color Run for awhile now.  Really bad  (said like Kid President). We're talking "on the bucket list" kind of stuff here people.  And it's coming to a city near me (Cincinnati to be exact).  On August 24th.  I'm doing it.  Not even kidding.  Have fun, get colorful and check an item off the Bucket List?  I'm there.

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Is this something you're interested in?  Because they offer a registration discount for teams of 4 or more.  We can come up with a sweet team name and maybe even do costumes (I'm feeling tutus...or superheros....or Disney Princesses *gasp!*).  Totally serious.  If you want to run with me, let me know and we can get a group to go.   We have plenty of time to train.  That's where my original thought was....do a 5K and have to train for it.  My sights were set a little higher--like the Disney Princess Half Marathon or the Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse Royal Family 5K or the Disney Family Fun Run 5K.....but the Color Run will do :)  So, starting April 1st (I'm giving myself time to hopefully move in our new home and get settled), I'm going to start training.   I've downloaded the "Couch-to-5K" app on my phone and created a "Ready to {Color} Run" playlist on my iTunes with kick-butt workout/running songs.  Join me?  (Seriously.  Let me know if you wanna!)  If you join my team, we may or may not make a trip to IKEA while we're in Cincy...that's worth doing the race alone.  :)

Control Freak.

It's funny how God has a way of reminding me that I'm not in control of anything.  Nothing at all.  As much as I try to control my life, my husband, my child, my corner of the world, I can't.  Nothing made that more clear than the events of this weekend. 

You may remember that we were supposed to move this weekend.  SUPPOSED TO being the key word there.  We didn't, obviously.  To make a long story (that ends up with a violently angry me) short, we were told that we can't move into our new home until an appraisal is done.  An appraisal that will take another 10-14 days for someone to come out to the house and do.  10-14 days.  That's TWO WEEKS.  Which basically means that I've busted my rear this weekend to get our ENTIRE house packed into boxes for absolutely no reason.  And when I say that I've packed everything, I'm not exaggerating.  I've packed our medicines, pajamas, our shoes, our pots and pans, our underwear....everything.  So I'm going to have to go through every single box, figure out what I need to take out to live on for the next two weeks....only to repack it again in two weeks.  When I found out this news on Friday, I was angry.  Violently, break something, scream and shake my fists angry.  I'd had a headache for going on a week straight, stressing about packing, moving and unpacking.  Now I had a headache for an entirely different reason.  Talk about a complete and total inconvenience.  My weekend was completely ruined.  Not to mention the next two weeks being a pain in the neck.  Until this morning's sermon at church.  The message that was given was on John 18:1-11 and Jesus' betrayal and arrest.  Out of every situation you can think of Jesus being in during his lifetime, you would think that during his arrest, he would have been completely out of control of the events going on.  His friend, his disciple, was betraying him, turning him over to be sacrificed.  You would have thought he would felt out of control of his situation, his circumstances. But he isn't (You need to hear the entire message.  I can't do it justice.  So go here---www.youngerscreek.com--and click on the online messages tab.  The date is March 3rd, 2013).  As I sat, listening to my preacher, I was reminded--I can't control everything.  I can't even try.  Instead, I need to remember that even when I'm not in control, God is.  Even when it feels like my best laid plans (aka moving this weekend into a new home) are falling apart, God is there.  He's in control.  So instead, I need to trust Him and look at the bright side of things.  I've never been a "glass half full" kind of person.  I want to be.  I want to be an optimist and look at the silver lining, but I tend to focus more on the negatives and the things that aren't going right.  I'm going to try to be the "glass half full" kind of person.  Instead of focusing on not being in my new house right now (like I should be this very second), I'm going to think about the extra two weeks I have to slowly move the things into my new house.  I can visit the house on my lunch breaks from work and slowly unpack things.  I can have my "office/art room" set up and arranged before we even move in.  I can have clothes in the closet and medicines and bathroom stuff put away.  I can stock the cabinets and put away our dishes.  Then, I can have those empty boxes to pack the remaining stuff at our "old" house.  This will work out for us.  This will make me a more patient person.  Plus, it gives me two extra weeks to come to terms with my emotions over moving and say goodbye to our house.  I'm going to remember that even when I'm not in control, God is.  And he knows what he's doing.

Mixed Feelings.

