Projects I'm Working On

My first project has to do with working on myself. With the new year always comes resolutions that I never seem to keep, but this year me and Casey have decided to work toward our goal of loosing weight together. So we decided to join Weight Watchers and we are on Day 3 so far. We chose not to have a gym membership because of costs and plus Casey runs and has a bunch of weights in the garage he uses and knowing we have P90x and Insanity on DVD at home I never can justify a costly membership in my mind. So since we decided we weren't going to join our local gym, we recently purchased a jogger on Craigslist for $25 bucks and Casey takes Norah running on his mornings off while I sleep in (love this arrangement :) We also enjoy running together as a family now (all 4 of us, Juno runs with Casey and I push Norah in the jogger). I know there is so many diet plans out there and your probably thinking what is so special about this one, but I was so drawn to the fact that Weight Watchers isn't a diet, its a lifestyle. I haven't been able to loose all the weight since having Norah and it always hits me once the holidays are over because then I think oh man I have to look decent in a bathing suit by summer and summer is right around the corner. For me its not the number on the scale that I shoot for so much, its how I feel and look to myself. We decided Weight Watchers online was more budget friendly and easy, we don't have to go to weekly meetings. Casey and I are really enjoying it and I already love the results. I feel better at the end of the day, where as before I always felt I over ate and discouraged that I didn't start my diet again. I am most excited that me and Casey are doing this together, it will be fun to see our results.


Another project I'm starting to work on is planning Norah's 1st birthday party and I have come up with a couple of ideas. I think I am going to go with a polka a dot theme. I did buy her a pink frilly skirt from Gymboree and I got it on the clearance rack! I also plan on making her a shirt like this one from TeesbyThree from Etsy. I also decided to splurge on the bloomers below to go under her skirt, which is similar to the one in the pic. The bloomes are also from Etsy from ChrsitiCreations. I'm also keeping an eye out for a cute head bead to go with her outfit.

As for her cake I think I am going to make a bunch of mason jar cupcakes similar to this one from Babble but instead of a full size jar I'm going to use the wide neck short mason jars (below).

Smaller shorter size mason jar that resemble cupcake size.

As for gifts for Norah for her 1st birthday I really like this doll I found on Etsy from RovingOvine Shop, here. I plan on getting her a few other things but not totally certain yet what they are going to be.

Heinemeyer Happenings Yearbooks!!!

I have also been working on putting all our photos into photo books using MyPublisher. I used to try to scrapbook the photos, but it took way too long and was much more costly compared to photo books when I researched it. I have done a couple of photo books since we got married and them came out so great. One was a book of our wedding and the other was our honeymoon. My biggest fear is 10 years from now I would get so behind on photos that I would be so overwhelmed to even do them and that we wouldn't have photos that we could enjoy, plus I really want our kids to have something to enjoy over the years. I also decided to do them all by year and not by event. I really want to be able to look back over the years and see how our family has changed and grown. I also loved the idea of a photo book because I don't have to print pictures out and store the left overs, its all stored in our iMac, which my OCD organizing side of me loves.  It takes about a day for one photo book to be completed, but in comparison to weeks of scrapbooking to complete one, its totally worth it and plus I like the outcome better, I have been getting inspiration for my layouts from Young House Love, a favorite blog of mine I follow, and loved how her photo books came out. You can check out their photo books here. I plan on doing a photo book for the previous year in January of every year, that way I never get behind again. I have 2 books completed so far and have 3 more to go to be all caught up. I complete the books and then save them and then wait for a really good promotion to order them. The best deal I have found so far is the free pages promotion, up to 100 pages (above), which is going on right now until the 6th so I am going to order the ones I have completed. With the free pages its amazing how much money I save. Below are some of the saved pages of my books that I will be ordering soon, the program is super easy to use and I just love it! The pic of us three below was taken by Lynda Kennedy from Lynda Kennedy Photography, amazing photographer and friend!

As you can see below, this particular book would normally cost me $102.07, but with this promotion it would only be $35!! That is an awesome dealing especially since this book has 88 pages and over 1500 photos in it!! Just 1500 photos alone at 10cents a piece would cost me $150 to print, and that's not including all the scrapbook supplies I would need. Love it!

Norah News

Norah turned 10 months old on the 27th and I can't believe she will be 1 year old next month, it is crazy how fast the time really does go. She is walking all over the place and loves her new found freedom. She loves playing with Juno and finding new things to get into. We are in the process of implementing some beginning discipline since she is now really starting to challenge us in certain areas. So far it is going pretty well, I don't except her to be perfect so I am really focusing on just being patient and consistent. 

Norah has always been a good sleeper, but there have been a few hiccups in the last few months ever since her first cold. She isn't have trouble sleeping right now, its falling asleep for her naps and bedtime and I have been implementing some new techniques that I have learned from some book sources, friends, and The Chronicles of A Babywise Mom blog. We have loved the Babywise books and techniques, but I am learning that babies go through phases and things change once you get them established, so I have been trying to not be stressed when things aren't working, I just do some research, ask around and try something new and adjust and it always seems to come around. I am really big about her getting adequate sleep because I know it is so important, so I am always consistent about her naps and nighttime routine. Yes, in some ways her good sleeping habits came pretty early on, but it has taken a lot of work and persistence to keep her good sleeping habits going. I am learning that is what being a parent is all about sometimes, continuing to be consistent and directive even when it seems tough, but in the end it pays off. I feel such conviction to raise children according to God's Word and knowing what His word says about how one day I will be judged in accordance to what I have done with what God has given me and one of the best things God has ever given me is Norah. So I continually pray that the Lord gives me the wisdom to raise her up not only to be a strong follower of Christ, but to be an obedient, happy, healthy child! My passion is to be the best wife and mama I can be and I pray that the Lord helps me to be the wife and mama He created me to be.

Some pics of Norah walking and hanging with Juno.

Some books I have been reading lately are:

1. A Love That Multiplies by Michelle & Jim Bob Duggar

I just love this family and I know many people either love them or think they are doing it all wrong, but after reading their first book 20 And Counting and seeing their show for years and now reading this book I hope and pray that I have as much love, conviction, and wisdom for my children as they do for their amazing family. They are such an inspiration to me and I thank them for putting themselves out there because they truly inspire me.

2. I recently bought this book on Amazon. It's been a great resource for new ideas when I run into problems with Norah's sleep. 

Books I want to read next: