Delightfully Domestic

My new addiction

2011-03-23T16:06:00.000-07:00

Brandon and I built Cayden and super cool bed for the new house. That hangs from the wall. I painted the lower half white to match the new babies crib. Its so awesome to have furniture that I know is quality yet inexpensive and is made specially for us by us. Check out the link below to see where I found the bed.

http://thebumpercrop.wordpress.com/2010/10/28/three-boys-one-room/

We also are building another project but I cant post anything about it until after Sunday.

Praise God!!!!

2011-02-15T14:54:00.000-08:00

We bought a house! Its a beautiful 4 bedroom custom home on a 1/2 acre. It has a gorgeous view of the sandias and I couldn't ask for more in a house. I am most excited about having a home again. We have been doing Homes in Transition for 8 months now I cant wait to just settle in to a house again. I miss the feeling of being unpacked. I miss painting. Most of all I miss not making my bed which was rare anyways but I promise I will not be making my bed for at least a month once we move in.

God has blessed us so much with the opportunity to do homes in transition which helped us to pay off a good chunk of debt and save a good down payment for our house. He blessed us with great tenants in our rental home and most of all brandons amazing job which allows him to move or be anywhere and still work! I have two healthy babies...can I still call Cayden a baby? #2 is kicking away as I type and I can tell already is going to be very active and #1 is behaving pretty well for the most part. I cant wait to see Cayden as a big brother!

Right now Im filling my time with getting rid of stuff. Im anxious to get moving. We dont close until April 30th which seems like forever but I know it will fly by. In the mean time I have been feeling this overwhelming need to organize and get ready for our 2nd child. I cant do anything to prepare for him though. It's killing me!

Im going to have Cayden and the baby share a room. I have so much furniture to sell and a nursery/bedroom I need to design and purchase. Its exciting but overwhelming! I feel like I need to do it all now because when we move I will be 2 months from my due date. Oh well I know it will all get done and I need to stop obsessing.

Ok Im going to go eat a fruit pizza. THE END

Recipes

2011-02-07T09:54:00.000-08:00

My Mother-in-law, Sister-in-law and I are now sharing recipes every monday for the sole purpose of not having to think about what we are going to put on the dinner table. I hate having to wake up and remember to take meat out of the freezer or wonder what am I going to make. We decided it would be much easier if we shared our ideas for the week via email. If you dont like the recipe or dont feel your family will just sub something in but for the most part I havent had to. Even if we are making simple tacos its helpful to not have to plan alone! Im going to start sharing the recipes!

Recipes for this week

Chicken Marsala

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/chicken-marsala/Detail.aspx

I serve it over egg noodles or wide "homemade amish" noodles from walmart and fresh sauteed spinach (butter, salt, garlic powder)

Olive Garden Minestrone

http://www.food.com/recipe/copycat-olive-garden-minestrone-soup-by-todd-wilbur-77585

I add 1 lb of browned drained ground beef before the 20 minute simmer

Served with french bread and Italian salad.

Chicken lo mein

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/chicken-lo-mein-2/Detail.aspx

I serve it with steamed broccoli florets and white rice

Lasagna

1lb of spicy italian ground sausage

1 jar of spaghetti sauce

15 oz or so Ricotta cheese

1 egg

itailan seasoning

12 pieces of oven ready lasagna

big bag of shredded mozz cheese (on sale at smiths)

1/4 cup parm cheese

Set oven to 350

brown sausage and drain

add sauce and some italian seasoning and salt

let simmer for about 10 minutes

mix ricotta cheese and egg (i also put a little of the italian seasoning in this)

once sauce is done spread about a 1/4 cup on the bottom of the pan

lay uncooked noodles

layer sauce, ricotta, then mozz/parm blend

repeat

I like three layers

cover with foil bake for 30 minutes

uncover bake for another 10-15 minutes

let sit for 5 minutes

I like to rinse the sauce jar out with about 1/4 cp water and add to the sauce and meat mixture to thin out sauce.

