If you ever have new (or new to you) car fever, just detail your car! While I was visiting my parents my dad detailed my car and it looks fabulous!

A thorough cleaning of the inside made it look new!

After seeing how good my 8-year-old car looked, I decided that anyone who thinks they want a new car needs to first have their car detailed and remove all trash and random things that cars seem to acquire and the car fever just might go away – potentially saving thousands!

The Boy Who Changed the World by Andy Andrews is a book that I will read to my son and hopefully future children and grandchildren for years to come!

It a wonderful tale of the impact one person can have on millions (or billions) of people and illustrates to children how investing in just one other person can go on to changes lives for years to come.

It traces the lives of Norman Borlaug, Henry Wallace, George Washington Carver and Moses Carver and shares how they impacted two billion people!

Another reason this book will be a family favorite, the impact was through agriculture. Since I was privileged to grow up on a farm and have a BS in agriculture, I believe it is important to teach future generations about agriculture and The Boy Who Changed the World is a great book to do that.

It ends by telling the child that they can change the world!

I believe this is a timeless book that will be read to children for years and highly recommend purchasing a copy for the little boy (or girl) in your life!

Disclosure: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. All opinions expressed are my own.

I recently read Your Money God’s Way by Amie Streater. It was very easy to read and an encouraging personal finance book.

As someone who believes in being debt free, I agreed completely with her stance on debt. She presented the importance of debt free living to Christians, focusing on the fact that when Christians are financially free they are able to give generously!

The books goes through “7 money myths that keep Christians broke,” each of the money myths were interesting to read and honestly somewhat shocking that Christians believe in some of these myths.

If you have struggles with money and debt, I believe this book would be beneficial to read. There are real life stories of people who have made drastic money changes and are now living debt free!

She not only presents the money myths, she gives scriptures and tools, such as budgeting recommendations, to help the reader make changes in their life.

Disclosure: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. All opinions expressed are my own.

That was my plan.

Turns out the day wasn’t going to go according to my plan because I’m not in control.

At 6:55, I had my car completely packed, dog in his crate, Paxton in his car seat and my seat belt on. And just like I do every time I am ready to go somewhere, I turned the key to start the car. However, it didn’t start. I tried again and again, nothing. I called my husband (who had already left) and he called our wonderful neighbor to help me! Our neighbor was able to get the car started (it’s a minor issue).

I ended up being an hour behind my schedule.

My mom arrived home from work around 3:45 and we were going to go to a consignment store in town to sell a few things and do a little shopping.

That was our plan.

Turns out our plan wasn’t to be because we’re not in control.

After gathering the babies (Paxton and my niece Emerson), their diaper bags and carseats, my mom went in the attic to grab a box of clothes to bring to the store. The next thing I know, I hear a box fall on the garage floor and look over to see my mom on the floor.

I really can’t express what went through my mind in those few seconds before I got to her but it was a flood of emotions.

Thankfully, she was able to move her fingers and toes and neck and didn’t appear to be severely injured. However, since she hit her head, she went to the emergency room, where she still is at this time. (She had a CAT scan and they haven’t heard the results yet however she is feeling pretty good.)

I’ve just been reminded today that I am not in control, God is in control! I don’t know why my car wouldn’t start or my mom was injured. I do know that in spite of the change of my plans for today, that there is so much to be thankful for.

My car did start!

I made it safely home with no issues!

I was able to spend a few hours with my dad!

Most importantly, my precious mother was not severely injured!

God is good and faithful and is in control and that certainly is a finer thing!

I have set a goal to have 365 things gone in 365 days! And once I reach this goal I’ll continue decluttering…hopefully more than 365 things will leave my home!

My one rule is that hand-me-downs from others don’t count! How is counting someone else’s cast offs helping me reduce clutter? So, if I receive items and decide to pass them on or donate to Goodwill, they will not be on this list!

How did I do in August?

Clothing: 91

Books: 17

Baby (everything but clothes): 17

Household: 34

Other: 28

Grand Total: 187 items!!

