First...here is my little Eden reading...something she LOVES. She loves to "read" on her own as well as have to read book after book after book to her. Its so funny when she's reading out loud to herself and she quotes parts of the book or starts it by saying the names of the author.
I know I wrote this on the Edenisms already...but for those who don't read it...I've now heard her say "P.D. Eastman", "Dr. Seuss", "Marc Brown", and "Eileen Christelow". Apparently those are a few of her favorites. (The book she is holding in the picture is Arthur's Eyes by Marc Brown.)
Now a story of my own...
Eden's New Dresser
(otherwise known as Paying Tithing Pays Off)
By Bethany Finlinson
Once upon a time there was a little family with a husband in med school racking up debt (Tyson), a wife who was a stay-at-home mom (Bethany), and their little girl (Eden).
They were a happy little family of three and soon found out that they were soon to be a happy family of FOUR. It was an exciting time for them. But they were still poor as ever.
Soon Bethany and Tyson realized that while they were totally pumped about this new addition to their family...they didn't have much space in their little town home. They were in need of a few items, which they narrowed down to 1. a new dresser 2. storage organizer 3. closet organizer. Their budget...slim to none.
One Sunday Tyson came home from Priesthood meeting where they told everyone to donate an extra 30 dollars a month to the temple fund for 2 months. Like good little church members, Tyson and Bethany re-budgeted and gave up the extra 30 (plus their normal monthly tithes and offerings) that could have gone towards many, many other things.
Bethany was hard at work searching for help getting organized on a low, low budget. Craigslist, online stores, clearance sections, antique stores, discount stores....anything. She soon found that a dresser was expensive unless you wanted something sadly unsturdy, tiny, and ugly. She sighed *sigh*.
The one day, while her husband was DILIGENTLY studying, Bethany went to the JC Penney outlet store to find this:
On clearance, in good condition, and a LITTLE above what she WANTED to spend for a dresser at $121. But after so many searches she realized that this was DEFINITELY a good purchase and worth it to have a study and nice looking dresser with a good amount of drawer space. She just decided "Perhaps we'll just have to skip out or go cheaper on some of the organizers if we have to".
Without thinking or realizing...Bethany also signed up for a JC Penney credit card. Oops. She tried immediately to pay it off right then...attempt was unsuccessful. "Another day" she thought to herself "Another day".
Another day came and Tyson and Bethany went back to JC Penney to pay off their little, evil, plastic card. To the counter they went. The lady up front ran the receipt..."zero balance" the lady said. "Zero Balance?" The conversation continued as they insisted that we owed nothing, it had been paid for.
So, Tyson and Bethany went home to check their bank account. Nothing showed. They waited a few more days....nothing showed. A few more days....nothing.
The blessings of paying your tithes and offerings. Trust me, it pays off.
And Eden loves the dresser.
The End
*Granted this isn't REALLY the end. We are still going to continue checking our account and also go back to JC Penney sometime and make sure its still paid off. But even if we end up paying it...it was the best quality dresser BY FAR that we could get for that price. I thank Heavenly Father that we were able to find that dresser and it fit our budget in the first place. Eden loves her dresser.
"Happy!"
Crusty Face (she can give some mean crusties)
Monkey Face
Whining, Sad, Crying Face
Nose Scrunchy
"Hiding"
"Peek"
"Surprise!"
But I had a Valentine this year....
(These are my Valentines Day pancakes "T + B" if you can't tell. I'm cheesy at times, I know.)
I bought some other things to help our house look a little more "soft" and "homey" such as the vases with flowers, the shelf, and picture frame. (I hope you all like it cause this is my first attempt at really "decorating"...I've never been good at adding a "feminine touch" to things).
Tyson bought some wood and put his handyman skills to work making shelves for extra storage.
Tyson came home and for my birthday he also spent the whole time mounting things on walls, figuring out where things would go, etc. Once again, I love my husband.
This is Eden. Isn't she adorable?
Eden: "Mommy. Daddy. Looking out window. Looking at MONSTERS! RAWR!" Eden is afraid of monsters and many, many other things (such as her fan light in her room, the clock downstairs, nusery, etc.)
I'm not sure why...but she always makes the little people sleep with their legs in the air...
Eden: "Mommy. Eden. Eating cake." OBVIOUSLY daddy's not eating cake...its definitely something that MOMMY and EDEN share enjoyment with (sweets).
Eden: "Go potty. Stay there." Hmm...maybe she's ready to start potty training? Hmm...no, don't think she's ready for that hoop.
First...here is my little Eden reading...something she LOVES. She loves to "read" on her own as well as have to read book after book after book to her. Its so funny when she's reading out loud to herself and she quotes parts of the book or starts it by saying the names of the author.
On clearance, in good condition, and a LITTLE above what she WANTED to spend for a dresser at $121. But after so many searches she realized that this was DEFINITELY a good purchase and worth it to have a study and nice looking dresser with a good amount of drawer space. She just decided "Perhaps we'll just have to skip out or go cheaper on some of the organizers if we have to".
