My one and only Black Friday Deal.... but it was a good one!!

The mere thought of taking Caleb out at 4 or 5 in the morning for his first Black Friday made me cringe! As crazy as I am about finding a great deal, I simply couldn't bear the thought of taking him out. He probably would have been fine, but I didn't want to take a chance! Not to mention, we didn't get home from Emporia until 12:30, so he would have been very grumpy...

BUT.... as I was looking through the grocery ads for this weekend, I stumbled upon a deal that I simply could not overlook! I have been keeping a nice stash of diaper coupons, just waiting for the perfect sale to come along. Today, it did and I have no more diaper coupons left!! So here's how my deal went.... Hy-Vee had Huggie's diapers for $5.99 per package (10-50 count). I didn't want to drive all the way to Hy-Vee, so I went to Walmart, where I found that these packages of diapers normally cost $8.93. So, I price matched the diapers to $5.99, then used the coupons that I had. I used 4 $3 off coupons and 13 $2 off coupons... I ended up purchasing 17 packages of diapers.

Walmart price- $8.93 x 17= $151.83
Hy-Vee price-$5.99 x 17=$101.83
Value of 17 coupons-$38.... so $101.83-$38=$63.83 for 17 packages of diapers...
Which comes to $3.75 per package!! WOW!!!!



As I was standing and looking at the diapers, I was contemplating how many packages I should buy... A woman and her husband came up to get diapers and I explained to them the deal and gave them some coupons, then I gave some coupons to the assistant manager who had to come over and approve my excessive price matching!

Even as I write this post, I wonder if I should have purchased more?? Unfortunately the Hy-Vee ad is only good for Friday, so this deal won't work tomorrow...

Anywhoo...that's my 2009 Black Friday deal! I think it was worth it. I didn't have to wait in any lines or get up entirely too early in the morning! In fact, I didn't go to Walmart until 7:30 pm, and it was pretty quiet!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I'm thankful for diapers that should last me through the next few months!

P.S. A special thanks to my mom who printed out over 20 $2/1 Huggies coupons!! :-) It really paid off! I love you!

6 weeks...

Time has absolutely flown by! Caleb is 6 weeks old today!! I went to a breast feeding support group and weighed him and he weighs 11 lbs. 14 oz.! Last week he weighed 10 lbs. 13 oz... so he's growing quickly! He's totally out-grown his newborn stuff and most of his 0-3 and 3 month stuff...we've moved on to 3-6 month outfits and they are a little big, but not too much! Here are some 6 week pictures... Enjoy! :-)

I'm getting tired!...

I'm sleepin'...

Great-Grandma and I are best buds....

A four generation picture...

A whirlwind...1 month and 1 week later!

I feel awful! I never intended for a month and a week to go by without introducing our little boy!! Thankfully, most of you are mothers too and understand what a new mother goes through...I never had any idea of the amount of work and time that I would be spending taking care of our new little guy... without further delay:

Jeff and I are excited and proud to welcome

Caleb Andrew Widener

to the family!
Born: Sept. 9, 2009 (9-9-09)

Weight: 8 lbs. 7.5 oz.

Length: 19 1/2 inches

Time: 12:41 pm

C-section babies sure are pretty, aren't they!? :-)

Week 1: I'm so thankful that Jeff took this first week at home off from work. I would never have made it without him! When Caleb left the hospital his weight was down to 7 lbs. 11 oz., so I was pumping and we were feeding him with a tube and a syringe while he was breastfeeding. It worked very well, because when we went to our 1 week appt. he was back to 8 lbs. 2 oz. and we quit tube feeding. I know Jeff is thankful that we were able to quit tube feeding because it was a two person job at each feeding and he was getting worn out! Here are some pictures of Caleb at 1 week...