*I sold 2 books on half.com and baby clothes at Once Upon a Child for $37.82! My grand total of “stuff” sold  to $240.63 for the year…not too shabby!!

I’ve reached my goal!! I’ve now gotten rid of 432 things!!

The growing pile of unwanted stuff in the basement! I’m seriously considering having a yard sale this fall. We have a few larger items that we may be getting rid of and I haven’t even started tackling the clutter in the basement…it seems like clutter just grows in the basement!

Just a few of the piles of clothes that left my closet! I was really serious about getting rid of clothes this month. I went through my closet at the beginning of the month and throughout the month as I would try things on to wear and didn’t like the way they fit, away they went! (Over half of the 91 items of clothing were baby things…he had so much small stuff, I don’t think I even own 91 articles of clothing!)

Are you thinking about decluttering in 2010? Here is a video post about getting rid of 30 Things in 30 Days! It is amazing how much you can get rid of if you just get rid of 1 unwanted item a day…easy decluttering!

Linked to: Amy’s Finer Things August Clutter Update

Linked to: Wordless Wednesday

Meet Charlie, my stain fighting friend! I’ve been using Charlie’s Soap since I started cloth diapering back in May. It works wonders on our diapers! After a few blowouts when Paxton was a newborn, resulting in stains on his clothes, I decided to give Charlie’s Soap a try on soiled baby clothes and it works!

I typically will rinse the poo off of the garment with cold water, apply a little Zout and then wash with Charlie’s Soap and usually there is no stain.

This past week while we were traveling, Paxton wore disposables (which means more blowouts!) He soiled several pieces of clothing. The worst was a light blue onesie (the poo was all over the back!)

Once we arrived home (just a few hours after the incident), I rinsed the poo out and let it soak in cold water overnight. The next morning I applied Zout and washed in Charlie’s Soap. Unfortunately, Charlie failed me and there was still a faint yellow stain on the back of the onesie.

I decided to give Charlie another chance and dissolved about 1/4 a tablespoon of Charlie’s Soap in cold water and then soaked the onesie for 2 days.

It worked! Here is the onesie…minus the stain! (I didn’t take a before picture for comparison because I really don’t like the idea of taking pictures of clothing covered in poo!)

I am thrilled that the stain is gone because this is a really cute little onesie.

Warning: The water I soaked the onesie in had a faint blue tint when I poured it out, so it is pulling a little dye out of the clothing after a 2 day soak. However, I’d rather the color of the garmet fade a little instead of being stained permanently!

Do you have any stain fighting tips?

Linked to: Works for Me Wednesday

Once again, I’m making attempts to eat healthier (I started down this path last year right before morning sickness hit with full force!) Since I’ll soon be introducing my son to food, (how is it that he will be 6 months old in only 1.5 months?) I’m becoming more conscious about some of the foods we’re eating that we shouldn’t be.

At this time, we cannot afford to eat only organic but I think avoiding processed foods and sugars and eating more raw fruits and vegetables is a start!

The plan:

• Making homemade breads (with fresh ground flour!)
• Homemade breakfasts (muffins, eggs, pancakes, biscuits instead of cereal)
• Eating more steamed veggies
• Salads (a simple side dish!)
• Eating raw fruits and vegetables, yogurt and cheese for snacks

What are some of your favorite healthy meals and snacks?

What organic foods do you purchase?

I also love that wearing him allows me to be productive while carrying him! Having him in a wrap or sling also makes running errands much easier – especially grocery shopping!

Wearing Paxton in our Moby Wrap at 3 weeks old in a Newborn Hug Hold.

In a Lotus Hold at 4 months! I like this hold (and so does he) since he’s able to look around – especially on our daily trips to the mailbox!

Looking at these pictures makes me think about how much he’s changed! Isn’t it amazing how much babies change in just a few months?

