Birthday Ideas Anyone?

A special little girl's birthday is right around the corner (okay, it's still over 2 months away...but it seems like it will be here really quickly!), and I need some serious help! Our theme is ladybugs, but that's about as far as I've gotten. I love the colors pink & lime green, so instead of the typical red & black ladybugs we'll be going with those colors. But seriously, other than that I'm out of ideas. One of my friends did a super cute "Rock Star" theme for her little boy for his 1st birthday and I'm totally in awe. What happened to all of my creativity? I'm totally at a loss! (And is it weird that I have her 2nd birthday party completely planned already? Though I guess that doesn't really count b/c I totally stole the idea from a friend of mine's sister...I don't know her, so I don't feel so badly! TeeHee!) So, anyone have any fun ideas for a FIRST birthday?? I know it's supposed to be really low maintenance since she's so young, but can anyone offer up any suggestions about how you made your baby's very first birthday celebration unforgettable? I'll take all the help I can get :)

AND, while you're all sharing fun ideas for the party, could you shed a little light on what kinds of presents a 1 year old would enjoy (from us). My thoughts seem a little "old" for her...a little kitchen, a "house" for the backyard, one of those little pedal cars (in pink, of course! Ha!). See?! I know that these things are more for a toddler than a 1 year old, but they are just so stinkin' cute that I can hardly help myself! But seriously, what did your 1 year old like? She honestly has enough toys as it is, so we'd really just like to get her one or two "bigger" things that she can enjoy for a little while. Chris's suggestion of an airplane is out, though I wouldn't be surprised if he wraps up a little one anyway with grand promises for later :)

Catching Up

First of all, I just want to say THANK YOU for all of the amazing money advice! You guys had a few tips that we haven't tried before, and I'm anxious to see if any of the new ideas will "stick"! I think our biggest issue is that we don't (didn't) have a budget. Eek!! First mistake, huh?! But before you gasp too loudly, let me just say that we already pull out retirement money from Chris's paycheck that we don't really ever "see". The problem that we were having was saving for other things, important 1-3 year goal things...like a house, a car, a piano, and Bugle (what we will be naming our future Beagle! **No, Chris has not yet agreed to this name; however, I'm diligently working on it!**). SO, in comes the need for the envelope system and a HUGE overhaul of the finances that go into our checking accounts. And I'm happy to say, with a sigh of relief, that we did it! And we're both really happy w/ the results ~ our goals, our new budget, and our new toy! We finally got rid of my old Sunfire, AKA The Amazing Sun Fuego....

And got this gorgeous girl!!!

Please note that it's pitch dark outside! That's because we were still in Atlanta (4.5 hrs away from our house) picking up this little gem at 10pm!! It's a LONG story, but suffice to say that we got a really good deal, and we're totally in love with our new Sorrento!

In other news, we recently had our first portrait made as a family of 3!! My friend Amanda did them for us, and I think they turned out great...especially considering that it was insanely hot outside and Miss E was just NOT having it!! Here are a few of my favorites...

Here's one I took of Chris & Elli in our backyard. Elli loves to "fly" around w/ her daddy, and get sugar from him afterwards. I think I captured the moment perfectly here :)
Oh, and guess what?!?! She's CRAWLING!!! The video I've taken is super shaky, so I didn't want to upload it...but soon, friends, soon!! But, I thought that this super cute picture of my sweet girl's precious grin might make up for the lack of video :) Oh, she just melts my heart!!

Money Talk

Chris and I had the dreaded "talk" tonight. You know the one. Money's tight...what the heck are we going to do about it? We're in the midst of deciding on a big purchase, and along with that comes a little bit of anxiety about the future. We want to be able to buy a house...eventually! (That is, of course, if we're ever in one place for long enough! Ha!) And then there is Elli's college to think about, and my new business expenses, and we'd really like to be pet owner's someday (and we all know how much money THAT costs!). It just seems like it starts adding up faster than you can earn it. And then comes the dread...the cutting back...the saying "no". And I don't know about you guys, but really don't like to say "no"!

So, after our chat we decided that we're going back to the envelope system. Ever heard of it? If not, pick up any Dave Ramsey book (or google it, it's cheaper!) and you'll discover what I'm talking about. I first read a Dave book out of sheer boredom during one of Chris's TDY's, and I've been a huge fan ever since! The envelope system helped us save lots-o-moola while we lived in England, but when we moved back to the States we abandoned ship. (I think it might have a little something to do with a super cute girl named Elli, and the ADORABLE clothes that I just HAD to buy for her! I could be wrong though!) But alas, we are going back to what works. Envelopes it is.

I'm curious though...how do you guys save money? Got any great tricks that you'd like to share with me? And books that you highly recommend? Or programs that you absolutely swear by? We used Mint.com for awhile...but our enthusiasm quickly faded.

And what is the hardest thing for you to give up? For me it's eating out (oh the shame!). Eating out is like entertainment for me, I crave the experience of it all! And, let's be honest here, staying at home and eating a peanut butter sandwich just really isn't that exciting! But if I can curb my love of all things Chick-fil-a, I feel I can do anything :)

Wordless Wednesday

My 1st Give-Away!!

