Cash Envelope... Done Cute!

My Mom and Dad sent me some fun money for my birthday. So I decided to go on the look out for something that I would really like, but probably wouldn't normally buy for myself since I'm well... cheap. Then tonight I found something that appeases both sides of me, the cheapskate and the girl that wants fun, cute things. I found this Etsy shop called 'My Little Budget Book'. For awhile I was doing the Dave Ramsey Cash Envelope system, but then got lazy and reverted to using my debit card more. It's easier to nickel and dime your way into cheating your budget when you use debit or credit cards, so I decided that I need to get back to using the cash envelopes. But let's face it, paper envelopes getting all wrinkled up in your purse aren't that cute. Plus nothing says sophistication like digging out said wrinkled, paper envelopes at the grocery store, digging through your different categories trying to find your 'Grocery' envelope. Enter into scene these dang cute cash envelope system organizers. I love them! The picture above is actually not the pattern I picked, but I still like it! Mine must be one of a kind, because after I purchased it I couldn't find it's big picture anymore! I only had this tiny, little picture on my order summary. It's really cute, it has oranges and greens and will look awesome popping out of my beloved leather, satchel bag my Mom got me as a birthday gift a few years ago. The best part is is that the cuteness won't clean out all the cash from your organizer. I picked up mine for just $14.95, which is actually $5.00 cheaper than the plain-jane ones on Dave Ramsey's website. So I feel spoiled and still have fun money left over! I can't wait for it to show up in my mailbox! Thanks Mom & Dad, I love you guys!

So Proud!!!

What is one essential childhood experience that every kid should do at least once? Think of what every person who wins something big yells first... "I'm goin' to Disney World!!!" Making that dream come true is something that Maryn and Brynna have both been asking for for a couple of years. As their parents, Justin and I certainly want to help that dream come to fruition for our sweet girls. But the reality is, is that a trip to Disney can be pretty expensive. So the girls and I came up with a plan back in February to have a 'Young Family Disney Fund' that we all work to contribute to. Our goal is to go in the Fall of 2010 and we have been saving our quarters, nickels, dimes and dollar bills and throwing them into a can that the girls and I covered and decorated together after we schemed up our bright idea.

Grammy and Gramps caught wind of our little goal and were so excited to contribute to the girls efforts. Since we've started, Grammy and Gramps have given the girls five dollar bills, pocket change and even a roll of quarters to throw in the can! Then before school got out Gramps decided to strike up a deal with Maryn, who is our little reader. He told Maryn that for every book she read over summer vacation he would give her a dollar for the Disney can. Knowing her love of books, I tried to tell him to drop his offer to a quarter a book. But he insisted one dollar for every book. But they had to be real books, not like 'See Spot Run'. She really would have to earn those dollars.

Tomorrow school starts back up again and Maryn will be heading off to the First Grade. So tonight when Grammy and Gramps came over for dinner I told Maryn she needed to give Gramps her Summer Reading List, since it is her last day of summer vacation. Gramps sat on the couch kind of stunned as he flipped through not one, not two, not three, but seven pages of titles that she had read. He quickly did the math... 113 books. Truthfully, being the busy Momma that I am, there were about three weeks there where I wasn't getting the titles written down. Even with that she still got over one hundred books read. I tried to tell him she loved to read! Gramps sheepishly laughed and said he thought maybe she'd read 15-20 books. But he said a deal is a deal and she earned it fair and square!

Needless to say Maryn was very excited as we counted out the money in our can tonight and saw our goal getting closer and closer. What is even more exciting is that Maryn learned an important lesson about working hard for the things we want in life. I am so proud of her and so grateful to Gramps for his generosity. I have no doubt that when we walk through the gates of the Magic Kingdom next year, it really will be something she will appreciate and remember for the rest of her life, because she did her part to make it happen!

If any of you are familiar with financial guru, Dave Ramsey, we found a new reason to love him! He authored a set of children's books, which teaches about financial responsibility in a fun way. They are definitely a new favorito in the Young household!

Let the Celebrations Begin!

The girls know that their birthdays are special days. It's the one day of the year where if they ask for something, they will probably get a 'yes'. Want doughnuts for breakfast?... Sure! Top it off with sugary chocolate milk?... Absolutely! Balloons?... Pick 'em out! Will you make me my favorite cake?... Anything you want! This year Maryn really wanted to add 'Can I get my ears pierced?' to her special day's list of questions. And like I said, if they want it their birthday is the time to ask! So we invited Grammy to join Maryn, Brynna, and I on a fun girl's day out to go get Maryn's ears pierced. Since Grammy also knows birthdays are all about fun, she decided we should make a stop at Chuck E. Cheese's to treat us to lunch before heading to the mall for the moment of truth. You of course heard no complaints about that from the girls. Grammy is so cool!Maryn is wild about horses. So imagine her excitement when she saw they had a game where you ride the horse, steer it with the reins and even can jump it! She took it very seriously!

