Want #28

I want my energy back.

We slept the morning away. I went to work for just a couple of hours to get some stuff done, while Stephen slaved away at home doing housework. I worked on a paper that's due tomorrow. We watched a movie that I don't remember anything about. And throughout all of this, I had the hardest time staying awake! I think part of it was one of those things - the more you sit around the more tired you feel. But I feel like this pretty much every day, so I guess it's just one of those fun pregnancy things.

We went to Quizno's tonight for their Million Sub Giveaway. We both dislike Quizno's, but you know I'm a sucker for anything that's free.

I think it's a good thing I've never won the lottery (not too easy for me to win when I don't play) because I think I'd sit in my new favorite spot day after day. I have added a heating pad to my massage pad (which already had a built-in heater, but I'm a sucker for heated objects too), and now I have a stash of Skittles and two books next to the spot on the couch. Try and pry me off of there.

Want #27

I can't believe it's almost the end of February! And so far I have actually blogged every day. It's a miracle! As long as I remember to do it tomorrow.... weekends are the hardest for me.

I figured I'll blog today about the specifics of my doctor's visit yesterday because I know a lot of people were anticipating the big 3-D ultrasound (I know I was!) and mostly everyone has been pretty disappointed with the results! The short story is, we didn't get a picture of her face. I'm really not that disappointed because, I mean really, it's only like 7 weeks until we see her anyway!

The technician pointed out so much stuff to us, like they did the last time, which is so cool. We saw her spine, the chambers of her heart (heartbeat was 130), the hair on her head (the tech said she has a lot of hair!), her kidneys, the urine in her bladder (that might be too much information, but to me it was a great sign that her kidneys are working!), we watched the tech measure her arm and leg bones and... I think that was it. The reason we didn't see her face is because her arm was draped over it for the duration of the ultrasound! No matter how much jiggling the technician did (and she did a lot) she was comfy and she wasn't moving that arm for anyone!! She has already flipped into position, so she's upside down, so now I know those are definitely feet in my ribs. I figured they were either feet or elbows because they're sharp! She weighs 4.5 pounds now! The doctor said everything looks great - placenta, fluid, baby, mommy, etc.

We cleaned out a storage unit this morning and when I saw all the children's books I got really excited! But I ended up only taking a handful, including some English Lit books and some math and English workbooks. I hope our kids are as dorky as I, because I loved doing things like that growing up!!

That's all for now!

Want #26

I want to see Brianna!!! Today is our 3-D ultrasound and I am really excited. 3:30 can't come soon enough! So in the spirit of having a one-track mind, I am doing a pregnancy survey.

How far along? 32 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: more than 10, less than 20!!
Maternity clothes? I have one pair of black maternity pants that I do wear to work. Other than that, I have worn a sweater that mom bought me and a shirt that Leila bought me, because I don't want the clothes to go to waste.
Stretch marks? not that I can see, but then again, I can't see the bottom half of my stomach anymore.
Sleep: Don't get me started. Remember, I gave up complaining for Lent?
Best moment this week: It will be seeing her at today's doctor's appointment!
Food cravings: still nothing
Gender: girl!
Labor Signs: not exactly
Belly Button in or out? still in for now
Wedding rings on or off? on for now
What I miss: sleeping on my stomach, being able to really run around with the youth group
What I am looking forward to: meeting our baby girl!!
Weekly Wisdom: Stay hydrated! Pillows are a girl's hips' best friend. And heat does wonders for minor aches and pains.
Milestones: Finally in the 8th month stretch!

Tonight we also start childbirth classes. I am nervous that I'm going to fall asleep during them because they don't even start until 7pm. Anyway, that should be an interesting experience. I hope they aren't corny.

Want #25

I want to give up something for Lent. I have every year for several years, except I think I forgot last year. The point of Lent, to me, is self-denial. Give up something for 40 days that is actually hard for you to give up. I used to give up things like chocolate and soft drinks, which anyone who knows me, knows that really isn't hard for me. One year I even gave up cussing, which was even easier. Seems like I lost the meaning of Lent somewhere along the way!