A little over a week ago, I was contacted (via Etsy) by a sweet girl who asked if I was interested in a Give-Away/Shop Review of my new shop, Elli Grace Designs. Of course, I jumped at the chance!! I told her I wanted the whole package...an honest appraisal of my products (including customer service & packaging), and the opportunity to offer her readers an extensive give-away prize. **Shown in the picture above!!** Well, she got the products a few days ago, and tonight she sent me the link to the review...and it was awesome! I was incredibly humbled by what she wrote about my work, and I'm so glad that she gave me the opportunity to share a little bit about why I started this new venture. And, best of all...I think I've made a new friend in the process :)

Tiffany, my sweet new friend, is the creator of the blog, His Little Mrs. On it, she offers all kinds of give-aways, does lots of product reviews, offers recipes, and blogs about life as a newly-wed. She's recently moved 800 miles away from her "home", which is something that this military wife can certainly relate to!! She's super fun, and I'm so glad that I met her. It's incredible how small the internet makes the world :)

So what are you waiting for?? Go on over to His Little Mrs, and check out Tiffany's blog...and don't forget to enter to win my very 1st Give-Away ever!! This is big, friends!! Big!! I've been so blessed by the response to my new business. I am so appreciative of the opportunities that I've been offered, and the responses that I've been receiving. Thank you so much for your support and encouragement...it really means a lot to me :) And thanks, Tiffany...it was so wonderful to "meet" you!

Shutterfly Deals!!

I'm a sucker for a great deal, and I am blown away at how much money I saved today on my order from Shutterfly!! I thought I'd share this info with y'all since Father's Day is just around the corner and what better way to say I love you than a coffee mug w/ your pic on it?! I'm only slightly kidding here as that's exactly what I got Chris for Christmas from Elli :) TeeHee!!

Shutterfly has a deal right now on photo books:

Save 30% on 12x12's

Save 20% on 8x8's

Save 15% on 7x9 & 5x7's

You can also use the code (SHIP) or (SHIP30) to get free shipping on orders of $30 or more!

AND....

Use code (five) to get $5 off your order of $25 or more

AND...

Use code (ENJOY) to get 10% off your entire order!!

I saved $28.56 by using all of the codes above! So yes, you can use them at the same time (which is rare!). But hurry, because most of them expire on June 10th. I always, ALWAYS, look for discount codes before I purchase anything online. In fact, I also found a 15% off code for Dick's Sporting Goods earlier today (DSP_WELCOME15). I recommend retailmenot.com, but you can find lots of good deals by just googling the name of the store + coupon code.

Hope this helps out a little bit :) Happy Shopping!!

Happy 9 Month Birthday, Elliana!!!

Nine months. Nine Months!!! That's just three months shy of 1 year!! I just can't believe it...our little girl is growing so quickly. As I commented in a previous post, I feel like Elli's 8th month brought with it lots of new "tricks", and some fun new experiences.

We finally had to lower Miss E's bed to the 2nd level because she started pulling up on the ledge. We knew we were in trouble when we watched her (on the monitor) throw her paci over the side of her crib, and proceed to try to retrieve it Tarzan style! Luckily, she's not strong enough to truly fly over the side, but still...we didn't want to take any chances! The pic above is her peeking over her new "higher" bedrail. She's not quite sure if she likes it yet. Ha!

In other news, we're still not crawling. Not that I'm complaining, but I just keep thinking "today is going to be THE day!". She's so close, and just gets so frustrated when she realizes that she ends up further away from the toy than when she started! It's quite comical to watch, but I can only imagine how irritating it would be to continue to go backwards when all of your effort & concentration is willing you forwards! Don't worry, I'll keep y'all updated...I'm sure she'll get the hang of it soon :)

She's still great with sleeping, though the whole "sitting up thing" is starting to put a hamper on her napping. It's like her little body involuntarily sits up mid-nap, and throws her off. She'll start crying, and when I go to get her she's completely dazed and looking at me like, "how in the world did I get here...and why am I sitting up??". Again, quite comical! She's gone to eating 4 times a day, and we've found out that she LOVES rice puffs (the banana flavor). She's still in size 3 diapers, and wears 9-12 month clothes. We go for her 9 month well-baby appointment tomorrow, and I'm anxious to see how much she weighs. I'm thinking about 21 lbs, but we'll see! She can clap, is still working on waving, and can say 3 things: "dada, mama, & baba (byebye)". She loves to get into things...you name it, she's in it! And, as such, we decided to go ahead and baby-proof the house this weekend :)

Elli still has a very low-key, and sweet demeanor. She's smiling and laughing more every day (you used to have to really work at it to get her to smile...just like her daddy when he was a baby, I hear!), and hardly ever cries. She's still great when we take her places, and she loves sitting in her stroller the "right" way. So far, no tantrums, though I've seen a few more fist shakes than I'd like to lately :) Ha!! She's more fun every day, and is just a joy to be around. What a great 9 months this has been, what an adventure! I can't wait to see what the future holds for our precious baby girl!