**I can't get my posts to show up in the correct order...so to get the full effect, you should start with the post below...**


*She's getting so big...just before her 4th birthday.



*Here are all 3 Hawkins kiddos right after Caleb (the baby) was born in January 2008.

*Bella rockin' her cute new haircut. She's such a big girl now!

Things I Love Thursday 11.27.08

On November 27th, 2003 (Thanksgiving Day 5 years ago), Isabella (Bella) Tate Hawkins came into the world!! She was the first child for Marty's college friends Aaron and Eli. Over the years, Bella has truly captured our hearts! We have loved this little girl, as god-parents should, and have loved watching her grow into a lovely little 5 year old. She's cute, she's fun, and she's extremely intelligent. She does funny little things, like most kids, that make us smile...like when she calls me Water Rai (that's her nickname for me) and then Sarai all in the same sentence. We've loved getting e-mails or phone calls informing us of Bella's latest advancements or funniest sayings. Here are a few conversations involving Bella that have been documented by Aaron over the past couple of years:

Bella: "My mom's got new baby in her belly."
Babysitter: "Oh that's great!"
Bella: "Yeh but, we don't know if it's going to be a boy, or a girl, or a
monster."
Babysitter: "Oh... well... that'll be interesting to find out."
Bella: "Yep."



Dad: "Bella, it's late. Go back upstairs, get in bed, and go back to sleep."
Bella: "Why?"
Dad: "Sleep is good for you."
Bella: "Dad, sometimes you tell me to do things that are good for me. But
what's more improtant is what I want to do."
Dad: "No sweetie, that's backwards. What's important is that
you obey even when it's not something you want to do. Do you understand?"
Bella: "Yep. I'm understand and it's important you're backwards."
Dad: "What?" "Babe, can you come here? I think she's talkin smack to
me but I can't tell."
Bella: "Good night!"

She's got quite the personality, that Bella. We love her to pieces and wish her a very special Thanksgiving birthday. Happy 5th Birthday, Bella! We love you!

Here are some snapshots of her in all her cuteness from the last 5 years...enjoy :)



*Here she is at just a few weeks old in the little onesie we got for her. Gotta love a little Duke fan!

*Around her first birthday. What a little cutie...even with some crazy hair!

*Here's Bella loving on her new baby sister (April 2006). She's such an awesome big sister.

*What a little beauty! She's almost 3 here.

**Go to the post above to see more recent pictures...**

Tuesdays Tip

We're leaving tonight for a Thanksgiving vacation in FL with Marty's family, so this is gonna have to be a quick one!

In light of having to pack for 2 people for 5 days in a very small suitcase (there are 5 of us riding the same car) here's a packing tip. Instead of placing piles of clothes in your suitcase, fold them just a little smaller and place them in like this:


(In case you can't tell, it's an aerial view of our suitcase.) Simply make a stack of clothes that you need to pack, pick up the entire stack, lay it in the suitcase. This seems to work best when using a hard suitcase, as opposed to a flimsy sided duffel bag.

This allows you to see everything in your suitcase without having to take out 47 shirts to get the one on the bottom. And if you're worried about wrinkles, just be sure to hang your items once you reach your destination, or invest in some Downy Wrinkle Release Spray.

PS...come back next week for some tips about saving money on groceries!!

Things I Love Thursday 11.20.08

**I thought I posted this yesterday, but I guess I didn't! Oops!**

Oh, how I love a good bargain. It's one thing to find quality products that are regularly inexpensive. But, to find something that would normally cost more than I would even think to pay marked at a fraction of the cost, seriously makes me all giddy :) Please note: being a bargain shopper DOES not make me "cheap". I believe that every dollar we have in our bank account is a gift from God. I also believe that by spending money wisely, I am being a good steward of the gifts He has given.

I've found some pretty stinkin' good deals over the past few years. (You can check out the links on the right (under I Love Bargains!) for blogs that are currently assisting me in bargain shopping.) Here are a few deals that are almost too good to be true:



*I got this cute little sundress on a Clearance rack at Old Navy a few years ago. It was regularly priced at $19.99. I paid....$1.99!!!

*These fun little Chaps flip flops were on clearance recently at Kohl's. The regular price was $24.00. They were on clearance for $2.40 and I got an additional 15% off (thanks to my mom's trusty Kohl's charge card) making them...$2.04!!!

