Thursday, May 1

Wow, it's only 6:00 PM, and I feel like I am already ready for bed! I just have been excessively busy all day today...and it was supposed to be my "relax day", hahha!!!
I have been dealing with bills pretty much all day...UGH! NO FUN AT ALL!!! I have medical bills coming out my ears, and then more came in today. I want to burn them all, but instead I sat and wrote checks for most of the afternoon... I have also been working on our taxes again; Jamie forgot to claim quite a bit this year and last year, so I am doing the amendments; what a pain in the butt!!! I wish they were done right the FIRST time; it would have saved me HOURS of my time...(Jamie, I'll beat you for this later!)
Also, the house offer did not go through, so I am back at square one. I am starting to get a bit frustrated with this whole house-hunting issue. It was fun at first, now it is like a never-ending chore, and I am ready to be DONE with it!!! I will start looking again soon, but for now my schedule is too busy to fit in any house hunting time...argh!!!
Well, I also had to run some errands. I went to the post office to mail out our mother's day gifts and cards (for the out-of-staters, others to be mailed later, and hopefully I don't forget!!!). I went to Wal-Mart for diapers and wipes, and decided to try the Parent's Choice brand rather than Huggies and Pamper's sensitive wipes...I'll tell ya what I think once we try them...I'm nervous; I have totally LOVED the Huggies Natural Fit diapers (about $22/box) and Pamper's Sensitive Wipes ($12/box). It did save me $14 though, so that is a bonus! I had to go and get my license sticker as well; what a freakin' JOKE! The lady was going to charge me $98 for being a DAY late, when there is clearly a sign posted that the late fee is assessed after 30 days...so frustrating. Oh, and she said I didn't renew last year, which I did. She said I would have to pay an extra $29.00 for new plates! I fought her on it, and turns out I was right...BITCH, she never even apologized! Oh well, people irritate me right now.
When I got home, it was time for Rowan to eat. He is cutting molars, so getting him to eat is no easy task. It took quite a while, and he still didn't eat much. In the mean time, I worked on meals for this week.
Then it was closet time; I cleaned out my closet, and discovered that I am in worse shape than I thought! I have, maybe, 4 outfits to wear this summer. I wish we just had hundreds of dollars for me to buy some new clothes; unfortunately, it isn't going to happen...I will spend the summer looking much like a rag doll.
I did get Rowan some new summer clothes today though, ya know, take care of the baby first! LOL Moms out there, you know what I am talking about. I next tackled his closet; he has so many clothes it's pathetic, but not many for this season. I boxed up all of his 12 month clothes, and many of the winter clothes, though I kept out a bunch for those in between days (Illinois weather here folks!).
I also spent hours switching pictures over to artscow.com from snapfish.com. I called Walgreen's to see if they would price match for me (they did last time!!!); however, she said even with me printing OVER 500 pictures, I would have to pay 15 cents per print...needless to say, the photos are put on the back burner for now; we just don't have it to spend!
Our finances are really stressing me out right now. Part of me feels like I NEED to get a job in order for us to make ends meet. It's sad really; I mean, here my husband is, busting his ass for his family, in Iraq, and we are struggling the way we are. I am just fed up with it. All these athletes, actors, politicians, etc. are making BILLIONS a year doing pretty much nothing. Why is it that our military is so freaking under payed? Can someone please answer this for me? I am not trying to live some extravagant life style; I clip coupons to save a nickel, I buy generic, I grocery shop at Aldi's, and we are living with my aunt paying no rent and very little in utilities. Why then are we struggling so damn much??? PLEASE ANSWER ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Phone picture

This picture is not from today, but I love it and thought I should post it!!! :-) It is extremely rare that Rowan goes to sleep in the car, so I had to get a picture. This pic was taken with my phone, so it isn't the best quality. He's so peaceful when he's asleep! LOL

PHOTO PRINTS!!!

Hey guys,
I just checked this out, reccommended by my sister, Jamie. Think it is worth a shot!!!

JAMIE WROTE:


New Online Photo Printing Site
I just registered at a new online photo printing site, www.Artscow.com. What's up with that name? It's funny. I'm a very loyal Snapfish customer but for this deal, it's worth a shot! * 400 Free Prints (50 4x6 and 50 5x7 each month for the next 4 months)* 8x8 Photo Book (20 pages) available starting May 31 and expiring Dec. 31I assume we still pay shipping on these free items. Here is the ArtsCow update I received upon registration:Since the promotion for 400 free prints & 1 free 8x8 photo book is one of the most popular and hottest deals in the market, we have received over 15,000 new registrants in the last two weeks, over 15,000 photo books and 6,000,000 free prints credits have been granted to all qualified members. Once our target of 20,000,000 free prints credits granted in these days, we will stop this aggressive marketing promotion. You can earn extra prints credits (up to 10,000 credits) by referring your friends to join us. Click here for more details.
The 8x8 Custom Cover Photo Book (including first 20 pages, additional each page $0.50), will be available around 05/31/2008. We promise that our photo book quality will be among the best three in the online market. Thank you.

