Wednesday, March 31, 2010

*hot water*

imagine my surprise
when i hopped in
eyes closed
water. cold.
ACK! EEK! GaSp! WOWza!

((an inconvenient truth
to find out at any time))

i walked 'round to investigate
a sink here a sink there
not hot water anywhere

noooooooooo i wailed and moaned and cried
the one day they are all asleep
and i had 30 minutes alone
to take
a shower!

text text text my husband
!!emergency!!
problemo! warning! help!
no. answer.

quietly he found some help
we set it right
that very night
a penny saved is a penny spent
but hot water is a necessity
(so i'll have to live with it)

sometimes things end unexpectedly
and it's upsetting
and expen$ive
but it makes you
more thankful for
granny's (who watch)
friends (who work)
and water (that's hot)

the end.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Shelly...

*believes that warm cupcakes with chocolate icing are the surest defense against rainy days and mondays.


*is thankful that her daughters have each other....it makes me feel like they will always have at least one deep friendship in their lives. and is thinking of my best friends today--past and present and what a joy and depth they have added to my life.


*speaking of friends....so glad I found *mymrwonderful* and that he fits the (albeit selfish) bill; "Give me one friend, just one, who meets The needs of all my varying moods." ~ Esther M. Clark


*wants to go outside and plant grass seed as our backyard is *nearly* ready to be planted!


*hasn't yet convinced her husband that we NEED to order a swingset rightnow!!!


*thinks her children are perfect just the way they are (no matter how they are different from others or each other)


*wishes her husband was home so I could put these cold hands on him.


*loves that w/coupons, sales and drugstores I can now afford to buy tide which smells heavenly. ah. it truly is the little things. my clothes smell so yummy you *almost* can't pick up the faint aroma of baby barf. almost.....=)


*isn't sure how to love some people. at all. but by golly I'm going to keep trying! (does the Bible say you have to *like* everyone? I haven't found it in there...=)


*mmmbaked chicken, creamcheesechedder mashed potatos, green beans, stuffing, cheesecake and strawberries for desert.


*hears Beacon singing *jinglebells* must be nap time is over!

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Super Week...PlayDoh Face

This week flew by!!
It was warm and there was sun
and then it was cold and there wasn't.
There was pre-k, and parks, dance class and Granny-visits, Bible study and coffee with friends.
There was an ah-mazing deal, which involved dvds on, ironically, our tv-free week.
There were some excellent (2 hour) naps for me and three hour naps for *them.*
And then there was last night, with the waking baby every hour which was a rude awakening to the nervous system. I feel that it was probably my fault for interrupting every nap the little guy took yesterday....lesson learned.
And today there will be friend stuff and family stuff and cleaning stuff and eating stuff and heating stuff (can't believe it's so cold my heat is kicking on again. blarg).
And I am thankful for each moment we've been given.
What a blessing to have blog space devoted to the little joys of each day. To be healthy and surrounded by love and family and friends.
To have Bibles to study and homes to heat. To have three precious children and any small amount of sleep.
I pray my friends the same kind of week for you-
-where the little things add up to a big heap of blessings.
Also, since I *can't* leave you without a picture...I must leave you with the only one I haven't posted from this week.
Prepare yourself.
Tv-free week = hours of crafting and playing and creating.
BEHOLD:

PLAYDOH FACE!!!


Happy Weekend!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Shelly Just...

Got the best deal ever at Target on Toy Story movies!!! $3.98 for TWO dvd/blu ray combo packs AND two free movie tickets!!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

We Went For Some Walks This Weekend

And it was so lovely.
Spring Rocks.
Also, Maeve is *still* on a picture strike. 
The nerd. 
=)

Monday, March 22, 2010

One Delicious Dude. Love Him!