Saturday is a day that I've been looking forward to for a long time.  Marty and I have sold our house and are finally moving back to E-town.  We got an offer on our house about a month ago, found a home in E-town to move into, been overwhelmed with inspections and appraisals and painting and packing.  I'm finally getting to move back home.  I'm getting to move back to my family.  I don't have to drive the Bluegrass Parkway twice a day.  I've spent the last few weeks stressing over moving and packing everything in our home.  I should be thrilled.  But I'm sitting on my couch, looking at the bare walls and boxes piled up to be moved and I'm.....sad.  I can't help but look around the house and think about all the memories we have here.  This is our first home.  The house that Marty and I picked out together when we were engaged and dreaming of a fantastic life together.  It's the home that we came back to after our honeymoon....and brought a dog with us.  It's the house whose laundry room baseboards were destroyed by said dog.  It's the house that we brought Avery home to.  It's the only home she knows.  It's the home I've put thought and love into.  It's where we've fought, loved, laughed, cried and lived.  I don't know that I'm ready to leave. 

Weakness Points

Recently, I made the commitment to pinch my pennies, go on a budget and start a shopping ban once again.  I thought the first step I should take is to identify all of those places that I fall prey to spending more money (I'm nervous this is going to be a long list....) so I know which places (and areas) I need to steer clear of when out in town.

1.  Wal-Mart

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I touched on this yesterday, but I'm terrible about making a grocery run and buying a bunch of crap I don't need.  I'm the poster child for effective advertising.  If it promises to make my life easier, more organized, simpler or just looks pretty in the package, I'm probably going to be tempted to buy it.  Thanks to some really great readers, I've gotten some great suggestions on where to shop for groceries once we move back to Etown.  Now, I need a lesson in couponing.  I don't want to be an extreme couponer, by any means, but I always seem to find the coupons that are "Buy 6, get 1 free."  Well, I don't need 6.  I'll barely use the one that I have to buy.  I need to know where to find good, worthwhile coupons that are going to save me money on the things I need without making me buy 80 of them to get a discount. 

2.  Target

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Oh Target.  How I could talk for hours about your Clearance section and clean stores and Bullseye logo that suck me in.  Your accessories, your clothing, your shoes, your home section.  I love it all.  And that's why I won't be seeing you for 90 days.  At all.  I just can't.  I don't have that much willpower.  But please know that I will miss you very much....even though my bank account won't.

3.  Organizational aisles

I'm an organized nerd.  I love planners, binders, bins, shelves, containers, anything that makes my life even halfway organized. I will buy planners just because I like the way they're laid out....even though I already have a planner for 2013.  I'll buy stackable containers to store office supplies...even though I already have an organizational system in place in my home office.  Therefore, I must stay away from Office Depot, Staples, Michaels and all organizational and home supply aisles in any store I go in.

4.  Pier One, Kirklands, TJ Maxx, etc.

We're moving.  We're getting a new home.  A blank canvas.  That's just begging to be decorated exactly how I want it to be.  That I'm dying to make look exactly like all the pins I've been faithfully pinning on Pinterest.  But I can't.  That would be EXPENSIVE.  Instead, I'm not going to unpack all of the old stuff that I didn't like about our current house.  I'm going to work on my house a tiny little bit at a time.  It may take 5  years, but it would finally be how I wanted it.  I'm horrible about buying little knickknacky clearance things if I think it looks cute.  As a result, my house looks.....jumbled.  Not pulled together.  Not how I want it.  Stay away from all home goods stores, Devan.

5.  Avery clothing

Ugh.  Little girl's clothing.  I buy it like crazy...even when my child doesn't need it.  I buy the cutest dress, the cutest shoes, the cutest shirt.  As a result, she has a pair of shoes that only match two shirts in her entire wardrobe, shirts that don't match any pants and dresses for the wrong season.  I'm going to plan ahead when it comes to shopping for Avery.  Before buying that adorable shirt, make sure it's practical and that she can wear it more than just once.  I'm going to allow myself to buy Avery clothes during my shopping ban, but only on a limited basis and only if she truly needs it.

6.  Clearance sections

Do I need to say more?  Totally off-limits.


That's it.  It's easier for me to spend less when I can identify my weaknesses and know exactly what I need to stay away from.

What's your shopping weakness??

Acting My Wage.

This past summer, I embarked on a personal finance journey that was really successful for me and for my bank account.  I think it's time to dredge it out of the archives....with some slight changes.
Introducing:  Penny Pinching Summer LIVING!

