tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91019225891556225452024-02-21T00:54:00.128-08:00The Nielsen NestEmily Nielsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209990877244751122noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9101922589155622545.post-11326974732517952202011-05-10T11:59:00.000-07:002011-05-10T12:21:38.562-07:00New<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW9g1zrqjGGMV4jA5UIf_PmVbo7zXWxX0uMgaXbT4GNF8TP_kn8an-DKzXD1togo413wBHjvqtLiS-R30HRGrsu6uX7P1LsBUBJ46rjEud8UpIJYAGR_4d-idRotpZSQg3q-g63qJksZ4/s1600/018.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW9g1zrqjGGMV4jA5UIf_PmVbo7zXWxX0uMgaXbT4GNF8TP_kn8an-DKzXD1togo413wBHjvqtLiS-R30HRGrsu6uX7P1LsBUBJ46rjEud8UpIJYAGR_4d-idRotpZSQg3q-g63qJksZ4/s400/018.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605165618504793186" border="0" /></a><br />As many of us who get really into blogging for a while do, I have been a little slack for the past week or so about posting! Sometimes life gets so mundane that I don't feel like I have anything to write about, but I just like reading blogs to see what is going on with people I don't get to see very often, so I will write on! Today has been a great day; Ben's friend Matti Grey came over to play in his new swimming pool...let's see, I had ladies' <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">devo</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOVysBglkH7KGa-Z5V3u6ggmNWbG5hlDat2DPMrfSXfxZWDI-GNb6IdB6new1j6WaNS02thq9PEgy8mo7OIXCWDCaLXHEJA5YpCrJ5rZqdj2L36hBSIEr4Y5MJoH5A_NrQLCklezbbl0A/s1600/013.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 339px; height: 227px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOVysBglkH7KGa-Z5V3u6ggmNWbG5hlDat2DPMrfSXfxZWDI-GNb6IdB6new1j6WaNS02thq9PEgy8mo7OIXCWDCaLXHEJA5YpCrJ5rZqdj2L36hBSIEr4Y5MJoH5A_NrQLCklezbbl0A/s400/013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605165874487312914" border="0" /></a><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">tional</span> at my house last night, so Ben and Brad went out alone for 2 hours and came back with a Little Tykes T-ball set, a new (and might I add HUGE) pool, and an electric pump. I guess that's the risk I take when I send them out on their own. Many of you can recall the enormous bear that still takes up half of my den on a daily basis. Anyway! Ben loves it, and I love to see this smiling face, so that is all that matters!<br />Ladies' devotional was amazing last night! I had eleven girls over, made WAY too much food, and had a great conversation based on ways that we, as Christians, can identify with Springtime! (I'm sure you can think of oodles of correlations as well!) I do love how everything is so new in Spring! The trees, once dead-looking, suddenly are covered in new leaves. Vegetables, which start as tiny seeds, flourish into healthy and beautiful foods for us to eat. There were several applicable verses, but one of my favorites is, "Taste and see that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">th</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj95bXjjs1dUVEs507ELzGU2_AEcTe0InvvfZAo4AZSfU-tkU0PJnfAmNOBzhyphenhyphenrCuFyfgsY1HomMDRkLMlrjuTByiw5LPWyx_oTHD1yG9ZlYLHd6C9ZY3xXp64G8drn8dTD0HNxwiDoSQQ/s1600/022.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 274px; height: 183px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj95bXjjs1dUVEs507ELzGU2_AEcTe0InvvfZAo4AZSfU-tkU0PJnfAmNOBzhyphenhyphenrCuFyfgsY1HomMDRkLMlrjuTByiw5LPWyx_oTHD1yG9ZlYLHd6C9ZY3xXp64G8drn8dTD0HNxwiDoSQQ/s400/022.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605167754287197698" border="0" /></a>e LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him." Psalm 34:8<br />Speaking of new beginnings and growth, I was able to get a few of my pots planted this weekend. This is only my second year having a container "garden," and I have never really had a green thumb, but I am learning! I am most excited about my edible plants like this basil and rosemary (to the left) and <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMtBVhyB67PoEQajDDpovtkL7Et72N_5M0xdvclgcH6e6m2J1aHlnmUknVNQc6nrQwmMGSfCmM_fkzjxc2JWgTV_FNOILEg2uwzowkmuT9tZLu2lIQhSt0-W27HdTp_OpI0jNtp4nzkB8/s1600/021.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 285px; height: 191px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMtBVhyB67PoEQajDDpovtkL7Et72N_5M0xdvclgcH6e6m2J1aHlnmUknVNQc6nrQwmMGSfCmM_fkzjxc2JWgTV_FNOILEg2uwzowkmuT9tZLu2lIQhSt0-W27HdTp_OpI0jNtp4nzkB8/s400/021.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605168105604673922" border="0" /></a>my porch tomato below. My porch is absolutely blazing hot in the afternoon until the early evening, so I can only really plant full sun plants in my back yard. Herbs and veggies are perfect for the porch! I, with the help of my dad, also planted 2 tomato plants with cages in the back yard. This is our first experience with tomatoes, so if it goes well, we plan on planting more vegetables next year. I envy people who can go out in their yard and have their ingredients for lunch or dinner! We want to do that too! Finally, last year I planted a large palm tree in my largest planter, and we only planted annuals (don't come back every year) in our pots. I hate to spend so much money on annuals that won't be around for long. So, this year, instead of palms, I planted 4 arborvitae bushes in my 4 larges planters and surrounded them with annuals. That way, I spent less money on annuals plus, we will have 4 beautiful shrubs to plant in front of our shed out back at the end of the summer! I got the idea from a gardening magazine ,but I will be using it every year! Hope all is well with you! Happy week!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhrejDYCLv8Zozf51wMPW-wsCIoidHmIBBavd-xmguFYtvs0_miRUCMpqkFeHQXI6r5dS3B8QbJ4TnuztY5mpxD8ui15uoeaSZhbqs3zWPXhOLD0MMKnLjgd6-_-8_Jrz2YnBZLzqCep0/s1600/017.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhrejDYCLv8Zozf51wMPW-wsCIoidHmIBBavd-xmguFYtvs0_miRUCMpqkFeHQXI6r5dS3B8QbJ4TnuztY5mpxD8ui15uoeaSZhbqs3zWPXhOLD0MMKnLjgd6-_-8_Jrz2YnBZLzqCep0/s400/017.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605169614892295826" border="0" /></a>Emily Nielsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209990877244751122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9101922589155622545.post-54797125220612410812011-05-01T20:19:00.000-07:002011-05-01T20:57:46.278-07:00<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj806LhY9g_PD7k2ZzTTzG5u9T2w8WDxwoNj3BKj8scS3doeHwQk2f2q12-5ftHY-cArX_TOkCXQWDqYbNB-iytFmrEaP7rH92H6zy8FKMT6T-3wlfItyr2tEYL4-FMD5R2Z3Tr9tFlHHo/s1600/001.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj806LhY9g_PD7k2ZzTTzG5u9T2w8WDxwoNj3BKj8scS3doeHwQk2f2q12-5ftHY-cArX_TOkCXQWDqYbNB-iytFmrEaP7rH92H6zy8FKMT6T-3wlfItyr2tEYL4-FMD5R2Z3Tr9tFlHHo/s320/001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601953684473142482" border="0" /></a>My lazy Sunday afternoon boys:)<br /><div style="text-align: left;">Hi, everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend; we definitely did. We mostly did yard work on Saturday; thanks to my parents for their help, and we rested today! This was my favorite kind of weekend! I got really busy last week, so I didn't get to post much, but this week is looking a little clearer...we'll see!<br />I wanted to share a couple of things/recipes with you in case you are interested. I have always been a shopper who thought it was silly to buy a whole chicken uncooked when you can buy a rotisserie chicken already cooked and delicious for $4.99<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ish</span>. But after this week, I am now convinced that, although rotisseries are great for quick, last-minute meals, a small roaster chicken is such a great value due to its ability to create multiple meals that my family loves! As I said last week, I was able to buy a 4 pound all natural roaster on sale for @2.75. I must admit I was a little terrified because I had never cooked a whole chicken before, and that just seems like something a mother or grandmother is supposed to be able to do...(wait, I am a mother now:). After quizzing a few people about their cooking methods, I decided on the trusty crock pot because why slave over a stove when you can throw it in and forget it! Here is the "recipe" I used, and the chicken fell of the bone and tasted awesome!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Roasted Crock Pot Chicken</span></div>1.)I cleaned, washed, removed parts from the chicken and patted it dry.<br />2.)In a small bowl, I mixed 4t salt<br />1t cayenne pepper<br />1/2 t garlic powder<br />2tsp paprika<br />1t onion powder<br />1/2 t black pepper + anything else you want to throw in.<br />3.) After rubbing the chicken (over and under the skin) with olive oil, I rubbed on the spices.<br />4.) I made 3-4 balls of wadded aluminum foil to place in the bottom of the crock pot.<br />5.) I placed the chicken on top of the aluminum foil and turned the pot on low for about 61/2-7hrs...YUM. (served with a pasta/veggie side,green peas, and crescent rolls). Then...<br />6.) I put skin and bones back into crock pot and added 4-5 cups of water to liquid remaining.<br />7.) Turn crock pot on low and let it go overnight. Strain liquid to remove skin/bones and you are left with amazing homemade chicken stock. Let it sit in the fridge for a night, skim the fat off of the top, and make recipe #2 with part of the remaining chicken.<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Creamy-Chicken-Rice-Soup-2/Print"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Creamy Chicken Rice Soup</span></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I know it is a little warm outside for soup, but this is amazing! Ben gobbled it up and called for more "hoop." I served mine with cornbread, and the next day, we ate a small cup of it with a half of a chicken salad sandwich (of course made with the last of the chicken from the crock pot!)<br />I chopped my chicken and added chopped celery, chopped and peeled apple, chopped walnuts, a little mayo, and salt and pepper. So good.<br />For most of you reading this, the fact that a chicken goes a long way is common knowledge, but I guess I didn't realize just how far! I have a small family now, but you can at least probably get two meals out of it with a family of 4. Also, you can obviously use your chicken in your favorite casserole, etc. too. I am definitely going to keep my eyes peeled for great prices on chi<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRr4QzRakyzWdhTxcDFAO8lOaZZ6rtlQHbKC9b72KmljyfFMYN7zpzZ3vCBT1ekFm7HMuAYOqHLHKoGII3yUBiUMbFMIASmYASusfercLiPAjW5iLD0GlOcOXOooYJGiThxU9reNkgNw/s1600/002.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRr4QzRakyzWdhTxcDFAO8lOaZZ6rtlQHbKC9b72KmljyfFMYN7zpzZ3vCBT1ekFm7HMuAYOqHLHKoGII3yUBiUMbFMIASmYASusfercLiPAjW5iLD0GlOcOXOooYJGiThxU9reNkgNw/s320/002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601959592887381458" border="0" /></a><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">cken</span> from now on; what a value!<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Ok</span>, one last picture for the day. Kroger is again having a "mega" event, so this is a great time to stock up on grocery, cleaning, or personal items. This is a picture of what I bought today; I am going to do my regular shopping and a little more mega shopping tomorrow, but it is easier to go on Sunday afternoon while my two boys are napping! This is $57.10 worth of groceries that I bought for $14.38 today (20 items so that's .72 each). If anyone reading this is not a coupon person but wants to be, (and I'm not talking crazy stock-pile women) I would love to help; just ask! Or check out this article on <a href="http://www.southernsavers.com/learn/">"Learn to Coupon"</a> from southernsavers.com, which I have put on here before. Happy shopping!<br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /></div></div>Emily Nielsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209990877244751122noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9101922589155622545.post-36581510499401816132011-04-25T13:08:00.000-07:002011-04-25T13:34:49.005-07:00Back to Life...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiechUzdoBtqUKHHzAZmW97bwdDj87jua800yrKf6F4YQu9xa8oBh-h5NyYPCxBKRCRisrrOT_lPLiVfWwvxpCb8YsC9KBPegr4usLtCCujmn4sVtzhNYMQXTjp0CxYJuXqugsYkG530b0/s1600/020.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiechUzdoBtqUKHHzAZmW97bwdDj87jua800yrKf6F4YQu9xa8oBh-h5NyYPCxBKRCRisrrOT_lPLiVfWwvxpCb8YsC9KBPegr4usLtCCujmn4sVtzhNYMQXTjp0CxYJuXqugsYkG530b0/s320/020.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599615921752452930" border="0" /></a><br />This is at what my eyes have been looking the last week...ahhhhhh. But now, it's back to real life and being a real mom. Our cruise was even better than I could have imagined. Cruising is one of those things that people either love or hate; everyone has an opinion on it. After this past week, I can say that I am definitely a cruise fan. Granted we had beautiful weather all week, and the entire ship was filled with friends from State Farm, but the fact that cruises force you to leave cell phones, computers, and work at home is one of the main reasons we will be back again. We were aboard the Holland America ship<a href="http://www.hollandamerica.com/cruise-vacation-onboard/Noordam"> The Noordam</a>, and I loved everything about it; the people, the rooms, the food, the employees were all top notch. Thanks to our awesome parents, who kept Ben all week, I feel totally rested and am ready to get back into our normal routine at home.<br />Today, we grocery shopped, got printer ink, (yuck) and bought my large fern for the front porch urn. For you Lawrenceburg folks, the Weakley Creek Nursery has the best ferns in my opinion, but you have to get them before they are gone. Other than that, Ben and I are<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVY1fhvywMlOTKrhWn0arILTwysMvkCzXMgIWlerbIas-lcQ3YF_Sd_HMWr_boInhx4egIjefgWphoOaByxuB4SW7Cypy92Y5m6UE6C2_4ci9n4nY20HRHywMTDkB2INdEMd8jo4_EAEI/s1600/ell_unstuffed_pepper_bake.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 190px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVY1fhvywMlOTKrhWn0arILTwysMvkCzXMgIWlerbIas-lcQ3YF_Sd_HMWr_boInhx4egIjefgWphoOaByxuB4SW7Cypy92Y5m6UE6C2_4ci9n4nY20HRHywMTDkB2INdEMd8jo4_EAEI/s320/ell_unstuffed_pepper_bake.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599618580705122050" border="0" /></a> pretty much just enjoying each others company after a week of absence. I just wanted to share our meal plan for this week; I am looking forward to getting outside and grilling more as the weather warms up!<br />Monday: Tonight, I am going to be making an <a href="http://www.kroger.com/great_meals/recipes/Pages/eat_laugh_love.aspx">Unstuffed Pepper Bake</a>. Brad and I both grew up eating stuffed peppers, but Brad doesn't love when the pepper doesn't get completely soft, so this is the perfect solution, and it should ensure that the bell peppers get cooked all the way through.<br />Tuesday: Tuesday night Brad has his first church softball game (defending champs!), so I am going to make a <a href="http://thehappyhousewife.com/cooking/whole-chicken-in-a-crock-pot/">Slow Cooker Whole Chicken</a>. I am not following the recipe shown here, but I liked how this blogger showed how you can use the broth for additional meals. I have never cooked a whole chicken, but I bought one on sale a couple of weeks ago, so I am going to give it a try (thanks Sammi Hughes for sharing your recipe with me). I'll let you know how it turns out!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTUlJoKYkgbg7QRVB2RJZt1x4CB9kL3Er8n7DfUZ88WrEmZ04TKOj3gCy3iNYFNbCjZikXaODqWlMc-k-yqcbBj9C0Jn2vloT-VKUj7ACqJ1up14Ocd761YZyN1IcdDiiT-VQJiJX6BXk/s1600/grilled-chicken-tacos-l.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 212px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTUlJoKYkgbg7QRVB2RJZt1x4CB9kL3Er8n7DfUZ88WrEmZ04TKOj3gCy3iNYFNbCjZikXaODqWlMc-k-yqcbBj9C0Jn2vloT-VKUj7ACqJ1up14Ocd761YZyN1IcdDiiT-VQJiJX6BXk/s320/grilled-chicken-tacos-l.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599620121353459106" border="0" /></a><br />Wednesday: Leftovers night:)<br />Thursday: Thursday night, I am hoping the weather cooperates, so we can grill outside instead of using the Griddler, but we will do what we have to do. I found this recipe for <a href="http://www.southernliving.com/food/whats-for-supper/quick-and-easy-taco-recipes-00417000071907/page10.html">Grilled Chicken Tacos </a>in, where else, but my Southern Living. I love warm, fresh tacos, so I think this will be awesome with the salsa and black beans on the side.<br />Friday: I never plan to cook on Friday nights, but we always have enough food in the house in case we decide to stay in. I hope everyone had an awesome Easter with your families. Ben was very excited about his Easter basket this year, which made the day even better. He loves it so much that you may see us hunting eggs outside throughout the summer; whatever makes them happy and keeps them busy:) <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFYQDjqrNyzvawDE5s-IYoYRnWlPQz4IesXoP2zO8yjxBEWHUXht41BaY6fw2lTniOo35ZMYbiVN9adxOWbdw4zOBksKMe56MhdmjFdSIOc-hF7k2m-BP6GiXXIy_65bqvoIwqfzavdIA/s1600/013.