*Another recent Kohl's purchase. These dressy sandals were regularly $18.00. They were on clearance for $1.80. Thanks to mom's 15% off discount, again, I only paid $1.53!!!

*I recently dove head first into couponing (a clever way to use coupons when grocery shopping that basically suggests you only use coupons when an item is at its lowest price). My first few trips were pretty successful, but yesterday, I paid only $50 for $90 worth of groceries. YIPEE!!! And I got all 5 boxes of potatoes for $1...n0, not a dollar a piece...only 20 cents a piece. Seriously? Seriously.

Tuesday's Tip

Having an organized pantry is essential for me. This keeps me from buying things I don't need, to always know what I have on hand and helps me find the things I need very quickly, making meal prep a breeze! 3 years ago, when I became a Tupperware consultant, I couldn't wait to get my hands on their pantry organization system, called Modular Mates (check it out here and here). Over the years, I've gotten a few pieces here and there and finally have my pantry and food prep areas organized and, of course, labeled oh so neatly. I know that the Modular Mate system can be a little pricey (especially if you plan to do your entire pantry all at once-YIKES!) And while I love these containers (they come with a lifetime guarantee!), the point is to find a system that works for you. Here are a few examples of the way I have used Modular Mates in our kitchen followed by a step by step guide to organizing your pantry (whether you have modular mates or not!)


Baking and Cooking Essentials















The Modular Mate Spice Rack


















Snacks













Cereals and Breakfast Foods












Organizing Your Pantry

*Start with a quick sort-Take everything out of the pantry and organize it in piles according to food type (breakfast, soups, baking goods, pasta, etc). Be sure to check the dates on your food and get rid of anything that has expired. If you run across items you know your family will never eat, place them in a bag and take it to a local shelter or food drive.

*Organize by containers-If you're planning to use any kind of container, other than the original packaging, go ahead and put those containers to good use...and don't forget to label them!

*Store items where you use them-It doesn't make sense to store your coffee creamer across the kitchen from the coffee pot, nor does it make sense to store flour away from your food prep area. Store items in the areas of your kitchen where they will be used. This will save you lots of time in the long run.

*Use baskets for deep shelving-If you have a really deep pantry, consider using inexpensive plastic bins or baskets to store like foods. This will make it easy to remove items at all once so that the items in the very back are a little more easily accessible. Example: I have a few baskets in my pantry-one for breakfast foods (syrup, muffin mix packs, etc), one for drink mixes (hot tea packets, Crysal Light mixes, etc) and one for foods that are reserved for an upcoming recipe (this keeps me from using things that I know I'll need later). You can also use portable & permanent drawer units to make better use of the space you have. I had my super handy step-dad make and install custom drawers in place of the bottom 2 shelves of our pantry to make it MUCH easier to find things.

*Stock your pantry-Place your foods back in the pantry so that they are easily accessible. I have found that the nicer it looks, at this point, the more likely we are to keep it looking nice and well organized. Be sure to place the most used items at a convenient level, and the least used items in the back or bottom.

*Yearly or Bi-Yearly Cleanout-This is an easy Saturday project so take the time at least once a year to get rid of old food and spruce up the pantry!

Things I Love Thursday 11.13.08

I LOVE Christmas music. There's just something about how it makes me feel inside-you know that warm and fuzzy feeling. Maybe it's that it reminds me of home or reminds me of the comfort that comes with tradition. I would listen to it year round except for the fact that it would drive my husband crazy. He has a rule: no Christmas music in his presence until the day after Thanksgiving...thankfully I have several hours a day at home by myself. And I could tell you that I have yet to listen to Christmas music this year...but I'd be lying :) However, I have limited myself to one particular Christmas album (three times, even):


"O Holy Night" is my favorite Christmas song about Jesus ("Sleigh Ride" is my other top choice) and these guys do it better than ANYONE EVER. The funky chords and amazing harmonies and super high notes make it my favorite version of my favorite song. The rest of the songs are fabulous too, including some new songs that they wrote. I HIGHLY recommend it (unless you already know you love Shane & Shane and are on my Christmas buying list!)!!

