Shop Till You Drop

Over the past summer, Joseph and I have done a lot of shopping for various items. We've learned a lot from our recent purchases.

In May, we started to look for a second car. We've been a one car family since we met and it has worked for us. However, with Joseph gone at work all day and me at home, we felt it was time to look for another car. At first, we were set on buying a used car. Then, we started looking around our area and Lake Jackson doesn't have as many used cars as places such as Provo/Orem. So our market was limited. We talked to a few dealerships and ended up buying a BRAND NEW car! The deal was too hard to pass up and the price we paid was very close to the going rate of a slightly used car. We bought a 2013 Hyundai Elantra. I drive it mostly and I love it. It gets about 35 mpg, which is much better than our Ford Taurus! Also, the car came with Bluetooth connection to our phone, which seems over the top to me but I guess it's nice. So far, it has been a wonderful addition to our car family. With this purchase, I learned that Joseph is a much better haggler than I am and I let him handle all of that.

This isn't our car but it looks the same.

This is the color of our car.

We've also done some shopping for the new addition joining our family this fall. Babies don't require a ton of stuff but they still need the basics like clothes, a bed, and a car seat. I've been fortunate to find really good garage sales and consignment stores in the area. Lake Jackson has a consignment store that frequently holds sales such as 20% or even 40% off the entire store! While I know our baby will go through clothes quickly, I am happy buying clothes when they only cost a dollar or two. When I go to Target, I am appalled at the prices! The best find at the consignment store has been the baby swing. We didn't want to spend tons of money on some fancy schmancy swing, especially if our baby ends up hating it. So the store had a Graco swing that is normally 80-100 dollars on sale for 35 and it was never used! The last big thing we need to get is a glider/rocker and I am against paying full price for that. So the hunt is on for a nice quality rocker. I've learned that baby items are cute but definitely not worth paying the market value. Babies are expensive to begin with and store prices don't help one bit.

Here's our swing. I don't get the point of the stars because they're so high the baby will never reach them. Even if she gets Joseph's height gene. But I guess she can stare at them.

 Here are some other random pictures from the last week or so.

Joseph finds it funny that my stomach now acts as a table. I like it. The picture isn't the best representation of how I look all the time. I do try to look nicer. Also, I don't always eat so healthy (strawberries). If you notice, the little Tupperware I'm holding in my hand is sugar to dip my strawberries into.

This is the finished dresser in our second bedroom! So proud of Joseph!

Joseph and I at the Houston Temple. The little girl was running to her dad right as the picture went off.

Texas History

On a recent date, Joseph and I went to the George Ranch Historical Park in Richmond, Texas. It is similar to Nauvoo in that the people interact in costumes and place themselves in a certain time period. The park includes four homes that the family had while they lived on the ranch. The ranch was passed down for four generations so each home highlights a different generation/era. It was fun to learn some more about Texas history. However, only two buildings were air conditioned so it was hot in the other homes and we went in the middle of the afternoon.

The newest home from the early 1900s. Had a cool lighthouse feature.

A fun patio/deck that was built for entertaining around an oak tree.

The first generation's barn

A dining room from the late 1800's.

Pantry from the late 1800's

Then we went to the beach near our house the next day with a family from our church. I didn't take any pictures so just use your imagination. We did not see any sharks, despite the recent shark attack that happened there. We had fun trying out our new beach equipment like our beach tent and chairs.

We've also been busy re-staining a dresser. We received a crib from my parents and I want a dresser that matches. It is one thing I really care about. I also want a nice hardwood dresser as opposed to the store bought ones that are made of MDF boards and cheaply made. So this meant we either spend hundreds of dollars buying a brand new all-wood dresser or I scour garage sales until I found one. Luckily, I found one at a garage sale that came with a matching nightstand. However, the wood is mahogany so not quite the dark stain to match our crib. Joseph nicely volunteered (meaning I used my big brown eyes and begged him) to re-stain the dresser. Here are some pictures of the project so far. The drawers and nightstand are done and now he's working on the dresser. I am unable to help with it due to the fumes of the stain so he really has been spending a lot of time on it. We'll show pictures of the completed project hopefully this weekend.

The beginning of the drawers before staining. Joseph hadn't sanded them yet either

Picture of a drawer that is done. We had a difficult time drilling new holes for the drawer pulls but we figured it out.

Joseph busy sanding in Houston summer.