live well, laugh often, love much!

This is my new motto to live by! Trav and I had talked about doing some redecorating in the kitchen and such and I came across this piece to remodel my kitchen around (I always find one piece and design around it) and it has those words on it. Lately we have been blessed with alot, and it seems like great things just keep on coming. Things are really coming together now for my cloth diaper company! I am shocked and completely stoked to see the feedback on the diapers people are testing currently. They compare them to the biggest name cloth diapers out there right now that go for 35.00 a piece. My website/store should be up and running in the middle of March. I plan on stocking whenever I can, and do not plan on doing custom orders. This keeps the work going on my terms and does not put me in a rush to make dipes since I am a mommy first. I have settled on a name after chatting with a few friends on my ideas. They are Roo-bugs! This name is 2 nicknames that we have for B combined. I call her my chunkaroo, and Trav calls her his bug. I am getting custom tags made and business cards. I cannot even say how excited I am to have found something I am super good at, besides cooking. We have alot of exciting things going on this weekend. We are really redoing our kitchen. There is NO way we can sell this stupid house right now so might as well make it what I want. We may buy again and rent this one, but it will still be ours so remodeling isnt a bad thing. Trav and I were talking the other night, and with our expanding family if push came to shove we could turn this house into 4 bedrooms if needed. So in my kitchen we are refinishing the cabinets, and putting a stone backsplash on the wall among other things. Trav really wants to repaint the entire downstairs with new colors, but I HATE painting so its all him if he wants to do it! lol We got a great sewing table that is being delivered for my business and I will set up shop for now in the loft. Tomorrow morning we are taking Bailey to have her pictures taken for her 1st bday invites. I was able to score a photoshoot with an AWESOME photog for a great deal. This will be her first real photoshoot besides what we have had done at portrait innovations. My brother is also graduating from his nursing program tomorrow! I am SOOOO proud of him. Sunday we are headed to do some shopping around at Lowes and Home Depot for remodel stuff. Gosh our weekends are always so busy! Yesterday Bailey and I went to do some shopping at Dillards because they are having an awesome sale right now, and Trav wanted me to go look at home decor stuff and clothes, etc. I came away with some AWESOME deals. I hate paying full price for anything and recently started getting low on the makeup that I use. Turns out Sephora is the only store that sells it and it never goes on sale. When we were at the mall over the weekend I passed on buying it ($38) to find a better deal. Really it is not soo bad because I do not always wear makeup and the last time I bought it was before Bailey was born. Well yesterday at Dillards I found a new brand that is the same price however it was on a UBER sale. I got Foundation, concealer, a whole smokey eye shadow kit, and a blemish stick for 20.00! Less than that one makeup would have cost. The great deals did not stop there. Last weekend we had looked a a kegerator for Trav, but he passed because it was 200.00 and not something he NEEDED. Well at dillards I see one, and it is the floor model, but at 65.00 plus 40% off that was a steal. I got up to pay for it, and the lady said......"I have a new one in a box in the back let me get it for you"!!!!! What? I seriously got a kegerator for Trav for 33.00 total!!! He was SOOO excited and sent me to pick him up a keg as soon as he got home from work! lol I also got for the 2 of us some clothes. I ended up with 4 pairs of jeans and 1 shirt, and 1 pair of jeans, 2 shirts, and 2 hoodies for Trav and spent 100.00! These are all name brand stuff too like Volcom, Quicksilver, and Buffalo jeans for me. I tell ya that was my kind of sale! I plan on hitting another location over the weekend by myself to really take the time to shop. It was funny because the kegerator box was huge and I parked far so I had to hold Bailey and put the kegerator in the stroller! lol I got alot of funny looks! Well I have alot going on today, so I better get started. Bailey is perfect, and is such a sweet girl! Today is a beautiful day to head out and get some more shopping done :) Oh and my sister is coming today to look at a house right down the street from us. I would love to have her close by, and it is the only way I can watch her kids until June. Of course she will pay me, but right now the daycare is costing her 500 a week, and that is crazy. If I do take them on again......all that money will go towards paying cash for our wedding/eloping? lol Who wants to finance a wedding? Not us that is for sure! We shall see! Hope everyone has an amazing weekend!

Short weekend, and a busy week ahead!