Week 2: This week my mom and my grandma came and spent the week with Caleb and me. The house got a major cleaning and my grandma spent some precious time with Caleb. They took morning and afternoon naps together as she snuggled with him. Jeff went back to work and life started to resemble something of normal... Caleb started to get the hang of breastfeeding, but we started giving him a bottle of breastmilk during the night, just so I knew how much he was eating and to make sure that he had enough to eat. Also, this helped me get a little more sleep...he seemed to eat better from the bottle than from me! Week 2 pictures of Caleb...

Week 3: This week was our first week by ourselves! I was pretty nervous, but it went well! On Monday, we ventured to Sam's Club to get a few things and since things went so well at Sam's, we stopped at Walmart too! On Tuesday, we slept most of the day! I think we did too much and wore ourselves out! Here are a couple of week 3 pictures...

4 days to go! (and 39 week pics)

So some of you have wondered why I got scheduled for a C-section on Wed., so I thought I'd let ya know...

First, I have gestational diabetes, which can cause baby to be pretty large. At our last sonogram (about 2 1/2 weeks ago) baby was measuring 7 1/2 pounds. Since babies tend to grow at about 1/2 pound per week, baby is theoretically at 8 1/2 pounds right now. If we wait for my due date, we're potentially looking at a 9-9 1/2 pounder... not my idea of a good time!

Second, I've been checked the last three weeks and baby has not moved down at all. Baby is still very high and I'm just at a 1. Because of the diabetes, my dr. won't let me go over my due date, so we had to make some decisions. The plan is this... I'm going to my regular appt. on Tues. and Dr. will check me again. If things are the same as they are now and there has not been significant changes, then we will have the c-section as scheduled on Wed. at noon... if I have changed a lot, then we can cancel the c-section and do an induction instead. I'm very comfortable with both of these options and am really just ready to hold my little one!

Anyway, I hope this helps explain it a little bit...I still have until Wed. to go into labor on my own, which would be fantastic! Today was my last day at work, which works out well, since Mon. is Labor Day... Here are a couple of pictures of me at almost 39 weeks (mostly so I can remember what I looked like!)...

34 1/2 week sonogram pictures and 2 NEW deals!! (One new deal added...)

I'm gonna try to keep it short and sweet! I had a sonogram on Tuesday to see how big baby is at this point. I'm 34 1/2 weeks, but baby was measuring 36 1/2 weeks and about 6 lbs. 8 oz!! I understand, though, that the sonogram machines can be off, so that's what I'm hoping for! My doctor did say that baby is growing very quickly and is large, so I'll have either a non-stress test or a sonogram each week until baby is born. Here are some pictures! Enjoy!! P.S. Jeff guesses that I'll go about another 3 weeks! I LOVE his optimism! :-)

Side profile of baby's face with LOTS of hair!!

Look really carefully... can you see lips, nose and chin??

Little baby feet!!

NEW DEALS!!!!

I did a couple of deals yesterday at Target and Office Max that just made my day!!! I'm so excited to share them!

This was at Office Max... before coupons, sales, and deals, my total came to just over $35... I PAID 99 CENTS!!! The Expo markers were B1G1 for 1 cent and I had coupons to stack with them... the Sharpies were 1 cent each with a coupon.... and I received a $10 reward card in the mail just for signing up for a MaxPerks card for teachers!! Very cool!

Here is my Target deal for the week!! I bought...

10 packages of Sharpie Highlighters

2 packages of stickers

2 Healthy Choice meals

2 packages of Poptarts

1 clear nail polish

1 L'Oreal kids shampoo

Before coupons my total came to around $30....after coupons, I spent $4.27!!! Whew... I'm heading to Walgreens this morning to see what I can find!! We'll see how it goes!!

UPDATE: Walgreens shopping trip!

I ran to Walgreens this morning... total before coupons and such: $42 and some change... Here's what I got!

1 bottle Dawn dish soap

4 bottles Pert Plus shampoo

2 cans Pringles

2 tubes Crest

2 Oral B toothbrushes

2 72ct. Huggies wipes

3 Sure Men's AP/Deo

1 L'Oreal lipstick

1 bottle aspirin

Total after coupons and RR's: $16, plus I got a $5 RR, so really only $11!! WooHoo!!

