For those of you who wanted to know how I tied my scarf in my Fashion Friday post a few weeks back I made you a video!

I’m so embarrased.

I thought about doing another take but I could be at that all night long and I know they’d all be equally embarrasing so here we go!

{recycled trees that is!}

photo credit

Grand total of this shopping trip I took a few weeks ago at Meijer......$10.68!

Here's what $10 got me:

4 boxes of Nabisco 100 calorie packs

2 3 pack Bic razors

2 cans of peach pie filling

gallon if milk

2 boxes of honey nut Cheerios

1 onion

jug of Hawaiian punch

country time lemon aid mix

2 cartons of Tropicana O.J.

2 personal size pizza's (great for teenager babysitters!)

hand sanitizer refill 'cuz you know I'm a collector!

2 bags of Lays chips

24 solo cups

3 bottles of chili sauce

set of 2 mini spatulas

fish food

and last but not least 6 goldfish!

And I get deals like this every week (I just don't always take pictures)! And you can too!
It's really so easy, just takes a little time! I uses sites like Savings Addiction and My Frugal Adventures to do the work for me! They match up the weekly sales ads with coupons to save me money! Are you a couponer?!?

Old Navy: I love Old Navy because I always get amazing deals there! I've never really gotten anything there that has really rocked my wardrobe world but I do always get a lot of basic, practical staple pieces that I end up wearing often.

First, the basics:
This boyfriend cardi gets worn a lot, its so comfy and simple!

This top is a new fave of mine! I love the length, it covers a little booty and its casual enough to wear to the grocery store or with its flirty cap sleeves you could also dress it up with some fun accessories!
I got this cardigan last year on a really good sale and I wore it for the first time when we went to met with Grayden's birthmom before he was born, so it brings back good memories every time I wear it!
(i'm really regretting that I was too lazy to change into a white tank instead of leaving that brown tank top on, it looks so much brighter with white underneath, oh well!)
I wear this wrap so much I just discovered it has a hole in it, lol! Its so fun and goes great with a tank top and jeans!
I never have much luck with pants/jeans at Old Navy because they are usually to short for me, even if they do come in 'longs' but I do have a few dresses from there that I love, so cheap and always comfortable!

My most recent Old Navy dress purchase was the dress I wore in our family pictures last month. I love the color and material of this dress, so bright and summery!

Coincidentally my entire outfit from our family pics last fall was also from Old Navy!

And this sweater dress is an oldie but a goody, its so warm and perfect for cold winter Christmas parties!

And this one is so fun! Its a really light material and not restrictive at all! So many options with this one, here I wore it over top a long sleeve and tights with ankle boots, this summer I'll forgo the long sleeve shirt and tights and put it with some strappy sandals or even some fun flip flops for a casual date night!

Grayden's birthday party was SO much fun! You know you're a mom when your son's birthday party is the most fun you've had on a Friday night in a long time! =)

I'm still sorting through 108 pictures on my camera from his party as well as collecting pictures from others so I'm hoping to post more about that in the next few days. For now, here is the slide show we had playing during his party (if you reading this in google reader I think you'll need to click on over to the actual blog site to watch it.)

Grayden, you turned 12 months old on Wednesday!

This is what we did to celebrate your 1st birthday!

You started walking shortly after you turned 11 months and have been non stop since!


You eat everything..I can barely keep up with you, the only thing you've tried and haven't liked is cheese. You started on whole milk and have done great!
You've become a pro at blowing kisses, giving high fives, peek a boo, and 'washing your hands' (rubbing them together when we ask you to wash your hands, so cute!)

We think you weigh about 21.5 lbs

You sleep great and usually only take 1 nap now.
You wear 6-12 month clothes, size 3 diapers and size 4 shoes.
You have 5 teeth now, 2 on the bottom and 3 on top.
You can say 'mom'! Its really funny to hear you yell 'MOM' instead of mama or mommy or something else more babyish, but you just say mom, like your a teenager or something! You also say "hi" and wave!
Grayden,
How can I ever express in words the joy you've brought to our lives over the last year? You bring a smile to my face every morning when I walk into your room and see you hopping up and down in your crib waiting for me to pick you up with a big grin peeking at me from behind your pacifier!
And you bring tears of joy to my eyes each night when I lean over your crib to rub your sweet, sleepy head as I watch you sleep. You are the happiest little boy ever and make the world smile! Everywhere we go we get compliments on how happy you are! You love people and wave to anybody who crosses your path. Your smile lights up the room!
I love being your mommy and can't wait to see what the coming years will bring! I pray that your loving, outgoing personality will bring God glory, I know He will use you in great ways Grayden. You are a special boy, God has great things planned for you!
We love you SO much!

One day a little boy was born into the world and for a very short moment his mother held him close.
But soon they came to clean him up and right then the mother knew. Life with that little boy would always mean letting him go.
.............................................................................................................


Time passed and that little boy became a one-year-old.

His mother knew something had changed because the little boy didn't want to be held anymore--he wanted to walk.

So she kissed him on the top of his head, took a seat at the back of the room, and held her breath and crookedly, very crookedly, he took his first steps.
From the place where she watched him, that mother hummed a quiet hum. And in her heart the words went something like this:

Be safe little boy,
Don't you fall little boy,
Look how fast you've grown.
Be safe little boy, where you walk little boy
You're not yet on your own.

~Karen Kingsbury "Be Safe Little Boy"

if your looking for a little more cuteness in your day, here are a few more of the pictures Val took at his 1 year session! Trust me, its totally worth a look! I am head over heels for this boy!

Since really everyday is mother's day we spent the whole weekend celebrating this special occasion!
Friday night we surprised my mom by being at Logans for a family dinner when she was just expecting a date night with my dad.

Saturday we went out to Goog's (a local burger joint) with Robb's family.



Sunday was so special, Robb made me breakfast in bed and Grayden was full of hugs and "mom-mom"s all day long! It seemed nice to be among the smiling mothers in church that morning instead of fighting back tears of grief and pain. I spent the day thanking God for such a gift.

(I know these two pictures look exactly the same to you, but to me Grayden just looks way too adorable in them both for me to be able to pick just one!)

After church we headed to my aunt and uncle's to celebrate with my Grandma and the rest of our extended family.