First boxes

I guess you can say I've packed my first boxes. I have packed away all bathroom toiletries that I have stockpiled that we won't use in the next 3 weeks. I have also packed my stockpile of air fresheners and candles. I have over 7 toothpastes, 13 deodorants, 4 razors, and a womanly stash to last me probably over a year. :) That's not everything...just a show of the bulk of what I have. I plan to add to the stash as I can since we'll have more cabinet space at the house. I have at least 22 rolls of paper towels and 16 rolls of toilet paper (not much but again will add to this!). My next stockpile to pack will probably be the medicine cabinet stuff. I have lots of bottles of vitamin D that I got for less than a dollar or free. Since both Marshall and I take it I stocked up while I could. We've gone through our Ester C stockpile so I need to find good coupons for those. I still have a raincheck for them for BOGO free at Walgreens. Well, back to packing/cleaning/getting ready for Corgan's t-ball game tonight. Need to figure out what's for supper.

It's June!

Normally June only means a birthday for Corgan and Father's Day but this year it means moving into our first home. Both Marshall and I almost couldn't sleep last night because we are so excited about the house. I'm sure the next 3 weeks will go so slow. haha Hopefully slow enough to get everything done but not too slow. :)

Corgan has been playing his first season of t-ball this year. He has a makeup game tonight and the last one is on Saturday. He missed out on 3 games due to weather this year. He has really enjoyed playing. He has a fit about it until he sees his coach. Once he sees his coach he's constantly asking him, "Where do you want me to play coach?". I think that is the sweetest thing ever. Makes Marshall and I very proud of him. Corgan has also been taking gymnastics the last 3 weeks. I used a coupon we got in the mail for a month of free classes...so he only has 1 class left. He has really liked it. I think we want to try to get him a few more classes later if we can afford it. :) Corgan will be 4 on June 18th. I think we will go to Chuck E Cheese to play and then CiCis (or the other way around) to eat. We'll have a party for him once we move into the new house so we'll have lots of room to invite friends and family over.

Keelan is my little mockingbird. He is such a jabberjaws and will repeat (or at least try to repeat) everything you say. It's so wild to see how different he is from his brother. He has a big vocabulary and most of his words are very clear to understand. He loves to play in the dirt and get dirty. The boys' bathtub stays covered in dirt and grime from my dirty boys. :) It means they're having fun though so I don't mind. Keelan will be 2 on August 11th. He will definitely be having a Sesame Street party cause he LOVES all of the characters....especially Elmo! (affectionately known as Mo-Mo). We'll probably do a pool party of sorts for him since we'll have a backyard to do it in.

Marshall and I are getting back to exercising and losing weight. When we realized he wouldn't be going overseas we let it go a little. Time to get back on track! We took a walk as a family on Tuesday night regardless of the hot humid temps and it felt so good. I want to get back into doing my Slim in 6....maybe with Zumba classes mixed in either at home or when I can afford to go to classes at Corgan's gym where he takes gymnastics. We will also be getting our treadmill from Marshall's grandma's house since we'll have space for it now.

I think that's the biggest updates about June. I'm hoping to lose almost another 10 lbs this month (or shortly after the month ends).

Guess what?!

We're moving!! Shortly after my last post we were told we had 6 months to move. While it was a little scary at first and made us want to scream and cry at the same time, it's become a good thing for us. We just recently had our offer accepted for our first home together. We found a foreclosure for $70,000 less than the appraised value. We jumped on the deal quickly. It's in great condition with minor things that need to be fixed. Great location with a cul-de-sac on one side of it and a dead end on the other side...so it'll be safe for the kids to play. There is a good backyard that we plan on fencing in. Every time we've gone to the house the boys just run wild in there. They love the extra space. Course going from less than 800 to just over 2000 sq ft could be the difference. :) They will both get their own room plus we will have a room for storage and as an office/hobby room. We'll have both an eat-in kitchen area and a dining room so we'll have at least buy 1 table. (Our mobile home now isn't big enough for a table) I can't wait to have 24 cabinets instead of 5 in the kitchen. I could go on and on about what I love about the house. Closing can't get here soon enough! Here are a few ideas that I have for the great room and kitchen area.

* The picture above is what I am looking at as the table in the foyer area - will put a mirror on the wall above with probably a floral arrangement or something on the table/chest. We have a special sign that has our family name and est. date that I will probably put on the opposite wall

with a key holder.

This is the rug I really like for the great room. I love the colors and style. We had originally thought about a light gray color for the walls. Then I found this rug last night and I fell in love with the colors and how they pop off the rug. It reminds me of Fall...and that is my favorite season.

