After attending a wedding this weekend, I've had this song stuck in my head and wanted to share the neat lyrics with you.

Battle Hymn of Love
I will pledge my heart, to the love we share.
Through the good and bad times too.
I'll forsake my rest for your happiness:
'Til my death I will stand by you.

With God as my witness, this vow I will make;
To have and to hold you, no other to take.
For rich or for poor, under skies grey or blue,
'Til my death I will stand by you.

There are wars and there are rumours, of wars yet to come.
Temptations we'll have to walk through.
Though others may tremble, I will not run.
'Til my death I will stand by you.

I will put on the armour of faithfulness,
To fight for a heart that is true.
'Til the battle is won, I will not rest.
'Til my death I will stand by you.

With God as my witness, this vow I will make;
To have and to hold you, no other to take.
For rich or for poor, under skies grey or blue,
'Til my death I will stand by you.

'Til the battle is won, I will not run.
'Til my death I will stand by you.

Memories of my own wedding :)
Sorry it's been awhile since I last posted!
I've been digging through my packed to the brim house trying to weed out the things I can live without!  Ok... that would be lots more than what I actually decided I could spare!  We're having a garage sale at my house this Saturday so if you live in the area come check it all out! :)

Well we made it through! 
It's finally April! :)
The No Spending Spree can get kicked out the door...haha!
No, it would probably be smart to stick with it to some extent as time goes on.  I did learn a lot though, and although we saved a bit more than we typically do, I don' think it was quite the best way to go about it.  We don't have enough saved to do this...

photo credit
...but I had to laugh when I saw this pic! :)
As of my last post about this, we still hadn't spent anything extra beyond what was necessary (or so I thought!).
I found out later that my hubby had paid the typical few dollars for renting a gym to play basketball every week.  He went a couple times before we realized...HELLO...that's part of the spending! No wonder he said that it wasn't affecting him much! :)
I did end up breaking down and buying some diapers for the boys as well.  I did some cloth diapers on Rystin for awhile but my stash wasn't quite equipped enough to just start in and stick with it.  I need a few more of them to last more than a few days.  And I wasn't about to start trying them on Skyler, though maybe that would have motivated him to use the potty instead! I switched to cloth nursing pads since I ran out of my others! I also had to buy some vitamins and things because the cold bug hit both our boys and we were trying to make them better! That was pretty important and necessary in my mind!  Unfortunately, our yearly dental checkups ended up being during March too, which is always a bigger expense. We both bought a few things related to work, but nothing major. Right now I can't think of anything else until yesterday (yes...it was the last day of March) and went and finally went grocery shopping to fill my empty fridge and fruit bowl!  We had supper company and I decided I couldn't wait until April 1st to go!

So here are a few things I learned about this type of 'fast':
1. It's not the best way!
2. You miss out on sales for things you know you'll have to buy at some point either way
3. You end up spending MORE than normal when you go and restock at the end of your planned time
4. You make others feel like they have to have you stay for meals because they know you'd have to go all the way home to eat otherwise! ;)
5. You can't go to garage sales...ahh! :(
6.  A lot of it turns out to be just stubbornness and pride that keeps you going!
But some positives are:
1. You DO end up saving more
2. You create better spending habits (or lack thereof)
3. It is a good teacher of self-discipline

So like I said, I wouldn't say this was the best way overall, but I would recommend every family to do something like this occasionally.  I would say to change the rules a little to something more along the lines of not spending anything 'extra'.  Things like food (within reason), and regular needs should be okay.  That way, if you see sales on something you know you would normally need, you CAN go out and stock up!
I did enjoy my day stocking up again yesterday and hitting garage sales today, though!  Did I buy anything I didn't need you ask?!  Well... um... ok, maybe a little!  :)  Did you make any financial goals recently?  How is it going for you?
I always love your comments and input...share with me!

Another hat for my little boy

This is more of a night-cap style hat, which my hubby thought was a bit silly :) But I thought it looked so cute on Rystin! :)

All these super cute professional pics are credited to my
dear photography friend: Phyllis R.
She needs a blog so I can link you up and show you her
other great work...don't you think!?

