30 day blog journal: days 29 & 30....

First of all, thank you for all your sweet comments yesterday!  It's nice to know that we're not the only ones that get a "bad case of the Monday's" every now and then :)Today was a MUCH better day. ;0)


Technically yesterday was the final day in the 30 day blog journal, but I had fallen a little behind....so I'm catching up today!  I had no idea how hard it would be to post every day!  I have to say though, that I have really enjoyed having a little writing prompt every day and especially getting to read everyone else's entries.  


So....Without further ado....here are the final two days:






Day 29: Hopes, Dreams, and Plans for the next 365 days......
I wrote about a lot of these in my 101 post....you can see that here.


Day 30: A Dream for the Future....
Honestly, I'm living my dream right now.  As cheesy as that may sound, being home with my sweet baby and having a a husband that loves me unconditionally is truly the fulfillment of my heart's desire. Lord willing, we will have more children and raise them to know Him. I pray that in the "future" I will continue to love the Lord and love others.    


This completes my 30 day blog journal!  I hope that you've enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it.  Hopefully you've learned a little bit more about me in the process, too!  If there's anything else you want to know, feel free to ask! 


"Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."
 James 4:13 - 16

a bad case of "the monday's"

today was a blah day. it was basically libbi vs. the world all day. she woke up on the wrong side of the bed and was grouchy all day. it didn't help that she got up at 4am this morning and barely napped today. (which didn't help my mood too much either) ;0)

we walked to the library this morning for toddler time.  libbi loved the walk over, but once we were there she was not a happy camper.  last week she did awesome at toddler time and was so into it.  this week, there were too many other temptations - purses, sippy cups, snacks...none of which belonged to her.  i basically had to run around just trying to keep her out of everyone else's stuff.  not the enriching experience i was hoping for.

when we left the library, we made a quick stop at the park before heading home for lunch. apparently, i was not quick enough with the preparation of her lunch.  you would have thought she had been on a 40 day fast and i was dangling a steak just out of her reach with the way she was carrying on.  nevermind that she had just had a snack not one hour earlier.  she was making it clear that she was starving! there was lots of moaning, groaning, and gnashing of teeth.  it wasn't pretty. 

the rest of our day consisted of lots of this:

and this:

and a little more of this:

every time i turned around, i saw this face:

she pushed her stroller into the wall (forgetting that all she had to do was back up)

she flipped her chair end over end until it hit a column and then she collapsed into a puddle

all she wanted to do was sit in the corner and eat her feelings.

it was just a serious case of the mondays all the way around.

but, thank goodness tomorrow is another day.

we can wipe our tears, 

dry our eyes, 

take a deep breath,

and rest knowing that His mercies are new every morning.

"Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

Lamentations 3:22-23

*Disclaimer....no babies were traumatized in the making of these photographs.  these were never "real" tears....just good ole fashioned temper tantrums. :)

30 day blog journal: days 27 & 28....

Day 27: My Worst Habit...

Day 28: What's In My Purse?

Unfortunately Day 27 & Day 28 go hand in hand for me. One of my worst habits is stuffing everything into my purse (aka Libbi's diaper bag). I have to clean it out all the time, because it will overflow with a random plethora of items (which may or may not even be "diaper bag appropriate")


So, in the spirit of full disclosure and complete honesty, here is one of my bad habits in all it's glory:

The scene of the crime:

My accomplice:

don't let her sweet face fool you...she's partly to blame :)

The evidence:

a. random coupons, giftcards, and a chili's kid's menu.
b. diapers, wipes, and aquaphor (one of our BFF's!)
c. an empty target bag.  (i'd like to say this was in there for the disposal of dirty diapers, but sadly that is not the case....)
d. trash (so embarrassing!)
e. libbi's cellphone, and a toy attachment for her highchair cover that keeps toys/cups from falling on the ground (another excellent purchase!)
f. a book that we just bought at target
g. libbi's child safety ID card that we got for free from school last year
h.  a collection of bows
i. a paci
j. lipgloss, vera bradley post-it's, and my school ID badge (which I have not worn in almost 4 months....)
k. a bib
l. rascal flatts CD (i have no earthly idea where this even came from!)
m. a notebook that holds a copy all of Libbi's updated immunizations and info
n. a bracelet that libbi wore when she had her 6 month pictures made (i stuck it in a pocket in her diaper bag so i wouldn't lose it - which obviously worked since it is almost a year later and i still have it!)



I used to love purses and always had a great bag to carry, but since having Libbi, I just use her diaper bag most of the time.  My actual purse is probably 1,000 times worse than this....yikes!