2011-01-29T22:29:00.000-08:00

Parents, remember that now is your opportunity; you may feel yourself harassed as you struggle through the days with an unruly child, but you are living the happiest and the most golden years of your life. As you tuck them into their beds at night, please be kind to them. Let them hear a kind voice amid all the angry, vile voices that they will hear throughout life. Let there be an anchor to which these little ones can turn when all else fails. The Lord help you so to do.

-Harold B. Lee

Our new baby

2011-01-10T12:05:00.000-08:00

I am 15 weeks along and finally gained 2 lbs. Im over joyed by this because up until 2 weeks ago I hadn't kept anything down. At the lowest the scale was telling me I was down 7 lbs. it worried me but apparently the baby is doing fine. We find out what we are having on the 21st of January and I'm excited to be able to tell Cayden if he will have a baby brother or sister.

I already have been researching room themes. For Cayden Im going to do a modern Grey theme with black and white shelves. I found inspiration from a room featured on Spearmint baby. For the baby Ill have to wait and find out what we are having but I have so many ideas for both sexes.

We also need to find a rental home. I know I cant do the move in my 3rd trimester so we are starting to look. Homes in Transition has been a blessing to us and as of the end of Februrary we will have paid off all unnecessary debt including student loans. Once we move into a rental we will focus on paying our car off and save for a down payment towards the next house we want to buy. We're thinking we will rent for 1 year and then start looking for a new home.

There are so many changes taking place in our lives and Im super excited for all that God has planned. Right now the most exciting change is our precious children. One growing daily and making my pants tighter and tighter and the other speaking in full sentences and telling me "c'mon mommy watch me play choo choo train". Cayden keeps me laughing everyday. He teaches me patience and how to be selfless. He is wonderful and crazy all it the same moment.

I'm glad God has shown me my purpose and Im grateful to be able to be home with my beautiful boy and one on the way. I cant imagine life any other way. I thought it was time to share my growing belly with the internet so I included some cell phone photos I have taken below. (Please dont pay attention to the faces Im not good at taking photos of myself. I never know if I should smile or stick my tongue out)

9 Weeks

12 weeks (worst face should have smiled)

15 weeks

Winter Wonderland

2010-12-17T14:49:00.000-08:00

Last night is snowed! FINALLY! So on brandon's lunch break we took Cayden over to the park to play in it. I took a million photos but only had time to edit a few. We had so much fun. Cayden loved throwing snowballs at Mommy and Brandon helped him make a snow man. When we left he threw a bit of a fit but once we got home he asked to go to bed. The snow must have worn him out. The sun is now out and Im guessing by 5pm all of the snow will be gone. At least we were able to enjoy it while it was here!

Bellas Photos and Invitation

2010-10-06T14:47:00.001-07:00

My best friend Nicki's daughter is turning 3 on the 21st of October and I had the pleasure of making her invitations and taking the photos for it.

My new life

2010-09-29T15:33:00.000-07:00

Over the past month or so I have been a bit of a drama queen. I have numerous "break downs" and felt completely and utterly stressed. As I have dugg deeper in to my relationship with Christ I realize that for the past 20 some years I have been in control. I am a multitasking, organization loving, party planning, crafting, clean, perfectionist control freak! Now I dont mean that I wont surrender and be submissive to my husband as God has called me to but I am responsible for everything other than bringing home the bacon and taking out the trash. I put so much pressure on myself that often at the end of the night if I didn't get everything done on my list of "to do's" I go to bed sad and feeling like a failure.

My husband and I just finished a self confrontation bible study with our wonderfully supportive friends and learned so much about what is truly important in God's eyes. It opened my mind to so much. It made me see that I have expectations for others that have lead me to be judgmental, rude and angry at times. What are my expectations you ask? Beyond what anyone can actually achieve. For the longest time I would freak out if someone was mad at me and I still struggle with this. I will go over and over in my head things that I could have said or done that would upset this person all because they didn't answer the phone when I called. I swear Im crazy.

