open statement to extreme couponers

An open statement to extreme couponers: if you are going to take 15+ minutes to checkout and you see a struggling mom with two crazy kids whiz in behind you, kindly let her know that you might be a little while.  It will be much appreciated.  Seriously. 

Today we were 'that' family.  You know the one you look at and think to yourself, "can't that mother control her children?!" It was mortifying.  I don't know what it was but they turned in to little monsters right as we got in to the grocery store. I've literally never whizzed through the store so fast before in sheer desperation.  

The meltdown was in full blown glory and in my oblivious state of course I get behind the extreme couponer. 

I've literally never seen someone with this many coupons.  I mean she deserves some credit that she saved $110 on her grocery bill but, for the love, I would have loved to know that she was going to nit pick every other 3rd coupon.  

As frazzled as I was we were in straight survival mode.  Avett was hungry so he kept grabbing items off of the conveyer belt.  But half of them were glass.  The last thing I wanted was the glass jar of yeast to go plummeting to the ground.  So it ticked him off he couldn't hold it and it was the only thing he wanted.  Then he was squealing to get down out of the cart.  

Of course every time he screamed Evaleigh cried that it was 'hurting her ears.'  She was so fussy and so difficult I started twitching.  I'm typically an extremely patient person.  But with the combo of my crazy kids and the extreme couponer I was at the steam coming out of my ears level.  Had I known the time it would all have taken I would have gladly gone to a different aisle.  

The woman in front of me never said a word although she was clearly aware of the meltdown behind her.  After we finished our checkout I dashed as quickly to the car as I could while scourering the parking lot for this woman.

I had a plan to calmly and kindly give her my above tip.  She was obviously much faster at puting her groceries in the car than she was at paying for them. 

Please forgive my snarkiness, it's not like me to get so upset.  So, I'm going to go grab my Trader Joes chocolates and sit in the fetal position on the couch until my kids are up from their naps.

*****

(The above picture was taken earlier in the day at Trader Joes which was quite the lovely stop.  Even though they didn't have my coconut chips.)

this year will be different

This morning as I stood over my waffles and buttered them up, I cried.  

Perhaps it was a wave of pregnancy hormones or perhaps it was that I got syrup on my shirt but it was a cry that needed to come out.

This year the holidays are going to be different.  I'm not quite sure how to handle them yet.  

Since my parents divorce this year I have tried to be quite strong.  The fact that we will not all be together completely as a family again is staring me in the face, especially during this time of year.  

No matter what, someone will be alone.  

No matter what someone will have their feelings hurt.  

As a tender-hearted person I can hardly let this fact enter my mind without pain.

My sister and I have gone round and round about how to do the holidays this year so that things can go as smoothly as possible.  It is all of the sudden so complicated, there are so many feelings and tender emotions involved.

Suddenly traditions have become a little painful and we are earnestly trying to create new joyful things to do.

Parents dating, people moving on, new faces and personalities to get used to...I didn't ever expect for these things to join our lives.

Then in the midst of all of this worry and fear of the unknown something important surfaced in my mind.  

I have one thing to truly concern myself with.

MY family.

John, Rachel, and Evaleigh.

Something my brother Steve told me when my parents were first divorcing was that once you are married you start a new unit.  Your family is then your husband and the children that come along.

After you create that unit, that is the most important thing you have.

I am finding this now to be ever so true.

There will always be turmoil and trial outside of our little family of 3, and undoubtedly in due time inside our family too, but I mustn't let these other things consume me.

I am happy, John is happy, and after seeing a sweet smile on EJ's face yesterday during her ultrasound, I know that she is happy too.  We are going to give her the best home and the best love that we know how.  We will learn as we go and try to always tell her how beautiful she is and how much we love and cherish her.

Sure, this year will be different but everything is going to be ok.  

I am full of hope.

no place for a baby

Remember that time I was really excited to go the Atlanta Chili Cook-off?

Yeah, it was junk.