I'm bringing it back y'all!  It's time to start, as Dave Ramsey would say, "acting my wage."  Marty and I have had a pretty significant life change happen to us in the last couple months.  I eluded to it a couple of posts ago, but I think it's finally safe to say:  we're moving!  We're finally moving back home to Etown!  I'll go into more detail later, but we're leaving our little starter home for a bigger  home, more suited for our family and closer to the ones we love.  But with a new, bigger home comes new, bigger expenses.  Bigger utility bills.  Bigger problems.  Bigger upgrades and work I want done to make the house the one of my dreams.  And Marty and I can afford all this (obviously, or we wouldn't be moving in the first place), but I don't want to get to the point where we're scraping together our pennies and dimes because we've strapped ourselves down with a bigger mortgage.  So I'm taking the first step to discipline myself.  I don't have to.  I WANT to.  I'm the world's worst about buying crap I don't need.  I go to the grocery and I end up with probably $30 of stuff that wasn't on the list, I just felt like I needed it.  I go into a store and end up buying myself two shirts off the clearance rack because I felt like it was a deal I couldn't pass up.  I don't spend money with my head.  I don't logically think about what I should or shouldn't be buying.  I shop with my emotions...the worst kind.  I impulsively buy things, get them home and then later feel guilty about not saving the money for something more important.  I'm HORRIBLE about going out to eat.  Getting a Coke in the mornings.  Grabbing myself some breakfast.  Hitting the drive through for lunch because I was too lazy to get up early and make myself a lunch.  Well, no more.  Not only am I resurrecting the "Penny Pinching" idea, I'm going to put myself back on a shopping ban.  I did it a couple of years ago, and I was successful.  But I limited myself to not buying anything for myself--meaning new clothing, shoes, a pair of earrings.  I'm taking that a step further.  I buy NOTHING.  For 90 days.  Unless it's a necessity.  I spend absolutely no money except on groceries, necessities for the new house and necessities for Avery.  That's it.  No more little knickknacks at Kirklands or cute little home items at Target.  No more shoes from the clearance rack or craft items that I don't need.  I am going to start crafting and selling again when we get moved into our new house to make myself a little extra "cushion" money (a.k.a. I'm saving to treat myself to a new couch!), but if it's not a necessity for the specific craft I'm making, I won't buy it.  Now, here's where you come in.  Hold me accountable.  Ask how my shopping ban is going (and then be a shoulder to cry on when I tell you about an adorable purse I had to pass up).  Tell me about great deals and how to save money at the grocery (where I fail miserably at saving money).  Tell me where I can get good discounted clothing or deals on Avery things.  Let's make this a group thingy!  You share deals and penny pinching tips with me, and I'll do the same for you (here's my first--start by making  your own laundry detergent!).  And hopefully later, we'll both be in excellent financial shape and be able to brag about being debt free (hey, I dream big, okay?).
I'll leave you with a couple of Dave Ramsey quotes that are going to be my motivation for the next 90 days.

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No, shoes.  I don't need you.  No, unnecessary Walmart crap.  I don't need you.  No, Marty.  We don't need to go out to eat tonight. Let me make dinner tonight.

Printing this off and putting it in my wallet.  Right by my debit card.

Goodbye Michaels and Target.  I'll see you in 90 days.

It All Comes Out in the Wash (Detergent Update!)

The blog post I get the most questions about in real life, hands down, is the question about my homemade laundry detergent.  Do you remember that?  Let me refresh your memory (a.k.a. click here. It'll take you to the original post).  I thought I would talk a little bit about it in case you were curious!

I made my laundry detergent back in JUNE.  I just ran out last month.  That's SIX MONTHS of not buying laundry detergent.  Absolutely reedonkulous.  It was time to make some more, so I thought I would do a little tweaking to the original recipe. 

I'll start by saying that Marty didn't love the homemade detergent.  Almost from the moment I made it, he turned his nose up.  I guess because it's not a trusted brand or well-renowned for it's cleaning ability...I don't know.  Whatever the reason, he wasn't really wanting to give the 1950s detergent a chance at all ( but that didn't stop me from using it *cheesy grin*).  I figured out later that Marty likes really fresh clothes that have a distinct "just washed" smell.  That's probably one of the few negatives about this detergent.  It doesn't have much of a smell--which doesn't bother me.  I don't have to walk around every day smelling like a fabric softener sheet, but apparently my husband does, so I wanted to fix that with this round of detergent.

Recap:  here's the "recipe" to make your own homemade laundry detergent:

1 box (76 oz) 20 Mule Team Borax

1 box (55 oz) Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda

3 bars of soap**

**In my original round of making detergent, I used plain, ole Ivory soap.  This time, I went for the actual laundry soap...Fels Naptha (you can also pick up Zote--another laundry soap brand).  Heads up, if you go this route?  This stuff is strooooong scented.  Like make your house smell like this soap for THREE DAYS STRAIGHT strong.  