So this year I want to give up something that will be really hard for me to do, and something I want to do anyway. I am giving up complaining. I know that most people give up something more tangible, like cigarettes, and then donate the money they would have spent on their vice to a charity or something. But I have felt for a long time that complaining is something that Christians do way too much of. Hearing someone complain can really grate on my nerves if it's something that can't be changed, or something that is seriously insignificant. But then I feel hypocritical because I know that I am guilty of complaining of the same insignificant little things (hitting three red lights in a row? dealing with the installers at work? okay, don't get me started on that).

A long time ago, I started out on a venture created by a church in Missouri, called A Complaint Free World. It was started out as a 21-day adventure (going by the theory that it takes 21 days to create/break a habit). The average person complains 15-30 times a day. Don't you think that time could be spent saying something uplifting ... or maybe you just don't need to say anything at all! I have a bracelet that I got from this church a long time ago, and I'm supposed to wear it every day, and everytime I complain, I will switch it to the other arm. I did this once before but I was switching the bracelet so much I got tired of it. Shows how much I need to do this!!

A few people are going to have to hold me accountable!!

At work - Renee
On Wednesdays - mom and dad
At CFA - Jenn
At home - Stephen
At church - Cindy
Everywhere else - ME!

I hope this will make me more positive. The church running this has found that it takes people anywhere from 4-10 months to go 21 days without complaining. But once you quit verbalizing your complaints, your negative thoughts tend to fade as well. I really want to do this because I don't think God created us to be these grumpy, whining people that we as humans have turned into.

So no matter how big my belly gets, how little sleep I have, how bad the pain in my hips is, how far behind on time cards the installers get, you won't hear a peep out of me. I hope.

*Update: Right after I clicked out of this blog, Tim walked by my desk and I told him an issue I had yesterday with customer service. That's right, it took me about 30 seconds to have my first complaint of the day. I will try to do better!!*

Want #24

One of my favorite songs:

I wanna set the world on fire
Until it`s burning bright for You
It`s everything that I desire
Can I be the one You use?

I am small but You, You are big enough
I am weak but You, You are strong enough to
Take my dreams, come and give them wings
Lord with You, there`s nothing I can not do
Nothing I cannot do

I wanna feed the hungry children
And reach across the farthest land
And tell the broken there is healing
And mercy in the Father`s hands

My hands, my feet, my everything
My life, my love, Lord, use me

I wanna set the world on fire
I`m gonna set the world on fire
Set the world on fire

("Set the World on Fire" by Britt Nicole)

Want #23

I honestly don't have a single thing to post about. Well, that's not entirely true, but everything I could post about has pictures or video to go with it, and I'm just too tired to upload anything tonight.

We went to Walmart tonight because I wanted to get new lenses put in my glasses frames (I keep hearing that you're not supposed to wear contacts during labor?) and we wanted to get motion lights for the house too. While we were there we picked up a couple of grocery items, and as much as I hate the whole idea behind Walmart, I can definitely see why people shop there. The items we got were so much cheaper than other grocery stores. It would definitely be worthwhile to go there, especially if you bought in bulk or something (rather than drive all the way to Fayetteville for Costco). We didn't get over there until 6:30 or so and it really wasn't busy, which is most people's complaint about it.

Anyway, that's why this post is so boring. Nothing very exciting happened while we were there. But who knows what's in store for tomorrow!!

Want #22

I want to take a nap, although I shouldn't need one.

Last night as we got into bed, I asked Stephen if I should set my alarm. Nahhhh. It's been forever since we slept past 8, much less 9 when we normally get up on Sundays. This morning, as I sleepily rubbed my eyes and asked what time it was, I knew it was bad when he just checked his phone and said, "Oops." It was 9:20 and we should have been leaving the house at 9:30 to get to Sunday school on time! Oh well. We actually still would have only been about 5 minutes late except we had an appliance incident. We replaced our water filter in the fridge yesterday and someone... okay, neither of us... read the instructions. So as we were walking out the door I started filling up my water bottle. But as I pulled the bottle away, the water just kept flowing!! I was sticking anything I could underneath the little faucet but we still had a big puddle to clean up. Turns out you're supposed to pump the air out for two minutes before using it, or things like that might happen. Word to the wise. So we waltzed into Sunday school twenty minutes late, which still isn't too bad considering.

