Life Lately

I honestly don't know how us moms do life, especially the ones who work out of the home. I know I am in constant motion going from one thing to the next from the moment I wake up (which is usually at 530a). Getting myself ready, Kingston ready, Christian ready - working an 8 hour shift while trying to make time for 3 pumping session, making dinner, picking up the house, bed time routines. You name it  - us women are seriously amazing. God was so right when he gave these responsibilities and the personality traits  to the women - because I wouldn't have it any other way. I really feel a sense of accomplishment and power when I'm able to successfully get through my day knowing all that I do. 

Anyways, where I was going with that rant ... I haven't been writing much because we have been busy these last few weeks. Hopefully now that the holidays are over, I'll have a little more time to sit down behind the computer. Be prepared for more things baby and all things having to do with our new home! 

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Life lately:

1. We have completed all our paperwork for our house loan and the inspection has been done. Now we are just waiting to see if the seller will make the recommended changes (new dishwasher, fix some plumbing in master shower, and fix a piece of siding that is rotten) and to finalize our loan. We close in about 20 days . . . I can't wait! Even though I'm nervous for that first payment to come due.

2. Two weekends from now we plan to take a trip up to Kansas City to visit the new IKEA and Nebraska Furniture Mart. We are on the look out for a new couch, king size mattress and a dining room table. I'm hoping for some good deals. This sista likes saving money. 

3. Once this house stuff is finalized - I plan on trading in my car and getting something much less expensive. Right now we have two car payments which is totally unnecessary because my car is only driven to and from work, the grocery store and a few other errands. I would love to have a car that's reliable and with no payment. Ideally I hope to find a 4 door Honda - in good condition with medium miles. I hear those cars last forever! 

4. Tax season is quickly approaching and the word around the block is that having a baby gets you more of a return?? If that's the case, I think Kingston is going to buy us some new carpet. 

5. I've been working at Koch for about 15 months now and I have yet to have a formal review. My boss said it's coming but needs final approval from her boss. What makes me nervous is that all the other team members have had their reviews approved and have been given them but mine is still in limbo. It had me worried but my boss assures me it's nothing bad.  Who knows. Hopefully I'm not in the process of getting canned. :/ 

6. CT's sister stayed with us for a while over Christmas break. Kingston had such a good time with his Aunt and I love seeing other people love my son. It makes this mama's heart so happy. 

7. Thank goodness for the buy, sell trade sites on Facebook. Prior to moving I plan to get rid of a bunch of our junk, and previously I've had such good luck using those sites. This way I'll be able to make a little extra cash and not have to tow it all the way across town. My goal is so start as fresh as possible in the new house. Right now we have such a mixture of stuff from my home in Salina, stuff from CT's college days and my college days. I know eclectic is a popular style but it's definitely not mine! 

8. My sister graduated from college last May and her first student loan payments is coming due this month. She has one private loan from Sallie Mae that is going to cost her $400 a month and there is no way for them to lower it any. Like seriously ... how can anyone afford that? And that's only one of her loans. She still has another one on top of that one to pay! Poor girl. Why haven't hackers used their talents to wipe out the student loan databases? People without student loans don't know how good they have it. 

9. Because my husband gained some pregnancy weight with me and it's the new year - we've started trying to eat healthier. No more eating out (which we are SO guilty of), more fish and veggies and no juice. I'm still drinking my coffee and dr. pepper so I'm not fully committed to this 'diet'. I guess you could say I'm more of the hubbys cheerleader and cook. 

10. I chopped off my hair and I love it. Out with the old long stringy pony and in with the new long bob. I'm trying to work on that MILF status. ;) 

Update

Things have been crazy around these parts lately: 

We have been looking into purchasing/building a home. We've been pre-approved and have a budget and the last few days we have been out looking at homes. Our expectations might be a little high because I've realized we are super picky. We have champagne taste on a beer budget and we are wondering if building would be the best for us. On average it takes 6 months to build and since we are in no real rush to move out of our apartment that we pay $350 a month at - we might just look into that a little more. 

I've also been soaking up as any snuggles as I can get from my little man. I start back to work on Monday so I'm working on wrapping my mind around it. I'm trying to stay positive and keep busy so it doesn't really sink in. Come Monday I'm sure I'll be a blubbering mess. 

