Frugal Momma Isn't the Only Gal in the House Now...

     That's right! Faith is living with us for the semester! So far, it's been amazing. One great thing is that I can now shower more... it's hard when your little one takes 'ninja naps' (so quick... they don't even count) and is now a super-crawler. I'm so thankful that she's here. Also, it's been good for both Thomas and I because we have now joined the Y. And for real - the Y in Green Hills is nice. We've never joined a gym (other than Strom in college) because of how pricey they are and we should be able to keep fit on our own. But, Faith is a beast (in the most super human strength way) and she's a member so we thought we would look into how expensive it is. Well, the Y we joined has this cool membership fee that if you make less than a certain amount, they base it off of your income. So, for 3 adults and 1 dependent (Wilson) - we got a truly amazing deal! Oh, did I mention that they babysit too???? Up to 2 hours a day and 9 hours a week. Could it be any better?

Happy Boy! Christmas PJs are one of the only sleepers left that fits... so he still wears them.

     So, we've been working out. And about Faith being good in the gym... she's like our personal trainer. She knows so much about fitness - and she herself can pretty much do everything longer and with more weight than I can - that she's really able to help us get in a great workout every day. We go 6 days a week - 1 day is pool day and 1 day is Spin class. Saturdays are Beef Days - we do a long run (more than 3 miles) and then slow maxing out with lifting heavy weights. The other days are all about cardio and specific strength training. It's so incredibly hard and amazing all at the same time. It also feels really good to be active again. :)

Snow in Nashville!

     Thomas is the new interim choir director at church. Right now, Covenant Pres is looking for a new one and Thomas has stepped in to help bridge the gap during the search. It's been pretty cool so far - all those classes he's taken he is finally putting to use. He does work more now, but he's enjoying it. 

Lovin' on my little boy (who did NOT want to stand in the snow!)

     I am going to the dentist tomorrow morning. I believe Wilson cracked my front tooth in one of his thrashing around sessions. So, I can't really focus on anything else until this is taken care of. I don't know what my deal is with the dentist... but I usually cry and have small panic attacks. Just thinking about it raising my heart rate... so, onto other topics (prayers appreciated!!!). 

He loves holding blankets in his mouth like a puppy dog.

     Wilson, as I've said before, is a crawling maniac now. He's super quick and always looking to try new things. As, having said that - he now can climb the stairs. We tried taking a video but after 5 minutes of him just singing and dancing on the stairs, we quit. We are trying to plan our semester out as we would like to take a couple trips with Faith. We want to drive over and see Graceland at some point. Just seems like it could be really interesting. And we also want to get to Greenville too. Wilson is getting so big... he's going to be 11 months old in 2 days! Then, in 1 month he'll be ONE YEAR OLD!!!! We are going to throw a Train Party here at the house on Feb. 25 for him. I'm starting to get ideas for cute party things now. Any ideas, please let me know!

He blinked... but man o man... doesn't he look like a Russell baby? I think he looks like Ethan!

     That's about all for now! Be sure to be praying for Thomas in his new position - that he would strive to glorify God through music and that he can keep his eyes on Jesus and the cross when things get stressful for whatever reason. I also ask that you pray for me tomorrow in the dentist chair. I pray that it isn't anything serious (and hopefully not too expensive). Also, let me know how I can pray for you - after all, you are my friends and family and I love you!

In Christ,

Frugal Momma

Frugal Momma and her Christmas, New Years and Life Updates

Again, I find myself sitting down and realizing that it's been well over a month since I posted. Instead of going in depth about everything going on, I'll just give you a glance into our super busy life! 

Christmas was a busy season (as usual!) and we loved spending our first Christmas in Nashville. Even though the weather was quite mild (and still is) we enjoyed knowing that we hope to be here for more than 2 years. In our marriage thus far, we have moved every year and every 2 moved to a different state, so it's difficult to feel settled. But, we do now. And since we have not ever been able to have a Christmas go according to our plan, (remember the blizzard last year that stranded Thomas and I at 31 weeks prego in JFK for 3 days????) Wilson ended up with a fever around 103. So, we were up much of the night Christmas Eve and Wilson and I had to stay home from church Christmas Day. I was supposed to play during the offertory, but Thomas had some music he could play. We opened gifts before church and since little buddy wasn't feeling well, we opened his. He loves his new mega-lego blocks. :) 

We then drove the next morning to Greenville to see our families and have 2nd and 3rd Christmases with them. Wilson still wasn't feeling great, but we decided to make the trip anyways. He cried most of the night and we were pretty exhausted the next day. We were able to see several friends and family which was a real blessing. On Tuesday, we had Christmas with the Russell family and wowzers did Wilson have a lot of gifts!! He pretty much loves all his new toys, but honestly we've had a good deal of fun with the boxes they came in. We saw more friends and family on Wednesday and then packed to come back home Thursday morning. 

