This Blessed Life

Tomato-Basil Pasta Salad

2012-05-24T19:34:00.001-07:00

Life has been crazy lately and it’s about to get even more crazy with a family reunion, lots of traveling, and my brother’s wedding coming up! So I will return at some point with the house series, but until then, here’s a recipe I thought I’d share. Maybe you can bring it to a picnic this weekend!

This dish is something I literally threw together when I had a friend over for lunch recently. I know a lot of people don’t feel confident as cooks – so I think one of the big secrets to successful cooking is to find ingredients that you enjoy eating, and then take it a step further and find combinations of ingredients that you enjoy eating together. Keep those basic things on hand and you’ll almost always be able to whip up something tasty! I’m pretty sure 90% of the meals I make are made from the same 15-20 pantry staples. :)

No fancy instructions here; just simple directions (and adjust as YOU feel is needed!) Don’t like my pasta choice? Swap it! Hate grape tomatoes? Scrap them! Don’t have feta? Who cares! Add more mozzarella! haha You get what I’m saying? Okay good…you are going to love this!

Tomato-Basil Pasta Salad

1 box whole grain shells, cooked and cooled
2 chicken breasts, sautéed and cut into bite-sized pieces, then cooled*
1-2 C broccoli florets, steamed, chopped, and cooled
1 package grape tomatoes, halved
6-7 basil leaves, chopped roughly
1/2- 3/4 C feta cheese
1/2 – 3/4 C mozzarella cheese
1/2-3/4 C parmesan cheese
Homemade Italian vinaigrette **

Combine first eight ingredients in large bowl. Add desired amount of Italian dressing to salad ingredients, and combine again. Serve and enjoy!! :)

*Rub chicken with oil, then dry rub spices in. I personally used a combo of garlic oil and a spice mix that included garlic, salt, and pepper. Use whatever you have!

**You can use my recipe by following the link (it’s delish!) or use a clean dressing from the grocery store. Note that my recipe states white wine vinegar; now I use red wine. It’s really just a personal preference!

Happy Memorial Day weekend, everyone!

Our House, One Year Later: The Bathroom

2012-05-18T12:19:00.001-07:00

It just dawned on me that the bathroom might be an awkward place to start on our home tour. Oh well! haha Awkwardness is pretty much the story of my life! :)

We only have one bathroom in this house – and it’s definitely not huge – but thankfully some solid choices were made by the previous owners, so it didn’t need a complete overhaul or anything like that. One thing you might notice is that these pictures are dark – there’s no window in the bathroom, although there are two doors (I’ll explain that below).

Really we were just dealing with peach, peach, and more peach – even the ceiling! Here’s what it looked like before we purchased it:

And here’s the after! We painted the walls “Sea Salt” by Sherwin Williams (color-matched to Olympic paint at Lowes – SO much cheaper!!). This color is fantastic.

By the sink I added this cute print I got off of Pinterest (free via this website!). I love the cheerful, happy, summery colors – not to mention the text. :) I keep a framed print in here all year round and change it up with the seasons.

Above the toilet, I hung an awesome vintage map of Connecticut from the 1930s. I had an old whitewashed frame already, so I just placed it inside. I found the map off Etsy for only $10 from the shop Unexpected Elegance. It’s one of my favorite finds! The starfish is from Christmas Tree Shop last summer, but I think they have them again this year!

I showed this print ages ago – I got it at Goodwill for only $2.50! Originally I was going to switch it out for a matte that wasn’t stained, but I decided I actually liked it that way!

Here’s a different angle of both of them:

In the corner behind the door is a cool piece of coral from our honeymoon in Mexico! That’s right, I put this sucker in my suitcase and lugged it home (and then it sat in lots and lots of bleached water). We were young and fresh out of college so we didn’t have a ton of money to buy a lot of souvenirs, so I love having this piece as a beautiful reminder of our time there (and don’t worry, it was far off the beach!).

I absolutely love this faucet (we get a lot of compliments on it – thanks, previous owners! haha) and our vanity/medicine cabinet combo. There’s the perfect amount of room to keep everything neat and stashed away, which is really helpful when you’re dealing with such a small space. I love white and I also love that they chose silver fixtures for everything. Saved us a lot of money!

One of the unique things about our house is that it makes a complete circle inside. So the bathroom has two doors – one leads to the hallway and the other goes right to the laundry room. I am a huge fan of this setup! When Luke gets messy outside, he can walk right in through the backdoor and the laundry room and get in the tub. Plus having a house that makes a complete loop makes chasing a toddler a lot more fun. :)

At some point in the future we’d like to replace the ~~hideous ugly and cheap~~ current doors with more custom-looking white ones. But other than that, our bathroom’s done! :)

Thankfully in this room, all that was required was a can of paint and about about $20 worth of accessories! Love it when that happens! :)

Thanks for stopping in!

What I’ve Been Up to the Past Month {And Announcing an Upcoming “Series”}

2012-05-15T13:54:00.001-07:00

Holy cow. My last blog post was April 24th!!! My BFF actually sent me a Facebook message yesterday asking, “Did your blog die?” haha

Nope, she’s still here….just went on hiatus.

I know I can’t be the only person out there who starts to sit down at the computer to write a post….but then gets so overwhelmed with all the catching up that needs to be written out that you just end up reading other people’s blogs instead of updating your own. Anyone?

So without further adieu….let me sum up my past month as concisely as I can!

My last post mentioned that I was traveling to Florida with my parents.

We had an amazing time and we got to do some really fun things…..like my first EVER visit to Hobby Lobby (I’m totally in love with that place! Consider yourself lucky if you live near one because we don’t have any up here in New England!)

We also went to Disney World! (Epcot and Downtown Disney)

I also got the pleasure of finally trying out CHICK-FIL-A! It was delish.

