Christmas Finds

Found tons of Christmas loot at Target on clearance last week - you should definitely check it out if you are perusing for gifts!

Feel like I found something for everyone on my list (anyone female...)

Clearance nail polishes in great colors (and this type of polish is actually quite good - I'm buying less OPI these days...), cute purses (for me?), a horse door mat (featured in country living magazine and only $6.48!), a wallet, bangles, sweaters on sale/clearance, a beach tote with great handles and pockets

Oh and I also found a ton of kids toys on clearance this summer & fall for the neices and nephews at target as well (50% off!) and purchased a few things just last week from zulily as well. How can I be almost done with my shopping?!  :)

Anyone else have recommendations for places to look for Xmas presents for a gilr on a budget & with lots of family members to buy for??

My girl

How can she be this big already?? Ahhh, I love her so much.

Deals and Steals: Goodwill

Ok - so I LOVE our goodwill. I've heard the salvation army by us is great too, but I have yet to get there.
It's not too easy going through a store with Lucy in tow let alone a car seat and 8 week old :)

In case you didn't know - Target donates their clearance items to goodwill and several items I had already bought to give my neices and even Lucy for Christmas from target that I'd paid around $6 each for were there for $1.99 and these fun loafers that I had considered buying for $20, I got for $2.99!! Not showing pics of sandals and loafers so that I don't give away what I got them for Xmas, but here are my loafers and sandals for my girl for next summer.

Also, I've just started doing some running and pilates....but still my jeans are a bit snug. hey, I did Just have a baby! :) So I've appreciated finding a couple pairs of jeans at goodwill to get through this season (hopefully just a season... :)) AND this pair was a yellow ticket so I got it 50% off!



Lucy LOVES these toys right now but only gets to play with them in nursery at church until now! She spotted them and kept saying they were Lucy's and I'm like ok, I have to get these! SO excited for her to wake up from her nap and see them in the basement!

And lastly - I've also found some books & toys for Lucy there, shoes for Joe and lots of other things in the past, AND you have 10 days to make returns for a credit, so actually all the things I bought today (1 jeans, 6 pairs of shoes that were all new & 2 riding toys) didn't cost me a dime! I had a $26 credit from some pants I'd tried for Joe and me and some shoes I changed my mind about this summer and I have a few dollars left to spend there, woot!!

My last "deal" that I get very excited about are the clearance items at Dominicks. Anything close to the sell by date gets marked half off - so it might already be on sale and then it's another half off. I get milk, yogurt, OJ, cheeses, pies, coffee, cocoa, pasta and a lot of other things for cheap-o!!

   - oh and as noted in my last post - I do LOVE trying cosmetics that are on clearance (walgreens,    dominicks, target are the places I get the most)

Any deals/steals you guys get excited about??? Would love to hear about it!

Lipsticks

I recently read this blog on Lipstick and got me thinking about shades I like and shades I'd like to try. So here are my ramblings on it. Do any of you have a staple lipstick or lipgloss color that you love?? I'd love to hear the brand/color or any other suggestions! I'm always looking for a color that I love and I have a hard time doing so!

Pioneer Woman said she loved this color and that it works on everyone's skin tone so I tried it and I do love it. It's more matte but not too dry.
Totally Toffee (Maybelline)



PW also recommended this shade at a later date and I haven't tried it yet - might be a little brown for me?
Toffee Tango (Maybelline)


Nearly There (Maybelline) - Saw this on a model in a magazine and loved it but when I looked at it in the store it looked too shimmery and I'd prefer matte color. I think the color is just right for me though, so I will continue to look... :)


Here's a Loreal Colour Rich shade I just found in my stash of clearance buys (love walgreens clearance makeup, target too sometimes) - and reallly like it!



When I saw this photo online after the Emmy's, I loved Sofia's lip color - see below for the colors - unfortunately the color is a mixture of 3 things - so guess it's not one perfect shade I can buy....
But maybe I'd start with the cover girl lip stick in Captivate and see how that is without the liner and gloss in those exact colors and use a gloss that I have already?

"We looked them all over and tried three different shades before finding the perfect one. I wanted the lip to look like caramel, so I added a little gloss. I filled in Sofia’s lips with LipPerfection Lip Color in Captivate, and then went back over the edge of the lips with LipPerfection Lip Liner in Smoky to fill them out and keep her lipstick in place. I topped it all off with Queen Collection Lip Gloss in Sugar and Spice just in the center of the lips."

**Update - I bought this at walmart and really like it. It may be a bit dark for me - possibly better when I'm tan but also think it's a good fall shade and might look better if I'm wearing fall colors :)

Also - a few years ago when a really nude lip was popular I remember reading that Victoria Beckham puts foundation on her lips lightly and then puts clear gloss over it. Interesting...
I love reading tips people have so please if you have any color suggestions or tips you use, comment away!

Daddy's Gone Fishin

SO proud of Joe and his successful fishing trip all by himself on Monday when we were staying at my parents. He went up to the Muskegon River and caught salmon, carp and trout and he brought home a salmon that evening and we had some for dinner the next night and have quite a bit more in our freezer, woot!!

Date Night

So we planned a date but became sitter-less not long before the date.....So we decided to take the kids and go to outback anyway! :)
It was a wonderful meal and they both hung in there, fortunately the booth had a high back and lucy couldn't look over at the other people the whole time :) It's not easy to keep her occupied but she did ok and we got a few pics - I actually showered and had makeup on - SUCCESS!

Me & my girl

Daddy & Daughter

Our classic car pic - this pose has been perfected over the last 10 years together :)

Then we thought we should include the little lady behind us to show how our life has changed & expanded (note her sour expression.... :) )

We said smile this time before snapping the pic :)

Ride home from Outback:

Her classic suckle pose. She does this on any fabric - her shirt, a blanket, her pants, whatever is available :)



Love our little family and our little outings together, always a special time!

Fall Retreat in Michigan

Last weekend we hosted a fall retreat for the youth group staffers at our family's friend's lake house. It was the perfect location and perfect house for this and we are so thankful to this family that we were able to use it! It was a great time of fellowship and we got a great session in on Saturday afternoon discussing the youth ministry and future. Such a blessing to be talking about Jesus, these kids and our mission and ministry while we heard the waves rolling in, felt the cool fall air coming in and just having a greater sense of how big and sovereign our great God is. About half of our YG staff could make it and here are some pictures of the group, the house and the beautiful lake below:

Noah's 1 month

Noah's 5 weeks stats are almost the same as Lucy's at 6 weeks!
Weight in the 40th percentile - 9lbs 9oz, height might be wrong - 21.25" but whatever!

He's healthy and eating, sleeping well - lately he's gone from 2.5-3 hour night stretches of sleep to 4-6 hours, hooray!!!

Here's some recent photos of our handsome man: