Zucchini!

I planted zucchini and cucumbers the first week in April.  I heard they were pretty easy to grow and I wanted to try growing my own vegetables so I'd (hopefully) be more inclined to cook with them.  The plants are doing pretty well although I did have to spray them with a bug spray a couple weeks ago because some leaves were showing a little bit of damage.  I have had a few zucchini on each of my three plants, but so far only one has grown to full size.  The others have turned yellow and look like they're not going to make it.  I'm hoping I will get more as the summer goes on.  So far no cucumbers yet but I'm thinking it's just a little early for them.

May in Review

This past month we ended up focusing a bunch on Kinsey's poop.  Yep, poop.  And LOTS of it.  We kept adjusting her diet and oddly enough it seemed like it would get better on days she was home with us and then act up a little when she went to the sitter's house.  Turned out that was all just coincidence, because the pediatrician ordered some stool samples and blood tests that came back showing she had an intestinal infection.  She was given a 5 day run of antibiotics and her poop is back to the lovely solid texture and smell we know it to be ;)  I was relieved that it was an infection, actually, because the next thing the doctor was suspecting was celiac disease (gluten intolerance) and I wasn't looking forward to having to modify her diet for the rest of her life.  It would have been doable but since I am a very poor meal planner as it is, it certainly would have been a big challenge for me. 

With the infection I went through a few days of feeling like a neglectful Mom for not keeping her from putting her hands all over everything or crawling on the floor when we're out in public places, or for not preventing her from putting rocks in her mouth, or for not worrying when the dog was drinking out of the water toy she plays with outside.  I got over it when the pediatrician said to go ahead and have the dogs tested for the same thing, and if it comes back positive then we can treat the dogs and I'll know the source.  If the dogs are negative, then she said just let her be a kid and if it happens again, we'll start looking at ways to keep her from getting less germy.  I REALLY like this pediatrician.  She's not the one we've been seeing because she was the only one available when I needed to take her in.  I may try to switch to her if possible.

My Mom came to visit for an extended weekend.  We had a little barbecue with family which was nice.  We invited Kinsey's birth mother but she didn't come, and we were sad but we hope to connect with her again soon.  We were able to see her and her family on the week prior on Mother's Day which was nice.  Unfortunately Kinsey was a little cranky that day for some reason so we didn't stay as long as we would have liked.

Other than that we had our first swim of the season.  Kinsey and I went three times so far.  The pool is a tad cold but so worth it once you get used to the water. 

Chris (I don't want to keep referring to her as "the sitter" because she's not just our sitter, she's become a dear friend) took her to the zoo again this month. 

We almost took her to the botanical gardens until we realized the butterfly exhibit is closed until October.

Finally on Wednesday Kinsey and I went with another Mom and daughter to the Children's Museum.  It's a very cool place and appropriate for Kinsey's age, but I think it will be even more fun to take her when she's older and she can understand some of the exhibits instead of just seeing everything as a climbing obstacle ;)

This weekend we have a picnic to go to and are planning to chill out otherwise...probably some swimming involved too if I can get our pool cleared up.

At the end of this month my cousin will be having a kidney transplant...would appreciate prayer for her and her family.

Next month will be Kinsey's child dedication at church!  I'm looking forward to it simply because it is a very important event in her childhood.  We have several friends who are planning to come to the service so it will be great to share going to church with them.

We have been talking a little more about whether we want to pursue another adoption.  I think we're reasonably certain we are going to be called by God to do so but not certain about timing, age, agency, foster-adopt vs straight adoption, etc.  We're not there yet, but it's at least on our minds occasionally.

Here are the pictures from May.  I will probably add a few more over the next few days too.

What I Got For Free

I promise I'm not going to turn this blog into a coupon match-up site...haha.  I just thought this might help some of you interested in couponing get an idea of how much you can get for free.  This was all purchased from Fry's this week!  I'll be donating the toothpaste and toothbrushes because I get those for free all the time, and I already have enough on hand to last several months.

Feeling Thrifty

I decided to try hanging my laundry outside to dry instead of drying it in the dryer today.  It was painless, although a little more time consuming.  It would be easier if I had an actual clothesline instead of this drying rack, but it served it's purpose. 

This got me thinking about other ways I am thrifty, and curious about how other people are thrifty.  Of course, there is couponing:

We also use CFL bulbs, even though they aren't as attractive and don't work too well in our dimmer lights.

What ways are you thrifty?



I'll Take a 12 Month Old, Please!

Since Kinsey turned one last month, it's as if she suddenly became a real, live toddler.  She is all over the map as usual, but now she can entertain herself...it is AMAZING!  It started one Thursday this past month when I was off work.  It was like she woke up that day and could suddenly play and be content all day.  I couldn't believe how much more time I had to get things accomplished around the house, and I could also just chill out while she played.  I am LOVING this age.When I don't work, we spend a large part of our time outside.  I usually take her to the park in the morning and get a good walk in before we head to the swings.  Then I take her to the grassy area and let her explore or chase the ball.  She'll slide down the slide a few times too at the playground.  Then we walk home and hang out in the backyard for a while longer until she needs a snack.  I get my watering and rose trimming done, and also attend to the pool if needed.  We just bought a new solar cover for the pool so hopefully in a week the water will be warm enough for a swim!