We've eaten lunch and I've finished my paper that was due tonight, so I really don't have an excuse not to nap! Looks like I'll be making use of my massage chair again today...

Want #21

I wanted to come home with the grand prize tonight, but this is better than nothing:

Tonight was our annual Sweetheart Banquet at church - ALWAYS great entertainment!! We play the Newlywed Game, and this year's prize was a gift certificate to Tripps - yums!! Last year we "practiced" and still didn't win, so this year we didn't even bother quizzing each other. It wouldn't have mattered anyway. Some of the questions were really easy (Who initiated the first kiss? When you leave the house does she party, clean, or sleep?) and some were way too tricky or too vague (What size shoe does she wear? What's his favorite food?). But the answers were TOO funny. We didn't win that, but I did win that big jar of candy for guessing how many were in there (I guessed 157, there were 158 in there), we won a pound cake for being married the least amount of time, and a coconut pie as a door prize. So we didn't walk away empty-handed!!

My stomach hurts from laughing so much. It was almost four hours of nonstop laughter. And great food. A local place, Jordan's, catered it, so we had steak, chicken, new potatoes, mixed veggies, salad, rolls, and some fantastic desserts. All in all we had a great time, but boy am I beat. I've spent every night since getting back from Georgia on the couch, on our massage chair, and tonight shall be no different. I won't be awake much longer but I'm going to grab a book, a blanket, and snuggle up to that heated massager while we watch Diamonds Are Forever, the seventh James Bond film. We are marathoning James Bond right now. And when I say we, I mean I am at least in the room.

Want #20

I want to eat all these Girl Scout cookies tonight!!

But I won't. For my heart, blood pressure, and baby's sake. Yums!!

Want #19

I want to get these pictures off my camera, so I'm putting them on here. Here are some belly pictures for you. Also, when we got home from Georgia tonight, we put together our new crib and the whole crib set and everything. I know, we're gluttons for punishment. I'm going to bed right after supper!!

Week 26:

Week 29:

Week 30:

New crib and our crib set:

Want #18

I want you to watch this video if you haven't seen it yet:

Kittens: Inspired By Kittens

I emailed it to a bunch of you, I know. I'd put the video here but I don't have time to do that. In about half an hour we're meeting Stephen's mom and sister for lunch at Zaxby's - YUM!! Then we'll head down to Chamblee for my grandmother's funeral and dinner with our family. Sorry about the lack of wordage in my recent blogs, but it's hard to blog away from home!

Want #17

I want everyone's family to be like mine. I honestly believe I have the best family God could have put together. I love our quirks, our similarities, our differences, our sense of humor, and our love. I am so blessed to be part of this family.

That's all you get for today.

Want #16

I want everyone to remind Stephen that he has said it doesn't matter how many times we have to stop tomorrow for me to go to the bathroom. The past few trips I've done really well, but I am being really proactive about staying hydrated so that I don't push myself into premature labor!!! Maybe that's paranoid but I don't care.

So call him and remind him of that.

(We are leaving for Georgia for Grandma's funeral, which is only about 6 hours, so it shouldn't be too bad.)

Want #15

We wanted to go back to Georgia soon to see our family, but not really for this reason. Our Grandma Loyd passed away last night in her sleep. I'm so grateful that she wasn't in any pain.

I'm one of those people that when I know that someone dies and is going to heaven, I like to think about what they're doing up there, based on what they liked to do down here. For example, I would imagine Grandma dancing, listening to someone play the piano, or playing cards. For some reason I always think of those three things when I think of her. But the truth is that I believe in heaven people don't care about those things anymore. I believe that your time is spent doing nothing but praising God. And the funny thing is, that's pretty much what Grandma spent the last year doing (really much longer than that). Since last April she had been in and out of the hospital, and whenever she was there, what did her visitors spend their time doing? Reading her scripture and singing hymns, mainly. I think she was just preparing for an eternity of that. I don't think she'll be disappointed with what she finds heaven to be like.

