Winter Portraits

As you may have noticed, I added a new family picture on my sidebar of the blog. Here is an adorable picture of Ethan they took. He had his arm propped up on his knee, but they zoomed in the picture. This past Saturday we went with my parents and my brother's family to the mall to get family portraits done. Ethan did really well. At first he was a bit shy, but then he came out of his shell. I have some other cute shots too, but want to respect my brother's wishes and not post them on the internet. What a cutie! In just a few short months we will need to get his 3 year pictures done. But i'm thinking of using my friend Amanda, at Mishmash photography to capture my cutie! Check out her site: http://mymishmash.tumblr.com/

Preparing for a new week

Well the Thanksgiving break is drawing to a close these next few hours. It has been so nice taking a break from work and school to spend time with our families and each other! It has been a busy few days filled with food, family, friends, relaxation, and shopping! It is so hard preparing for the week after any break or vacation. Thankfully for us we have a packed next few months. With Christmas coming, Ethan's 3rd birthday and baby boy #2 making his entry into the world. I know before I have a chance to think about it we will be half way through 2010! Sometimes I feel like time creeps by, but more often I feel like it is flying by. I guess it is true that time flies by faster the older you get.
I am just so thankful for so much! Sometimes it is easy to complain about circumstances or things. But I really pray that I always have a heart that is grateful! We really are blessed in so many ways! My heart aches for those who have lost loved ones or are experiencing major medical issues. It is a huge reminder to not let life pass me by and to really be thankful for every day that I have with my family and friends. So as you prepare to return to "life" this next week, and you look forward to the future...I just pray you open your eyes to the people and things around you that God has blessed you with now! Because the saying, "you never know what you have until it's gone" is a scary thing to bring to fruition.
That is a challenge to myself as well.

Black Friday

This morning I did my traditional Black Friday shopping with my mom, sister-in-law, and friend Brooks. We decided it wasn't worth it to wake up before 4:00a.m. to get to Kohl's when it opened, so we decided to get there around 5:00a.m. If you don't have a particular "door buster" item you want to get, it is well worth waiting and going a little later. We actually found parking spots and got each of us were able to get a cart to hold our merchandise. This never would have happened if we got there when it opened. Plus, we didn't have to wait in much of a check out line either. Kohl's ended up taking longer than we had anticipated, so poor Brooks actually had to leave us and head over to Target so she could make it back home to feed her little girl when she woke up. After Kohl's we headed to Target, then Dicks, and last the Dollar Tree...well and a few places in between (cough *Starbucks*cough). The Dollar Tree is a great place to buy good gift bags and sticky name tags that go on your presents. I got CUTE name tags, 100 in a pack for $1.00! We had a great time and ended up shopping longer than we expected. We were out a total of 4 hours! Me and my preggo self was tuckered out by the time we finished. I got some amazing deals and even came home under budget!! I am completely done with all my Christmas shopping. I even bought Matt a new wedding ring!!!!! It definitely is a cheap replacement, but it looks good and i'm glad he has one! I of course couldn't wait until Christmas to give it to him, so I pulled it out and said, "with this ring, I thee wed" and slid it on his finger when I got home! I love my man!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Because Thanksgiving is on the 26th this year, I thought I would post 26 things I am thankful for. Some are serious, some are not... enjoy. Obviously not in any particular order. I could have expanded on every point, but then this post would be FOREVER long!

1. Mocha Frappuchino's from Starbucks
2. My husband and our relationship
3. My firstborn, Ethan
4. Baby boy #2 on the way
5. Hot water
6. Our church
7. Working cars
8. Our jobs
9. Having family close by
10. Target
11. AC/Heat
12. Our freedom
13. Jesus Christ
14. My body pillow
15. Generous people
16. Our apartment
17. Good friends
18. My relationship with my parents
19. Orange juice
20. Creation: beautiful scenery
21. A level headed husband to balance out my hormones these 9 months and longer...
22. Internet access
23. Easy medical access
24. Appliances that make life "easier"
25. My family & I's health
26. Financial class we are currently taking

I pray we can all stop in this busy holiday season and reflect on our blessings and that God loves you!