I have learned from the self confrontation study that the reason I do this is because I am always being negative towards others. No, you wouldn't know I am upset or being judgmental but in my head Im thinking these things. I have learned to not allow myself to have these angry evil thoughts towards others and it has changed my life tremendously! When you start this study you are required to come up with a specific area in your life that you feel you need help in. Mine was competition.

When I started I struggled in this so much I compared my life, my marriage, my child, my parenting, my looks, my house, my everything to others. I often struggled with relationships with others because deep down I was so jealous that they had something I didn't.. I would look at other women and be jealous that I didn't have the relationship with my mother that they have with theirs. I struggle with allowing myself to be close to others because of the lack of parents I had as a child. Now dont get me wrong I have an amazing father who has provided me with any and everything I wanted since birth but a young girl needs more than just expensive jeans and a cool cell phone. I needed my mom! I have come to terms with my mothers disfunction and I have nothing but love in my heart for her but i really am finding I had not moved past these things until that study. I built walls up against people in my life that had hurt me at one time because I was unable to trust others.

I dealt with my mom going on and off of drugs and alcohol all of my life; so to believe that something or someone actually cared for me was hard to believe. I was an emotional wreck at all times. I still am emotional but my emotions are a good thing now!I feel like God has changed me so much in the past year. Although I still fall short and struggle, I feel a change. I dont have the thoughts of jealousy and competition any more and whats funny is when I felt that others were competing with me I realize now that it was really me who was being competitive. I no longer struggle with anxiety after every unanswered phone call (unless I know I was a bit of a brat that day). I guess the point of this blog is to reassure myself that MY GOD IS GOOD! He has again changed me when I thought there was no hope of being different. He is MIGHTY and again has proven stronger than my pride! He is ALL POWERFUL and has taken over yet again when I thought I was in control. My heart is new again.

By the way I have started Bloom (A mommy ministry at sagebrush) and it is A-mazing! It is teaching me how to be intentional in my parenting and focuses a lot on leaving a legacy behind. I also am reading Revolutionary Parenting which is a wonderful book so far. The women Jessica Kennedy who teaches the class is wonderful and has been my Mommy hero since I had Cayden. So its super awesome to get to see her and learn more from her. God is doing wonderful things for me and I sure many women in the group and I will be blogging about the class in the near future I am sure. Well this was a nice litte half hour of peace and quiet.

Greyson Overman (my gorgeous nephew)

2010-08-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

Last night I took pictures of my beautiful nephew Greyson. He is turning 1 in October and Kristin wanted to get some pictures of him. Im not by any means great at this but I figured I would give it a try and after messing around with light room and getting a 10 minute tutorial from Tamara (thank goodness for screen sharing) I think they turned out well. I took a photoshop class in high school which came in handy for little things but with his good looks Greyson is handsome in every photo! It was super sunny and we could only get him to open his eyes and look at us if Kristin shadowed his face. Which is why some are a little weird. I did my best to edit the shadows and brighten the photos so we could see his gorgeous eyes. Here are a few of my favorite.

I had to include a couple of Jake because he makes me smile!

THANKS TAM FOR ALL OF YOUR HELP. I look forward to you coming home and teaching me all that you know...ha ha! BUT SERIOUSLY! My husband thinks its funny that every Stay at home mom wants to be a professional photographer but I think we all just love taking pictures of beautiful babies! I have no desire to do this for money I just want to have fun and help out my friends a family! I would love feed back so I can learn what looks good and what doesn't!

Thanks!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-25T07:53:00.000-07:00

Busy

2010-08-24T19:56:00.001-07:00

We are settled into our new home. The tenants of our old home have the key and are moving in tomorrow. It has been an insane 2 weeks. As usual I stretch my self to thin. I have so many wonderful things going on that I cant find time to rest!

My Schedule:

I am taking pictures of my wonderful nephew Greyson tomorrow. I have had the desire to take photos of my family and friends for a while and now Im going to give it a try.

