Here's looking at you, kid.

Isn't it weird how you can run into Walmart and get an assortment of things that don't quite go together? Last night, our quick run got us baby q-tips, a bottle of wine, spray paint, and Subway.



We used the Subway and wine for a romantic Saturday night picnic outside. We watched Casablanca on the side of our house.



Thanks husband for that sweet suprise!

Hudson is still very much into everything:



I love how he shows us things now.

Frugal Living

Some of our friends might say we are cheap, but we like to call it frugal. We thought we should share 20 ways we save money:

1)I'm a coupon lady. I will say it is tough to coupon and eat healthy, but there are so many items to save on that don't compromise your eating habits...diapers, cleaning supplies, toiletries, and lots of foods and snacks. I try to buy items on sale. I look for a manufacturer's coupon on those items, and either a competitor or store coupon to go with it. My goal is usually to save exactly what I spend or close to it. I always check out www.southernsavers.com. She does the work for me!

2)I play the CVS freebie game. If you take advantage of extra bucks, you walk out of the store with stuff for free! Again, check out www.southernsavers.com.

3)I buy meat when it is about to expire and freeze it.

4)We use a budgeting system through Microsoft Money and plan for the month. Having money allotted for nearly everything gives us both freedom and restraint.

5)We don't shop for clothes at the mall. There are so many other options: consignment, thrift stores, yard sales, and of course Target, Old Navy, TJ Max, and Ross!

6)Most baby items can be borrowed or bought at yard sales and thrift stores. We have been taking advantage of this lately.

7)We don't go to the "real" movies. Well, we may go on a special occasion, but rarely. We go to the Carmike $1 theater. Can't beat it! It isn't the Rave, but you feel like you are watching a movie in 1985...kinda fun!

8)This is a no brainer...we drink water when we go out to eat.

9)We read books from the library or buy them at the Salvation Army for $1. If it is a must have, we just check online.

10)Instead of cable, we are exploring our options with Netflix and Hulu.

11)There are tons of really cheap date nights offered locally. A few we have taken advantage of include: a visit to the planetarium for a special show, watching the manger scene in a cave, wine, beer, and coffee tastings, art festivals, movies on the quad, etc...

12)There are so many freebies out there! You can sign up for free samples of diapers, formula, toiltries, snacks,etc. If it is your birthday, you can sign up for coupons for free dinners and other fun stuff! We had free Jason's Deli for my past birthday.

13)We eat out once a week.

14)We check out sites like Groupon and Living Social for deals.

15)If we purchase online, we always search for a free shipping code and a percentage off the total code.

16)I serve breakfast for dinner or meatless entrees once a week.

17)I make and freeze my own baby food.

18)We don't wash our clothes just because we wore them. We wait until they are dirty.

19)We buy printer ink and other random necessities off Ebay.

20)We feel like this last one is supposed to be awesome. We are actually doing these off the top of our heads and are having a hard time coming up with this one. So, our final advice is live simply. There are many things that we just don't "have" to have. Our world is constantly making us feel like we "need" so much stuff, but we have seen that the simpler we live, the more peaceful life becomes.

a day in the life

I am all for organization. I think it makes life simple and peaceful. Being a stay at home mom requires careful planning. Yes, sometimes we throw the plan out the window, but if I didn't have it there would be chaos!

Here is our week: I hope this helps other SAHM's in planning:

Monday: We stay home on Mondays! This is the day I do all the cleaning and laundry. This helps us start our week off great!

Tuesday: Every other Tuesday morning we have playgroup. On the Tuesdays we don't have playgroup, we may attend story time at the library. Tuesday is also our designated errand day. I usually use Tuesday nap times to prepare Hudson's food for the week and to research our menu options. I also may throw in a little house craft to end the day.

Wednesday: We have playgroup every other week. Wednesday is also coupon and grocery day. It usually takes about an hour for me to plan our grocery list, cut, and print our coupons.

Thursday: We have Bible study in the morning. Hudson plays with his friends in the church nursery. I use the afternoon to sew, blog, craft, or study something. I also do a load or two of laundry.

Friday: Play day! I use the morning nap time to answer my accountability questions, and the rest of the day is for having fun! We may stay home, visit friends, or go to the park or zoo. This is a day we look forward to each week.

We take it week by week on whether we may schedule a specific play date, doctor appt, etc.

To help me, I have my trusty Mom notebook. My friend Nikki and I made them. I have sections for my schedule, Hudson, Will, church, bills etc. It keeps me sane to have everything I need in one place. I'll probably dedicate a whole post to it soon.

I am so thankful to be in this stage of life. The Lord has graciously given me this sweet family to take care of each day, and for now, this means I am primarily home with Hudson. Some days my "job" may require me to go non-stop from morning til night, and other days it may be best if we stay in our pajamas. In the day in and day out of it all, I have to remind myself of the bigger picture...our sweet Jesus has entrusted us with this little life. Our desire is for him to grow up and be a man after God's own heart. We know some mommies have to work, but the Lord has provided us a way for me to stay home and spend my days bringing him up in the care and instruction of the Lord. So yes, there are days that are HARD, but there are soooo many days that are just a BLAST! I have to remind myself it is ok to have fun. It is ok to spend an hour in the floor with blocks. I know all too soon this chubby faced little guy won't fit in my arms anymore.

amor

It is so easy for me to fill our blog with posts about Hudson. I mean we are together 24/7, and he is the cutest thing. So, this post is dedicated to my number one on this earth....Mr. Will P! Hopefully, the Lord will bless us with more kids, but one day those kiddos are going to leave for bigger and better things. I hope and pray Huds finds a wifey that he loves more than me. God has designed it so that our children will feel most loved when we put our marriage first.