On another note, I can't believe that we're on Day 28 of this 30 day journal....only 2 days left!  Where did the month of August go??? Time flies!
Hope you had a wonderful Saturday! :)

just your typical friday night....

Here at the Tippins' house, we take our weekends very seriously....and I have the evidence to prove it.

Exhibit A: Shirts are totally optional (if you are a male or below the age of 2).

Exhibit B: texts are sent, because we are too tired to even talk....

Exhibit C: TV is watched....you can tune in or zone out (viewer's choice)

Exhibit D: Drinks are thrown back

Exhibit E: Serious lounging occurs whenever and wherever the moods strikes.....

Exhibit F: Games are played....and if it's a game you make up yourself....even better.

 

HAPPY WEEKEND! :)

30 day blog journal: day 26

Day 26: Your Week In Great Detail...


Sunday - we had big plans of visiting a new church, but the dreaded stomach bug struck again.  so we spent our sunday morning washing sheets, mattress covers, and bumpers....sigh.  jeffrey had his fantasy football draft sunday afternoon, so libbi and i just hung around the house and did a few loads of laundry.  she wasn't feeling too hot, so we just took it easy and went to bed early.  besides our morning, sunday was a very uneventful day -thank goodness!


Monday - libbi woke up early and was still fighting a virus of some sort.  she was pretty puny monday morning, so we just laid around and did a whole lotta nothin.'  when she went down for her nap at 12, i cleaned the bathrooms and did some laundry.  she was feeling better when she woke up, so i made her a snack and we played some.  we didn't leave the house all day :) we had dinner plans that ended up not working out, so jeffrey picked up chick-fil-a on his way home. (boo-hoo)  when jeffrey got home, he was not feeling well at all and was running a fever (we were afraid he was catching the "bug" that libbi had), so he went to bed early and i stayed up and read blogs and played on the computer.  libbi woke up around 11pm and was crying the kind of "you-need-to-come-get-me-right-now" kind of cry. i went up to check on her and she needed to be changed. enough said.
after that, she decided that she was good and awake. i felt bad for jeffrey, because i knew he felt awful and i was worried that she was keeping him up even more, so i took her downstairs.  apparently this was her cue to begin playing.  i laid on the couch while she played and played and played.  around 2am, i had finally had enough so i took her back upstairs and put her to bed.  after MUCH crying she finally went back to sleep only to wake up again around 6....and still not feeling 100%.


Tuesday - we were supposed to be playing with a friend today, but since libbi was still yucky, i had reschedule.  i was totally exhausted from our long night/early morning, but it did not seem to effect her at all....isn't that way it always works? ;0)
we ran to target to pick up some diapers. (they were offering a $10 target giftcard if you bought two packs of pampers). we dropped off the dry cleaning then headed home for lunch and naptime.  libbi took a really good nap and i deep cleaned the kitchen, finished cleaning the bathrooms, and swept and cleaned the hardwoods.  when she woke up, she seemed to feel so much better! i had to run to publix to pick up something i had forgotten at the store (i am the queen of forgetting things...even though i always have a list!) before we left for publix, i ran upstairs to get my shoes and put the bathmat that i had washed back in the upstairs bathroom. i was seriously upstairs for all of two minutes.  when i walked out of the bathroom i practically ran into libbi.  she struts into the room like it's the most normal thing in the world, and i almost passed out.  i may have even screamed.  and possibly cried just a little, too.  it scared the living daylights out of me.  i still have NO idea how she opened the babygate at the bottom of the stairs (it's the kind that has a locking "gate") and for all i know, she may have even climbed over it....i have no idea. i shudder to think what could have happened while she was climbing the stairs.  thank you Lord for protecting her!  needless to say, i won't run upstairs for something anymore and i definitely won't trust a babygate.
when we got back from publix, i made supper and then libbi and i ate together while jeffrey sat and talked with us.  he had a tennis match and planned on eating when he got home later.  libbi went to bed early and i did, too.


Wednesday - i posted about our day here.