I will be super busy for the next couple of months with Baileys bday coming. I have so much planning to do, and the frugal part of me would rather do most of it myself than pay for someone elses services! lol I have been working on a video montage for her bday also that will only include pics of our little family to avoid anyone else feeling left out. The weekend was a great one. Trav had to work on Saturday all day so he really only had Sunday with us. His dad hurt his back and had to go to the hospital but ended up getting sent home which was great news. Trav said he is back at work today so it is great to hear he is on the mend. Our weekends tend to be very busy since Trav obviously works all week long. Sunday we took Bailey to the mall to do some much needed shopping. We had sooo much fun, and she LOVED looking at the puppies in the store. It won't be long before she is asking for one. That night was the first night we went out to eat and ordered her a meal! lol It was fun to sit as a family and enjoy our meal. We went to Toys r Us to pick up a few toys for her bday. Bailey is growing so fast and learning so much daily. Trav reads these books "If you give a mouse a cookie" etc that her cousin Carson gives her on holidays and she loves them. She can point out where the mouse is, and also the boy. We think she is super smart, but I think every parent is the same way. Trav also sings to her alot and one is just a melody where he sings Baby, Baby, Baby, Baaaaaaby! She now will sing it right back to you. We are LOVING her so much and really feel blessed. I hope to TTC at the beginning of April which is only a month and a half away, but we are ready. A few of my friends tease me about getting into shape to only get preggo again, but I want to start from the same weight I started with B. I am busy with alot of different things. I am going to be doing some work with the March of Dimes with my cloth diapers to raise some money. I am in the middle of having some people test out my products to give me feedback before I go full speed ahead. Some things have come up with my sister needing childcare again, so I may be having my niece and nephews again until June or so. I miss them and would love to have them here, but its alot to add to my plate. Trav would prefer I just stay home with B, but I also know when my sis really needs help and now is the time. We will see how it all pans out. I gotta run and make some breakfast. Hope everyones week is off to a great start. Bailey and I are shopping today for house stuff and bday stuff~

Happy Birthday Mom

This morning I wake up so thankful that I save all of my emails! It is one thing to have a conversation face to face with someone and make up a lie about what they said, because then it becomes a he said she said situations. With an email there are exact words saved, and I am SUPER thankful for that. At the click of a button, what I really said is right there to read word for word. Poor Trav! lol Today I want to do a special blog because it is my Mom's bday. I know you are reading this, and I tell you everyday how much I love you. I do not always get the chance to tell you why, but today I am going to do just that. You are AMAZING, and more than I could ever have hoped for in a Mom. Trav and I both adore you, and cherish all you do for us.

I want to thank you for being there for me ALWAYS, even when at times I probably would have walked away. It isnt often anymore that you find a mom so dedicated to their children like you were to me growing up, and even now. Your patience and tender kindness you have about you is something many people lack. You were there to pick up the pieces when my heart was breaking, and I will never forget the worst day of my life holding you while we both cried. At a time I did not know how I would make the next day a great one, you made me see that it was possible. Sure enough almost 2 years to the day I was blessed with our healthy daughter, and your grandaughter Bailey. I am so thankful to have had you there on that day. It was so special to have you there coaching me into bringing our daughter into this world. Since then you have been such a great help to me, and I will forever be grateful. Thank you for knowing your place in our family, and cherishing the time you get with Bailey even if it isnt as often as you would like. Thank you for respecting all the choices that Trav and I make for our daughter, even if you might do something different, and never even questioning us. Thank you for realizing and giving us the space we need to build our family. I know Trav really appreciates your support and respect in a huge way, and your trust knowing that WE are doing what is best for OUR daughter. I want to thank you for the effort you put into making Trav comfortable when we hang out, even if that means you have to talk sports (something you know nothing about)! :) Thank you for not letting me know when I am in the wrong even though I am your daughter. I want to thank you in a HUGE way for giving me the tools I need to be the best mother to B, and wife to Trav. I know he wants to thank you for teaching me how to cook. :) You are soooo special to us. Bailey adores you and would thank you if she could for cherishing each moment with her even if it is only for a few minutes at Target or wherever it may be. Thank you for being so laid back, and just normal. I will never forget the sacrafices you have made to give me the life you have. Thank you for knowing and teaching me that life is not about material things. I know you do not buy B tons of toys, clothes, and gifts and that stuff truly means nothing. Your bond with her, and the love you give her means the world and she will grow to one day cherish that. I LOVE our Monday Tuesday long chats on the phone, and wish I could see you more. My world is better because of you, and I could never have the right words of time to thank you enough. I LOVE you Mom with all of my heart, and I am so grateful to have your positive role in our life, and I know Trav feels the same. Your being religious used to throw him off a little bit, but he knows that you are just a really good genuine person who loves us all to bits and he appreciates that. Lastly I want to thank you for understanding your role as Baileys grandma, and knowing your job is to love her and that is it. Happy Birthday Mom~~~ I can't wait to have dinner tomorrow!