She's about outgrown her 2 naps and is down to one.  Right now it starts at about 11:30 but I'm hoping to push that a little later so she won't have quite as long to go between waking up from her nap and bedtime, because it's a long time for her to go without sleep.

David and I had a double date last night after church so Leatrice watched Kinsey.  I really enjoyed getting out to socialize with another couple.  We went to Zona78.  I thought the food was just average but the company and the relaxation of the night more than made up for it.  Afterwards we went to Frost for gelato.  I had blackberry--YUM!

Today we went to Pam's house for Easter dinner and an egg hunt.  With all the stuff Kinsey got from Pam's family, you really would have thought it was Christmas!  Kinsey picked up one egg during the hunt.  She also thoroughly enjoyed drinking the water from their koi pond!

Here are the pictures from the past month.

Here are the pictures from Easter.

Couponing

Six months ago, I didn't know that the term "couponing" existed.

Leatrice started me on couponing through CouponSense.com.  It's a website that lists all the sales at the grocery and drugstores, and lists coupons that match the sales items.  The idea is you buy items on sale WITH a coupon, so the items are deeply discounted or even free!  Couponsense costs $15 a month, plus the cost of a newspaper subscription. 

Then a few months ago I came across some websites that do the same thing as CouponSense, but for free!  I wish I had known there were all these free websites out there, because I never would have paid for CouponSense.  So now I use http://www.thecentsableshoppin.com/ but there are lots of good sites out there.  I like this one because it allows you to populate your own grocery list to print.  It also has all my local stores.  I "liked" them on Facebook so I stay updated on all the deals it posts and free sample offers.  You can google your state or city and the phrase "coupon matchups" and hopefully you will find a good blog in your area. 

It is easy to get obsessed with it, but if you follow these tips hopefully you will be able to do it sensibly and save yourself money! 

Some tips for those of you interested in trying this out:

1.  Get more than one Sunday newspaper delivered.  I get 2, and I use the Arizona Republic because the Arizona Daily Star doesn't send out as many coupons.  It costs me about $15 bucks a month but I make that back in one week easily.  Or, find someone you know that doesn't use their coupons, and ask them to save them for you...even better!

2.  Start by filing your coupon inserts from the newspaper by date.  I have an accordian file.  The websites tell you which coupon insert you need for a particular item, so you can go to your file and pull out the insert, then find the appropriate coupon.  If you get more serious, you can get a coupon organizer and clip coupons and organize by category or by alphabet.

3.  Don't buy an item that is deeply discounted if you're not going to use it or don't need it.  It's tempting to buy extra stuff when it's super cheap, but you'll end up spending money you don't need to spend.  However, if an item you don't normally buy is cheaper than an item you would normally buy, go ahead and buy the sale item if you can substitute the cheap item for what you would otherwise pay full price for.  For example, if you normally buy Hunt's spaghetti sauce for $1, but the Prego is on sale and you have a coupon, go ahead and buy it if the final price is less than a dollar, if you're okay using Prego!

4.  DO buy whatever is FREE, because if you don't use it, you can find someone who does or you can donate it!

5.  Don't drive out of your way to go to stores just for deals, especially with gas prices as high as they are.  Just pick one grocery store you normally go to, look up the deals, gather your coupons, and go once a week.  I also usually take one trip to a drugstore each week, but I try to go when I'm nearby rather than make a special trip just to get free stuff.  It's also best to go to the drugstores early in the week (Sunday or Monday) because they sell out of free and cheap items often.  You can get rainchecks, but I find that to be a pain.

6.  Read through each store's coupon policy before you start couponing, so you can be educated when you go to the stores.  Sometimes clerks will tell you the wrong thing, so if you know the policy (or print it out and carry it with you!) then you'll avoid spending extra or not getting items you were hoping to get.

7.  I also recommend reading a "how to" on one of the websites before you start couponing.  I like this one by TheKrazyCouponLady.

HAPPY COUPONING!

Jeremiah 29:11

I was just reading through some blog posts from a few years ago (have I been blogging that long??).  I miss the way I used to write before we started trying to have a baby.  I'm going to make more of an effort to write about my thoughts and any "aha" moments I have. 

David made a very wise statement the other day.  I was telling him how my life is not how I picured it would be.  He said maybe not, but this is the life God pictured for me.  Simple but profound.  I think of this multiple times a day sometimes when I find myself discontented.

Our pastor was talking on Saturday in church about how we always picture life to be easy.  We read Jeremiah 29:11 and imagine our future through rose colored glasses.  The reality?--No one in history...the Bible or anywhere else, went through life without enduring suffering in order to live a life worthy of their calling.  I don't know that I've heard anyone take that verse and say, God's plans for me are probably going to be HARD...awesome!!! 

He also said only one of the disciples is said to have died of old age...we all think that is going to be our life...coasting through until we're old.