I started freaking out with happiness because we ended up eating at Mimi’s Café one night for dinner and I‘ve heard Kelly talk about that restaurant for years and years on her blog! I was a little disappointed that I wasn’t able to get poppy-seed dressing and chicken salad for the full-on Kelly experience but I did get a delicious salad that came with a chocolate muffin on the side! Have you ever heard of such a thing? I feel like that menu was Paula Deen-approved. haha (Not that I’m complaining – that muffin was awesome!)

On a completely different note, on May 4th we got the GREAT news that we are licensed to adopt! Now we wait for the right match for us. Super exciting time! :)

Last Sunday was Mother’s Day and I had a GREAT day with my two favorite men. We moved Luke into the big boy bed the night before Mother’s Day, and the poor thing was up 4 times that night crying (I think he was disoriented, plus we cut him off from the paci so he didn’t have that to soothe himself, either). Needless to say, we mutually decided at 4:00 am that we were not going to church! haha My amazing husband let me sleep in til after 9 (it was pure bliss) and then we hopped in the car to go to Chipotle (our mutual favorite).

We also stopped at a beautiful nursery to pick up some flowers and plants for the garden. Luke had a great time checking out the animals.

On the way home we stopped to get my favorite ice cream (Almond Joy!) from one of the only places around here that serves it. Super yummy. :)

Luke is still getting services every week for his “issues” (he has a speech teacher, an OT, and an early childhood teacher come to the house to work with him). His speech is improving and he is starting to make more sentences. He has also gotten a LOT better at pronouncing “l” in the beginning of a word (so now he says “look” and “lion” instead of “yook and “nion.”) His latest thing is “Mommy hold you” when he wants me to pick him up. It just melts my heart! (Not just because it’s cute but also because he typically never shares wants/needs so that was a big developmental step for him, too).

On June 8th we go to a meeting to determine if he qualifies for a special preschool program at the local elementary school. This program would be the MOST perfect fit for him so we are really praying hard that he qualifies to get in!

Wow, okay, I think that about sums it up!

The “series” that I mentioned in the title refers to some posts that I’ll be doing over the next two weeks that show our house progress one year later. We bought our house exactly ONE year ago tomorrow (May 16th)! I seriously can’t believe a whole year has passed since then! This whole house is just such a testament to God’s faithfulness.

Our friends and family in PA have asked about the house so I thought it would be fun to show how some of the rooms have changed (and how some have unfortunately stayed almost the same! lol). So check back here sometime this week if you like some good before-and-afters. I know I do! :)

Year of the Hot Mom: Week 16 Update

2012-04-24T07:27:00.001-07:00

Well, guys, this is the date (April 24th) that I wrote about back in January as the date I wanted to lose 18 pounds by. There were 18 weeks until my trip to Florida, and my goal was to lose one pound per week, right in time for my little vacation.

{source}

Well right off the bat I should tell you that I added wrong. THERE WERE ONLY 16 WEEKS. There’s a reason I don’t pay the bills in this house!

Regardless of my ~~stellar~~ math skills, 18 pounds is still my ideal goal weight, but as of this morning I have lost (drum roll please…….)

9.4 pounds and over 19 1/4 inches!!! That is almost 38 sticks of butter and well over a foot a foot and a half of fat! lol

So, yes, I’m a only a little over half-way there.

Is it what I ideally wanted? Well, no. But am I happy to say that I’ve lost that much? Well, what do you think? :)

Here’s what happened:

Weeks 1-10: I focused on portion control, limiting sweets/treats, and working out 6 days a week. I lost 5 pounds and a lot of inches. I also plateaued for about five straight weeks. Talk about depressing! I tried everything short of full-on “dieting” and nothing – and I mean NOTHING – worked.

Weeks 11-16: I started implementing the Weight Watchers Points Plus system and continued to exercise 5-6 nights a week (I added Pilates at this point to build more muscle and add toning). So far on WWPP I’ve lost an average of 1 pound a week for an additional 4.4 pounds lost. (This week I am a little behind on the pound-per-week thing but this week is also bad timing if you’re catching my drift…) I love that I can eat super clean on this plan – it’s really no “diet” at all. I eat whatever I want; I just write it down and make sensible portion choices. It has been a lifesaver for me!

One thing I know for sure after 16 weeks into this: I AM A CHANGED PERSON.

I work out 5-6 days a week now (rotating between the elliptical and my Pilates toning dvds). I eat clean as much as I can (something I was already doing), but I also really watch my portions. I realize the food will still be there later if I’m really hungry. I don’t eat until I feel uncomfortable anymore.

I’ve learned to really analyze my food before I eat it. I ask, “Is this going to be worth it to me later?” I enjoy my food more. I am more intentional. I slow down.

4 months ago, I despised exercising and would rather have scrubbed my toilet bowl for an hour than gotten on the elliptical. I can’t say I love it now, but I can tell you that I honest-to-goodness crave exercise now and there is just this force within me that compels me to exercise every night (mostly because I’m too scared to stop in case my bad habits set in again). I look at an exercise video online and don’t think “Ugh, that looks horrible.” Instead I think “Oooh, I should totally try that! It looks fun.”

FUN, people! Am I crazy?! lol

I am going to Florida for 4 days this week (wheeee!!) and I’ve already figured out that I’m going to bring my Pilates dvds and my sneakers so I can do some exercise at my aunt’s house and hopefully take walks around the neighborhood, assuming I don’t die of heat stroke down there in the tropics. Working out is part of my life now – vacation or not.