Now it's naptime! :-)

CVS and Target Deals!!

Wednesday I posted about the great financial adventure that Jeff and I have been on since January as well as my new found love for couponing and "doin' deals!" So here are my CVS and Target deals for this week!!

It's not a ton of stuff, but it was sure cheap!!

Target:

Old Spice Men's Deodorant-clearance for $1.89-minus $1 coupon= $.89

Mechanical Pencils-$1.24 each x 6=$7.44-minus 3 $1/2 Target coupons-minus 2 $1/2 Bic coupons-minus 2 $.50/1 coupon=$1.44/6= $.24 EACH!! WooHoo!!

CVS:

Palmolive-sale $.88-minus $.25 coupon=$.63

Herbal Essence shampoo-sale $2.99-$1 coupon=$1.99

Dry Idea deodorant-sale $2.99 each-minus $2 coupon each=$.99 EACH!

So at CVS I spent $4.60, BUT I got $3 Extra Care Bucks back, so I really only spent $1.60!!

A Financial Adventure and A Walgreens Deal!

So I decided to take a break from baby-blogging and share some of the financial adventure that my husband, Jeff, and I have been on since January. In January, Jeff and I decided to take the Financial Peace University class offered by Dave Ramsey. It's a 13 week intensive financial class based on Biblical standards and old-fashioned common sense. We both learned a TON and have put many ideas into practice. First and foremost, we decided that we want to be free of debt as is indicated in the Bible. Proverbs 22:7 says "The rich rule over the poor and the borrower is servant to the lender." We didn't want to be enslaved to someone else! So, here are some of the practices that we have put into place to achieve our goal of being free from debt!

1: Cut up all credit cards and purposed to never use credit again...

2. Bi-weekly budget, completed TOGETHER, spending each dollar that we earn before we get it! This has been a fantastic time to learn about each others desires and financial goals. We've been able to discuss financial needs and save for things that we want!

3. Cash envelope system for groceries, clothes, entertainment, garage sales, gifts, prescriptions, and gas. I was not very excited about moving to a cash system, but now I feel the freedom that it provides and LOVE IT!! I wouldn't want to go back to the way it was before!

4. Bi-weekly cash allowance...in our budget, Jeff and I agree on a certain amount of cash for each person to have and spend/save at their leisure. In the past, it's been only $10 per 2 weeks, which is a very small amount, but we are super dedicated to paying off debt and each dollar that we give ourselves is another dollar NOT paying off debt! Recently, we have upped it to $20, but it may not stay that way...

These changes have enabled us to save like we have never saved before! Here are some of our successes:

1. Paid 0ff-Terminix-$1500

2. Paid off-my car-$2500

3. Paid off-Jeff's car-$9000

So, since January 2009, we have paid off $13,000 in debt!! We are very excited and are now working on paying off our 2nd mortgage. We have a goal to pay it off in 1 year (by July of 2010)!

I've posted all this, not only to encourage those of you who are also working to become debt free, but also to share my adventure in couponing and "dealing"!!

My mom got me started on clipping coupons, stacking coupons with sales, getting great deals on groceries and household items. I feel like this is me doing my part to help our family be good stewards of the money that the Lord has given to us. A deal I did today was at Walgreens... here is a picture of what I got and what I spent! I will say, if you are interested in couponing and making great deals, go to http://www.moneysavingmom.com/. She is fantastic and is a Christian that I trust!

On this trip to Walgreens, I got:

Charmin-$2.49

Quilten Northern-$2.89

Lady Speed Stick-$1.25 for 2 ($.75 each)

Loreal lipstick-$1.29

Jane eyeliner-$.87

Crest toothpaste-$1.50

Oral B toothbrush-$1.75

TOTAL: $12.04, BUT I got a $2.00 registar reward to use on my next purchase at Walgreens, so I really only spent $10.04!!