So, let's make the detergent.  Dump the Borax and Washing Soda into your chosen container.  I've been using a cute red beverage tub I found on clearance at Target.  

Then, grate all three bars of soap into the mix with a cheese grater.  Looks just like grated cheese.  A little weird.

Now, one more change from the original batch I made.  To make the detergent and the laundry smell cleaner, I added a bottle of Purex Crystals.  

I picked the Fresh Spring Waters scent, just because I didn't think the hubs would appreciate the Lavender smelling clothing.   

So far, I like this version detergent better.  It smells clean and I think the Purex Crystals add to the cleaning power.  And....hubs hasn't complained.  Score. 

Last time, I compared my savings in making my own detergent vs buying a bottle of Tide or other brand name.  Since I added the Purex Crystals and spent a little more on the Fels Naptha, I would say I spent around $13 on this batch.  Since there are more ingredients, there's more detergent to go around (175. oz worth)  Here's the math: 

Cost of detergent/amount of detergent (tbsp)=Cost per load of laundry

There are 175.5 oz in this batch.  1 oz=2 tbsp.  So, 351 tbsp. of laundry.

$13/351 tbsp= 4 cents a load

I use 2 tbsp in each load of laundry, so it costs me 8 cents a load.

Yep.  Totally still worth it. 

What kind of products do you make yourself and save money?  Share!! 

I'm Promise I'm Back.

I'm back guys.  I know I've said it before (like this is the third time)...but I'm really back.  Back to attempting to be my normal Super Messy Supermommy self and blogging about it.  I've missed you peoples!  So let's get to it!  We've got a lot of ground to cover since I've been gone.

I've been a terrible Hot Mama.  Basically, I've been all Hot Mess and no Hot Mama.  I haven't attempted to eat healthy, I've stopped making dinner and I've stopped watching my calories.  I haven't stepped on my scale in weeks because I'm scared to death of the number that's going to show up.  NO MORE!  I'm taking back control over my weight and my body.  I've been awful lately.  It's embarrassing.  And I've been doing it for the wrong reasons.  I've been dieting and watching my weight so I can look good for other people.  So others can look at me and say "Wow!  Devan looks great and has lost so much weight!"  It's been more for other's view of me instead of for myself and for God.  Because God says "So eat your meals heartily, not worrying about what others say about you--you're eating to God's glory, after all, not to please them. (1 Corinthians 10:31 MSG)"  Basically, don't starve yourself because you're afraid what someone will say when you eat that Big Mac, but at the same time, you're eating to God's glory.  Do you think that He's going to be happy if I'm not taking care of the body He gave me?  It's all about moderation.  Enjoying the things that He offers in life, but not to excess.  So I'm going to get rid of the "d" word.  Diet.  I'm going to start dieting eating right and taking care of myself. 

To start, I found a great semi-healthy recipe that I want to share with you guys.  Last night, my church had a chili cook-off.  Being a Supermommy wannabe, I attempted my hand at a Sweet Chili recipe--modified from this recipe.  It. Was. Fantastic.  But I still didn't win. Oh well.  The chili is fantastic.  And I want to share the recipe with you guys.

"Stop and Go Sweet Chili"

1 lb hamburger

1/2 onion, chopped

1 red pepper, diced

1 yellow pepper, diced

1 green pepper, diced

2 (~15 oz) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 cans diced tomatoes

3 (6 oz) cans of tomato paste

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 packet chili seasoning

1 1/2 cup water

Salt to taste (optional) 

Cooked spaghetti noodles (optional)

1. Brown hamburger and onions in a large pot.

2.  Add peppers and cook until soft.

So colorful!

 3.  Add the rest of the ingredients and cook until hot. Makes approximately 15 cups.

I added spaghetti noodles to my chili because, let's be honest, chili isn't real chili unless it has spaghetti noodles in it.

But the secret to this chili being so good?  The brown sugar.  It definitely makes it a sweeter chili than a normal recipe, so warn people that they're eating a "sweet chili" or they'll be put off by the flavor.  Here's how I know it was successful:  my husband said it was good.....AND he asked if I would make it again.  That never happens folks.

I'm drooling right now, just thinking about it.  And you know what stinks?  I didn't win, but my chili was completely gone by the end of the night.  So I have no blue ribbon AND no leftovers to enjoy!  Harrumph. 

Alright, so I'm getting back on the healthy wagon.  You do it too.  And go make some sweet chili. :) 

P.S.  Since I'm recently obsessed with "Kid President," have watched all his YouTube videos and stalk follow him on Twitter, here's your "Kid President Pump You Up Thought of The Day!"

Get to it.