I told people at church today - I'm going to miss her, but I'm not very sad. I know she wouldn't come back here for anything, and I can't say I blame her. I do ask for prayers for our family - with travels, making arrangements and so forth. I always wondered how I would react when my first grandparent died, but it's been made unbelievably easier by the fact that I know she was a Christian, and also that I was able to see her more since last April than we usually get to in a year's time.

I'm so sorry to her children, her husband, her family and friends, including myself and my children, but it's all for selfish reasons. I'll be excited to see her again.

Want #14

I don't really want anything for Valentine's Day. Back when Stephen and I were first dating we did the whole date/gift thing but we put an end to that pretty quickly. Also, I think he did get me some really comfy pajamas our first married Valentine's Day, but other than that, he's pretty much okay with not getting me anything. Imagine that. So it makes sense that today hasn't been much different from any other day, except I did decide this morning not to go to work ("It's Valentine's Day!") and I convinced him to order pizza tonight ("It's Valentine's Day!"). Other than that, I'm glad I wasn't expecting anything, because this is all I got:

True, it says it's from Steve, but not my Steve. Steve from work gave me my only Valentine's Day present!! They were delicious, too.

We were lazy today. We slept in until about 7:30 and then decided we just didn't feel like getting up so we read for almost an hour. Then we immediately went to the living room and watched Thunderball, although I did get some magazines read and put away during that, and cleaned up a bit of clutter during the boring parts.

I need to insert a disclaimer here. Stephen, who never bothers to read this blog, just happened to read over my shoulder about our mutual agreement to not give each other presents. This is, in fact, a mutual agreement that we are both completely satisfied with! Let me make it clear that I do not want anything for Valentine's Day, nor do I expect anything. Except Papa John's with lots of extra garlic sauce and a Coke.

Anyway. Stephen took apart his car door this afternoon because the window on the passenger side gets stuck when you roll it down. It can be rolled up with a lot of manpower.

Done and done! He giddily took apart the door and did something to make the window roll up and down like a normal car. He's like a car surgeon. Now I can have my window rolled down anytime I want!

The main part of our afternoon was spent at our friend Bruce's funeral. We knew him first through our preacher's wife - he was her brother. When we moved back here after Charleston, he was doing the youth group. We started working with him until a few months later when he decided we were ready to take it on by ourselves, mainly because we wanted to and he had a vision to do a prison ministry and young adults class. Bruce really started the prison ministry at our church, and it was very close to his heart for a specific reason. For his whole life, he had struggled with drug and alcohol problems, and he had been in jail countless times. One of those times, a church came to the jail, and he was saved as a result. We didn't know him before that, but everyone who knew him previously said he did a complete 180 degree lifestyle change. About a year ago, he left our church and within a couple of months we found out why. He was back into his old habits, big time, and even had a couple of DUIs pending. To make a long story short, and spare the details, his whole family (including us - the church family) struggled to do for him whatever we could do to make him know that we loved him, that he was welcome at church, that we would do anything for him. In the end, the guilt from things he had done over the past few months just caught up to him, and he took his life last Tuesday night.

Since then, so many of us have struggled with questions - why did this happen? could I have done anything differently? That's been my main one. But the answer I know, is, probably not. Bruce felt like he had let so many people down that he didn't have any other way of dealing with that guilt. Our preacher Tony, his brother-in-law, had to preach the service today. The only good thing about the service was the fact that we truly believe Bruce was saved. Even though he was struggling with addiction and ended up losing the battle, none of us believe that a person can lose their salvation. I truly believe that the only way he could be set free is this way. As Tony said today, for the first time now, he's no longer struggling with addiction. He no longer feels the weight of that guilt. No, he didn't make a good decision, but his fight is over now. He's free. It makes me so sick to think that I'll never see him again on this earth, and it makes me angry that his family has to be put through this pain, but I believe he really is better off now. Please pray for his family - he has a daughter and many other family members that are going to go through a lot of phases of grief for a long time. I don't know anything other than time and prayer that will really make them feel closure, so that's what I ask for.