I guess I didn't realize how crazy white trash it would be.

I'm pretty sure John and I both contracted 3 diseases each from eating that chili.

When we got there 10% of the competitors had chili left and 75% of that was cold.

....shudder....

We had to squeeze the cold chili in to our mouths from paper cups (which John said were like little sacrament cups).  It was like eating spicy, bean filled gogurt, but not nearly as fun as gogurt.

John sampled some chili that he said tasted like gasoline and it made him cry.

Grossed out yet?

But then Bruster's came to the rescue and saved us with its creamy mint chocolate chip goodness.

John was in line for his ice-cream and I stood in line for some beverage refreshment.  While waiting in the line a drunkard came up to me with two Miller Lite cans in one hand and a plastic cup of another beer in the other.  He stammered, "You, you know what would be a funny picture?"  He put his fat beer belly next to my pregnant belly "THIS!" and then laughed and ran off.

I giggled as I was all alone, pregnant and helpless and subject to fat drunk men with beer bellies as big as my 23 week bump.  Where was my husband when I needed him to chivalrously defend my honor?!

See chili sacrament cups above...yuck.
I did end up using my vote for Team Ugly's chili.  Really their's was pretty good with smoked poblano and pork loin sausage.
Plus they had a fantastic name.


We probably spent 30 minutes in there tops and then got the heezie out. $30 bucks for one tiny cup of decent chili and an experience with a lush...hmmm, we won't be going again.


Now, I'm off to the grocery store today to replenish our supply of toilet paper and get some food up in this house (but no chili...)

Choosing Happiness

I am choosing to end a rut today.

I am choosing gratitude.

I am choosing happiness.

I have been horribly sad the past few months. I haven't talked about this much but 2 months ago in April, my parents divorced.  It was a huge surprise to me.  After 26 years of marriage everything came to an end.

It has been an incredibly difficult thing for me to wrap my head around.  I have spent many tear filled hours trying to understand why life turns out the way it does.

I suppose it all comes down to our choices.

We all have within ourselves the power to choose.  

I can choose to eat jello for all 3 meals of the day.  I can choose to go to the antique mall 3 times in one week.  I can choose to do my laundry or to let it sit.  I can choose to take 15 minutes to have a meaningful conversation with someone or I can let the moment pass me by.  I can choose to be happy or I can choose to give way to my negative emotions.

Today I am going to choose to be happy.

I am going to try to understand why the Lord has put me where I am at this time.  John and I have moved in with my mother to help her out during this hard time.  We are living the home that I grew up in. 

Even though we know this is where we are supposed to be right now, I haven't exactly been the easiest person to live with.

I have been sulking around and complaining that I don't have a place of my own.  I have felt like less of a wife.  I have been so much less productive.  I haven't been cooking or taking pride in my own little area of the house.  I have been sad to have left our friends and life in Atlanta.  I have been being so negative.

I can't believe how ungrateful I have been.

I need to focus on the blessings of this situation.

Because we are living here I am able to see my wondeful mother everyday.

Because we are living here we are living rent free.

Because we are here we are able to save money and work to get out of the small debts that we have.

Because we are living here we are able to enjoy candle lit evenings on the porch.

Because we are here we have a snugly puppy to make us laugh and smile.

Because we are here I can look in to the lightening bug glitter filled woods in our back yard.

Because we are living here it has become possible for us to have our baby!!

I am going to try to make this place my home again.  

I am going to reclaim my wifely duties and start doing the things that I enjoy again.

I am going to wake up each morning with a resolve to choose happiness.

(This picture really has nothing to do with this post except that John Murphy sure does make it easier to be happy.  That and we went to the Glenn Murphy Ranch last weekend for Father's Day.  I love my happy ranching husband.)

i laughed so hard, i gave myself a headache

Last night I had a "girls night out" with two lady friends and...my husband. 