1 pound chicken breasts, boiled & finely shredded

1 Tablespoon butter, melted

1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce

8 ounces cream cheese

Blue cheese dressing

1 cup shredded mozzarella

Toss chicken with butter and wing sauce. Marinate for 30 minutes. Spread cream cheese in bottom of small baking dish (12-inch cast iron, 8×8 baking dish). Spread chicken on top of cream cheese, then spread blue cheese on top. Sprinkle mozzarella, and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips.

Linked to: Tasty Tuesday

Grace is a word that’s often used in our culture, people “say grace” over meals and it’s even a popular name for girls but we rarely think of the gift of grace that God has given those who ask forgiveness.

In Captured by Grace, Dr. David Jeremiah breaks the book into 3 main parts, Grace for the Past, Grace for the Present and Grace for the Future. He uses the words to the timeless hymn, Amazing Grace,written by John Newton and the life of the Apostle Paul to explore the beauty of God’s grace. ”No one is beyond the rech of a loving God,” and Dr. David Jeremiah illustrates God’s grace to a slave trader (John Newton) and a persecutor of the church (Paul).

This was a book that I didn’t want to put down. The stories of John Newton and Paul were beautiful examples of God’s grace and proof that God radically changes lives! I really enjoyed reading more about the origins of the hymn as well as an in depth view of the lives of John Newton and Paul.

I would recommend this book for anyone who is struggling with understanding and accepting God’s forgiveness.

Disclosure: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. All opinions expressed are my own.

It seems like lately if I can remember to wash before my husband runs out of underclothes I’m doing good!

Then once I get things washed I often neglect the folding!

And then once they’re folded they just sit!

Here’s the evidence:

What’s not pictured is the other laundry hamper in the closet…yeah, it often looks just like this!

Here’s more evidence from earlier this week! (And I realized I’m also sharing the fact that my bed was never made!) Notice that the whites are somewhat molded in the shape of a clothes basket! Yeah, they stayed in there that long!

Another shot of our mess! But if you look very closely on the pillow you will see progress: one folded handkerchief (I am a hankie user!)

Ah, baby clothes and kitchen towels awaiting placement in their proper “homes”!

Once Paxton moved to his crib over 2 months ago the pack ‘n play just stayed…John David has lowered it though, if it was up to me it’d still be like this! And, I’ve found that it makes an excellent “laundry catcher” for those nights when we just want to push the clean clothes off of the bed but not into the floor!

Of  course I have much better things to do than keep up with the laundry these days:

This little man doesn’t care about clothes! He’s just happy in a diaper! (And I have *mostly* mastered doing the diaper laundry, thankfully!)

Linked to: Friday Fails

As a cloth diapering mama, I’ve found that I can’t always cloth diaper my baby. There are times that it is easier to use disposables (like overnight trips!)

In the first few weeks, we used disposable diapers before we started cloth diapering. Once he started wearing cloth diapers full time at home and only wearing disposables when we were on the go, I noticed that the disposables had a smell! The “diaper smell”scent it made his soiled diapers smell just horrible! I knew there had to be an unscented disposable diaper!

Then I was introduced to Seventh Generation Diapers:

• Wood pulp processed without chemicals containing chlorine
• Hypoallergenic
• Fragrance and latex free
• Premium fit and absorbency

The light tan diapers make them look different than other diapers. One of my favorite features is the stretchy tabs and the fit of these diapers is great.

With a breastfeed baby (and the explosions and blowouts that come with that) how did they do? They were great! They had a high rise on the back and contained messes. He did have a little poop up the back one time but it was only a little bit and it was a huge dirty diaper! Other than that I never had any problems and never had any leaks with the wet diapers! (Other brands…let’s just say when he has to wear disposables I’m super prepared with tons of wipes and extra clothes!)

Looking cute in his diaper!

I also tried out the Seventh Generation Baby Wipes. They were okay wipes, they were a little thin and I found that I needed to use 2 or 3 wipes to clean up most dirty diapers. However, the fact that they are also hypoallergenic and unscented makes them a great option for babies with really sensitive skin.