Best $24 I Ever Spent

TV Free

The kids and I have been going *tv-free* (during the day) on and off for the past couple of weeks.
It's not easy.
'Cause we really like to watch tv.
And seriously, if Mr. Wonderful had never come along, I love tv sooo much that I probably would have married it and lived happily ever after for ever and ever amen.
((Also there's the thing about tv basically teaching Amelie the alphabet and number recognition and I only feel a little guilty about that....))
however, I just don't like it when I turn it on and my kids go all-robot-drone-zoned and sit there and soak it up. 
Not that we're watching anything *bad* 
(mostly just a whole lotta Dora, Praise Baby and the occasional Princess movie) 
but what's the point really?
I enjoy it when everyone is grumpy and sick and we turn on a show and chill but when everyone's happy and healthy and I'm not all pregnant and laying on the couch (whew, that was a looonngggg nine + months ezra!) I don't want it on. 
And it's hard not to turn it on because it's so easy to just do it.
And I hate that we have spent so much time watching so much of so little value. 
Life is bigger than that. 
(and I can't help but feel that God's plans for us are bigger than that)
I want to spend that time teaching my children about things that matter 
I don't want to be a drone. I don't need to anesthetize my children. Or myself.
(unless we're sick, tired, grumpy AND it's raining...then we will anesthetize away!!)
And I just wanted to write it down so you know what I'm thinking about.
And we can't give it up all the way anyways...because of my small Housewives of _______ addiction but mostly given up? Can't be a bad thing.
And one other thing....
Phillipians 4:8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Friday, March 19, 2010

My Ezra

This handsome little guy:
1. is finally over his wheezing cold of death
2. had his 4 month check up
3. was referred to as "she" by the nurse.
4. again.
5. apparently it's the "a" at the end of his name
((6. more people need to read the Bible and poetry))
7. rec. 4 shots and 1 rotavirus drinkable vaccine (weird)
8. weighs 15 lbs 14 ounces (50%)
9. 25 inches tall (50%)
10. has one gigantic head (75%)
11. is a precious little thumb sucka
12. is completely in love with Mommy (and Daddy, as long as he's only looking at Daddy and not being held by him =)
13. has two sweet and loving sisters who love to hold him and sing to him
14. will be rocking one seriously awesome pair of skull board shorts from gymboree this summer =)

Weirdos Alternately Titled: Watching TV In The Dress Up Box. Just 'Cause.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

My three little ones wearing green in honor of my dear Irish Grandma Rose! I miss you Grandma! And yes, sometimes the three of them looking *mostly* content is the best we can do for pictures =)

Amelie Mc Weber!

St. Patrick's Day: FAIL

Monday, March 15, 2010

Prayer Request

Please pray for my sweet little nephew Ethan! He is two weeks older than Ezra and undergoing an operation on his kidneys tomorrow. My brother, sister-in-law, nephew (and my mother and sil's parents) are driving out to the hospital, which is a few hours away, in the morning. Please pray for them all and especially for the other sweet little e-boy in my life. Thank you!!

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

This current sickness of Ezra's has been extremely difficult for me.
I'm tired and discouraged and can't really remember my childrens' sickness having this affect on me before.
I think it's a combination of
him being so young
and not just *sick* but having trouble breathing long after his symptoms have passed
not sleeping well or much b/c he hasn't slept well or much the last 2 weeks
taking care of everything like a normal person still
(cookingcleaninglaundrylaundrylaundrychildcareetc)
my husband's busybusybusy springtime schedule
not having many moments to myself that are uninterrupted
rain, cold, dark
you get the picture.
And I guess I just wanted to say that *this* is how I *real*ly feel right now.
Instead of just a heap of negative--I'll leave you with verses that I'm *trying* to take to heart at the moment--

Psalm 34:4
I sought the LORD, and He heard me,And delivered me from all my fears.
Psalm 143:8-11
Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning,
For in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You.
Deliver me, O LORD, from my enemies;In You I take shelter.Teach me to do Your will,For You are my God; Your Spirit is good.Lead me in the land of uprightness. Revive me, O LORD, for Your name's sake! For Your righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble.
Psalm 94:19
In the multitude of my anxieties within me,Your comforts delight my soul.

Ladies In Waiting Part II--Everyone's Happier When Daddy Is Home!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

I Interrupt This Blog To Bring You An Important Announcement....

...my baby is sick. 
again. 
if you think of it--please pray for my little e-boy 
(who is struggling with an asthmatic response to a virus or rsv or some-such-ness.)
i can't put into words how much i would appreciate it.