Thursday(today) - libbi woke up about 1:45am and i went in to check on her.  as soon as i walked in her room, i knew why she was crying.  unfortunately, we were out of diapers in her room and i had yet to bring any of the boxes upstairs yet.  so i had to take her downstairs to get a diaper and change her (of course turning on lights in the process) and by the time she was changed she was definitely not ready for bed.  i took her to our room and she laid with us and watched tv until she fell asleep.  i carried her back to her room and then we both went back to sleep.  she woke up around 8am - woohoo!
we ate breakfast and then went to go buy a paper so i could get the publix penny coupon for today.  when we got home, i got ready while she destroyed the bathroom.  we went to hobby lobby to buy a piece of replacement glass for a frame that had broken. we stopped in a local consignment store to see if they had anything worth buying, but we left empty handed.  when we got home, libbi was being super picky about what she wanted for lunch.  after trying many different things, she finally decided that she would eat a nutri-grain bar and some yogurt.  after lunch, we played for a little while and then i put her down for her nap.  i was really tired today and was totally unproductive during her nap.  i took a small nap, blogged, and then unloaded the dishwasher.  when she woke up, we went to publix to do our grocery shopping for the week.  i was so embarrassed, because libbi screamed the entire time. granted, they were happy screams, but she was essentially squealing at the top of her lungs up and down the aisles and people were staring.  i wanted to explain to everyone that she was not upset or pitching a fit, she was just playing.  instead i just smiled.  we came home, unloaded everything (my least favorite part!) and i made libbi's supper.  jeffrey came home and we ate together while libbi played and showed off some more squealing.  jeffrey cleaned up while i gave libbi a bath and put on her jammies.  we played for a little while and then i put her to bed.  she was in the BEST mood tonight and was all about jeffrey chasing her.  :)


i'm going to wrap up my post with thursday even though i didn't post about a full week. i can't imagine this is very interesting to anyone, so i figure i'm safe with cutting it short.  tomorrow's topic is: "My Worst Habit"


have a great night! :)

30 day blog journal: days 24 & 25 ...

Day 24: Your Town...




Day 25: Your Day In Great Detail....
(*warning: this is probably going to be incredibly boring, so feel free to just skip it.  i've added in some pictures so hopefully you won't fall asleep*)


5:45AM - libbi starts crying and wakes us up.  jeffrey asks me if i want him to go get her, i say "no", turn off the baby monitor, and try to go back to sleep. (i know, mom of the year....) 15 minutes later, i turn the monitor back on, because i think she's gone back to sleep.  it is quiet for all of 2 minutes and then i hear, "heeeeeeeeey" followed by a "dawg!" and then "mamamamamama."  at this point, i know there's no going back.  jeffrey goes and gets libbi out of bed and brings her to our bed in hopes that maybe, just maybe, she'll go back to sleep. (side note - she does not sleep with us, but some mornings when she wakes up at the crack of dawn (i'm talking still dark out, people), i will put her in bed with me out of sheer desperation -  usually to no avail).  jeffrey gets in the shower while i am hoping for another 20 minutes of sleep.....

after about 15 minutes of libbi climbing all over me, throwing her paci everywhere, hiding under the covers, trying to reach the cellphones on the nightstands, changing the settings on the remote, etc. i finally call it quits and we head downstairs for breakfast. i had planned on doing my grocery shopping today (more on that later), so the cupboards are a little bare....not quite mother hubbard, but close enough.  i make libbi and me some cinnamon toast and yogurt for breakfast and we sit down at the table to eat together.  jeffrey leaves for work and we finish up our breakfast.


after breakfast is cleaned up, we go into the den/playroom and libbi plays with her toys for a little bit while i check my email and read a few blogs.  we read some books, watch a dvr'd episode of "sesame street" and then sing a few rounds of "old macdonald" while acting it out with the animal puppets....it's what dreams are made of y'all.

we have plans to meet my sis-in-law and sweet baby blakeley at 10:45 so i head upstairs to shower.  i usually shower while libbi naps, because it's just easier on both of us, but since we had plans today and my hair was looking really unfortunate, i had to shower this morning.  i put libbi in her bed with some books, dolls, and her phone hoping that they would keep her occupied while i took a shower in record time.  not so much.  about 2 minutes into my shower i heard her chunk the cellphone against the wall, followed by "UH!" (that's her version of "uh-oh") next went the books, then the poor baby doll, and she so generously threw in a tantrum for the grand finale.  i tried to finish up quickly and then went to go get her out of her bed and brought her into the bathroom with me while i put on my make-up and dried my hair.

i close our bedroom door and leave the master bath doors open so she can walk around while i get ready.  she pulls out headbands, completely empties the drawer that she is allowed to play in, plays with her bath toys, throws everything within her reach into the bathtub, cries until i get it all back out of the tub, empties laundry baskets, tries to crawl under the bed, finds a cell phone, watches a little TV, pulls some socks out of jeffrey's sock drawer, finds a pack of gum and two receipts, and finally comes to sit in my lap because she wants me to put some makeup on her, too. ;0) (did i mention this was all in the span of about 15 minutes?!)