My BFF is coming home next week. Her wonderful husband is in the Navy and he is out to sea until January so I get to have my Tamara for the next couple months! We love her!

Next week Brandon's dad and step mom are coming to visit and are staying with us. It will be a fun time!

Also next week Kristin and I are starting our new play group with a couple other moms who I am excited to get to know better. I know God will bless the group and we will grow as mothers as well as friends! Its such a great group of talented creative moms....I cant wait!

The 2nd week of September I start Bloom. Which is a 10 week morning course I am taking at Sagebrush church. Its a great class and I cant wait to see what God is going to do through each mother who is attending.

I want to post pictures up of the new house, maybe Ill get that done tomorrow. We'll see....

Good Night

Diaper Cakes

2010-08-04T14:56:00.000-07:00

I love making diaper cakes and I was proud of how these came out so I figured I would post them up for all to see.

I made this one for my friend Nicki in December for Jonah's baby shower.

I used the extra diapers and made balloon weights with Jonah's name on them. They turned out super cute!

This diaper cake I made today for Jessica my friend Tamara's sister in-law who is expecting her 1st baby. I love it!

2010-07-30T22:11:00.000-07:00

A beautiful blog all moms should see Mila's Daydreams

2010-07-23T16:24:00.001-07:00

Being the wife of a geek I laughed pretty hard when I saw this wedding cake!

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-19T12:11:00.000-07:00

This blog is dedicated to the amazing Father's in my life.

My Husband and Father to my baby boy:

We started the journey of parenthood together on Monday, November 17th, 2008. We cried our eyes out together at 12:13 pm that day when we heard or little Cayden cry for the first time. It was the single best moment in both of our lives and as Cayden continues to grow we continue to learn new things. Until you have kids you don't know how much your parents love you. He molded our son into a strong, independent, loving, obedient (sometimes), well mannered toddler. He reads to him daily, gives him piggy back rides, crawls on the floor with him growling, and tucks him in at night with a song and prayer. My husband has exceeded my expectations in being a father and his love for our son is unmeasurable. He is a God fearing man who loves us with all of his heart and loves God more! He puts the Lord first in everything and has great goals and dreams for our family. He juggles a family, a full time job, and is writing a book and finishing up another. He is a man with so much on his plate but when I call its "Yes, babe?". He always makes time to spend with us. He will stop whatever he is doing to come and unload the groceries from the car and get Cayden out. He loves what ever I cook and tickles my back when we go to bed. He does everything for us no matter the cost. He is my dream come true, my Prince Charming, and the best father I know! I LOVE BRANDON TREBITOWSKI WITH MY WHOLE HEART!

The guys who fear becoming fathers don't understand that fathering is not something perfect men do, but something that perfects the man. The end product of child raising is not the child but the parent. ~Frank Pittman, Man Enough

My Father:

From the time I can remember my dad has been there for me. When everything I knew was broken and ugly my Dad stood strong beside me. When I had no one else my dad was there! Whether it was in person or over the phone he always comforted me and gave me advise even when I didn't want to listen. He was a dad who wouldn't let me walk out of the house dressed like I was "asking for it" as he would say. He loved me and looked out for me at all times. For most of my teenage life he was far away but that didn't stop us from having a wonderful relationship. We talked on the phone daily and He still guided me from afar. He spent thousands of dollars on me paying for my apartment, entertainment and clothes. Many thought he was spoiling me but through it all he helped me to become the women I am. His love an support are what got me through the hardest times of my life and I could never express the gratitude I have! He was and always will be my hero!

