Zoo

We went to the zoo today with Emily, Adam, and Emma.  Maddie and Emma were so cute together.  I loved how they walked around holding hands, at least until Maddie's little legs got tired. 

Maddie was super excited to see bears at the zoo (or maybe she just really likes to say 'bear'), but unfortunately they weren't out.  Instead she enjoyed looking at the fish, giraffes, and lions.  We can't wait to go back again!

Random Thoughts

Thought #1:  It's a beautiful day!  When Maddie wakes up from her nap, I think we'll go play outside.

Thought #2:  Speaking of Maddie's nap, I had to put her down without her pacifier.  Why?  Because I lost not just one, but both of them.  After a brief period of crying, she did go to sleep.  Maybe I can start weaning her off of them?  In the mean time I looked all around the house, in the laundry basket, and in the outside trash can.  Yes, I went "dumpster diving" for pacifiers.  I don't really know what I would have done if I had found them in the trash.  I eventually gave up and returned to finish washing dishes.  Guess what I found floating with the spatula and slotted spoon. . . . That's right, her pacifiers.

Thought #3:  With Maddie sleeping peacefully, I decided to waste time on Pinterest.  I love pinning ideas; I don't love feeling like a lazy bum for not trying out 95% of the things I pin.  So in an effort to make myself feel (a little more) accomplished AND to give you some ideas of things that a person has actually done, here are some pins I've tried that have turned out well:

tile damaged bathroom cabinet

The under-the-sink cabinet in Maddie's bathroom had a little bit of water damage and it drove me crazy!  This was an easy, inexpensive solution.  I ended up tiling all of the cabinets in our house that are under sinks, as well as a couple of the cabinets in our laundry room.

minute to win it Christmas games

Every year right before Christmas, Eric and I get our families together for a gingerbread house building contest aka Lucy's birthday party.  This year we added in some "Minute to Win It" games.  We had cup stacking, nut stacking, and a cookie face race.  I think everyone enjoyed it.  Who doesn't like some friendly competition?

corndog muffins

super kid friendly + tasty

crockpot baked potato soup

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!  I'm not generally a fan of leftovers, but this stuff tastes even better the next day.

baked pumpkin spice donut holes

These were yummy and I love that they are baked.

2 hour cleaning checklist

If I don't set a timer, it would take me all day to clean my house.  I get distracted easily.  I may be cleaning the kitchen counters one minute and the next minute I'm sitting on the floor organizing my tupperware drawer.  This checklist gives you a set amount of time to get each task completed leaving no time for distractions.

handprint turkey

I did this with Maddie and my kids at school.  Cute!

crockpot barbecue chicken

Eric's favorite meal.  I think he'd eat this everyday of the week if possible.

Thought #4:  Maddie is now awake.  Time to go outside!

Balancing Act

The Zyrtec is finally helping Maddie out.  Thanks Sarah, for telling me to keep giving it to her.  She still has some chest congestion when she wakes up, but at least she can breathe through her nose!

Ok, now for my blog-worthy Pinterest find of the day.  I enjoy taking photos, but I don't know much about photo editing outside of cropping and fixing red eyes.  Well today I happened upon a pin that linked to a website with tips about adjusting white balance.  I read through the instructions and thought it sounded pretty simple.

Take a look at how much of a difference adjusting white (and black) balance can make!

original straight out of camera

adjusted white balance

adjusted white and black balance

Amazing!  Maybe I'm the last person to discover this trick, but I am super excited about it and thought I'd share.  :)

Do you have any photo editing tips that I should try out?



Allergies

Maddie's allergies are awful right now.  I feel terrible for her.  She wakes up in the morning with a yucky nose and so much chest congestion.  We gave her a small dose of Zyrtec yesterday, as prescribed by her doctor.  I don't know that I see much of a difference.  Maybe it takes a few days of it being in her system to actually see improvement? 

Do any of you other mamas have kids that struggle with seasonal allergies?  What do you do to help them out?

A Year's Difference

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Couponing

Have you seen Extreme Couponing on TLC?  Holy moly!  I've only seen it once, but who knew you could MAKE money at the grocery store?!  Of course I do think it's kind of odd that a woman who has no children is stockpiling baby food and diapers, but I'm sure she didn't spend a penny (well, maybe one penny) on it.

My budget would LOVE for me to be an extreme couponer, but unfortunately I find even basic couponing overwhelming.  Do I really need this product?  Is this actually a better deal than what I normally buy?  Is this coupon worth the ink and paper I'll have to use to print it?

How about you, are you a couponer?  Do you go to the extreme or just clip/print something if it catches your eye?

Lasting Testimonies

In the last two years I lost the only three grandparents I ever knew.  With the anniversary of their passings coming up, I've been thinking about them a lot and am so thankful for their lasting testimonies.

My Papa Edwards was a tough man on the outside.  He fought a losing battle with his weight and because of this he couldn't quite find the happiness he had had in his youth.  Nevertheless, every time I was over at his house he'd have his Bible on the end table by his chair.  He read that thing cover to cover and back again.  What discipline, and oh how I wish I had it as well!

My Memaw Edwards was the sweetest lady you could ever meet.  She always had something nice to say about everyone, and her gift was words of encouragement.  She loved to send cards in envelopes that she had decorated with stickers.  These weren't just your obligatory birthday cards, instead she sent cards to let you know she was thinking of you and praying for you.  Whenever I was having a rough time, I knew without a doubt that my grandmother was praying for me, whether or not I asked for it.

My Papa Waddill was a funny old man.  He loved to laugh and make people laugh, and he loved his "lady friends."  His death was unexpected, but we do know that in those last minutes, before his health took a sudden turn for the worst, he was kneeling down on his 86 year old knees to say his nighttime prayer.  How reassuring is it to know that he went from talking to God to seeing His face shortly thereafter!

I miss my grandparents greatly.  My heart aches that Maddie never had the chance to meet them here on Earth, but I know that one day many years from now I'll have the chance to introduce them to their beautiful, redheaded great-granddaughter.  I can find comfort in that.