Thursday, August 19

Just passing fun stuff along...

So here are two "deals" for today that I've heard about online. I just did the tea one {yum, yum!!!!}, I'm waiting to tell my "Miss Gap" sister about the Groupon one (she is at work). ;-)

1. Free Gourmet Tea Sampler. This one is for those like me who can visit a mall, spend a few hours there, get my "mall fix" and then be good for 6+ months. But, we SURE do like our tea! ;-)  

*I just checked this one again and they've reached their 1000 free (sampler + shipping) limit, but you can still get the sampler (worth 20 cups for loose, 25 cups for bagged) for free, you'll just have to pay the $1.99 shipping. I'm sorry!*


Free Tea









2. This one can't be used online (after it is bought anyways) so it is for people like Kate who view shopping as therapy. ;-) {If you do this one, please consider using me as your "referrer," it will make for a free date for Dwight and I down the road.::grin::}



$50 at Gap for $25 Groupon deal

Thursday, August 5

Free Sam's Club Days (August 6-8, 2010)

Just passing on info from an email I received - you can go to Sam's Club beginning tomorrow (August 6) through Sunday (August 8th) without having to have a membership, and you won't have to pay the typical 10% upcharge (at least according to the email I got from them). They are also giving away free chicken and pizza at some point, but I can't find the details about that...

Hum... so do we need anything from there? :-)

One of those days

My Heart Is Filled With Thankfulness

My heart is filled with thankfulness
To Him who bore my pain
Who plumbed the depths of my disgrace
And gave me life again
Who crushed my curse of sinfulness
And clothed me with His light
And wrote His law of righteousness
With pow’r upon my heart

My heart is filled with thankfulness
To Him who walks beside
Who floods my weaknesses with strength
And causes fears to fly
Whose every promise is enough
For every step I take
Sustaining me with arms of love
And crowning me with grace

My heart is filled with thankfulness
To Him who reigns above
Whose wisdom is my perfect peace
Whose every thought is love
For every day I have on earth
Is given by the King
So I will give my life my all
To love and follow Him

by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
© 2003 Thankyou Music
(Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

 I know we all have days where you wonder what *else* you can possibly break. :-P The other day (just as I finished the previous post, actually!) I knocked my poor already dying computer off the bed. The smashed cord is now beyond repair and so my computer is now just collecting dust (the battery died last month  - I'm using Dwight's computer right now). Then when I was putting away the dishes, one of my favorite glasses smashed on the floor. I was frustrated at myself but didn't cry until I couldn't get the door open (to get to the broom and vacuum) because glass was wedged underneath. THAT is when I lost it. I bawled like a baby and then the true baby decided to join in with me. We were a mess. And the kitchen didn't look at that great either. ;-)

I definitely wasn't having a grateful heart focus on God, but rather on stuff and how it wasn't going the way I'd like. Instead if being grateful in all things I was choosing to not abide in the grace that was there for me all along. What a sad way to live, even if just for a moment! God has  done so much for us:

*Even with over 100 people at work getting laid off on Monday, Dwight still has his job. 
*That Sprout is growing strong and is healthy - I love feeling the kicks and Dwight can feel them now at times too!
*A great church and wonderful friends there. We're so glad that George's heart attack didn't happen until he was back in the States after being in Papua New Guinea for over a month (He served there as a missionary and has been translating the Bible into their language. He and his wife went back to deliver the first copy to them!) and that he is doing well now.
*That Chloe and I felt great for our lil' trip away. Right after writing the post about that (Yikes, things happen after I write posts) we had apple juice for a snack. Unopened bottle but we still got sick. I had painful cramps and all that and she was throwing up. Not fun. I'm glad it didn't last long! (Though Chloe managed to call her daddy at work while he was in the middle of a meeting without me knowing because I was too busy lying on the floor moaning to take notice. Oops.)
*Provided pretty blackout curtains that have Chloe finally taking naps (after about 9 months!) and sleeping better at night. Cheapest ones at Wal-mart people. And they are wonderful!
*Provided a  regular sized trash can. Yes, after 1.5 years of marriage we finally got one. I'm loving it! Little things in life make me happy. :-)
*A loving and wise husband. He (and his lil' helper girlie) made me the prettiest cake for my birthday last week. And he surprised me by coming home early and with a rose. And he encouraged me to get the shampoo that I wasn't buying since we married even though the others gave me bad hives and blisters - I was blown away when he suggested it, I thought he was the sweetest thing ever that he thought of it, and even knew the exact kind!
*Provided pretty coral pink toenail polish. Call me shallow - but pretty toes make me quite giddy. ;-)
* Provided everything that we need for Sproutsie whether baby is a he or a she. ;-) And that Hannah (Dwight's sister) doesn't mind coming out to stay with us for 6 weeks around the due date. I didn't know where Chloe would go when I was in labor and it is so nice to not have to even think about it now! 
*Provided lots of yummy cream cheese! (and great sales on summertime fruit - I loaded up!)
*I needed ziplock bags to freeze some of the fruit I had bought, but didn't have any. What did Dwight find in the mailbox? A box of cleaning supplies and quart-sized ziplock bags, just when I most needed them! God knew!
*Provided our beautiful apartment. I love our home (after all, it is where we honeymooned and brought Chloe home... I'm going to cry when it comes time to move!), and it seems so open now that we moved our bed out to the living room  so that there will be space for Hannah and Sprout when Dec. comes. (We weren't sleeping in the bedroom anyways since Chloe slept better if I wasn't in the same room. She is a smart cookie.) God is so wonderful to provide just what we need! 


more to be added later...

