{Good deal for all you local moms}

If you've known me long, you know I'm a pretty cheap frugal gal. If I find something I like, I usually watch it like a hawk for weeks until it goes on sale. I'm the mom that you've seen on Good Morning America that uses tons of coupons and when I leave the store they pay me. Yep, that's me. Ask my mom or Dusty, by the way it drives him CRAZY. Anywho, here is a good deal I'd like to pass along to the Levelland moms. Walmart has these youth Walls overalls on clearance. We looked at them about 2 weeks ago and they were 50% off but when I strolled through the other day they are $10 so I snagged some up for Brier. Normally they are $30-40 in season. They are in the boys section. Size 4-5 is the smallest they have. Just thought I'd share.

{Changes numbero dos}

Wow, this blog changes is giving me a run for my money. I thought I'd just be able to go in the edit the code a bit and poof it would be done but it hasn't been that easy. I don't think I'm dumb in this area (I'm not brilliant either) but I have a degree in it and it is what I do for a living so you'd think I could wiggle my nose and it'd be done. Anyways, the blog changes are a work in progress still. Hopefully you will see some new changes the next few times you visit.

So on to the changes in our lives. I'm sure most of you have heard this through the never-ending grapevine already but I wanted to officially tell everyone here. So no one would think me and Dusty are separated. Which really we are but just by miles not by heart.

At the first of February, Patterson UTI (who he left in Dec), called Dusty and asked him to come back to work for them. Dusty had already been hearing through the grapevine that they were going to so this wasn't a shock to us. They offered him a promotion. He would be a pusher which is equivalent to a manager with a regular company. This position equaled better money, better benefits, and yada yada. Dusty wasn't really happy with his new job anyways but the catch for this new position was it would either be in Weatherford, Tyler, Grand Junction, CO, or Midland. So that week we decided we talked, prayed, fought, cried, and lost a lot of sleep, but we decided that this was a great opportunity and it would be best for our family if he took it. So he let them know we were willing to go. Anywhere but CO, I put my foot down on that. Texas is big enough that we can stay here. So we waited, waited, and waited some more until Dusty was told to go to Midland. Which makes our moms really happy. :) There is still a possibilitiy he will be transferred to one of the other locations in the next few month when the company gets through a bit of reorganization.

I am happy for Dusty. It is a much deserved promotion. All his hard work of months away from us, sleeping in his pickup some nights in Snyder because he was too tired to drive home 2 hours, sleep 4 and then drive back 2, and his 90 hour weeks have paid off.

For now, this is home for him and for me and the kid on the weekends.Me and the kids are staying in good 'ole Leveldirt for now. Since there is still a chance he will be transferred there is no since in all of us moving and then moving again in a few month. Also, I like my job and I'm not ready to give it up just yet and with both of us working for now we can knock out some debt so we can live comfortably when we move and I'm not working.

So now you know. Its not earth shattering news for anyone else. I know most people have their own lives to worry about but for us it is a big deal because I've lived in this little town my whole life. As dumpy as it might be I still like it. Probably because all my family is here.

Changes

Update: Changes happened yesterday but it was mostly in plans and not on this blog. I ran around crazy all weekend, seriously. Sorry, I will try to get everything done by tomorrow but if I was you I wouldn't hold your breath.

Changes are a comin' Monday, some to this blog some to our lives. Some are much need some aren't. Check back soon for a new blog to dazzle you. I hope.

To share or not to share

I know most people want to come to my blog to see fun pictures of the kids doing things and everyone looking at the camera smiling. I have been feeling pretty down the last 2 weeks. It wasn't just one thing but a combination between not being able to get the house picked up and cleaned, the laundry done, Brier being sick, me not feeling up to par, dropping the ball on getting Brier signed up for t-ball, Dusty's job situation up in the air. I just haven't felt like I'm measuring up as a mom. And I could sit here and write about all the great things going on in our lives because they're plenty of them but sometimes it is okay to write about how sometime life isn't what it is in a magazine or on TV, sometimes being a mom and keeping it all together is hard, dang hard. And I think other moms should realize that we don't have to pretend it is all a fantasy (like we thought) all the time.

With that being said sometimes it is fun, lots of fun. Like last night. I've been wanting to take the kids to open jump night at Jump N Jungle for awhile but sickness or work has gotten in the way. Last night we gathered up and headed over there and we jumped and hit the slide until our hearts were content. I took my camera but you know what, I decided it was fun just to play without having a camera stuck in your face. We had fun and I didn't care that there was laundry to fold, dishes to wash and a floor that needs mopping at home, and it was good for the soul. It is easy to to get wrapped up in the whole "being a good mom" thing and forget what "being a good mom" really is about.

Then today my friend Holly sent me this blog, it is sad. If you don't feel like reading something sad. Just pray for this little girl, Layla Grace, to have peace now and her pain to be over with. But reading this blog today made me realize I need to stop and smell my kids neck after a bath and snuggle up to them a little more when they want to. I've realized to enjoy these days because they pass to quickly.

If you want to read her blog, click here. http://laylagrace.org
Make sure you scroll down and read the post Sleep, Valentines, and Regrets. It will make you stop and think.

1 smart cookie

No foolin' Baylor. She knows what is the good stuff.


How do they learn this stuff so fast? If you can't tell, she ate all the cream out of the middle of these Oreos and left the other part. She didn't learn it from me because I quit eating Oreos a long time ago when I figured out I couldn't eat just one.

A bath for the kiddos

For almost 7 years me and Dusty enjoyed the luxury of separate bathrooms but that meant I was sharing one with the kids. One day I finally realized that he was spending 90% of the time in Pennsylvania anyways so it was silly for the kids and me to all be using onr bathroom. So I made up my mind that I was going to whip up a cute kids bathroom during a long weekend. That was 8 months ago. I've just about finished it. I'd like to add a few more thing but I think B&B really like their kid-friendly bath. Here are the before and afters.

BEFORE

Brier all ready to help me

This is what started it all. We had to get a new light fixture because our old one quit working. When we took it down there was a huge hole in the wall that the new style fixtures would cover up so that meant we'd (I) have to patch it and paint.

I was going to go with a jungle theme with green walls, but it was horrible. 1. it was radioactive I think. Seriously, when you closed the door there was a green glow coming from under it. 2. it wasn't very good paint you can see the brush marks on the wall, it was after 3 coats.

You can see in these pictures where we were trying to pick another color. The picture above is where Brier painted the wall.

AFTER

I wasn't planning on getting a new mirror but I broke the other one taking it down to paint. What's 7 more years of bad luck?

Happy Birthday Baylor

Man, time flies when you are having fun. It is hard to believe Baylor is 2. Just doesn't seem possible. She's is starting to lose her baby face and get her big girl look. Makes me a little sad :( But we had one shindig to celebrate. I told someone yesterday I know she won't but I wish she could remember this in 20 years. Then later on I started thinking about it and thought, I know I probably won't but I wish I could remember this in 20 years. It was so much fun to have have all our families there to help us celebrate, she is one spoiled blessed girl.













Happy Birthday sweet baby girl!