I am in this to win it. Clearly you can see by my sloooooow pace that this was not an overnight thing. It has been HARD. I thought for sure I would be at my goal weight by now. There has been more than one melt-down on my part, sobbing to my husband about how it’s not fair that Gayle King can lose 9 pounds in 10 days on Jenny Craig and I need 15 weeks of hard work to lose that much and blah blah blah blah blah.

But these changes I’m making are permanent. Every day, in my head, I remind myself: “There is no going back. You can only move forward.”

A few tips I’ve learned that I want to share with you:

1. If you’re in a plateau (they’re the worst!), don’t despair. Try something new. Try anything new. Try everything new. Don’t stop, and most importantly, don’t give up! Repeat after me: The plateau will break.

2. Portion control, in my humble opinion, really is the key to weight loss success. We’ve all heard it before: weight loss is as simple as your calories in must be less than your calories out. I can’t recommend the Points Plus system enough. It rocks. (I don’t go to meetings and I’m not a member online. I had a friend who gave me her points info, and I also use this awesome Weight Watchers calculator when I need to figure out the points of something not in the material.)

3. Eat clean, healthy, nourishing foods. Don’t sacrifice your body’s health for the sake of saving some calories on “sugar-free” or “low-fat” items. It’s not worth it in the end.

4. Make time for exercise. I had only lost about 3 or so pounds back in the winter but my husband was already noticing and commenting on how toned my upper thighs were getting in the back. Motivation? I think so. ;)

5. I can’t stress enough how important it is to take your measurements!! Knowing that the inches were dropping, even during my plateau stage, was what kept me going.

6. Tell someone about your weight loss plans! Heck, tell everyone you know! Then you’ll be too embarrassed to go back. :)

7. Tell yourself, like I do everyday, that this is it for you. There is no return to the old lifestyle of bowls of ice cream on the couch every night (or was that just me?! lol). If I can do this, the girl who loves food and who was picked last for every gym-class sports team in elementary school, SO CAN YOU. :)

Here’s to the final 8.6 pounds! :)

My hope is that those of you who shared in the beginning of the year about your weight loss goals have been able to make 2012 your year, too. I’d love to hear how you’re doing!!

Thrifty Treasures–Church and School Sales

2012-04-16T12:20:00.001-07:00

I know for a fact I’m not the only girl out there whose heart starts pounding a little bit at the thought of a big sale in the morning! Right?! Typically I’ve only ever gone to yard sales on a Saturday morning, but this weekend was an exception. I hit up two large sales on a Friday morning with my mom and Luke by my side. :) The first, as you’ll see, was kind of a dud….but the second…ohhhhh, just wait til you see my finds from the second sale! ;)

So here we go with the ~~boring~~ first sale: total spent was $5 on these items.

Two vintage skinny belts (navy and white), $1 each:

Stainless spatula (needed it for my new cast-iron skillet I got from an estate sale in March that I am LOVING!) and cute little candle-lantern for summer nights outside, 50 cents each:

Harry Connick cd (how can you not love him?) and good old’ Kenny G ‘s Christmas album for $1 each:

Then we moved on to the second sale…..total spent here was $22…but OH so worth it! Do you see what goodies I have in this picture?!

Please behold these amazing vintage Pyrex dishes!!!!!! Do you hear the angels singing, or is that just me?! lol These lovelies were only $9 for all 3. I originally thought they were taken because they were behind the pay table. Right as I took my wallet out, one of the ladies took them out of the box they were in and muttered something about “These have been here all morning.” As she walked forward to put them out for sale again, I intercepted her (super politely, of course!) and the rest is history…..

I’m in love, I’m in love, and I don’t care who knows it! (Bonus points if you can name that movie! haha)

They need a good washing, but I am already envisioning them filled with summer fruits and veggies. Ahhh!!! They make me smile. :)

I also brought home my VERY first Pottery Barn item, as well! I grabbed this huge mercury glass tree for $5 without even looking at the bottom – I’ve been admiring them for years. Luke was starting to lose it a little after being stuck in the stroller for a while, so I just grabbed it quickly and kept on movin’. It was only when I got home that I realized where it was from! Can’t even imagine how much it probably went for in the winter catalog!

I also snagged this super girly and fun pink damask Country Living tablecloth for $4 – how fun is this for Valentine’s Day or a summer lunch with friends? As you may have noticed in my last post, I love having pink around the house – I try to sneak it in in small doses when I can! haha

This awesome shoe rack was only $3 – and no it didn’t make it into the original picture b/c it had already been put to good use! :)

I picked up another Italian glass canister for $1 – love collecting these at Goodwill and yard sales! I think I have about 6 of them now – great for storing homemade trail mix, goldfish crackers, cookies, you name it!

This green frame for Luke’s room was 50 cents but they threw it in the pile for me for free and I didn’t even have to ask! How nice. :)

This yard-saling day definitely fell under the “quality versus quantity” category. No complaints here! :)

Visit Rhoda over at Southern Hospitality to get a glimpse of other great finds!

What I’m Loving Wednesday {Home Edition}

2012-04-11T11:12:00.001-07:00

I’m joining up with Jamie for the first time for her What I’m Loving Wednesday blog party.

Here’s what I’m loving today:

1. Easter Clearance 50% off at Target. I had my eye on this banner for weeks (yes, at full price it was only $6.99 but I just knew I’d be able to get it cheaper!). Loving that I can still use it for a few more weeks and loving the person who decided to add the pop of hot pink to it. :)

2. Method hand soap in “Watermelon Patch.” Ahhhhhh. First of all, it’s PINK, and second of all, it smells JUST like Watermelon Bubbalicious gum from when I was a kid. Anyone else remember that gum?! It got me through a LOT of boring nights watching my brother play Little League. haha Loving the flashbacks it brings me!