A father carries pictures where his money used to be. ~Author Unknown

It's not only children who grow. Parents do too. As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives, they are watching us to see what we do with ours. I can't tell my children to reach for the sun. All I can do is reach for it, myself. ~Joyce Maynard

Sing out loud in the car even, or especially, if it embarrasses your children. ~Marilyn Penland

Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children. ~Charles R. Swindoll, The Strong Family

Dan:

Dan is my husbands stepdad. When I first started dating Brandon I thought the rules that were placed on him were crazy. He had a curfew, He had to eat dinner at the table with his family, he couldn't have girls in his bedroom, and couldn't talk on the phone in his room either. I was 18 and had been living on my own for over a year and I couldn't understand what was going on. They prayed before meals and went to church every Sunday. All of this was enforced by Dan. As I got to know this family more and more I fell in love! Dan and Kathie have made a tremendous impact on my life! They have taught me how to be a Godly parent. Although their ways seemed harsh at times they have raised 4 wonderful God loving children. Dan has taught Brandon to open the door for women, to respect his mother, and to treat women with the upmost respect. He has helped to mold Brandon into the man he is today and the structure and rules I hated at one time are now being enforced in our home. He has a servants heart and is willing to help any and everyone. He has answered my questions and guided me through many issues and I feel blessed to have such an amazing example in our lives.

My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard. Mother would come out and say, "You're tearing up the grass." "We're not raising grass," Dad would reply. "We're raising boys." ~Harmon Killebrew

If you have never been disliked by your child you have never been a parent. ~Bette Davis

Mark:

Mark is Brandon's father. I met him the summer of 2004 when he invited us out to spend a week in Arizona for the Trebitowski reunion. Mark is character! He has many stories and jokes that make him so fun to be around. He and his wife Angie live in Arizona and from the age of 10 Brandon has been away from his Dad. When Brandon talks about the move from AZ to NM he says "it was the hardest thing to leave his Dad". I love that although they weren't able to see each other everyday, Mark still made sure to be a part of his children's lives. Mark took Brandon dove hunting, fishing, and they rode bikes together. He made such an impact in Brandon's life. He continues to brag about Brandon's achievements and always is so supportive of our family. Mark absolutely loves the grandkids. When we go out to AZ Cayden wont leave Mark's side. They wash the car together and go to the park sometimes twice a day. Cayden has his blue eyes and the same love for being outdoors. Him and Angie always welcome us to stay at their house and are so loving to us! They have welcomed me into the family as if I was their own and I love to go and visit them! I am so happy to have Mark and Angie in our lives.

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ~Elizabeth Stone

Most of us become parents long before we have stopped being children. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966

If you want your children to improve, let them overhear the nice things you say about them to others. ~Haim Ginott

Thrifty Thursday: Father's Day Gift

2010-06-17T14:18:00.000-07:00

If the father in your life enjoys video games this is a great gift if he doesn't already have one. WalMart is offering an Xbox 360 Console with 2 games and a controller for basically $99. Normally the Xbox consoles sell for $199.

Check out the link below for the details.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/16/xbox-360-arcade-reduced-to-99-during-walmart-fathers-day-sal/

Happy shopping,

Tasty Tuesday: Sesame Chicken

2010-06-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Marinade:

2 tbsp. light soy sauce

1 tbsp cooking wine or sherry

a few drops sesame oil

2 tbsp corn starch

2 tbsp water

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 tbsp flour

1 tsp oil

Sesame Sauce:

1/2 cp water

1 cp chicken broth

1/8 cp vinegar

1/4 cp corn starch

1 cp sugar

2 tbsp. dark soy sauce

2 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp chili paste

1 clove garlic

Frying:

2 1/2 cp peanut oil

Serving:

2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Cut chicken into cubes. Mix marinade ingredients. Let chicken marinate for 30 minutes
Stir sauce ingredients and bring to light boil stirring continuously then turn heat down to low until serving.
Add the marinated chicken pieces a few at a time, and fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and then place chicken in warm oven (130 degrees) while you continue frying. Repeat with the remainder of the chicken. Just before you are finished deep-frying, bring the sauce back up to a boil.
Pour sauce over the top and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with steamed rice.