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 269px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFYQDjqrNyzvawDE5s-IYoYRnWlPQz4IesXoP2zO8yjxBEWHUXht41BaY6fw2lTniOo35ZMYbiVN9adxOWbdw4zOBksKMe56MhdmjFdSIOc-hF7k2m-BP6GiXXIy_65bqvoIwqfzavdIA/s320/013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599621329613242002" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Happy Belated Easter!<br /></div>Emily Nielsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209990877244751122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9101922589155622545.post-34505656843042562762011-04-11T13:33:00.000-07:002011-04-11T14:24:00.101-07:00The Organization Bug<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqFjbJqiwX3QLkmWyM7DQvxtbt3HzVU9qjVi5gZGiCsCULKFmaO-uVhGaPohdgtRUrjSfaIbGUHwaJoB8vyuYXyWmxKirC5t9Lt4nWkqIVtPuhtD2iwL1e2VOCiL0yLiwzxwtV5HiSWwc/s1600/002.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 215px; height: 323px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqFjbJqiwX3QLkmWyM7DQvxtbt3HzVU9qjVi5gZGiCsCULKFmaO-uVhGaPohdgtRUrjSfaIbGUHwaJoB8vyuYXyWmxKirC5t9Lt4nWkqIVtPuhtD2iwL1e2VOCiL0yLiwzxwtV5HiSWwc/s400/002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594433232516143874" border="0" /></a><br />Today started off like any other day. I woke up, opened the blinds, started the coffee, potted two <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">arborvitae</span> bushes, (what? like that's not a normal morning activity?) made Ben's breakfast, started a load of towels, but as I walked to the back of the house to collect the rest of the laundry, my eyes beheld the mess that is (<span style="font-size:78%;">Brad's</span>) the back bedroom. Then it bit me...the organization bug. You know that feeling that comes over you once in a blue moon that makes you want to show every piece of junk in your house who is boss and put it in its place; yeah, that feeling. I figured my best tactic would be to wait patiently until Ben went down for his morning nap; ( I can't believe he still takes one; lucky me!) I played and worked puzzles with him, so the junk wouldn't suspect that I was onto it. After about an hour, Ben finally got that sleepy look in his eyes; it was go time...I attacked the back bedroom closet with an indescribable fury! Stack, fold, hang, toss, repeat; I was an organizational hurricane leaving nothing but clean and straight in my path. The closet, while proving itself to be a formidable foe, was no match for the organization bug.<div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Once the first battle was over, I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">realiz</span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">ed I simply couldn't stop there; there were other areas of the house losing ground to clutter, and I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">couldn</span>'</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">t just sit back and watch, so I continued in my quest for</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> cleanliness. Here are just a few o</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">f my conquests</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">:<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The Fridge: Do</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">minated</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivVntfquWa3dCC-RAecAyJp9xYqaykqYbjCGfZNmD0wUZciA-7sZ8Ql_k7025q0Xa8JWaBdshPbPXzBOEVYi5MGmu56qsvvqgLjq7q8fF0O_6QngsA_yed8wRn0zY-S-tFZo0wNNjKEvA/s1600/001.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivVntfquWa3dCC-RAecAyJp9xYqaykqYbjCGfZNmD0wUZciA-7sZ8Ql_k7025q0Xa8JWaBdshPbPXzBOEVYi5MGmu56qsvvqgLjq7q8fF0O_6QngsA_yed8wRn0zY-S-tFZo0wNNjKEvA/s320/001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594435404748294194" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">The Spice Cabinet: Owned</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSMcBlEcF5PppwN-EBL1UTvODoJifos0d5Dj5SS82ZgClMGL0kvG3Syd3ZrHBelsj331cGknFbpAnLieewhI2C3riVxr1nNLfvIHrA4jIJL6hHDT4ZPFPLJ4m6PFixqBFBZs2iwf1Clg/s1600/003.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSMcBlEcF5PppwN-EBL1UTvODoJifos0d5Dj5SS82ZgClMGL0kvG3Syd3ZrHBelsj331cGknFbpAnLieewhI2C3riVxr1nNLfvIHrA4jIJL6hHDT4ZPFPLJ4m6PFixqBFBZs2iwf1Clg/s320/003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594435761997102882" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: normal;">Had to stop for nourishment; made this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">bbq</span> chicken pizza: dominated it too.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsg4MmgjJOCOyW_PEzBBzFbnejEuy37RqhsYUMKhW9uTLQm43c_YBzI-BhlWhTiaQd9_mITwdyrz5WTOnXqM_MeFVRvsGJzVme6Eh1zZWZopSIAiVI9F0NlA1rLVnaOmX3P4ENuZ7ANw/s1600/006.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsg4MmgjJOCOyW_PEzBBzFbnejEuy37RqhsYUMKhW9uTLQm43c_YBzI-BhlWhTiaQd9_mITwdyrz5WTOnXqM_MeFVRvsGJzVme6Eh1zZWZopSIAiVI9F0NlA1rLVnaOmX3P4ENuZ7ANw/s320/006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594436149833192050" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><br />The Pantry: Is that all you've got, house?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJg5svq4Zf_jqLHzDwJBZ5vFYhV4qe48GsdiqLlaEbHOIgyVvTZL34S6R41mOJCmGKKua16lQbs90WQwYt6zCKUihpJeT1Kdz-zXabY6TkBS6nOmAkfX5Y6M99J6VqRfe_oWPdo03-wW8/s1600/005.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJg5svq4Zf_jqLHzDwJBZ5vFYhV4qe48GsdiqLlaEbHOIgyVvTZL34S6R41mOJCmGKKua16lQbs90WQwYt6zCKUihpJeT1Kdz-zXabY6TkBS6nOmAkfX5Y6M99J6VqRfe_oWPdo03-wW8/s320/005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594436565380837362" border="0" /></a><br />Clutter: 0, Me: 1. Hopefully the next time you get bit this Spring or Summer, it is by the organization bug. :)<br /></span></div></div>Emily Nielsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209990877244751122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9101922589155622545.post-12559790168792862572011-04-10T19:16:00.000-07:002011-04-10T20:35:56.520-07:00Off to an Early Start<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiieSZ1KwlQ28BynsqqyhPtCLEs8m7HjXISZuxDLJYqmSV3jJfw-jfpks_ayDTA-3a-kPNPn2vWJuvagIWfh3LzxRCJG4qhM-WULGCmMFzCeSX8XqCMBdY0RXc-da5p83WdhXmq1pqOONE/s1600/001.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiieSZ1KwlQ28BynsqqyhPtCLEs8m7HjXISZuxDLJYqmSV3jJfw-jfpks_ayDTA-3a-kPNPn2vWJuvagIWfh3LzxRCJG4qhM-WULGCmMFzCeSX8XqCMBdY0RXc-da5p83WdhXmq1pqOONE/s400/001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594155539820003986" border="0" /></a><br />Happy Sunday everyone! Somebody is excited it's Spring! Ben looks pretty pumped about this precious House of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Hatten</span> outfit that I got for him at the <a href="http://www.littlesproutssale.com/datestimes.htm">Little Sprouts</a> sale this past February. For those of you who love to dress your babies like babies (at least on Sundays) like me, this sale is for you! If you have not heard of it, the Little Sprouts sale is held twice a year in Franklin (location changes), and it prides itself on being a "boutique only" sale. I love to volunteer at this sale, and I am usually one of the people checking in clothing items; we make sure that there are no holes, stains, missing buttons, or just general <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">icki</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">ness</span>. Clothes must be certain brands as well, which ensures nice clothing items at a very fair price. I highly recommend your checking this out for the fall! I was able to purchase all of Ben's nicer wardrobe (Sunday clothes, Easter, etc.) at the Spring sale.<br />On another note, this weekend was a great one; we were able to spend time with my parents Friday night as they were kind enough to come and entertain Ben while "we" packed for our trip. By "we," I mean I packed MY stuff for the cruise and Brad stayed up until some wee hour of the morning playing Tiger Woods golf on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Wii</span> with my dad. Oh well, he'll be stressing, and I'll be ready to go!:) Speaking of my dad, he is awesome, and he let me use his phone upgrade (since I used mine already on a terrible phone) to get an <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">iphone</span>; I suddenly feel so modern! I don't really use the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">internet</span> much, or at least I haven't yet, but it is cool to be able to check email, etc. wherever I am...can't wait to try out "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">facetime</span>" calls; let me know if you have an <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">iphone</span> too!<br />After the great <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">iphone</span> purchase of '11, we headed up to Pump it Up at Cool Springs for a birthday party. I have literally never seen a child have so much fun as Ben has there. He is so independent and loves to climb, slide, run, fall on his face, and he never once fusses! That's my big boy! After that, Brad and I headed up to Cool Springs for a little shopping (aka, walking around and really buying nothing). It was fun, however, and Ben was the best boy in the world as always; as sleepy as he must have been with no afternoon nap, he rode in the mall stroller (bless his heart; we forgot his) for 2-3 hours and never complained...we are truly blessed!<br />Today, we had a great worship time at church, we watched a little golf, Brad got busy outside, so I went ahead and did my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">couponing</span>/shopping for the week! If you have a Kroger nearby and like to coupon, you should go this week. I only got things we really use, and since we are going out of town, I didn't have to buy produce, etc. Pictured right are the food items I got on my trip today and below that are the baby/c<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidEvsmUBtKHrhhtDY1FUqxTMQGNBISDJvU3Pde5lJ_OgxOvvyT2Vu40NhgkwaOzFkG1HRW94CLmUp6smuQLEjokrmimSt16Huyu5a_GK3bRawRbLeZONFYbK82gm4ja6qBSZaOl-dpRc4/s1600/003.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidEvsmUBtKHrhhtDY1FUqxTMQGNBISDJvU3Pde5lJ_OgxOvvyT2Vu40NhgkwaOzFkG1HRW94CLmUp6smuQLEjokrmimSt16Huyu5a_GK3bRawRbLeZONFYbK82gm4ja6qBSZaOl-dpRc4/s320/003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594149306538021394" border="0" /></a>leaning items I got. As you can see, the food items are all great brands, and I got some really yummy stuff (Blue Bell ice cream, sister <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">shubert</span> rolls, nestle toll house cookies, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">streamfresh</span> veggies, etc). Also, as you can see, I stocked up on diapers, which I am still pretty excited about! I had several <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Huggies</span> coupons that were about to expire during our trip because they haven't been on sale lately; I figured I would make sure they didn't go on sale this week before giving them away...They did!!! Go figure! I used all 5 of my coupons combined with the store sale t<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPpVb2pW_v6qnfSS9kFBiaNxDkzk0Wnyf4itSXTJLvboRvhr20Zdndw2CaNzOdwr_TSy1tMZGe51cGJPGF1hJTGo0LxiQ19EY69eTfuauOlI2zBuS-D1z4Dlz89vr_fMp3HmQmYea6rv0/s1600/005.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPpVb2pW_v6qnfSS9kFBiaNxDkzk0Wnyf4itSXTJLvboRvhr20Zdndw2CaNzOdwr_TSy1tMZGe51cGJPGF1hJTGo0LxiQ19EY69eTfuauOlI2zBuS-D1z4Dlz89vr_fMp3HmQmYea6rv0/s320/005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594149067766619698" border="0" /></a>o get $55.66 (before tax) worth of diapers/wipes for $41.95 (saved $13.71). I am starting to buy a pack of Pull-Ups here and there since that time is getting close! Kroger also has a General Mills cereal promotion going on where you instantly get a $5 Kroger gift card when you buy 4 participating cereal/bar items (on sale for $2.79), so I checked out with those <span style="font-style: italic;">first</span>, used coupons, spent $8.42, got a $5 gift card (which I then used on the rest of my groceries), so each of the 4 cereal items came out to about .85 a piece (regularly about $4 a piece). So...if I add up the large chunk of money that was spent on diapers (Spent $91.47 total; about $60 (if they were regular priced) diapers; that means everything else averages about .95 a piece). A good week since I would have to buy the diapers regardless of price. This past week, I read <a href="http://www.southernsavers.com/learn/">"Learn to Coupon"</a> on the <a href="http://www.southernsavers.com/">Southern Savers</a> website. This was so helpful (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">ie</span>, I will no longer simply cut out all my coupons on Sunday; I will leave them in their inserts and file them in order. That way, there is no huge mass of coupons to sort/look through). This website gives me all of the sale/promotion items and the location or link to the coupon; you can't beat that! I am learning so much, and really only use this website; my feelings are "the simpler, the better." If I can do this every week, so can you. Give this info a read, and start saving a little more each week; it's quite fun. Happy and blessed week to all!Emily Nielsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209990877244751122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9101922589155622545.post-12393773443258725372011-04-08T07:39:00.000-07:002011-04-08T08:06:14.143-07:00Park with Friends<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg89KKcWLX3lXa_mUwO7QXqTwJ_RScE8xNmJ8jAXvw_sUaHylsXhIR_T679OUDemYi6ppYhVcfIL1wZS7OdJaLoeteXHV5ITdKXsfmJMEX7kLTSFS1iuc0h_XNQvih_-sTzoPMIwwLVJjg/s1600/009.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg89KKcWLX3lXa_mUwO7QXqTwJ_RScE8xNmJ8jAXvw_sUaHylsXhIR_T679OUDemYi6ppYhVcfIL1wZS7OdJaLoeteXHV5ITdKXsfmJMEX7kLTSFS1iuc0h_XNQvih_-sTzoPMIwwLVJjg/s320/009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593222989021830162" border="0" /></a>Yesterday was the perfect day for a play date at the park with some great church friends! I must say that I was totally shocked and so proud of how Ben navigated all of the playground equipment! We have only been to the park a couple of times since he has been old enough to really play. He just took off in true boy fashion, and before I knew it, I looked over and he was half way up the climbing wall! Who is this kid, and where did he come from? Ben used to be very timid, so he has <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">reall</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBHAO93kddjkb74ySBOwUl7rWvN1Bz0RTS_36RE3VzKL5FUNoycDTENgpI0-BtTC2lZFoNsTr8K_cIZJ1F0bJycCv_R-LTGs6TIbEer2bCQMushxaqiMlyBh7s9u12AM0znDGxbajIXDg/s1600/008.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 216px; height: 144px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBHAO93kddjkb74ySBOwUl7rWvN1Bz0RTS_36RE3VzKL5FUNoycDTENgpI0-BtTC2lZFoNsTr8K_cIZJ1F0bJycCv_R-LTGs6TIbEer2bCQMushxaqiMlyBh7s9u12AM0znDGxbajIXDg/s320/008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593224297823737970" border="0" /></a>y come out of his shell, and I LOVE it! Soon after this picture, however, he proceeded to skid all<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIRytgdWW9LwRx7yu0QWOtHSa2NaHOtwZsj6rDCZbQuN6ZTARDOYUzCqbhH2YYyFPOHZuJGE5_rMzLPaaOS05ygbzqn-Oe4SX7eBtm6Kg43FBzV6zVr-kLq2ffGiBYlUtB3rQNYbGm8ws/s1600/008.JPG"><br /></a> the way down, but he dusted himself off and tried again! Go Ben! The kids played until they were all sweaty and exhausted, and we had a great time! The other mothers (who are obviously smarter than I) packed lunches for their kids, s<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6X8xiXrTRtX7M5_3cJlpxVTPdHzT5Po2ggxkSeJn_44bzc7e8ib6qY0ZudNg4TYE7SmXXs2FDWlmnSzGMW4JsUs-cN3K9-wAqqrr6fL0GCcpVNv55gjsgty13jChY3Dqrr_mcFP0hyIs/s1600/001.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 173px; height: 116px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6X8xiXrTRtX7M5_3cJlpxVTPdHzT5Po2ggxkSeJn_44bzc7e8ib6qY0ZudNg4TYE7SmXXs2FDWlmnSzGMW4JsUs-cN3K9-wAqqrr6fL0GCcpVNv55gjsgty13jChY3Dqrr_mcFP0hyIs/s200/001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593225577133633458" border="0" /></a>o my kid walked around and grazed off of everyone <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">else's</span> plate. Those of you who know Ben know that my boy likes to eat..and eat..and eat.<br />So, when we got home, I made one of his favorite lunches, peanut butter and jelly sushi...just a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">cutsie</span> name and a different way of making lunch fun. I saw this "recipe" in a magazine years ago before I had a child, and I always thought about making it for my kids.<br />Here are some pics and simple <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">instru</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTS_5C4l5OzW4IqRPAlSZmjEp_ztagEO368bcquy71hEBqPU3uDKGBVjL6Zm1MCtGmTyfRZfYJIONSD8SINY13voPbVs8mipctei-uftCjWngCtUpVaCR06dJzexWeRVaTSX69CSXkSO8/s1600/002.