Tamale making and birthday planning

Bailey is sleeping in this morning, which I figured she would because we were up later than normal last night. The past couple of days have been super busy, and they only get busier with Easter, and birthdays coming. Monday was a holiday so my mom and sister came out to Gilbert to meet us for lunch at Joes BBQ in downtown Gilbert. Lunch was great, and it was sooo nice to see my mom. She is the best, and is losing tons of weight. She looked awesome, and we really enjoyed the time eating, and the kids adore Bailey and her fun personality. Turns out she LOVES BBQ! She was grabbing handfuls of pulled pork off my plate and shoveling it in. It is always funny to see her next to her cousin Ethan who is older, but literally half her size! lol Trav wanted to meet up to go bowling because he had his nephew, but they had been at the zoo all morning and were zonked. Plus we are hanging out again on Friday for my mom's bday. I felt bad for Trav because he did not see B but for only a minute on Monday because he had to babysit. He had fun with his nephew though and got to spend tons of time with B last night. We had shopping to do yesterday so we were out and about and I was making tamales which I am continuing to do today. It is quite a process since I make three kinds, but they are sooooo yummy. I bought more sewing supplies yesterday to make things easier, and also bought the stuff to start knitting. Knitting is like a foreign language, but I am sure I will catch on quick. A few of my CD friends and I are starting a website for our goods. Trav and I have thrown a few ideas around for a name. We are loving both Chubby Wubby's and Chunkaroo's. We have alot of work to get done this weekend to get my sewing area together in the loft and organized, among a million other things. Trav had talked about going to a yard sale his sis was having to sell a couple things we have, but I told him last night it really is not worth it to me to spend a whole Sat trying to make a few bucks on the little stuff we have to sell. Plus he has to drive all the way across town to do it. We have alot of other things to do. He may go still, but B and I will stay behind to get some stuff done. I have Coop pickup in the AM, and was hoping to volunteer this week but cannot if Trav is gone. We are going to my mom's bday on Friday, and then I hope to go to church Sunday so I want to be home one day of the weekend. So yesterday I got a surprise in the mail. When we had gone to Flagstaff we originally booked our room through hotels.com but they overbooked the hotel and we had to do it elsewhere. I thought nothing of it, but they sent us a certificate for 100.00 towards our next stay wherever for the inconvenience. Trav was super excited because we love taking mini vacations as a family. Today is going to be a super day, and my sunshine is talking in her room so I gotta run.

What a perfect weekend & 10 months today!