The Finished Product

Weight For Me

2010-06-14T15:08:00.000-07:00

Im starting Weight Watchers tomorrow! At my wedding I felt more beautiful than I ever had in my life. My weight was perfect, I felt good in a bikini and I felt beautiful. Im not saying I feel ugly because I know I am attractive. I just don't feel as good as I did on our honeymoon. With my pregnancy I gained exactly 30 pounds and I have been able to get that off but with my first pregnancy that was a miscarriage I gained 8 lbs. which I have not been able to get off. I don't eat unhealthy I just don't eat. I forget and then when I do eat my one meal a day I over eat.

I have a love for baked goods but I refuse to make or buy any. I need desert and crave something sweet after every meal I eat. I have broken the habit of doing this but it's still a struggle! We also dont drink anything but water and tea in my house therefor I dont have to soda detox.

I did weight watchers back in 2007 before I got married and lost about 8 pounds in 2 months. During that time I didn't exercise and was at school 8-5 Monday thru Friday. Im thinking I will be much more successful this time around because I am at home and I am exercising.

Main Reasons:

I want to be comfortable taking my son swimming.
I want to not think of myself as a "medium girl".
I want to eat regularly.
I dont want to be a ginormous pregnant women with my next baby when that time comes.

My goal: 15-20 lbs

This picture was taken on our honeymoon in my size 5 jeans. I am two sizes bigger now!

Im excited to see my progress through the next couple months! Now that I posted it up on my blog and I know that people can see, it will keep me on track!

Wish me luck,

Make Over Monday: Gel Liner

2010-06-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

My friend Sachi let me use her gel liner and since I refused to use anything else. I love that it lasts all day and doesnt smudge. I use a soft small angle brush like the 263 MAC brush. There are many brands of gel liner on the market and I have used a couple. Fluidline by MAC is great but at $15 a container I expected it to work miracles! It worked well but I found a product at half the price that does the same thing. Maybelline Lasting Drama 24 Gel Eyeliner cost $7.94 at Walmart and gets the job done perfectly.

Anyway, here is how to apply it and the results.

Lift the corner of the eye gently. Do not pull to hard or you will add wrinkles!
Apply gel eyeliner to your brush and start drawing a line from inner eye keeping as close to the lash line as possible.
Draw the line right to the end of the eye. I like to flick it upwards slightly at the end when I'm going for a more dramatic look but if you prefer something more natural, then let it taper off where your eye naturally ends.
I like to run the brush along my lower eyelids along the lash line without refilling the brush for definition also.
Tah dah!

Before:

After:

Finished:

I find this product to be a must have! I can do so much with it depending on the look I want to achieve. Pencil, and liquid liners don't come close. If you haven't tried it go pick some up!

Stay beautiful,

Chore List

2010-06-10T16:47:00.000-07:00

My BFF Nicki has inspired me. Recently I was at her house and she has a chore list posted on the refrigerator. It states each day of the week and what chore she wants to accomplish. Due to the sale of our house we have been expecting to move during or before the last week of June. I have been so preoccupied with packing the "unnecessaries" and dealing with my grandmother's situation. I have neglected my former routine. I used to work out 5 days a week, cook at least 5 nights a week, read my bible everyday, and clean my house through out the week. The past two weeks I have failed to work out at all other than walks to the park, I only cooked three times, and have neglected my home. I always keep up with the kitchen, making the beds, and laundry but my bathrooms are dirty, my floors are yucky and for me my house is uncomfortable!

So here is my new and improved routine.

Monday: Laundry, Groceries, and Clean out refrigerator
Tuesday: Kitchen, Mop, Polish dining room wood
Wednesday: Vacuum, Dust, Polish bedroom set
Thursday: Bathrooms
Everyday: BIBLE, Dishes, Counter tops, make beds

My Supplies:

Green Works All Purpose Cleaner and Cleaning Wipes (Counters & stoves)

Green Works Glass Cleaner (Mirrors and sliding glass door)

Swiffer Wet Jet (Mopping, MUST HAVE)

Swiffer Duster (Wood furniture, and everything that gets dusty, MUST HAVE)

Mop and Glow (After mopping, makes everything shine)

Kleen Guard (Furniture polish)

Hopefully I can stay motivated and not go crazy in this state of limbo, not knowing if the house sale will go through or when we will move. I look forward to the changes that will take place soon and I hope I can get back on schedule ASAP!

