Please bare with me as I've decided to move us back to blogger for the last time. You can find our new home at http://mrsbsjournal.blogspot.com/

Thank you,

MrsB

I planted some oregano, thyme, rosemary and lavender seeds a couple of weeks ago. I used tin cans that had veggie and tomato sauce in them as my planters (except my lavender which is in a mt. dew bottle cause I ran out of cans) and lined them up in my kitchen window sill. Well this morning much to my surprise and happiness was 4 tiny lavender plants, 3 tiny oregano and a can full of thyme! They're so cute! I can't wait till they are big enough to plant outside. My calla lillies from last year are coming up beautifully too!

I went to a yard sale saturday morning and got a ton of clothes for CJ, a cd for CJ, 3 pairs of shoes, 2 pairs of jeans, a coat, 2 swaddlers, and 8 pairs of socks all for $7. But my big find was a perfect condition BOPPY PILLOW FOR $1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Those things are like $40 new  and I've been wanting one so bad. I had to try really hard to hide my excitement as I asked the lady how much she wanted for it. LOL

MTC,

MrsB

I'm such a bad "blog host"!!! I'm sorry its been so long since I last posted something. OK Soooo I got my mother's day gifts finished. I made painted flower pots for my MIL and step-mom. Can't say what I did for my mom yet b/c she visits my blog. :-D

They were so easy to make! I used 6" terra cotta pots and saucers and painted them. Then put some potting soil in a baggie tied up with some ribbon and added a packet of seeds. :-)

Here's a pic of my CJ that I took today. :-) Isn't he adorable? He is getting SOOO big!! I'm so glad he is starting to stay awake most of the day! I love looking at his cobalt blue eyes. :-) *swoon*

My "no spend" challenge is going ok. I've only bought some things for DH's birthday party on Saturday and the stuff I needed for Mother's Day so far. Oh! And I bought 6 Hot Wheel cars from the Dollar General for 38¢ each for birthdays/Christmas. :-D

OK I *promise* to write more often!

MTC,

MrsB

On a message board that I go to they're doing a challenge to not spend any money other than on neccessities. So I've decided to join in. My goal is to go all month without spending money on any "extras" and this includes eatting out. I want to see how much we can save by doing this. I've talked it over with my DH and he is on board too. yay! I would love it if some of you would get on board as well! :-)

Speaking of goals...My decluttering goal is coming along slowly. :-) The table is finally decluttered and no longer being used as a hot spot. I'm also no longer using the washer/dryer as a catch all. :-)

Yay me!! :-)

MTC,

MrsB

My mom made Cream Cheese Butterhorns today for the first time and they are SOOO yummy!! The recipe came from www.tammysrecipes.com The only thing Mama did differently was she used store bought crescent rolls instead of homemade.

The entryway is decluttered. Yay!! The only thing is the birdhouse sitting on the dryer waiting to be hung up outside. The black netting over the door finally got hung. Its been sitting in the bin by the fridge since we took it down last year. Now I can keep the door open without the buggies getting in.

As far as making the Entryway more "homey" I want to paint the words "Wash, Dry, Fold" or some other quote in the spot above the washer and dryer. I may paint them on canvas boards like I did the nameboards, I haven't really decided yet. I bought some of those sticker type things from the dollar store that you can put on your walls that look like ivy. I was going to put them over the washer/dryer but now I think I've decided to save them for the living room.

Now to tackle the decluttering of the kitchen. :-)

Here's the before pics of the living room. We just had a baby shower so when I took these pictures there were baby gifts laying everywhere. They've been put away now, but I keep them in the picture as a reminder to put them away. LOL

MTC,

MrsB

I got the top of my dryer decluttered. Yay!! It looks so much better. Now for the entryway all I have left is beside the fridge. Thats all DH's stuff though so I have to wait until he is home.  I'm so glad it has finally gotten warm! I've got a load of clothes drying on the line and all the windows open in my house. Which means savings on the electric bill. :-D And saving money is always good. But this also means coming up with meal ideas that don't use the oven. I'm so glad I've got a crockpot. :-)

One last thing I have some coupons that I want to get rid. If anyone can use them please let me know.