I, too, have been loyal to Snapfish, and I enjoy their prices and quality prints. However, I usually print more than 500 pictures every 3 months, so any free prints I can get, I will take!!! I also like that everyone who signs up through my referral link, I will receive MORE free pictures!!! Because I just signed up through Jamie's link, she earned 200 free prints! HURRY UP, JOIN AND GET YOUR FREE PRINTS TOO!!! Use this link, and I will also get more free prints! Thanks in advance, and I hope we enjoy this new site!

REFERRAL LINK: http://www.artscow.com/default.aspx?Ref=346616

Wednesday, April 30th

Oh boy, another busy day!!! I love busy though, do not be fooled! Again, we were up early today and headed for Springfield. My aunts had a Red Hat luncheon, and I tagged along with Rowan!!! HEHE Talk about feeling YOUNG again! Okay, kidding...calm down Red Hatters! Well, anyway, we had lunch at The Crown Plaza, and it was delicious! Rowan got worn out mid way, so it was a little rough, but overall he was very well-behaved! I didn't really get to sit down and eat because I was chasing Rowan around the hotel, and it is a big hotel!

I saw my advisor from UIS, Cindy. She is such a sweetie. I told her that I was thinking about going back for my master's, and she told me to give her a call. Apparently, I can earn my master's degree without ever stepping foot in a classroom! I am just not sure we can afford any more school loan debt at this point...and without me working??? I just don't know! Also, I am not sure if I want to get it in education or English, and I have even thought about counseling! I just don't know, so I will be giving this some thought.

We did a little bit of running around town, and I went after a few deals in Springfield. The weather has been absolutely beautiful here today, so Rowan and I did a little playing outside when we got back home, which was around 4ish?

Okay, ALSO, I counter-offered on the house today. I only raised my offer by $2,000.00, so I don't think they will take it...PRAYERS PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The highlight: I got to talk to Jamie today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He called this morning while I was getting ready, right when Rowan woke up...he has terrible timing, bless his heart! LOL It was brief, but hearing his voice is always nice. For the first time, including his last trip to Iraq, I heard fear in his voice. I don't ever let on that I am scared too; I just try to hold strong for him. Please pray for his safety!!! I need him to come home to us, and it is a real concern...okay, enough mushy mushy...sorry! Here are some pics from today, and one from last night in his new jams!

CELEBRATING 500 HITS! WOOT!!!

Today I noticed that I have surpassed 500 hits on my blog!!! How exciting is that? I know it is nothing major on here, but I guess people are reading it huh? I even have "blog addicts", now that is encouraging! Thanks to all of you for continuing to check my blog...I do have the best friends and family a girl could ask for!!!

HERE'S TO 500 MORE!!!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, April 29th

Today has been a super busy day, and all I can think about is going to sleep...so pardon my blog tonight, it may be jibber-jabber!
Well, we started off early this morning, as I took my aunt to Spfld. to a dental appointment. Rowan and I went to visit Aunt Jamie, cousin Miles, and cousin Graham for the afternoon, which is always a delight! I love spending time with two of my favorite little guys in the world, and Rowan sure has a blast playing with Miles! We had lunch there, and I discovered that Rowan much prefers to eat off of Graham's tray as opposed to eating his OWN food...sorry about that Jamie!
Around 1:30, I went to pick my aunt up, and we then hit Babies R Us, big mistake!!! I had to pick up a few necessities, but taking Aunt Nanny in there is like taking a kid to a candy store!!! She didn't do TOO badly actually. Next, we were mall bound! We made a few laps around, just for the sake of exercise, and then started shopping. I did very well, and only bought some much needed face wash. We also took Rowan on the Merry-go-Round for the very first time, which only made me very dizzy...Rowan didn't much care for the horse, but did enjoy sitting in the swing with us! It was fun, and since I didn't have my camera...shocker...I was forced to use my camera phone...ugh! Anyway, I will post those later.
The mall was pretty empty, so I allowed Rowan to wonder around and get out of the stroller. Friendly little guy, he is! He waved at everyone and was screaming "HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII" to all the old folks wandering around as aimlessly as him...it was cute, and I know it made their day!
Di and I tried to find some clothes for a wedding reception we are attending this weekend, never an easy task with a grumpy, hungry, nap-deprived toddler in tow. Well, needless to say we didn't accomplish too much. She found an ADORABLE jacket that I may have to steal sometime, I mean BORROW...heehe I found nothing of importance.
We finally hit Olive Garden for lunch at 4:15, and didn't leave until 6:30 or so. Rowan napped the ENTIRE time we were there, and woke up a grumpy, fussy, hungry MESS!!! On the way home he screamed and cried non-stop, poor guy! I hit the post office and store on the way home for a few things.
Well, at 8:00, I was out the door again...Wal-Mart bound. I had to get a second car seat for Di's car, and a few odds and ends. I am so tired, Ro is in bed, and we have another busy day tomorrow...
I did hear from my realtor.....................they counter-offered my offer on the house, $12,000 higher than my offer! I am not sure if I will counter or not. I am going to do some praying before I do anything, and your prayers are very much appreciated! LOVES!!!

