Wish us some baby dust!

So here we are.

Trying to conceive baby #2.

Ben and I decided this a few nights ago that it is a good time!

When we found out that my Dad can put me on his health insurance, we both said aloud together...time for another baby! :)

Back in the beginning of February I had a miscarriage, he/she would've been due in September. 

We have name him/her our little Ember. :)

Now after almost 4 months, we are ready to get serious about this. We haven't been on birth control anyway, but now we are actually taking about it and letting people know.

Before I conceived Ember in December Ben and I already discussed waiting until November of 2012. So when #2 was born Josiah would be 2 1/2 years old, hopefully potty trained by then.

Then when I found out I was pregnant in January, we were both very surprised and didn't expect it. We were happy but a little scared because we weren't ready, this baby was going to come 10 months earlier than planned. By fall of next year we would have been a more financially stable. I don't regret getting pregnant, and I don't regret going through what I went through. It was painful, but I'm a stronger, wiser person. Now I can't wait for our next chapter in life!

It's still a little early, but now we have a new goal. To get pregnant before November. We will see what God has in store for us. These next several months are going to be challenging yet exciting. I'm not going to be one of those people that freak out and think that I'm pregnant just because of a simple symptom, or take a hpt before my period even starts. We are taking it one day at a time and enjoying our lives together. I do know when I ovulate, the woman's body is a very complex wonderful thing. But I'm not focusing on that, we are just focusing on having fun and although some around us are pressuring it, they don't know the true story and I just have to politely smile and tell them, "We are trying but right now it's all in God's hands". Don't like the answer? Well tough, I don't like it either. But it's true and that's the only answer that I can think of. He will bless us at the right time, we just don't know when that is. 

So, this post is just updating you all about our lives.

Hopefully soon we can announce our Rainbow baby!

Thanks for reading.

-Jess

Good Tuesday

Skimping by...

That's what we have been doing these last few weeks.

But it's been good!

Why?

It makes me think about what I could do to help my family save more money.

Yesterday, we didn't leave Costco unless I had the coupon for toilet paper and liquid dish soap.

Good thing they still had coupons up at the front cause we probably would've been using disposable baby wipes(which we still have left over from 6 months ago)when we run out of toilet paper till I got paid on the 7th...of June. 

It was only a $2 coupon, but still, every dollar counts!

I've been slowly becoming an annoying wife like that and I think that Ben has a hate-love relationship with it.

Let me just say that no, we aren't starving, we just aren't using our credit cards anymore and we still haven't quite wised up with our money spending yet. :/ 

So we left Costco and went to Walmart, I still had $17 left over in cash. Just enough to buy dishwasher detergent which I had enough left at home for 1 more wash. I guess that we could have went without it and I could have washed everything by hand...hmmm, no, I don't think so.

My childhood years are over and I am done doing EVERYTHING by hand that I don't have too. I love my dishwasher, and I love the fact that it cuts my chore in half so that I have more time to spend playing with my son.

Well, the dishwasher detergent was more than I wanted to spend at Walmart, plus, I still needed to get ingredients for laundry soap. I was nearly out of that to with only maybe 3 washes left. I almost had to choose whether I wanted clean laundry or if I wanted to wash dishes by hand. Obviously I would've chosen the dishes. :/

BUT, I remember I had a pin on Pinterest that had a homemade dishwasher detergent recipe using almost the same ingredients as my laundry detergent. Double bonus!!! 

I'll let you all know how that turns out.

So we were able to get everything that we needed yesterday for under $50!

Oh yeah, and in case you didn't know, last night at around 8 or so, Ben was browsing Craigslist and found a queen size bed with a wood frame and box springs for FREE! Usually we turned away quickly with a deal like that because most the time the contents are nasty about 90% if it is free. But we both noticed that the home where the picture was taken was clean. So we took a chance to contact the person who was getting rid of it. Not even 10 minutes later we get a call, it was still available and we can pick it up tonight! Awesome, so we make our way over there and the house was adorable on the outside, the guy showed us the bed and frame. Much to my surprise it was in great condition, it was clean, I inspected for bedbugs and the house smelled of lavender. While I was searching I was thinking the whole time trying to figure out why they are getting rid of it and for free. 

Turns out they were getting a new bed set and Ben caught a glance at the mans shirt indicating that he works at a mattress store. I was super excited to get our new found treasures into Ben's truck, the guy was nice enough to help us haul the mattress and box spring. I love the wood frame, I love that instead of stubbing my toe on metal I will be stubbing my toe on wood! 

This is a big deal, really!

To top it off I had a cute video I got an adorable video of Josiah.

I love this kid. :)

Well, that was my good day.

Hidden blessings from places I could not imagine in our life. 

-Jess

Food Reviews

Pinspired Recipes

This is it! I'm going down the list of my Pinterest Food board!

It desperately needs some attention and I'm baking/cooking and reviewing each one just for you(and myself). 

:)

OK so I totally made these Glazed Doughnut Muffins and they are delish!

It's lighter than a muffin but a little denser than a doughnut, so it's right in between. So yummy! You can change it up a little by adding some lemon zest and lemon juice to the icing mixture, that might give it a little kick! 

If you are craving something sweet, give them a try! 

Also...

I made these Oven Baked Parmesan Seasoned Fries for a late night snack with the movie Immortals Ben and I were watching last night. 

They were pretty good but I think that they would've been tastier(and healthier) if I would've used sweet potatoes. 