I love getting good deals!! It takes some time, but it's totally worth it! I'm planning to go to CVS tomorrow and get some more good deals, so I'll post them when I'm finished!

Nursery Update

I really should be cleaning, but wanted to post an update on the nursery! My mom worked soooo hard to get it together. It started out as a blue room. Blue as in the color of painter's tape blue, with a gray city scape and red fire engines at the bottom. Kinda cute, but not for a nursery!

Of course it had to be Kilzed and there were many holes in the walls from mole screws, so there was quite a bit of taping, mudding, and sanding. Many hours and two coats of paint later, it looks like a whole new room! Jeff and I put the crib together without getting frustrated at each other! We got the crib at a garage sale, the bedding set at a garage sale, and my mom found the changing table at a garage sale and refinished it with help from my grandma and dad. My mother in law bought the bassinet at a garage sale, also, so this room has been done very inexpensively! Now I need to put up curtains and put something on the walls... not sure what yet, but I've got 7 weeks, right?? :-) Enjoy the pictures!

In need of some creative juices!!

Okay, so I got a really cute nursery set at a garage sale last weekend... it has a bunch of border paper in it, but I'm NOT putting up a border!! SO..... I really want to do something creative/artsy with the border paper... and that's where I need your help! I'm absolutely not creative or artsy... in fact my 1st graders have a hard time telling what I draw on the whiteboard! I'm not really sure what I want... but it has to be non-permanent... Below are two samples of the border paper... PLEASE help me!! Thank you!! :-)

Sono pics, FINALLY!!

So I FINALLY got my new printer/copier/scanner hooked up and now I can scan sonogram pictures!! I'm so excited! These are from 21 weeks, and I'm 24 1/2 weeks now, so they are a little old, but precious none-the-less! :-) Enjoy!

It's a little crooked, but hopefully you can see the head and spine!!

Baby is yawning! It was so precious to see as my mom and I watched the sono... baby kept yawning and stretching out it's arm and fingers!Here's a footprint! Can you see the little toes?? :-)

Here is baby's arm and tiny fingers! So cute!!!

Mama's belly pictures soon to come!

IT'S A......!!!!

Baby!!!!!! Okay, so that was a little mean... :-) Lots of people have been asking if we're having a boy or a girl, and I just wanted to jot a note to say that we're not going to find out! While this wasn't my husband's feelings, he graciously agreed that we could not find out and let it be a surprise!

I'm 5 months, 3 weeks and feeling great! The end of school has made me a more tired than I was a week or so ago, but there are just so many things to get done!!

Thank you to everyone who gave me advice on baby "stuff"...

I had a lovely "soon-to-be" Mother's Day on Sunday... After church, Jeff and I spent some time shopping together... not buying much, but just hanging out! Then he took me out for lunch and home for a nap! What more could a pregnant lady want! :-) It was wonderful to spend the day with him... I love him dearly! He's going to be such a great daddy!!

TTFN! :-)

Looking for ideas...

I'm officially 4 1/2 months!! I'm excited, but the thought that now I have to find a crib, changing table, breast pump, stroller, car seat, play yard, (and I'm sure lots of other things), has made Jeff and I a little nervous. We're working really hard at getting completely debt free (minus the first mortgage), so the thought of purchasing a bunch of baby stuff is somewhat discouraging to our "gazelle intensity"!!

I'm looking for ideas on what things we can safely purchase at garage sales (we've started putting cash in an envelope for our garage saleing adventures), what we MUST buy new, and things that we can simply do without! Since I'm starting on the mommy-thing a little later than most of you, I'm excited to see what you have to say about baby gear! I'd also like to know of brands that are reliable and specific brands to stay away from...

We had a very relaxing Resurrection Day. It was wonderful to spend the day with fellow Christians who are of the same mind and heart. Jeff and I relaxed in the afternoon and enjoyed the Easter musical in the evening at our church. I'm very thankful that the Lord has provided this place of worship for us as well as the Christians who make up the body!