Monday, April 28th BUYING A HOUSE!!!

Today was spent searching for a house. I had two in mind that I wanted to look at, one I looked at last week, and the other I had only seen in pictures. So, I made appointments with my realtor to see these two, with full intent of making an offer on one... Well, I ended up looking at another one that I had not even given much thought, and it was everything I was looking for!!! It is a little higher than we had planned, but I went ahead and gave an offer anyway!!! I am so nervous about it, and it pretty much has made me sick to my stomach all day! Hopefully I will know something tomorrow. If the offer is not accepted, I will be okay with it, and I will keep looking. If it is...well, I will be excited and scared as heck all at the same time! Please throw up a prayer for us this evening when you say your prayers; we need them!!!
Tomorrow will be another busy day. Rowan is still awake and I foresee NO sleeping in the near future...long night ahead!

Sunday, April 27th

Today was all about relaxing and spending time at home with Rowan. The weather was gloomy, rainy and overall dismall today, so it really just put me in the mood to kick up my heels and relax, never an easy task around here...lol Rowan was super good today, and we didn't have any major meltdowns over not being able to play outside, which is a major plus!!!

He took one good nap this afternoon, and I thought to myself...hey, why not...I joined him for a nice, long, relaxing nap! Very refreshing, I must say! :-) Those of you who know me well, know that a nap is never included in my day! Even with the nap, I managed to be somewhat productive, did some laundry, and had lots of play time with Rowan!

For some reason, my left ankle started hurting pretty badly this morning. In HS, I was on the dance team and had some problems with tendonitis; I have come to the conclusion that all the running in flipflops yesterday probably made the tendonitis flare up. I have no anti-inflamatories in the house at the moment, so no meds to help with it...it really is sore! For this reason, I tried my best to keep Rowan contained on ONE level of the house for most of the day. All the walking up and down the stairs really started to make it worse...he did very well, and I am quite proud of my little monkey!

Because he was not so active today, I decided that for his bath, I would let him get in the big tub and play around for an hour or so. HE LOVED IT!!! What kid doesn't, right? He is getting a little too brave for my liking; he is wanting to stand up and fall down in the tub, and this frightens me...I KNOW, I KNOW>..,....I can hear my husband already, "he's a boy, let him be a boy! Don't baby him!"...ohhhh, I try, but this is something that could potentially cause major accidents, and I have to draw the line there! It's my BABY we are talking about here!

Anyway, he smells so nummy! I love the bedtime lotion from Johnson's and Johnson's!!! MMM, MMM, GOOD! He is in bed, but not sure if he will go to sleep or not. We shall see!

Weekend!

I didn't get a chance to post yesterday, as we were not home until late. I started the day way too early, at 6:00 AM. I first went to tan, 1/2 price in the mornings! WOOT! Then I met with Julia at the gym, where she kicked my butt once again...though I much enjoy it afterwards! LOL I rushed home, got in the shower, and managed to "get ready" in a matter of merely 30 minutes! Rowan was just waking up, and I had already prepared us for the day the night before; I put our clothes out, packed his diaper bag, and had everything ready to load in the car. Sooo, I gave Rowan a quick breakfast, got him dressed, loaded the car, and off we headed to Virginia.
I was the first one to arrive on the scene...a real feat considering I am the one with a child! LOL Anyway, so we started preparing for the shower, moving tables, setting out the champagne and cocktail glasses, napkins, silverware, etc. Autumn and the girls got there shortly after us, so we started in on the food and signs. Hailey, Roxanne's daughter, is 15 months old, so she and Rowan were playing and having fun while we mommies got ready for the big party!!!
The shower was absolutely PERFECT!!! It went off without a hitch, everyone really enjoyed the "different atmosphere". We didn't want to do a traditional "bridal shower", so instead, we had a cocktail party!!! Everyone wore dresses, and we sipped (s0me guzzled) daiquiris! MMM We had fruit with a chocolate fountain and other fruit dip, creme horns veggies and dip. Because it was a cocktail theme, all the guests brought a cocktail recipe with one coordinating cocktail ingredient in addition to their bridal gift! Autumn can have quite the successful little party at her house now!!! :-) It was really a lot of fun, and most importantly, I know Autumn had a blast and enjoyed getting to see everyone. I believe we had around 25 people show up, which is a record to my knowledge! LOL
So, that was our Saturday. We got home after dark, and I was SO tired!!! Rowan had only a short nap, after a long day...so it was to bed fairly early for us last night.
I will report on tonight in a while, for now I am going to sign off!

Rowan talking to Daddy/ 04-27-08