I swear if you did that they would taste exactly like Venties sweet potato fries. 

The seasoning is pretty darn close

Next time I'll definitely give that a try!

Thursday

Whew!

Well, I've been busy lately, I feel awful for not keeping up on my blog posts. :/
First I had my birthday going on a couple weeks ago.
Then, it has been super nice outside, so my son and I have been having a blast outside in the sun.
Also, when Ben has a day off it's a huge treat! He has been working a ton at his store, at another company store, filling out applications, doing work for his dad, working at the church, etc...

I myself have been really laying low too, like...
being unintentionally on time(we're usually a little early) to church.
leaving as soon as church is over(we usually hang around and talk)
Josiah naps and I'm napping(not cleaning like normal)
When Josiah is awake we go to the library or the park if it's nice
Cooking a lot more at home(which is good cause we are trying to save money)
Staying at home more so that we don't spend money that we don't have

Anyway, the list goes on and on.
On May 19th I'm going back to work every Saturday.
My Grandparents are coming to town next week, I only get to see them every other year and they are the only ones that I know. They'll be here most the summer.
In June I'll be at Seaside one week then another week I'll be on a anniversary vacation with the hubby and we are planning on going camping another week.
June will be busy!
Hopefully August will be more laid back.

So my friends, if it seems like I have been avoiding you, I'm not, I promise.
I still love you all and I miss hanging out and having my girl time.

Love,
Jess

Good Birthday

Yesterday was my birthday, I am 24 years old now! Seems like the older I get the more I don't care what I do on my birthday. My son's birthdays are ones that I look forward too now.

Usually we would do a little pizza party at Walery's or something along those lines, but this time I just wanted a low key day. The day started off just like any other day, with the exception of all the birthday wishes.
Ben worked until 5, so I knew that we weren't going to do anything extravagant, which was just fine with me!
He ended up coming home about an hour early, then he left to take care of a few "things". Came back around 6 or so with a beautiful bouquet of my favorite flowers(stargazer lilies). My sister was able to watch Josiah with the help of my Mom. I love having family around to help take care of my little man.
We went up to Portland, shopped around a little at the Clackamas Mall, then we went to eat at Stanford Restaurant Grill in the area. Good place to eat btw! I always love to try new restaurants and this was one of the good ones.
After that we made our way back over to Salem and on our way stopped at Bridgeport and watched 5 Year Engagement which was hilarious! Rated R movie because of the very crude humor but overall super funny. Probably the funniest one that I've seen in awhile which was great for me.
After the movie it was time to go home, we didn't get home till 2am and I was super tired for church this morning. But that was totally OK, I had a great night.

Oh, yeah, I also wanted to point out that the last 3 1/2 weeks I have lost 8 pounds! Yay!

I decided that it was time to get back into a healthier lifestyle and so far it's been good. I haven't been doing anything extreme like working out every day or super dieting 

Just a few simple things like cutting out soda, white foods, and sweets. I'll probably do a more detail summary of what I have done. 8 lbs may not seem like much, but for me it's HUGE. Being a SAHM can really add some pounds to you especially if you don't have the motivation or desire to do so. Also, having a husband working at a fast food joint doesn't help either. :) I'm really excited to get back down to my goal weight before I got married. I want to be confident about my body again and look smokin! lol.

Love, Jess

Grovia Fluff Mail Haul

I love getting fluff mail (a.k.a cloth diaper mail). To me it's like a shopping spree at home! I bought two new Grovia One Size AIO's that were for $30. Normally I wouldn't spend $15 a diaper, but the prints were soooo cute! I couldn't resist!

Owls!

(Excuse the water rings) ;)

 Airplanes!

Who doesn't like airplanes on a little boy?

AIO with snap in soaker pad 

Made with organic cotton-which, btw, is super soft.

I love the blue stretchy tab sides

For being AIO's, they fit better than most.. Others that I have tried don't fit as well and these are the winner! Are there any new diapers that you have bought recently? How are they working out for you and your baby?

Love, Jess

Savings with Laundry Soap

If you are a fan of Pinterest you should know by now all the recipes that are offered to make homemade laundry soap. The one I use is on the Duggars website. With a drooling messy toddler my laundry load has doubled and so has the stains on the laundry. 
This soap works and although my cloths don't come out smelling like a perfume factory, I have fresh clean cloths for cheap!

How much am I actually saving? 

So I do about 6 loads of laundry a week, sometimes this changes depending on what is going on that week. Also, this does not count my diaper laundry (I use a separate detergent for that)

I wash my sheets once a week and Ben's greasy work clothes twice a week. Everything else is regular wash.

Time to do some math here-

If I were to buy laundry soap I would use...

Walmart - All Free&Clear: $11.97 for 96 loads-4 months
Estimated amount for Homemade laundry soap: $2.00 per batch 3-4 months

By-the-way each batch is about 10 gallons.

I use a little under a cup per load. I can't give you an exact estimate but if you think about it you are still paying less!

Savings:  $30 per year!

This factor could change if you use a different detergent with different prices and such, so you could actually be saving more than you may think.

The savings would increase if I had a HE washer, and with plans of having another baby that's even more of a savings. Like I said, there are many different kinds of ways to make your own laundry detergent, this is just what works for us Barrows'.


Research, take a look out there, try different ones to fit your life style. I'll be posting a video on this soon so that maybe you can get a better idea of how to DIY!

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned!

Love, Jess