He amazes me at how comfortable he is and how well he can get along in a group full of women.  Maybe its a sign for things to come and we will be blessed with 7 baby girls and he will live a perfectly content life surrounded by countless ladies.

We went out to our favorite sushi place and put a killing on some raw fish, rice, miso soup, and edamame.

I've been pretty down lately so I really needed a carefree night just to laugh and forget about some of the things going on right now.  I am so grateful to my friends and my husband for reminding me that its A-okay to laugh and BE HAPPY during hard times.

I literally laughed so hard I gave my self a headache.  

Now, that's some good laughin'. 

Hey, it's ok.

I am here to tell you that if you have a bad day it's ok to go home and make a batch of homemade chocolate icing and eat it.  Really, because bad days happen and we all need a little something to help us over the hump.

I am giving you all the permission you will ever need. So, go ahead.

Do you want my recipe?  Its the best.

2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

1 stick unsalted butter (I believe in unsalted butter)

1 block cream cheese

However much Hershey's Cocoa you'd like (about 1/4 cup)

Some people may call this justification but I call it therapy.

Here is a little back story before I spill my guts about yesterday.  All throughout college I have been a babysitter.  I am a great babysitter.  I love children, I think they are the breath of life.  They say the funniest things and when they run as hard and as fast and crash in to you its one of the best feelings ever.  When they put their little hands on your face and talk to you, you feel so respected and loved.  Someday I can't wait to be a mommy with John.

So, yesterday I was babysitting two kids.  They are 3 and 5.  In order to protect those involved I will not disclose the genders and names of these kids.  I was doing my job picking them up from school and as soon as I got the one kid the kid flipped out and told me "I'm going to be mean to you and I don't want to be your friend anymore.  I'm going to put you in jail"  OUCH.  So, I tried to talk to the kid to see what happened at school.  Then things escalated (I'll spare ALL of the HORRIBLE details) and lets just say I ended up being spit on twice, hit, and scratched.  I called the parents immediately because I had never dealt with anything like that before, ever.  It made me so sad.

On the way home from work I called my mother crying.  I felt like the worst babysitter in the world and all of the sudden so very incapable of doing something that I have always been good at.  But I know I handled that very sensitive and difficult situation the best that I could.  It was so scary and I tried to control it the best I knew how.

So, when I got home I let out my frustrations and sadness on some cooking.  Being in the kitchen is my therapy.  Cooking makes me feel so calm and I know it is something that I am good at, and at that point I really needed to feel confident about something.

I made:

Creamy and Sweet Pumpkin Soup with Cinnamon Croutons

Here is what you'll need:

3 tablespoons brown sugar

15 oz can pumpkin puree

2 cans chicken broth, 14 ½ oz each

1 cup chopped onion

5 tablespoons softened butter

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

whole wheat bread loaf (bread cut into cubes)

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 tablespoon white pepper

1/4 tablespoon white sugar

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Mix together 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon, 3 tablespoons of the brown sugar, and 3 tablespoons of melted butter.  Dip bread cubes in the mixture and place on baking sheet with buttered side up and bake for about 8 minutes or until the bread is toasted.

Sauté the onion in the rest of the butter in a saucepan until tender, then add half the chicken broth. Stir the mixture well, bring it to a boil, then cover the pan, turn the heat down, and let it simmer for about 15 minutes.

Process the broth in a food processor or a blender until it is smooth, then put it back in the saucepan and add the other can of broth, the salt, cinnamon, white sugar, brown sugar, white pepper, pumpkin puree, and black pepper.

Stir the mixture well and bring it to a boil.

Cover the pan, turn the heat down, and let the pumpkin soup simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring it occasionally.

Stir in the cream and warm it throughout without boiling.

Ladle the soup into 6 serving bowls and top each one with some yummy cinnamon croutons.

On another note:

You have until Monday October 25th to enter our GIVEAWAY!  We are giving away A CUSTOM MADE GUITAR STRING RING and 4 ANTHROPOLOGIE LATTE BOWLS

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