CT also has take off some extra time this week - so it's been nice having him around. 

Monday I had a 'girls' afternoon with my friend Jenna and we did a little shopping and got our toes done. I've realized I don't really crave time away from my little man but it was nice to have 3 hours to just do whatever. I still thought about him and talked about him as much as I would have if he was with me. What can I say - the kid consumes me and I'm okay with it! 

Winter has officially arrived and I'm not too thrilled about it. I'm thankful that we've been able to make it through football season without the need for blankets, earmuffs and hot chocolate but I'm sure we will be needing them this weekend at their last game. I heard it's even supposed to snow on Saturday. Joy! 

Back to regular scheduled posts soon.

Promise!

Crazy BUSY Weekend!

What a whirlwind of a weekend! 

 I successfully completed 95% of our Christmas shopping with only getting myself one gift.

 I decorated our apartment for Christmas, complete with a tree hooked up to a clapper. Laziness at it's finest! 

I cleaned out and colored coded both of my closets. I have two bags going to goodwill (clothes from high school) and two bags going to my litter sister (stuff that's cute that just doesn't fit).

I threw out and organized all of my beauty products. 

I scrubbed the bathroom floors, counters, and mirrors. 

Basically . . . I killed this weekend!

CT on the other hand . . . not so much.

Besides winning his last football of the season, he didn't really have the best of luck.

He left his keys and wallet in KC Saturday night, and then on Sunday he locked me in the car and then locked himself out of our apartment. He was without a jacket, in the freezing cold, waiting for a neighbor to show up to let him in. What's funny was I was in the warm car but couldn't get out because his annoying alarm would have went off with no way of turning it off. 

He was awesome at life this weekend! 

This week has started off amazing! I'm absolutely in love with this time of the year. Gatherings with friends, staying home, cuddling, watching tv . . . nothing is better! 

 God is good ya'll! 

Life Lately: According to Instagram

If you aren't already following me on instagram, you should totes go and do that, I'm tiffross5!

What's going on lately you ask?

I got a new macbookpro this past weekend and I'm having so much fun decking it out! I love the great deals you can get on Amazon. $1.99 for the chevron keyboard and $10.99 for the blue case, keyboard, and screen protector = awesome!!

My hubby does a fabulous job at picking out jewels for me. 

I'm obsessed.

We had lunch with one of my best friends this past weekend and her little girl Aynslee. She makes my heart happy. 

CT and I are currently working our way through all the Harry Potter dvds. We have gotten through 2/8 so far. 
Then if I get around to it, I'll start to re-read the books. Wishful thinking!

Last weekend we went to a Vows Marriage Conference hosted by our couples pastor at our church. It was extremely interesting, and it feels good to invest in your marriage and to be proactive.
Read about some of it here and check back in the next few Sunday's to learn more about what we learned! 

I have a picture of this quote on the home screen of my phone. 
A daily reminder that we all live a beautiful life. 

Nice little day date we had.
 Picnic, feeding the ducks, and some golf range!
 Cheap and fun, you can't beat that!


Linking up with Life Rearranged. 

Mothers Day Weekend

I love the weekends! 

 Lounging. Cleaning. Sleeping in. Naps. Catching up on DVR. Loving on my husband and pupperz.

 Yesterday was most definitely a Friday. It was such a CRAZY busy day at work. I think it mostly was due to our cosmetic clinic director only having 3 more days left with us. I'm already feeling the repercussions of her leaving. I got triple the amount of emails that I normally do. Things are about to get even more crazy. All I can do is take one day at a time and continue to check www.indeed.com in the meantime.   

Last night a group of us girls got together for a going away dinner + drinks and then they all came back to my apartment.

We went to Mikes Wine Dive.

It was the best meal I've had in a really long time. 

I got a fried egg sandwich, a spicy oyster appetizer, and some gourmet deviled eggs. I was going to get the smores for dessert but I was too stuffed by that time.

This is where CT and I will be going for my birthday dinner [in 19 days!] because it was so delicious.

Speaking of my birthday, we also got tickets to the circus! I can't wait. 

 

 

Welp, it's mothers day weekend! 

I hope ya'll did something special for your mom. My mom was able to come up to Wichita yesterday to be a training model for us at the clinic for injectables.

