I told Ben the other day that I feel like a Prairie Woman. I feed the chickens, hang my laundry on the washline, have no internet access (he’s been taking the computer every day to work on a real estate course), and then we run out of hot water and have only cold water for everything for several days. The only thing I need yet is a horse & cart and the long hoop skirts! Ha! It feels like quite the adventure around here the past few weeks! ‘Adventure’ meaning that I feel very domesticated – with no internet, I find I have all kinds of time for doing things around the house… Amazing all that I get done in a day! All kinds of projects, creative juices flowing, books are getting read, making a few cards…  Zoe’ and I have been sitting at the piano and playing/singing sometimes too, something she started begging for. She’ll sing with me sometimes, but mostly just try to imitate my playing. I can’t help but giggle as she tries to do a run all over the keyboard (something I did just to see if she’d try it too!), and she intently watches my fingers and hands then tries to repeat the same motion. Just as sweet as can be!

Now that I’m on the computer again, Zoe’ can hardly take it. Thinks she needs to be involved in this too, like she’s been involved in many other of my projects. Calls, “Mama, Mama, Mama!!!” until I pay her some attention, then she’ll happily jabber about the picture she’s drawing, or the song she’s playing on the piano. Most of her jabbers I can’t understand, but she jabbers most of her waking hours. Makes me wonder what it’ll be like when she’s talking for real! Some of favorite things to say (that I can understand) are “Ready to go!!” when we’re going away, “Where did it go?” when looking for something, “There it is!” when it’s found. Sometimes our little family will be getting ready to go away, and Zoe’ often ends up waiting on one or the other of us since one or the other of us will get her ready before ourselves (whew, sorry about the long sentance!). And she’ll run to the door, expectantly waiting, but when we don’t come, she’ll run back to the bedroom, “Ready to go!!” she’ll say, then run back out to the door. This process is repeated several times before we actually leave, and when we finally exit the house she’ll be almost beside herself with the built-up excitement.

yes, we are picking daffodils in this part of the world!

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30 weeks. That marks the progress of this pregnancy so far. And I have to say – I have absolutely loved being pregnant this time around! For one thing, it’s been such an easy pregnancy, no sickness. At all. Brushing teeth is the only thing that’s made me throw up, and even that is getting better. With my first pregnancy, I was a little scared of all the changes that were happening inside and outside of me (!!) and just a little nervous about the whole thing. I would still say I enjoyed my pregnancy with her, but with this one I just love it! I’m excited about the Baby Bump, have actually enjoyed growing a little larger (I can still say that now because I’m not uncomfortable yet, and have been wearing maternity clothes for about a month now), and other than feeling lots of baby movement, I can hardly tell I’m pregnant because I feel so great! That is something I feel very blessed with, especially with chasing a toddler around all day…

I think this is the first pregnancy picture I’ve taken, simply because I didn’t pop for so long. But now that I’m popping, I just keep on popping!

30 weeks

I was thinking last night about being a mommy, and what a wonderful experience it’s been for me. I attribute a lot of this to the teaching that was given to me by my parents, how motherhood and having a family was seen as such a positive thing in our home. We were encouraged to live with all of our hearts wherever we are, and I did that as a single person as well. My single years were super wonderful! But as I’ve entered motherhood, I know a lot of the positive mindset I have toward this place in life is due to my parents, and the value of family that I have received came from the wonderful family life I experienced growing up. So, thank you, mom and dad!

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Coupons. I have  been on a coupon/sale binge ever since going on a cash budget for groceries this year. At first I was s.t.r.e.s.s.i.n.g. about it, didn’t know where to find coupons locally or how to “use the coupon system” – all you couponers know what I’m talking about! After talking with a lady from church who is THE Coupon Queen, AND another friend down here that is as coupon happy as I am )  (right, Linda?!) I feel like I learned a lot and know more where to go with it. I am *definitely* still in the learning stages of it all, but now I am actually having FUN with it! You know you’ve got it bad when you come home from a Kmart double-coupon run and feel hyper about getting toilet paper!  On sale for 2-12 rolls packs of Scott Extra-Soft for $11. Oh, and don’t forget I have a $1 off coupon per pack. Oh, and don’t forget it’s double coupon week at Kmart. So I got 2 packs (24 double rolls) of toilet paper for $7. Cheesy, I know, but I couldn’t stop exclaiming to Ben about how happy I was with my deal.

And this little batch of goodies was also purchased with the double-coupon days at Kmart. I received $14 off the total purchase just using coupons. Too bad I couldn’t combine this with a store sales – with double coupons that week they didn’t have much on sale!

Now, some of you avid couponers, as well as you that live in areas with discount stores, may not think this is anything to talk about. BUT let me just say that this kind of stuff is HUGE stuff for us down here!! So Sunday Paper, eBay, etc. etc. etc. is getting quite a bit of attention from me the past little while. I’m also learning that other than the occasional double coupon at Kmart deal, it is not worth it for me to  grocery shop/use coupons here in town. It may be an hour drive to the next nearest grocery stores, but the prices are much more worth driving for, as well as the *real* grocery store coupons/sales/buy one get one kinds of deals. With Walmart as the main grocery store right here in town (one other small store with even higher prices), and not many store sales in groceries, they are able to raise their prices to a ridiculous  heights.  So bye-bye to Wally World, and so much for the Rollback they’re bragging about. I have a bit of a grudge toward our local Walmart (especially after Zoe’ was born and I tried to return some duplicate/extra baby  items that were given to me, and I was accused of stealing because I had no receipt – a whole story in itself), and knowing they raise their prices here just because they have no competition, and after seeing what kinds of deals I can get just by driving a little further, I have no desire to return to the Rollback store.

So, that’s just a bit of the fun I’ve been having with coupons. Although I don’t know how I’m going to continue this system when Baby Love #2 arrives… Driving an hour one way for groceries, plus the other stops at CVS or Walgreens… That feels overwhelming to me at this point. Right now Zoe’ is doing great with being my assistant-errand-runner, but when I have two???? I’d love to hear from some of you other moms on that, how you do it, what you do…

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Be blessed this week by the One Who truly knows and loves you!

-CBY