{Frugal tip: You can get Method soap for only $.69 a bottle this week at Target! Go to the Target website and print the coupon for $1/1 Method product (print twice), then go to Method’s site on Facebook and “Like” them for another $1/1 coupon (print twice). You can stack the two – and since the soap is on sale for $2.69, it makes for an awesome deal! I also got the coconut flavor, which smells great, too. }

3. Loving my favorite Starbucks blend (Decaf Caffe Verona) in my favorite Anthro mug (from my sweet sister for Christmas). I tried to cheat on Starbucks a little by trying other brands of coffee that I could get cheaper with coupons – all I have to say is, NEVER AGAIN, Starbucks! I’m back to you being my one and only. I’m so over the bitter, burnt, twiggy taste of other brands.

4. Loving the fact that my mom cleared some stuff out of the house since they just moved and gave me these four blue/green bottles. Aren’t they beautiful?!

5. This beautiful PINK! tree that God gave me in the front yard. How cool is it that my favorite color is pink (did you catch that?! lol) and I have this beautifully-colored tree to look out my front window every day? What a gift. Love it.

6. Last but certainly not least, I have to add this picture. Luke had his speech therapy this morning and he did really, really well for his teacher. He added a new three-word phrase this week, all by himself! That is HUGE for my boy. I know the picture is crappy (it’s a carbon-copy) but I wanted to document this good feeling. Under “progress since last visit,” it says, “Luke said ‘I’ll get it’ spontaneously.” Love my sweet boy.

Okay, so that’s what I’m loving this week! :)

The Mystery of What I Believe

2012-04-06T10:36:00.002-07:00

I just finished a twelve-week online Bible study with friends that took us through the book of Ephesians. Throughout the book, Paul writes about the “mystery” of the Gospel.

I keep thinking about that word.

What I believe makes total sense and then no sense at all, depending on how you look at it.

Christianity is beautiful and miraculous and also weird and peculiar at times…I’ll totally admit that. God loves humans and wants to have a relationship with us. Beautiful. God created the world but also allows pain and suffering. Ugh. Awkward, complicated truth.

God sent Jesus to earth as a baby – fully man and fully human at the same time. Miraculous…and hard to process, mentally.

God sent His Son to die so that we could be at peace with God. Amazing and awe-inspiring…and a little odd, if I’m being totally honest.

We celebrate communion at church once a month to remember the body and blood of Christ that was given for us as a perfect sacrifice. Powerful, beautiful symbolism. Also? Slightly creepy taken out of context.

This faith that I have….it’s beautiful and odd and messy and life-giving all at once.

The awesome thing (to me) is that the Bible totally admits that to a non-spiritual person this won’t make any sense (1 Corinthians 2:14). It’s like, “Sweet, Bible, you get that you’re complicated. What a relief!”

All I know is that I can’t possibly fathom my life in any other framework. I believe…because to do otherwise would be denying everything I know in my heart and soul to be true.

This Easter season, my hope for all of you is that you would embrace the mystery and the wonder of the Gospel. We will not know the mind of God until we get to heaven…but until then we have “[our] hope as an anchor for the soul.” {Hebrews 6:19}

Happy Easter! And if your soul is not at peace and you want to talk to someone about it, please e-mail me (blessedlifeblog{at}gmail{dot}com.)

I’m going to leave you with a song I keep playing over and over lately. It’s “Alive” by Natalie Grant and the lyrics are amazing. Be blessed!

10-4 Good Buddy: A Blog Hop {April Edition}

2012-04-04T05:22:00.001-07:00

Abby is an adoptive mommy with an ADORABLE little boy. I found her blog, Akers of Love, when she was doing a series on adoption and I stuck around ever since! On the 4th day of every month, she asks 10 questions with a link-up. Here’s this month’s edition!

1. What is your favorite vacation spot?

Mount Desert Island, Maine (home of Acadia National Park). No questions asked! We went camping there for years and years and years growing up. I have never felt so at home (besides my actual home) any other place on earth. My soul feels at peace there, as corny and ridiculous as it sounds!

{via}

2. What is the first record, cassette or cd you remember buying or receiving as a gift?

Oh my gosh – well it was definitely a cassette – because I remember when cd’s came out! WOW am I old now! haha Probably Point of Grace! lol

3. What is your favorite picture from last month {March}?

For sure this picture. Not that it’s the best picture we’ve ever taken (um, my hair has birds nesting in it) but because I was with Lindsay in Pennsylvania thrifting on a Saturday morning and all was right with the world. :)

4. Last month, I asked you what your favorite piece of furniture was. What is your least favorite piece of furniture in your home?

Probably our bed. Our mattress itself is amazingly comfy, but we’ve never had a real bed – only the metal bed frame that came with it at the mattress store. I really want a real bed with a headboard and footboard but they are SO expensive! Someday I would love to have a sleigh bed!

5. What was your first job?

JCPenney men’s department, the summer after junior year of high school. I worked 40 hours a week. It was actually really fun! I liked the job a lot.

6. What is the last thing you purchased on-line?

An antique map of Connecticut from Etsy! I am SO excited for it to arrive! It was my first Etsy purchase ever. :) Can you see it down there in the stack? It’s from the shop Unexpected Elegance.

{via Unexpected Elegance}

7. Does your family have any nicknames for you?

My husband calls me Babe or Baby a lot. Everyone pretty much calls me Jess, if that counts as a nickname? lol Although one of my oldest and best friends calls me Jessica and has NEVER called me Jess. It would totally throw me off if she did. :)

8. What is the newest blog that you have discovered that you love?

I am always finding great new blogs that I love! I think my most favorite recent “find” was Karen Ehman’s site. She’s written a couple of books that I really enjoyed, and I was so happy to find her blog! Plus she’s just wrapping up a series on hospitality, which is a subject I really enjoy reading/learning/getting better about!

