bailey dates :)

Mylin gets to enjoy lots of fun dates with her friend and neighbor, Bailey :)
Eme enjoys these dates too!


Joel and I get to trade dates with Bailey's parents
Last night we had Bailey over
I had just returned home from my counseling internship, and Joel wasn't expected home for 20 more minutes - so I just sat in front of these beauties eating a snack!
I was too afraid to get them out and try to handle it myself in case they both got mad!

Miraculously, when Joel had our delicious dinner all ready, Bailey and Mylin both fell asleep!
They slept for 30 minutes - allowing us to eat and clean up
P.S. this never happens to us during dinnertime with just one baby....

a bundle of fun

I should have posted these long ago :)
They are from when she was 12 weeks old - now she's 16!

Kissing these chubby cheeks each morning is the best part of our lives :)

simplification

i am starting a quest to simplify my life
i desire to become more patient, more focused on Christ's work in my life, more focused on my husband and daughter and my roles as a wife and mother, more laid-back, more cheerful, more loving, more humble, more disciplined, and more organized
here are a few of my ideas on how to accomplish these goals (or at least work towards them)
1. deactivate my facebook account (DONE! as of today)
2. watch less t.v. (basically narrow it to my thursday night of grey's anatomy - my weekly 'me' time, and then our Netflix movies and shows we get twice a week or have access to online)
3. spend time daily reading Scripture (how many times have we ALL made this a resolution?!)
4. focus on Mylin when she is awake (don't text, don't always watch a will&grace episode, don't change the laundry and wash the dishes...)
5. spend time talking to and listening to Joel every day without Mylin (its amazing how infrequently this happens!
6. have a date with Joel every other week (going out or staying in, without the baby!)
7. surround myself with Christian women and couples (to challenge me and keep me accountable)
8. complete graduate school!
9. spend time exercising 3+ times a week
10. get up at 6 a.m. (or earlier) most days (for chores, getting ready before Mylin is up, and some time with Joel to begin our day)

ok these were just off the top of my head and in no particular order
it helps me to have a list written down, and to tell others so I can be kept accountable
i have one goal complete! and nine more stated...probably many more to come!

what goals have you all set in your lives lately?
which ones have you accomplished?!

crockpot chili

i am not one for 'following' a recipe or 'measuring' ingredients

this is why i love crockpot cooking - cause you don't really have to do either of those things!

i make it different every time...i know some amounts of what i put in, and some i have no clue :)
1 lb ground turkey seasoned with chili powder while cooking
1 lb hamburger
(ended up NOT being able to fit a 3rd lb - sausage, b/c the crockpot was nearly overflowing!)
1 large can diced tomatoes
emptied a leftover jar of chili sauce that was in the fridge
2 cans hot chili beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 green pepper pureed
1 med. onion pureed
5 jalepenos from our garden pureed
1 package of mushrooms chopped
a lot of corn off the cob pulled from our freezer stock
a lot of garlic (we always use a lot of garlic - yum!)
onion salt
garlic salt
pepper
cumin
cinnamon
brown sugar

i might have forgotten something...but you can't really go wrong with chili!




one of the best parts about crockpot cooking? especially with chili? crockpot liners :)

$ saver ideas

2010 has brought on a LOT of changes for us!
These family changes required us to make some life changes in order to rearrange our budget

These are some ways we've figured out how to save $ in the Draper household:

We got rid of satellite on our t.v. (now we 'enjoy' the farmer 5)
I cut both Joel's and Eme's hair...yes, with the same pair of shears :)
Joel rides his bike to work on every day he can
I carpool to HU with a neighbor who is in my program
We began a garden this year to grow some of our own veggies (sidenote: this got WAY out of control...I'd venture to guess we have been the owners of well over a thousand tomatoes this year...)
Joel has learned how to fix/replace some of our car parts and problems to save on labor costs at a mechanic
I borrowed about half of my maternity wardrobe from a sister-in-law, another sister-in-law, and close girlfriends
We got as much hand-me-down furniture and clothes for Mylin as possible, from my brother's families (cradle, crib, pack-n-play, 0-18 mo girl clothes)
I also tried my hand at making baby food (um, way easy!) and made over 50 containers this summer
We keep our house warm in the summer and cool in the winter to cut down electricity costs
And we elected not to get any extra tests with and for Mylin in preparation for her birth

While we have had an expensive year with pregnancy, a surprise c-section, and graduate school, we hope that what we have put in place and continue to change will keep us afloat, financially!

Do you have any tips for us?
How have YOU saved money this year?!