Want #13

I want to post tonight but I don't think I'll have time. So I'm going to post 25 random facts about myself that's been spreading like wildfire on Facebook. So #1 probably won't make sense to you.

1. I've never written a note - at least not in the new Facebook, and I have no clue if I'm doing this correctly.
2. When I was in the fifth or sixth grade (my memory ain't so hot) I tried out for cheerleading. I had problems with the dance we were supposed to memorize because I kept mixing up my left and my right. Needless to say, I didn't make the team.
3. When I was in college I entered an air guitar contest at our local karaoke bar. I actually made it to the finals but lost to someone who was totally insane - I couldn't compete.
4. I'm pretty confident that I could eat Chick Fil-A every single day. And I'm pretty confident that Jenn would eat it with me every day.
5. My first job when I moved to Charleston, SC after college was working in insurance. I kept being called out by my boss for not wearing shoes around the office. It was a temporary position, and a year later he called me offering me a job at the law firm he worked at, so I guess the shoe thing didn't matter that much.
6. I am completely obsessed with getting mail and email. I wish I could check our snail mail as often as I can check my email. I even love junk mail!
7. I HATE to talk on the phone (just cell phones), but I also hate it when people text me. I'd rather them email me or write a letter.
8. My Wii Fit age varies between 21 and 39. Normally it's 26 though, which is my age, so that makes me feel better.
9. When I was six years old, I thought I was 10. Seriously. I have no clue what made me think this, other than the fact that I was in a K/1 combination in school and thought the first graders were all 12.
10. Even though we don't have kids yet, I have been the Tooth Fairy before. Emma lost a tooth at our house last year and of course expected money. Did I have cash? Noooo. I had to use the money given to me by Renee to exchange for her tooth.
11. The only radio station I listen to anymore is Air 1. If it doesn’t come in clearly, I pop in a CD or just sing to myself. I can’t stand regular radio anymore.
12. In college, my roommate Keely and I would run a mile or two, and then come back past the market on campus and get a pint of Ben and Jerry’s each, and reward ourselves for running by eating the whole pint.
13. Every week, unless one of us is sick or out of town, mom (and dad, now that he’s retired) and I eat lunch together. We switch off cooking for each other, and the recipe must be soup. We’ve been doing it since after mom’s liver transplant in 2007 and I’ve never made the same recipe twice yet.
14. I REALLY miss Boone. After four years of incredible friends, hikes, feet of snow, driving on the Parkway going nowhere, going on waterfall adventures, jumping off dams, doing cartwheels just because, frequenting the local pool hall until “last call”, swiping free hot chocolate from local hotels, looking at the stars from hoods of cars, riding bikes for 10-15 miles in no direction, photography hunts, jamming at Mike’s house, game nights, and so much more I can’t even describe here, I feel so so so lucky that I was able to experience true Boone life. I REALLY miss Boone.
15. If there was a way for me to bike to work, I would do it every day. Although, being pregnant, that might not be the best idea right now.
16. The real reason I complain about working my other job on Saturdays is because it hinders me from going to yard sales.
17. In January 2008, while listing reasons I like my sister more than pretty much any other person, one of my reasons was, “We can’t wait to have babies together.” Now, a year later, we are in the process of having babies together. This is one of the things in my life that makes me completely and utterly ecstatic.
18. I am completely… seriously… completely addicted to triple coupons, rebates, and reading. If any of those things ever left my life I honestly think I would go through withdrawals.
19. I have sent only one secret to Postsecret. It’s truly a secret that no one knows, but if someone found out, they’d probably think it was hilarious. I really want it to get on the website or in one of the books but so far, no luck.
20. Any type of racism, sexism, ageism, or other prejudice drives me crazy. I just can’t believe that we are living in the year 2009 and people still don’t treat each other as equals. I still have hope for the future but I have a very low tolerance for people who treat others as lesser humans. I want to smack people who use the “n” word, I don’t think all people of Hispanic descent are mooching off of Americans, I don't think all Asians look alike, and I don’t think white people are any less violent, stupid, or selfish than any other race or ethnicity.
21. I want to just get in a car and drive. I want to find towns that aren’t on maps, eat at restaurants no one else has heard of, and hike on trails that haven’t been discovered.
22. Every day I pray that I’ll be a better person than the day before.
23. One day, my best friend Sally and I were hanging out when we realized we had new neighbors. So, like any normal girls would do, we filled water balloons and put them in our bras to go welcome them to the neighborhood. I wonder what they thought. I wonder what we really looked like.
24. I don’t like mayonnaise – it makes me queasy – but I love Miracle Whip. ???
25. My baby is due in about 10 weeks and I think about her all the time. I can’t wait to have her. Stephen is going to be the best father, and I just am so excited about starting this new adventure with him. The next few weeks can’t go fast enough for me!!