2nd post of the day- WHOA!

Ok, so I couldn't wait to change the background of my blog to a Christmas one! But I promised my dear friend Shannon that I would wait until AFTER Thanksgiving to post a custom made banner she made me. So stay tuned, and check me out on Friday with another new look. Swing on over to Shannon's blog and check out her way cute header and fun stories of her family!!

3rd trimester

I am officially in my 3rd trimester. Although for my own sake, i've been there for over a week now because I know I am having a c-section early. Hard to believe that our second little man will be here in 12 weeks or less! For some reason I am ready for him to be here! I don't think I was quite this anxious with Ethan. I know I am measuring smaller with this baby than with Ethan, but for some reason I feel like he is gargantuan! I feel like I have no room in my belly. I am more out of breath with this pregnancy than with Ethan. I have really hit the stage where I feel him move every single time he rolls over, etc. Before it was miscellaneous kicks and movements, but now I feel the whole body roll. He is way more active at night, waking me up in the middle of the night doing flips.
I can't believe how excited Ethan has been about being a big brother. He talks about it every day. "I share my cars with baby brudder. He push the wagon with me. I share the window with baby brudder. I color with baby brudder." Every thing he does he is considerate of doing it with baby brother. When we put him to bed at night we always lay and snuggle, talk, sing, and whatnot. It melted my heart the other night when he said, "baby brudder lay in bed with me!". I just pictured us as a family of 4 squishing in his little twin bed having some awesome times together before bedtime. Right now i'm amazed we can fit with my belly, but we do! Like i've said before, I know it will be an adjustment and i'm prepared for him to not be so excited when Caleb actually gets here, but I am praying he loves him as much outside of the womb than he does inside right now!!!
Other news, we put our Christmas tree up last night. It is really pretty. This is our second year as a family with a real tree. Other than some mishaps like putting four strands of lights on the tree and getting to the bottom and realizing the plug was the wrong end to go into the outlet. Ethan breaking an ornament. Re-wrapping the tree with lights and decorating with an excited 2 year old. It went well. Ethan was very into it this year. This first thing he said this morning when he woke up was, "where is my Christmas tree?!". We also put up my Willow Tree nativity that my parents have bought me over the past few years. We talked about each piece and he LOVED unwrapping them from the newspaper and pulling them out one at a time. I know it isn't Thanksgiving yet, but i've been excited and ready for Christmas to be here. I love Thanksgiving and I know it is important to stop and really be grateful for all that we have. But i'm ready for snow (HA), lights, trees, presents, family pictures, family get togethers, parties, celebrating the birth of Jesus, potlucks, music, and everything that this season entails. I know the holidays will make the last part of my pregnancy fly by! Happy Thanksgiving, safe travels to everyone. Look for a special Thanksgiving post tomorrow!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Because Thanksgiving is on the 26th this year, I thought I would post 26 things I am thankful for. Some are serious, some are not... enjoy. Obviously not in any particular order. I could have expanded on every point, but then this post would be FOREVER long!

1. Mocha Frappuchino's from Starbucks
2. My husband and our relationship
3. My firstborn, Ethan
4. Baby boy #2 on the way
5. Hot water
6. Our church
7. Working cars
8. Our jobs
9. Having family close by
10. Target
11. AC/Heat
12. Our freedom
13. Jesus Christ
14. My body pillow
15. Generous people
16. Our apartment
17. Good friends
18. My relationship with my parents
19. Orange juice
20. Creation: beautiful scenery
21. A level headed husband to balance out my hormones these 9 months and longer...
22. Internet access
23. Easy medical access
24. Appliances that make life "easier"
25. My family & I's health
26. Financial class we are currently taking

I pray we can all stop in this busy holiday season and reflect on our blessings and that God loves you!