Baby #2

I have an announcement to make, so listen really, really closely.......




I despise people that rush things.

There.  That's it.  My announcement.  Did I trick you? *mischievous giggle* Are you just here because you thought I was carrying another mini-Marty for the world to see?  Sorry to disappoint you guys.  Instead, I want to talk about exactly the opposite.

I hate it when people rush things in life.
When you start getting serious with your significant other, people are immediately like "When are you getting a ring??" 
When you get engaged...and I mean literally, the moment you get engaged, people are like "When's the wedding??"  "Not sure.  I just received a ring like 0.2 seconds ago."
Then, you get married and it doesn't take long for people to be like "When are you guys going to have a baby???" "I don't know.  In the meantime, we'll just practice :) (sorry mom.)." 
Finally, and my biggest pet peeve of all, before your little bundle of joy is even a year old, people are all "So, when's baby number two coming along??"

Here's the thing.  I realize that everyone has their own schedules.  Some couples want to be married for over 5 years before they even have the baby talk.  Some are ready for babies as soon as they get married (crazy kids).  Some people want one child.  Some people want multiple children spaced multiple years apart.  And then there's the people that barely let their babies stop being babies before they want another.  Lately, I've seen or heard people talking about having crazy baby fever and wanting a second baby before their first is even barely a year old.  Listen, if that's you, and I'm offending you right now, please accept my sincerest apologies.  I just don't understand it.  Avery, my one and only for the moment, turned 18 months old yesterday.  She's still a BABY to me.  She's my walking, talking, screaming, fighting, crying, smiling, giggling, pouting, learning daily, stubborn little baby.  Modern medicine and my pediatrician can call her a toddler if they like, but to me, she's still my baby.  She's still unsteady when she runs.  She still giggles when she learns something new.  She still curls up in a ball when she's still sleepy and when she wakes up in the morning.  She still sleeps like a baby (as in, not at all).  Yes, Avery is doing lots of toddler-ish things right now.  But she has SO many more milestones to hit before I want to think about bringing another little Gaddie into our household yet.  I would love it if my kid could eat normal food without pretending to choke.  I would love her to be potty trained (BIG one).  I would love if she could drink out of a straw by herself without spilling water all over herself (and me, and the floor, and Minnie Mouse).  I would love it if she would consistently sleep through the night (BIGGEST ONE OF ALL).  All of the things I still feel like Avery and I need to do before I even think about splitting my time with her and a sibling. 

Now, don't get me wrong.  I know plenty of people whose children are super close together and are incredibly awesome moms.  I just don't think I'd be one of them.  My child takes up 110% of my time right now.  I'm trying to be more involved in my community through Relay for Life, find a little more time to myself by crafting and trying to squeeze in time with my hubby every now and again.  Most of the time, simple things like cleaning house and doing laundry don't even fit into the schedule because I just am not a good homemaker/multi-tasker.  So the idea of having baby #2 right now (or even 9 months from now) sends me into a brown-paper-bag, full-blown panic attack zone.  Let me clarify something too.  Do I want more children?  Abso-freaking-lutely.  More than one more, if I can drug my husband into signing a contract that we can have more than two little Gaddies running around.  Do I want them to be spaced years apart?  Not exactly.  I'm not saying that I want to wait until Avery is in middle school before we have another baby (can you imagine how exhausting THAT would be??).  I'm just saying that I want maybe a year or two more to enjoy my baby now.  To watch her grow.  To watch her learn.  To know that I can devote all of my time to her without feeling guilty about needing to split my time with her brother or sister.  I'm not saying that there's a magic age or number of years your children should be spaced apart.  I'm just saying....quit trying to rush things people.  Enjoy your babies while they're still babies.  And let me enjoy mine.

I was a witness.

Every once in awhile in this life, we experience a moment that we're humbled to be a part of--that we know we're witnessing something fantastically amazing happen. Friday night was one of those moments for me.