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 171px; height: 108px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTS_5C4l5OzW4IqRPAlSZmjEp_ztagEO368bcquy71hEBqPU3uDKGBVjL6Zm1MCtGmTyfRZfYJIONSD8SINY13voPbVs8mipctei-uftCjWngCtUpVaCR06dJzexWeRVaTSX69CSXkSO8/s200/002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593226025075363922" border="0" /></a><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">ctions</span>, and you could obviously change up the type of sandwich too.<br />Step 1: Cut the edges from 2 slices of wheat bread; roll the bread until completely flat using a drinking glass or a rolling pin.<br />Step 2:Add whatever yummy ingredients your child likes. These two are obviously peanut butter and homemade strawberry freezer jam and peanut butter and banana. I have also added a little honey before.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkveJI0_sgNsXn18BO_MTIorHuUaR3wHcXjO8QA0jJOTFsn6JBtmhVC4fY4egdzsQ4YHaRKqyK5Qcbzm5gMXd72j87ENqSday-0snHYZQRUb5Bajxajv8TluLN_55v-mgEVVGfKe8IXAg/s1600/003.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 167px; height: 110px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkveJI0_sgNsXn18BO_MTIorHuUaR3wHcXjO8QA0jJOTFsn6JBtmhVC4fY4egdzsQ4YHaRKqyK5Qcbzm5gMXd72j87ENqSday-0snHYZQRUb5Bajxajv8TluLN_55v-mgEVVGfKe8IXAg/s200/003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593226451647220242" border="0" /></a><br />Step 3: Roll them up tightly; if you overfill, the good stuff will ooze out.<br />Step 4: Cut into slices like slice and bake cookies. I do smaller bites, but when he gets older, about 4 slices from each sandwich will work.<br />Step 5: Watch them eat and enjoy!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXdvJAlp74zR1JC2Ui_9ofxhGR5xc0jFbYHj-n7meL7MkxtR2T8npMrD5Pw9iAhEkfhy7gOdxecFQlnCUuV0YXV5S5iTSr-7PHj_Iq7wdGTSFW21eNFyV4PTiMJYkylCV7RgoBR22_W4/s1600/005.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 189px; height: 126px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXdvJAlp74zR1JC2Ui_9ofxhGR5xc0jFbYHj-n7meL7MkxtR2T8npMrD5Pw9iAhEkfhy7gOdxecFQlnCUuV0YXV5S5iTSr-7PHj_Iq7wdGTSFW21eNFyV4PTiMJYkylCV7RgoBR22_W4/s200/005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593227371490847282" border="0" /></a><br />I am finally finished with all of the paint<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB1BNT2Thv34gpGXpP9D-EJXBDv4oX3QySVLnvtewNCiRD2GIRI0jDtdyl_g_iG7o7lanPylRhFObNsMXtaHZ_F2Ax02egfJ8OHtOSjZneA-Vsr_AVndD3jU3rfTj-rFun3M8qXMKySSg/s1600/004.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB1BNT2Thv34gpGXpP9D-EJXBDv4oX3QySVLnvtewNCiRD2GIRI0jDtdyl_g_iG7o7lanPylRhFObNsMXtaHZ_F2Ax02egfJ8OHtOSjZneA-Vsr_AVndD3jU3rfTj-rFun3M8qXMKySSg/s200/004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593228892524320578" border="0" /></a>ings due before our cruise, so now it is time to get the house cleaned from top to bottom and get all of my clothes (and Ben's clothes) ready to go. Packing is one of my least favorite things, but I am blessed to be able to go somewhere cool, so I think I can handle it! If you have time, let me know of some fun lunch ideas you use with your kids; I'm always looking for new things to make, so any advice is welcome! Happy Friday, friends!Emily Nielsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209990877244751122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9101922589155622545.post-45550043533766077272011-04-06T09:11:00.001-07:002011-04-06T09:51:53.960-07:00Sticky Fingers?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqIBjS80WN0tCjuHCYbb_6eLfZb6Y5LRhBrA4X_sw4StA0yXHzCi2Nbt4TcJvO6rfCvNloaSU6ZR-1rC9X2PQaZufCVZq2b1CYlVSD4SsbW0zFwEvLFPdsB2ljkhkqlyyZezQQR3i_XlU/s1600/004.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 310px; height: 206px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqIBjS80WN0tCjuHCYbb_6eLfZb6Y5LRhBrA4X_sw4StA0yXHzCi2Nbt4TcJvO6rfCvNloaSU6ZR-1rC9X2PQaZufCVZq2b1CYlVSD4SsbW0zFwEvLFPdsB2ljkhkqlyyZezQQR3i_XlU/s320/004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592504245060877730" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOvpvtpxGPmu5lGyiOt9GNW-tqXevXBdk2q_WWI-g_Jb0GPEdiyRbj40pRVj3oQnoDU5k_zBQyKQXi4EU_TmYFGeCqwYyBWpezVt3cQHDpfNLh3O15vI8lZsYonFlgcCEDySYT3RlSRmg/s1600/003.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 159px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOvpvtpxGPmu5lGyiOt9GNW-tqXevXBdk2q_WWI-g_Jb0GPEdiyRbj40pRVj3oQnoDU5k_zBQyKQXi4EU_TmYFGeCqwYyBWpezVt3cQHDpfNLh3O15vI8lZsYonFlgcCEDySYT3RlSRmg/s320/003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592505353657847698" border="0" /></a>Chocolate, Marshmallows, and Golden Grahams; what could possibly go wrong? Nothing! Yesterday, Ben and I prepared a little treat for (ourselves) our van ride to the Predators game with friends. I had a coupon a while ago for Golden Grahams; I can't say I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">hav</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguu-FS5jdSZZHRp_hPjtdpCbFoYA5GNBFuJq6UdlJX2tMlmOUxwF5uShNuKJNcOmjw_xyz2fvF7YL7aYJm9mKj6U7-lbng4Zc5d_osZxDwdZw-afyy3vG9w281KqQ86mFic1UQOIpAZUY/s1600/107022_178___Selected.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 190px; height: 138px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguu-FS5jdSZZHRp_hPjtdpCbFoYA5GNBFuJq6UdlJX2tMlmOUxwF5uShNuKJNcOmjw_xyz2fvF7YL7aYJm9mKj6U7-lbng4Zc5d_osZxDwdZw-afyy3vG9w281KqQ86mFic1UQOIpAZUY/s320/107022_178___Selected.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592505871619671442" border="0" /></a>e ever really eaten them, and I have two boxes, so I thought I'd look up a recipe for something sweet. Boy, did we find one. I can't keep my hands off of these things! Ben was a great help in the kitchen as we made these <a href="http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/smores-bars-recipe/1/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">S'mores</span> Bars</a> yesterday. As you can see, he is quite the little chef:) Pictured are all of the ingredients needed to make these awesome treats (I didn't have any choc. chips, so I chopped up the giant Hershey's kiss Brad gave me for Valentine's Day:). The only tough part is the stirring, but they are worth the effort! Ben's school bake sale, here I come! (O.k., maybe getting a little ahead of myself:)<br />I wanted to share a couple of other food items today. This one is a no-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">brainer</span>, but if you have a picky eater, you know it can be tough to get them to consider new foods. Ben is not so much a picky eater, but I always think it is tough to fit in all the needed fruits/veggies needed in a day. I definitely have a pizza lover! He will scarf (is that a word?) the stuff at any opportunity, so for an easy lunch idea, I ca<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioti-S1W9T7Didjr1J_ukJyytlHkyy-ldw6yIkIq5QOZYi3HRZBW6LQaiM8WvqdcVMQ1eBFD9AQLsxPxOc9MWsXq0KxD1pxOgPjp3m-edQ6xJlP28hrTdGf5NzJd1t7b1Bma1u7NwxHlU/s1600/002.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 211px; height: 141px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioti-S1W9T7Didjr1J_ukJyytlHkyy-ldw6yIkIq5QOZYi3HRZBW6LQaiM8WvqdcVMQ1eBFD9AQLsxPxOc9MWsXq0KxD1pxOgPjp3m-edQ6xJlP28hrTdGf5NzJd1t7b1Bma1u7NwxHlU/s320/002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592506837108358930" border="0" /></a>me up with "Sneaky Pizza." I start with a Natures Own bagel thin (I had a coupon one time, and they are great!) I take apart the halves and spread about a tablespoon of pizza sauce on each. Then, I layer fresh spinach leaves, grated carrots, and any other veggies I may have handy that won't alter the flavor too much. Then, I hide it all under a small layer of yummy cheese! Ben eats both of the mini pizzas and has no clue what is in them. You could obviously use those sandwich flats or English muffins; whatever you can come up with is fine.<br />This morning, I poached my chicken for the chicken and spinach lasagna (recipe on yesterday's blog) I am going to make Friday night. I wanted to make my FAVORITE soup to eat on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">th</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTh1gMUNSBiCqLS3suLsIwAhA5fr1ikoLY1rICg-rBaWOxmJEDeqCMO9yphsS4KoBw4QI5LOWmIMoGu-OwW_-6Mid3EYieM6QkDgpbbJXN620Jy1BJTV6fGv4Z-_0O1Cd-QSnjjY0OFtw/s1600/005.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 312px; height: 209px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTh1gMUNSBiCqLS3suLsIwAhA5fr1ikoLY1rICg-rBaWOxmJEDeqCMO9yphsS4KoBw4QI5LOWmIMoGu-OwW_-6Mid3EYieM6QkDgpbbJXN620Jy1BJTV6fGv4Z-_0O1Cd-QSnjjY0OFtw/s320/005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592508912147207442" border="0" /></a>e rest of the week. It calls for chicken broth, and instead of buying the (loaded with salt) canned/boxed version, I thought I would use the broth from poaching my chicken. All I do is strain the veggies/fat from the cooking broth and then season it a little more (add a little salt/pepper or whatever else you like). This <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/kathleen-daelemans/tortellini-tomato-spinach-soup-recipe/index.html">Spinach Tortellini Tomato soup</a> is perfect for any day, and it makes a large amount, so you can eat it for days. It is definitely a husband-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">pleaser</span> in my house as well (that is a difficult feat for a soup). <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Ok</span>, I better get busy because I know my boy is ready to get outside and play! May break out the new water table today; I'll post pics soon! Have a blessed day!Emily Nielsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209990877244751122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9101922589155622545.post-58100436594192447642011-04-05T05:19:00.000-07:002011-04-05T05:39:27.518-07:00Lights Out!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVAK903NrNKYljPLzO2zf__tNUzJNSP0u0WeKg-ZKwdhRU2p0XmQfSzxVbhJ3k_mUimnRC39vIRkRt8xJ3J02bRlozZENQISkbin9270EiLQubGasY5eP8VMWOnvUH-swLnWuFfSCA9QE/s1600/001.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 369px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVAK903NrNKYljPLzO2zf__tNUzJNSP0u0WeKg-ZKwdhRU2p0XmQfSzxVbhJ3k_mUimnRC39vIRkRt8xJ3J02bRlozZENQISkbin9270EiLQubGasY5eP8VMWOnvUH-swLnWuFfSCA9QE/s400/001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592073459725159522" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: georgia;">This is what my house looked like for much of yesterday afternoon...dark! Although I am very thankful no one I know was injured by the storms, they came through pretty hard, so I did a lot of painting and drawing with no lights! I must say, it was pretty nice to have limited tasks I could get accomplished with no electricity; Ben slept through the whole storm, so I just hung out in the dark by myself! </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="font-family: georgia;" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjISXGAaFSmd4PSdgz_ymtCnc0piEKyhxvLvj1LKNOdDd6f0qJq9VebTwEcqgpW6Ow4YPKZx5INWi3xtRh_61ImdeFxNtW2GYesYLMOWW5wAZl9rAmo7iGM-TtaYSl29x14afqbnwS0H-w/s1600/004.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 313px; height: 211px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjISXGAaFSmd4PSdgz_ymtCnc0piEKyhxvLvj1LKNOdDd6f0qJq9VebTwEcqgpW6Ow4YPKZx5INWi3xtRh_61ImdeFxNtW2GYesYLMOWW5wAZl9rAmo7iGM-TtaYSl29x14afqbnwS0H-w/s320/004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592074491761085682" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Finally, the lights came back on just in time for me to cook dinner; I have been wanting grilled food so bad, and I had already put the meat out to thaw, so I decided to go ahead and grill..indoors! Thanks to our little Cuisinart </span><span style="font-family: georgia;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Griddler</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">, (LOVE this thing!) I was able to surprise Brad with yummy, summertime chicken </span><span style="font-family: georgia;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">shish</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> kabobs. I was thumbing through my new Southern Living Sunday while meal planning, and I just thought these sounded healthy and great, so I changed up the recipe just a bit, and they really hit the spot! The recipe is called </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.southernliving.com/food/whats-for-supper/easy-grilling-recipes-00417000067741/">Rosemary Chicken Kabobs</a><span style="font-family: georgia;">, but we don't really care for rosemary, so I switched it out for Mrs. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Dash's</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> lemon pepper seasoning, and I took the salt out of the recipe too since I used Mrs. Dash. Give them a try or change them up to how your family likes them; the red wine vinegar helped make a great marinade.</span><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Tonight, Lord willing, we are off the a Predators' game, tomorrow night is church (so we always eat afterward with friends), Thursday night, we are eating at the Boundary in Nashville for Brad's work (amazing), so Friday night is the next night I will hopefully cook again! This was an easy week for grocery shopping:) My parents are coming down Friday, so I thought I would make something big and extra yummy, so I am going to make one of Ben's favorites, </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000002012827">Chicken and Spinach Lasagna</a><span style="font-family: georgia;">. This, of course, is another Southern Living recipe. I use a lot of recipes from Cooking Light and other healthier places, but I have found that I hardly ever go wrong using a Southern Living recipe.</span><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Hope you make some great meals this week and spend a lot of quality time with the ones you love! God has given us an absolutely beautiful day outside, so I am truly thankful today.</span>Emily Nielsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209990877244751122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9101922589155622545.post-66429619301318164472011-04-03T20:10:00.001-07:002011-04-03T20:37:02.153-07:00Home again!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDJPYpNz2tLGutZMzwYM8KkAj471vf5Vfhy3GhvmYd6Vx-loY5HVmDLVD67hwbh3jDcudnU6gTSupShBbVbu7DhLJXz_frgOvr-M-Ozg7xWzHi9g6nt3yE4NF2hTy-gEY-MCvPz11YEk/s1600/015.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 321px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDJPYpNz2tLGutZMzwYM8KkAj471vf5Vfhy3GhvmYd6Vx-loY5HVmDLVD67hwbh3jDcudnU6gTSupShBbVbu7DhLJXz_frgOvr-M-Ozg7xWzHi9g6nt3yE4NF2hTy-gEY-MCvPz11YEk/s320/015.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591560962813552274" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKx9Xv54ip_8r58MKethDEs9KAq4kKFKxHejjmq7C2PgtJ8DA9OuZosC9as7JRNU0cdWXJDJWVVvMfG4HwVK8_3QJa_ztOE3g9-c1LRvlFSwru3QG834bKaX53JzZKotY5ouCi9OVy_To/s1600/017.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 284px; height: 188px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKx9Xv54ip_8r58MKethDEs9KAq4kKFKxHejjmq7C2PgtJ8DA9OuZosC9as7JRNU0cdWXJDJWVVvMfG4HwVK8_3QJa_ztOE3g9-c1LRvlFSwru3QG834bKaX53JzZKotY5ouCi9OVy_To/s320/017.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591560770272454370" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Yep. This is it! Mule Day 2011 at its finest! What a perfect day we were able to spend outside with friends and family! If you aren't from around Columbia and you weren't able to make it this year, you missed a great one, and you should definitely check it out next year! Mule Day is one of those great American festivals that sounds completely red-neck (and let's admit it, it kind of is), but it brings back so many happy memories of watching the animals and floats go by with my grandfather Pap to w<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsT-bBjzoBqE_iKdp18wvcvmNKTQo-Z9kw9xBl7cBtu_Pa7hJfe250aM2xPJzq0-yY6jHm9NE2CeL15brrr8IVpFSRitx6ldxKnWIpsyUO6bSyW9lhsGCRJV1lc-rcbDdUQ91Iy-n33Po/s1600/013.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsT-bBjzoBqE_iKdp18wvcvmNKTQo-Z9kw9xBl7cBtu_Pa7hJfe250aM2xPJzq0-yY6jHm9NE2CeL15brrr8IVpFSRitx6ldxKnWIpsyUO6bSyW9lhsGCRJV1lc-rcbDdUQ91Iy-n33Po/s200/013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591566919962858226" border="0" /></a>alking around trying to spot cute boys with my girlfriends:) Now, I think Ben will love it as much as I do, and he fit the part perfectly in his little cowboy boots! We arrived at the parade around 10, it doesn't start until 11, so Ben had a blast walking up and down the st<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHRpYJmWT4PjatMDe8LInD8JTN02GOoiVGrkU4p7tdu6crvJcPAPyZx60RQqCszwoMfWMp6vqzKkhi7wdBkL3VM_F5WqkfwnMXpg3ta7fnxcn5e66lSWgkdBZaKhAtHCXYOcxpBMj7DM/s1600/005.