 One of the many perks of my job!! 

 In the last month she has got more then $1500 in free product. I'd say that's quite the mothers day gift. =)

 

 

My mom also brought to town my new buffet table. Now I'm just needing to go find some red chalk paint and get to work. 

There are so many apartment projects on the to do list.

 

1. paint buffet red

2. paint mantel white

3. add tile around bathroom mirror

4. paint bathroom

5. find a better fabric storage for hobby room

6. refinish kitchen table 

 

 

     Still on the agenda for the weekend: Wichita Wild football game, church, our nieces soccer game, and a dance recital. 

 

 

 

 

 

Life Lately: According to Instagram

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Life lately according to my phone! 

 

• Miss Aynslee posing for the camera!
• BabyLips! This color has just enough tint.
• These are my baseball essentials to get me through CT's games. 
• This precious little girl is CT's cousin. She said "Tiffy, we have matching shoes."
• A baby shower gift I got that found the perfect home by my window.
• Happy Administrative Assistant day. My office spoiled me! 
• This little beauty is taped to our employee bathroom mirror. How funny!
• I'd be darling at it.
• Last night I made baked pickles. They were so easy (bread them and broil on high 3 minutes each side) and so delicious. Just my kind of food!  
  
  
  Happy hump day!

Life Lately

I started this blog in January and it has been just a little over a month since I have written a post. Needless to say, life got busy and this blog got put on the back burner. I have had a hard time managing my time. I have realized that I need to find more time for myself and more time for the things I enjoy. 

With that being said - I have come to also realize that life is to short and goes by way to fast to not be anything but happy. I am going to focus on living life, being happy, and enjoying every moment of it. I know that God has a plan for me and that in His time everything will work out as it is suppose to. 

As short as 2012 has been, it has been so far a year of challenges and lessons. I'm learning new things each day. I know this year is far from over and I have many more experiences, challenges, and days ahead of me. I am so ready to tackle what ever is in store, and I know that God is by me every step of the way and that everything happens for a reason.  

My goal is to stay positive, stay happy, and have faith! I pray that God gives me the strength to do so. 

Happy Thursday! I hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful weather. It is beyond amazing in Kansas - I love that there is Spring weather in February! 

Life Lately: According To My Phone

I am linking up with On The Front Porch Looking In for Phone Photo Fun -- I just wanted to show a little bit about what's going on in my life according to my phone.

 

On our way to church, we snapped a quick photo! Check out the amazing Steve Madden glasses I picked up on sale from Dillard's for a whole $6! This is my first pair of 'big' glasses and they have quickly gone to my go to pair.

Thank you to the intelligent high schoolers who came up wit the idea of spiked gummy bears (Read here about the problems happening in Texas schools with these secret treats!)

I made these for a holiday party and they turned out the be a huge hit! They are extremely simple to make but they do take some time. I bought two big packages of gummy bears, but looking back I should have only bought one and split it in half. Two packages ended up being way to many. I infused one bag with malibu rum and the other with white wine. Just put the gummy bears in a bowl and cover completely with your alcohol of choice. I know people who have used vodka, tequila, ever clear, and I have heard great things about Cake flavored vodka. Let them sit in the fridge for 2-3 days, stirring a few times a day and you have a fun snack that would be a hit at any party.

This is my new coat I got for Christmas purchased from the Buckle. I love the diamond button detail and the fact that it has brown, gray, and black in it so it goes with anything.

A dinner I thought was snap shot worthy? Ha! I'm very big into eating what ever you want as long as your portions are appropriate. Pictured: hamburger patty dressed with ketchup, mustard, and banana peppers, garlic mashed potatoes, cucumbers splashed with balsamic vinegar, and a salad with cheese and roasted almonds.

My type of outfit- something that can be worn casually or dressed up with some heels and jewelry. Sequined sweatshirt, black jeggings, and black boots. This is what I wore to my Starbucks date with the owner of the boutique I will start working at.  

An amazing devotional that I came across the other day in Devotions for the Women on the Go. It was talking about EGR= Extra Grace Required for those hard to love people in our lives. Make it a priority to love them by faith.

What's going on in your life lately? Go back and take a look at the pictures on your phone. It's funny to look back and see what you thought at one time was important enough to take a picture of.