Want #12

I want you to go see where Jenn and I are featured on Kate's blog!! It's a great, fun blog that you should really continue reading after staring at our lovely picture. Thanks for the picture, Kaitlin!

That was taken at Jenn's pink party on Tuesday night. One of the few pictures taken, sadly.

Want #11

I want to tell you a little bit about our girls trip to Greenville! I mean, we've only been back for practically a week now... better late than never. Jenn did write a bit about it, but I've got some pictures I want to put up.

This chick was the "mascot" for Liberty Tax Services. We were stopped at a light and she was rockin' out with her iPod, so I had to snap a quick picture!! She somehow saw me do it, and started pointing and laughing at our car. When we drove by she laughed and shook her finger at me. So funny!!

On Saturday we spent a few hours downtown walking along the river. This was a cute restaurant. The rest of the pictures are of the park we walked through.

I told mom and Jenn - if we weren't pregnant, I totally would have rolled down this hill with these kids!!

Many of the trees had windchimes in the trees. There was a nice breeze on Saturday and I loved hearing the windchimes as we walked along!!

There was a block that had quotes in stone in the sidewalk. I took several pictures but these were two of my favorites. "Most people would learn from their mistakes if they weren't so busy denying that they made them."

"Since we had nothing to do with our Arrival and usually are not consulted about our Departure, what makes so many of us think we're entitled to so much while we're here."

One of the places we went downtown was a tea bar. Mom was the only one who got any tea, but they had something called bubble tea which I would have tried if I had known exactly what was in it. Friday night we went to a place downtown called Coffee Underground. It was this great underground coffee bar. We each got a coffee and dessert - Jenn and I both got ice cream and mom got cheesecake. It was DELISH! The atmosphere of the place was so cute too. We had such a great time. Can't wait for next year's trip already!!!

Want #10

I want to announce that I am going to be the aunt of a beautiful niece!!! That's right, today Jenn found out that she is definitely having a girl! I have to admit, I am pretty shocked because I was sure it was going to be a boy, but no, she spread those legs on the ultrasound and there is definitely nothing there.

We had a great party at Jenn and Matt's to celebrate her tonight, so thanks for hosting that guys!!

In another topic, not as happy unfortunately, I want to request some massive prayer from everyone. We got home tonight and found out that a friend of ours passed away tonight. He was our preacher's wife's brother, but we were very close to him until about a year ago when we sort of lost touch except for every couple of months. This was definitely sudden and he leaves behind an 11-year old daughter. Please pray for them - I can't even imagine what they're going through. Thank you!

Want #9

I want all doctor's appointments to accomplish as much as the one today did. It was certainly nothing major at this appointment but we still did a lot. They drew blood (for what, I don't know) and the girl definitely took some rage out on me. It's been over six hours and I can still hardly bend my arm. Yowza! That's gonna bruise. Then I found out that today was my Rhogam shot, which I was expecting at any time. It's been a while since I had a shot in my butt - I got nervous after I realized that's where it was going! But it didn't hurt at all and I'm not sore... yet. Now tomorrow morning might be a different story!!