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHRpYJmWT4PjatMDe8LInD8JTN02GOoiVGrkU4p7tdu6crvJcPAPyZx60RQqCszwoMfWMp6vqzKkhi7wdBkL3VM_F5WqkfwnMXpg3ta7fnxcn5e66lSWgkdBZaKhAtHCXYOcxpBMj7DM/s200/005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591562215720606258" border="0" /></a>reet looking at all the people and flirting with pretty little girls (too cute!) In addition to all the fun, Uncle Brent was able to be her<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6CWXM-wU1UrClEjbJm1i2KqdrwIdJA35Dq8PUMDEK4bbJAhWpDIXFM-jsIKGKldm7wcBgu54ODio7Ds87-JtbDsxXamzZzyzmQ30hpRodPNO4RCcW27Dj8hZYnkIZL7stzDfhyphenhyphenrcfQEw/s1600/019.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6CWXM-wU1UrClEjbJm1i2KqdrwIdJA35Dq8PUMDEK4bbJAhWpDIXFM-jsIKGKldm7wcBgu54ODio7Ds87-JtbDsxXamzZzyzmQ30hpRodPNO4RCcW27Dj8hZYnkIZL7stzDfhyphenhyphenrcfQEw/s200/019.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591563479567269986" border="0" /></a>e for the weekend, so he and Ben spent some quality bonding time as shown. This is the two of them reading a Christmas book on the ipad. Ben has a slight obsession with fireplaces, (strange I know) so Brent had a hard time turning the page from the fireplace with the moving fire. We hated to say goodbye to Uncle Brent this morning as he headed back to D.C., but Mule Day weekend in Columbia was definitely a success!<br />Today, we attended church at Graymere church (which was great as always). I love seeing and talking with the adults I grew up admiring now that I am a mother. It is fun sharing Ben with them for a little while. Tonight, however, it was great to be back home in the burg. We headed to Pizza Hut for a little post-church pig out with our friends and their twins (boy and girl, melt my heart). This busy week, we are heading to a Preds game<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVTigDfOOMxgsmQS8iUfiLgf6kEkJ8Vx7VsiadMwEeL7pAAQwvfPtYFXbkh27Z1yL1M09XLulR1raB_uhju9fJ_u64nqvn93bSdLDLoLahMsXR-iietamFb8dkppu2M3ZyuPdjCW0acPY/s1600/034.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVTigDfOOMxgsmQS8iUfiLgf6kEkJ8Vx7VsiadMwEeL7pAAQwvfPtYFXbkh27Z1yL1M09XLulR1raB_uhju9fJ_u64nqvn93bSdLDLoLahMsXR-iietamFb8dkppu2M3ZyuPdjCW0acPY/s200/034.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591566307275727762" border="0" /></a> with friends, eating at Stoney River for Brad's work, (yum.) packing for our big cruise, and, meanwhile, I am trying to finish up some last-minute painting projects. I'll leave you with a great picture from home tonight. This is Brad quizzing Ben on his ABC's while Ben is "pooping" (he really just likes to sit and be read to) on the potty. Every time Ben said a letter, he got a high five. I love these two boys, and might I add how blessed I am to have such an amazing, godly husband and father. Life is good today.Emily Nielsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209990877244751122noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9101922589155622545.post-83900219039337547642011-03-31T20:14:00.001-07:002011-03-31T20:30:46.221-07:00One before the weekend.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ9xqE0sKbM8xdbfJkIN612iN_kvkQanylYnX3aqZ3X4nt8WgZvugZoDpDuiwa6p2uGFxYW9KzWuPpA-HnS91xKgXFVbIV0EHTzuERTgWmt7G6EwgeOJBbP7ileYLq-OJQy1FwzDlSY-I/s1600/003.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ9xqE0sKbM8xdbfJkIN612iN_kvkQanylYnX3aqZ3X4nt8WgZvugZoDpDuiwa6p2uGFxYW9KzWuPpA-HnS91xKgXFVbIV0EHTzuERTgWmt7G6EwgeOJBbP7ileYLq-OJQy1FwzDlSY-I/s320/003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590448649070810514" border="0" /></a>This is what Brad wishes our dining room table did not look like...but it usually does! Today was a very productive day; it could have been because Ben and I did not leave the house all day long! These cold, rainy days have actually been perfect days for playing inside and painting! Ben "helped" me paint for a little while. He now loves to climb up into our tall pub-style chairs, grab a paintbrush, dip it in water, and "paint" all over the newspaper. This is all fine un<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje3c56XQ8HOMbBUHY-U3C-H3EcbyNSMHACf6KYBa_YVi8O2GTPMGwAEtsM73nsonDdU7SwjHVpmKi2kH6wL9tufMR2kElE4xQcDHmloiqeCRtRphBJstQZHEnL2y7VjD-wwJgK4t3keAc/s1600/016.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje3c56XQ8HOMbBUHY-U3C-H3EcbyNSMHACf6KYBa_YVi8O2GTPMGwAEtsM73nsonDdU7SwjHVpmKi2kH6wL9tufMR2kElE4xQcDHmloiqeCRtRphBJstQZHEnL2y7VjD-wwJgK4t3keAc/s200/016.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590451272145286770" border="0" /></a>til he pours the entire cup of water all over the floor/table...fun stuff! He is definitely getting closer to 2 every single day:) He has gotten to where he now says "no, no" if he does something he knows he shouldn't do; it is a mixture of a whole lot of cute and a whole lot of trouble. I will miss my baby being a baby, but time marches on!<br />Ben's Gram, Papa, and Amma stopped in for a short visit today which was awesome because I was able to finish 6 paintings on which I was working! He worked his puzzles with them for a while and had a nice little surprise visit!<br />Tomorrow, we are headed to Columbia for the Mule Day festivities; Ben's uncle Brent will be coming to visit. Brent is a hunter and lives <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilbU79uCfjKTwlZNn87_WWuSch24-5lq8O90r0gSf4jlT9tWqPAwT76frZgLlhdZT1VlzK9Qqumtxn8IPYQVQZbtSoYVcE5ItnHxWRUTGUPwcoBZIkPQhI5jikQ9QuAzKPBJeSkN8N6gk/s1600/005.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilbU79uCfjKTwlZNn87_WWuSch24-5lq8O90r0gSf4jlT9tWqPAwT76frZgLlhdZT1VlzK9Qqumtxn8IPYQVQZbtSoYVcE5ItnHxWRUTGUPwcoBZIkPQhI5jikQ9QuAzKPBJeSkN8N6gk/s200/005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590450219342077682" border="0" /></a>in Washington, D.C.; he has some sort of horned animal skull hanging in his house that Ben just has to see every time we are on Skype. "Bull" is one of Ben's favorite words, and he calls all cows/horned creatures bulls. So, Ben now calls Brent uncle Bull. We'll see if it sticks (it's kind of cute). I'll be sure to post some pics from M.D. early next week!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr5v_tc-Be6hp8C_xGVb5E5uvNUDXD2Cbmax-3w97pEbQx4h2ArCOzo4SyG_mR5xzoWOIpFELjrdbjDZzKT4Tl-agldPBIfDquOybBQ0NYsW3BHpBXLkERg6Qr0QLKgINhjR0jucySTqk/s1600/008.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr5v_tc-Be6hp8C_xGVb5E5uvNUDXD2Cbmax-3w97pEbQx4h2ArCOzo4SyG_mR5xzoWOIpFELjrdbjDZzKT4Tl-agldPBIfDquOybBQ0NYsW3BHpBXLkERg6Qr0QLKgINhjR0jucySTqk/s320/008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590452023124861810" border="0" /></a><br />I'll leave you with a picture of a patterned monogram painting I did for my cousin; I think it turned out pretty! Also couponers, tomorrow from 3-8, go pick up your free bag of sun chips from your local store...if you feel like making a special trip for a bag of chips (I probably won't). Have a safe and blessed weekend!Emily Nielsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209990877244751122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9101922589155622545.post-85845106860649129962011-03-30T13:44:00.000-07:002011-03-30T14:20:26.945-07:00Mid-Week Shopping<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9-wWeUUjquJxxeJzxgcfoWAYZTZy7XeRmhxMUcAW-Xovhow2mJOaste54Fw_3dC7ILdpLrrstI5YTfzVRhf_r5hLVISqSAZYbaJWwpL7UmZEjM6byX7jXvhpdkL2hRoU79nhj3JsdLGA/s1600/003.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 287px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9-wWeUUjquJxxeJzxgcfoWAYZTZy7XeRmhxMUcAW-Xovhow2mJOaste54Fw_3dC7ILdpLrrstI5YTfzVRhf_r5hLVISqSAZYbaJWwpL7UmZEjM6byX7jXvhpdkL2hRoU79nhj3JsdLGA/s320/003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589976989880880562" border="0" /></a>This is one of those days when I know I really shouldn't be stopping to blog, but Ben just went down for a nap, so I thought I would sneak one in. The picture above is a bunny (obviously) that I painting earlier today; it is part of an Easter painting for a friend. It made me smile, so I figured I would include him for a little Springy touch! I hope everyone had a great weekend and beginning of the week. We have been in Columbia, so I haven't had my camera or computer to blog. Sunday, we had a 90th birthday party for my dear grandmother Edna! So many people turned out to wish her a happy day, and if you know my grandmother, you know why! She is such a people-loving person; I think she received over 100 cards! It was so great to see her so happy around all of the people who mean so much to her! I hope I can have half as many friends as her when I am that age. I will post a picture from the party when my mom sends me one.<br />Yesterday, on the other hand, I attended the funeral of a high school friend's father. This is one of the first parent deaths of people my age; I am constantly reminded we are getting older. My thoughts and prayers are with The McAdams family on the loss of a father, grandfather, and husband.<br />Now that we are back in Lawrenceburg (it is good to be home, by the way), I had to do my shopping today. This week was kind of fun because I really don't need any groceries since we are headed back to Columbia for Mule Day (yay) this weekend. I was able t<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim1WuL_75Cfc7iemR4Drg254Ps4rgFTiEPpq1cLIdL43QiEFPVyH_p31v7AGSESmOpCHoUZ5eIJPx1QPCU1Cif56SUlLoWohy3zZFmqBHi0kGE0EcGBzdwJEgIoHLXvWD0v_re_JVvwOI/s1600/001.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim1WuL_75Cfc7iemR4Drg254Ps4rgFTiEPpq1cLIdL43QiEFPVyH_p31v7AGSESmOpCHoUZ5eIJPx1QPCU1Cif56SUlLoWohy3zZFmqBHi0kGE0EcGBzdwJEgIoHLXvWD0v_re_JVvwOI/s320/001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589980592618938514" border="0" /></a>o score some really good savings at Walgreens this week, and I only did a little coupon/sale shopping at Kroger. I'll include my weekly pics as if anyone cares along with amount saved. I am trying to keep my receipts to show Brad just how much money I save him each month:) To the right is my Kroger haul for today. I used coupons on almost everything except the apples, bananas, the Oscar Mayer deli meat, and the whole chicken, and the Tyson frozen chicken breasts (the deli meat was 1/2 off this week, the whole chicken was $2.91 with a red clearance sticker, and the frozen breasts were $5.99 and are usually $8.99). I always buy my frozen chicken when it is $5.99, so I don't get caught without any and have to pay full price. Anyway, I spent $47.76 and saved $34.36 (44%).<br />At Walgreens, I had a $10 register reward from buying Brad's expensive Mach 3 razor blades last week, so I was able to use that towards the first half of my pu<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhLTQn-d2rQZdnG9A_-eLlgXm49VhZ6UBmRz_73qTsPtcbesJqa7h-efD3PktCesnVHKL_FFIPMnVNaYmr7j-o2xdMJh6py-a9heIEKEp42q7kp54qSYqRU8UibWnx3OJLSlXtjQYJuXU/s1600/002.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhLTQn-d2rQZdnG9A_-eLlgXm49VhZ6UBmRz_73qTsPtcbesJqa7h-efD3PktCesnVHKL_FFIPMnVNaYmr7j-o2xdMJh6py-a9heIEKEp42q7kp54qSYqRU8UibWnx3OJLSlXtjQYJuXU/s320/002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589984504385418370" border="0" /></a>rchase. I used coupons and the $10 rr to buy the items with register rewards attached first. I paid $30.72, saved $34.97, and earned $16 is register rewards. I shopped a little more, but Ben was getting exhausted, so I checked out with some of the other items I went to buy; I used $12 of my register rewards and paid $1.87. In all, I bought $92.08 in health and beauty products for $32.59, and I still have $4 is rr to use next time. There was a register reward special on travel size products, so I stocked up for our cruise!<br />I guess that's it! The only cooking blurb I have today is the fact that I did the old switcheroo last night with our pasta for spaghetti. At first, Brad called me out and thought he was going to hate it, but, as I suspected, we couldn't even tell the difference. I won't use it every time, but it certainly is a good way to get a little whole grain in Ben's diet since he shoves it in by the bowl-full! *One more thing, I wanted to make a correction in my crock-pot roast recipe. I accidentally wrote 8 hours on low in the crock-pot. I really only think it needs about 6 hours or so. Just make sure you check it with a meat thermometer to make sure it is done. Hope everyone has a great night; let me know if you try any of the recipes I have put on so far! I'd love to hear from you!Emily Nielsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209990877244751122noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9101922589155622545.post-89271250665980794452011-03-27T05:48:00.000-07:002011-03-27T06:07:52.138-07:00Better late...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4CVN_HWkw3YPy8ahOCmxSco3CcnBrSvwkJz7hkL_P1wWyiwJTI3E-XSJsXsvhyQjjGat78zl6m4ErI_dzGAc78lUTacDZIID5Y9GBSIiP_BhCJ2UKSJjCmbtD5Svd6hmDw_QQU57daps/s1600/001.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 199px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4CVN_HWkw3YPy8ahOCmxSco3CcnBrSvwkJz7hkL_P1wWyiwJTI3E-XSJsXsvhyQjjGat78zl6m4ErI_dzGAc78lUTacDZIID5Y9GBSIiP_BhCJ2UKSJjCmbtD5Svd6hmDw_QQU57daps/s400/001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588742353958176466" border="0" /></a><br /> Happy Sunday everyone! I am up early this morning with no baby to care for (he is at mom and dad's),so I thought I would fit in a little blog about our Friday and weekend! I previously wrote that Friday would be a day of painting, and <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3PtMCIKd_WLvZ1G9DENv-bwQBi7_hkxF1h-xR9CNqDCI0JWFcvY4c-w9G6iNAEw5nM3rkd9ypdZotjAwqDMqN7x7VNY2UKkcvVx9wXbY0QtSaMofLz9dR5oR8hY46VlsfC2h2-KvDkW4/s1600/002.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3PtMCIKd_WLvZ1G9DENv-bwQBi7_hkxF1h-xR9CNqDCI0JWFcvY4c-w9G6iNAEw5nM3rkd9ypdZotjAwqDMqN7x7VNY2UKkcvVx9wXbY0QtSaMofLz9dR5oR8hY46VlsfC2h2-KvDkW4/s400/002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588742656097173778" border="0" /></a>it was! Ben is SO unbelievably good while I paint that I can usually get quite a bit accomplished! He loves to "do laundry." If I leave a load accidentally (as we all do I'm sure) in the dryer, he will spend an hour moving the laundry from the dryer to the washer and back to the dryer; thank you, front-loading machines! He makes me laugh because I will hear him bump his little head on the dryer or washer door; he immediately comes to the laundry room door with his hand on his head saying "Oh." I ask him, "Did you hit your head?" He replies, "Uh-huh." I say, "Are you o.k.?" He says, "Uh-huh" and goes right back to playing. He just wants me to feel his pain I guess! Another great and random activity that keeps him busy for a while is playing with dried beans. He is a little too young to fully comprehend keeping them all in the container, but he does a fairly good job! Try it with yours if you dare!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"> Thursday, we had roast with carrots, potatoes, and onions with roasted broccoli for dinner. I make this about once a month like many mothers do. It is the easiest recipe because all you do it peel and chop and throw it all in the crock pot in the morning, and the house proceeds to smell amazing all day long! Brad said, for some reason, that this one was his favorite yet, and to "do whatever you did on this one next time." Husbands are brutally honest. Not that I am a great cook, but I did want to share that simple "recipe" and the recipe for the broccoli, I stole off of another girl's blog, so I am including that. It is my <a href="http://www.amateurgourmet.com/2008/11/the_best_brocco.html">FAVORITE broccoli dish</a>, and I love broccoli!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkplahfoJKnmy27ljjSxFyoomAlgwZpakv_xX8MTehsaea3kIPiIU_n2tguY1po3utoHmK7DjiF2hzkrvJG9nePFAIfkvc0X-P0_lzYrtfCE7XyyP5_vVloNP2xDP6PKUPYgyXisRCB_w/s1600/008.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 230px; height: 154px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkplahfoJKnmy27ljjSxFyoomAlgwZpakv_xX8MTehsaea3kIPiIU_n2tguY1po3utoHmK7DjiF2hzkrvJG9nePFAIfkvc0X-P0_lzYrtfCE7XyyP5_vVloNP2xDP6PKUPYgyXisRCB_w/s320/008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588743858073034002" border="0" /></a>Crock pot Roast<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1. Buy or thaw your roast (I always buy them on clearance or sale at Kroger and freeze them)<br />2. Peel a bag of carrots (I prefer the long ones not baby) and 2-3 large potatoes; chop<br />3. Chop onion in large chunks<br />4. Place onions and potatoes in bottom of crock pot and season with a little salt and pepper.<br />5. Place roast on top and add carrots around; sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper.<br />6. Pour 1 cup of water (I add a beef <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">bullion</span> cube to boiling water for more flavor) over the top<br />7. Add seasoning to your meat (I use Montreal steak seasoning and a little garlic powder).<br />8. Set crock-pot on 8 hours low, eat, and enjoy!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div>Emily Nielsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209990877244751122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9101922589155622545.post-64354071391744672282011-03-23T19:05:00.001-07:002011-03-23T19:37:40.118-07:00"Boots!"