As you may or may not have known, on Friday, my childhood church decided to hold a chili supper and benefit auction for miss Brooklyn {read Brooklyn's story here}. Somehow, in the course of planning, I was put in charge of the auction portion of the night. Easy peasy. I love doing things like this. But, being in charge also meant that my obsessive worrying kicked into overdrive. Do we have enough auction items? Do we have enough big ticket auction items? Are we going to have enough people show up to bid on said auction items? As the week went on, however, those worries changed into something much different. Our attendance numbers began to grow rapidly. The word was spreading via Facebook, word-of-mouth, local radio stations and even on a Louisville based morning show. That's the moment I really started freaking out. Will we have enough chili to feed everyone? How are we going to fit 300-400 people in our church's parish hall? Where is everyone going to sit? How should we rearrange the tables? Last week was a blur of collecting donations, posting donations on Facebook for the world to see, spreading the word to make sure people would come, giving directions, making sure I was prepared. Then Friday came. Auction items flooded the tables. People flooded the building. They flooded the donation basket with money. And that was only the beginning. The chili supper alone brought over $4,100---in simple, give from your heart donations. Let me put it this way. Someone estimated that we had around 350 in attendance that night. That would be roughly $11 a person. For a single bowl of chili and a hot dog. Amazing, right? Oh, you haven't heard anything yet.
The night was filled with generosity, love and just plain selflessness. Would you like examples?
A painting I made of Kentucky brought $175--bought by a friend of mine in Eastern Kentucky who's never even MET Brooklyn.
A bracelet that was made with the Brooklyn's Believers logo was purchased by a local farmer for $300....then was promptly handed over to Brooklyn's grandma for her to cherish and wear.
A St John middle schooler won a mountain bike for good testing grades at her school. When she found out she had won, she told her mom she wanted to donate the bike to be auctioned off for Brooklyn. The bike brought $175...and then was given back to the girl for her to keep.
But all of that was nothing compared to the end of the night. The very last item for auction was a pink child's quilt that had the words "Brooklyn's Believers" embroidered on the top. The bidding ended at $500...but that wasn't enough for the people there. Bidders began yelling out their numbers and how much they would donate to raise the price of the quilt. "Bidder number 100 donates $50!" The room was silent, except for people yelling out that they would donate $25, $50, even $100 towards the quilt (I'm tearing up even writing this). In the end, the quilt brought several thousand dollars. And then was given to Erin, Brooklyn's mom.
Someone asked me earlier in the week what I was hoping the auction would bring. I told them I had no expectations because I would rather be blown away than disappointed. Well, blown away doesn't even begin to describe it. That small community chili supper and auction raised over $22,000 for Brooklyn and her parents. To say that people were generous that night is a gross understatement. People gave from their hearts. God's work was evident that night--his light shining through every single volunteer, bidder and person in attendance. It was truly a humbling thing to witness.
Here's my official thank you. Thank you to those of you that came. Thank you for bidding. Thank you for buying. Thank you for donating your items. Thank you for spreading the word. Thank you to those who came, circled the overly full parking lot and left--you still came. Thank you to those that helped me with the auction. Just thank you, thank you, thank you.
Erin and Daniel. I think Friday night was a true testament to how much this community loves you. They don't want to see you hurting or struggling. And most of all, they, without a doubt, believe in Brooklyn.

Terrible Twos or Bratty Kid?

I've had a magic trick happen in my home.  One day, I had a happy baby that laughed often, snuggled with mommy and daddy, willingly gave kisses and hugs and was polite.  Then *poof*!  I wake up the next morning to a whiny, clingy, demanding little 17 month old.  Could this honestly be the dreaded "Terrible Twos" already?!?

What's happened to my sweet baby girl?  We are deep in the throes of Temper Tantrum Land.  Squealing or growling or just plain "pitching a fit" when she doesn't get her way.  Perfect example:  last night, we were driving home in my car.  Avery wanted to listen to her Mickey Mouse CD (isn't it funny how you know what they want without using any words?).  After a little while of listening, she was still grunting and growling at me, so I turned Mickey off.  When she threw a fit to listen to him again, I told her that if she wanted something she needed to say please.  Cue terrible tantrum.  Cue the pouty lip and the waving of fists.  Which made me insist: "Avery, we don't act like that to get what we want.  If you want to listen to Mickey, you have to say please."  You see, this line ALWAYS worked before.  Want a banana? to watch TV? to wear a bow in your hair?  You must say please.  And she would.  Until recently.  Now she'll throw a fit to get what she wants...saying please is an absolute thing of the past.  I would like to say that I don't give into those embarrassing temper tantrums, but sometimes you're caught in public when one comes on.  What do you do?  You leave your cart full of groceries in the aisle and walk back to your vehicle because your child just HAS to have that rubber ducky she spotted on the shelf?  Sometimes, it's just easier to give her the rubber ducky that will keep her entertained the rest of the time we're in the store.  I know that's not the best thing to do.  So sue me.  It's hard disciplining a 17 month old.  She doesn't fully understand everything I'm trying to tell her.  I say "We don't pull mommy's hair.  That's not a nice thing to do Avery."  Who knows what she's hearing?  Probably: pull mommy's hair! 