Giveaway:

Win a Seventh Generation Natural Baby Starter Kit including Chlorine Free Diapers (in the size you need), Chlorine Free Wipes, Baby Laundry Liquid, Disinfecting Wipes, All Purpose Cleaner and a few more products (I’ll let you enjoy a surprise when the package arrives!)

Mandatory Entry:

Leave a comment telling me why you want to try out Seventh Generation Diapers!

Additional Entries: (leave a separate comment for each)

1. Tell me who the diapers would be for!

2. Tweet about this giveaway.

Giveaway ends Saturday, August 28 at 12:00 pm CST.

Disclaimer: I was provided a Seventh Generation Natural Baby Starter Kit to review. I was not compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Yesterday our handsome little man was 4 months old! (Where does the time go?) He weighs 16 pounds 3 ounces and is 26 inches long!

(Visit our family blog, The Simple Life of the Boreings to read about milestones from this past month!)

Linked to: Wordless Wednesday

Rebekah and 3-day-old Emerson

I was 19 when I found out I was pregnant.  I had just started my sophomore year in college and it was a nightmare.  Not only was I pregnant, but I was not in a relationship with the baby’s father; this was not exactly an ideal situation.  I was so scared about what my parents and friends would think and say.  I think I was even more nervous about going to church pregnant and unmarried.  I told my parents and they were pretty supportive, upset of course, but supportive.  My mother and I did get into a few arguments and she said some things that really hurt my feelings, but I know she was just as upset about everything as I was.

So many people that I talked to acted like it was no problem at all.  “You can take care of it” or “just get it fixed” were common remarks and an abortion seemed to be a simple “solution” to the problem.  Even though my parents already knew I was pregnant it would be so easy for me to just tell them I had a miscarriage.  But I couldn’t do it.  I had never even considered having an abortion if I got in this situation and now that I was in it an abortion was certainly not an option for me.  I knew things would be hard and some people would think badly of me, but I had made the decision to have sex and this baby was not something I could just get rid of like it never existed.

Each month was difficult for me.  Often I felt like no one cared and that I was a loser and a screw up.  I kept wishing that things would go back to normal, but I knew that realistically this was my life.  I was going to be a single mom and I needed to prepare for it whether I wanted to or not.  During my pregnancy my relationship with the Lord actually improved.  I had been a Christian for several years, although I had made poor decisions on many occasions, but I felt like I was closer to the Lord than ever.  Even though I was in a bad situation I knew that everything would be ok and towards the end of my pregnancy I was actually happier than I had been in a long time.

Emerson Alexandria was born on Wednesday, June 17, 2009 at 9:54 am.  I couldn’t believe that this little bundle was actually my daughter.  It took a few months for me to realize that I was a mommy and the “unconditional love” didn’t set in for a couple months either.  I felt like something was wrong with me and that I wasn’t going to be a good mom.  After a while, however, I continued to fall more and more in love with my little girl.

Today I don’t know what I would do without her.  I love holding her in my arms and my favorite thing to do now is take naps with her lying on my tummy.  She has made me become a better person and has made me realize that I need to enjoy life and what I have and not take things for granted.  Although my situation is certainly not ideal and what God intended, I know that this happened for a reason.  I am so glad I made the decision to keep my baby and not “fix the problem” like I was encouraged to do.  Babies are not choices, they are a life.  We should not have the decision to terminate a life that God has created.  All people are “fearfully and wonderfully made,” and seeing how every person starts off as a baby, this applies to them also.  Emerson is the best thing that has ever happened to me and I know that every other baby can bring just as much joy as she has.

Celebrating Emerson’s First Birthday!

Rebekah is now 21 and is a wonderful mother to her little girl! She graduated with her Associates degree this past May and is starting classes in a few short weeks for her Elementary Education Degree. Emerson is 14 months old and into everything but such a blessing to our family!

One year ago tonight we found out life changing news, we found out we were expecting!

It’s amazing how much a + symbol means!