9. What is your favorite post that you wrote last month?

WOW. I didn’t realize until now that I only wrote TWO posts last month! I really did take a blogging break, I guess! Of the two my favorite would be the St. Patrick’s Day Felt Garland Tutorial. I still have it hanging up now – it goes with my Easter stuff, too!

10. What is one thing that most of your readers don't know about you?

I am SO grossed out by belly buttons and eyes. I hate when people touch their belly buttons (even Luke!) and the thought of anyone like pushing in on my belly button seriously makes me feel woozy. I specifically remember when we had the big 20-week ultrasound with Luke – his head was right behind my belly button and the tech kept rubbing the probe over and over and over it. I was seriously was about to pass out right there on the table. And don’t even get me started on when people rub their eyes and it makes that gooshy sound. AaaaaaaaaaaaaHHH!! just writing that made me want to throw up! hahaha

Have a great rest of your week! :)

Sickness, The Waltons, Spring Cleaning and Computer Weight Gain

2012-04-01T13:58:00.001-07:00

I have a cold/allergies/something funky. Something that makes me tired enough to not feel like my normal self because I have no energy, but I’m also not at the point where laying in bed all day sounds fun. In other words, I AM BORED. I slept til 10 (thank you weekend morning where my husband is home!) and have putzed (that is SO a word, spellcheck!) around all day, watching The Waltons on dvd in bed. I want to be productive but I feel soooo blaaaaaaaah.

{via}

Speaking of The Waltons, I totally forgot about them until recently when I went through my DVD cabinet looking for something to watch on my elliptical. I have officially renewed my love for that show. I loved it when I was a kid (although John Boy’s voice always weirded me out, don’t ask me why), and it is a nice, quiet show to watch when sick in bed. That show is the reason I have always loved the name Olivia and specifically the nickname Livi, and always wanted to give my daughter that name someday. I thought the mom was the most beautiful and perfect woman on earth when I was a kid. haha

Watching that show has made me think a lot recently about how hard previous generations worked all day long (I’m talking physical labor). They didn’t sit around during naptime spending two hours on Pinterest. They worked hard and then earned the right to relax. If you’ve been here for any amount of time you know how I feel about eating healthy foods but I also think a LOT of the obesity problems we have stem from butt-in-front-of-computer-all-day syndrome. There’s a blogger I read frequently who admitted that she gained 20 pounds in the few years she’s been blogging. It sounds insane but it’s really easy to gain when you’re not active all day long.

Which brings me to spring cleaning. You following this rabbit trail? lol Last year two of our friends deep cleaned their apartment and it totally inspired me for this year. Deep cleaning, to me, means cleaning EVERY nook and cranny – like, we’re talking taking q-tips to every crack and groove. This spring, I’m trying to do some kind of deep cleaning a little bit each day – here’s what I’ve done so far:

Cleaned every. square. inch. of my bathroom – literally.

Cleaned all of the windows and French door, inside and out, on the back side of the house – including all the dirt in all the outside grooves and taking a hose to them and everything.

Cleaned every square inch of my dining room except a final vacuum and taking Murphy’s Oil soap to the table base (I only did the chairs)

Organized the pantry/laundry room shelves

Deep-cleaned the refrigerator

I hope to get through the whole house by the end of the month of April.

So there you have it. A post that starts about being sick and ends with a picture of my refrigerator. You can’t say I don’t keep things exciting around here. ha! I should probably go back to bed. :)

Linking up with:

My Husband’s Gone and I’ve Got a Hot Date…

2012-03-13T17:19:00.001-07:00

…with Joan, Peggy, Roger, Betty, and Don. :)

{via}

{Just to clarify, my husband is at small group and I stayed home with Luke because he hasn’t fully transitioned into post-Daylight Savings Time. lol}

Ohhhhhh, I love this show! I started watching it because I needed movies to watch while I ran on the elliptical at night since we don’t have a tv. I saw Mad Men Season 4 at the library, so I rented it. Then someone returned Seasons 2 & 3, so I rented those…and then I got on the waitlist for Season 1. Yup, completely backwards! haha So I am currently in the midst of Season 1.

I know that Season 5 premieres on March 25th, but since we don’t have tv I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it might be on Hulu or some other website like that. If not, I guess I’ll have to wait an agonizingly long time until it comes out on DVD!

And before anyone goes sitting down and watching this for family movie night because I said I loved it, a little disclaimer. I would never watch this show with kids and honestly not even with my husband. The themes are very adult and I do not stand behind every episode. I do think the series overall is brilliantly written and the storylines totally suck you in. Oh, and of course the amazing costumes. Okay, glad I got that off my chest. ;)

So tell me, are you a Mad Men fan? Who are your favorites? I love Joan, because she’s….Joan and Roger’s my other favorite. I love his sense of humor and I think he looks SO much like my husband will in another 25-30 years.

Gotta go! :)

Simple Felt Garland {St. Patrick’s Day Decor}

2012-03-06T16:38:00.001-08:00

I feel like I’ve never posted a project on here that’s not quick and easy. It gets a little redundant to call them all that, but seriously that’s the only kind of project I do! :)

For this project, I was inspired by the adorable heart felt garland found at Calico Skies and also by my lovely sister’s valentine’s garland (also inspired by Calico Skies).

All you really need is 2 pieces of felt, a pair of scissors, a needle and thread, and some tape. Although having a piece of thicker paper around is helpful to trace the circle shape with.

Oh, and if you’re like me, a trip to the Dollar Tree to get a sewing kit. Yup, that’s right. I am SO not a seamstress! haha

Decide what sizes you want, and make a template…

Cut out as many circles as you want…

Then take a needle and thread and sew it through each circle, and hang it up wherever you’d like around the house!

