Cutting back on electricity

With temperatures reaching 100 degrees already, I am trying very hard to cut back on our electricity. Last summer, we had a bill for $300! The rates for DFW are pretty high, we pay around $0.13 per kWh. I laughed when my dad complained about paying $75 one month. I know it's high for them, but they don't have to pay property taxes either!

I've been making myself get serious about it. Since we have Jack, I can't really cut back on the a/c. Plus, Marty and I hate being hot. There are zero clouds in the sky and we have no trees, so no shade for our house to give the a/c a break either. I turn off the TV when I'm not watching it, turn off lights when I don't need them. I crack open the blinds as needed for light. We change the a/c filter monthly, but we could probably do it more often since it seems like it's constantly running.

Something I'm really proud of...I started hanging our clothes on the clothesline. I've been hanging sheets, towels, and Jack's diapers for a while, but I figured I would dry our clothes for free since it's blazing hot out. I run them in the dryer for about 10 minutes to fluff them when I bring them in. I'm quite satisfied when I tote the basket full of clothes inside I dried for free. Love it!

Got any other ideas for cutting back?

Grandma's Hobby

My mom has been cross stitching for years. She taught me when I was 8. I remember sitting in the waiting room of a hospital while a friend of hers was having surgery and whining about being bored. She was working on a gift for another friend of hers that was pregnant. Mom has always loved making things as gifts. I think she has given away more things than she has made for herself. Anyhow, I asked if she would show me how to cross stitch something. Ever since then, I've made things here and there. Mom always has a project going. She can complete one in a matter of days. She made the following items in what seemed like a single day each!

I was talking to her when Jack was about 6 weeks or so. I told her I felt like cleaning, but just didn't have the time to do it. I didn't want anyone to think I was a slob if they stopped by and there was a sink full of dirty dishes. Marty could only do so much to help with the housework after a fully day's work. This is what she made me:

In case you can't read it:
"Cleaning and scrubbing can wait til tomorrow. For babies grow up, we've learned to our sorrow. So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust, go to sleep. I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep."

It's very fitting that I haven't framed it yet either. Ha!

Here is something from long ago that she made me. She made one for all of us, actually.

Jack doesn't even have teeth yet, but he's ready for that tooth fairy!

4 Months

13 lbs. 14 ozs., just under 50th percentile

26.5 inches long, right about 90th percentile

Whoa!

First Father's Day

Marty was put on this earth to be a Daddy. He is so amazing with Jack. They adore each other. I can see it in their eyes. I am one lucky girl to have such a wonderful husband. I knew without a doubt he would be an amazing father.

I framed the D-A-D pictures in black and white for Marty to take to put on his desk at work. I couldn't stand waiting, so we gave him the catch-all platter the day we got it in the mail. It says "No matter how tall I get I will always look up to my Daddy." I know this is so true. Life was pretty close to perfect before Jack. Now it is absolutely perfect.

How many men will sit in a patch of flowers so baby can get a picture for the Grandmas???

ExerSaucer is a hit!

I realized last week that Jack doesn't have many toys. He doesn't need a lot, but all he had was the little thing he is looking up at in the first picture. He LOVES it, but it's really the only toy he's interested in. I searched craigslist, but didn't find anything I wanted that was in good enough condition. To Babies R Us we went after my haircut. I desperately needed that haircut too! With all these parts, I'm glad he liked it. I love putting things together though. When we were checking out at BRU, the cashier told us it takes 12 batteries. Twelve??? That's what I asked too. The lady behind us got a chuckle out of it.




Sensory overload!

I hope he continues to enjoy it. He was a little wobbly, but we're working on that. Marty had to dig around a couple different draweres to find 12 AAA batteries. We need more batteries now.

So, how are the dogs with Jack?

I get this question from people that know we have two crazy hyper dogs. The answer is usually that Rayleigh doesn't really mind him, as you can tell. She wasn't bothered one bit by the 13+lb. human on her back.

Molly just likes to lick him. No problems so far.

I'm starting to hate blogger...

In the middle of uploading pictures from out trip home, blogger decides to crash. Crap. That makes me not want to even try again. What a pain.

Another trip to Louisiana

We all headed back to Louisiana for Memorial Day Weekend. Me, Jack, and the dogs stayed behind while Marty went on a flight to Hawaii and Alaska. Marty had a good time and actually did some sightseeing this time around. Jack and I did a lot of nothing in Louisiana. Not sure how we did it, but we did nothing and stayed busy. hmmm

I want a garden SO bad. Marty's dad has potatoes, okra, a few different kinds of tomatoes, yellow squash, cucumbers, muscadines, and look at all that corn!

I probably forgot some things he has too.

Jack needed a bath while we were at Nanny's house, but there was no baby tub, so...

Fun, right?

No, Mother, dearest. You are wrong. Very, very wrong.

Jack saw his first rainbow while we were home too! Okay, so I thought it was a big deal. Jack does not seem impressed by it.

Jack loves his Daddy!

My mom and dad have been a HUGE help since Jack was born. My mom stayed with us for two weeks after he was born to help out around the house. She did laundry, dishes, and did the things Grandmas do, like make up songs for Jack and spoil him. She was awesome. She even came and stayed with me and Jack for a week while Marty was away. Mom and Dad's anniversary is in a few days too. It was the perfect time to get them something. Here is their new swing. Marty brought it back from a place that's along our drive home. (I didn't get a picture of it all set up.)

Not much has been going on with us really. Jack has been squealing up a storm. It's usually how I wake up in the morning, not to whines or cries, but to high pitch squealing. He is so dang happy, pretty much all the time. I love it. Although, he was a bear the first couple days back from our trip.