Thanksgiving plans & Black Friday shopping

This year we are having Thanksgiving with my parents. My brother's family is coming as well. I am excited to spend this time together. My dad spends many hours preparing a wonderful dinner. Our family's typical Thanksgiving menu consists of: Turkey, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, macaroni & cheese, cranberry sauce, and other various foods and snack foods. Dad keeps us WELL FED and it is SO yummy. The girls of the family usually at some point during the day discuss our Black Friday shopping strategy which consists of: what time to get up, what stores to go to, and searching through the sales fliers for deals and coupons to use. This is one of my most favorite parts of Thanksgiving. I love having this tradition with my mom, and this year my sister-in-law is planning on coming as well. We love waking up early and getting out there before the sun is up with all the other crazies! We know to steer clear of places like Best Buy, Radio Shack, and Toys R Us. Those are the places that you might get trampled or in a fight over things. (It is pretty sad the way some people act on what is supposed to be a fun and festive day...but that topic is for another post.) I already have my shopping list ready and categorized into what I need to get from what stores. I LOVE giving gifts to people. It is going to be especially hard this year as we are trying to budget wisely and be good stewards of our money. Christmas is not about things, but it is nice to show people you love them by picking out things that you know they will like. This year I am going to attempt to remember my camera and take pictures of our Black Friday experience. Although we do have to be careful. A few years ago when we were up in Illinois with my dad's extended family, all the girls went shopping and took a picture of us and all our loot after. Well my sneaky DAD got a hold of the camera and zoomed and cropped the picture and discovered some of the gifts that my mom had gotten him. What a sneak. If you think your kids are bad about sneaking and trying to figure out what they got... you need to meet my dad! :) And he has a knack for guessing exactly what you got him... he is right 99% of the time. Even if it is something random and you think you got him fooled, he's not. One year my mom packed his gift in a box, wrapped that box in another box, and that box in another box... repeated that several times and HE STILL GUESSED WHAT IT WAS! Goober.
I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR! Feel free to share your stories and traditions, I would love to hear!

My boy

There are so many things as a first time mom that I question myself on. One of which is discipline and behavior for Ethan. He is in the thick of toddlerhood and all that it encompasses: seeking independence, phases like hitting and kicking, talking back, etc. There are moments that I question myself, "am I doing the right thing by (fill in the blank)"... I know that we have a strong willed child. He sadly takes after me in that regard. But right now my biggest prayer is that God will use that strong will later in life to bring Him glory. That having a strong will in itself is not a bad thing when used for "good". So while my son is well,...being a toddler. I need to remind myself that most of it is just a phase, that he is genuinely a good kid with a sweet demeanor and tender heart like his daddy. So my reason for this post is to highlight something we love about him. He loves to serve. A toddler who loves to serve?! YES! He loves to be a helper! Whenever I am doing laundry he is constantly at my feet trying to help. He likes putting the clothes in the washing machine, dumping the detergent, turning it on, closing the door, putting the wet clothes into the dryer, and especially LOVES putting the laundry away. Another thing he loves is "helping" with the dishwasher. Mainly putting it away. He thrives on being a "helper" and i'm really counting on using this when our next little one comes. Not in the way you imagine: child labor, ha ha, but I am really going to use this sweet part of my son to help him transition into life with another child in the household besides him. He is already talking about sharing his room, toys, getting to hold, and play with his "wittle brudder"! Now i'm not going to be naive and assume life will be a bed of roses when the new one arrives, I know transition time will be hard. But I am hoping the more we talk about it with him, prepare him, and use his strengths then the adjustment will hopefully go somewhat smoothly.
I pray that this tender heart and serving that Ethan loves now will remain within him forever. He is such a sweet little guy. It made my heart melt when I went to pick him up from his class this morning at church and one of his teachers seemed so pleased that he loved to clean up and be a helper. I definitely had a proud mom moment. Sometimes I just wish there was so much more we could to do help him understand that we love him and are proud of him. I thank God for my son, and I feel privileged that we have the opportunity to add another precious boy to our family in just a few short months!