Thanks for stopping!

I have discovered the greatest career in history!
Literally...from the very beginning when Adam and Eve laid eyes on their first child, I believe this has to be the #1 'job' that ever was and will be. Right up there with 'wife', the title of 'mother' is such a JOY!
The two short years I have had the privilege of bearing this title have been amazing!

I will also admit, that being a parent is one of THE toughest things I have ever done.  Not that I have had any extreme experiences in my lifetime thus far.  But really, would you apply for a job that involved working around the clock with no 'real' breaks, no (monetary) paycheck, major (and many) responsibilities, no paid time off, dealing with tempers, tantrums, and tears, being in charge of discipline, and so on...!?!?  No, that sounds ridiculous!

But what if the same job offered no chance of layoffs, unimaginable love, partner support, and endless lifelong benefits ranging from huge smiles and hugs to "I wove you, Mommy" every day.  From rocking a cuddly baby to laughing a silly antics.  From endless fun to fresh beginnings.  From soft little coos to hilarious giggles.  From unlimited teaching opportunities to watching learned skills.  From "I'm sorry" with a hug to awe and amazement.  The list is endless.  Sounds pretty worth it if you ask me!

Remember to thank God if He has given you the amazing blessing of being a parent.  Children are gifts from Him and I can think of no greater gift except for the Son that our God GAVE to us for our benefit of eternal life.  Take hold of that gift, then treasure the gifts that He has given you.  Love them, teach them, care for them, and give them back to Him.  This 'job' is not a calling for everyone, and I know there are so many other blessings in this life that are ours for the taking.  I just wanted to share a few of my own thoughts and maybe give you a little inspiration to love your job that much more!  I better run... one of my little blessings just woke up from his nap and wants his Mommy! :)
Thanks for stopping by!

Here's another hat I made for Rystin. 
This one is from one of my old sweatshirts so it is thicker and warmer.  Unfortunately, I am good at making hats a bit small, so he wasn't able to wear it real long and I didn't get any pictures of him in it :(  Anyone need a newborn size hat with an "R" initial!? ;)
I'm going to have to do better at getting pics of my boys in the hats I make them so I can post them for you!
Thanks for stopping!

Well we are halfway through the month of March and our spending plan...or more like NO spending plan... is going well!
So far I believe the only money I've spent outside of bills and milk is $2.58 for postage to mail some things that my family left when they were visiting.
I must say, for myself, this has definitely been challenging! I didn't realize how often I throw things into the cart or grab a bite to eat when I could just pass and save a buck or two. 
I think the two times I most noticed was when we had Rystin's baptism at our home and I had to plan a meal for 15 people without going grocery shopping!  Thankfully that was at the beginning of the month and my mom provided the salad for it! :)  Another time was when a friend of mine was visiting for the week and we headed to the mall for the late afternoon/evening.  Daddy was home to babysit so no paying a sitter, but it WAS a little odd to bring a sack lunch to the food court!! :)  But my bologna and cheese sandwich tasted just fine and Sbarro and McDonalds didn't snag my money that day!  I actually enjoyed the window shopping without feeling like I was constantly being tempted to spend on something I didn't need. 

I've had to chuckle a bit at my husband's take on the month so far! He said something along the lines of:  "It's not like we're doing anything really different, I haven't really noticed any changes"  (!!ha!!)  I guess getting up and going to work, coming home to supper made, and going to bed doesn't give a lot of opportunity to notice changes in the shopping! He's not the one trying to figure out meal plans, bringing his lunch to the mall, or feeling silly because you aren't going to spend money to eat out with friends!   BUT that's alright if it's easier for him, hopefully he's pleased with the results at the end of the month too! 
I've been learning a few things as this goes on too, but I'll fill you in on more of that as the March (stretches on and on...) I mean... comes to a close!
Thanks for popping in!

Since a bit before Rystin was born, I have developed another addiction...

