September 30th Then and Now

I've been going through pictures of this past year in preparation of Emma Claire's first birthday almost every day lately. When looking through a few albums tonight I found one that was taken 365 days ago.

Exactly one year ago today...

 

And here is a picture of my little lady and I before church this morning.

 

 

Isn't it amazing what a difference a year can make?

 

Time to Consign

Y'all know I love a good deal in any form whether it's a yard sale, goodwill, or a consignment sale. Needless to say I was excited to find out that our little town holds it's own Just Between Friends consignment sale during the fall. It took place this weekend and I registered to shop early, on Friday night, as a first time parent. I took my friend Sonja with me and we both did pretty well! It wasn't the biggest consignment sale I've been to but I managed to find a few things I was looking for.

 

 

Here's the breakdown of the goods...

 

- 5 pairs of 12 month zip up jammies $3 each

- Silly Goose Smocked Christmas outfit $12

- Melissa and Doug puzzle $5

- Playskool flowerpot ball toy $3

- Little Einstein ABC book .50 cents

- Pink pig toy $2

- Rocking Horse $13

 

I spent $50 almost exactly. I was pretty excited about spending that much for all that I got! If you couldn't tell I'm planning for Christmas. I have been looking for a cute little rocking horse and this one is perfect. Can you not already picture it under the tree? Also, I was kind of nervous she wouldn't like it so I put her on it before we checked out and let me tell you, girlfriend went NUTS. As a baby I loved my bouncy horse so when I told my mom that she loved it she said, "of course she did!" I can't wait to see her on it again Christmas morning! I also let her play with the flower ball toy and she LOVED that. This afternoon after I sanitized it she played with it for almost half an hour straight! After she went to sleep tonight I hid it and I'm thinking of giving it to her for her birthday since she loved it so much.

 

Today was the first Saturday in a long time that I didn't go out yard sale-ing but I think I'm okay with it because I got some pretty good deals last night!

 

 

 

Friday Fun

Today was my very first MOPS meeting. I was a little nervous having never been. However, I have only heard positive things from friends so I wasn't too worried! I got Emma Claire dolled up in a cute little orange smocked bubble, perfect for fall. If only our weather was fall like! We got a taste of it a few weeks ago and I wish the cool, crisp air would come back.

 

I am happy to report that not only did I have fun, this was the best that Emma Claire has done in nursery so far! She is now going about three times a week and she is in the same room each time so I think she is really starting to get used to it! Y'all have no idea how happy this makes me...or if you're a momma of a fussy little one then maybe you do!

 

Today at MOPS I met a few ladies who will be in our couples Sunday school class that we are going to start attending this weekend. As much as I am loving all of my new activities, I really wish the hubs didn't have to work and could attend functions, do bible study, and make new friends. BUT that's not how life works! So I'm really excited to have time together as a couple on Sundays to make new friends TOGETHER!

 

Since I really can't say happy fall y'all...happy FRIDAY y'all!

Good Goodwill Day

I think I speak for all thrifty bargain hunters when I say not every time you go out thrifting do you find great deals. Lately when I've been hitting up goodwill I have had zero luck. I got so discouraged that EC and I took a little Goodwill break and haven't been in a few months. Today we ended our streak because of a few picture frames...twelve to be exact. I knew that I wanted to frame Emma Claire's monthly pictures at her party but I didn't want to go purchase twelve new frames. Can you say cha-ching?! So off to Goodwill we went. I did not have high expectations. Every other time I've been to goodwill in search of frames I've come away empty handed. And today I needed not one, but twelve.

 

 I am happy to report that I came away victorious and now have more than enough frames!

 

Every time I go into Goodwill I browse the baby section and have never found anything. Well today I found this polka dot top! How cute will this be on EC with a little sweater, jeans/skirt, and her black mary janes? Adorable! {Side note: just realized I took this picture of the top backwards! ha! oops!}

I also snagged several silver platters, some small picture frames that I plan to paint and have on display at her party, and a brown basket. I am thinking that it will be perfect to hold party favors.

When I was browsing through the frames I found this needlepoint. {for $2} It is SO cute and very well framed. I think I'm going to paint the  mat inside as well as the frame. I'm going to have it out at the party and I think it will be darling to have out next summer.

 

And there really wasn't any seasonal decor that I liked but I saw this pumpkin candle holder for $1 and I had to have it.

 

Don't you just love a good Goodwill day?

Time

For the first time in a long time I feel like I'm too busy enjoying life to blog about it. I think it's a combo of fall activities, house projects, hubby being gone a lot (but what's new in that department? ha!), planning Emma Claire's first birthday, and having a VERY mobile baby. I know I'm not the only momma in this bind. I am hoping to find a nice balance of living life and recording it.

