Wow things have been super busy in the Clark household!
My husband's parents arrived on Friday around lunch time. I had the privilege of picking them up and helping them get where they needed to go. For my mother-in-law, this was the first time she had seen Emily. We concluded Friday with dinner at Friday's and then dropped them back at their hotel.
We're enjoying having dinner together nightly and spending lots of time running errands and such. I was able to take my mother in law to Wegman's which she's never experienced. It was neat to see her go through the store. Its really unlike any store she's been to in a while. My husband is definitely enjoying spending time with his father. We really missed them while they were in England. Soon they'll be off to West Palm Beach to get settled in to their new home.
Emily was baptized on Sunday. It was such a joyous event. We were delighted to have all of our family and friends come and witness the baptism and make the promise to help us raise her in a Christian environment. We had a reception afterward at my Grandma's house and it was a really nice time. My father in law held her as much as he could. I think he was making my mother in law jealous. They are really enjoying their time with her.
We're so blessed to have a beautiful daughter and this time to spend with my in-laws. I hope to enjoy every minute of it.
"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6)
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Shopping Day!
With Emily's baptism quickly approaching, I need to go out and make several purchases for the party afterwards. We are so blessed to have so many people who love and care about Emily and want to pledge to help us raise her in a Christian environment. We're expecting a little over 40 people in attendance for the reception and close to 50 for the baptism itself. Needless to say there is a lot of food prep involved. Thankfully my grandmother used to cater so she is graciously lending her expertise to this event.
I'll be heading to lunch with my grandmother. I think we finally settled on Cracker Barrel which is a family favorite. Then we're off to Costco, then to Walmart and then to Giant. Not only am I making purchases for the party, but I also need to make some purchases for our household including eggs, bread, toilet paper and diapers. I'll also be purchasing items for Jonathan's lunches for next week.
This will be my first diaper purchase. We were so blessed to receive many diapers at our baby shower and we have not needed to purchase any diapers so far and she's already a month old. I tried the size 1 diapers we received but they are just too big and she's not quite ready for those but when she is, we have TONS of size 1 diapers! For now, I'll need to purchase some Newborn size to get us through until she grows into the Size 1.
"God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah. hat thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations." (Psalm 67:1-2)
I'll be heading to lunch with my grandmother. I think we finally settled on Cracker Barrel which is a family favorite. Then we're off to Costco, then to Walmart and then to Giant. Not only am I making purchases for the party, but I also need to make some purchases for our household including eggs, bread, toilet paper and diapers. I'll also be purchasing items for Jonathan's lunches for next week.
This will be my first diaper purchase. We were so blessed to receive many diapers at our baby shower and we have not needed to purchase any diapers so far and she's already a month old. I tried the size 1 diapers we received but they are just too big and she's not quite ready for those but when she is, we have TONS of size 1 diapers! For now, I'll need to purchase some Newborn size to get us through until she grows into the Size 1.
"God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah. hat thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations." (Psalm 67:1-2)
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Budgeting on a Single Income
Since the baby has arrived, we've had to make some serious budget cutbacks. We're now operating on a single income which is something we've never done. I'm trying to be diligent in my attempts to keep household expenses as low as possible as not to be wasteful with Jonathan's earnings. So far I'm doing pretty well I believe. Here are some of the things/areas I've done to cut back.
Stop going out to eat! This one was hard for us since anyone that knows us knows that we love to go out whether it be fast food or Japanese Steakhouse. We've made it a month so far only going out with his dad when he was in town. All meals have been prepared at home!
Shop sales! I have always tried to be as frugal as possible when shopping but now I've kicked it up a notch. I pick a day and go around from store to store to do my shopping to ensure I'm paying the lowest price possible for each item. I typically shop Walmart for most items and usually buy meat and produce from wherever has it on sale. Our Walmart doesnt have a really good selection of produce or meat and truthfully I dont find Walmart to be any less expensive than the other places when there is a sale.
Eat Leftovers! We have been terrible with eating leftovers. Recently we've been eating our leftovers at least once a week which means I only have to prepare 6 meals a week saving us some money. I also can eat leftovers for lunch saving money on lunch-making supplies.
Eat all your meals! I've found that actually eating 3 meals a day keeps me from snacking which saves us money on extra food for snacks. If I eat 3 good meals, I feel fuller longer and more satisfied.
Buy what you know you will eat! This one is important... If you buy stuff that you dont particularly like such as a particular brand or type of food just because its on sale, then you end up wasting money in tossing food that you didnt really care for. I also notice that if I keep food in the house that we really like, we're less likely do go out seeking likeable food.
Other little things I do to keep the household expenses down are hanging up my clothes after I wear them if they arent really dirty to conserve loads of laundry (this goes for towels too!), menu planning, buying in bulk and mapping out prices. I am thankful that God has provided for us to be able to live on one income and I thank God that he has blessed me with the ability to budget and be frugal with my husband's earnings. I pray that God will continue to bless us.
"For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. " (1 Timothy 6:10)
Stop going out to eat! This one was hard for us since anyone that knows us knows that we love to go out whether it be fast food or Japanese Steakhouse. We've made it a month so far only going out with his dad when he was in town. All meals have been prepared at home!