I dug out this old picture of Justin and Maryn on the same jet-ski ride a few weeks after Brynna was born. Maryn had just turned two then and now look at them four years later! My two long-legged chickadees!

After our bellies were full of pizza, games had been played and tickets had been redeemed we headed over to Claire's, inside the mall. Maryn and I had watched videos of other little girls getting their ears pierced together on YouTube, so she would know what to expect. (No horrific ones of course!) So she was feeling pretty excited when we got there. She picked out a sparkly, little pair of ruby earrings because they're her birthstone and hopped up in the chair.

The moment of truth!
She was still looking a little concerned after it happened. She was happy they were in but was thinking that maybe her ears were hurting a little bit. But really nothing a trip to the cookie counter couldn't remedy! She did so great, it made a Momma proud!More birthday celebrations to continue!

I promise I'm not ignoring the ol' bloggerito. I actually have plenty to blog about. It's just that Justin is gone with my camera. Hence my sad, little neglected blog. Sniff.

Grandma & Grandpa McLean

One of the highlights of my trip was getting to see my grandparents again. An entire decade had past since I had seen them last. It also had been almost fourteen years since I had been able to be in their home in Tucson. It was so great, not a single thing had changed! We moved around when I was a kid, so I can't go back to the houses I that was small in. But at Grandma and Grandpa's everything was just as I remembered it. They took Justin and I out to lunch and we just visited and talked, enjoying one anothers' company. I sat there across the table from them wanting to remember every little thing. Loving being there with them, hoping it wouldn't be so long before I could see them again.

In their living room was a drawing of my Dad when he was a boy. I love my grandparents for so many reasons. But I think the reason I love them the most is because they gave me my Dad. They raised him, provided for him and nurtured him. They helped shape the man he is today and for that I am so grateful to them. I love my Dad so much and the older I get, that love only grows. I am so grateful for him and for all he has done for me throughout my entire life and for all he has taught me. Sitting across from my grandparents I was reminded of how grateful I am to be a McLean. And grateful that through my children, the heritage and love that has been given me can continue to live on.

Sedona

On our way to the Grand Canyon we decided to take the long way and drive through Sedona. We had heard how beautiful it was and were assured that we wouldn't want to miss it. Once you got off the main highway the dry, scrubby, brown landscape gave way to beautiful, red rock jutting out of the desert earth. The rocks contrast against the blue sky only added to it's beauty.







We stopped at a cool artist's market that made you feel like you were walking the streets of another country. We decided to buy my mom a thank you present for making our time together possible. We searched through all the shops until we found her a perfect pair of little, turquoise earrings. We were so grateful to our families for allowing us this time together.

Grand Canyon

"Leave it as it is. You can not improve on it. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it. What you can do is to keep it for your children, your children's children, and for all who come after you, as one of the great sights which every American if he can travel at all should see."

-President Theodore Roosevelt

It is impossible, in my opinion, to look out at the vastness of the Grand Canyon and upon it's layers of history and not feel so very small. Like a mere blip on the timeline of history. But I also gained a sense of awe for my Creator. That His wisdom, creativity, intelligence, perspective and love are endless. I was reminded as I stood, unable to even begin to take it all in, that the same hands that made what was before me, created me as well. It's a humbling thought to say the least. Can you present your humble life as an example of His divine handiwork? Have you learned? Have you taught? Did you help others on their journey in life? What piece of you will live on as history marches past your time on this Earth?

I was grateful to be able to be there with Justin to see it for the first time. We only had one day to spend at the Grand Canyon, but still wanted to get in it and experience it away from the tour bus. We held our little map in hand and picked a trail to hike down into the canyon a little bit. Around every turn was a new breathtaking view.

(There's always time to be a nerdy nerd!)

When we came to our turn-around point we stopped to sit down on the rocks and rest for a minute. Up until that point I had been carefree, skipping and joking around down the trail. But then the mom in me came out. Justin has been known to trip over his feet or lose his balance from time to time. On the other side of the rock we were perched on a was a sheer drop off. Justin stood up, saw what was below him and promptly turned around and sat down! Which made me happy because I was having visions of him tripping over his foot and taking a spill over the edge.

Luckily our rest period was positively uneventful, other than the view of course! On our way back up the trail I looked up and saw a rainbow that completely encircled the sun. It was hard to capture on film because it was so bright. It was so beautiful and I had never seen anything like it.

We had to leave before sunset to head back to Phoenix so we could catch our early morning flight back to Atlanta the next day. But as we looked back behind us as we drove away that evening we were greeted to the perfect close to our day as we watched the sun slip behind the mountains. I felt at peace as I was reminded again that God is mindful of all of His creations... even me.