We had such a blast this weekend celebrating Valentines day and spending time as a family. It proves to us for sure that Bailey does not need to be babysat by anyone for us to get the time we need as a couple. Which brings me to something funny Trav said last night. He said "You know there has been only one time that Bailey was out of either of our sight, do you remember when that was"? Of course I do, it was in the hospital and we let our nurse take her for a few hours so we could get some much needed rest! Other than that she has never been our of our sight literally. I personally do not even feel comfortable with someone taking her out of the room I am in while holding her, it makes me sick! lol Trav understands this so he has my back. I try not to even think about it, because we both have a pact, until we are both completely comfortable with something it doesnt happen. So if he is ok with a babysitter and I am not, it is a no go until I am period. Funny he brought that up last night though. Everyone had been asking us if we were going on a date for V-day. Sure we had a date after Bailey was in bed in our living room! Another thing that I do to keep cost down in our home is taking Bailey's pictures myself instead of going to the studio where we always spend atleast 100 every time. Friday we had a Valentines photoshoot for Daddy and the pics came out so cute. B is such a ham. We will be having our first real family photos taken professionally though right before her first bday. Her birthday is starting to come together a little bit. We have decided to have it here, and just keep the guest list small. We are toying with the idea of renting a bounce house because that will keep the kids occupide and not running around the house. It has been fun planning her party, but honestly Trav is NO help in the plans. He says everything sounds good! lol My mom is helping me out with it. It is a big deal to me, and will be fun for B. Today she is 10 months old, and we just cannot believe it. What an awesome 10 months it has been though. We love our little girl to bits, and I look forward to trying for baby #2 in April if that is what I choose. I had such bad all day sickness with B, I wanted to wait to get preggo until after her first bday. I would love to give Bailey someone to play with, and we want to expand our family. We had a long talk over the weekend about moving, and right now even if we sold our home it would be at a loss because our home is actually worth less right now than what we paid for it. The only way we will move which I hope is still going to happen is to buy a second home and rent this one out until the economy recovers. Trav likes Arizona because it is a comfort zone for him, but I am hating AZ. We always find a compromise, so maybe we will end up closer than the east coast. I am going to plan a vacation to Idaho for us so he can have the chance to check it out, hang out with Jessicas husband and get a feel for what life would be like there. I talk to Trav about Jess ALL the time and he gets tired of hearing about her. I have told him he would hear alot less if I was her neighbor and got to see her all day. She is such a genuine person, I really miss having her around. I sent her care package out with tons of goodies for her family and the new little girl she had. So our Valentines celebration at home was perfect. Trav is so great and always knows exactly what I need. He bought me a new huge crockpot that has a touch screen on it! Leave it to Trav to do research and find the coolest one on the market! lol It is sooo neat, and cannot wait to use it. He also bought more fabric and stuff for my business, and ok's the purchase of a new juicer for our family. So far the best one we found was 200.00 but totally worth it. Of course my favorite thing always is the card. He said I am amazing and he is the luckiest man in the world to have someone like me! He went out and bought Bailey her first Vday stuff (a growling lion, and a card) so cute. Bailey bought daddy a new wallet, flip flops, undies, gloves, and long underwear for work. I bought him some stuff for after hours if you know what I mean! lol We planned to have our dinner after Bailey went to bed so I made her dinner, and we played with her and put her down. Trav grilled up our Filets, and I made cheese fondue and chocolate covered strawberries. We had my favorite wine, and the dinner was delicious! Somehow I got suckered into watching a slam dunk contest. The night was beautiful. We mesh so well! Yesterday we did a little shopping, and then came home to BBQ again. *Note to self.......do not eat new york strip steaks the night after eating filet mignon.......no bueno! We have a busy week, as Trav has his nephew tonight and my moms bday is this week, and she is on vacation so I hope to get some time with her. Happy Monday!