once we're both ready, we head to the post office so i can ship a skirt that i sold on ebay (woohoo!) then i load libbi back up and we head to the central office of my old school.  i had filled out some paperwork so i could be a substitute every now and then and we needed to drop it off.  we ran my paperwork by the office, then loaded back up and headed out to meet mandie and blakeley.  


when we got to the mall, we walked around and shopped for a bit.  libbi is usually a pretty good shopper.  she is a MAJOR people watcher, so she likes to be at the mall.  i have to keep a close eye on her, though, because she can get a bad case of "sticky fingers."  when we were in gymboree today, i wasn't paying attention to her and when i looked down, she had pulled five packs of little boy's underwear into the stroller with her! that is one thing we definitely didn't need!! we stopped by chick-fil-a and got a kids meal and fruit cup for libbi's lunch (that girl loves her some chick-fil-a).  we walked and shopped for a couple of hours and then headed home for naptime!

when we got back in the car, i set libbi up with a baby einstein noah's ark dvd.  she doesn't usually watch dvd's in the car, but i wanted to make sure she didn't fall asleep on the way home and i knew if she was watching her dvd she would stay awake.  i hate when she falls asleep in the car so close to naptime and then i have to wake her up to get her out and it disrupts our whole schedule!  anyway, when we got home (she was still awake!) i changed her, read her a book, and put her down for a nap.  

usually when she goes down for her nap, i shower, do my bible study, then do my cleaning/laundry for the day.  if i finish all of that, then i will blog/facebook/nap if i'm lucky! :)  let's just say today was not a "lucky day."  20 minutes after i put her down, she was back up. 20 minutes!!!! i let her cry for a few minutes, thinking she might go back to sleep, but she didn't.  i went upstairs thinking i could rock her and she'd go back down, but she didn't!  after trying rocking, singing, swaying, etc., i was the only one getting sleepy so i gave up and just headed back downstairs.  she was elated!  she played while i collected my coupons/list for the store.  i figured we'd go ahead and grocery shop since she was up and at 'em.  


i loaded libbi up and headed to publix.  upon pulling into the parking lot, i realized that i had forgotten my list and my coupons at home (great!)  i turned around and headed back home.  when we got home, i decided that we could just eat leftovers for supper and that we would grocery shop tomorrow (i usually go in on thursdays anyway to get the publix penny item).  libbi played with her baby, i did two loads of laundry, and we played with her toys for a while.

jeffrey got home from work around 5:30 and he warmed up our supper while i gave libbi some yogurt.  we had leftover chicken from last night that i added some rotel to and we made chicken tacos/nachos.  we all ate supper together and then i cleaned up while jeffrey and libbi spent some time together.  jeffrey had tennis practice tonight, so he had to leave not long after supper. libbi and i played for a little while and then she was ready for bed around 7pm.  she usually stays up a little later (7:30ish) but with her early morning and no nap, i knew she'd fade a little faster tonight.  i took her upstairs, read her a book ("i love you as much") and then put her down in her crib.  she has not made a peep since. :)

now i'm just blogging and waiting on jeffrey to get home from tennis while i watch reruns of the real world.  whew!  when jeffrey gets home, we'll do our bible study, hang out for a little bit and then go to bed!  it's been a busy and exhausting day, but how can i not enjoy every second that i get to spend with this sweet girl!?!!  i wouldn't have it any other way :)

and if you made it through this whole post (because i can assure you that even my own husband won't!) then bless you!! ;0)  
tomorrow's topic is: your week in great detail....yikes!

comfort

chill....relax....kick back....decompress....unwind....

what can i say, my girl knows how to "veg"....she is skilled in the art of doing nothing...aka...chillaxin'

i'm just not sure why she doesn't choose a more "comfortable" place to rest her tired self....

oh well, who am i to judge? ;0)

30 day blog journal: days 21, 22, & 23...

Day 21: A recipe...
This is one of my favorite quick and easy "go-to" recipes.  We love Mexican food at our house (we have Taco night AT LEAST once a week)! This is from The Southern Living Quick Weeknight Meals:


Easy Enchiladas
Ingredients:
-1 lb ground beef
-1 can enchilada sauce
-1 can tomato soup
-shredded cheese (we use the "mexican blend")
-flour tortillas (anywhere from 6-10 depending on how many you want to make)


Directions:
*Brown ground beef in skillet, drain and set aside.
*Combine enchilada sauce, tomato soup and ground beef in large bowl
*Spoon mixture into tortilla and sprinkle with cheese.  Roll up and place seam-side down in casserole dish.  Repeat with remaining tortillas (I usually make about 7-8).
* Pour remaining meat mixture over tortillas in the casserole dish and cover with aluminum foil.
*Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
*Uncover and sprinkle with cheese. (the recipe calls for about 1-1.5 cups, but we REALLY like cheese in our family, so I just use as much as my heart desires!) ;0)
*Return to oven until cheese is melted (about 5-7min)
Serve with sour cream and salsa if desired.