I'm looking forward to what you have to say!! :-)

4 month check-up

I had my 4 month check-up today and received great news! Although this wasn't a sonogram day, we did get to hear the heartbeat and "heard" movement. The nurse explained that when we heard certain bumps that the baby was moving, even though I can't feel it just yet...Baby's heartrate was 154, while at 12 weeks it was 164, and at 9 weeks it was 182. Never before would I have thought that everything would hang on something as "simple" as a heartbeat! It really gives new meaning and understanding to the references in the Bible of the "heart." For example, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." Prov. 4:23.

The nurse measured my belly and said that I am measuring at 18 weeks even though I'm only 16 weeks. No problem, just information!

The best news of the day, however, is that I've only gained 1 pound in 4 months!!! I was half-way anticipating a gain of 8-10 pounds. I'm so hungry and I feel like I eat a lot, so 1 pound was a pleasant shock! (I'm sure it will all come eventually, but for now, I'm excited!) :-)

Thank you, everyone, for your prayers...

A new look and an update...

Well, tomorrow I will be 4 months pregnant! Today I went through a bunch of borrowed maternity clothes and picked out some pants and jeans that I'm going to start wearing... My clothes are just too tight and uncomfortable. It's time for a new look!! :-)

Jeff and I have decided we're not going to find out if it's a girl or a boy...He wanted to know and I didn't, but neither of us had any solid reasons, so we're not going to find out. It's funny to hear people's opinion on this...some people are such planners that they would die if they didn't find out! Others, like me, think it's such a great surprise! We've started tossing around some names for boys and girls. I think we've settled on a girls name, but we've agreed to not tell anyone else. A boys name on the other hand has been very difficult... we don't have any possibilities at this point! Being a teacher and trying to pick out a name is pretty difficult! Many boys names that I think of or read remind me of a current or former student. Sometimes those memories are good, but sometimes they aren't!

I've been feeling some flutterings as of late... about every other day or so... I think I might be feeling baby moving, but it's hard to say! I'm anxious to ask my ob on Monday when I go. Generally, I've been feeling really good! Most of the time I have a really good appetite, but have to watch what I eat. I've had troubles with heartburn pre-pregnancy, and it's starting to flair up a little now. As long as I keep acids to an absolute minimum and only drink water, I seem to be okay without any meds. I can definately feel my muscles stretching! Some days after school, my back aches a lot, but once I lay down for an hour or so, I feel better. Jeff has been so kind! When I come home from school and lay down and sleep for 2 hours, he gets himself some dinner and just lets me sleep! I don't know what I would do without him!

Speaking of sleep... it's almost 9:30 and I'm ready to go to bed!

News, News, Glorious News!

It's been a long road, directed by the will of the Lord and in His complete control. The journey is far from over...rather, it's just beginning! Jeff and I are excited to announce that we are going to have a baby! We found out Jan. 10th (the day after Jeff's 30th birthday) that we were expecting! Because of past miscarriages, we have kept it to ourselves and family for the last 7 and a half weeks, but now I'm 13 1/2 weeks and we have seen baby's hearbeat 3 different times and have confidence that this baby is developing very normally. We are due Sept. 13th!

We are so very thankful to the Lord for all that He has taught us in the last 10 months. We are also very thankful for all of you who have been praying for us. We know now, more than ever before, that we serve an awesome God who knows the beginning from the end. If you think of it, please continue to pray for us!

YEAH!!

Whew! Has it been long enough???

I know, I know... when my mom is telling me it's time to update my blog, then it really is time! It was a rough fall and blogging really fell to the wayside... I'm feeling a little more with it now and after visiting with a dear friend, I've decided that I really need to stick with it a little more! (Thanks, Val!)

So, on my mind recently has been God's control over every situation in my life. I've been known to be a bit of a control freak, so it's been difficult to let go of situations. But my security has been in knowing the nothing I go through in my life is unknown to God. He has filtered every situation through His ultimate plan for my life and has "worked (it) together for good." Rom. 8:28

That's all for now... I'll be back soon!