This is it!

This is our house!

Sorry for the poor lighting.
I'll try to upload better (and more!) pictures tonight.

The Art of Making Do

*Use it up. Wear it out. Make it do. Or do without.

Growing up in a large family, we were taught the art of making do from a very young age.

Somewhere along the line - I lost the art of making do. Perhaps it was the steady income we gained when Brian joined the Air Force. Maybe it was the keeping up with the Jones' habit we acquired once we had mostly married friends. It's also possible it was the thrill I got from ordering, receiving, and implementing new toys in my daughter's lives.

However I got to that point doesn't really matter. What matters is where I've ended up - in Frugalistaville. (It's a place. Trust me.)

I don't think Brian and I have lived within our means in nearly five years. It was a difficult transition - many sacrifices were made including the opportunity to meet Brian's Grandparents and have them meet their great-granddaughters for the first time. But we've learned a lot about ourselves and what it really means to set and keep a long-term financial goal.

Having gone back to my roots, I'm learning to repair instead of replace. Re-purpose instead of refuse. Revamp instead of reject. .... You get the idea.

So when my beloved Ju Ju Be (which is lonely in it's recently thinned out stash) got munched in the van hatch back - I repeated my new *mantra and refrained from rushing to my laptop and ordering a replacement.

Likewise, I've repaired/revamped/re-purposed the following items this week alone:
2 skirts
1 baby doll stroller
1 play tent
1 mesh laundry bag
4 books

I'd like to challenge my readers to practice the art of making do. So if you're up to it, the next time you get the urge to rush out and replace an item - look around your house and ask yourself - what can I re-purpose today?

Remember!
*Use it up. Wear it out. Make it do. Or do without.

I think it's safe to say my parents would be proud to see that I've gone back to my roots. :)

When All Is Quiet in the House...

Delia is busy as a mouse!

"I didn't do it!"

"Okay. I did it."

"Can I nurse to wash it down?"
(She's signing nurse/milk)

Delia's Words

Baby
Ball
Blanket (bah bah - she also uses this for soft stuffies)
Bye
Call (Call Gappa!)
Cup
DaDa
Dance
Danger
Dog
Go
Good Girl
Grandma (Gramama)
Grandpa (Gappa!)
Hi
Kellie (Kell)
Kitty
MaMa
More
Night night (nuh nah!)
Not nice (Noh Nigh!)
Nurse (nuh!)
Ouch/Owie
Peepee
Poopy
Potty
Thank you (Ankoo!)
Uh Oh (ut oh!)
Where did it go? (Where go?)
Yucka
Zoe (Zee!)

I was robbed!

The last time I left my car unlocked was well over six years ago. I lost my radio/CD player that day.

I went to help a friend clean and stage her house and left my van unlocked to save myself a few minutes as I was feeling impatient while unloading the kids.

I WAS ROBBED!

I was in her house for a little over 3 hours, my van in her driveway in what felt like a safe neighborhood. I know I shouldn't have done it, but I did, I left the van unlocked and someone helped themselves to my GPS system.

I hope that whoever took it uses the money they make off of selling it to get their kids some food or school clothes or health care.... or a Ju Ju Be. I might be able to forgive a Ju Ju Be.

After I found out (Brian asked where my GPS was to run some lamps over to my friend's house), I shouted at the heavens,

"But I was doing something nice for someone else! I was doing something niiiiiiiice!"


On a positive note:
Kellie is spelling words like: bed, mom, dad, kellie, gent, delia, no, on, stop, go, up, down - the list goes on! She can write any word that you spell for her and draws some pretty rockin' stick figures.

Delia is putting several words/signs together: signing "eat" "mama" "milk" when she wants to nurse, saying "eyes" as she stabs you in the eye, signing "ouch" and pointing to her mouth when she is teething, getting into something and then telling on herself by bringing that something to me and saying "ut oh!"

Brian and I put an offer in on a house - hoping this one sticks! Wish us luck and I'll update with pictures if we get it.