Stomach Flu

The Flu bug has bitten our house again, but this time in a different form. Wednesday night I got a call from my sweet husband while I was at bible study. In a very sad and quiet voice I heard, "can you come home, I just threw up". So I quickly exited my beloved bible study and came home to my sickie. He had the whole 9 yards... fever, chills, vomiting, etc. Thursday he spent the WHOLE day in bed. Literally came out for 20 minutes to eat lunch with us (grilled cheese and chicken noodle soup) and for about 10 minutes later in the day to check his e-mail on his laptop. He was wiped out. Finally late afternoon/evening his fever broke. Today has been much better, but he is still weak and tired. My parents graciously kept Ethan over night last night and then Matt's parents offered to take Ethan this afternoon and for the night. I have cleaned and disinfected everything. We rented a few movies from the redbox and just had a relaxing day. My sweetie pie of a husband looked at me during one of the movies and said, "it's like a date night!" I love him so much. But I told him my idea of a date night is less fever, chills, and vomiting! ;) ha ha. Matt was so completely bummed that he missed out on a staff retreat. He was very excited to go. I had to convince him that throwing up and fevering wouldn't be that much fun way down in Myrtle Beach, let alone it wouldn't be fun for others attending. It was a blessing in disguise though because he had already taken off work and switched days, so he was able to really rest, sleep, and relax the past 2 days. So far Ethan and I have been fine and i'm praying it stays that way!

"Q is for chicken"

Ethan was sitting down doing an ABC puzzle that has different pictures where you are supposed to put the letters...

Ethan: "Q is for chicken."

(Me looking down puzzled from the couch)
Me: "O, That is a quail... Q is for quail."

Ethan: "That sounds good."

He makes me smile!
p.s. Watch out now, this is the second post of the day... have I hit a blogging streak?!

Doctor appointment & such

Today I had another dr. appointment. I am absolutely thrilled with my weight gain. I have only gained 15 pounds so far and I only have about 14 weeks to go. With Ethan I gained a total of 38 pounds, so it doesn't look like i'll be catching him. Thank GOD! However, after the doctor measured me he said, "my, you have a generous abdomen!" HA! He then told me that I would probably have another 9 or 10 pound baby. I discussed the potential for a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) and he pretty much told me that with the size that this baby will probably be, that he wouldn't recommend it. I am fine with a c-section, I was just making sure that all my options were explored. My c-section experience with Ethan was wonderful, so i'm hoping this one is as well. I really love this doctor. At the end of our discussion I asked him if he would mind being the one to do my c-section, that I was very happy with him and his thoroughness. He seemed generally happy and honored. (I am sure the extra money he will personally get made him a bit giddy inside!) So I am very excited for February to get here! Everything seems to be going well. Well, almost everything. My sugar has been a bit high the past 2 mornings after breakfast. I e-mailed my numbers to my gestational diabetes doctor and she said that if things don't improve soon that I will probably be put on medication. I was fully prepared to hear this because she told me to expect a boost in numbers around my 3rd trimester. Well they have definitely "boosted". Just keep praying that I will disciplined to do everything possible myself to stay healthy. Sometimes you just need the help of medicine. Oh, and i'll probably have a few more ultrasounds before he comes, so that is always fun!
p.s. Unless something changes, our precious little boy's name will probably be Caleb Thomas! :)

Dramatic change in emotions

I woke up this morning and decided that mourning the loss of my husband's wedding ring was over. After crying for over an hour straight yesterday when he told me of the incident... and after getting out of bed last night and crying some more. I realized, wow... PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER! Yes the ring means a lot and has huge sentimental value, but I also know that if a lost ring is the worst thing we are experiencing right now... then we are far more blessed than many people. After hearing about Matt's ring we heard of a couple friend of ours that suddenly lost their dad this past weekend. Just on our local news website the first 2 stories are of a lost child and 2 children that died in a house fire. When looking at things in the "big picture" you come to be grateful and understand that life can be so short and full of "losses". While I am sad that his ring is gone, I realize that it can be replaced. But there are some things that can never be replaced and lives will never be the same.
I thank God for this dramatic change in emotions, and I know Matt thanks him as well... ha ha! Cherish the moments you have with things that are irreplaceable!