winding down

Today was such an eventful day. I am constantly reminded why it is that I love Trav so much. He unlike anyone else knows exactly what to say to make me feel at ease, when I am upset about anything. After my interesting morning, Bailey and I headed out to do some Valentines day shopping for Papa, and just had a ball. Anyone who knows me is aware that I LOVE a sale! lol I never pay full price for anything, and usually find steals for pennies on the dollar. The last time I shopped for stuff for the family at Old Navy, I spent under a hundred dollars and got like 40 things! Trav loves that I really search for a deal before buying stuff. That is one of the many things I do to allow us to live off of one income. That and if we do not have the money to spend for whatever it is, we do not buy it period. It is a great rule to live by. I have been asked by a few people how I am able to stay at home. It started it off by saving long ago when we first talked about having children. We paid off cars and continued to save. We do not eat out alot and never have. I do my own nails. Shop sales for everything. The biggest thing we did was budget, and made sure not to buy things we could not afford. Sure we would love to have a plasma TV, but if it has to be bought on credit, we truly cannot afford it, and that just starts the hole of debt. We both had the same common goal from way back, and were determined to make it work. When I was preggo and still working all my money went towards paying for everything that we would need for B. Stroller, swing, clothes, furniture, etc. We knew then that we could totally live off of one income, because we were. We also do not have to buy diapers, wipes (since I used cloth there too), and I make reusable paper towels. Cutting cost wherever you can helps tons. I also buy in bulk if it is a great deal. When we sat down to budget for my new car we calculated how much was coming in and going out, and what we could afford to pay monthly without making us feel strapped for cash. We do that with every larger purchase we make. I know recently we had looked into getting a SLR camera, and we figured out what we could afford and it is my job to shop around and find one at that price. Trav and I work so well together, and I do not always stick to the budget, and usually it is groceries that I cheat on, but you have to leave room for that also. One thing I cannot stress enough is taking care of your credit. I learned the hard way when I was younger and made some mistakes that I barely got rid of recently and my credit is worlds better. When you have awesome credit you can qualify for 0% interest on vehicles which is ideal, and also deals where if you need something and do not have the cash you can get it for no interest and no payments for a certain period of time and if you pay it off within that time it is all gravy :) So if you have credit anywhere make sure your payments are ALWAYS on time. Protecting your credit is huge! We really have made many changes that we are so happy to make to afford the life we live now. We were talking the other night about our local bar we used to go to quite a bit out here. It was not unusual for us to go and spend 100 on having a blast in one night. We now enjoy a glass of wine or a beer at home for a couple of bucks. I used to go to starbucks often, and now might go once a month. I make green tea at home, and coffee on mornings that are rough. I also cook almost everything from scratch and that saves a ton at the grocery store. Buying processed or frozen foods is alot more expensive. Grocery shopping for me is a job itself! lol I sit down with the ads and plan my meals according to what is on sale. I am fortunate enough to have several grocery stores very close, so I usually go to a few different ones in my grocery day. I always eat before I go to avoid buying stuff because it looks good. I have also figured out food wise what is used alot, and if those things go on sale I stock up. Butter freezes really well, and so does bacon! :) Well I sure wrote a book! I know some of you were wanting to know how we do it, so those are some things we have done. I was trying to get to the good deal I got at Target today. My best friend just had her baby and I had been getting a care package together to send to her, and I wanted to get her some comfy pjs or something because I remember after having B, I just wanted to be comfortable. I ended up finding a 30.00 robe for 4.00! I was stoked, and also happened to go on the toy aisle and found a Radio Flyer pink tricycle for B at only 14.98 and it was 60.00 normally. A cute gift for Valentines day, although Trav is going to buy her something she can enjoy now. She is definitely not ready to hop on her trike! I was so excited to get those deals, and send Jess her package tomorrow. We got the grocery shopping done for my vday dinner. We are grilling filet mignon, and having cheese fondue with bread, apples, potatoes, asparagus, and for dessert choclate covered stawberries. I also got a bottle of my favorite wine to enjoy. I look forward to sharing the day with my little family. Well Trav came home today and told me that they are only promised work until June, which I am not surprised by. The company he works for has been subbing their jobs out to cheaper companies to make a profit. I see it as the perfect time to relocate, and I believe Trav sees it too. His only worry is selling the house, but we spoke tonight and we agree we wont know if it will sell until we try. If we put it up now, maybe by June it will have sold. It has def put a fire under my butt to start looking for opportunities elsewhere for him. I LOVE Georgia, and have already found some great companies looking for him one being Waste Management. We are not worried about him not having work, because he is a hard worker, and worrying does not change anything anyway. I guess we will see how it all unfolds in the coming weeks. I look forward to a change in scenery, and believe everything happens for a reason. Well I think I have said enough for tonight, but one last thing. I asked Bailey this morning if she wanted to go shopping, and she said "Yeah"...........I was like.......thats my girl! :)

Today is going to be an AWESOME day!!!

I am a little peeved today, although I cannot say much here. I am super upset, but glad I am aware of EVERYTHING in our life. It boils down to disrespect by others period and I find it extremely sad. I will leave it at that. I love Trav dearly, and am planning a special night for him tomorrow. I am still working hard at trying to move out of state. The other night I was looking into Logansville, Georgia which is a beautiful place. They have AWESOME opportunities in Travs line of work, and they pay really well. I know people that live there, so we would not be all alone. The only thing standing in our way is selling this house. Trav has said if I can find him great pay with a good company he would be all over it. I really am hoping to get the ball rolling, because I would really like to have another baby, but not until we move if that is what we choose. We looked at a few gorgeous homes out in GA with wrap around porches and such, just beautiful for good prices also. Our house is way too small to build our life in, so we really do not have a choice. We def wont rebuy here in AZ. I want to see other places, and since Trav is not sold on Idaho which would be my first choice. I must look where he wants! I am holding off on my bathroom remodel for that reason, and am done doing any work on this house. I will miss B's nursery because we worked so hard on it, but she will have a new better one! I have been working hard the last few days on making some more diapers for my business. I have a few other surprises in the works. Today though me and my favorite girl are headed out to do some shopping for Valentines day!!!! Should be a blast! We have a great surprise in store for daddy........he will be soooo happy! I am so thankful for my honey and his huge heart (to a fault at times). Well I must run, we have a big day of shopping ahead and it is breakfast time!

learning lessons through others mistakes....