(2) $2 Enfamil Vi-Sols exp. 12/31/07

(2) $1 any package Huggies diapers exp 3/31/08

(2) 75¢ any Aveeno baby product exp. 6/30/07

$1.50 any package Huggies Supreme diapers jumpo pk or larger exp. 6/30/07

$1.50 any package Huggies Rash Cream (forgot to write down the exp date but I think its 6/30/07)

(2) $1 Enfamil Formula checks 7/31/07

75¢ Johnsons baby product (exc trial sizes) exp 12/31/08  (also have one with exp date 12/31/09)

75¢ Balmex diaper rash product  (exc trial sizes) exp 12/31/08 (also have one with exp date 12/31/09)

75¢ Johnsons nursing pads product  (exc trial sizes) exp 12/31/08 (also have one with exp date 12/31/09)

$1 Infants Tylenol product (exc trial size) exp 12/31/08 (also have one with exp date 12/31/09)

$1 Infants Motrin product (exc trial size) exp 12/31/08 (also have one with exp date 12/31/09)

$1 Infants Mylicon Drops (exc trial size) exp 12/31/08 (also have one with exp date 12/31/09)

MTC,

MrsB

Hi!

Check out Rocks In My Dryer  for more WFMW tips. :-)

My WFMW tip is babywearing. :-) I bought an Infantino Cozy Rider baby carrier from Ross and I love it! I've had it for awhile, but hadn't used it b/c the first time I put CJ in it he acted like he hated it. But last night I decided to give another try and it was wonderful. He was so content in it and I was able to get some things done. And today I was able to hang my first load of clothes on the line outside wearing CJ of course. :-) This should make going up town by myself so much easier.

MTC,

MrsB

Yikes! My house looks awful in these pictures! I'm almost to embrassed to post them! *blush* LOL Remember I have a newborn. LOL

Entryway:

Kitchen:

Tonight's supper plan is the pork chops and okra I had planned for last night. We had scrambled eggs with sausage and cheese instead since DH had to work late.

MTC,

MrsB

I'm setting a goal for myself. :)

Since we moved into our house in June I've done pretty much the minimum to make it feel like home. There's a few pictures sitting on the end tables, and I have a few "pretties"  decorating the living room. The kitchen has a theme to it, but it still looks bare. Needlessly to say there's a lot I can do make it feel more homey. There's 7 rooms in our house (Master Bedroom, Master Bath, Kitchen, Living Room, Spare Room, CJ/Guest Bath & CJ's Room) along with the Entryway so thats 8 Zones I need to work on. Right now I want to start with the Entryway, Kitchen & Living Room. There's alot of Hot Spots too (FlyLady term). I have plenty of decluttering that needs to be done.

So my goal...actually 2 goals....is:

1) Declutter Hot Spots in Entryway, Kitchen & Living Room

2) Make the Entryway, Kitchen & Living Room feel more homey

I'm going to try to take some pics to post before I start and as I go along. That way you can see my progress and I can stay motivated.

Remember that I'll be working on this during the times that CJ will let me put him down which is 5-10 minutes at a time usually when we're home alone. Funny he does fine laying on a blanket by himself when we're at my parent's house but when we're home alone its a whole different story! LOL Oh I can't wait until I find a good sling! LOL Feel free to join in on the decluttering and/or "house to home" makeover. I would love to hear about your progress! :-D And maybe it will keep me motivated.

Supper plans for tonight is Fried Pork Chops and Fried Okra. Yum!  

MTC,

MrsB

I can't believe that CJ will be a month old tomorrow!!! He has already grown so much!! I told him he needs to slow down alittle bit. LOL He is already holding his head for short periods of time and trying to roll over. He loves to dance already too. I turn on the music (or sing) and we'll dance around the living room. He loves it. lol CJ loves staring at lights also. Anywhere a lamp or window is he'll just lay there and stare! I wish this cold front would go away so we can start spending some time outside. And mama's bookshelf! My mom has this huge bookshelf that covers almost on whole wall in her living room, and he lay and stare that for the longest time. Its so cute!!

Here's some more pics of my little man. My mom took these around a week and a half ago.

And here's a couple I took.

On a side note...next time you're out and bound have your house key copied and put it in a safe hiding place outside somewhere if you haven't already. Actually have more than one copy and place them in several places (including in your car and your purse). I say this because I'm here at my mom's locked out of my house yet again!! LOL My sister had a copy of my house key in case this happened but its also locked inside my house from the last time I got locked out. LOL Can you tell I have a problem with keys and getting locked out?

MTC,

MrsB

Tonights plan for supper is Round Top Steak with potatoes and carrots and Honey Muffins.Grandma's Honey Muffins

Source: Taste of Home magazine

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup honey

In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk the
egg, milk, butter and honey; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fill
greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 400° for 15-18 minutes
or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm.