 

 

I know Emma Claire's days of babyhood are limited and I am determined to soak them up while I can.

 

I couldn't resist sharing this picture. Is this  not such a typical "dad" picture? ha! She has a dress on and he holds her like this for a picture! Such a goof!

 

I am just feeling time slipping through my fingers more and more these days and I am so behind on my memory keeping. I am six months behind on EC's monthly books and I am determined to have them all made and out on display at her birthday party! I have lots of work ahead of me in the next few days.

 

 

 

Life Update: List Style

Well I don't know about y'all but with the start of fall our life has gotten really busy. With church, bible study, photography sessions, and the hubby traveling we are on the go a lot now a days. MOPS also starts this week and I am SO excited for that! It will be my first time participating and I can't wait. I realized it has been a while since I've done a general update on what we have been up to on a day to day basis so I thought I would just do a little random list style update.

 

My mums are in full bloom and I LOVE them! I bought a pair of black urns this summer with one thing in mind: overflowing yellow fall mums!

 

I haven't busted out my fall decor storage container  yet but I did pretty up our front door with a decal and some burnt orange silk hydrangeas.

I am loving my bible study this fall. I am doing Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) and we are studying Genesis. I am already growing and learning more than I thought possible.

 

Any other BSF-ers out there?

 

Emma Claire and I went to IKEA the other day. The last time she was there she was in my tummy. Needless to say she was in awe and loved it!

 

Yesterday it was a little chilly so I busted out one of EC's fall fleece carter's outfits. Could she BE any cuter?! The hood just about sent me over the edge, the cuteness is too much!

Bath time now consists of me sitting Emma Claire back on her tush every 2 seconds. Which she thinks is hilarious. Wonderful.

This little goodie came in the mail yesterday and I CANNOT WAIT to take her to a pumpkin patch in this.

 

I've been working on several furniture projects lately. I've sanded down and primed my bar stools, and two days ago I sanded down the kitchen table. Whew. This little baby has gotten a lot of use lately and we have a love/hate relationship! I just want my projects to be D-O-N-E!

This picture is blurry but perfectly depicts our days. Laughing, giggling, house is a mess, dishes on the counter, laundry needs to be done...but it can all wait. We are having too much fun to worry about silly things like housework.

 

That being said...I really need to wrap up this blog post and get to cleaning nap because nap time is quickly ticking by!

It just takes one...

Today I was really excited to go out and find some good deals. One of the large communities in my area was having their fall community yard sale. I drove around for half an hour and went to about a dozen garage sales with zero luck. Then I stumbled upon a little gold mine. At first I glanced around and was about to walk off because it was a "boy" garage sale. It was also a "just get rid of it" garage sale. AKA mom was no where in sight and dad was just supposed to get rid of everything! ha! I browsed through the toys and was surprised to find some great toys that had barely been touched. The guy kept telling me he would give me a deal to just take all of the toys if I wanted! However there were a TON so I asked if I could fill a storage container and then figure out payment once I had picked things out.

 

I managed to fill it all the way with toys, a few straw sippy cups, and a little Ralph Lauren dress {that he told me just to take and he wasn't charging me! ha!} I also snagged a rockabye Caterpillar rocker. Once I had gathered all of my little finds I asked if he would take $10 and he said sure! I was tickled to get everything for that price. {Plus a new storage container with lid!} The rocker alone retails for $120!

 

I can now happily report that I have all of Emma Claire's birthday presents! I think she is going to love all of her new toys and go nuts for her rocker.

 

See, it only takes one. In the middle of all of the other garage sales I just needed to find that ONE good one!

 

Tasty Treat Thursday

If you are in need of a quick and easy dinner that is also DELICIOUS I have the solution!!! 

Let me tell y'all...if I could have dairy I would TOTALLY be making this for dinner tonight. It's the perfect fall dinner

Now I'm going to give you the original ingredients/directions (in blue) VIA The Girl Who Ate Everything and tell you what I substituted/omitted! (in pink!) Just because I didn't do everything exactly like she said!

