A very respected person in my life once discouraged me from telling a peer "thank you for doing your job well" on the basis that you shouldn't praise people for doing something they are supposed to do anyway. I wholeheartedly disagree. In fact, today I am recognizing just a few of the many people around me who are doing their jobs well, and even going above and beyond.

On a recent shopping trip, we were THRILLED to discover that Best Buy in Champaign is now providing a parking space up front for families with infants. Thanks Best Buy! You will receive our business, even if you do cost more than Circuit City.

My sister in Christ, Michelle, does it all. She holds me accountable, cracks me up, motivates me to exercise and even babysits my son so I can get a couple hours of me time each week. What an awesome friend and big sister! (Just don't sing Friends are Friends Forever again or I'll barf.)

The neighborhood that we are apart of is one that even Mr. Rodgers would envy. It thrills me to take a walk with my husband and see neighbors who turn around to walk with us and chat. Or to step across the street to join a 7 year old and 4 year old in a game of baseball while the "men-folk" play catch and talk about work. And to know that our retired neighbors are sitting on their porches watching out for all of us (and watching out for our houses!) even when we are too busy to notice.

Perhaps the most important person to recognize (although there are numerous others who aren't being mentioned but are thought of daily) is my awesome husband, Toby. Some days he brings the bacon home, fries it up in a skillet, serves it on a platter and still manages to shower his affection upon his wife and baby. Recovering from giving birth and raising a high needs baby has been such a struggle for me, but Toby has been amazing through it all.

Who has done their job well in your life lately? Don't forget to tell them "thank you" for doing what they are supposed to be doing!

Today at Target I bought:

8 Rolls of Bounty
12 Big Rolls of Charmin
8 boxes of Puffs tissues
2 100-count Ziploc bags
Suave Shampoo
Suave Conditioner
3 2-packs of Gerber Baby Food
2 Twin Sheet Sets ($7.50 for flat sheet, fitted sheet & pillow case)
All Free & Clear Laundry Detergent
Electrasol Dishwashing Detergent
Glade Plug-in w/ refill (Only $0.14 after $4 coupon.)
Skintimate Shave Gel
2 Crest Toothpastes

Value of Merchandise: $80.06
Out of Pocket Expense: $43.45
Savings: $36.61

Wanna learn how I did this? Visit my other blog: Raising Baby on a Shoestring Budget

Call me what you will--naive, a prude, weird, up-tight, goody two shoes, an alcohol virgin. But I don't drink. Why? Well, the answer isn't a simple one.

I'm not a legalist. I understand that you can actually drink in moderation as long as it doesn't cause others to stumble in their walk with Christ. There are Christians all around me who prove that to me by how they live and how they use alcohol. I don't have any family history of alcoholism so there is no need for genetic concern. But I still don't do it. Which causes me to reflect on the reasons behind it.

Maybe the decision is really influenced by two things: A) I was raised in a Southern Baptist Church (and am still active in the denomination) where abstinence is insisted upon by some church covenants. I acknowledge that it has influenced me. B) The household I grew up in doesn't drink, so there is no cultural pressure to do so. (We celebrate special occasions by abusing sugar, not alcohol. Who needs nasty old beer when cake is so delicious? *LOL*)

My experiences with alcohol are so few that I can list them for you.

• In high school I had surgery on my right hand. The anesthesiologist put the equivalent of two beers' worth of alcohol in my IV. I must've passed out--I don't remember the surgery.
• I took some Nyquil in college. That stuff will make you sleep when your nose is stopped up & you feel miserable.
• When I was newly married and learning how to cook, I found a recipe for chicken that included wine. On my way to the store to buy the ingredients I realized that I would get carded and I was only 2o years old! My dearest husband bought it for me when he got home from work.
• Last week I purchased cheap white wine ($5 bottle) for a pork chops recipe I found online. Curiosity got the best of me and I decided to drink some. It was about the equivalent of drinking Listerine. For those of you who have ever tried cheap wine, you are probably laughing hysterically! For those of you who haven't--take my advice and don't.

All in all, there are some very legitimate (and illegitimate) reasons for abstaining from alcohol. I don't demand abstinence from others (as that would be biblically wrong), nor have I taken a vow of abstinency. Yet, I don't forsee my husband or myself drinking alcohol in the near future. Especially the nasty cheap wine in our refrigerator. Yuck!



Pic: Setting the table for our special anniversary dinner. Things are sure different this year. :-)

Toby and I wanted to take a vacation at the end of this month. The plan was to go do fun stuff @ local cities that we've never really explored, like Chicago, Indianapolis, Nashville. But, alas, our budget is under a crunch--mostly due to the fact that we are no longer DINKs.

We would still like to take a vacation but don't have the money for hotels or expensive activities.

Don't be surprised if we beg you for a place to stay soon!

Any thoughts/ideas on places we could go, things we could do?