This is the lamps that I like for the great room as well. It's a 3 piece set.

Here is some art work I think would look good in the great room. I love the black and cherry pop of these tables. I think they have good function but can still be kid-friendly. I like the look of glass on tables but I don't want my kids to ruin them.

This is the table I like for the kitchen area. I love the curio as well. Not sure if we'll buy it as well though. I thought with the black pop in the furniture it would go well with the granite countertops in our kitchen. This set matches the table set I picked for the great room.

Course none of these are for sure ideas. Just doing a little brainstorming/window shopping. I can't and won't do anything until we close on the house cause we don't have any extra space here to store anything. So what do you think of the ideas? Would love some input as I'm not the greatest decorator. :)

Changes

There are some changes going on in our family. Marshall works for the gov't and has been accepted for a position overseas. This wouldn't be a move for all of us....just a tour of duty for him for 6 months. However before he can leave he has to get his BMI down. I have decided to blog our journey. We started this past Saturday with exercising and eating better. Here's a rundown of what we're doing and then our progress so far!

Marshall - Working out at the gym on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Working out at home with me Tuesday and Thursday doing Slim in 6. We will also walk as much as possible. Will be starting a heart diet used at a nearby hospital to lose weight quickly next week. This will be for 3 days and then 4 days off (but still eating healthy). He's eating a lot of salads. Taking Advocare supplements and using the Meal Replacement Shakes.

Danielle - Working out at home 6 days a week with 1 day off. Using Slim in 6. Using Weight Watchers points and eating healthier smaller portions. I will be starting the heart diet with Marshall next week. Also walking with Marshall as much as possible. Taking Advocare supplements and using the shakes as well. Drinking only water....no sodas or teas.

I am also making a conscious effort to stay away from all fast food. I will have to be healthy when going out to eat with friends as I have a lunch date with a friend on Friday and then a baby shower/girls night out next Monday. I will probably just get a salad both times. I will need to resist the yeast rolls at Logans on Monday. That will be hard as bread is my weakness but I CAN do it! :)

Results as of this morning:
Marshall - down 9+ lbs!! (there's a plus because before he would get an error so we're not sure what his full starting weight was) So proud of him!!!!
Danielle - down 4 lbs!! I am almost to my pre-pregnancy weight....only 2 lbs away. I have fluctuated between the same 5 lbs for the past 4 years since I got pregnant. I will be going way past the pre-pregnancy weight!

I am sharing this on Facebook so that you can all join us in praying and keeping us accountable. Blogging it to keep from having so many updates on my Facebook page. :)

Progress

Both Corgan and Keelan have made progress in their lives. I'm so proud to be their Mommy. :)

Corgan is 43 months old and has been potty trained almost a year now. I can't believe it's already been a year. It has had ups and down but he's done really well. He's not completely night trained yet but we're trying to work on it. He is recognizing and naming almost all of his ABCs, can count to at least 8 on his own (Hubby says he's heard him count to 15!), and can run all the way around the house kicking the soccer ball (alternating feet) without stopping. We're thinking of putting him in t-ball this summer. He loves sports. He's pretty advanced in motor skills...at least I think so. He can say a lot of different words and talks non-stop. I'm trying to plan his 4th birthday party so I'm sure I'll talk about that pretty often.

Keelan is almost 18 months old now. He can point out his nose, eyes, and ears so far. He knows his hands, arms, feet and legs as well but doesn't point to them yet. He loves to eat and copy his brother. He does more talking than signing...but he can sign more and milk. He has signed please before but doesn't use it regularly. Keelan can say mommy, daddy, bubba, milk, please, thank you, yes sir, no, mine, cookie, cracker, pancake, hey, bye, go, and probably several more. He's a talker. :) He can be quite the little fireball when things don't go his way but we're trying to control that without breaking his spirit. He has a serious love for Elmo so I'm sure that's going to be the theme for his birthday. He loves books. I love seeing him snuggled up with a book...warms my heart.

Things are picking up for my photography business. Have weddings planned, birthday pictures, and more coming soon! I love every aspect of taking pictures. I enjoy capturing the emotions and pleasing each client. I recently had the opportunity to take pictures at a fundraising event for a local church. They did a 50s style musical. It was great! They did a wonderful job putting it together and I was so proud! Will share some of the pics soon....as well as some of the other recent shoots. I'm still an active volunteer with NILMDTS. We're in need of several more volunteers both photographer and assistants. If it looks like something you'd be interested in, please don't hesitate to ask me about it or apply via the website. I think it may possibly be the greatest thing I have ever done...and it's not even for myself. It's bigger than myself. I pray every time that I go to the hospital that God would fill the room with peace in the time of need for the families.

Trying to get my Premier Designs business going off well this year. It's by far the best business I've found as far as what you can make and earn. I'm using the business to give back with fundraisers as well. Jacob's Wings and March for Babies. If you would like to give to either of those you can. There is no requirement that you have to buy jewelry. It's just a way for me to help give back.

Happy New Year!

I'm hoping with the new year for several new things! Most people make New Year's resolutions. I have before but I've very rarely succeeded. 2011 is going to be a new start for me in so many ways. Here they are in no particular order:
1. Start blogging more - so I can see what God has done in and through our lives. Also to see how my boys grow.
2. Start reading the Bible more along with daily prayer and worship times
3. Start exercising daily - Marshall and I started the BeachBody Slim in 6 program on January 4th. I plan to blog about this journey along with pictures and updates.
4. Start eating better

I'm sure there are more that I can add later. These are the most important ones right now.

Lather, rinse and repeat

Am I the only one out there who feels that sometimes life is a lather, rinse and repeat cycle? I feel like I'm so caught up in life that I'm missing something. I'm always adding something else to my plate too because I'm crazy like that. :) I started my photography business in Dec of 2008. I started my Premier Designs jewelry business in August of this year. I'm already a SAHM. I'm involved in choir and praise team at church. I feel like I have so much on my plate but I love every minute of it. One of the biggest blessings to me is being able to be a part of NILMDTS (Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep). I have people all the time tell me that I'm an angel for my volunteering. It's an honor to me to serve the families and the babies. It's a blessing to me. They don't realize how much I benefit as well. It puts everything into perspective. You find out just what is really important in life as well. :)

Total change of subject but I am out of conditioner (which sparked this post). Am I the only one who runs out of conditioner before shampoo? I seem to end up with lots of bottles of shampoo but never enough conditioner. Do you buy just new conditioner or both?

Updates

Corgan has been fully potty trained for several months now. We still have some accidents but overall he's done great! I think we're pretty much night trained now as well! He only had one accident at night this past week! So he was treated to Build A Bear He made a monkey that he named Funky Monkey. Oh the adventures those 2 had yesterday. Funky Monkey went out to eat with us last night and even helped Mommy and Daddy drive...hehe. Corgan is getting a lot more vocal and makes lots of sentences. He's a talking machine. He just celebrated his 3rd birthday on the 18th. We had his party at the church on the 19th. It rained so I think that scared a lot of people away but we still had a good crowd. He got way more presents than he needed but he had lots of fun! :)

Keelan is now pulling up on things instead of just people. He tries to practically climb up things. It's cute. He now has 8 teeth. He can wave. He says Hey, Bye Bye and Dada consistently. No MaMa just yet. He must just be saving the best for last. :) He won't quite stand alone just yet but we're working on it. His crawl is a one arm and one leg army crawl. Don't let it fool you though because he can get around quite fast! He loves his hair. You can see him pulling on it and shaking his head to make it spin. I'm constantly pulling it out of his face but I think he likes it in his face cause he'll shake his head and get it back in his eyes as soon as I move it. He's definitely a little rascal. He's got quite the determination and attitude. He'll let you know if he does or doesn't like something. He is still very much attached to his paci but doesn't have to have it. He went all night last night without it! YAY!

Marshall and I are both on our way to getting healthy. We just bought lots of Advocare products to get us started right. I'll be taking Fibo-Trim as well as drinking meal replacement shakes. Marshall is doing MNS - Maximum Appetite Control as well as a few other things with the shakes. To help keep me accountable I'm hoping to blog more. That will also help me to look back and see where I've come from.

New layout

I changed things around on here cause it needed a new look. I find that I don't spend much time blogging anymore. Guess I worry that no on really reads it anyways. So if you're out there, say hi. :)

My big thing lately in blog posts seems to be giveaways. I haven't won anything yet but I'll keep trying cause I'm addicted to the thrill. haha

One of the blogs that I frequent also has a giveaway blog, Lyndsie Gives Away. Right now she's doing a giveaway for a $50 gift certificate to The Vintage Pearl. I love the jewelry they have! I would totally pick a necklace with my boys names....all 3 (hubby included). They are my world. Go register to win yourself!!

Giveaway!!!

I am known as being obsessed with bags....purses, diaper bags, cosmetic bags, and now camera bags. Some of the cutest bags are made by Epiphanie! They're having an awesome giveaway right now too! I could win either a Canon 5D Mark II or a $2500 gift certificate with Southwest Airlines! Might be hard to choose but I've been dreaming about a camera upgrade and what better way than to win it!!! Here's the details: Have An Epiphanie!.