Voila! Easy, fun, cheerful pop of green when I walk inside my door.

I went with circles because it’s SO much easier to cut them out. You could totally do four-leaf clovers if you were feeling ambitious, though. Good luck with that. ;)

Psssst…..here’s my living room on any given morning, thanks to one very ~~destructive~~ active 2-year-old little boy. Feel better about yourself now?! hahaha

Linking up with:

Getting Mold Out of the Shower–Before & After

2012-02-29T16:33:00.001-08:00

I’m lowering my pride today and showing you something only because I think it will help others in my predicament.

Okay, are you with me? :)

When we first moved into our new house last May, the shower was pristine. The woman who lived here had 5 little boys, was pregnant with the 6th, homeschooled, and the house was always ridiculously clean and uncluttered. I can’t decide if she was crazy or superwoman – or maybe a touch of both. :)

Anyway, over about 6 months, mold started to creep in on the grout along the shower. It kept spreading and spreading, and there was really nothing I could do because my husband told me not to scrub too hard or else the grout would disappear and then we’ve have mold inside the walls and then we’d have real problems, not just cosmetic ones.

Then one day while browsing Pinterest I came across a post that showed how to get rid of shower mold with just two simple items: bleach and cotton beauty coils, used for perms. (I am SO sorry to the smart person behind this idea but I do not have the original link – I also apologize for how dark these photos are but our bathroom doesn’t have a window.)

So I went to Sally’s Beauty supply and picked up a package. I’m pretty sure it was only $1.99 – and I already had bleach, obviously, so this project only cost $2! Whoo hoo!

Here is the before shot (barf):

I cut a piece of the cotton coil, soaked it in bleach, and let it sit overnight on the mold. (Tip: I put a disposable pie pan in the tub, poured the bleach in the pan, then soaked the cotton in there before transferring it to the mold – helps with the dripping! Then I just used a q-tip to press it into the mold so I wouldn’t get bleach on my fingers):

(Oh and don’t get skeeved out; the toothbrush was to help clean the shower, not for my mouth, haha.)

Look at the difference! Isn’t that incredible?!

And here’s a picture after I was finished:

A-mazing. I did this almost two months ago, and the mold has not returned – but it’s so awesome to know that if it does, I know what to do now!

Hopefully this helps someone else out there who just can’t get rid of the mold in their own shower. Don’t judge me too harshly – I promise I really do keep a clean house otherwise! Although seeing these pictures makes me realize that the walls of my shower could really use a good scrubbing. This is the trouble with a bathroom that doesn’t have a window in it – you don’t see things very clearly. Okay, I guess I know what my next project is! lol

Linking up to: Homemaker’s Challenge

Target, Goodwill and Resale Finds

2012-02-23T10:42:00.001-08:00

It has been a SUPER long time since I showed my thrifted finds on the blog! Some of you may groan when people write posts like this, but I personally find it fascinating. I loooove seeing what other people score at yard sales and thrift stores. Don’t ask why; I just do. :)

Target has been having clearance off all of their Valentine’s décor. I went one day and scored these magazine holders, some felt rick-rack, and the pink paper tray for 50 cents each (pink is my favorite color so I gotta incorporate it in small doses around the house when I can! lol).

{sorry, I know it’s blurry}

Then I went back just a few days later and everything was 70% off! I snagged three more holders and the magnetic letters for Luke for just 30 cents each! The red frame was on clearance for $1.49 and originally had a Valentine’s matte; I just pulled it out and now it’s goes great in Luke’s big boy room. The Dove dark chocolates were on sale for $1.99….and you better believe that package got ripped open in the parking lot – they’re just lucky I didn’t open it in the store. :) I also scored some big chocolate-caramel chocolate bars for my husband but those never made it into the picture. :)

Our local Goodwill has 50% off on major holidays – I don’t know if President's Day qualifies as a major holiday, but they always have a sale and I’m not complaining! I didn’t find much – but I’m happy with what I did find.

A new fitted green crib sheet for Luke ($1), a blue frame for Luke’s room (50 cents) and a nice wooden one for the living room (50 cents):

A small under-the-bed storage box (I’m always looking for more of these to store the clothes Luke grows out of!) for $2.50 and a little plastic organizer for 50 cents.

But my MOST favorite, happy-dance find was this vintage chalkboard for TWO DOLLARS! I am so in love with this thing. It has two hooks to hang in the back and a little rail at the bottom for chalk. When the weather warms up just a little bit more, I’m going to paint the wood a bright, happy yellow. Perfect for the playroom! I was so excited. :)

I’m also part of a local resale group on Facebook (I’ve mentioned it before here), and I found this adorable toddler sleigh bed for Luke! She was originally asking $50 and I asked her if she would take $40 and she did. I am so NOT a fan of the giant chunky racecar plastic beds for kids (nothing personal, just not my style). This is going to be painted a happy bright red to pop against his light blue walls. We haven’t even told him about it yet because right now he loves his crib and who are we to mess with a good thing? :)

So that’s just a few of the things that I’ve found lately! Hopefully I didn’t bore you to tears! lol

Linking up to:

Year of the Hot Mom {Week 6 Check-In}

2012-02-15T13:39:00.001-08:00

Hello lovely readers! Did you all have a great day yesterday? Raise your hand if you are sick of seeing what people’s husbands bought them for Valentine’s Day on Facebook! (Um, meeeeee! hahaha) My husband did get me something very small and thoughtful but I am purposely NOT putting it on the blog. You can breathe a sigh of relief! haha

Anyway, I wanted to check back in with you all about my Year of the Hot Mom Challenge. Yup, I’m still sticking with it!