Tuesday's Tip

As I have just finished this week's laundry, I'm reminded of a tip I learned a long time ago that has helped tremendously in our house. It's helped keep things, our closets especially, neat and tidy. I'm aware that we don't have children and little ones running around could cause some interruptions, making this tip unusable. However, it's one that I've lived by for as long as I can remember, and I hope I'm able to continue it, as much as possible, when we have little ones running around!

Never take an item of clothing from the dryer without hanging it up or folding it.

It's a simple as that, folks! Since we don't have an actual laundry room (just a closet in our hallway that holds our washer and dryer) this little tip has kept me from going crazy over piles and mounds and messes of clothes in a very busy walkway of our house. I hear so many people who complain of the mounds of laundry, clean and dirty alike, that seem to come from nowhere. I've even heard stories of people spending up to FOUR hours of doing nothing but folding, hanging and putting away loads and loads and loads of laundry that have piled up over the course of a week. That, my friends, is a good time I'd like to avoid. We have a high efficiency washer and dryer, so we do big ol' loads of laundry. And it only takes about 3 minutes to fold, stack and hang one load of laundry. If I do 4 loads of clothes a week, that's 12 minutes. 12 minutes vs. 4 hours.

So, even if it sits in a neatly folded pile for a week or hangs in your laundry room until it needs to be worn again, at least its not in a crumpled mess on a dirty floor somewhere, or getting so dirty from being trampled on that it has to be washed AGAIN before it can be worn.

Got any other good laundry tips? Let me know!

Things I Love Thursday 11.6.08

Family Traditions

My mom's family has always been so great about keeping up with the family traditions. One of those traditions that I love is our annual Christmas Shopping Trip (I really can't believe that it's 70 degrees outside and I'm talking about Christmas!!).

Many years ago the tradition was started when every year my Nanny (my mom's mom), my mom and my mom's 3 sisters would take an entire day together to do their Christmas shopping...and when I say entire day, I mean ENTIRE DAY. They would begin very early with breakfast before dawn and wouldn't usually return home until sometime after midnight. Now that I and the other female members of our family are all older and most of us married, they've welcomed us into their tradition! Except they're not so hard-core anymore :) The shopping is spread over the course of 2 or 3 days and involves a lot more sitting on benches and a lot less waiting until 10pm to eat dinner. This year, we're doing our shopping in Asheville, which means 1) It's super convenient for me and 2) I get to host my mom, my aunts and cousins for a fun slumber party to bridge the shopping days! I can't wait for great conversations, good food, and some good ol' girl time! Here's to many more years of great traditions!

Tuesday's Tip

Many of you have suggested that I start a weekly post about doing things on a budget or organizing tips or the things I do to make life simpler...so here ya go!! It'll be something different every week, so be sure to check back often!!

Inexpensive Decorating Tip

A couple of weeks ago, we painted and did sort of a "redecorating" project in our kitchen. In that, I created one of my most favorite projects EVER!! I got the idea from Ballard Designs (see it here). Unless those prints actually come off the wall and clean my kitchen for me, there was NO WAY I was spending $700 to get the exact look from the catalog. So, I planned and came up with a SUPER easy and CHEAP solution to get the look I wanted without breaking the bank! Here's the end result (ignore the light fixture being reflected in the mirror!)...

And here's how to do it...

You'll need:
**4-6 frames in a color of your choice (I got those from Wal-Mart for $3 each.)
**A mirror-optional (I chose a mirror that was the same color as the frames for continuities sake. Another Wal-Mart purchase...only $14!)
**Small samples of fabric, scrapbook paper, tissue paper, wrapping paper-the possibilities are endless (I gathered mine from different stores here and there. You can find pretty fabrics for good prices, and since you only need a little, you'd probably spend less than $1 on each one! And of course, scrapbook papers can be purchases on sale for pennies!)
**A print off of your monogram (Just pick a pretty font, type your letter, size it up, print it out and there ya go! You could also do a quote or favorite saying.)

Arrange your items in a large flat area (like the floor or table) to figure out the best layout. Then, start hanging on the wall, starting in the middle and work your way out.

It really is that easy! I spent about $32 on my project which saved me about $670!!!

One thing I love about this project, too, is that not only will it make a great impact on a wall in your own home, but you can also create something like this to give as a gift for Christmas or a birthday. Just customize it to their taste and in just a few minutes, they have handmade custom wall art!

I'd love to hear what you think about it or if you have any other suggestions for making this project even better!!