Let's move on to dinner time.  Eating out at a sit down restaurant is going to have to be retired for the time being.  Avery wants to throw her cup, throw her toys, throw her food, get out of the chair, pretend to choke because she thinks it's funny (yeah....that really happens).  I understand that she's still a baby, leaning towards being a toddler and that she isn't always going to sit still whenever we're in public or eat all her vegetables.  I'm not naive.  But I definitely don't want to be embarrassed any time Marty and I decide to go eat dinner at Cheddars. 

Then there's playing well with others.  To summarize:  it doesn't happen.  Well, let me specify.  Avery plays well with others at a neutral place (i.e. someone else's house).  When those playmates are on "her turf," don't even think about it.  A while back, there were a couple of Avery's friends over at her Gramma's house.  They played with Avery's toys at Gramma's house....and Avery wanted nothing to do with it.  Harper would play with Avery's kitchen...Avery would run over and play with her kitchen.  Delaney would pick up Avery's play vacuum....Avery suddenly wanted to vacuum.  Lots of growling and yelling took place that day.  How do you teach a child that's Avery's age how to share?  I can tell her that she needs to share her toys, but again...what does that mean to her?  I have been blessed to have an amazing family that watches Avery during the week, thus keeping her out of daycare.  Am I doing Avery a disservice by keeping her out of daycare and keeping her away from the chance to learn how to interact with other kids her age?  What's a mom to do??

Someone told me that this could be the result of lack of sleep.  Well, at 17 months old, Avery is still not consistently sleeping through the night.  We may have a week of sleeping through and then a week of being up every night crying it out.  Then she may sleep through two days and cry the next three.  She's also not getting regular naps.  She may go to my Granny's house and take a three hour nap around 11 one day and then go to my Aunt Pam's and sleep 30 minutes at 12 the next.  Without me being with her every single day, it's almost impossible to regulate her naptime schedule.  Could I just have a grumpy baby because she can't figure out a consistent sleeping pattern??

Now that I've ranted, let me explain.  Avery rarely ever acts this way with anyone else (unless all my babysitters are lying when they tell me "She was perfect today!").  It seems to be just when she's with me.  That makes me feel like crap.  And let me clarify something else:  I know I just talked about everything that Avery is doing to misbehave, but my child is no means a terror.  She's still enjoyable to be around (for the most part), ALWAYS says thank you whenever you hand her an item and is so much fun.  Everything I mentioned above is behavior that happens occasionally.  No, she doesn't throw a fit every time we go to Wal-Mart.  No, she doesn't embarrass me every single time we're at a restaurant.  No, she doesn't throw a temper tantrum every single time she doesn't get what she wants.  But these instances are becoming closer and closer together.  And I want to raise a well-behaved and polite child (for the most part...I understand kids aren't perfect). 

I'm a little worried about this new development in Avery's behavior.  I worry that it's my parenting or disciplining style that's made her that way.  Help??
(I leave you with Avery's best "gimme-what-I-want" pouty face, as given to her Gramma)

Hot Mama!! Update!!

Well, ladies and gentleman.  I'm back on the diet track.  Is it fun?  No.  Is it as yummy as eating cheeseburgers and drinking Dr. Pepper?  Absolutely not.  But it's healthier.  And a healthier me means a more confident me.  One that can keep up with my daughter and hopefully be around for a long time because my arteries aren't getting clogged with McDonald's fat. 
Weigh in!
Original weight:  142.5
Last time:  131.4
This week's weight: 

Loss from last week:  1 lb.
Overall lost: 12.1 lbs.

Holy weight loss Batman!  I feel a lot better.  It took a major wake up call for me to get my diet back in gear.  I kind of had the attitude like I didn't care for awhile.  I ate out a lot.  I drank a lot of Cokes.  I ate in excess.  Until I couldn't button my pants one day and my skinny dress that I worked so hard to get back into didn't fit anymore.  Wake. Up. Call.  Ladies and gents, I'm back on the wagon!  And can I make one tiny observation??  This is the least I've weighed since before I had Avery.  I'm at my smallest I've been since starting my "Hot Mess to Hot Mama" journey.  Can I get a high five on that one? *virtual high five*  As awesome as I feel right now, I'm not done yet.  I still have 10 pounds to go before I hit my goal weight.  Think I can do it?

I'm Baaaaaack!

Hey y'all.....remember me?  The mommy behind the Super Messy blog?  Well, lately this mommy has been SUPER BUSY--and absent from the blogging world.  It's all been for a good cause though, I promise!!

