Putting On One Income On Hold
I apologize for skipping on posts this past week, but I’ve been busy doing a lot of reflection on this blog and how it fits into my life. I’ve come to the conclusion that at this moment I can’t give the blog the attention I would like without other areas suffering, such as my duties as wife and mother. I have decided to put this blog on hold for a time to focus on more important things. I may pick it up in a few months, I may pick it up in a year, or I may just post once or twice a month.
Thanks to everyone for reading my posts and sharing in your comments.
~Chelsea
Help For Haiti
Tonight as I sit in my warm house, surrounded by family, food, and running water, my mind turns to those in Haiti. This past week they have been ravished by the earthquake and have lost homes, friends, parents, children, security, and perhaps even hope. As we sit thousands of miles away and watch the struggles on t.v., I am reminded that we too can help and give, whatever little faith, prayers, or money we can.
Crystal at MoneySavingMom is hosting a Helping Haiti blog drive. Bloggers around the web will participate in “Helping Haiti” and pledge to give a certain amount for every post blogging about Haiti and added to Mr. Linky from now until January 21st. For those without the means to give, you can still help post a blog or comment on sites raising money to increase their donations.
For those who have the means to give here are some links to well-known charities that have already begun serving in Haiti.
LDS Humanitarian Emergency Response Fund
As my husband and I conversed over the tragedy in Haiti we realized how blessed we are. We know that going without a few wants for a month pales in comparison to the devastation of those affected in Haiti.I was preparing to link up and raise donations with others, but after talking with my husband we came to the agreement that we weren’t ready for such a public commitment. Instead, we will give a private donation to the LDS Emergency Response Fund.
I have been amazed that when we sacrificed to give to others, God has always returned our offerings. As Crystal said, “Even if it seems like it’s a drop in the bucket, remember that a bucket of water is made up of that–drops!”. Every dollar, dime, link and prayer will make a difference to those in Haiti. Please join the effort.
~Chelsea
Update: Site Construction Gone Awry Is Fixed
Marcelo Terraza
Update: I love my husband. He fixed my problems in five minutes flat! Thanks Tim!
Please excuse the random code showing on my site. I tried to do some html on my own and it was a flop. Now I’ve learned, save the original code before you make changes. Luckily I have a husband who can (hopefully) help fix it, but unfortunately he’s really busy at the moment. At least I can still post, which is fortunate because I have several great posts coming your way.
New Baby
We are excited to announce that we had a baby girl last month! I have been very busy getting ready for her, chasing my two-year old and teaching piano lessons. Perhaps life will slow down a little and leave me more time to post. Here’s to hoping :).
All Moved In and Posting Again
Thank you everyone for your patience as I took a longer-than-expected hiatus. We are now all moved into our new apartment and busy preparing for our little girl due in August. I have added a few more piano students and between my pregnancy, teaching piano and chasing my active son I have found less time to blog. But I just can’t keep away because I have made so many positive changes the past few months and learned so much from others that I am anxious to blog once more.
Taking a Break to Pack
I suddenly realized that we are moving in less than three weeks. Even though we’re only moving a mile away, I still have to go through a lot of things and pack. And trying to do this with a toddler and being pregnant, will take more time than normal. So I’ve decided to take a short break from the blog until we are settled and in our new place.
Short Break
I’ll be taking a short break from blogging. Our son has been sick the past couple of days which means neither of us has slept well, and even though I’m now in my second trimester, I still have yet to gain my energy back. I need to get some rest and put our house back in some order but I will be back.
Moving Blog to Three Posts a Week
I will now be posting on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and extra posts as needed for the time being. I may post daily again in the future and will keep you updated to any changes.
In Memory of Zach DeRidder
We just learned a good friend of ours, Zach DeRidder, passed away. He heroically battled liver cancer for three years. He was a great friend and an inspiration to many. He will be greatly missed. You can read more of his story here and here.
It’s times like these that help you remember what is truly important in life and that is family and friends. I will be gone the rest of the week traveling to the funeral and will be unable to write posts. Please keep Zach’s family in your thoughts and prayers.
CVS Ups and Downs
I have to admit I haven’t been to CVS much this past month because of the holidays and lukewarm sales. So earlier this week I was frustrated with myself because I let $4.00 in ECBs expire. I also didn’t pay as much attention to the limit on certain products and so I bought more than I would receive ECBs for. So I was a little disappointed with myself, but I still knew overall that I’ve saved a lot at CVS and received a lot for free so I can’t complain.
Yet because of a few specials I found this week I am now excited for CVS again. I saw that they were running a special for $.15 4 x 6 photos. So I log on and put in my extracare card and since I’m new to the site they give me 50 free 4 x 6s. I still have yet to pick these up and might have to pay a $1.50 service charge, but that’s still only $.03 per photo. I was really excited because now I have pictures to put in the beautiful picture frame Tim gave me for Christmas and some pictures to send to grandparents.
Another deal I scored this week was getting 4 packs of Stayfree pads and some children’s bandaids for $7.05 and receiving $10 in ECB. Here’s the break-down
Buy $20 in select Johnson & Johnson products, receive $10 ECB
- Bought 4 packs Stayfree $4.50/ ea and 1 package bandaids for $3.00 (also in J & J sale)
- Used 1 $4 off $20 CVS coupon (I get these frequently by scanning my CVS card when I walk in the store)
- Used 2 B1G1 coupons 1-4 for Stayfree
- Used $2 ECBs I had
- Total after taxes $7.07 and received $10 ECB in return
