The I Want Another Baby Challenge

I WANT ANOTHER BABY!!!

More than anything else in the whole world, this year for Christmas I want another baby. :) We do encounter a few problems, however. This weekend we move into a new... old... house. It was built around 1920 and has been added onto... poorly :(... a few times since then. Yikes. It's going to take a lot of work and, consequently, a lot of money. Furthermore, I'm finishing up the last year of my Masters in Education program through Montana State University, so I am effectively unemployed, and my handsome and charming husband is in the process of transitioning between careers- from 82nd Airborne Infantry Paratrooper with the US Army to

Riverton, WY Police Department Officer. (I'm so proud of him and all he does). To make a long

story short, our finances are up in the air, which may not be an ideal situation to add a new baby to.

(My already existing and already perfect not-so-little baby in his bath tub.)

I do have a plan, however. It's not as much a plan as a challenge. I am challenging myself to find ways for my family to live well on less. If I can find ways to cut our expenses while maintaining a good standard of living for my family, we can feasibly have another baby. Which for me, as you might suppose, is a FANTASTIC incentive.

(My not so teenie-tiny baby when he was slightly teenie-tinier.)

Over the next weeks and months I will be actively seeking out ways to cut costs without dramatically cutting our lifestyle. If anyone has any suggestions to add, please give your input!

My 14 Day Challenge: No Spending Money

I admit to having a problem. As with many other Americans, when I'm feeling down, or lonely, or bored, or stress, or... or... (fill in the blank with almost anything) I turn to a little thing called

Retail Therapy

for comfort.

This not only does not cure my emotional ailment, but it leaves my bank account drained and me more stressed because our finances are tight!

Today is day one of my 14 day challenge to not spend money. The only items I am allowed to purchase during this time are milk, eggs, and fuel. Everything else is out of the question.

The Simple Dollar is a good financial resource for those of us who are not Wall Street geniuses. Check out their article How to Feel Happier About Not Spending Money for some inspiration of your own.

A Manly Venture

Moving into this little Wyoming farmhouse with nothing has been an adventure of its own.

Finding things to furnish it with (as all of our things are currently in storage in NC) has been a whole different challenge. Thanks to family, we have what we need (there's a big difference between need and want), but we have been left w

ith some blanks to fill in.

This house is so small, storage is a big problem, and any bit of clutter in the small space is enough to drive me mad.

The problem?:

1. A rodeo of toddler toys around the house and no place to corral them.

2. Finding a toy box fit for my little man who is all boy.

The solution?:

A box that says

HIGH EXPLOSIVES

DANGEROUS

What little boy wouldn't want that warning stamped on one of his possessions?!

I found this old Dupont Explosives box at a flea market in Riverton, WY for $25.

It... needed some work, however.

The box was covered in grime... I don't know what it was, but it was definitely oil based... and hopefully non-toxic... (yikes!)

Tsh Oxenreider at SimpleMom to the rescue!

Using an all natural cleaning solution from her e-book, Spring Cleaning for Normal People, I was able to get the grime (mostly) off. Some needed to be left behind for character, of course.

During my post-purchase glee, I called my mom only to find out that we are connected to this chest in an even deeper way. Come to find out, the Dupont's were close friends of my great grandfathers! I love history.

Photography By Sarah

Bethany and I took our precious ones to Valley City, ND this week to have pictures taken by one of Bethany's former nursing students, Sarah Hansen. She does a wonderful job, our children, however, conspired to not cooperate in the least. She is still working on our pictures, but here is a sneak preview of a few so far at Photo By Sarah.

Madelyn and Killian, of course, would not go near each other so (sorry Mama) we didn't get any pictures of the two together. The only one she did catch looks like Maddy is strangling Killian. :) I'm anxious to see the rest of the pictures!

13.1

I've been MIA for a while... but for good reason. We moved into a new house, I've had some job drama, and now I'm in North Dakota with my sister. We ran the Fargo Half Marathon (hence the 13.1- which is how many miles a half marathon is) this past Saturday www.fargomarathon.com. We survived. That's about it- survived. Bethany finished in 2:07 (she is so competitive, of course she had to finish first :) ) and I finished just behind her in 2:08. We'll be here visiting for a week. We're having professional pictures taken of our kiddos, Madelyn and Killian, Wednesday- pictures will definitely be posted. Soon we'll be back to life in WY... with more projects and improvements.

The Marathon... but I don't know who this guy is. Hope he had fun!

http://www.webzervice.com/gallery1/albums/2010-Fargo-Marathon/Fargo_Race_011.sized.jpg

My First Project: Madelyn's Birthday Tutu

This is my niece Madelyn. She is turning 2 this month. She is probably the cutest little girl bug in the world (because of course Killian is the cutest little boy :)). While my son is ALL boy (not a gentle bone in his little body), Maddy is ALL girl. A teeny tiny little diva. So I thought and thought about what would be a fitting birthday present for a tiny little diva. The logical conclusion.... a tutu! But it can't just be any old tutu. It has to be something magnificent and a little bit edgy- worthy of a little princess.

The answer: bright colors and animal print. These are my supplies for the project. I rounded them up at the one and only Hobby Lobby.

We'll see how it turns out as the days pass.

If anyone has any suggestions please let me know!