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4gxxVig_09gwUBSBPAwGwdxwkU_pZN9ToUd5v5Tc6hGeBCX18K8OGKs23K_QDtqi_8szmL2DOMqmEu-_mgQCZRlwjhC6SZ5ebFrJvqbJvgeuMCo-JiBqwVoqWClPTMbelCQT7uTg6c4/s1600/006.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 332px; height: 220px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4gxxVig_09gwUBSBPAwGwdxwkU_pZN9ToUd5v5Tc6hGeBCX18K8OGKs23K_QDtqi_8szmL2DOMqmEu-_mgQCZRlwjhC6SZ5ebFrJvqbJvgeuMCo-JiBqwVoqWClPTMbelCQT7uTg6c4/s400/006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587462595420850802" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNPmb4HEvd0yfa4uavt7b9V_bBzgvODT-on95-yXKVoKifdy2y_ryY0DwgVda0s7AozavIbG6HYB9xAKIBMVaarxv_RtS6_4Czb9XKRz4F0GdbticyewtOdyKDXkTp1y6w8qBI8TEumM/s1600/005.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 236px; height: 354px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNPmb4HEvd0yfa4uavt7b9V_bBzgvODT-on95-yXKVoKifdy2y_ryY0DwgVda0s7AozavIbG6HYB9xAKIBMVaarxv_RtS6_4Czb9XKRz4F0GdbticyewtOdyKDXkTp1y6w8qBI8TEumM/s400/005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587462155054743682" border="0" /></a><br />After many weeks of asking Ben, "what kind of shoes are you getting?", he finally got them today: "Boots"! For some reason, every time I wear a pair of boots, he says boots about 50 times! So, Brad went down to Lawson's in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Leoma</span> (for you L-burg people) today at lunch and brought Ben this awesome new pair of cowboy boots. My son is about as happy as I have ever seen him when he is sporting these bad boys! He totally takes on that cowboy persona; it must be the heels. Mule Day, here we come; Ben is ready!<br /> Well, today consisted of painting, painting, and a little more painting, and I think I just may paint again tomorrow! We are Lord willing going on a cruise soon, so I have been working hard to finish all of the Spring/Easter painting orders I have received. This little art endeavor has been so much fun; why didn't I start doing this sooner? I am planning on opening an <a href="http://www.etsy.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">etsy</span></a> store this weekend after I figure out exact shipping costs for out-of-town orders. I don't think nor do I expect that I will<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3eCGAJ-MYTDaNn2mGAuwROROSKEC1lZ8A9f0OxoUo-RYNJhjM55G-d2XKuqrHyEeEC7hf_KVxToP3aUuOJT5Ul-q38tMuCWVcaNSS8J6hfmOb9VH4ns6Jbq5pPO1FmY0XQwipmzIayFw/s1600/004.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3eCGAJ-MYTDaNn2mGAuwROROSKEC1lZ8A9f0OxoUo-RYNJhjM55G-d2XKuqrHyEeEC7hf_KVxToP3aUuOJT5Ul-q38tMuCWVcaNSS8J6hfmOb9VH4ns6Jbq5pPO1FmY0XQwipmzIayFw/s320/004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587466118458316722" border="0" /></a> sell a lot of paintings on there, but it will be fun to have people all over the place look at my work!<br /> I did take a break from the painting to eat a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">nutritious</span> and delicious lunch! You know I must include a picture every few words, so here is my lunch: a salad of baby romaine mix, carrots, red and orange peppers, tomatoes, snap peas, strawberries, albacore tuna, and Mrs. Dash's lemon pepper seasoning...yum. I also had a <a href="http://www.wasa-usa.com/">Wasa</a> cracker, which I love (most people wouldn't:). I am trying, not to diet, but to eat more healthy, colorful things each day. I naturally love colorful foods; I am a veggie eater! Ben is starting to like more foods, so I have been trying to let him at least try all kinds of fruits and veggies. He eats so many bananas, I think he may turn yellow, but lately broccoli has been giving "nanna's" a run for their money! I remember thinking he would never be a good eater because he would only eat crackers and grilled cheese, but it really is true that if you eat these things and put them in front of them week after week, sometimes they come around! I just hope he keeps on liking them throughout life (considering we live in TN, which today was dubbed "the fattest state in the union"...nice.)<br /><div style="text-align: center;"> I need to get back to painting, but I want to leave you with my favorite way to cook sweet potatoes; we had these tonight, and I'm pretty sure Brad and I fight over the last few every time. They are nothing fancy, but man are they good! Thanks for reading, and good night all! God Bless.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3P5Basn088HnObLwyg74t4wlc1IKFGuzHUHuKYGX0rxYWyId8wGB0qcNBvdlM_UeOHz7U3Xejr4PAb7CAgmlj036ZM1FJpAXuTpwkJ-WKJyjbdhyphenhyphenC8wM01nfQyWe3K-xlqG3hPBe7iWc/s1600/007.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3P5Basn088HnObLwyg74t4wlc1IKFGuzHUHuKYGX0rxYWyId8wGB0qcNBvdlM_UeOHz7U3Xejr4PAb7CAgmlj036ZM1FJpAXuTpwkJ-WKJyjbdhyphenhyphenC8wM01nfQyWe3K-xlqG3hPBe7iWc/s320/007.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587468335796729554" border="0" /></a>(These sweet potatoes I peeled look kind of like love-birds:)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Roasted Sweet Potato Bites</span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><ol><li>Peel your sweet potatoes and give them a rinse.</li><li>Cut into 1-2 inch cubes or whatever shape you prefer</li><li>Drizzle the pieces with olive oil to lightly coat; toss</li><li>Add a little sea salt (or regular salt) to taste</li><li>Sprinkle with cinnamon ( I like salty/sweet combos)</li><li>Roast in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for about 15-20 min (depending on thickness) Make sure to flip them while roasting, so none burn or stick.<br /></li><li>When I pull them out of the oven, I like to sprinkle them with a little seasoned salt</li><li style="text-align: left;">Serve with favorite dipping sauce (honey mustard, we prefer ketchup)</li><li style="text-align: left;">Enjoy!<br /></li></ol></div></div>Emily Nielsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209990877244751122noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9101922589155622545.post-7649360792701700562011-03-21T14:12:00.000-07:002011-03-21T14:55:01.377-07:00This Week's Shopping and Meal PlanHi all! Wow, what amazingly beautiful weather God has given us in middle TN <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE5vju2g1XJKXuRLbJJ-48hpNsPu4Te6pZSSPXwpcqhMPmt2DhRC2LknduoRW_GrxmTqs1ga4uWMRWqhImFCnxV5fA9_6ts9J-0x-yOjOKW86CQbEUwuopC4g4UYUmaakrmwWmVB_RZ8E/s1600/004.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE5vju2g1XJKXuRLbJJ-48hpNsPu4Te6pZSSPXwpcqhMPmt2DhRC2LknduoRW_GrxmTqs1ga4uWMRWqhImFCnxV5fA9_6ts9J-0x-yOjOKW86CQbEUwuopC4g4UYUmaakrmwWmVB_RZ8E/s200/004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586652857345810034" border="0" /></a>today! Very thankful for the sunshine! This has been a very busy day complete with laundry, workout, cooking these yummy bbq chicken pizzas on flatbread (from the Walmart day-old bread rack; $.99)for lunch (which totally negated my workout), shopping, delivering paintings, and now I am about to finish cooking this <a href="http://www.southernliving.com/food/whats-for-supper/casserole-recipes-00400000058652/page21.html">Chicken and </a><a href="http://www.southernliving.com/food/whats-for-supper/casserole-recipes-00400000058652/page21.html">Spinach Pasta Bake Casserole</a> with roasted sweet potato chunks and broccoli. This is a great recipe, and I have a lot of pasta and onion and chive cream cheese to use, so this sounded perfect! I poached the chicken first thing this morning, so it could cool to make it easier to pull apart. I prefer poaching to boiling chicken because it is more tender. Here's what I do: I usually use frozen chicken, which is usually cheaper. I bring a large pot of water to boil with 2 chicken bullion cubes, garlic powder, onion (or freeze dried onion), carrots, celery stalks (which I save after cutting celery for snacking), a little salt and pepper. Once the pot is boiling, add the chicken and let the water come back to a boil. Then cover the pot, and reduce heat to low. Leave the chicken to poach for about 30 minutes if frozen. Tomorrow night, we will be having a roast with carrots, onions, and potatoes cooked in the crock pot. Wednesday night, we will either have a <a href="http://www.wanchaiferry.com/">Wanchi Ferry</a> meal (Love these; I'm not saying they are that healthy, but when you can get them on a great sale price, they are delicious, and they do the trick on a rushed church night) or we will go to Pizza Hut with friends as usual. Finally, Thursday night will be taco night (with Laura's lean ground beef) around here...yum.<br /> Ok, enough about cooking and on to ingredients and savings. I did my Walgreens shopping yesterday because I have learned from my friend Amanda that if you want t<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-AI_tyLy15qVWusj_HRwrlXKAD_NPYZaBv8Sr2FE20Wz696uYRZvb0tzexM_8q8r-8aXYjS2yYKEkf4WIieeFn4Er5Z4nGBF1DvslHndKnpSKcFqsCv0_Pkdoc7AAA5Sunz9iTECK9bA/s1600/006.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-AI_tyLy15qVWusj_HRwrlXKAD_NPYZaBv8Sr2FE20Wz696uYRZvb0tzexM_8q8r-8aXYjS2yYKEkf4WIieeFn4Er5Z4nGBF1DvslHndKnpSKcFqsCv0_Pkdoc7AAA5Sunz9iTECK9bA/s200/006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586648898055776034" border="0" /></a>he good savings, you have to go on Sunday when the paper comes out! These are my finds for this week; I used my $5 in register rewards that I earned on my last shopping trip on my first order (the feminine products) plus I earned $4 more when I bought them. So I turned around and used that $4 on the rest of my purchase (the trick I learned last time.) All in all, I payed $35.30 for everything shown and saved $41.99. I definitely haven't mastered Walgreens yet, but it is good for stocking up on hygiene products, which can be very expensive, at a very reasonable price.<br /> Today, I went on my weekly Monday shopping trip to Kroger, where I did pretty well. Last night, I used <a href="http://www.southernsavers.com/">Southernsavers.com</a> and planned my trip. Kroger is finishing up its March for Savings mega event, which has been awesome for stocking up on non-perishables<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiteCyaMW38UiGvZc9CKfdJ_xC-wF7z9IUwZ1g-2q64q_VivvCeWNXVvOnpXMG_54d31pogWSS5BfPyPVeiOsDgBMKGzcGeNgHHCqvFkUWs8g9d7ezDKlddrmkdq6rifWvmnC8QnO7d2c4/s1600/005.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 90px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiteCyaMW38UiGvZc9CKfdJ_xC-wF7z9IUwZ1g-2q64q_VivvCeWNXVvOnpXMG_54d31pogWSS5BfPyPVeiOsDgBMKGzcGeNgHHCqvFkUWs8g9d7ezDKlddrmkdq6rifWvmnC8QnO7d2c4/s200/005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586651437607777746" border="0" /></a> like cereal, pasta, and cleaning products. I bought 20 items from this promotion (all with coupons of course) in addition to all of the staples (produce, milk, and bread) that we needed for the week. This week, I was able to pay $65.00 for $116.11 worth<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5T446jkxQntqdx3fr3xEHN__3ScWH9C_Dx-N2ifXD-QCOVioNy9_TYs8sbyd7VaKKBl7uAzx9KIW9PPMBmBlxr5cmt7S9ZuQLXTTxmgwo3ts4Qn8aCFMigtaXvnIQccXMUwY258mKks/s1600/007.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5T446jkxQntqdx3fr3xEHN__3ScWH9C_Dx-N2ifXD-QCOVioNy9_TYs8sbyd7VaKKBl7uAzx9KIW9PPMBmBlxr5cmt7S9ZuQLXTTxmgwo3ts4Qn8aCFMigtaXvnIQccXMUwY258mKks/s200/007.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586652033409976642" border="0" /></a> of groceries ( 46% savings). Another way I save a little money, besides with coupons, is checking in the produce/dairy sections for the orange clearance stickers. They put these on items that are nearing the "sale by" date. I always, of course, check the condition of the produce to make sure I can use it before it "expires." I hardly ever buy salad unless it has an orange sticker. I have found that there are always more of these on Mondays, which is another good reason to shop at the beginning of the week. Well, that's it for me today; I hope you have a blessed evening with your families, and I hope I have given you a little food inspiration for the week!Emily Nielsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209990877244751122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9101922589155622545.post-49825635227914168892011-03-20T18:16:00.000-07:002011-03-20T18:53:12.291-07:00Family Time<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCXER7NnfO5XjyGSQ4EIsgvT-LAm9Pb6D8DUQATzDK_nRByZMst0kkkb4W2ZlC2zvkEiszdGFY8vY7agWwuiyS1EpFOzTx2Y3bvTNsMvWRfzclH9avdd8sVYw5NqqTJ9Xm9TQ13isM7dU/s1600/004.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCXER7NnfO5XjyGSQ4EIsgvT-LAm9Pb6D8DUQATzDK_nRByZMst0kkkb4W2ZlC2zvkEiszdGFY8vY7agWwuiyS1EpFOzTx2Y3bvTNsMvWRfzclH9avdd8sVYw5NqqTJ9Xm9TQ13isM7dU/s200/004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586337372284384146" border="0" /></a><br />Hi all! I hope everyone had a very blessed weekend; I feel like I have been running around like crazy, but it was nice to be around Brad's family. Between cooking, doing a little cleaning, painting, mothering, "wifeing?," and blogging, I have definitely been juggling lots of things lately (like most mothers do!). It was a nice break to go to Martin to vis<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0IEayJ6fq5IGzrjME-WxirS7CYT_nuJZ8mqYbUttCt-7xRQbraPimRDdkNUycvSrhaZpgNaPfZaR7pLBHHa1kWYOEjA_LXA9cNeczk9B2IjczfQuGboOZ_O4J3Ic8GIBoj-_6ysNCikI/s1600/007.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0IEayJ6fq5IGzrjME-WxirS7CYT_nuJZ8mqYbUttCt-7xRQbraPimRDdkNUycvSrhaZpgNaPfZaR7pLBHHa1kWYOEjA_LXA9cNeczk9B2IjczfQuGboOZ_O4J3Ic8GIBoj-_6ysNCikI/s200/007.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586340342047535810" border="0" /></a>it the Nielsens and pick up this sweet new fixture for our bedroom. Brad's dad bought this eliptical and never really like it, so my poor husband spent his entire Sunday afternoon taking it apart to get it inside and putting it back together...not fun. Now, I get to wake up every morning with this thing staring at me on the way to the bathroom; at least there's no way to ignore it:) It will be nice to be able to break a sweat without leaving the house, and I am appreciative to have such awesome in-laws, who gave it to us...I think (check back with me in a week).<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNaIqz5j6cWSHzhqKIlqvobuZZ8W52VkM8Ri4Y5PuyF9E2alYriSufyAoOQZOXvzg4KOU4dJ0Y30P9UsUnnxfLaLBYBK7UB9tUxVStHM86oFTD7ZiVwx-kJ8KlqTeOlsWKHQfvurlM_5o/s1600/013.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNaIqz5j6cWSHzhqKIlqvobuZZ8W52VkM8Ri4Y5PuyF9E2alYriSufyAoOQZOXvzg4KOU4dJ0Y30P9UsUnnxfLaLBYBK7UB9tUxVStHM86oFTD7ZiVwx-kJ8KlqTeOlsWKHQfvurlM_5o/s200/013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586340961456138306" border="0" /></a><br />The Nielsens' house is undergoing major renovation (which is amazing), so they have been confined to their bed<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQiyXGy2czbRjYNhFUQiCHuncyxxlra3YkZVhPjRjv5Kzd6lY5lkClyy55cnrQsdAD_c4cu0NcuVR4R1vfPRw3hm9l9wf169lkFiQN1na3HCuxzkCc8vdq71Wy4FLexJjLCGQqRDRiv7Y/s1600/017.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQiyXGy2czbRjYNhFUQiCHuncyxxlra3YkZVhPjRjv5Kzd6lY5lkClyy55cnrQsdAD_c4cu0NcuVR4R1vfPRw3hm9l9wf169lkFiQN1na3HCuxzkCc8vdq71Wy4FLexJjLCGQqRDRiv7Y/s200/017.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586341921736508434" border="0" /></a>room and Mr. Nielsen's office for the majority of every day for the past month. So, we spent a lot of "quality" family time hanging out and eating McDonald's pancakes in one small office.<br /> We also got to hang out with Nana, one of Ben's favorite people! One of the best things about Nana: the lady can cook! She cooks like everyone's grandmother should! So, thank you, Nana, for single-hande<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqrtFuLgiiure9AR1OyAHE3dF31cga06hTxbrfnm_3uU8aVRf_UC8KCEHuxXAfxB3U3LJFsc-dzvjJ9U7YSLt8jZf3HdqDANs-K3SMJOWn61R1P0S5HPCFgObN_-3We7rIZMwT6DpSb8M/s1600/025.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqrtFuLgiiure9AR1OyAHE3dF31cga06hTxbrfnm_3uU8aVRf_UC8KCEHuxXAfxB3U3LJFsc-dzvjJ9U7YSLt8jZf3HdqDANs-K3SMJOWn61R1P0S5HPCFgObN_-3We7rIZMwT6DpSb8M/s200/025.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586342251836573714" border="0" /></a>dly helping me steer clear of any diet plan this weekend:) One last picture from the weekend is of Ben wearing some crazy orange cowboy hat that belonged to Brad's grandfather. Brad is totally attached, and I think it looks pretty cute on Ben too. Not much to say tonight, but I thought I would just share a few pics from our family weekend! Everyone have an awesome week! I'll blog more about meal plans for the week and maybe some bargains tomorrow!Emily Nielsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209990877244751122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9101922589155622545.post-40562531879839569782011-03-17T08:58:00.000-07:002011-03-17T09:24:56.173-07:00Getting my Hands Dirty...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi80tESA6P1h0RuO_GtnxlYxfPE-60-MXlejtvK4N2o58cyq6temGi-4Grx2l1c_Ib_RKZmHzrIW2bHA3Ud5HRhabt6vXy0aFW-dzRpFgTcfUMZR5qXffpgVQo_63VJ7PUZLcXxpaUawv0/s1600/017.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi80tESA6P1h0RuO_GtnxlYxfPE-60-MXlejtvK4N2o58cyq6temGi-4Grx2l1c_Ib_RKZmHzrIW2bHA3Ud5HRhabt6vXy0aFW-dzRpFgTcfUMZR5qXffpgVQo_63VJ7PUZLcXxpaUawv0/s320/017.