This post is more of a vent to get something off of my shoulders that I had to deal with over the weekend. Who knows, maybe this could help someone else also. Normally I am not the type of person who even cares to get involved in other peoples business or dealings, however once in awhile I get sucked in for whatever reason and I do not mind. Mostly when it comes to my family I will really speak my mind, and have no problem stepping up to defend someone being taken advantage of. A little background on the situation first. I have a sibling who has borrowed money, bought things from family etc. and has been SUPER irresponsible in paying things back. Well over a year ago this sibling came to my mom and asked to borrow money to replace tires on his car so he could get to and from work safely. Of course with asking he promised to pay her back right away with his bonus he was getting. My mom did not have the cash to lend so she allowed him to charge the tires on a credit card with the understanding it would be paid back at bonus time. HUGE mistake on my moms part but she is super kind and really would help anyone out. I was around pregnant at that time so that is how I even knew about the situation. Well what do you know, bonus time came and went and NO paying my mom back. It was excuse after excuse, and he told my mom I will pay the payment on the card and pay it asap, no worries. RIGHT!!!! Before she knew it she was getting phone calls saying the payment was not being made, and she was having to hound him just to pay the payment. This makes me so upset just typing about it because of the absolute disregard and respect I see coming from family. It gets worse though. So in the meantime a year passes, still not paid my mom back. Christmas rolls around and he is bragging about the amazing gifts he bought for his family. REALLY? So you have the money/credit to go all out at Christmas time yet you cannot pay mom back? I assume the gifts were bought on credit, but honestly that creates a monthly payment that could go towards paying off the debt that is owed to my mother. That ticked me off, but at the time was not my battle to fight although I felt sooo bad for my mom. To be screwed by your own family is a terrible feeling. So over the superbowl I get a voicemail from this sibling inviting us to a party he was throwing and I HAD to come to see his new plasma tv! SERIOUSLY!!! At this point I am just shocked by his actions. It is one thing to borrow money from someone and seriously have an issue being able to pay it back. It is a whole other ballgame to owe someone money, and be out making huge purchases and spending money they obviously do not have. Still though although upset, I was going to stay out of it......until Friday I get a phone call and it is this sibling asking me if I will babysit so he can go to Vegas to gamble!!!!!!!! What???? At this point I cannot believe his cajones!!!! I do not think he realized I knew about the money still owed. So I asked him if he still owed my mom money for the tires, and he was like oh yeah but I pay the monthly payment so were cool.................ummmm nope! At this point I could not keep my mouth shut so I said you pay the minimum payment soooo what? That will take you 15 years to pay it off. What about your original agreement to pay it off right away? You think it is ok to change the arrangement in your mind without sitting down with mom and having a convo about it? You respect her that much? Enough to be soooo poor you cannot afford to pay off your debt, yet you are out shopping with no limits at Christmas time, buying a new Plasma TV for the superbowl, and now calling me to babysit so you can gamble in vegas with your poor ass??? He went on to say he did not think it to be that big of a deal. Then I asked him about not even caring enough to make sure the bill was paid on time and asked if he had any regard for my moms credit, afterall payments wether on time or not are reported to the credit agencies monthly. It will also have a huge impact on APR's my mom will get in the future, and I am sure his paying some super high interest. He said of course I do. I told him you can do whatever you want to ruin your own credit, but to do it to family is the lowest of low. We live in a world where your credit rating is HUGE!!! One late payment will affect it, and to do it more than once is a shame. I explained although I am sure he is aware that credit is needed to buy a home, get a good APR on a new car, really for TONS of stuff. I told him just keeping that money in my moms name shows as HER debt so if she goes to buy a new car they see it as money she owes, not him. I then went on to say borrowing money from family should be a LAST resort, and if it is borrowed you should take extra caution to make sure it gets paid back when you say, and if not sit down and make arrangements with the person you borrow from. You better believe if it was up to me to make a payment monthly in someone elses name for my debt I would be making that payment 2 weeks before it was due to avoid any problems. If my mom was a bank his tires would have been taken away long ago. I explained to him that Trav and I have never borrowed a penny from anyone, and family would be the LAST place we would go for money. There are plenty of things in our home we could sell if we had to if something came up and we needed to come up with funds. Some people might say money ruins relationships, but it really is the lack of respect shown that does it. Trav and I both agree that what my sibling did is one of the worst things family could do. So I think I was getting through to him when he started talking about Vegas and not spending much money. I told him there is NO way to go to vegas without spending alot, and he has no business gambling $1 or even stepping foot into a casino when he owes money to family. I encouraged him to sit back and put himself in my moms shoes, and imagine lending someone money on your credit because they REALLY needed it, and over the next year see them buying things that you could never afford yet they still owe you money? He admited it would not feel good, and he would be angry. I then told him obviously he has credit available somewhere so if he does not have the cash he needed to transfer that balance from my moms credit to his, and if not he needed to sell his camera or plasma tv to pay it off. He agreed that he needed to do something. I think I opened his eyes, and I hope he is sincere in taking care of it. The lesson learned here is to NEVER loan cash you arent willing to just throw away, and NEVER lend money on your credit to ANYONE!!!! You may think lending to family would be ok, but sadly often times they are the first to poop on you! lol Funny way to put it but it is true. It is a shame the lack of respect and care for family I have seen in many situations in my life. Trust is something that is uber important in my life, and if you cant trust your family who can you trust. I have had my share of dealing with lending money and not getting it back, and it is not a good feeling. Needless to say I told my sibling no to babysitting because I had other plans, but would have not even if I had a free weekend. Normally I hate getting into the middle of stuff, but here I felt like I helped out or atleast I hope I did. I think many can learn from this situation, and I feel so bad for my mom. She is amazing and would do anything for her children, so it is so sad for me to see her have to deal with such a crappy situation. Well Bailey will be up soon, and although the weekend was not super eventful besides this drama I will try and blog tonight because I do have some cute pics to post. I have to get groceries done this morning and head to the fabric store. I have a goal of atleast 10 diapers to make this week. We have decided to open my own business afterall not so much for extra income but something fun for me to get into and be proud of. I will blog more later, it is pancake making time! :)