2010-05-28T13:10:00.000-07:00

Today I spent the day watching my Bf's children while she moved some stuff into her new house. While the boys took a nap I watched Enchanted with her 2 1/2 year old daughter. It was a blast. I have decided I am going to make big fairy tale princess dresses for my little girl some day and doves and chipmunks will come in the windows and help me! But seriously, I have a passion for sewing and have made many things for myself. My sewing machine will have to be swapped out for a Bernina which my mother-in-law swears by. But I have time to save up since more children are not in the very near future. So when I do find out that Im having a girlor decide to adopt one I will be ready. Now, if only the forest animals would come help me clean my house.

5 Ways To Give Back

2010-05-27T10:47:00.000-07:00

After reading the book of Job I have been overwhelmed with thinking about how much I take for granted. I spend so much money each week on groceries when my pantry and refrigerator is pretty much full. We go out to eat once on the weekend and we spend miscellaneous money on entertainment and stuff of that sort. We spend in one weekend what families in other countries spend in a month. So personally I feel called to change my way of life and start serving His Kingdom the way God has called us to.

Compassion International

Compassion International exists as a Christian child advocacy ministry that releases children from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enables them to become responsible, fulfilled adults. Compassion International offers many ways to help. You can sign up and sponsor a child for the length of his childhood for $38/month. Which allows you to form a long term relationship with with the child of your choice. You receive pictures, and letters from your sponsored child and are able to write them letters via snail mail or email. You can also sponsor a baby for $20/mo. and partner with them to rescue, nurture and disciple children during the critical early childhood years. For a one time gift to Compassion’s Child Survival Program you can help to provide pregnant mothers enrolled in the program access to a skilled birth attendant, a provision that saves many lives. In most communities, this involves helping the mother receive care at a local hospital or clinic (including transportation and health care costs). In some rural areas, a skilled birth attendant may provide a safe delivery at the home. I personally Love this organization and have been working with them since November of '09. We love receiving mail from Adrian (our sponsor child) and Cayden loves to look at his picture.

Food Pantry

A Food Pantry distributes non-perishable food items and clothing to the the community. Along with the donation of non-perishable food items, clothes, baby items, blankets, and hygiene products, the food pantry also accepts financial donations to fund their outreach. You can drop off food at almost any church in your area and during the month of February at your local Smith's grocery store.

Any Soldier

You can donate money and send things to soldiers over sea. May 31st is Memorial Day and it is important that the men and women who are fighting for us know they are appreciated. This company is helping to maintain and generate Soldier contacts, Create cooperative and useful alliances withmanufacturers and distributors of items that are requested by the Soldiers, they are working to improve delivery methods for your care packages, and they support wounded warriors.

Gift Cards

A quick and easy way to give back is to buy $25 worth of McDonald's gift cards broken in to $5 increments and keep them with you in your purse. Than when you see the guy on the side of the road asking for money you can hand them a card with enough money on it to buy himself a meal. Although we are not suppose to judge others intentions sometimes it is hard for me to hand over cash. Plus, I never have cash on me.

Haven House

Haven House is the domestic violence services provider and emergency shelter serving all of Sandoval County, and is located in Rio Rancho, NM. It is a five-bedroom shelter that can provide housing for approximately 20 women and children. They provide an array of services to victims of domestic violence including 24/7 crisis intervention, legal advocacy, case management, community and shelter support groups, individual counseling for victims and child-witnesses, life skill programs for victims and their children, and community education and training.

If you shop at Albertson's, 1% is donated to Haven House. The donations can go up to 5% for large quantities of merchandise purchased. It is very easy. When you shop, just hand your Haven House -Albertson's Communtiy Partners card to the cashier and Haven House gets credit for 1% of your purchase. You can call 896-4869 or email to pscdv@aol.com if you would like to receive an Albertson's card.