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584708269429713698" border="0" /></a><br /> Well, judging by the multi-colored fingernails I have this morning, it is easy to see I have been hard at work on this group of paintings for friends! I always love to have seasonal paintings in the house on a table easel or hanging on the door welcoming friends. I have one for Fall, Christmas, Birthdays, and now Easter! After posting a picture of the one I made for our door, I received several requests for personalized paintings for other families! Seeing as I absolutely love to paint, I said "Yes!" and have been working away ever since. I was able to deliver a couple of them last night, and the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">recip</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgILIwa7NdIIjynauYxRBmHU74I-9ZZs8xEzOb5iT9MwauzkrV9V43zILQjc8Ngz6b_RKEV4MIWf73FB5mGPG_1hPm3pJkGMRgjBIK1ZQN6_rS7uxlO-3Lm2M5ZcALyFJvVUtllws7cyTY/s1600/006.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgILIwa7NdIIjynauYxRBmHU74I-9ZZs8xEzOb5iT9MwauzkrV9V43zILQjc8Ngz6b_RKEV4MIWf73FB5mGPG_1hPm3pJkGMRgjBIK1ZQN6_rS7uxlO-3Lm2M5ZcALyFJvVUtllws7cyTY/s320/006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585063426518163522" border="0" /></a><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ients</span> seemed pleased, so I was excited!<br /> The painting to the left is one of my personal favorites; I have never really painted tulips, so when I got this request, I was a little nervous, but I am pretty proud of the way they turned out. I love the gold color of the ribbon and the way it complements the painting without taking away from it. This one is going in one of my friend's kitchen. As many of you know, I have always loved to be crafty, but since mommy-hood, I have not taken the time to let the house get a little dirty, so I can be <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbRV4v25hdy3pTI4CgqHEGVy0VeCUuEB6M2f3NBwnBYA0oKaqyltyXZoDvoTJu5f-ZpsCl1LmUMWJf1BB18dkBLABQe1esLnWWK06QsN8_u6ZWsehgUdcGDjXqzaF-WLbi2i7XXN0RHg/s1600/brandt.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbRV4v25hdy3pTI4CgqHEGVy0VeCUuEB6M2f3NBwnBYA0oKaqyltyXZoDvoTJu5f-ZpsCl1LmUMWJf1BB18dkBLABQe1esLnWWK06QsN8_u6ZWsehgUdcGDjXqzaF-WLbi2i7XXN0RHg/s200/brandt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585065647873076498" border="0" /></a>creative. I am dreaming of the day (and hopefully Brad agrees) that I can have my own studio room; that would be awesome!<br /> Another type of art I love to do is painting for kids' rooms! I have done so many of these, and I don't have pictures of all of them, but here are a couple of pictures of one I did for my <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5H614erst445tGcqxw7PN-XPe_mF7FfbzrTiSy4RIvYicl2QFE_-qylZVkqWpPJuAAuHpHK0kIyyPBhoh62jG3tGeoT7BqhD82C4bHkjW90bzZ3SlmjtHhssGH8zWF5JXxWG4e5btjFs/s1600/037.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5H614erst445tGcqxw7PN-XPe_mF7FfbzrTiSy4RIvYicl2QFE_-qylZVkqWpPJuAAuHpHK0kIyyPBhoh62jG3tGeoT7BqhD82C4bHkjW90bzZ3SlmjtHhssGH8zWF5JXxWG4e5btjFs/s200/037.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585065979061965314" border="0" /></a>girlfriend Jennifer's little boy Brandt and one I did for my Ben's room. Although I can do any design given to me, I particularly love to base the artwork off of whatever bedding/fabrics the mother has chosen for the nursery. These two are pretty similar in design (geometric) because I like the simplicity of them and letting the name be the focal point. Personalized paintings are a great gift for showers/birthdays for little boys and girls, etc. For my next child, (Lord willing) I plan on making a painting with with a big bow and spaces to fill in birth date and weight for the hospital room door. I had a personalized wreath on the door when Ben was born and everybody raved about it (thanks to the mother-in-law).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWNlsNQzZBRIc2mYc4AnCaKzAzViBJUJWa4v5LHYFuqR3twaQJgKboI06J7lMdDvEHkzupVDKGv5D357Xx6g3Ffp060KgXqgZW4Q0Y-qddQsf__yi0oZrcuAZTJCCdPEB4iCBxaxe0aeI/s1600/003.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWNlsNQzZBRIc2mYc4AnCaKzAzViBJUJWa4v5LHYFuqR3twaQJgKboI06J7lMdDvEHkzupVDKGv5D357Xx6g3Ffp060KgXqgZW4Q0Y-qddQsf__yi0oZrcuAZTJCCdPEB4iCBxaxe0aeI/s200/003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585067465482903682" border="0" /></a> The picture to the left is not a very good one, but it shoes the "Happy Birthday" painting I did for my family. We put it out a couple of days before each person's birthday. We could design one especially for your little one's themed party or just a general one for your family.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-0OcwPf7y1v4KlwUyhfONaMomIWNqbEWACWWBdamyf6g9gNDXc8Mknt0iJrFVRJNeRgabzEQXMcX465KbIdQ14vPDfgMunIl2Gl6bmIBnfusvLLCSTw76V_yR5HVgXEETLPzUsHN7lk/s1600/stone.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-0OcwPf7y1v4KlwUyhfONaMomIWNqbEWACWWBdamyf6g9gNDXc8Mknt0iJrFVRJNeRgabzEQXMcX465KbIdQ14vPDfgMunIl2Gl6bmIBnfusvLLCSTw76V_yR5HVgXEETLPzUsHN7lk/s200/stone.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585068559603208818" border="0" /></a><br /> Basically, I am ready and willing to paint whatever it is you need. There are really endless ideas, so get thinking about birthdays, babies, Mothers' Day gifts (I've got some cute ideas for this one), wedding gifts (See example stepping stone to the left), or anything else, and please let me know if I can help create a special gift for you are someone you love! Just message me on facebook or leave a comment on the blog or email me at emawiles@yahoo.com and we'll discuss ideas/pricing (reasonable, I promise). Thanks all!Emily Nielsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209990877244751122noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9101922589155622545.post-55065965747949965072011-03-16T13:36:00.000-07:002011-03-16T15:57:58.862-07:00A Few More Deals...O.k., everybody; although I a<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNrjvQaVjSl7aZKmf77U05FSzm079eQtf4-mlQuthqtoejOyTOFNJs9-2-1RDNWW1BRLTryxPPtGT5P-rOXj90Pz37RhQ0ZgL1RNUvvjUZvmwDbMN5QoBEyKW0RYtSp2mdlnn0_3wxys4/s1600/013.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNrjvQaVjSl7aZKmf77U05FSzm079eQtf4-mlQuthqtoejOyTOFNJs9-2-1RDNWW1BRLTryxPPtGT5P-rOXj90Pz37RhQ0ZgL1RNUvvjUZvmwDbMN5QoBEyKW0RYtSp2mdlnn0_3wxys4/s320/013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584780229538210450" border="0" /></a>m glad I was able to write that LONG blog yesterday and get some people thinking about saving, I now realize that a lot of what I wrote is a waste of time! Well, not really a waste of time, but who wants to take the time to match up coupons to in-store specials when there is someone out there in blogger-land who already does it for you?!! I mean, this is the part of pre-planning that definitely takes the longest, but thanks to my good buddy Mary A., I will now be heading over to<span style="font-weight: bold;"> <a href="http://www.southernsavers.com/">southernsavers.com</a></span> to figure out which coupons I need to use each week. This website blows my mind because it not only gives you a detailed list of every sale/promotion item, but it also gives you links to online printable coupons as well as coupons that load directly to your store savings card (i.e. kroger plus card). For the beginner<span style="font-style: italic;"> couponer</span> (?), this site spells<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5ygVDP556EZRxCw6u3-np0-AqXB7nkDa0kti7BU7F9nbCifwxtP-th8ZaNLjuybHo2ZvEDKxfyuMUyRQbJYHoetLVEm7QqMtXHCXwmjkk4Up3FkZkY-zqJ-5vtX2oNbBLas6NfF5TpI/s1600/015.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5ygVDP556EZRxCw6u3-np0-AqXB7nkDa0kti7BU7F9nbCifwxtP-th8ZaNLjuybHo2ZvEDKxfyuMUyRQbJYHoetLVEm7QqMtXHCXwmjkk4Up3FkZkY-zqJ-5vtX2oNbBLas6NfF5TpI/s320/015.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584783128278597506" border="0" /></a> it out for you!<br /> While I was exploring the site last night, I realized that I had overlooked some great deals with coupons I either already had or with ones I could print off of the site. (So, maybe I didn't get into bed until 11:45, big deal!) With new coupons in hand, I headed back to Kroger today to complete some unfinished business...Today, I was able to score $66.89 worth of groceries for $26.86! That (as you can see in my bragging picture) is a savings of 62%; not bad. I was able to use all coupons, get several items (5) items absolutely free, and since I bought exactly 20 items on the promotion list, I saved another 10 dollars. It was a good time indeed:)<br /> One more thing to fill you in on (as if many of you don't already know these things). I was also made aware of yet another site called <a href="http://iheartwags.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">iheartwags.com</span></a>; yep, that's "wags" as in Walgreens. I mean how nerdy can we get...VERY. I must admit I have never explored the world of savings at Walgreens, but after some research, help from friends (thanks Rebecca), and asking a lot of questions to the poor lady at the register, I think I have figured out a little bit about their system. They have something called "register rewards." For instance, I bou<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkMqLv2VNNVrMNUJITf5ldZdha0VbmjvyCYmeW1kbkJeQozwrOlg4OKtedzxvlzZ6zjS-UK0nfGuIur0oJ47B3fWsjGF6CM4o4vozzvNA_Vo-uzj478E1QfG3aBtkBrDSdSyewH00HIwY/s1600/014.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkMqLv2VNNVrMNUJITf5ldZdha0VbmjvyCYmeW1kbkJeQozwrOlg4OKtedzxvlzZ6zjS-UK0nfGuIur0oJ47B3fWsjGF6CM4o4vozzvNA_Vo-uzj478E1QfG3aBtkBrDSdSyewH00HIwY/s320/014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584787911749775074" border="0" /></a>ght Irish Spring mens' body wash and deodorant (not for Brad as he is very brand specific in this category, but I know a sick man at church for whom I wanted to make a goody bag). It was on sale for 2 for $6 + a $4 register reward at checkout. I had a coupon for $1 off of the body wash and .50 off of the deodorant, so after I used the coupon, together, they cost $4.50 ($6-$1.50). BUT I received a $4 register reward, which is like $4 cash towards my next walgreens purchase, so the two items actually only cost me .50! In all, I received $5 in register rewards. The lady informed me (for next time) that many coupon users will check out with their register reward producing items first and then turn around and use them on the rest of their purchase (These ladies are smart!!!)<br />A picture of my Walgreens finds shows that I bought several house<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWIo_8BdZGpRgdBEtw5AypJ5PBJm04ah8sHIng25SdO02_OEsot3FaNF4ZaNTWwnNLelUpdeJ6Lko8GG4mlt0EVsInJ1tXhQ2quxSIr3OPa_8rnhAaVpNN_QQSwyxco00J8vmwYkMmM08/s1600/016.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWIo_8BdZGpRgdBEtw5AypJ5PBJm04ah8sHIng25SdO02_OEsot3FaNF4ZaNTWwnNLelUpdeJ6Lko8GG4mlt0EVsInJ1tXhQ2quxSIr3OPa_8rnhAaVpNN_QQSwyxco00J8vmwYkMmM08/s320/016.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584790019462088338" border="0" /></a>hold items other than cosmetics (which is usually the only thing I buy at Walgreens and usually at full cost). I spent $43.09 total, but when I added it all up and realized the cosmetics (powder, blush, nail polish, and hair color for my mom...sorry to let the cat out of the bag, mom:) alone would cost $32.96 on a usual trip and once you take away the $5 in register rewards I got, that means I basically paid <span style="font-weight: bold;">$5.13</span> for all of the rest of the items pictured; not bad.<br />O.k., I guess that's all for this week as far as couponing goes. My favorite part of this is that Brad actually loves hearing about the deals and seeing pictures of all the stuff I get for not too much money! Maybe this makes up for me not really making any money...probably not, but I feel better knowing I am saving my family money! Off to cook dinner and head to church; I love Wednesdays!Emily Nielsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209990877244751122noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9101922589155622545.post-38420528879120329742011-03-15T14:55:00.001-07:002011-03-15T15:54:20.469-07:00Clipping and Saving<div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfzXRYAqz1gJNXUwJ4mlRCOdt0xl5Dm6ywVHjCeXGGyw9censKmCdE9ytYsKmeb5cDm99wPAwQGN8fMIzElRD6qhMLBL2-fYFXe0NYvI0tsQJJ1Fd2FBinCaBLLuQG7SiHLqbbrx_06g/s1600/001.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfzXRYAqz1gJNXUwJ4mlRCOdt0xl5Dm6ywVHjCeXGGyw9censKmCdE9ytYsKmeb5cDm99wPAwQGN8fMIzElRD6qhMLBL2-fYFXe0NYvI0tsQJJ1Fd2FBinCaBLLuQG7SiHLqbbrx_06g/s320/001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584429224720687890" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOgkXI93ViuhsYTXtEDVXHMJfS_Nt9rzV7tuuyvIp-tfq2QgCNGUbB8-RAS3VYmxoVj4Qg0FfcGipSYrJi9EnmTPGPmqyhjI2Eoo78-_V6VwiuwLeDEfFvNacr1CUX3JQu5kkbbL3ct8w/s1600/002.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOgkXI93ViuhsYTXtEDVXHMJfS_Nt9rzV7tuuyvIp-tfq2QgCNGUbB8-RAS3VYmxoVj4Qg0FfcGipSYrJi9EnmTPGPmqyhjI2Eoo78-_V6VwiuwLeDEfFvNacr1CUX3JQu5kkbbL3ct8w/s320/002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584441755022725746" border="0" /></a> <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> I realize it has been more than a long time since I last posted to this blog. I really feel like I am ready to start blogging again. I guess I felt like I really didn't have anything important to write about, but as I read others blogs, I realize that we are all the same. I just like reading about the lives of those I care about, so hopefully some of you will enjoy reading about mine!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"> Anyway, I recently posted to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">facebook</span> about getting $159.00 worth of groceries this week for $89.00. I have had several people ask me how they can do the same thing, and they definitely can; it just takes a little time, clipping, research and consideration before heading off on the weekly shopping trip. <br /> The picture above shows the groceries I bought (minus 2 large bottle of arm and hammer clothing detergent that I put away before I took the picture). As you can notice by looking at the items, many of them are non-produce/non-perishable items. Coupons are mainly available from name brand companies only, which means you have to be very careful, or you will still end up spending more at the grocery than if you bought store brands without coupons. I am simply going to let you know my weekly process for grocery shopping, and here's hoping it works for you!<br />Step 1: First, I look in my freezer, fridge, and cabinets to see what ingredients I already have. Basically, what do I already have that I can use towards this week's meals. I mainly focus on things that need to be used soon. I write down the meals that we could have based off of what I need to use.<br />Step 2: I stop on the way home from church to buy a Sunday paper. (Make sure the coupon portion is in the paper; sometimes people take the coupons without buying the paper.) Usually after church on Sunday night, I sit down and clip coupons. I don't clip them all, only the ones I think I'll really use. The best coupons are usually .50 off of 1 item because I shop at Kroger, and they double coupons up to $1. So, if the coupon is for .30, it doubles to .60, but if it is .75, it doesn't double (get it?:) Be very careful to check on the coupon to see if it says "do not double or triple" because it will obviously not double.<br />Step 3: I go to Kroger.com (or coupons.com if you shop somewhere else) under "In Store" at the top, I got to "coupons." There, you can print coupons that are the same as using the ones from the paper. So, I have gathered all of my coupons.<br /> *side note: I have a binder which has envelope labeled for each store section (if you want me to list them, let me know). I sort the coupons into these envelopes for easy access while shopping with a 19 month old.<br />Step 4: MOST IMPORTANT!! I go again to Kroger.com and go to "In Store" and "Weekly Ads," where I type in my zip code. This is where I look through the store ads to see what is on sale and what promotions are running for the week. (My mom likes to do her coupon shopping once a month, but I prefer weekly because I can take advantage of weekly specials and use my coupons when they benefit me the most.) Look through the ad and note any coupons you have for those products because you will want to use the coupon in conjunction with the sale they are having. This week Kroger is running a "buy 10 participating items, and save $5 at the register" sale. Several of my coupon items were on this list, so this was a good week to shop! For instance, today, I had a coupon for $1.00 off of any 2 Arm and Hammer laundry products. The detergent I bought is usually $6.98, but it was on sale AND on the list for the "buy 10" promotion. So, since I did buy 10 participating items (you have to be sure to keep count) I got each of the detergents for $2.99 plus I used my coupon, so ended up buying them for $2.49 each, a savings of $4.49 a bottle!