Remember Brooklyn?  And the bracelets that I committed to making, selling and then donating the money to Brooklyn and her family?  Well, those bracelets have consumed my waking moments over the last few weeks.  Orders, payments, getting addresses, volunteers to make the bracelets, stressing over when the charms would arrive....and finally, MAKING them today.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining in the least.  I've enjoyed every minute of this bracelet making whirlwind.  I've loved watching the order count climb higher and higher, knowing that more money is being sent Brooklyn's way.  After multiple bracelets, knots, beads, hand cramps and FIVE HOURS LATER, all 109 Minnie Mouse bracelets are complete.   Whew. 

So.  For this moment, I'm caught up on bracelets.  We have no more orders coming in and the believe charms aren't here yet, so I can semi-relax other than taking payments.  Which means...I'm BACK!  With that, I'm going to do what every other blogger out there is doing today, on January 1st:  making resolutions.  A lot of people are super negative when it comes to making New Year's Resolutions.  "Who keeps them?"  "You'll make them and be back to your old ways by January 5th."  "Resolutions are a waste."  I, for one, completely disagree.  I know it's just a symbol, but the New Year is a chance to start things fresh.  I saw this completely appropriate and motivating quote on Twitter yesterday:

 

"Tomorrow (New Year's Day) is the 1st blank page in a 365 page book.  Write a good one!" 

New Year's is just that--a brand new year.  It's no secret....2012 wasn't the best to my family or the best year of my life.  A lot of things happened that made 2012 a year that I won't be sad to leave behind.  So, here's to starting new things and hoping that 2013 is better than 2012 even thought about being!

My 2013 Resolutions: 

1.  Be a better daughter of God.  

I LOVE my Jesus.  I love listening to WJIE and being uplifted in my faith and feeling like I can take on the world.  I love going to church and listening to the wonderful things that God has at work for my little church and little corner.  But I'm terrible about praying.  I pray when things seem helpless or when I need something.  I need to start praying whenever things are great.  Just to thank Him for another morning or another day with Marty and Avery.  I want to "pray without ceasing" (1 thessalonians 5:17).  I want to stop worrying about things and start turning them immediately over to my Father. 

2.  Be a better wife.

I will be the first to admit---I'm really hard on Marty.  He does more than I could ever imagine as a husband and father.  He helps me around the house, is extremely considerate, always puts me first, is an absolutely incredible father to Avery...and I still find things to nitpick.  I don't even notice I'm doing it.  I complain about things that aren't done instead of thanking him for everything that has been done.  That's why I'm going to restart my "Proverbs 31 Woman" journey again.  I want to be the kind of wife that makes Marty happy to come home to every day. 

3.  Start 2013 with only things I LOVE.

I'm a terrible hoarder.  I buy things I don't need in the clearance bin, I buy furniture when it's super cheap, I buy clothes because they've been marked 75% off--but I don't LOVE any of it.  Those clothes will come home and sit in my closet, never to be worn.  That piece of furniture will come home with me and hide in our storage shed because I can't find a place that it looks exactly right.  I want to start fresh and with things that I'm proud to show off and clothes that I feel great in. 

4.  Finish my "Hot Mama" journey. 

This holiday season has wreaked some MAJOR havoc on my diet.  I haven't stepped on a scale in weeks because I'm terrified of what it will read.  My pants are fitting a little tighter and I'm only wearing the shirts that fall loosely around my midsection.  Not anymore.  More packing my lunch, less eating out and more feeling like a Hot Mama again.

5.  Save money.

Here's where I've always struggled.  I don't blow money, by any stretch of the imagination.  But I do buy things here and there for $20 or under that adds up to a lot of unnecessary spending.  No more quick trips through the drive through--an extra $5 in my pocket.  STRICTLY sticking to our family budget--feeling more comfortable when it comes to paying bills and living everyday life.  It's time Marty and I start living the way Dave Ramsey taught us when we took his class. 

6.  Learn to sew.

Plain and simple.  I want to learn how to sew.  And sew well.

7.  Start crafting more.

It makes me happy.  It's my equivalent of a girl's night out.  It's a hobby that I love doing and is MY thing.  I stopped crafting and painting right before Avery was born.  I was exhausted and busy and stressed and overwhelmed and painting was the last thing on my mind.  Avery's older now and is actually sleeping well (please, can't talk about it or I'll jinx myself) and it's time I start crafting for myself again.  Make some extra money too.

That's it.  Sure, there's a million other things I'd love to do this year, but I know that making a ton of resolutions becomes completely unreasonable.  I feel these are things that I can do.  With encouragement and a lot of prayer, I can complete these 2013 goals.  Happy 2013 all.....can't wait to see the book you're writing this year!