Lost

Today I got a call from my beloved husband that he lost his wedding ring. While I know there are far worse things in life, this tore me up. I cried well over an hour about it initially... and now I am up after we already went to bed and crying again because I can't stop thinking about it. I know it seems so silly to me that I can't pull myself together over it. Yes I know the ring can be replaced, that it is just a symbol, but it is something special and something I cherish. He has worn it for over 5 years now and it hurts me to know that it is gone. We had it specially engraved with our wedding date and a verse that we claimed over our relationship when we first started dating- Psalm 115:1.
I know Matt feels terrible. I am not upset with him at all. He was in his class at Seminary. Each week they take a break in the middle of class to go use the restroom, etc. Well every week he takes his ring off and sets it near his laptop because the bathroom sink drain doesn't have a stopper in it and he didn't want to lose it down the drain. Today he comes back from his break and it's gone. After searching around where he was sitting and all through his things, we can only draw one conclusion, that someone took it.
I pray that it shows up. That if someone took it they would feel remorse and return it. Even if we wanted to replace it right now, we don't really have the money to. Of course we could tap into our emergency fund that we worked so hard to build up and replace it. But the whole situation just makes me sad. I really haven't cried this much in a long long time. Of course being pregnant does not help the emotional situation at all. So if you think about it just say a prayer for us. Like I said, I know there are worse things but it still means a lot to me.

Daddy's boy

Lately Ethan has been a real big daddy's boy. Whatever Matt is doing, Ethan has to do. Matt LOVES to read and reads for pleasure and for his Master's classes at Seminary. Recently when Matt has been perched with a book, Ethan has gone and grabbed a book off of Matt's shelf, squeezes next to him and "reads". It is so stinkin' cute! You can see in the first picture that Ethan has chosen Crazy Love, which I have blogged recently about. In the second picture Ethan grabbed Send the Light which is a biography type about Lottie Moon. Neither of them are children's books... just what he happened to grab of daddy's. He sat there perfectly still, just "reading" with his daddy! I love my boys and I love watching them interact. I pray that their relationship only deepens as he gets older. Ethan has some big shoes to fill and an awesome daddy who is a wonderful example to him. Anxious to see what our next boy is like!!!

'Tis The Season: A Holiday Gift Idea Exchange, Day 5

GIFT IDEAS: SOMETHING DIFFERENT

1. You can ask parents and/or grandparents to help go in together and start a money market account at the bank. For our bank you had to have a minimum of $250 to put in there. It has one of the highest interest rates, so if you put it in for your child and leave it a lone until they are college age...only adding to it when they get money for birthdays/holidays etc. Then they will have a nice "savings account" set up to help fund college, get married, etc. It is a great gift to help someone save for their future. We are going to take all the money Ethan got so far and set it up in a similar account that doesn't require such a hefty minimum and start saving for our little guy. Another idea that is similar to this is to buy a child a savings bond.

2. Donate to a favorite charity in the person's name. I admire my brother and sister-in-law because they know that they don't really "need" anything for Christmas, so they have asked several times to donate to great causes on their behalf. This is a wonderful way to be selfless and give to people that are in need. We as Americans are extremely blessed and have SO much materialistic wise. It is a great way to show love during this holiday season. And isn't that what Christmas is all about?! God showed us His love by sending Jesus Christ to us as a sacrifice for our sins. All we need to do is accept that we've "messed up" and need Him! That's it. Now that is a great example of love!

3. Gas or grocery gift card. You may have noticed a huge theme this week and that is MONEY. So many people are hurting in this economic time, and it may mean more to have something practical than buying a candle, picture frame, or random gift. Find out where the person you want to give to grocery shops or gets gas from and buy a gift card for them. I know that will mean a lot more to them in the long run than something they may never use. Money and budgeting is so prevalent on our minds because we are taking a financial class and trying to be good stewards of what we have. So we are all about the practical right now.