We were just thrilled that we were going to become parents but had no idea how amazing it really was going to be!

Today we reflected on the anniversary of finding out we were going to become a family of 3! We celebrated by loving on our son!

Our sweet sleeping blessing one year later!

Our original goals:

1. Save $3,000 for new to us vehicle. We’ve revised this to “Have $2,500 total in new to us vehicle fund (by the end of the year).” We had around $1,000 saved at the beginning of the year and currently have a little over $2,000 in this fund. With changes in expenses, giving and budgeting we don’t think $3,000 is a realistic goal for us and we’ve also decided that we don’t need to replace John David’s truck just because it won’t comfortably seat the 3 of us, we’ll go in our family car instead!

2. Add on a guest room in the basement without any debt. We’re not adding on a guest room. Our office/guest room is working just fine so we don’t think it’s wise to spend money adding on a room at this time. (The $562.78 we had saved in our “Home Improvement” fund was applied to the purchase of a lawn mower, which we needed!)

3. Establish a college fund for Paxton. No changes here!

4. Make an extra principal payment each month. We’re changing this to ” Make a $215 extra principal payment each month.” $215 is the magic number to getting the house paid off in 15 years so we thought it would be wise to have a specific dollar amount to reach each month.

Here’s what we accomplished in July on our revised goals:

1. Have $2,500 total in new to us vehicle fund. We saved around $40 towards this goal and our vehicle fund has $2,121.79 so we have $378.21 to go!

3. Establish a college fund for Paxton. Still nothing official! We’ve read over different types of options though and hopefully will make a decision soon!

4. Make a $215 extra principal payment each month. We made $243.10 in extra payments!

After our afternoon walk yesterday! Paxton loves hanging out in the Moby Wrap! (Isn’t the hat just precious?)

Linked to: Wordless Wednesday

Check out the bubbles and drool getting ready to dribble onto his clean onesie!

Caught in the act!

I believe he may be teething, he loves to chew! He chews on bibs, burp cloths, rattles, stuffed animals, his paci and mamas finger (ouch!) We can’t see or feel any teeth but we know it’s possible! Then again he could be like my niece; my sister thought she was teething around 4 months but didn’t get her first tooth until 2 weeks before her first birthday! (Isn’t that every nursing mother’s dream! I certainly wouldn’t complain if he didn’t get teeth for several more months!)

In celebration of World Breastfeeding Week, I’m sharing my breastfeeding experience (so far!)

I’ve always known that  I wanted to nurse my babies, even as a child I would play that I was nursing my dolls!  I’m not sure how I picked up on it since my sister was just 22 months younger and I have no memories of her as a nursing baby.  I suppose it’s one of those natural instincts little girls have since it is such a natural thing!

When I was pregnant with Paxton, I read everything I could to prepare myself: books, magazine articles, and blog posts (one of my favorites: Breastfeeding Tips for New Moms). I talked to moms who had successfully breastfed their babies for months. I also took a Breastfeeding class at our hospital and my fabulous husband went with me since I knew he was going to be my biggest advocate!

I knew some moms and babies have problems breastfeeding and that it doesn’t come naturally to everyone. I prepared myself mentally for the potential challenges and was determined to stay with it for weeks even though it could be frustrating or painful.

While I was in labor with my son, one of the lactation consultants at our hospital stopped by and went over nursing basics with me again. ( I was very blessed that our hospital had wonderful lactation consultants.) Within 10 minutes of giving birth, I was nursing my baby! Our wonderful Labor and Delivery Nurse and my husband helped me. We tried the football hold first but I was struggling with the position,  it just didn’t feel natural to me. We decided to try the cradle hold, which felt comfortable and Paxton latched on perfectly and was nursing!

Breastfeeding came naturally to me but there were a few struggles.I worried about my milk coming in the first few days. Then once my milk came in, I had a little engorgement discomfort. I did get slightly frustrated at first because he sometimes did not want to latch and I knew he was hungry, I learned that being calm was the best thing so I could calm him so he could successfully latch.