When plans go out the window!

No plan around here is ever set in stone! lol Yesterday I had planned to go spend the day with my mom since it is one of her days off, but did not end up going. She had some company in town, and I would rather have her all to myself when we hang out so that is what we will do next week. I am planning Bailey's bday party and she is going to help me with some details among other things. With my day free yesterday of course I came up with TONS to do in no time. I did my carpet cleaning, all my daily cleaning, and started to organize everything for the loft. It is being made into Bailey's play area, because she has SO many toys it really is ridiculous. I actually think I may put some away because it seems to be a little overwhelming for her when we play. Every night after dinner we head up to play before bed, and it is so much fun to just sit and watch her. She is really into clapping at the moment, and does it all the time. She also talks alot! I wonder where she gets that from? :) We have been trying so hard to get her to crawl forward but she just not want to. She goes backwards, and rolls everywhere but will not go forward. We are not going to force her, and I figure she is going to just start walking because she does really well with that holding my hands. She runs around like no other in her walker, it is sooo funny to see. Yesterday though when I was working out downstairs she just sat in her walker still just staring at me. I have been running on the treadmill everyday and doing taebo, or some other work out video every day. Once I reach my goal of atleast 20 pounds lost, I get to do some serious clothes shopping. Talk about motivation! lol Yesterday though I figured out that with our on demand cox there are tons of work out videos. Dont laugh, but yesterday I did a workout video by Carmen Electra that was a hip hop dance work out. If any of you could have been a fly on the wall you would have laughed SO hard. I could see why Bailey was just staring at me! She also has her strip tease workout on there and Trav was super interested in that! lol He said you better get that one on video if you decide to do it! He is such a funny guy, as I would look nothing like Carmen Electra~ So I am down already 3 pounds, and I feel great. The biggest difference for me is the ammount of energy that I gain from working out. I cannot wait to be super thin again, and buy some new clothes! Another thing that I would love to change on most days is my hair! It is sooooo long, and a PITA to take care of but Trav says no to cutting it off. He says any short hair is a fat chick haircut, and thinks my hair is sexy. I will admit it is nice to have such long hair because not alot of people have hair this long. I just wish it took less time to do. I have thought about doing something different and funky maybe with the color that could include a little pink. Of course Trav thinks that is silly, last night he said "you are not a rocker chick, you listen to country music so that would make you a poser"! Whatever........I think I may go partial pink. I enjoy being different. Last night for dinner I made a yummy dinner of southwestern style hamburgers on the grill, and fresh carrots. I made the buns which came out delish as always, made roasted garlic mayo, and even started the charcoal grill all by myself because Trav had to work late. If you want the recipes I would love to share, just ask. I included some pics of my food last night, and pics from playing before bed. Yesterday when I was making my buns I cracked a egg and it had 2 yolks! I think that means some good luck in my future, but I do not know how I could be any luckier than I already am! I am off to run on the treamill, and make some breakfast!