I. Am. Soooooo. There.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

An Open Letter

Dear Naptime And Super Pretzel,
I love you both so much.
I honestly can't tell at the moment which of you I love more.
((Super Pretzel with your super salty warm pretzelness and
naptime with your cozy comfy blanket-y sleepiness))
I'm just so glad that you're both a part of my life.
Love,
Shelly

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Apparently *It's* Contagious

Amelie says, "Mommy I just want to color a picture of a bunch of deals and tell everyone about them. Isn't that a great idea?!"
Also, when standing in line at Walgreens behind a lady with some coupons she exclaimed  with a huge smile on her face, "DADDY! She's making deals!"
She's a kid after my own heart!

A. Mazing.

My bloggy friend Julie posted this on her blog and I had to follow suit! It's pretty stinkin' cool!

Monday, March 8, 2010

This And That

*I'm loving this springy weather--Bring. It. !!!
*We went for our first family walk of the year tonight--only now Amelie is big enough to follow us on her bike--it's a huge milestone!
*Ezra had his first haircut today--most of his faux-hawk baby hair had fallen out and there were just a few odd sprigs left that I evened up with the rest of his *hair* He looks handsome =-) He's such a funny little guy--I"m so thankful that he's continued to be on a schedule (for at least two months now) and that he can belly laugh--so. much. love.
*E-boy is getting soooooo big! I'm back to the eternal dilemma of--what clothes do you buy boys that are cute? He doesn't have any warm weather stuff--I'm going to have to check out Target and H&M to see what's good.
*Maeve and Amelie both came down with ear infections over the weekend. It was a little horrible--they are both doing much better now though and  I'm praying that E-boy doesn't catch their cold!!
*Do you ever feel like no matter how many people are around that you can still be lonely?That no matter how hard you work to keep up with the house there is always something undone? It's the human condition I suppose. I'm so thankful for the flood of blessings in my life but feel a little lost and overwhelmed at times. Just bein' real here.
*I really love coupons. Have you started saving yet? I hope a few of you have caught the coupon clipping bug--seriously, it's changed my life. It's so fun for me--and such a huge blessing to save so much with so little effort. And if you haven't caught the coupon bug--don't worry--I still love you. It took me a while to come around too =) Jesus died for us all--the couponers and the non so who am I to judge. HA!
*Amelie just said to me, "God just gave me a miracle idea! Let's eat cupcakes!" Who am I to argue with that?! tee hee!
*Maeve also just said, "Growwwwwwllllllll."
Amen. Goodnight and have a pleasant tomorrow friends!

Just A Couple Of Princesses

Sunday, March 7, 2010

My Favorite

My husband's music team participated in the International Competition of High School Acappella and were absolutely phenomenal. My husband arranged this song-
-he. is. amazing.
His kids are too--check them out!

Saturday, March 6, 2010

A Good *Mail* Day

I love a good mail day! Don't you?
I've had a few good mail days lately (Fridays are always good b/c I get my favorite magazines--yes--sometimes it IS the little things =).
But today--today was special.
(As if the extra blessing of warmth and SUNSHINE outside wasn't enough!!)
I recieved a letter from a very dear, elderly great-aunt. I regularly correspond with her send her pictures and updates. Honestly--I've only met her a few times in my life--but she filled my childhood with the most loving correspondence that I've stuck to writing her. She is the most dear woman--recovering still from a broken heart after the loss of her husband of 50+ years and going through health, memory problems of her own. I wept as she apologized for her memory loss and inability to send cards like she used to. She has been such a blessing in my life--I pray that I can bless others the same way. She closed her letter with a call for prayer-((oh Lord, please give Aunt Ellen peace and joy and keep her so tightly wrapped in your loving arms that she can't help but feel them. Amen.))
I know--that was a *hard* one--but it's the REAL emotions in life that are the most valuable--don't you think? The hard times especially teach us so much. Anyways...speaking of blessings--on the bottom of my mail pile was an unexpected box! I was excited to open it and inside I found:
The most beautiful handmade blanket for Ezra! You see, I graduated with a girl from Cedarville (well, I guess we're more like women now than girls now =)), who makes beautiful baby blankets for sale. I won a blanket through a giveaway on her facebook page a while back and related to her that Maeve had taken over that blanket. So she sent one for Ezra. What a sweet and unexpectedly delightful surprise! Thank you Naomi for being so kind and sweet--my heart feels so full right now! Thank you! Want to see her beautiful blankets? Check out her website here!
And, I know I don't say it enough--but thank you to ALL of you for being so kind and for taking a few moments to read my blurbs. I've give ya'll a great big hug if I could. 
Happy Saturday!