Heartbeat was good - Brianna kept rolling away from the doppler, which she did on the last visit as well. It's very embarrassing when she doesn't behave. Everything else was normal - blood pressure, weight, etc.

My next appointment is in two weeks and it's the long-awaited 3-D ultrasound. I am excited to see the pictures, but not really that excited considering the fact I'll see the real deal just a few weeks after that. I'm more excited about the fact that I'm starting biweekly appointments. Also, I took the initiative to call our hospital today and pre-register with labor and delivery, which means less paperwork when the Big Day arrives!

Tomorrow is another long-awaited day... the day we find out what Baby K. is!! We are having a Gender Reveal party tomorrow night at Jenn's to celebrate, because really, who cares if it's a boy or a girl - it's a baby!! I can't wait to see the latest pictures of Baby K.! And quit calling "it" Baby K! At least after tomorrow I can say "he" or "she".

It's taken me about 3 hours to post this because I stopped halfway through to go to Ladies Group at church (much needed gabfest, junk food fest, and Bible fest). I came home a few minutes ago to find Stephen snuggled into bed already, bless his heart. We are just a wild and crazy couple like that. Anyway, I better go join him so I won't be as sleepy tomorrow as I was today!!

Want #8

I want there to be more hours in a day. Although, if there were, I would still find a way to cram too much stuff in, and I would still be complaining probably!!

I won't have time to write about Greenville again today because there is just too much going on! After church, I had to do two more trips of triple couponing (I mean, I just had to!) so I didn't even get home until 2:45. Today I spent $53 and saved $73, but I would have spent even less if I didn't pick up some Mountain Dews for Stephen and some chicken breast that was on sale. I still did pretty well, though. The last time I went through the line, the cashier was talking to me about when I was due, etc. because her daughter-in-law is due in August. As I started piling things into the cart she gave me a look and said, "Are you sure you don't want someone to help you out to your car? This stuff is pretty heavy." I just laughed and said, "Honey, this is my type of exercise! Triple couponing!!" Some people just don't understand. But she was sweet about it at least.

I had biscuits for lunch because in my hurry to unpack the groceries I dropped a can and they exploded, so I didn't really have a choice.

At 3:15 I started writing my paper for my theories class which is due today. I just finished it in a little over an hour and it is awful!! I feel really sorry for my professor, but I still think I can eke out a B at minimum. Now I have 45 minutes until we leave for choir practice and I have got to clean up this house! It's a pig sty!!

More later.

Want #7

I want so badly to blog about our girls trip to Greenville, but I just can't handle it. It took me an hour and a half just to catch up with Stephen and separate all of my many... many... bags of thrifty finds. After this trip, I'll never be without a book to read (was I ever in danger of that?) and Brianna will never need to go naked (but I won't blame her if she prefers that... for the first couple of years anyway).

We had a BLAST. I'll post some pictures and more about the trip later!!

Now that everything's separated, I just have to actually put it away. Blaaaaah.

Want #6

I never want to pay full price for anything ever again.

Realistically, everything I buy full price is bought from places like Ross, Marshalls, and TJ Maxx, so it's still marked down from the original price. But thrift shopping and yard saling sure makes a gal frugal cheap.

Today, on our girls trip to Greenville, we spent 8 hours - that's right, 8 hours - thrift shopping. All within a 10-mile radius from our hotel. I'm not sure how many places we actually went to, but I do know a few things.

There is no reason to buy a book in a regular store - not even Walmart, where you may think that $3.97 is good for a paperback. It's not. Not unless it is the one single book you're missing from your collection and you just can't wait to find it at a yard sale or off of Bookmooch.

There is no reason to ever. ever. buy your child a onesie that costs $10, $15, or even $86 as I have seen since we've been here. Most Goodwills, yard sales, coalitions, and nonprofit thrift stores will happily sell you these items anywhere from $0.10 to $2.00. And your child will repay you by puking on it and then growing out of it in ten minutes.