<br />Step 5: Plan Meals: Based on the items already in my pantry plus the items for which I am going shopping, I make a detailed meal list on my refrigerator. This helps me shop and also helps me stick to cooking and eating at home to save even more money. This is definitely the fun part!<br /> I know this all sounds confusing, but once you get used to it, it is really easy to know when to buy and when to wait! You will begin to notice trends of when your particular store puts certain items on sale, so you can hold onto your coupons for that item until then.<br /> Here are some final tips for saving money instead of spending more using coupons:<br />1.) Don't feel like just because you have a coupon, you have to use it. Make sure you are actually saving money by doing so.<br />2.) Be careful not to buy things your family won't use.<br />3.) Use coupons to stock up on non-perishable food items and health and beauty products, so you can take those out of your grocery budget for a while and put that money towards something more fun!<br />4.) Don't be brand specific. If you are like me, you have certain things you only want in certain brands (i.e. toilet paper and peanut butter). For everything else, be flexible, and you will save money for sure.<br />5.) Plan, plan, plan. Planning for the weeks shopping and meals makes me feel organized, so I can spend my daytime thinking about other things besides "what's for dinner?"<br /> I hope this blog entry has given you some useful info when it comes to clipping coupons. Feel free to comment with any questions or success stories you have when it comes to coupons. I am not an expert by any means, but I do enjoy seeing that "Total Savings: 46%" on my receipt. It makes the time spent planning worth it! Happy shopping!<br /></div></div>Emily Nielsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209990877244751122noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9101922589155622545.post-55507769729153344212010-03-23T12:12:00.000-07:002010-03-23T12:38:11.428-07:00It's Been a Long Time Coming!<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-sTm7P2Xp5tycTS35daDn2PRVyDyN9wTN23Ad-OuF9oLYGfeiFtqlZcnMUBmS9oqlXSAdoVm_l8FKLv6h6Q68drAmu8gntjTBij0aPoz3YFT88FgppmsHJA2QEFYOWtzKrJOIQbV2L5k/s1600-h/016.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451915338464376866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-sTm7P2Xp5tycTS35daDn2PRVyDyN9wTN23Ad-OuF9oLYGfeiFtqlZcnMUBmS9oqlXSAdoVm_l8FKLv6h6Q68drAmu8gntjTBij0aPoz3YFT88FgppmsHJA2QEFYOWtzKrJOIQbV2L5k/s320/016.JPG" border="0" /></a> Ben's room<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDrMjjlCz5mVYkAsvDr-f5eE_fBNQmtnqpDY1JCJJrwftqMVjtimwhkyXaEVyTdR1GrSfPdObrZ-fb34Qkoh9bI3oJ-TG6MkPg6wnJPXFWpvkI41Tg1Xjp6BSjy5nKhl_3yAbl6vEkUEs/s1600-h/014.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451915232828536850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDrMjjlCz5mVYkAsvDr-f5eE_fBNQmtnqpDY1JCJJrwftqMVjtimwhkyXaEVyTdR1GrSfPdObrZ-fb34Qkoh9bI3oJ-TG6MkPg6wnJPXFWpvkI41Tg1Xjp6BSjy5nKhl_3yAbl6vEkUEs/s320/014.JPG" border="0" /></a> Our Kitchen<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqNmBUNb9NrSf-YNFjnoFuKED8Qh2JEJdqfexULXsi1n8PrMXY5wst6Z7EQyZN_5oyaLWWGiUBboLyfwhc1jJfURwJUyWs-t1fIWrvZynGOs_zevgyj8HX1dxZS6035cUp0euuy6LdFag/s1600-h/012.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451915115328420882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqNmBUNb9NrSf-YNFjnoFuKED8Qh2JEJdqfexULXsi1n8PrMXY5wst6Z7EQyZN_5oyaLWWGiUBboLyfwhc1jJfURwJUyWs-t1fIWrvZynGOs_zevgyj8HX1dxZS6035cUp0euuy6LdFag/s320/012.JPG" border="0" /></a> Living Room<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHaoaHu1d6aZMeOCXjxx4xH4RT63CWS8lmaws5dUWXfNCEcqaIRrzjnnyOKk3Ocr_RM9N0n62Hw6ugcs14xZonji8jF3AdhQddYpj5OZTTI1Ljqwa2Eq_BgVcAffFdyQS71JAGWC0Wf0/s1600-h/002.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451914964590724882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHaoaHu1d6aZMeOCXjxx4xH4RT63CWS8lmaws5dUWXfNCEcqaIRrzjnnyOKk3Ocr_RM9N0n62Hw6ugcs14xZonji8jF3AdhQddYpj5OZTTI1Ljqwa2Eq_BgVcAffFdyQS71JAGWC0Wf0/s320/002.JPG" border="0" /></a>Bathtime Ben<br /><div>Hello to anyone who still checks my blog to see if I have updated it! I am soooo sorry for being so lazy in blogging; I stay a little busy:) Well, Lawrenceburg is treating us very well so far! I worried and worried about moving to such a small town; I prayed for us to like it, and God has answered that prayer. We have met such nice people here, and I already have made some friends I feel I will keep for a very long time! Brad is absolutely loving his State Farm agency; he says it is everything he hoped it would be, so I am very thankful!</div><div>Ben continues to grow like a weed every day! He is learning so much it is simply amazing! He isn't crawling yet; in fact, he looks like he may walk first. He loves to pull up on my fingers and tries to pull up on anything else in his path! I can't believe how happy he is considering we thought he hated life for the first few months:) I can hardly remember those stressful days, and I now realize I worried too much! Babies do what they want to do in there own time! He has just in that past couple of weeks started taking 2 hour naps in the morning and the afternoon! What a gift for a busy mom to be able to have some precious time to herself! Millie is also doing well, for those of you who were concerned about her well-being:) She does crazy things to get attention now though. If a diaper accidently gets left on the changing table or in the trash, she tears it to shreds while we are gone. She will find and eat anything left on the counter (including Marie's goodies she brings when she comes), so we have learned to put things on top of the fridge! Needless to say, she is adapting to being #2.</div><div>We are so excited for Spring. Next weekend is Mule Day (a Columbia favorite). Easter is also right around the corner! My mom is making Ben's Easter outfit, so I can't wait to see how great he looks that day! I'll definately post pictures of both events! </div><div>I am going to post some house pictures for those of you who will not be able to get here to see it. We are liking our house a lot, and it is beginning to feel like home. Life is good, and we are very thankful! Happy Spring!</div></div></div><br /></div>Emily Nielsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209990877244751122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9101922589155622545.post-34718490486790865842009-12-14T12:18:00.001-08:002009-12-14T12:31:50.337-08:00One More Day...<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGaCHp_px0JoSS0mUe7EXlo2aO_0sJ8S2xiq482Sb2AVHWLUfCQYqlTBdAOIBJB9EyXTuxYf1r3VaDx33cE6a9L3uBtvQlBuElO1SyVNIAOHhyphenhyphenjykAQRbbjWXkdBw1ig2z2RdkXqhLV-w/s1600-h/santa.bmp"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415191995360697346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGaCHp_px0JoSS0mUe7EXlo2aO_0sJ8S2xiq482Sb2AVHWLUfCQYqlTBdAOIBJB9EyXTuxYf1r3VaDx33cE6a9L3uBtvQlBuElO1SyVNIAOHhyphenhyphenjykAQRbbjWXkdBw1ig2z2RdkXqhLV-w/s320/santa.bmp" /></a> Sweet Santa Baby<br /><div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEMRzwoRdAgrX6ypkMtH_iA6hDee671ix_gjaTjEHdn7G1caiZMI8Tqz03m2tPFq_zU3S5AYEQSeP2ke7Y9EJafEpBiGKFSKkWRyZIr0bmVhrvbutDSEuGQWS4pyrZ4fnHFo0WaWgj9Iw/s1600-h/momben.bmp"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415191645680678962" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEMRzwoRdAgrX6ypkMtH_iA6hDee671ix_gjaTjEHdn7G1caiZMI8Tqz03m2tPFq_zU3S5AYEQSeP2ke7Y9EJafEpBiGKFSKkWRyZIr0bmVhrvbutDSEuGQWS4pyrZ4fnHFo0WaWgj9Iw/s320/momben.bmp" /></a>I love my boy!<br />I am already proud of myself! 2 posts in 2 weeks! I am good!:) Well, this is the beginning of what is sure to be a crazy, busy week! Tomorrow morning is the day! We close at 9 a.m. and the painters and the cabinet glazing lady are coming right after that. Although I am still really nervous about moving to a new small town, I am equally excited to meet all of the new people that will enter our lives. The moving truck is coming Friday to pick up our stuff from storage and from my grandmother's house in Nashville. Unpacking boxes will be the activity of choice this weekend for sure! I will be sure to post pictures of the new house as soon as we get it at least half way together!<br />Ben is having a wonderful Christmas season so far! He is such a great shopper, so he loves this time of year! He is at his best behavior when we are out and about. When he doesn't act so hot is when we stay home all day! So, here is my plan for not shopping all of the time and spending too much money. I really want to get the shut-ins list from our future church, once we choose one, and go visit people who need visiting! I figure that Ben loves to be out and about, and I am sure people would love for a baby to visit instead of just boring middle aged people:) Just kidding. But, I really think it will be good for both Ben and me to do that a couple of times a week. We'll see how that goes!<br />I am posting a picture of Ben sitting on Santa's lap for the first time! We went downtown last Saturday, and White's camera shop had a great Santa! Ben did so great! He smiled right when he sat down, so the lady only had to take one picture! Not to brag, but she said it was the best picture she had taken all day! O.k., so I bragged a little.<br /></div></div>Emily Nielsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209990877244751122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9101922589155622545.post-48017289535148024092009-12-07T06:33:00.000-08:002009-12-07T11:47:30.328-08:00The Moving Mania Begins!<div align="center">Jumping is Ben's new favorite trick</div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRcvzJMZZPV9IDTsyLaoU9213wU6gYo63noQ6UC3xdFKT6Ks5x2qJb9Qq5rfNvkm0Q6sCX2bW_fOt8sS0Ti-ryEiUxSmilftV_P7BUB2xNh8iBD9Y98w_KqdzEEMRhmHIQi-R0my7zk0k/s1600-h/ben+079.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412582779109661506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRcvzJMZZPV9IDTsyLaoU9213wU6gYo63noQ6UC3xdFKT6Ks5x2qJb9Qq5rfNvkm0Q6sCX2bW_fOt8sS0Ti-ryEiUxSmilftV_P7BUB2xNh8iBD9Y98w_KqdzEEMRhmHIQi-R0my7zk0k/s320/ben+079.jpg" /></a> The (hopefully) new house as of December 15th<br /><div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbTX0jNiQA668EZ9xmHB5EWDeEInBEhI9NArXYu9i-5rci4EgCH-lsK-dXgW0GcQ1tRHftAihjh6bUUHafklHf4tk79u03XaqBqKyUYAsWWO3TYug9sOr1iPUjlYfAuExMe2TT3y5EiD8/s1600-h/front.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412581533596695522" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbTX0jNiQA668EZ9xmHB5EWDeEInBEhI9NArXYu9i-5rci4EgCH-lsK-dXgW0GcQ1tRHftAihjh6bUUHafklHf4tk79u03XaqBqKyUYAsWWO3TYug9sOr1iPUjlYfAuExMe2TT3y5EiD8/s320/front.jpg" /></a> Alright, well, admittedly I am the worst blogger ever to this point, but I really promise to get better and more consistent once we move and I get my desktop back! As the title to this blog says, we are FINALLY moving....or so I think, soon! Let me just give a run-down of the past few months since Ben was born! On August 4th, Ben came...then, the moving truck came to Jackson on 12th. Since we sold our house really quickly and didn't know where State Farm would take Brad, we decided to move our stuff into my grandmother's house in East Nashville. We lived there for about a week when we decided we would definitely be moving to Lawrenceburg to open Brad's agency. Brad started to travel to Lawrenceburg everyday for work, so weekends at Mom and Dad's house in Columbia turned in to week days until we finally decided it didn't make sense for Ben and me to stay in Nashville and Brad drive an hour and a half everyday. So...as many of you know, we have been living with Ken and Debbie for pretty much Ben's entire life thus far. Now, I am not complaining at all! I have decided that a lot of Mom's would be much happier if they had as much help as I have had the past few months. By the time Ben wakes up from his afternoon nap, he has 3 or 4 smiling faces waiting to hold him! Great for Ben, better for Mom!<br />We started looking for houses in Lawrenceburg the minute we found out we were moving there; we thought we would be able to find one right away, but of course, we were very wrong! We searched and probably drove our real estate agent crazy for the next 3 1/2 months. We found what we thought was our house once, but the lady wouldn't negotiate very well. Finally, Brad saw a sign in a yard one day while down for work; he called me, I came to look at it, and we decided to offer on it that day! It needed quite a bit of work, but we loved the street it was on. We got the contract on the house, the inspection went fine, we were ready to close last Wednesday. ..On Tuesday, the title company ran the check on the house, and it turns out that there were multiple tax leans on the house which meant, we couldn't close. When Brad called to tell me, I pretty much just laughed. Here's the good part though. A couple of weeks after we had written the contract on the other house that needed work (I was really hesitant about the amount of work and cash that had to go into this house), I saw another house for sale on the MLS site. I couldn't believe how perfect this house was, and I was so bummed that we had signed on the other before this one came on the market. So, when the title drama happened, I told Brad to check and see if the "perfect" house was still available, and it was!!! The next day, we drove to Lawrenceburg, looked at and loved the house, and wrote a new contract for that house! God definitely had his hand in the seemingly little situation because this house needs no work, has a perfect back yard for Millie, and it reminds us of our little house in Jackson! We couldn't be happier! Lord willing, we close Dec. 15th, and we can leave my parents with less noise, more food, and a much cleaner house! I know they will miss us as much as we will miss them though.<br />This is way too long of a blog post; I promise to blog more often and for a shorter length!<br /><br /><br /><br /></div></div>Emily Nielsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209990877244751122noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9101922589155622545.post-25407784373082117252009-09-21T15:39:00.000-07:002009-09-26T10:36:56.460-07:00Where Did the Time Go?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6-f73UGT0YUsfpw2fC4pGuTdnc7Ou4VPt8u0rKB47BSSUpbZ9HOE8rabF26Q52HdbHNTZizq-LkEA05QLBbTsgAJAN2MXPyUkIH_od-XsIRHnoegpe_Ocn9Q0Exdq1iySuigy-CZaAqA/s1600-h/057.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384059706419259682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6-f73UGT0YUsfpw2fC4pGuTdnc7Ou4VPt8u0rKB47BSSUpbZ9HOE8rabF26Q52HdbHNTZizq-LkEA05QLBbTsgAJAN2MXPyUkIH_od-XsIRHnoegpe_Ocn9Q0Exdq1iySuigy-CZaAqA/s320/057.JPG" border="0" /></a> Ben's favorite napping place:)<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvB-s7MuPLSlqtvpOaXC9LuvytYRcPsTjZUGR1sfKaOdxyqP471K2Rkv2cqW_GrXy6wynFhMu7L39nTJwH7uZmGC9TXL0XThR2fJ-Uuu52yuKMooZ9hgbHAlNSE7pJgAimMsVPEEqcPFY/s1600-h/062.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384059463919000322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvB-s7MuPLSlqtvpOaXC9LuvytYRcPsTjZUGR1sfKaOdxyqP471K2Rkv2cqW_GrXy6wynFhMu7L39nTJwH7uZmGC9TXL0XThR2fJ-Uuu52yuKMooZ9hgbHAlNSE7pJgAimMsVPEEqcPFY/s320/062.JPG" border="0" /></a> Daddy time! Love this picture!<br /><div><br /><br /><div>Well, as my title states, I cannot believe that Ben is already 7 weeks old! He has his 2 month appointment next week, and I am not looking forward to the shots (I'm sure he isn't either!) I apologize to those of you who actually follow this blog because I have not been able to blog in a long time! We have been a little on the homeless side for since Ben's birth. I mean, we technically have a house in Nashville, but with Brad working in either Lawrenceburg or Spring Hill each day, it just makes more sense for us to stay in Columbia. That's right; we have been living at home with my parents for a couple of weeks! I never thought I would be saying that! My parents have been extremely gracious to allow us ( and a pooping, sometimes screaming baby) stay at their house. Brad and I have been a bit frustrated as of late looking for a house in Lawrenceburg! The prices are crazy; I thought we would be able to get a bigger house for a much smaller price than in Jackson...wrong! The houses are either inexpensive but need a ton of work, or they are way too expensive for the price. Although it is frustrating, I have been praying about it a lot, so I know the right house will come along. If anybody knows of anything available, please give us a call!