8 down!

It's been a week and a half since my last post and I have lost another 3 lbs! Woohoo!!
I had some problems a week ago going up and down, but this week I am back on track
and things are going good..I am only 7 lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight with Amelia.
(finally...she is only 14 months old)
I have slacked in the area of exercising...I haven't gone walking in a week. (yikes) but hopefully I will feel the motivation to pick that back up. I can't wait until its fall and cooler outside..I don't like to be hot.

Anyway...just a short update today...8 down, 22 more to go!

30 to 30.

July 4th marked 6 months until I turn 30. 30...30...thirty...
I am not looking forward to this birthday.
I decided to set a goal for myself..to try to keep my mind off of turning, you know...that age.

My goal: to loose 30 pounds by my 30th birthday.
Deadline: January 4th.

I am already off to a good start. I started my new counting calorie diet last Wed. (the 27th) and I am already down 5 lbs in just a week and a half. I have given up pop, except for once a week. I also allow myself a few extra calories 1 day a week. I am not depriving myself from foods I like to eat..I just eat less of it..  Aside from eating less and better, I am also exercising more. I started out walking...but it's been 100+ degrees outside, and I am not putting my kids through that when they have to come with me...so I have been doing stuff indoors with pilates and Jillian Michaels. Planning on taking part in my first 5k in September, Color Me Rad.

Why am I blogging about this?? To be honest..I don't really want everyone and their brother/mother reading what I am trying to do...but I also could use the encouragement. I feel that if I post about
what I am doing, that will just push me harder to reach my goal...since everyone will be reading about it.
I am going to do something fun once I reach my goal for my 30th birthday...I have been wanting to do it for a while, but kept talking myself out of it. (and no..it's not skydiving...I am terrified of heights.) anyway...please say a prayer for me as I try and meet my goal! 5lbs down...25 to go!!

Party planning mode.

I have a busy 4 months ahead of me...
I am on 2 committees at church. One for the Women's retreat that is in April and one for our VBS which, for the first year, is the first week of June.
My daughter, Amelia, will be turning 1 on April 26th and my husband turns the big 30 in June.
So...let's just say that the internet has been my best friend lately finding and collecting ideas for these 4 big events.

When my son turned 6 months old, I already had most of his party planned in my head...Amelia's is no different. I have had the theme in mind for a couple months, and am SO excited to get busy preparing for it. I already have a notebook dedicated to the party, and I even started shopping last night.
If you happen to follow me on Pinterest you have probably already seen me go crazy pinning everything...and you probably already know the theme to her party, which is Alice in Wonderland...or Amelia in ONEderland...ha..how clever is that.
Now...I have a pretty tight budget for her party...but that won't stop me from going "all out"
I am a bargain hunter..and I am pretty good at finding the good deals. I hit up Target last night to look at valentines day items on clearance. Since the story has The Queen of Hearts in it, I knew that this would be a great time to find party items...I didn't find everything I was hoping to find, but I was pretty happy with my deals.

Everything I bought was 50% off...now...in my head..that still wasn't as cheap as I would have liked to spend..I would have LOVED to wait until they were marked to 75%...but it was already pretty much picked over, and I knew if I waited, it would be too late and they would be completely out.

 Bags of heart shaped lollipops..marked down to .50.

 Photo frames. marked down to 2.49 each.

 Tea cups....(mad hatter tea party) $1.99 each

and my favorites...Glitter heart shaped plates. $1.24 each.

The best part is I will actually use this stuff after the party is over...its reusable..no paper or cheap plastic that will just get thrown away afterwards.

Here are the colors of her party...

And an idea for her cake...

I am a perfectionist when it comes to things like this...and I also think I need to do everything myself..
When I get an idea in my head its hard for me to just hand it over to someone else...so We will see how long it takes me to do this cake..lol. For my son's 2nd birthday his cake was much smaller but still took me 3 hrs to decorate with the fondant...Looking at this cake...it will take 6 hours..lol.

I am excited to see the whole party come together!

Keeping life organized....well..part of it anyway.

Now that we have gotten over a big hurdle, and my husband has found a new job, I am going to get back to my posts on organization. (I don't know why I couldn't keep going..little distracted I guess)

As I sit at the play room door with my laptop thinking about what to write..It finally came to me..