HATS!!
I've made quite a few for Rystin, as well as one for Skyler.
I use old clothes and recycle them into these fun hats!
I'll do posts for each hat, so look for more coming in the future.

Thanks for stopping by!

We decided to do a photo shoot after the new addition to our family.
When Rystin was born, I wanted some good newborn shots of him, since I didn't really get any of Skyler when he was born. My dear photographer friend, Phyllis, did a great job at capturing my precious little boys! Here's a few that she snapped.

The loves of my life!

So we've been out of power since about 5am.
When I said we were going to do a no spending month...I wasn't planning on going THAT extreme! :)
Hoping it comes on soon cuz I'm living on batteries now.
Wanted to share an awesome baby gift we recently got!

Isn't it ADORABLE?!
I can say that cuz my dear Mother made it for her littlest grandbaby, Rystin.
I think she did an awesome job picking fabrics and colors!

The backside is all this fabric...so fun!

There's a closer picture of the detail and the rag edges.  Didn't she do great?! 
Maybe she'd even make you one if you put in an order. :)

  More like... Saving Spree!!  That's right, we're marching into March hoping to SAVE this month.  As in...to the extreme!
Do you ever have those moments where you look at your 'piggy bank' and say "WHERE did it all go!?"
Yeah.  Me too.
So my  hubby and I decided it's time to do something about it.
We say that all the time.
But this time...we mean it! :)
We, as in myself, my husband, AND my boys, are going on a NO Spending Spree! 

Yeah...pretty much how I'm feeling too!
Basically, as of March 1st, we are not going to spend ANY money other than the necessary.
No...not necessary as in a chocolate fix on a low day.
Necessary as in ONLY bills and required things.
Groceries NOT included(...with the exeption of milk)!!
Ok so that might sound a little extreme.  And maybe it's not quite fair to act like we can live with no groceries or spending of any kind for  31 (eek!!) days.  I guess I should explain that we're the type who like to stock up on things that we can.  We have two full size freezers out in the garage with meat, fruit, plus some things such as butter and cheese.  We also are fans of Costco, so things like diapers, toilet paper, and such are usually stocked up pretty well at our house.  So no, we won't starve...and I THINK I have enough diapers to last through then for both boys.  :)  But we also didn't cheat.  We didn't go stock up on everything we could think of, fill our closets, pantry, freezers, shoe boxes, and bathtubs with things we MIGHT need for our spend-free month!
Basically, on the way to church yesterday we were talking and decided, yeah let's do that! Since I have today still in Feburary I had planned on going one last time and just getting a bit more of the produce and dairy items I know I need.
The challenge is that we have out of town company staying for possibly over a week this month and I am hosting Rystin's baptism at our house this weekend!!!  Because of the weather, (it's been snowing all day and is just above freezing temp...dangerous in the NW!) I haven't made it to the store yet...so I MAY have to a few things tomorrow.  Is that cheating too bad?! I might be able to figure out my dinner for the baptism on what I have on hand.  We shall see.
Of course required payments such as electricity, rent, gas, etc are allowed, as well as any expenses for work and business.  No... I won't be able to justify a $200 shopping trip buying fabric as a 'business expense' unless I need them for orders! :)
And today I AM doing a bit of online stuff that I've been putting off for awhile that I needed to get awhile ago and I know I can't do them after today!

So no more money burning and needless spending for us (this month anyways!) 
I decided I wanted to blog about it, hoping for some accountability and support from you guys!  Anyone interested in joining me in this challenge?! Of course I realize this isn't completely possible for every family, but you can change up the rules a bit to accomidate what you need.  Maybe you just need to stop spending in a certain area (say...coffee stops?!)  You can start anytime, but don't cheat and go buy a month's worth of stuff and THEN decided! :)  The whole idea is to see if you can get by pretty much on what you have now. I'd love to have others doing it with me and hear how it goes for you! I'll keep you posted off and on throughout the month and let you know how things are going for us.  And yes, I'll be honest!
So keep me accountable and help me out as we start this challenge!!