After 6 weeks, here are my stats:

I’ve only lost 4.6 pounds (*sniff*),

BUT

I’ve lost a total of 8 inches all over my body! Whoo hoo!!! (I took my first measurements on January 14th, which was about 2 weeks in, so technically I’ve probably lost more inches than that overall.)

Most significant was my (natural) waist – I’ve lost TWO inches!! Isn’t that crazy?! My stomach was a close 2nd (belly-button area) with a total of 1 and 3/4 inches lost.

Least significant was my arms – a total of ZERO inches lost – not even a quarter of an inch. Isn’t that crazy?! And I have been lifting weights and everything! (Does anyone know a great workout that is guaranteed to give good results on arms? I was using 2 pound weights and then switched to 8-pounders when a friend let me borrow hers. I do a variety of arm exercises but clearly they’re not cutting it! If you have a link online or a video suggestion or really anything at all for arms, I would love the advice!)

Moving forward from here, I’m going to continue working out on my elliptical 6 days most weeks (occasionally it’s 5 depending on how busy I am at night). I’m going to strive to really streamline my portions and my snacking to keep that weight loss moving forward! Right now I am 1.4 pounds away from my goal of losing a pound per week. I’m hoping over the next 6 weeks I can make up the difference! That would require me to lose 7.4 pounds in 6 weeks. Sounds like cake for most people, but not for my ~~sloth-like metabolism~~ body.

But I have nothing to lose except weight, right?! lol

Three final thoughts:

1. I strongly recommend taking your measurements if you are going to begin a weight-loss journey. I would be SO bummed out about a measly 4.6 pounds if it weren’t for the 8 inches I’ve lost in addition! They’re less than $2 at Wal-Mart and SO worth the investment, in my opinion!

{via}

2. It’s a crazy, weird, awesome feeling to read any magazine article about exercise and to count myself in with “those people” now. I work out! I’m an exerciser! I get more than the recommended amount of exercise per week! Whoo hoo!! It’s a crazy new world, baby! lol

3. This is probably sick and twisted but I always think about weight loss in terms of butter! hahahaha So even though 4.6 pounds in 6 weeks isn’t that awesome, it’s still like losing almost EIGHTEEN STICKS OF BUTTER from my body. LOL!

{via}

If you’ve been trying to work out or watch what you eat, let me just encourage you to KEEP GOING! You ARE worth it and you DO deserve to feel good about yourself!

(If anyone has any tips about how to help tone my arms, pretty please share in the comments!! :)

Miscellany Monday {15}– Our Weekend

2012-02-13T06:42:00.001-08:00

As of Saturday, we are officially “ONE AND ONE” in our adoption process! What that means is that we have ONE parenting class and ONE home visit left until we are good to go! Whoo hooo!!! (We are still waiting on our fingerprints to come back from the state but those are estimated to be ready about March 7th.)

Our social worker – who is awesome, by the way – said that he thinks we’ll be ready by mid-March. I’m saying April 1st so I don’t get my hopes up. (haha) We are SO ready to welcome another kiddo into our house!

I painted my nails yesterday. It’s seriously ridiculous how grown-up I feel with dark nails. hahaha! {Color is “Mink Muffs”}. Thanks to my friend Kathy for suggesting the color and my husband for buying it for me for Christmas. :)

Do you see these two pictures? What do they have in common?

Um…they should never be taken on February 13th! Seriously…sugar ants in the bathroom (of all places!) and crocuses literally about 8 inches tall (I know, lovely landscaping – it will be improved this spring!) It’s a crazy winter but I’m not complaining for one second.

We went to Moe’s on Saturday night for dinner. It was good but it was no Chipotle! (I am a die-hard Chipotle lover.) The food doesn’t taste as good and they move you along super fast and they have these glass barriers between you and the food when you order. Except I literally had to stand on my tip-toes so they could hear me since the glass is so high and I’m pretty short. I seriously felt like I was 8 years old. However, they do serve grass-fed beef in their menu so to that I say, WELL DONE Moe’s! Oh and a girl can’t complain about free chips and salsa. :) Luke was so, so good for us which was such a blessing. Toddler boys and restaurants don’t usually mix well. Can I get an amen?!

Crazy that Valentine’s Day is tomorrow! (Wasn't it just Christmas Eve?!) Chris and I aren’t doing anything special since my parents are already kind enough to watch Luke once a week for us while we go to our parenting class, and we don’t want to stretch them too thin. However, my husband did say he is getting me something “small” so of course I am looking forward to seeing what Tuesday brings!

What about you? Do you go all out on Valentine’s Day or is it pretty low-key at your house? I know some people hate it and some people love it so I’m curious to know. If it was solely up to me it would be overflowing with flowers and gifts and nights out but clearly I am only one half of this relationship! haha

Happy Monday!

Linking up with:

Valentine’s Décor Around Our House

2012-02-12T10:12:00.001-08:00

Hey guys! Nope, I didn’t fall off the face of the earth! Just a verrrrrry busy few weeks for us, that’s all. So busy that we completely took the day off today, even from church. And we are all still our pajamas! Love it!

I do try to decorate for every holiday, but for Valentine’s day I keep it pretty simple. When we have older kids that know what the day means, I will emphasize it more, but for now it’s pretty basic. But I can’t let a holiday go by without some acknowledgment – it’s the teacher in me. Especially if the holiday involves PINK! haha

Here’s what you see when you first walk in our door. The small watercolor print was a freebie sent by e-mail via Jones Design Company. (You can sign up for her e-mails on her blog! Love her!).

The larger heart was done by Luke. I love it! Originally, I taped a heart over a piece of paper and was hoping that when I pulled the heart off, all you would see is a white outline of a heart (kinda like the smaller print). Unfortunately, it didn’t really work out the way I wanted it to, so I just decided to stick with the smaller heart and frame it. I think I actually like this way better!