Support Haven House by shopping at http://www.goodshop.com and a donation is made to Haven House. Over 50 websites are featured but the most popular are: Amazon.com, Ebay, BUY.com, Best Buy, Dell, HP, JC Penney, Macy's, Lands'End, Wal-mart, etc.. Various percentages of your total amount spent will be donated

Haven House is registered with EcoPhones, an agency that supports non-profits by encouraging them to recycle. HH. ships them the recyclable items (cell phones, Ipods, laptop computers, printer cartridges) and EcoPhones pays HH a small amount for them. If you have any of those items, please call the Shelter Manager, Brian Demone to schedule a pick -up for your donations.

In conclusion there are many inexpensive ways to help others. I more or less am posting this blog to help hold myself accountable to make a change and strive to give instead of take. I want my son to be humble and know that there are many out there who have much less than he. I expect him to be grateful for his blessings but if he does not see his father and I making and effort to serve than he wont. I hope it strikes a match in your heart!

10 Things I Cant Live Without

2010-05-26T20:00:00.000-07:00

1. My Bible

An essential to my daily life. Brandon and I are currently reading the bible in chronological order. I cant stress enough how important and what a major change it has made in my life. I know everyone is super busy already but the benefits of reading daily will highly outweigh the couple minutes it takes to read 4 chapters.

I personally love the English Standard Version Study Bible it has amazing commentary!

2. Dry Shampoo

Blondish hair powder by Bumble and Bumble (my favorite but $35 a bottle)

I don't have time to wash my hair everyday or color it every time my roots are exposed and this stuff helps with both of these issues. I apply it to my roots and then brush it through. It gives me a tremendous amount of volume and makes my hair look clean. Sally's has a less expensive version of dry shampoo for $7 a bottle that works well also, but it doesn't help with your dark roots.

3. Individually frozen chicken breasts and my grill

At Costco and Sam's Club they sell large bags of chicken breasts and when I have been so busy that I forget to defrost something for dinner these are a life saver. I can take them out of the bag and throw them straight on to the grill and in 30 minutes I have a beautifully grilled chicken breast (My favorite seasoning for grilled chicken is salt, pepper, garlic powder, and lemon pepper). Just add a Salad, a veggie and a carb and your good to go.

4. Tazo Green Tea (Zen)

It is heaven in a cup. I brew it ahead of time in a pitcher than through out the day I can drink it as I desire. It is the green tea Starbucks brews and during the summer it is a must have! Plus, green tea boosts your metabolism...I need this because since I have been so busy I forget to eat.

5. Truvia

A natural alternative to sugar. It is zero calories and not full of chemicals you cant pronounce. I love it! I dont cook with it but it is what I use in my green tea so I cant live without it. It is a bit more expensive than other no calorie sweeteners but who can put a price your health.

6. iPhone

No description needed. I have no idea how I lived without one for so long. A truly wonderful invention. Thank you Steve Jobs (the founder of apple)!

7. Concealer

Just a tad under the eyes, I recommend a shade or two lighter than your skin. It will brighten up your face and cover and dark circles from a long night up with a teething child.

8. Baby Wipes

Such a convenient thing to have around! I use them for everything.

9. Aveda Deep Penetrating Hair Re-vitalizer

My ultimate favorite thing for my hair. I am sad to announce I just ran out and also found out that Aveda discontinued it. So I'm going to try Aveda's Dry Remedy Moisturizing Masque I'll let you know how it goes.

10. My Contigo water bottle (sold at costco 3 for $18.00)

I have one on me at all times. You dont have to unscrew them to open it they have a button that you push and it opens. I bought 6 botttles. Brandon and I fill them up from our filter and put them in the refrigerator to get really cold. Plus Im "going green" by not using disposable water bottles. Buy some you'll never drink water from anything else. (dont put them in the dishwasher because they melt and bit and then leak)

These 10 things make my life easier and more beautiful. I hope you found the information interesting and helpful!