I am not just a stay at home mom...I also bring in some income by babysitting during the week. Right now I have 2 little girls that I have during the school year (One 5 days a week, and one 4 days a week.) And in a couple weeks I will start watching a baby full time. Now...if I were to tell you how old each of these kids were..you might think I am crazy..but before I tell you the ages, let me say that I have been babysitting since..well forever. My mom home schooled my brother and I, and she also babysat. I don't have very many memories growing up that didn't involve one of her babysitting kids. I LOVED it. In fact, the baby I am going to have soon, my mom used to watch his Aunt! I learned a lot about babies and kids growing up...because I was always around them, and I think it played a huge roll in me deciding I wanted to be a stay at home mom. Having 5 kids ages 3 and under sounds like a lot to handle (remember 2 are mine) there are times I don't really get a lot done around the house..but really its about staying organized. If I didn't have any organization to our day, things would go CRAZY very easily :)

First thing I do is keep to a schedule.
-Breakfast: 8:15 - 8:30am.
While the kids are eating breakfast I usually empty the dishwasher and/or do some things in the kitchen.
-After the kids are done eating, they go play for a little while.
Now..We have 1 room in our house right off of the living room that is devoted to playing..That toy room is a lifesaver!
-10 am we have some music time..these kids love to dance..and it gets some good energy out!
The dancing lasts about 30 minutes, then they go back to playing in the toy room.
-At 11:15 we start picking up the toys in the toy room..depending on the day, and how big the mess is...it can take a little while :)
-Following clean up is lunch! Same as breakfast, I usually try to load the dishwasher, or stand at the table and fold laundry while they eat.
After lunch its time for a 30 minute movie..something to settle them down a little.
-Nap time is between 12:30 - 1.
Usually they sleep for 2-2 1/2 hrs.
I would like to say that I get my house cleaned and get dinner ready for that night...ha! I have yet to give up a rest time for myself during their nap time...It might happen one of these days..but for now I enjoy the quiet.
After nap time they have a snack.
Then it's just about time for moms and dads to arrive.

And that's my day! I actually have diaper changes scheduled...haha..no seriously...(unless of course someone needs changed before that time)
So..call me crazy, but keeping your day organized is just as important as keeping your home organized. Of course there are days that things get a little off..but for the most part this is our day..5 days a week :)

I love being able to stay home and watch these kiddos..I believe this is my calling for this season in my life :)

-Nicole

"I waited patiently for the lord; he turned to me and heard my cry." Psalm 40:1

These past 3 weeks have been a roller coaster of emotions. Of course I know things could have been
a lot worse, and it could have been much longer than 3 weeks. God is good, he knows what we can
handle, and he provides.

In those 3 weeks I have learned that trusting and clinging to God is the most important thing we can do.
I also learned that you must be specific when you pray! God listens...oh boy does He listen...need an example??

If you read my last blog you know that my husband lost his job 3 weeks ago.
He was offered a job at a 3 hour interview last night...exactly 3 weeks after loosing his job.
Looking back to that post, I asked for prayer that Justin would have a job offer in 1-2 weeks..that post was written on January 30th. Ten days later..he has a job offer.

I prayed that we would be taken care of financially...our tax refund arrived this week.

Justin will be working for TA travel center on the north side of Indy as a restaurant manager. When he applied for this job, he didn't know what the outcome would be because they are open 24/7.

I confessed to him a couple nights ago that about 2 weeks before he lost his job, I had been praying/wishing he had a job that allowed him more weekends off, especially Sundays....
Though, I know how much he loves the industry he is in, it's pretty much impossible for a restaurant manager to have very many weekends off.
Turns out that with this job, they aren't as busy on the weekends because truckers drive through the week. So he will always have either Saturday or Sunday off (As of now it looks like it will be Sundays for sure because the GM has been taking every Saturday off, but he said they would trade off an on.) Talk about ask and you shall receive!!!
He will also be working 5 days in a row, then having 2 days in a row off...no more 1 day off, then working 9 days in a row, then finally another day off.
Even though they are open 24/7, he won't work over night. He did have to take a bit of a cut in pay, however they pay their salary managers overtime (what!?) so that will help make up for that loss. There are also other great bonuses and perks.
He was told that they wished they had a GM position available because they would just skip this assistant manager spot. So there is a good chance for promotion.
Out of all that..by far my favorite part of all of this are the weekends my husband will have at home spending time with the kids and I..and even doing things for himself! Now he can go golfing with friends, when normally he would have to go alone because his day off was in the middle of the week when everyone else is working...it's the little things.

I can't tell you what a relief that has been lifted, and the stress that is now gone. I am so thankful that God listens to our prayers. You can't tell me He doesn't care or provides...we are living proof of it right now.