That's mainly all I bought today - books and clothes for Brianna - who already owns as many clothes as I do (maybe more). For the sake of time, I won't delve into our shopping experiences anymore tonight. We're on our way to a Hershey's place for dessert and I hate to keep the other girls waiting. I'll have a scoop of ice cream for you.

Want #5

I want to sleep in. Every day I wish I could sleep just a little bit longer. But there are certain things that are just worth waking up early. For example, work. Leaving for vacation. Yard sales. And one of my favorites... triple coupons!

Mom called yesterday to announce that triple coupons is going on this weekend. Unfortunately (I don't mean that the way it's going to sound), this is the weekend mom, Jenn and I are going on our annual girls trip! In order to make the most of the triple coupons, I woke up bright and early to be at Harris Teeter by 7:30 to start the process (it didn't start until 7, but I mean, seriously, I'm not totally insane.) I ended up only getting in one trip where I usually can pull 3 or 4. But it tooks me and hour and a half just to do that one trip, and since they are going to be at my house in approximately 45 minutes, I needed to get back here and finish packing!

I actually brought a notebook with me this time, to take note of some of the deals I got. I spent $32.50 and saved $38.42, which isn't my best probably, but still really good. These are some of the deals I remembered to write down (which you probably don't care about, but fake it):

Box of Kleenex - Regular price $2.39, Sale price $1.75, My price $0.55
Viva paper towels - Regular price $2.59, My price $0.34
Vanity fair napkins and paper plates - Regular price $2.50 each, My price $1
Scrubbing Bubbles cleaner - Regular price $3.59, My price $1.34
Clorox cleaner - Regular price $3.89, My price $1.64
Formula 409 kitchen cleaner - Regular price $3.49, My price $1.24
Lysol bathroom cleaner - Regular price $3.39, My price $1.89
Crangrape - Regular price $3.39, My price $1.74
Suave body wash - Regular price $1.97, My price $0.47
Dial hand soap - Regular price $1.99, My price $0.94
Sensodyne - Regular price $4.79, My price $2.72
ACT - Regular price $4.99, My price $2.29
Gillette shaving gel - Regular price $3.29, My price $1.64
Kotex tampons - Regular price $3.59, My price $1.34
Lucky Charms - Regular price $3.69, My price $2.04
Betty Crocker blueberry muffin mix - Regular price $2.79, My price $1.59

There were a couple of others I forgot to write down, but since probably no one is still reading this, it doesn't matter. Now I've got to run and put all this stuff away before mom and Jenn get here! We are off to Greenville, SC for a few days!! ROAD TRIP!!

Want #4

I want more snow days. Although, technically today wasn't a snow day, it definitely could have been. At least a "delay" day. Around 2:30 this morning I got up to use the bathroom, and of course I checked outside to see if it was snowing. At that time, we already had about an inch or more. I actually thought it was later than that and assured Stephen we would probably both get a two hour delay. After that, I just couldn't go back to sleep. I'm not sure why - I wasn't particularly excited about the snow or anything since I can't do anything fun with it. Sometime around 3:50 I gave up and went into the living room to play some Need for Speed and read, hoping it would make me sleepy. No such luck. I ended up reading until Stephen left for work around 5:30, and then I left the couch to go back to the bedroom and try my luck once more. I did fall back asleep around 6, only to get up feeling surprisingly refreshed around 6:45. And no luck with a delay or anything.

These are my two pictures from the snow a couple of weeks ago:

These are my few pictures from this morning:

This is what a real snow looks like. This is one example from Boone a few years ago:

I miss those snows.

Want #3

I want to write a different blog post, but Stephen really wants me to post these pictures of our nursery, which isn't even a fraction near completion or cleanliness. In other words, don't judge.

Over MLK weekend, Stephen's fabulous fam drove up to hang out with us and to help us paint our nursery. These are the pictures from the taping process to the untaping process to the curtains that Leila so graciously provided for us. I don't think the pictures turned out as well as the nursery really looks, so you'll have to come see it for yourself!