Friday, March 5, 2010

You Know You're Tired When...*

*your daughter asks you to put socks on her feet before bed and you put gloves on them! (and don't realize she's got glove-feet until after her nap, after dinner and hours later =))

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Hallelujah!

Psalm 103: 8-14
The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. 
He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him for he knows how we are formed; he remembers that we are dust.

Streamlining; Introducing: *South Jersey Shopper*

In an effort to keep my deal-excitement from COMPLETELY TAKING OVER ALL ASPECTS OF MY LIFE...ahem...I've created a separate blog for all of my *finds*
It will feature actual transactions you can accomplish, with links to coupons etc for getting a good deals at: Shop Rite, Acme, CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid. I don't plan on listing all of the deals available at each store-rather what I personally will do to save money. Transactions that work for me and how to take $5 to each drug store and walk out with tons o stuff. I hope it's helpful to you and that way--if you're not interested at ALL in my couponing you won't have to be subjected to it =) tee hee! Thanks for reading and click on over to read my first shoppy-post on saving and MAKING money at Acme this week! =)

Jumping Bean

I recently got out the old Jumperoo for Ezra to start using and Maeve was fascinated! She kept telling me that she was *the baby* and that she could go in there. And, much to her delight, I let her try it out. And although she "fit" I think she really ought to wear knee-pads next time =)

jumpjump

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Accomplishing Something

I feel so *accomplished* lately.
Shopping used to make me feel defeated and discouraged--my husband and I don't have much money to work with--our budget is very very tight. God has always provided for us but at times I've felt powerless--like I was spending $130 a week between groceries/target to get the things we needed. Our cupboards would be full for 4 days and every single Tuesday--the week wouldn't be halfway over--I would look in my cupboards and they would be bare
It was beyond discouraging to spend so much of our money and to feel like we weren't getting anything!
Enter the coupons 
and our cupboards are more full then they have ever been and I'm spending HALF as much money. 
That's why I can't stop talking about coupons--it really has changed our lives! Yes, it's a bit more work but I feel like the ball is back in my court. I'm in charge and the stores have to play by my rules!
I've been rolling this catalina deal at Acme this week--buy $20 worth of general mills products rec. $7 off your next trip. Well, the first time I did it I gathered up my coupons and got boxes and boxes of cereal, fruit snacks, brownies, potatos and spent $15 for about $40 pre/sale, $20 on sale worth of stuff. I got my $7 back and did another trip--this time for $7 I rec. the same amount of stuff and I got $10 back for my next trip (they are running a deal where you get $3 back if you buy 4 boxes of fruit snacks which also qualify for the $7 catalina.) I'm planning on doing the deal one more time because my girls will ONLY eat plain cheerios or lucky charms (both of which are part of the deal) and it's always good to have fruit snacks and brownie mix in the house =) So I'll be paying $4 for $20 of stuff and getting another $10 back!!! I also did a Rite Aid run--and got $25 of stuff for $6 with $1 coming back to me in rebate!
All this for $14, with $11 back!
march 007

***HOT DEAL*** (For Old Navy/Gap Card Holders)

Want $10 free dollars to Old Navy?  
Just go online, order something for ten dollars and enter the code THANKYOU. You do have to pay shipping (unless you're cool like me and have a Gap Silver Card muahahahah). They wouldn't let me get a totally free order so I had to put in a $1 pair of socks for E-boy but I got a totally free shirt for myself! Woot!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Hello Lover....

I can't wait to get better acquainted with you...
Chocolate chocolate chip muffins tomorrow.....
Happy birthday to me from the Brownhouses! Woot!
That beautiful mixer makes my ugly kitchen countertops look even uglier! (Not complaining about the countertops--I'm sooo thankful that they are mine even if they need to be updated =)
(What a lucky girl am I! So thankful for all of our loving, generous parents! I don't know what we would do without you all! You fill our life and hearts with joy!)

My Precious Snow Angels

snow