My Amazing Find

I wish I could tell you what it is. I think I'm really going to have to go back through the last few months of my blog and see all the things I haven't been able to say for fear of ruining Christmas and just make a big blog of how excited I have been about the things I have found!!

Brent's big present this year has been a big project. It's not at all like I thought it would turn out, but its turned out really well. Today I ran over to the Habitat for Humanity store looking for that finishing touch and found a REALLY nice addition.... something I would paid like $75 for (because it's such good quality... and I'm cheap, so it'd probably be worth ALOT more) and I bought it for $15. I can't wait to show you what I bought! It's big, Brent already knows that. My co-worker is going to haul it down to my house for me in his truck and Tyler is going to unload it for me cause there's no way I could do that being pregnant... it's too heavy.

I went over to the Dollar Tree today and purchased a few stocking stuffers along with the actual stockings themselves. I remember pulling out our stockings when we set up the tree but I don't know where they've gone to... usually I hang them right away and I didn't for some reason, so now they're missing. But, I bought 4 at the dollar tree, so no harm done. I got all of Brent's stocking stuffers and bought 2 things for Alina's stocking (princess dress-up shoes and pacies which were 2 for $1 and I've never seen at a dollar tree before!) but I've left the major stocking shopping for Christmas eve when I can do it with Brent. I'm going grocery shopping tomorrow morning *gasp* I know, stupid. But, we just got paid today and while I was planning to go this evening, I can't really do that with the delivery coming to my home sooooo... groceries on Christmas eve at walmart... sounds fun *HAH*

My boss stopped by and dropped off our Christmas bonus this year - $50! cash! no taxes deducted, no needing-to-be-deposited-or-cashed! I'm glad... I needed it, lol. Well, we always seem to need it, but with Christmas shopping and such its been especially fun and challenging to balance "go ahead and buy it honey" and "we need to pay this bill first." If only Christmas were in January, with tax return season... hahaha. Oh well. The bills can wait a few more days :-)

I'm alot less stressed out today. I think it has to do with getting paid which always makes my life a bit easier.... not waiting and hoping that a certain check doesn't clear leaving us with very limited funds until payday... its easier when the things are deducted after we get paid. I guess it'd be easiest just to not have any bills, LOL. If I ever get there, I'll let you know how to achieve that.

I'm proud though. I got up, got to work in a timely fashion, got the kids dressed and fed and teeth brushed, remembered to bring diapers to the sitter and pay her, even remembered to buy wrapping paper at the store so we can finish up wrapping the presents! I even had breakfast and took my prenatal vitamens. I haven't forgot to do anything, I wasn't late, and I found my amazing find on a 30 minute lunch! I have one more purchase to make (about $25 worth) and I'm done done done done done. Brent's present has been so much work, and I've had to spread it out over checks... but now I'm finally (almost) done. LOL.

Can't wait to come on Saturday and show you all the pictures from Christmas eve, Christmas morning, etc. Alina's excited because she's down to her last mini-present since tomorrow is Christmas eve and we open a normal present and then everything else on Christmas day. She knows its getting close, finally! She asked me this morning if we could go ahead and open all the presents yet.

Oh, and one last thing to tell you about. For Christmas, one of the things Alina bought for me was paintbrushes (I'm a good present feeler and guesser and Brent said I was right). Apparently when she and her daddy went to the store to pick out presents for me, she got the one thing she'd already decided on (wow, my 3 year old wanted to get me something specific) and then she looked at Brent and said "daddy, can I get mommy some paintbrushes since I ruined the ones she had?" Brent said it melted his heart and he wanted to cry when she said that. I wanted to cry when he told me about that!

It was weeks ago - Alina did ruin some of my paintbrushes... she dipped them in glue or something else goopy before I got up one morning and we had forgotten to shut her door the night before. She painted all sorts of things - the wall, blank canvases, books, paintings that I'd finished years ago.... etc. I was really upset that she did that but most of the stuff cleaned off but the brushes she played with were ruined - I tried everything I could to get that stuff out and nothing got it out. I told her that day that she wasn't allowed to play with mommy's paintbrushes without asking because she ruined them. I can't believe she remembered me saying that to her. It really brings into perspective how intelligent she is and how much I let her get away with because I think she doesn't know better but she actually does!!! Nonetheless, she is a sweet, caring little person and she remembered, weeks later, that I'd said she ruined my paintbrushes and she wanted to buy me new ones. Ah, I love my little girl.