He starts training on the 20th. For 3 weeks he will be in Michigan...this is where I will need some prayer. Babysitting during the day, then having the kids to myself in the evening for 3 whole weeks will be a challenge and I am sure I will have less hair by the time he gets home..but it will be worth it. And I might actually get some projects done while he isn't here to distract me! :)

Thank you for the prayers. I can't tell you enough how much it means to us. I am looking forward to seeing what is ahead!!

God is in control...

Let me just start this post out by saying God knows what He is doing, His timing is perfect, and He is provider.

Last Thursday my husband lost his job.
Let me tell you that this has been one of my greatest fears, especially with me being a stay at home mom.
And even though it has only been a little over a week. God has graciously shown us how He provides and how putting all our faith and trust in Him is the only way to go.

God has placed an amazing peace on us. As many times as I have stressed and worried about things, there have been more moments of pure joy and trusting God. I can't even describe it.

When Justin called me to tell me the news, I had just arrived at the camp grounds where I was attending a 48 hr scrap retreat with a bunch of ladies from church. Even though I wasn't able to concentrate 100% on scrapbooking. I can't tell you how blessed I was to be with several ladies who
kept my spirits high, talked things out with me, and even giving some suggestions on employment.

God knows what He is doing.

That Sunday the sermon at church was about God being a provider. One of the songs we sang that morning was 'What A Friend We Have In Jesus'

What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear.
what a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer
Oh what peace we often forfeit, Oh what needless pain we bear.
All because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer.

I LOVE our church. I am so proud to call them family! It's a blessing to have such a great support system and how many out there have already shown us love and support through this.
I love our families who have already helped us, and have offered help.

 God's timing is perfect.


This weekend we were able to file our taxes because we finally had all the necessary paper work to do so. All I can say to that is God is provider!


Justin has put in over 20 applications over the past week. He has had 1 phone interview and taken a test for that same job.
He is actually on the phone right now with a headhunter, and he has an interview on Thursday.

I have taken the advice of a friend who has been through this a couple times, and she said she wishes she would have enjoyed the time she had with her husband while he was home and out of work.
That is what I am doing. Even though we can't go out and spend money. We have been having date night in with movies, and just enjoying the time we have right now as a family.

Even though we don't know what is ahead, or how long it will take him to be placed at another job. We know that God is in control. He knows what he is doing, His timing is perfect, and He is provider.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

If I could ask that you keep us in your prayers...Here are some specifics.


1. Pray that Justin finds a good job that he enjoys (praying he gets a job offer in the next week or 2)
2. That we stay healthy (our insurance runs out tomorrow)
3. That no out of the ordinary, huge expenses come up.

God has shown us several times how he provides. He has never let us down. He will see us through this rocky time. Thank you for praying for us!!

-Nicole Wiese

Girls weekend!

I have to confess that I accomplished 0 organizing yesterday or today...Oh well..I take that back..
I organized my scrapbooking stuff so I could pack it for this weekend.

 {My scrap stuff all ready to go! yes...including the office chair. It's important to be comfy while scrapping...And I haven't even packed my clothes yet...I have my priorities in order!!}

Every year the ladies at church have a 48 hour scrapbooking retreat at a local camp grounds. I look forward to this weekend every year, and am very blessed that my Aunt, Mom, and Dad have graciously offered to keep my kids the past couple years since my husband works odd hours.

I wish I could say that I am one of those people who gets 100+ pages done, completing the past year entire scrapbooks for both children, and the family album...But I am not. Not even close. But honetly. I don't care. I am not just there to scrapbook. I am there to laugh, to relax, to recharge, to laugh again, to fellowship, to catch my breath, and did I say laugh??

I love the group of ladies that attend this every year! We always have such a great time..I wish I could say more...but what happens at retreat, stays at retreat.

In the short 3 years I have been a mother, I have learned that you need to make time for yourself...maybe not a whole weekend {though I highly recommend it if you can, at least once a year!} but getting away from the house for a couple hours, going to get your hair or nails done, grabbing dinner with some friends, whatever you can manage!

I will, however, miss my kiddos!!

 {Mr T is 3 years old, and Miss A will be 9 months on the 26th}

I love, love, LOVE my babies!! They make me smile on a daily basis :)

So tonight will be my last post for a few days..Sunday at least. The retreat ends Saturday afternoon, but the kids will be away an extra night so the hubby and I are taking advantage of a date night!! {Another very important thing to make time for!}

I hope to be back to organizing my home on Monday.

I hope you all have a great weekend!! I know I will :)

<3 Nicole