Monday, August 2

And more pictures - Post 3

Our third day was much quieter, as we were a bit tired. ;-) {I can't blame her for not being too sure about it all— new place, new noises and it got down to about 40 at night - it was in the upper 80's/low 90's during the day.} After our lil' campsite breakfast we loaded everything up, went on a longer hike and then began our drive back to Colorado Springs. We couldn't wait to be back home! Milkshakes, hamburgers and hot showers (well, lukewarm for lobster-skinned me) never were so wonderful before!

God's creation is so beautiful!

Miss sleepyhead.
Enjoying her new booklet
Our hike trail marker showing distance. We went to Bear Lake and then turned around and went to Nymph and Dream lakes. It was a "short" hike but it was uphill and at about 10,000 ft. and I'm not super-athletic. I'm glad I wasn't the one carrying Chloe and the backpack! Having to carry my tote and myself was plenty.
Random picture. :-)
At Nymph Lake. The waterlilies were so pretty!
Still at Nymph Lake. 
Stopping for a break.
Up we go!
The views were amazing!
Just us. :-D {Well, her fingers got in.}
Don't look down!
Pretty stream with a beaver dam.
A bridge enroute
I love pretty flowers!
Another bridge to cross. :-)
At Dream Lake. :-)
Lovely!
The trip back (downhill) went much faster. ;-P
Getting in a lil' nap. :-)
Looking forward to heading back!

Pictures - Post 2


After breakfast on Saturday we loaded up and headed to Estes Park to go to the Rocky Mountain National Park for two days. It was so beautiful! We even decided on our way out to switch to a year pass, since we knew it was definitely a place to head back to. So we can go back as often as we want now! It is about 3 hours from home.

*Btw, when pregnant you do have to be careful at high altitude. ;-) But since I live at 6500 ft, my midwife said I was fine as long as I drank lots (which was kind of scary... I wasn't sure how the washroom situation was going to pan out and I am a major girly-girl), and kept feeling okay. Oh, and she said no Fourteener summits.  Just in case you were wondering - I know what the books say. ;-D

View of the mountains after we left Boulder, CO.
Stopped for a yummy picnic lunch (and tried to figure out where we were - never let someone who is directionally challenged {ME!} be in charge of the directions and maps.)  ;-)
Side of the road - it was all so pretty!
He's so handsome. :-)
There were so many pretty flowers!
Heading up above the tree line to Alpine Ridge (11,796 ft.)
She was a good sport (during the day!)
I'm weird and have to include the family car in pics for future memory's sake. :-P
The Continental Divide at Milner Pass (at 10, 758 ft.)
More pretty flowers. :-)
Poudre Lake. Yup, Spot and blankie had to come along. ;-)
A pretty lake amidst the ridges.
Beware of giggles from the back seat. This time it was wipes strewn about, the next time - it was the map. She sure was having fun! (and I had to go ruin it...)
Stopped at Endovally/ Alluvial Fan for a hike on our way back to the campsite.
Just being silly. ;-P
Made it to the waterfall. I love waterfalls!
 Our campsite at Aspenglen. No one was able to stay at the site next to ours because already this season 2 tents had been destroyed there by a bear (at night - yikes!). Exciting news for Dwight, but not for me. I really started praying when they came around saying that one of the bears that had been "visiting" was spotted on of the the nearby hills. Obviously, we survived. And we didn't see any bears. Sorry, Honey.
Our "home-away-from-home" and the one-match fire my outdoorsy husband built. That man has skills. It was so much fun to be with him!
Dinner time! It was fun to be with Chloe-girlie, too. :-)
 

Pictures - Post 1

For the first day of our trip we headed up to Denver (a bit over an hour from home) where we went to a mall (hello, Anthropologie!), ate a scrumptious dinner at Maggiano's Little Italy (Bruchetta, Caesar Salad, Pesto Linguini, Parmesan Chicken and Creme Brulée), walked a bit on 16th St. Mall and stayed overnight downtown. Our hotel (The Magnolia Denver) was very generous to us, paying for our dinner and even upgraded us from a standard room to a Fireplace suite, just because! I was really surprised, but thankful for the space - though the suite was crazy big - larger than our home! Chloe wasn't too sure of it all come night though, and wouldn't sleep, but oh well. She was that way all weekend. I'm sure things will get easier as she gets older!
 
She had too much fun - though she was quite wiggly and tried to get into everything!
I was going to take Dwight to a game that night (Cubs were in town), but we opted out. So I took a picture when we drove by. :-P
Having a kitchen made it SO easy to fix snacks for Chloe!
20 Weeks - I didn't take that great of a shot.
Dwight took a much better one!
He took this one, too. :-)