Longest Errand Day Ever!

Yesterday I had a ton of errands I needed to do and there was no getting around them. So we got all prepped and headed into town. First stop Sportman's to pick up a mess kit for Erick for his backpacking trip. Chatted a bit there with Bethanie, Nicole, and Andy.

Next stop was Rosemark for some samples of a medication.

After that it was off to Smith's to fill my BP prescription and pick up a few groceries. They had some great deals! On the first trip I picked up some bread and cereal. I'll post the prices below. My prescription was going to take like 45 minutes to fill so we went off to Winco for some fresh fruit and a couple other things.

Then it was back to Smith's for my meds and a few other good deals.

Next we headed to Napa Auto Parts for some high-temp silicone so Erick could fix the Jetta. Which he did last night! Go Hunny! I can't say enough about the service at Napa! I was in and out within 5 minutes because they were so helpful!

Next was Idaho Steel to pick up our oil pan. Jay did an excellent job welding a patch on it and reinforcing it with a skid plate. Thanks Jay!! And for only $44.52! Wooot!!

We hurried off to D&L Cleaners to pick up a blanket and sleeping bag I forgot I had taken there.

Last stop before we went to pick up Erick was Walmart. By the time I hit Walmart I was in a daze. I think I wandered down the frozen foods aisle like 6 times before I found (remembered) what I was looking for! LOL

The kids did awesome! Especially for how hot it was. Myelle took a quick nap in the carseat in between a couple stores and Bentley slept on and off. I had to nurse him in between each stop it seemed like so that took a lot longer, but at least he was happy and I got everything done. Now to clean up and get stuff put away that didn't get put away last night.

Great deals:

Smith's

2 pack whole chicken $.79/lb

Instant oatmeal - $1.88 (for Erick's trip)

Puff's Tissues - $1.69/box, buy 4 and get $4 off instantly, ended up being $.69/box! (I'm most excited about that one)

Turkey Breast - $.99/lb

Post Cereals - $1.88/box

Granny's Pride Bread - $1/loaf

Goldfish crackers (regular sized bag) - $.99/ea

Twinkies - 2/$4 plus a $.50 off coupon = $1.50/box

Winco

Grapes - $.99/lb

That is probably the last time I do errands like that with 2 small children in tow for a very, very long time!

My Perfect Date

My friend Jessica (Yes, she is awesome and I talk about her a lot. :D) is very inspirational. On her blog she posted a "Write Now Prompt." I haven't written anything from a prompt since I was in college, but here goes. ;)

My perfect date would be up in the mountains with lots of pine trees. It'd be just about dusk and the fire would be going in the firepit. My hubby and I would scootch our chairs close together and enjoy the still night air. Listening to the sounds of the wildlife going to bed or just waking up for the night. The night air would get cooler as it slowly faded to black and the stars twinkle to life like far away street lamps. We'd talk about our past memories and our future hopes and dreams. As the glow of the fire slowly grew dimmer we'd go off to our tent and snuggle down close to each other in the warm sleeping bags and drift off to sleep.

Scentsy Giveaway

My friend Jessica is having a Scentsy Giveaway on her blog. Enter to win here. I L.O.V.E. Scentsy! I just wish I could afford it all. LOL I'm crossing my fingers hoping I win. :D It'd be the perfect birthday present to myself. ;)

Complete and Honest Gotta-Get-it-off-My-Chest Vent Post

You know...I used to be a very positive person. I still am a positive person, but it takes a lot more work. I try to remember that there are so many other people worse off than me and majority of the time that's all it takes to pull me out of a funk. As our trials pile up this year though I feel trapped underneath and my soul yearns to feel joy again. It's been a bit of a rough summer. Don't get me wrong it's been a fantastic one with lots of happy memories being made and lots of friends, family, and traveling. But all the same it's also been a bit of a rough one. Some of which I will vent....the rest I don't really want to talk about.

Erick has been gone to Jackson a lot for work. He's been gone a lot before, but this year I've got 2 kids to handle on my own. It's amazing how big of a relief it is to have my husband come home even at a late hour. I didn't realize it until he's been gone. I honestly don't know how I could do without him for very long. I can't even imagine how my friends that have husbands in the military do it. My hat goes off to you ladies.