</div><div>Enough about that, Ben is growing like crazy! I am not sure how much he weighs now, but we will let you know after his appointment next week! I am guessing about 14 pounds or so. I am hoping that we have come through the worst as far as his crying goes; he has been fussy but managable. I guess we know how to deal with it better, which makes it fine! We are also battling the baby acne...yuck! I knew to expect it, but it is so sad when your baby's face turns from soft and pale to bumpy and red overnight! He has had it for about 2 weeks, so hopefully, it will say goodbye before too long! Ben has really started to smile more now, which makes every tough moment well worth while! I'm sure all of the mothers reading this totally understand this. He is also sleeping pretty well at night; he wakes most of the time at 1 and 5 to eat, but that's not bad at all! I really do feel like we are getting to know his personality (fiesty, energetic, inquisitive, playful, independent), so everyday is more and more fun! Here is a brief list of things we have figured out that Ben either loves or dislikes:</div><div>Ben Loves to...</div><div>5.) Be put down anywhere that is warm and cozy when he is really upset. It's like he wants to soothe himself instead of having someone else do it for him!</div><div>4.) Have huge, blow-out diapers! He always gives his biggest, most mischeivious grins after that!</div><div>3.) Take naps laying against my chest (almost to the point where he cannot breathe)</div><div>2.) Sit in his vibrating seat and talk to the purple hippo hangy thing. He has discovered that he can hit it with his hand and make it move, and this makes him very proud.</div><div>1.) Smile at and sit with his daddy! I am sure Brad loves this!</div><div>Ben doesn't like...</div><div>5.) Just sitting around doing nothing; he likes to move around or be put down</div><div>4.) Bedtime, but he only has to have one big fit, and then he is out for the night</div><div>3.) Baths; well, he is getting better, but they still envoke a red, raging face each time.</div><div>2.)I hate to say this but so far, Ben does not do too well at church! We are working on that, and we figure the only way to get better is to keep going each time and get him used to it early!</div><div>1.) Being held when he is in the middle of a good meltdown! I learned my lesson early!</div><div>We are just loving being parents to this awesome little guy, and I still can't believe that he was in my belly just 7 weeks ago! God is wonderful and amazing!</div></div></div>Emily Nielsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209990877244751122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9101922589155622545.post-26849158681258853102009-08-25T19:24:00.000-07:002009-08-25T19:42:21.199-07:00So, We Had a Baby...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijeHoPUauDwu46pE8az9_bb7ct9rRybrq9bkztuTpI2R01zH1LjYGene8wFNvDSm-UoxoqxL4H4-tSnF3i1K97wLnMIcNRdKjU0MRIdvO4KlRQDbCrx25jtB1X8dgxyct52xiv6necej0/s1600-h/August+4+040.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374093359379228706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijeHoPUauDwu46pE8az9_bb7ct9rRybrq9bkztuTpI2R01zH1LjYGene8wFNvDSm-UoxoqxL4H4-tSnF3i1K97wLnMIcNRdKjU0MRIdvO4KlRQDbCrx25jtB1X8dgxyct52xiv6necej0/s320/August+4+040.JPG" border="0" /></a> In the Recovery Room<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDCGs_nloXzqbSdIgmCSqWmebO63gVYYsTXV1NRYqeyuWj0HD9sbPNRqi83uxlULhxvHFOheM8KWej9ghE_g4k6aCAqaV6H0g5OUsxsI0LjnGNq5_uRUJYS00yjm2Zes0wk3iHVRvCqEM/s1600-h/August+4+029.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374093205816860354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDCGs_nloXzqbSdIgmCSqWmebO63gVYYsTXV1NRYqeyuWj0HD9sbPNRqi83uxlULhxvHFOheM8KWej9ghE_g4k6aCAqaV6H0g5OUsxsI0LjnGNq5_uRUJYS00yjm2Zes0wk3iHVRvCqEM/s320/August+4+029.JPG" border="0" /></a> Ben's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">stylin</span>' do<br /><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT05GfyUK4HhH1oQXETXiFohyq02_j2Veh2rOwRmRI2TtoukDDK79kFbvvNaVTIyRUK878dbgv5Uj8Pn3zsoOueMXHb60l93Q29zFBj6ZFN3ATp-yaap6xnXew8QrRs2pPNGgcCUY2f_U/s1600-h/August+4+010.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374093095609710274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT05GfyUK4HhH1oQXETXiFohyq02_j2Veh2rOwRmRI2TtoukDDK79kFbvvNaVTIyRUK878dbgv5Uj8Pn3zsoOueMXHb60l93Q29zFBj6ZFN3ATp-yaap6xnXew8QrRs2pPNGgcCUY2f_U/s320/August+4+010.JPG" border="0" /></a> His first picture...he looks so big!</div><div> </div><div>Well, I guess it's about time I blogged about the fact that we had a precious baby boy August 4<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">th</span>! Needless to say, the past three weeks have been quite a busy blur, but I have loved every minute of it: the good, the bad, and the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">poopie</span>. Ben arrived via c-section at 1:57 pm at Jackson General Hospital! Being as I am rarely sick and have never been a patient in the hospital, I had no idea what to expect going into surgery. I was remarkably calm all morning; we enjoyed hanging out with our parents, Beck and Nana too. My surgery got pushed back from 12 due to an emergency c-section, so we just waited and chatted. I finally went back to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">pre</span>-op room, and that is when I will have to say I began to get a little nervous. I wasn't nervous that anything would go wrong; I just couldn't believe that I was going into this little room and coming out with a baby! What an amazing, crazy thing. The spinal was not fun at all, but I guess that is to be expected. However, I had a great nurse and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">anaesthetist</span> who took care of me the entire time and even made me laugh a lot! I can remember at one point while Dr. Pierce was going in to get Ben, someone mentioned that annoying Phil Collins song "In the Air Tonight." I tossed in the fact that the song is from the "Risky Business" soundtrack. I guess I still have my random trivia skills even while doped up! Anyway, Brad and I talked today about how the moment Ben started crying was an out of body experience for both of us. They brought him around the curtain for me to see him, and I absolutely couldn't believe that he belonged to us and we helped make him! How incredible and beautiful that is. The nurses couldn't get over how big he was and how much dark hair he had! I couldn't believe it either; I never thought I would have a child with hair much less a head full of it! I wake up every day hoping that it has not fallen out:) The rest of the hospital stay was great! The staff of nurses and doctors were the best, and I must say the hospital treatment (i.e. friends visiting, gifts, ice chips/<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">meds</span> at the push of a button) was awesome, and some days, I miss having so many helping hands! The entire experience of the birth of our son was simply perfect, and he has already changed our lives in so many wonderful ways; we can only thank our Lord for sending us this precious gift. Thanks for all of the love, support, and prayers by all of you. I'll keep you updated on Ben's life!<br /><br /><br /></div><div></div></div>Emily Nielsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209990877244751122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9101922589155622545.post-84474589740197552002009-07-30T14:45:00.001-07:002009-07-30T15:02:01.234-07:00Just Waiting...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmmv7m0PDt9S8n0un9VRlbaOsDpXmE1wFsOysO0S-apdVd3Tbn9AgPrdDv_40FiMOGpF0YP2ZD1ZX2BUcZkbOSiPinWEjOPrdH7AqWRDdq3sVpxoVoJB3i0-ykY86rZqh08TPx_XHsf08/s1600-h/034.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364374956555971282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmmv7m0PDt9S8n0un9VRlbaOsDpXmE1wFsOysO0S-apdVd3Tbn9AgPrdDv_40FiMOGpF0YP2ZD1ZX2BUcZkbOSiPinWEjOPrdH7AqWRDdq3sVpxoVoJB3i0-ykY86rZqh08TPx_XHsf08/s320/034.JPG" border="0" /></a> The princess birthday girl!<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIW9XoOTWOOE1ATbwrJ2hivwC-cIkF9d9RxPr9YmvSLMwXbEnGkveM9ZtyEbR8niof_7ke1TiFhKCgbq39xnDfhxOmAy_1l9Vt0yuVT4yOGZS_qV56q-vp8HB4ON8zrVvPVXFYAOgvE5U/s1600-h/019+(2).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364373215948190610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIW9XoOTWOOE1ATbwrJ2hivwC-cIkF9d9RxPr9YmvSLMwXbEnGkveM9ZtyEbR8niof_7ke1TiFhKCgbq39xnDfhxOmAy_1l9Vt0yuVT4yOGZS_qV56q-vp8HB4ON8zrVvPVXFYAOgvE5U/s320/019+(2).JPG" border="0" /></a> Adam and Theresa's first dance!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7wHSmF8vlAyBW8WyEQQbdsf9M80fpzCGFcUsf-UFTsiXf1rCi2R3-ZpDqRZEBYlp02qPCGaqO9PpRLDX_p0whJ_g5r_XsG_I0h2EkLORY5KI4-y33HNBB0eisIjvbuV7Y13-J8_05QGk/s1600-h/012+(2).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364373132875089922" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7wHSmF8vlAyBW8WyEQQbdsf9M80fpzCGFcUsf-UFTsiXf1rCi2R3-ZpDqRZEBYlp02qPCGaqO9PpRLDX_p0whJ_g5r_XsG_I0h2EkLORY5KI4-y33HNBB0eisIjvbuV7Y13-J8_05QGk/s320/012+(2).JPG" border="0" /></a> Ready and waiting!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjydS6Jr5Sy47bhZGjQzKbtTteBCnn3J2CIyeu0o3hMQak2l17OjeJzRJ2TOwcXdC6oEQhldPoA3edG9wFF1igR-B_VOra5M2JXVWYbDs1pnK_OWQDzTnIZnj98draFkIE8REI5SZPCGYA/s1600-h/001+(2).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364372930372097042" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjydS6Jr5Sy47bhZGjQzKbtTteBCnn3J2CIyeu0o3hMQak2l17OjeJzRJ2TOwcXdC6oEQhldPoA3edG9wFF1igR-B_VOra5M2JXVWYbDs1pnK_OWQDzTnIZnj98draFkIE8REI5SZPCGYA/s320/001+(2).JPG" border="0" /></a> Ben's very temporary nursery</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I have not been a very timely blogger lately, so I thought I would catch up on what has been going on lately! I have been doing a whole lot of cleaning, washing, sleeping, and more cleaning! Nesting is a remarkable thing; who knew a big <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">pregnant</span> lady could have so much energy! This past weekend, we were fortunate enough to be able to attend the wedding festivities of Adam and Theresa Warren! I know I had a wonderful time through the whole weekend (well, besides the 95 degree plantation tour on Saturday). The wedding was perfect and beautiful just like the two people being married! I thought for sure I could get Ben to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">hurry</span> up a little by treating everyone to my beautiful, large self dancing all night! Brad and I have not danced in forever, so we really had a great time with Andy, Terrill, Chris, Sarah, Adam, Theresa, and Ashley! ( I'm not sure if I saw Ryan out there or not:)<br />Sunday, we all went to Sarah and Chris's house for Eva Grace's 3rd birthday party! I cannot believe she is already 3! Brad and I met right after she was born. I especially love the fact that Eva Grace wanted a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">broccoli</span> cake! We gave her a "Water Baby" doll that is supposed to feel real when it is filled with water. Chris was not too happy with me because he said she will surely find the hole in the back and have it filled with coke before we know it! (Sorry Chris! You can pay us back soon enough!) We also got to spend some time with Brown, who is looking incredibly big and healthy! He is such a good baby.</div><div>Although the weekend was so much fun, I was absolutely exhausted on Monday! I could have slept all day, and I almost did! My 39 week appointment was at 1:30, so I pretty much slept until 11:30 or so. Dr. Pierce, as expected, said that I am not effaced or dilated at all although Ben's due date is Sunday! If he has not decided to come before Monday, we will do another ultrasound (that makes 4) in order to see how large he is. Last time, he was in the 68<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">th</span> percentile, which isn't too bad. My doctor doesn't induce unless the patient is already 3 or 4 centimeters dilated, so hopefully, we will make a plan based on the ultrasound. I have decided that I don't care how the baby comes out as long as he is healthy!!! Here's hoping for some contractions! (That sounds weird:) <br /><br /></div><br /><div></div></div></div>Emily Nielsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209990877244751122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9101922589155622545.post-67083335613408106812009-06-29T18:08:00.000-07:002009-06-29T18:52:57.025-07:00Shower, Contract, Ultrasound, and Anniversary!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaRfhP2G7nttBulIsEfsYPhPzwvVMZwdLPIcnjv_DmJFmuODadVfUyGUYM2t7Lz5ZRZmVF6qJ2dKIVI64hyphenhyphenocHCjn1FfHhL1aEVAzUwLq80oLaWXOAyQcFQU0peP5RJLhZES1C7NInyBM/s1600-h/embradkiss.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352932291654841874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaRfhP2G7nttBulIsEfsYPhPzwvVMZwdLPIcnjv_DmJFmuODadVfUyGUYM2t7Lz5ZRZmVF6qJ2dKIVI64hyphenhyphenocHCjn1FfHhL1aEVAzUwLq80oLaWXOAyQcFQU0peP5RJLhZES1C7NInyBM/s320/embradkiss.JPG" border="0" /></a> June 30, 2007<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7VElD6g9ni0eFkcPm1HPC7c1hIpiAYZfzmYArjqM96vsCtjgDrwM9AIOqHr65ynHPzluYIBcnw4gMTjyRpiyGnlPxQ2nx4QqfY2k_rWPXj5VNYKkyTYVhTGrO4Aa5nXdJv1ksaa-DQ0/s1600-h/004.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352932139902387506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7VElD6g9ni0eFkcPm1HPC7c1hIpiAYZfzmYArjqM96vsCtjgDrwM9AIOqHr65ynHPzluYIBcnw4gMTjyRpiyGnlPxQ2nx4QqfY2k_rWPXj5VNYKkyTYVhTGrO4Aa5nXdJv1ksaa-DQ0/s320/004.JPG" border="0" /></a> Baby shower at Josh and Cristen's beautiful house<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaWIXCiOjuTbQltZ8burECbquklv_TcTA3pmnuy3fBdaxO82FZgwzbGV0ImXsAwt0ZDZs5LoNwLzx4RdWW6hyz82U-64AjK9LyfTCYlqajhmoNCHNhg1X5G8_MqZTBT9c3xoYqtBbavhc/s1600-h/003.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352932019255119442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaWIXCiOjuTbQltZ8burECbquklv_TcTA3pmnuy3fBdaxO82FZgwzbGV0ImXsAwt0ZDZs5LoNwLzx4RdWW6hyz82U-64AjK9LyfTCYlqajhmoNCHNhg1X5G8_MqZTBT9c3xoYqtBbavhc/s320/003.JPG" border="0" /></a> Love my cake!<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHz3VF2FT29IZadOnTi67MJf9kJbO8Q7YfHAbxKiCpZgyinco-ARtlBbfbxaRno78Qyef8UmORReUN-jH_ToiZijuXva6TP2yaxifAy8oUP2Lrqd12nLPa4BQYiUPStCnKZ9K8KNu42Ak/s1600-h/ben.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352931904015883170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHz3VF2FT29IZadOnTi67MJf9kJbO8Q7YfHAbxKiCpZgyinco-ARtlBbfbxaRno78Qyef8UmORReUN-jH_ToiZijuXva6TP2yaxifAy8oUP2Lrqd12nLPa4BQYiUPStCnKZ9K8KNu42Ak/s320/ben.JPG" border="0" /></a> Ben at 35 weeks; his profile is to the left and his hand is in his face.<br /><div>Brad and I are very excited to be celebrating two years of marital bliss tomorrow. It is so crazy how it seems like I have known and been married to Brad forever, but then again, it seems like only yesterday we met at Ashley and Ryan's Halloween party. (Thanks again, Ash). Since Brad is in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Murfreesboro</span> for his final week of State Farm agent training, I am going to join him tomorrow for the rest of the week; It should be a lot of fun! I am ready to meet these "fraternity brothers" (as I call them) friends of Brad's. Before I head to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Mboro</span>, I am planning on stopping by Spring Hill for a visit with sweet Brown and Eva Grace!</div><div> </div><div>Great news but a little bitter-sweet too; we got a contract on our house on Saturday! This is really a blessing because we <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">definately</span> don't want to be making two house payments if Brad gets the call to go to where his new agency will be. So...I guess around the middle of August, we will be moving to my grandmothers house in East Nashville (she doesn't live there anymore). I am nervous but very excited for what the future holds. I can hardly think of the good friends I have made here in Jackson without getting sad, but I know they will stay in my life forever.</div><div> </div><div>Speaking of my good friends, I was given another lovely baby shower on Saturday at one of my best friends Cristen's house. She planned everything perfectly, as she always does! She also made me the most precious handmade burp cloths ever! I had 9 hostesses for the day, and I appreciated all of their hard work; it was a great day!</div><br /><div>Finally, I went for my big ultrasound appointment today, and I am glad to report that everything seems to be right on schedule! I got to see Ben's 10 little fingers and 10 little toes, his wonderful heart, and his sweet, sweet face (which looks just like Brad). I just can't wait to meet our little man. The doctor had originally thought he was huge, but he is around 6 and 1/2 lbs., which is in the 65<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">th</span> percentile for weight at this week of development (a little larger than average). Although several of my friends are taking the under on whether I'll deliver early or late, I still think he will stay in their for the entire time (or at least I hope since I bought a dress for Adam and Theresa's wedding today). It is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">definatly</span> going to be a hectic rest of the summer and fall with new baby, moving, and resettling for a little while in Nashville. I'm just going to keep praying that God sends us where he wants us to be!<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div>Emily Nielsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209990877244751122noreply@blogger.com1