Ingredients/Directions

Mix Together

8 ounces cream cheese, softened {I only had 4 ounces}

½ cup sour cream {Omitted}

{Added some of the cream of chicken soup, shredded cheese, dash of milk, and Parmesan cheese}

Add In

½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 ½ Tablespoons dried chives
1 ½ Tablespoons fresh onion minced {Omitted...was feeling yucky and didn't want to deal with onions ;-)}

3 chicken breasts, cooked and diced (around 3 cups) {Used one can of canned chicken...again, didn't feel good and was feeling lazy}

Assemble Pillows

2 (8 ounce) cans Pillsbury crescent rolls {Used one can of grands biscuits}

1/4 cup melted butter
Italian bread crumbs (around 2 cups) {Didn't have any...made my own}

***At this point scoop a spoonful of chicken mixture into flattened biscuit and fold up, dip top into butter and roll in breadcrumbs. Then place on baking sheet.***

Gravy

1 (14.5 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
1 (0.87) package chicken gravy mix {Omitted...just used water to mix with soup}

Seriously y'all...these were SO GOOD! The hubster kept saying that this was his new favorite dinner over and over! Now, I love my husband and he usually has nice things to say about my cooking but he went on and on and on about these. I take it he liked them a little more than our usual dinners ;-)

I served ours with some mixed veggies. YUM! We also had a salad before dinner.

I HIGHLY recommend these..does this not make your mouth water!?

 

{Pinterest Link}

{Original Recipe VIA The Girl Who Ate Everything}

 

<center> <a href="http://the-happyhome.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="YOURNAME" src="http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg575/malloriegayle/a4de21a5.jpg"/></a></center>
 

Letting Go...

How does it happen so quickly?
One minute you're peeing on a stick and your life is changing, then you blink and you're bringing a tiny person into the world, and before you know it you are leaving him/her with someone else to care for them for an extended period of time. For some this transition happens quickly, just weeks after birth. And for others it takes longer to make this change. For me the longest I have ever left Emma Claire with anyone was with her Daddy for about an hour, and Aunt Paige for about half an hour. It's not that I have a problem with someone else caring for her, there just hasn't been a need to....yet. Since we don't live near family there wasn't ever another caregiver that knew Emma Claire like her daddy and I did.

 

To some this post may sound silly, and I'm sure plenty of other stay at home mommies feel my pain. On Sunday Emma Claire stayed in nursery at church for the entire service and for us that was a B-I-G deal but today was a true test. I have bible study on Wednesdays and last week Emma Claire stayed home with daddy while I went, but today it was time for her to come with me and play in the nursery. My bible study is two hours long and for me this is a VERY long time to be separated from my little side kick.

 

I am SO happy to report that I never got a phone call and that Emma Claire stayed in nursery for OVER TWO HOURS. I was able to peek in her room without her seeing me and check on her several times. The first time she was still crying but when I came back after small group she had stopped crying and was sitting in the middle of all the other babies and was playing with a ball. {Let's pretend that her hair wasn't all messy/bow missing, her nose snotty, and her eyes were red from crying.} I was just thrilled she had stopped crying! The large group sermon couldn't have moved ANY SLOWER for me. I practically ran out of the sanctuary. I'm also not going to lie...I cut in the baby pick up line and demanded my child. I knew she had started crying again and I wasn't going to wait for it to be my "turn". Hopefully people saw me extract the screaming child from the room and understood why I had cut! ha!

 

All that to say that today was a big day in our little family and while there were a few tears I am SO proud of us. It was a big step for me to leave her for so long but I am so glad we are doing this. MOPS also starts next week so she will be in the MOPPETS program as well. My hope is that she will grow into an independent little toddler who loves going to church and playing with friends. As a child I had separation anxiety that was pretty bad and I cried a lot {read: every. single. day} when I started pre-school and kindergarten. I just had the best mom ever and I didn't understand why in the world I couldn't stay home with her :-)

Here are a few pictures before we left this morning.
It was chilly so Emma Claire donned a sweater. I just about died from the cuteness of her in this outfit.

When did she get so BIG?!

Momma and the little lady. We both had a brown theme going this morning.

I have to say thanks to my cousin Sarah for the adorable little outfit Emma Claire is wearing. I just love it on her! And to the hubs for pausing his getting ready for work to take our picture. I feel like I'm always taking the pictures and try to make an effort to be IN some!
 

 

 

Family Fun

This past weekend our little town had a fun festival. Since we live minutes from down town so we were able to load up our little crew and walk to the festivities. The weather was beautiful and crisp with not a cloud in the sky. Emma Claire got to wear her very first sweater, a yellow cardigan, and looked just darling.

 Emma Claire wasn't sure what to think of the parade so early in the morning.

 Apparently there were 20,000 people that came to visit downtown that day!

 There was an area of the town that had a ton of food vendors. We got some crab cakes {that were wonderful} and sat under some trees to eat lunch.

 

 

While you know that Gracie loves to ride  underneath the stroller bet you didn't know that Dixie likes to as well! However in our new stroller there is a basket up front! So on the way home Dixie rode under Emma Claire's feet. We got stopped about a dozen times beacuse of our full stroller.

She was quite content up front!

 

It was nice to feel like a "normal" family on the weekned. Even though the hubs did have to go to work we got to do some every day weekend activiites before he left for work which was fun.