I’ve been breastfeeding for 3 1/2 months now and love it. My goal is to exclusively breastfed to 6 months and I’d love to  continue nursing to a year.

*I know many women struggle with breastfeeding whether it is horrible pain, a baby who won’t latch or lack of milk supply and these are things they just can’t control. I do not think mothers who formula feed their babies are inferior to those who breastfeed, we all love our babies and do what is best for them! My sister tried to breastfeed her baby girl but had struggles. My niece is a healthy, happy and beautiful formula fed 13-month-old!

Linked to: Finer Things Friday

How did I do in July?

I sold 2 items on eBay. I was hoping I could sell more but July was a very busy month (including a week of visiting family).

The 2 items I sold were baby clothes and I earned $7.16 on them which is not much at all but it’s a start!

Now I have $207.84 left to reach the goal which equals around $42 a month! I just went through baby clothes and my clothes and am decluttering this week (again…it seems to just multiply!) I am going to list several items on eBay, Amazon and Craigslist and take some to Once Upon a Child.

Our family blog: The Simple Life of the Boreings

You can also click on “Family” and it will bring you to The Simple Life of the Boreings!

And overlook the poor video quality! I had the camera propped up on the dresser in the nursery to film this!!

I did all of the laundry and ironing before I left so he was stocked up with clean underclothes and ironed clothes for work.

I made out a detailed menu for him.  I wrote out the plan day by day, telling him what to cook and what side to prepare. I took all of the meats out of our freezer in the basement and put them in our kitchen freezer to make it a little easier!

Since he loves his sweet tea, I brewed 2 gallons of tea so he wouldn’t have to worry about making it!

I also made sure our home was clean so he could come home from work each day and relax.

After a week away, I honestly was expecting a slightly messy home but I came home to just a few dishes in the sink and an overflowing laundry hamper (and I’m happy as long as the clothes are in the hamper!) Everything else was perfectly clean!!

As for the state of our home once I arrived, not so neat! I’m beginning to think that maybe I’m the one with the messy problem and not him!

*My sweet husband is not helpless, he could have survived just fine doing his own laundry and planning meals for himself. However, his love language is acts of service and I wanted him to have reminders throughout the week that I love him and joyfully serve him even while away!

I have set a goal to have 365 things gone in 365 days! And once I reach this goal I’ll continue decluttering…hopefully more than 365 things will leave my home!

My one rule is that hand-me-downs from others don’t count! How is counting someone else’s cast offs helping me reduce clutter? So, if I receive items and decide to pass them on or donate to Goodwill, they will not be on this list!

How did I do in July?

Clothing: 24*

Other: 4

Grand Total: 28 items

*I sold 2 pieces of baby clothing on eBay for $7.16! My grand total of “stuff” sold  to $202.81 for the year…not too shabby!!

Now I only have 120 items left to reach my goal which averages out to 24 items a month throughout the rest of the year! I definitely think this goal is achievable!!

Now I just have to go to Goodwill! (And this picture is off stuff that was decluttered in June!)

Are you thinking about decluttering in 2010? Here is a video post about getting rid of 30 Things in 30 Days! It is amazing how much you can get rid of if you just get rid of 1 unwanted item a day…easy decluttering!

Links:

Amy’s Finer Things JulyClutter Update

I’d much rather hold my son, read to him and play with him than have a perfect home!

Here’s a glimpse of what my home looks like most nights:

Pillows, quilts and throws just piled up, calculators, baby toys and books….signs of life and family!

Dishwasher, sink and counter full of dirty dishes…the result of a yummy dinner and homemade snickerdoodles!

And in our room…clean laundry yet to be put away, baby sling and my to-do list! The pack ‘n play is just indefinitely in our room, Paxton no longer sleeps there but we’ve yet to take it down, maybe one day!

It’s not perfect but that’s okay! I sure don’t regret just sitting on the couch and spending time with my hubby and baby boy!