Thrift-o-rama and the quest for a Tiki Bar

Tranquil day at home with our complete family

dgtrowbridge@yahoo.com (Denise) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:33:56 PST

Today was a nice, tranquil day at home with both the babies and grandma. It's crazy to think that our family is all there-- as in, we planned for two kids, now we've got both and well, that's everybody-- and now you just have to get on with the parenting and all the other stuff.

My...

Baby Sid's first photos

dgtrowbridge@yahoo.com (Denise) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:46:38 PST

I hope this link works.
http://www.growingfamily.com/webnursery/hospitals/5774/frame...

Baby sid arrived-- 18 hours early

dgtrowbridge@yahoo.com (Denise) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:30:07 PST

Best laid plans, right? Literally 2 hours after I posted about being induced on Friday (today) and hoping Sid didn't come early, I was on my way to the hospital to have him. He finally came out Thursday at 3:15. So,we officially are the parents of two giant blond baby boys. Who would...

36 hours til baby Sid arrives

dgtrowbridge@yahoo.com (Denise) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:47:03 PST

and hopefully no sooner. We go in for an induction Friday morning at 6 a.m. Doc promises me it will be much faster than Bean, who took 25 hours to come out. She seems to think Sid will be out by Friday afternoon.

That said, I am starting to dread the whole labor and recovery thing....

No shame in second-hand Christmas, right?>

dgtrowbridge@yahoo.com (Denise) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:06:20 PST

So, Bean is interested in playing with train sets. He thinks they are fun, and from what I understand,that phase tends to last for a couple of years for little boys.

So, I am orchestrating with the grandparents to assemble some Brio and other compatible wood-track sets for Bean's...

stick a fork in me, please

dgtrowbridge@yahoo.com (Denise) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:38:56 PST

I am So done being pregnant. Two weeks to go and I feel like I am going to explode. So much pressure on my organs. Constant heart burn. Ugh! I guess this is how nature prepares you for the goriness of birth- by making you feel so terrible you don't care how the baby comes out as long...

Getting all the ducks in a row before baby arrives

dgtrowbridge@yahoo.com (Denise) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:49:23 PST

I am seriously feeling the deadline pressure. Little Sid is supposed to arrive between Nov. 13 and 19 (hopefully not earlier).

I managed to knock some stuff off the to-do list this week:

We managed to get oil changes and new wipers on both cars, a muffler and new brakes, turn...

Hemorraghing money, 4 weeks til new baby arrives

dgtrowbridge@yahoo.com (Denise) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 21:21:00 PST

Well, it's 4 weeks until my due date for Bean No. 2. I have been knocking some things off my to-do list, because even though it's hard to move with a big preggo belly, it's more impossible to get things done once you have a newborn keeping you up all night.

So, we've been spending...

Bean's winter wardrobe-- $18!

dgtrowbridge@yahoo.com (Denise) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:11:29 PST

It's time to buy Beaner the next size up in pants and some sweaters for fall and winter. I had planned to just go to Kohl's and buy him pants, as they are on sale for 2 for $10.

But on a lark I decided to check two thrift stores first. I'm glad I did! I got him 7 pairs of pants,...

Trying to save $410 by DIYing

dgtrowbridge@yahoo.com (Denise) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 07:39:51 PST

We have a half bathroom off of the kitchen that hasn't been usable for two years. We had a floating floor installed in the kitchen and bathroom, and because the toilet flange was slightly below the level of the new floor, it leaked. Every time we flushed, it'd send water cascading...

$24 to tiki fund

dgtrowbridge@yahoo.com (Denise) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:39:46 PST

FINALLY! Some money to the tiki fund. I made a few sales on Etsy and this is the profit. I need to start working harder to replenish the tiki fund, since I emptied it to pay off my student loan.

$782 to savings and 39 pounds of veggies

dgtrowbridge@yahoo.com (Denise) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 10:01:59 PST

Just an update. We managed to put $782 into savings this week. $550 of it was planned savings-- our $250 direct deposit every payday, plus the $300 extra for what used to go to the student loan payment. The other $232 came from a check from hubby's side work. A nice bonus, considering...

Lots of medical bills...A first for us!

dgtrowbridge@yahoo.com (Denise) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 13:11:46 PST

Whew. This week was expensive on the health front.
Turns out gestational diabetes isn't just a pain in my butt, it's expensive. It's going to cost me a minimum of $100 a month PLUS the special food for my diet for the next 3 months. I don't know what we would do it we were more cash-strapped....

Yay! A small success!

dgtrowbridge@yahoo.com (Denise) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:05:26 PST

I canned today for the first time ever-- 2 quarts of pasta sauce made with stuff straight from garden.

Usually, we make stuff and freeze it, but last year, we lost power for 5 days and lost everything, so I was determined to learn to can. I don't want to have AEP determine the...

devastated

dgtrowbridge@yahoo.com (Denise) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:16:49 PST

I just found out I have gestational diabetes. I am totally blindsided, as I didn't have it when I was preggo a year and a half ago with the bean, have no family history and none of the risk factors. I don't know why this time would be different.

I'm really upset about it. I don't...

$550 to savings today

dgtrowbridge@yahoo.com (Denise) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 08:42:10 PST

I put $550 to savings today. It felt great, like I am finally back on track after so many paychecks of saving nothing. I also paid all the bills.

Today was also the first month in 10 years where I didn't have a student loan payment deducted from checking. That feels nice. The decision...

New reward credit card really paying off

dgtrowbridge@yahoo.com (Denise) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:22:40 PST

I just added up how much our new rewards credit card has added to Bean's college fund: $195, in "free" money.

(We pay off the card in full every two weeks, and use it for convenience.) It pays cash into a brokerage account we set up as a secondary college fund for the Bean.

If...

2 more pounds to the garden challenge

dgtrowbridge@yahoo.com (Denise) — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 12:30:11 PST

I picked 2 pounds of beets today, so my 100 pound produce challenge is up to just under 21 pounds. Not too shabby.

Got great deals on Baby stuff

dgtrowbridge@yahoo.com (Denise) — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 08:20:52 PST

I went to the St. Vincent thrift store yesterday and did I make out like a bandit!

I got a really nice graco pack n play for $6.99. I couldn't believe the price. The one my mom bought used was $40, and that was a good price!

I also bought an extra little tykes chair for Ben's...

Actually GOT cable TV!!

dgtrowbridge@yahoo.com (Denise) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 08:02:42 PST

I still can't believe it. I have NEVER had cable TV since I moved out of my parents' house at 18. So for 16 years, no cable, and for 5 of those, no TV at all.

I'm still a little dizzy thinking about it. So what happened?

Hubby LOVES soccer. Unfortunately, he couldn't see the...