Yield: 1 dozen.

MTC,

MrsB

Does more expensive mean better quality? Alot of people believe that it does. And maybe sometimes it is. New mommies fall into the trap of buying their babes expensive things because they're lead to believe that its best for them. But they don't need $50 onesies (yes I've seen them for this much) or a $200 play pen. Or even the most expensive diapers or formula.

CJ is breastfed but gets supplemented with formula when we're not at home. He has to have a Lactose-free formula due to an allergic reaction he had in the hospital to regular formula. So we put him on Similac Alimentum. Its a hypo-allerginic formula for babies with allergies. After going through almost a whole can of it he started having problems with it. Spitting up alot, spit up coming out of his nose, and projectile spit up. It got so bad he quit breathing while trying to spit up the Alimentum. That scared me so bad that I decided he would never drink Alimentum again. So I went to the store in search of a new formula. I found Parent's Choice Lactose Free formula for $13.xx compared to Similac, Enfamil and Nestle at over $20 a can (and the PC is a bigger can). So I bought it to try. So far (knock on wood) he has done fine with it. And yes the store brand formulas are just as good for your babe as the expensive formula (as long as its FDA approved) I'll go find the article I read about store-brand vs. name brand formula.

** "Regular" Parent's Choice formula is $10.46 **

Anyway, So the rising question is "Are the expensive diapers better than store brand diapers?" Well so far, in my experience with CJ, No! Which brings us to the "Diaper Wars"! Here is a list of the brands of diapers I can think of off the top of my head. Please rate the brands that you've tried in the comments section by using a scale system (1 (*) being the worst, 5 (*****)being the best). Feel free to leave a review of the brands any long with your rating. I'm also going to get some reviews of diaper brands from ladies from message boards that I visit. 

Huggies *  Every Huggies diaper we put on CJ leaked!! We would have to change his outfit and blanket everytime we changed his diaper.

Luvs

Pampers

Pampers Swaddlers **** So far no leaks! But they seem to stick to his bottom.

Parent's Choice (Wal-Mart)

White Cloud (another WM brand) ** These leaked pretty bad if you didn't put them on VERY tight! But no where near as bad as the Huggies.

Target brand

MTC,

MrsB 

I found this recipe on The Erratic Homemaker (originally cam from Recipezaar) It sounds so yummy! I can't wait to try it. I think it would be excellent paired with a Greek salad. Yum!

Greek Chicken and Potatoes Recipe #93596

Hi!

Tonights supper is going to be Sauteed Chicken & Pasta with Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce. Yummy! The plan is to sautee boneless skinless chicken breast with Italian seasoning. Then put the chicken on a bed of pasta topped with Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce.

My mom found the pasta and sauce at Big Lots at an amazing price! The bag of pasta was 80cents and the can of roasted garlic tomato pasta sauce was 70cents (a huge can!!). For the two of us we can probably get at least 4 or 5 meals from the one bag of pasta and can of pasta sauce.

A great tip for moms/moms-to-be is to sign up to be on all the baby companies mailing lists that you can find. You'll get tons of samples and coupons! In the mail Friday was TWO cans of Enfamil Lipil w/ Iron formula as "samples" from Enfamil (they're the small cans of powder formula that you can buy at the store, 16oz I think). Unforunately we found out in the hospital that CJ is allergic to that formula (he has to have a Lactose-Free formula  when he does get formula). But I plan on taking them (along with the 3 cans I got in the gift packs from the hospital) to our local Health Dept for another mom that may need them.

More To Come,

MrsB

I only have time for a quick update on CJ. He is doing SO great!! Its hard to believe he is already 3 weeks old! It seems like yesterday that I found out I was expecting. He is up to 8lbs 6oz and eatting like crazy. I have some new pictures that I need to post of him. He still sleeps most of the day but when its time for bed he is wide awake! He's nursing great during the day now as well. When we first came home we had some problems with his breastfeeding and so I was supplementing alot with formula (after almost every bf'ing session). But now he maybe gets one bottle of formula during the day. At night he was getting all formula, so I'm slowly trying to get him to exclusively bf at night also.

I'll post a better update on my babe later. :-)

MrsB

Well its finally over. I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy at 37weeks 1 day on Wednesday March 21. My water broke at 10am and CJ was born at 6:34pm that same day. He weighed 8lbs 2oz and was 18 3/4inches long.

Here's a picture of him taken today.