New Floors!

Last weekend we had hardwood floors installed in our kitchen, dining room and foyer. Thought I would post a few pics for those of you who have asked how they look.

While I'm at it, I might as well tell you the God-story involved with these beautiful floors. We looked at these floors at Home Depot but they were way out of our budget. We couldn't find much that we liked within our limited budget. Of course, I'm the one with expensive taste and a tight wallet! My friend Kristy's dad is a builder so we decided to ask his advice. While we were talking he quickly mentioned he saw some walnut flooring on Craig's List. I had never thought of looking there for floors! Strollers, yes. Floors, no.

I went online the next day and lo and behold. . .there were walnut floors on Craig's List. . .actually the very same walnut floors we had coveted at Home Depot - for 1/2 the price! Five days later we had them installed and viola! Here they are. Isn't it amazing how God will give you exactly what you are hoping for. . .and in the oddest ways?!?! He cares about our silliest desires.

Now I'm looking for new accents to go with my floors. Isn't that always the way. . .you spend money on one feature and it leads to spending more money on others!!

Hope you like them!

Simplicity Project #12

This month I am participating in the big, Franklin consignment sale called Encores and More. As I gathered the items I wanted like to sell over the past 6 months, I simply threw them in our spare bedroom upstairs. It's sorta become the junk room in our house and preparing for the sale made it even worse. If my friend Amber is reading this, she is laughing because her poor son Anderson had to sleep amongst this mess a few weekends ago. Sorry Amber and Anderson!

I've spent several hours over the past 3 weeks getting everything ready for the sale but I have the potential of making about $350 so to me it was worth the work.

Here is my spare room before. . .

And after. . .

It feels so great to have that room cleared out!

Tonight I get to go shopping with all the other crazy, consignment sale mommies. It's ironic that I am basically trading all my crap for someone else's. But I have a system where whatever I make goes to pay for anything new I need for Hope for the next season. So in theory, I never have to spend any of our monthly budget on clothes and toys for Hope!

I'll let you know how it goes and how much money I make.

The Diaper Fairy

Right now I am sitting out on my front porch, rocking and enjoying some amazing weather. Who knew you could enjoy 78 degree, sunny days in the middle of July?! What a gift!

Speaking of gifts. . .as I rock, I am staring at two boxes of Pampers diapers that were just delivered to my door. I walked outside to get the mail and poof! There they were. . .as if the diaper fairy flew by and plopped them right down on my porch. As a working mom who usually has to plan grocery trips between lunch meetings or on the way home, I am so blessed by this little thing called Amazon Subscribe and Save.

I think I've mentioned this before but it seems no one else believes this service is from heaven. I feel like I walk around telling everyone I know about how they can save time and money but no one hears me. Perhaps God created this little convenience just for me. I'm okay with that.

In case you are interested. Here's how it works. If you shop on Amazon for things like diapers, wipes, laundry detergent, etc, you will find some items are part of the Subscribe and Save program. Pampers happens to be one of those items. Not all boxes are eligible but I simply pick the ones that are. We use Pampers Cruisers diapers and I have checked every single outlet for them. Aside from occasionally having a Target coupon at the same time the diapers are on sale (slim chance that will happen often), this is the cheapest you will find Pampers Cruisers (up to size 4. . . I've not priced out the bigger ones yet). After you pull up your desired item on Amazon, look off to the right side column. If it is eligible for the Subscribe and Save program, you will see a box asking how many you would like and how often.

For size 3 diapers, considering that fact that with Amazon you pay no tax and no shipping and that you receive an extra 15% discount on the price with the program, I was getting the diapers for 24 cents a piece. Cheaper than Costco or Sams! Now that Hope has moved to size 4, they cost a whopping 28 cents a piece, still 1 cent less per diaper than other stores and I don't have to remember to go out and get them! Just like today. . .the diaper fairy (in partnership with Amazon.com) comes right to my door!

I cannot express how much this service has changed my life for the last 6 months that I have been using it. I will warn you, the diapers are really the only thing I have found that end up saving time AND money. . .although I am in the middle of researching detergent, toilet paper, paper towels, etc and will report what I find.

I hope you find this information helpful. If not, that's cool. I'll continue to sit here rocking and thanking my personal diaper fairy for blessing me with the freedom to never have to run out at 9pm on a Thursday night because we are out of diapers. It's the little things in life that count. Really.

Tutu Twirls

My mom bought Hope a tutu. Well actually, it's more of a fairy skirt tutu. You know. . . strips of tulle hanging down. . . the perfect piece to twirl in. Even at the young age of 14 months, she knows how to twirl and I couldn't be more thrilled about it.

Every morning when I take Hope to mom's house, mom makes me breakfast and we feed Hope. Then I play with her for a few minutes before rushing out the door to the office. This morning during play time we put on some music and of course, the tutu. She danced and twirled and my heart just soared. There is nothing like watching the sweet femininity of your baby girl come to life before your eyes. It's like she is programmed to know that dancing is what little girls do.

I am so thankful for these moments when I get to realize fully that I am a mommy to a little girl. To me, it's a dream come true! I hope to have a tutu pic to share soon. It's tough to catch her when she's dancing around the room!

In A Groove. . .

I'm sitting here at home working a bit this afternoon. Hope is upstairs sleeping after a rather full weekend. Actually, she's battling quite a cold today and should be miserable, but alas. . . she is asleep. Thank God!

As I sit here working, I can't help but ponder the fact that I feel like I am really in a groove as it relates to work. So much so that I wonder when the "you know what" is going to hit the fan. Is it possible that I've gotten a better handle on this marketplace mommy thing? I can promise you this, work is busy. There is a lot going on and some days I feel completely in over my head. But the odd thing is, I feel very much at peace.

I am a firm believer that many things in life are mind over matter. If we can just wrap our minds around the matter at hand, we'll likely be able to see it with a fresh pair of eyes and many times, those fresh eyes see things much less fuzzy and much more beautifully. For some reason (and I'll betcha that reason is God) I have a new outlook on being a working mom. Sure, my house is in desperate need of a good cleaning and I may not get to it until my next day off on Friday but what does that matter? Is the clean police coming on Thursday? As long as my child is happy and healthy (ok, today I'll take happy) and the same goes for my husband then we're doing pretty well.

I think at the root of my new found peace is the fact that God has given me great revelation that's allowed me to take the pressure off. If I do my very best (with His help) in my home, at work, at church, and with my family and friends then the rest is up to Him. I'm really learning to appreciate the story God's created for us. . . The Wolstenholms. For now I am a marketplace mommy and I am proud of what He's allowed me to be a part of through my work. I pray every day that I will have the strength to do what I've been given to do with excellence and a peaceful heart.