Thrifty Momma Finds

A couple of Wednesdays ago, while frantically trying to get myself dressed for church AND get Jonah bathed and dressed (a little Mom real talk there, right?!), I realized that Jonah has grown inches. He had ONE pair of casual orange pants that fit him. The rest were way too tight-- so tight that he complained about it when I tried to put a pair on him anyway- yes, total Mom fail moment!! So, I've been pondering how I want to go about getting his fall wardrobe set. 

Normally I buy for an entire season all at one time. It might sound crazy, but honestly it works for us. I spend about $100-$200 on basic play wear (think tees, shorts, casual shoes, etc..) and will add a few nicer pieces (smocked outfits and suspenders/bow-tie sets) for church + dressy occasions as the year progresses. He goes to school five days a week so I always make sure to get things than can be mixed and matched on a weekly basis. It's worked really well for us thus far.

A week or so ago one of my friends posted a photo on Instagram of her PILE of loot that she scored at Once Upon A Child, a child's consignment shop. Which just happens to have a location 4 miles from our apartment. She stopped in and found her little dude a TON of fall goodies and highly recommended that I go. Naturally, I wanted in on the thrifty action so I stopped in.

Jack. Pot.

Here's a fun preview of what I scored, AND what I saved. I mean. This is amazeballs, right?!

The total of all items in the photos is $63.00, y'all. That's sixty three dollars for fourteen items!! An average of $4.50 per item. All of the things that I selected for Jonah are in fantastic condition, hardly even worn actually. The mustard Baby Gap cords look brand new. Of course I'll still buy him new things that I come across, but this is just amazing. I kindof got a thrifter's high after this haul!! I've already washed these babies and they're good to go!! Really excited, y'all!!

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How do you shop for your babes?? 

Hattie Mae

I checked something off my bucket list this month. I bought my first brand sparklin' new car, y'all. 

Meet Hattie. Hattie Mae Hatchback. She's zippy and a little sporty, but mostly sensible. 4 door. She gets 27 city/37 highway miles per gallon, so gas mileage is a dream. Jonah and I are totally loving to cruise around in her. I've been driving Jeremy's Tacoma since I had Jonah so I love, love that I can put groceries in the trunk (I've been awkwardly stuffing our groceries in the front/back seat and front/back floor board. Not exactly easy or ideal), and Jonah can climb in and out! Perfect for our family.

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And, I'm not sure if you followed my vision wall posts from earlier in the summer, but Jeremy and I set a bunch of goals and made some plans and dreamed some big dreams. One of the things that we wanted to do was minimize the amount in our current budget that we allot to our monthly car/insurance category. I'm happy to report that due to a couple of amazing (God) things we are now able to save $500 per month in this category, AND I got new wheels. That's a huge, huge blessing and we are so thankful! God is truly faithful.

Korie Paige

She's here!! She's finally HERE!!!

We are overjoyed for Shelby and Josh!! Korie Paige arrived yesterday at 12:05 pm, she was 8lbs 14oz, and 20 3/4". Shelby had the best delivery, and we are just so thrilled that Momma and baby girl are doing fantastic. They actually get to go home today and I can't wait to get my hands on her again!!! We are proud of you Shelby. You rocked that delivery!! And, we LOVE baby Korie so much already...

And, Shelby sent me a photo of our angel girl early this morning and I thought something looked a little familiar, so I dug up this. Korie and Jonah, both 1 day old. I mean. Definitely cousins!! :)

Love both of these sweet little nuggets!! 

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We can't wait to watch you grow into an amazing, Godly young lady (but not too fast!!) Korie Paige. You're gonna be a world changer. You are SO loved by your Uncle Jeremy, Aunt Lou and cousin Jonah!!! Love and BIG hair bows forever!!

Mini Pun'kin Pies

Isn't any dessert better when it's mini? Especially because you can eat two (or three) without the guilt. Not that I would do that. Ahem.

Introducing Mini Pumpkin Pies. Classic. Mini. Delightful. You're craving pumpkin pie now, so you're welcome.

Basically I didn't do anything amazing here, just rolled out my double pie crust into one huge blob (I used my old faithful pie crust recipe) and cut the dough with a glass (who has time to look for a biscuit cutter?). Then I pushed them down into the muffin pans and filled with classic pumpkin pie filling (Libby recipe). Ya know. Fall delights.

They. Were. Delicious.

"So dewish-us, Momma" (Thank you, sweet Jonah!). I told everyone that I made them for my boys but secretly I made them for myself (I kid. Kindof.). Maybe when I retire I'll open a little to-go bakery of seasonal goodies + treats. How adorable would that be? Your local stop for teacher treats, homemade breads, and I mean. Of course, mini pumpkin pies! ;)
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In other news it appears that I'm still taking a blogging break. Basically I haven't felt the urge to share, so I'm sticking with it. You can follow me on Instagram, although I haven't really felt that creative there either. Kinda a busy/stressful season at work so I'm using all of my energy to make things happen there. Zaps me.

I'll be around. This is my favorite time of year! Lots of pumpkin recipes and photos for you to delight in (right).

Homemade Pretzels

I came across this blog post awhile ago and have had it bookmarked to make for quite some time. Yesterday was the perfect day. It was the end to a long, holiday weekend. One of those goods days that starts with the baby sleeping in (until 9:45!!) and me drinking my coffee + baking in peace and quite. Very good. My perfect kind of day if you add a little crafting + shopping and of course, iced coffee...

So, I made homemade pretzels. And by far, BY FAR this is my favorite treat that I've ever baked. So, so good.

I've worked with a lot of dough in my life, but never boiled any. Pretty cool to watch what happens when you drop these suckers in the water. I was a teensy bit nervous, but they are perfect. The recipe makes 10-13 depending on how big you cut the dough. I made both buttery and cinnamon sugar. I can't really decide which are my fave, but really- is there anything better than a hot, steamy pretzel brushed with butter right out of the oven?

NO.

Jeremy will be requesting these on the daily until I make them again. And honestly, they're so good that I kindof want to make them again today. And tomorrow.

Recipe via Nine + Sixteen Blog.