I hope you have enjoyed my entries this week. I have had a fun time blogging and joining my friend Sheila and others in this blogging carnival. If you've missed it, check out www.momfessions.blogspot.com for other great gift ideas.

Caught red handed

Ethan just had an "accident" in his big boy underwear. He was standing in the corner in "time-out" and turned around and said, "uh oh mommy, I need to go pee pee"! When I looked down I saw that he had already went. Well as Matt was taking him in his room to change him, a thought came into my mind: "I wonder if he did this on purpose to get out of time-out". (He has never done anything ever to get out of time-out) As I am pondering this thought, I hear him in his room with Matt saying, "no go back in time out". Then the idea was confirmed in my head. As soon as Matt got back out in the living room I told him of my suspicion. So we decided to question our adorable innocent toddler (HA!). As clear as day, with no question of misunderstanding, Ethan admitted to going on purpose.
Matt: "Ethan, when you were in time out, did you go pee pee on purpose or was it an accident."
Ethan: "On purpose."
Matt: "So it wasn't an accident?"
Ethan: "No."
BAD BOYS, BAD BOYS, WHATCHA GONNA DO? WHATCHA GONNA DO WHEN THEY COME FOR YOU?????
I can't believe it. My son is smart enough to know that if he goes pee pee in his pants while he's in time-out, then he gets out of time-out because we need to go change him. He knew as clear as day what he was doing and why. We further explained to him that that behavior is NOT ok. Then Ethan told us, "no go pee pee in time out, I supposed to go in toilet". Further confirming that he knew exactly what he was doing. So he now knows that if he EVER does that again then there are HUGE repercussions!
I KNEW he was guilty. Because he didn't pee in his underwear at all for the full 4 hours we were at the fair, but he just went about 15 minutes ago and had an "accident" in time-out. Oh, I don't think so.
Very funny, very cute, and very sneaky! What a little stinker!

'Tis The Season: A Holiday Gift Idea Exchange, Day 4

GIFT IDEAS FOR THE BOOK LOVER: (This was a hard one, so here are the few ideas I have)

1. A tote bag for your book lover to take the library for borrowing and returning books, as well as a reusable shopping bag for when they hit up their favorite bookstore! You can find great totes at Target and on websites like http://www.etsy.com/

2. Here are a few books I recommend: Pursuit of Holiness, by Jerry Bridges. Crazy Love, by Francis Chan. If you are a woman and like mystery novels. Terry Blackstock is a great author and I love her series called Cape Refuge. I read the whole series in just a few days. (It's like 6 books!) All of these books are "Christian".

3. Bookmarks! A great way to incorporate your kids in the gift giving is to make homemade bookmarks. You can use stamping, markers, paint, glitter, ribbons, stickers and whatever their little heart desires! These are great for your avid readers! Your kids and grand kids will enjoy making the bookmarks, and who doesn't love receiving something homemade??

'Tis the Season: A Holiday Gift Idea Exchange, Day 3

GIFT IDEAS FOR KIDS:

I love shopping for my boy! But sometimes it is hard to shop for other kids because you don't know what they are "in to". So here are a few of my favorites.

1. Kids Books. A great way to get a good deal on kids books it to order through Scholastic. I am sure you have a neighbor, coworker, or know someone who's child is in school. Pick up an order form from them and buy some great books at a great cost. The book I want to endorse is one of my favorites. It is called Babycakes. It is a cute interactive book that you can do with a young baby and toddler, like kissing their toes, playing peek-a-boo, tickling, etc .

2. Diapers, wipes, or pull-ups. No matter how great the gift is, sometimes for the parent it is nice to get something practical. Since most young kids just love opening the gift, you can wrap these items in bright paper, lots of bows, or pretty bags. That way it is fun for them but practical for the child. Also, if your child is potty training, a great gift I know they will love is a package or two of cute little underwear. Find out their favorite cartoon or theme and try to find pairs that have them on it. My little one loves Thomas so his first package were Thomas themed underwear. So I guess the theme of this idea is stuff for POTTY use!