Who knew the sound of a dryer going can be so peaceful....

Once again another Monday is gone and my little family is tucked into bed, minus me! We are looking into tearing apart our masterbath and putting in a jacuzzi tub, so I have been up doing research on the best way to go about doing it. It will be alot of work but would be so nice to have such a relaxing place to have a glass of wine and read a good book after B is tucked into bed. I thought I would hop on and share our busy weekend and some pictures. The weekend started off awesome as always and I am reminded everyday of what an amazing partner I have in Trav. He is so supportive and kind in all areas of our life, I am truly blessed. As you all know I have been sewing with my new serger (seriously the best gift I have ever received) and decided to make Bailey a shirt on a whim Saturday afternoon before heading to dinner with family. I HATE patterns so I just whipped it up as I went and it came out so cute. I have so many friends trying to talk me into starting up a website to sell my goods. I am not ready to devote tons of time to it, so it is a no for now. Trav and Bailey were both napping while I was sewing away and when he brought her downstairs he saw what I had been doing. It was then that he turned to Bailey and said "We are so lucky to have a mommy that can do so much". Of course it feels so wonderful to hear him say these things. Afterall a few nights before he made a comment to me that "people" think he is crazy for "allowing" me to be a stay at home mom. Now I did not even want to know if this is something someone said or just a vibe he gets from people. I could see one of his clueless friends saying something like that. The allowing part I find hilarious because me staying home was a decision we made LONG before we had Bailey, and he went on to say he doesnt think people understand, or maybe they are coming from a place of envy, or maybe they think me being a stay at home mom is a way of freeloading! LOL My response to him is who knows, I personally do not care what other people think, and it is not my job to make anyone understand why we make the choices we do for our family including me being a stay at home mom. Anyone who would look down on someone wanting to parent their child 100% of the time when they are able to live off of one income is ignorant in my opinion. Of course we both make small sacrafices for it to be possible, like Trav can't go to the bar 2x a week anymore and I do not spend 200 on getting my hair done, and we would both be willing to give up soooo much more if we had to so I can take care of our home. We got a good laugh over it all, and we both understand it will not be the last thing that "people" think we are crazy for. Weather it be a stranger, friend, or family someone is bound to have an opinion on something we are doing, but whatever that's life. I choose to turn a deaf ear. After having that interesting conversation, it was sweet to hear his kind words. So that afternoon headed out to Chili's for dinner where Bailey decided she was going to have a blowout during dinner. She may have been the first baby to get a bath in the bathroom sink at Chilis! lol What a mess it was, and did a number on her shirt I had just made. After some serious stain treating, I was able to get some pics of her in it today. Dinner was yummy and we headed to my nephew Anthonys birthday party at a bowling alley. We bought him this video game he wanted soooo bad and the look of shock on his face was priceless when I gave him our gift. It is sooo hard for me to believe he is 10 already! I remember holding him for the first time, and just falling in love. He is such a good kid and we had alot of fun. The kids are so drawn to Trav and Abigail kept having him bowl for her so he could help her win. It was nice to see my mom and sister since we do not get out that way much. It was great to hang out and just relax in a laid back environment. I miss the kids dearly so it was nice to have that time. Sunday was the superbowl and we packed up and went to a party that Travs friend was throwing. We drove seperate so I could head home early and get B in to bed, plus Trav brought his gokart to give the kids rides. His friends wife also stays home with her babies so it was fun to chat with her. I ended up having to leave before the game was over because Bailey was soooo tired. I had plenty of time to enjoy myself though and everyone was surprised that Bailey was such a happy baby. The cardinals lost, and Trav says it was because B left before the game was over. She was one little pooped cheerleader! Yesterday we also realized that little miss B has 2 more teeth on top. Now she has 8 teeth!!!! She cracks us up with her cute little smile. This morning I asked her if she wanted pancakes for breakfast and she said......Yeah! It was too funny. This weekend coming up should be another busy one, since we have a bday party to go to on Saturday and the chocolate festival in Glendale hopefully on Sunday. Well I better get to bed, Bailey and I are headed out to spend the day with my mom hopefully tomorrow, and I have some diapers to fold and put away before I check in.