Thomas' accounts (email and facebook) were hacked into and many people were sent emails, telling people how we were stuck in Barcelona (we wish!) and how Thomas was crying because we didn't have enough money to pay the hotel bills. The hacker then got on Thomas' facebook and started chatting with people that were online. We were highly amused at the number of people that talked to him and the lies that they caught the hacker in. One family member kept asking the hacker how 'Debbie' was and asked how the airline let her fly because of her sickness. The hacker kept making up stuff to go along with the story. Anyways, we didn't get out of Greenville til about 10:45 am and made the trek back home. 

Thomas is practicing like a boss for his recital this Sunday, January 8 at 3:00 pm at Covenant Presbyterian. He's made a real effort to keep it very focused on praising our Almighty Savior and we will even be singing some hymns! It's going to be great. We are still trying to figure out if there is a way we can stream it for those that cannot be there. We will let you know what we find out. 

New Year's Eve was uneventful as Thomas and I were asleep by 9:45 pm. I guess we officially are old. That's ok. I wouldn't trade it for anything. 

Wilson is crawling and I don't think Thomas and I were ready for it. In fact... we are still adjusting. This kid can move! And of course, he's only interested in things we are interested in... computers, cell phones, books... and especially cords. I don't know what it is, but if he sees a cord that he can grab onto, he's across the room in seconds. Hide the cord, and he cries. Big time. So, any advice or good gadgets/tools to hide cords, please let me know!

My frugal momma post for you today is just about STUFF. I've been thinking and praying a lot about our lives and how they have changed (with the birth of our amazing little boy) and how they will change (as Faith moves in with us this semester). I've dealt before with idols of my heart and over the past few days I've come to realize that I idolize STUFF. As someone who takes very seriously when the Lord convicts me of sin and repentance, this was a bit of a shock. I'm used to being convicted of big spiritual things, like pride and glorifying myself. The Lord has been gracious to me and we've dealt with (very slowly) these big issues that seem to pop up in everyone's lives. So, when my eyes were opened that someone as $-conscious/frugal/financially-smart (most of the time) had problems with consumerist America, I was a little frustrated. I've always been aware and had good sense when it comes to money. I try to save, not overspend and make solid purchases, but it's not always about that. 

The Lord has blessed Thomas and me greatly. We have a home, a loving marriage and family, awesome jobs... and yet we tend to live as if we deserve more. More what? I don't know, but I find myself looking on facebook or pinterest and wanting more. I realized that I wasn't content with where the Lord had placed me - and it was resulting in needing stuff or dreaming about a house to own or a vacation. And that's not healthy. I greatly desire to praise God from whom all blessings flow - but you can't do that if you aren't living your life through the cross. So, what does all this mean in application? I'm simplifying. I'm focusing on Christ more throughout the day and taking my gaze away from the things I don't have. And instead of having tons, I'm giving away so that I can have less and not live my life surrounded my materialism - because if I'm honest, that's where I stumble. It's so easy to think that 'if I buy that super cute _______ it will make me happy'. Only Christ and His journey to the cross to glory can make me happy. It's not about being the most chic or cool or trendy momma. It's about being so in love with Christ that I don't even worry about those things. So, I'm going to take baby steps. I'm going to clean out my closet, Wilson's old toys, and our office and get rid of and pray through the clutter and mess. What am I hoping to get from this? Again, I desire to see God work in my life and if I'm being held down by fearing what others think of me and my household, I can't bow before the King and I can't help you bow before the King either. 

So, I encourage you, look around you. As Calvin once said  - Our heart is a factory of idols. We don't worship Christ naturally, our heart is too sinful - we need redemption to worship Him and then sanctification to continue on the journey. As I look around I see a broken woman who tries to look like I have it all together by submitting to the materialism of this fallen world. From here on out, I want to apply these thoughts by not being a servant to the world through the spending of money, but by turning my life wholly over to God and not worrying about your opinion (or others) of me. What truly matters is my heart condition to the Risen King. 

In Christ,

Frugal Momma