Shop sales! I have always tried to be as frugal as possible when shopping but now I've kicked it up a notch. I pick a day and go around from store to store to do my shopping to ensure I'm paying the lowest price possible for each item. I typically shop Walmart for most items and usually buy meat and produce from wherever has it on sale. Our Walmart doesnt have a really good selection of produce or meat and truthfully I dont find Walmart to be any less expensive than the other places when there is a sale.
Eat Leftovers! We have been terrible with eating leftovers. Recently we've been eating our leftovers at least once a week which means I only have to prepare 6 meals a week saving us some money. I also can eat leftovers for lunch saving money on lunch-making supplies.
Eat all your meals! I've found that actually eating 3 meals a day keeps me from snacking which saves us money on extra food for snacks. If I eat 3 good meals, I feel fuller longer and more satisfied.
Buy what you know you will eat! This one is important... If you buy stuff that you dont particularly like such as a particular brand or type of food just because its on sale, then you end up wasting money in tossing food that you didnt really care for. I also notice that if I keep food in the house that we really like, we're less likely do go out seeking likeable food.
Other little things I do to keep the household expenses down are hanging up my clothes after I wear them if they arent really dirty to conserve loads of laundry (this goes for towels too!), menu planning, buying in bulk and mapping out prices. I am thankful that God has provided for us to be able to live on one income and I thank God that he has blessed me with the ability to budget and be frugal with my husband's earnings. I pray that God will continue to bless us.
"For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. " (1 Timothy 6:10)
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Gearing up for a Family weekend!
I'm in the process of getting ready for a family filled weekend. My husband's parents are flying in, his brother and his wife are staying the weekend and we're having Emily baptized. Needless to say, with a newborn, my house is nowhere near ready for guests. The guest bedroom has been the makeshift storage room, Emily's room is in need of a good cleaning, all of the bathrooms need to be cleaned and my dining room table needs to be cleared and a tablecloth. I also have to do shopping and prepare food. I'm really not sure how I'm going to pull it all off but I know that somehow it will all work out.
I found it a little easier to get a few things done yesterday. I did accomplish 3 loads of laundry, unloading the dishwasher and making dinner all while handling a newborn. Today I hope to get some towels washed, clear out part of the guest room, fold and put away our clean laundry and clean the 2 upstairs bathrooms. I also will need to unload the dishwasher and make dinner again. We might end up doing leftovers just for time sake.
Tomorrow I'll need to get the dining room table cleaned off, pick up the kitchen, clean the downstairs bathroom and clear the landing. Thursday I'll focus on cleaning out the fridge, dusting, clearing the upstairs hallway and doing the shopping for the party. Its a lot of work and hopefully I can get it all done in a reasonable amount of time. Hopefully Emily will let me get most of it done.
"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;" (Colossians 3:23)
Tomorrow I hope to finish the
I found it a little easier to get a few things done yesterday. I did accomplish 3 loads of laundry, unloading the dishwasher and making dinner all while handling a newborn. Today I hope to get some towels washed, clear out part of the guest room, fold and put away our clean laundry and clean the 2 upstairs bathrooms. I also will need to unload the dishwasher and make dinner again. We might end up doing leftovers just for time sake.
Tomorrow I'll need to get the dining room table cleaned off, pick up the kitchen, clean the downstairs bathroom and clear the landing. Thursday I'll focus on cleaning out the fridge, dusting, clearing the upstairs hallway and doing the shopping for the party. Its a lot of work and hopefully I can get it all done in a reasonable amount of time. Hopefully Emily will let me get most of it done.
"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;" (Colossians 3:23)
Tomorrow I hope to finish the
Monday, June 21, 2010
Wonderful News
My husband and I were blessed to welcome our daughter Emily into the world on May 24th. We are so excited to be parents and are looking forward to raising her.
Its been almost a month since she was born and life for us certainly has changed. Simple outings are no longer so simple and it certainly is no longer just hop in the car and go. I think we're adjusting to our new life rather nicely, although I'm sure a few more hours of sleep wouldnt hurt ;).
I'm enjoying my new job as a stay at home mom. Its definitely an adjustment for everyone involved. It is in no way an easy job especially with a newborn. I still havent mastered the art of cleaning the house and taking care of her, although I have been able to perform certain tasks like unloading the dishwasher, laundry, and making dinner during longer nap times.
I thank God every day that I'm able to take on this role in the household and pray that God will provide me with the strength to fulfill the responsibilities that go along with it.
"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." (Isaiah 41:10)
Its been almost a month since she was born and life for us certainly has changed. Simple outings are no longer so simple and it certainly is no longer just hop in the car and go. I think we're adjusting to our new life rather nicely, although I'm sure a few more hours of sleep wouldnt hurt ;).
I'm enjoying my new job as a stay at home mom. Its definitely an adjustment for everyone involved. It is in no way an easy job especially with a newborn. I still havent mastered the art of cleaning the house and taking care of her, although I have been able to perform certain tasks like unloading the dishwasher, laundry, and making dinner during longer nap times.
I thank God every day that I'm able to take on this role in the household and pray that God will provide me with the strength to fulfill the responsibilities that go along with it.
"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." (Isaiah 41:10)
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