I spent Monday and Tuesday at my parent's house. When I arrived Tuesday evening, I found a scavenger hunt around the house. Will had written out clues that lead me up the stairs and back down the stairs several times. The clues led me to an invitation for lunch, a little shopping, and a movie on Sunday.




I am so grateful that the love of my life is the best friend I've ever had. I am blessed to have a man that loves Jesus more than me. I am so happy he is the daddy of our children. I know I am being sappy, but I love him!!!

I also thought I would share the fun little items my mom got us for Vday:









I think I am going to put a candle in the birdhouse and use it as a centerpiece for the table.

In news related to that, we got our two chairs from Walmart in last week:



I think I will distress them a little.

Have a great day! I love this weather! We are about to take a walk and enjoy it.

Happy February 11th!

We think having a holiday dedicated to expressing love is a great idea. Of course, we don't need a reason to do things out of the ordinary, but it is a good time to be extra sweet, cheesy, and a little corny.

Since V-day is on a Monday, we decided to celebrate Friday. We kept it low key. Mr. Patridge woke up to a trail of post-it love notes down the stairs and to his car.

Huds and I brought Daddy and Coach Gilchrist Milos during their 10 minute lunch break. I got a sweet card and two gift cards...Starbucks and Yogurt Mountain here I come!








After work, Will met me at his parent's house where we kissed Huds goodnight and went to dinner at Bellini's. Our reservations were for 7:45. We usually dine early with the seniors, so it was nice to be out with the "trendy" late diners. I had the eggplant parmesan, and it was a....mazing! Of course, Mr. Patridge had his usual-chicken fettuccine. We are convinced he could be a critic for this dish. He rates them on a scale of 1 to 10 -often commenting on texture and flavors. So far, Macaroni Grill out ways the rest.

We let Huds sleep over at Ge and Pops, and we headed home to sleep because we worked the ACT early the next morning. We are putting the money away for our cruise fund. We are headed to the Bahamas in June for our 3 year anniversary trip. Can't wait.

As for the Hudsinator, he is into everything! Who knew a crawling baby was this much work?

a 9 month old's guide to interior design

Our Target chairs came in the mail last week.



I know the picture is sideways. I am not sure how to flip it, and I didn't want to take another.

The new table is awaiting one more coat of polyurethane. Due to soccer season, the entire process is taking longer than normal.

The waiting period has given us time to really contemplate how we are going to decorate our new dining area. Decorating websites always lead us (well mainly me) to think of other ideas.

Then we realize....yes, we are in that stage of life. No matter how much we decorate, there are things we cannot hide.

We need to face the fact that when you look in our kitchen, you mainly see this:



And this isn't exactly the eye candy we were going for in the living room:



After some serious discussion, we have decided to keep the baby.... and his decorating ideas!

the heartaches of motherhood

It is a great time for blogging! It is cold and rainy, and I am all cozy with my sick baby and a cup of hot tea.

Our little guy has a fever virus and viral croup. It has been pitiful to watch, and a little scary for us. His fever went up to 104! He is on the road to recovery, and we hope this means rest for us this weekend.

Having a baby truly changes your perspective on life. As I watch him suffer through this illness, I truly wish I could take his place. I would not hesitate to take on his illness if he could be well.

This always leads me to think about life through spiritual lenses….Jesus did take my place. He endured my sin, so that I could be brought to God. I have the hope of eternity and an unshakable joy in this life. This is far beyond comparison of my above situation, but it gives me a glimpse of the love of God. His love is far greater than the love I can offer my child!

I am also reminded of God’s grace while we are walking on this earth. For example, I have put Hudson through lots of pain the past few days- lukewarm baths, lots of medicines, doctors, the dreadful nose sucker, etc. It has been hard to watch him suffer and cry, but I know what I am doing is for his best. I also know that he trusts that I love him and am protecting him.

So, it is with our Lord. We are sometimes walking through trials and suffering, yet we hold fast to his promises. He loves us! He is working all things out for our good and his glory. We may not even ever understand it in this life, but we have the hope of eternity with Him!

2 Corinthians 4:16-18-So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Romans 8: 28-And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose

Thank you Jesus for your promises! Thank you for loving us so much that you became man and dwelt among us. You knew suffering. You were acquainted with grief. You took my punishment and gave me your righteousness. I am undeserving of your grace and mercy.

I also want to give a tribute to my sweet husband. I love sharing this life with you. Even though I am the one home with Hudson, thank you for never making me feel alone in this. Thanks for getting up every time I did last night because you knew I was being a panicky first time mom. I love you.