3. Art supplies. A great gift to get are the basics: crayons, markers, and paints. Kids loves these and they are relatively inexpensive. Especially if you shop early for Christmas and pick them up when all the "back to school" specials are going on. You can get some great deals on art supplies. I recently introduced water color painting to my 2.5 year old and he LOVED it. He loved dipping the brush in the water and then choosing the different colors. He did way better than I thought about not mixing colors and making sure to dip your brush in the water in between. At the low cost of art supplies you can fill up a whole gift bag and get a lot for your money. Also a hint for this: try the Dollar Tree for these supplies!

'Tis the Season: A Holiday Gift Idea Exchange, Day 2

GIFT IDEAS FOR HIM:

I channelled my husband for ideas in this entry. So here are a few.

1. MONEY- can you sense a theme in our family? Matt and I both are into saving money and trying to get out of debt. So he said money is a practical way to show someone you care. He said he would use money to pay off debt because there are so many gifts that are great, but this one would mean the most for our season in life right now. So straight from the horses mouth. And my horse is a STUD ;)

2. Books or giftcards for a bookstore. I know one of my husbands' recent favorite books is called Crazy Love, by Francis Chan. It has challenged his way of thinking and priorities that we as Christians, and a church have. I have read this book as well and love it. My husband is also in Seminary so our bookshelves have been filling up with great books. So if the "man" in your life is in school, loves reading, or just has a book addiction, then try a book or giftcard to Barnes and Noble, Lifeway Christian Bookstores or any great book store!

3. One of my husbands favorite gifts that my parents have given us is a year subscription to the Newspaper. We get the Sunday only edition which is full of sales adds as well as coupon books. Because we are trying to be good stewards of our money it is so nice to have the subscription because it is paid for as a gift, and we are crazy couponers. So if you know someone who is trying to budget wisely, bless them with a subscription to the Sunday only paper.

'Tis the Season: A Holiday Gift Idea Exchange

My great friend Sheila over at http://momfessions.blogspot.com/ is hosting this carnival. Please check it out.

GIFT IDEAS FOR HER:

1. Nothing says love like the green stuff! I know some people might think the gift of money is "impersonal" however, you are guaranteed not to fail. I love receiving money or giftcards for presents. Then I get to go out and choose the thing I want most. Especially since taste in clothing, scents, etc. may be different from those of the person giving the gift. I have used money for some much needed clothing, jewelry, to put in savings, and sometimes to fund those little emergencies that come up that you really just needed some money for. Also, it is so nice to have some money that you can hit up the after Christmas sales on. It's a win-win situation.

2. Giftcards. I LOVE giftcards, but the one I am going to reference here is STARBUCKS! They even have cute little giftcard holders that you can use to make it a little more attractive. In this day and age where money is tight, those coffee lovers, i'm sure, wouldn't mind loving a little help to fund their caffeine addiction. You could also buy a personal mug and stick the giftcard in it. Or buy a 1 pound bag of coffee and open it, stick the giftcard way down in there, and let it be a surprise when a week or sooner (depending on your addiction) the person receiving the gift reaches the GIFTCARD in their coffee at home. What a fun surprise!

3. JEWELRY. No matter how prissy or tom-boyish you are, girls love some jewelry. I am more along the tom-boy lines but every now and then I love to put on some dangly earrings and feel a little "stylish". Well Kohl's has some GREAT jewelry and some pretty amazing sales going on during the holiday season. My person favorite brands are Apt.9 and Sanoma. They have up-to-date fashionable and inexpensive jewelry. I recommend buying a pair or 2 of earrings... keeping one for yourself and giving one to a friend, girlfriend, grandmother, mother, or sister! Kohls also has great coupons to go along with their amazing sales.