Day 22: A Website...
Well, I obviously love so many blogs, so I thought I would post a link to one of my favorite posts from one of my favorite blogs - "Clover Lane" titled "Why I Stay Home"




Day 23: A YouTube Video...
So.... I'm going to post two here.  One is totally appropriate and the other could be considered questionable.  But in my defense, they both make me laugh - EVERY.SINGLE.TIME, but for very different reasons! ;0)

14 months

Libbi Jane, you are 14 months old today!  Time has flown by and it feels like forever since we celebrated your first birthday....not just two short months ago!  I have enjoyed spending my days with you more than you will ever know.  You wear me out every day - ha! and I think sometimes I am more exhausted than you are, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!!!

You still wear a size 4 diaper and mostly 12-18 month clothes. It makes me so sad that you have grown out of the "baby section" in many of the stores and now have to shop in the "toddler" section. :(  You are growing up too fast!  We went to the doctor last week (you had a little virus) and you weighed in at 22 lbs.....we think.  It is hard to get an accurate measurement of your weight when you're writhing around on the scale like it is a bed of nails.

Your love affair with dogs continues - ha!  You are obsessed (to say the least) with dogs.  **And if you're reading this and you know me at all, then you know that I am NOT a dog lover (to say the least!).  I wouldn't kick a puppy or anything....I would probably just high-tail it and run for "safety." So I have NO IDEA where this dog fascination came from**  Anyway, you love all dogs....except for real ones - haha!

Anytime you see one on TV you are entranced. We watch youtube videos of random puppies. You look through all of your books until you find the pages with dogs on them.  You can spot one a mile a away.  You used to bark when we asked you, "what does a dog say?" but now you've taken to panting.  Sometimes we're concerned you'll hyperventilate, because you will pant through an entire dog food commercial.

*here you are panting while watching a commercial for dog food*

You have taken an interest in other animals, too.  You know the sounds that a snake, bee, cow, sheep, dog, squirrel, and monkey make.  I know, I know - we couldn't come up with a more random mix of animals if we tried - but for some reason these are the ones you've picked up on.

You talk all the time! Your newest words are: toes, no-no-no (complete with the finger point/shake), yes, yeah-yeah, more, and fish (referring to "goldfish crackers" not an actual fish) ;0)

You are an excellent sleeper (unless you're teething or sick). You sleep from 7pm to 7am pretty consistently and you take one afternoon nap a day (thank you, Lord!) You have 12 teeth (four on top, four on bottom and ALL FOUR molars - whew!) so hopefully we're through with the whole teething thing for a little while.

You are a picky eater, but when you find something you like, you're like a bottomless pit! You take after your momma and have a sweet tooth beyond belief.  You love all fruits and  your favorite veggies are carrots, green beans, and black-eye-peas.  Chick-fil-a is still one of your (our) favorite food groups :)

You love tight spaces.  Again, I have no idea where this fascination came from.  You will squish yourself into every nook and cranny you can find and read your books.  At times, you will squeeze every last roll you have into a tiny tupperware bowl and sit perfectly content.  You also love to cover your eyes and walk around. (btw, you've had many a "yard sale" while doing this....) You will put daddy's hat on your head, or your lovey, or anything that you can find for that matter and walk around like a zombie.  You think it's hilarious (and so do we!)

*one of your new favorite things is to wear my headbands...of course, you HAVE to put them on all by yourself! ;0) *

You love to read books (which makes my bookworm heart so happy!) Your summer reading list included "Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes", "I Love You as Much", and "My First 100 Words" just to name a few.  You also love to sing.  Your current playlist includes: "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" (where you love to point and tell the monkeys, "no, no, no!"), Old MacDonald Had a Farm, Shout and Whisper (thanks, Ashley!), and "If You're Happy and You Know It."

I think that my favorite thing about the past month is just how much I have seen your personality come out.  You are one wild woman! :) You are very strong-willed (oh boy!) and determined.  You know what you want and you will work to get it.  As with many things in life, this can be a valuable attribute if it is fostered and channeled in the right direction.  We pray that you will always have strong convictions and work hard for what you want. We pray that the Lord will guide us in parenting you in ways that will teach you how to do just that.  Your daddy and I love you more than anything on this earth and we are overjoyed with the blessing of being your parents!  We love every inch of your precious self! ;0)

Happy 14 Months Sweet Girl!

"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

Ephesians 3:17 - 19