Money is tight. Like super tight. So tight that we went on government assistance so we could buy food. Boy is that hard. We won't be on it long...just long enough to get back on our feet, but there are so many people that are judgemental when you go to the grocery store. Cashiers are rude, people stare (or at least it feels that way) and I am wracked with guilt that we can't provide for ourselves. Then I have to tell myself (and have Mom tell me too) that it's okay to get help. We have an unusally high amount of medical bills for people our age (I have to remind myself of that too). That comes with the territory of Erick's Crohn's disease. One day we will be out from under the bondage of debt, but it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel when you're just at the beginning of it.

Coming back from a pregnancy is tough physically and emotionally. Even though Bentley is sleeping through the night now I still don't seem to have the energy I need to make it through the day. I do have PPD and am currently on meds for it, but I still feel like I'm missing something. I can't seem to lose the baby weight or any weight at all really. I'd really love to go running, but with Erick gone I don't exactly have anyone to watch the kids while I go. My jogging stroller is broken at the moment and it isn't exactly made for 2.

I feel like I'm failing as a mother. Myelle is whiny and crying all the time. She's not very confident of herself and wants me to do every little thing for her (even though she used to do it by herself all the time!). It seems like every little thing is a struggle and I'm picking my battles! I can hardly get her to eat anything close to healthy (milk and cheese is about it), she doesn't listen very well (I know 2 year olds don't listen very well but she seems extreme), and I hate to even think about bedtime. It's always 10pm or later when she finally goes to sleep whether she had a nap or not. I wake her up at 8am and she usually has a 2 hour nap around noon to one. I am at my wits end! I want to scream, yell, cry, tear my hair out, break things (not my children though, always inanimate objects. Had to throw that in there so no one feels they need to call CPS). I can't seem to keep the house clean. Laundry doesn't get done as often as it needs and dishes pile up until we don't have anymore clean ones, I'm lucky if I even get a shower or to do my hair. *Sigh* I love my family and my children dearly, but I need help. I can't do it on my own.

Now that being said I feel lots better. Tomorrow is a brand new day! I just have a few things to jot down in my handwritten journal and scriptures to read before I can drift off into a short but blissful sleep.

Thank you for listening.

We Finally Got It!!

Woot! We finally got Bentley laughing on video! It was the funniest thing because I didn't have to say anything at first. I could just look at him and he started laughing his head off. I love it!

Enjoy the video...it'll make you smile.

Oh and I'm almost done rearranging and organizing the Living Room. Pics and post to come soon.

Mom just updated her cooking blog. Check out her recipe for amazing freezer jam here. I'm also now a co-author for that blog and can't wait to share some of my experiments in the kitchen.

P.S. you'll want to pause the music player at the bottom of the screen before you watch.

Refreshing Rearranging

I don't think I have many quirks, but I do have one that I will admit to....I L.O.V.E. to rearrange my house. Not just once, but over and over again. Rearranging, reorganizing, redecorating. Growing up I used to rearrange my bedroom just about every other month. I get a thrill out of getting the most space out of a little room and making it feel big! I love how a new look for a room gives you a refreshed feeling.

Lately I've been feeling a bit down about having to rent an apartment rather than being able to buy a house right now. Things were just feeling chaotic and old. I needed to be refreshed so I've started a complete rearranging rampage (there's some alliteration for ya!) on my apartment. First up was the kids bedroom.

Before

After

These pics don't nearly do it justice, but it feels oh so much better!! Next is the kitchen or living room....haven't decided yet.

Naptime

You never can really understand the blissfulness of naptime until you have kids. That one or two and sometimes three hours in the afternoon while they are sleeping is just what my soul (and my patience) needs to make it through the rest of the day. We've gotten into a better schedule nothing interferes with naptime. LOL Peaceful, quiet moments when I don't have to hear whining or crying (not that my kids do that all the time, but a good chunk right now. Tis the stages their in) and I can scramble to get all my housestuff done uninterrupted. Dishes, showering, and a bit of computer time until they wake up. Ahhhh sweet bliss!