{Here’s my little boy painting. Oooooh do I love him!}

In the bathroom I framed this adorable (free!) subway print, courtesy of Bonjour Blog via Pinterest. How cute is that?! And I call Luke “love bug” all the time, so that’s a fun little touch.

In the kitchen I changed the chalkboard over from a Christmas verse to a “love”-based verse. That chalkboard was a piece of the most hideous abstract art from Goodwill you’ve ever seen, but it’s super sturdy so I just rolled chalkboard paint on it this past summer and now it works perfectly.

On the stove I just have a heart-shaped plate from Goodwill with a Goodwill candle on top. Super simple.

In the living room I have a little wannabe-mantel going on (and it is IMPOSSIBLE to get good lighting since it’s right in front of the window – sorry!). You can see my Valentine’s mantel from two years ago here.

I used a lot of the same elements from two years ago (remember I couldn’t decorate for Valentine’s day last year since we didn’t have our house yet!).

The thrifted Eiffel Tower was brought back out, along with the XOXO from TJMaxx (one of my favorite shopping finds EVER!). I wrapped some pink tulle that I got at a yard sale forever ago around the letters, and took some of my bracelets that had pinkish hues and wrapped them around the votive candle.

You can see how I made the vintage-looking prints here.

The plate is also thrifted from Goodwill and the little birdie was only $2.99 at Target! (Totally will be reusing it for springtime, too.)

So there you go! Pretty basic but still marks the holiday going by.

My goal is to be back tomorrow – see you then! Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

Clean Eating {No Sugar!} Creamy Tomato Soup

2012-01-30T11:35:00.001-08:00

I’ve shared before how expensive good-quality meat is, and how due to that fact we eat a lot less meat than we used to. I am always on the lookout for meatless or low-meat meals, and this one is sure to please!

Best of all, it uses pantry staples AND it’s cheap! Love that! (Am I the only one whose eyes glaze over when I read a recipe with 17 ingredients, including 4 spices you’ve never heard of?!)

My husband and I both love this soup – I’ve been making it almost weekly this past month, especially since I was able to freeze so many Roma tomatoes from our garden this year. Mmmmmm!!!

A word of warning, though: if you are used to Campbell’s Tomato soup (I used to love that stuff!), this will definitely take getting used to! Campbell’s is super sugary and this recipe is completely on the other end of the spectrum. But I promise that after your first few bites (tastes? slurps?) you will be hooked. :)

Creamy Tomato Soup
Adapted from Fast and Easy by Suzanne Somers

2 T butter
1/2 C chopped onions
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 C chicken stock
1 C whole milk (can also use 1/4 C cream and 3/4 C milk for thicker soup)
Salt, basil, and crushed red pepper to taste (it will definitely need salt)
Mozzarella cheese (optional)

Melt butter in a 3-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add onions and sauté for about 2 minutes (or until softened).

Add tomatoes, chicken stock, and milk/cream to onions.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. (I add my spices after simmering, but you can also add them individually to each bowl if you prefer to customize.) Pour into a blender or food processor (or use an immersion blender!) and blend until smooth.

Pour into soup bowls and garnish with shredded mozzarella cheese, if desired.

This is especially delicious with French Bread Baguettes! Mmmmm!!

Enjoy!

Linked to these parties:
Tasty Tuesday @ Beauty and Bedlam
Tasty Tuesdays @ 33 Shades of Green

YHM: Week 3 {I Will Not Quit!}

2012-01-26T11:03:00.001-08:00

Something really exciting happened yesterday.

I pulled my jeans off the drying rack – those babies were as crispy as could be, since I refuse to put them in the dryer for fear of them getting even tighter.

And I put them on.

And zipped.

They always zip (thank God), so that’s not the miraculous part.

The miraculous thing was that these extra-crispy, newly-washed jeans, which would usually require Olympic-level lunges to break them in, just……

zipped.

It was awesome! (Feel free to laugh at the mental image of me doing lunges to fit into my crispy jeans. lol)

I still have muffin top – heck I have a whole BAKERY of rolls going on down there in my belly area.

But it’s progress, people. And I’ll take it. :)

My actual weight loss has been slooooooooow. On Friday I had dropped 2.6 pounds, but then a certain Event happened that makes me gain 3-4 pounds on average so when the Event is over I will be back to weighing myself like normal. I refuse to weigh myself right now because the water bloat is killer and I refuse to see numbers on the scale that aren’t really true to what’s going on right now and have that messing with my head. So the fact that no lunges were required to wear the crispy-jeans, especially this week, is even more exciting.

Because normally I would be throwing on a pair of leggings right now and calling it a day. :)

So I’m just plugging along……watching portions….limiting treats…..working out every single day that I can (which has averaged to be about 6 days a week for the last 3 weeks).

I took my measurements in week 2 so I can see progress in a month or so. I read a GREAT post yesterday about NO MORE EXCUSES. This girl also wrote about how over a 2-month period she hardly lost any weight but she still dropped from a size 10 to a size 8 because she was exercising and things were still toning up. That was super encouraging to read!

I’m in this to win this, baby!

P.S. My bloggy friend Sarah has a degree in nutritional science and is also a health coach and a trained wellness coach (I hope I got that right, Sarah!). She blogs at Growing on Gettysburg and she wrote a post talking about some of the things she has learned and taught over the years. There is a great line in her post that she recommends putting on your fridge: “If you’re not hungry then what you need isn’t in here.” LOVE IT! I totally put it on my fridge. She said she would love to help anyone else who needs a little direction on the weight loss/healthy eating journey and you can reach her at sgh131{at}yahoo{dot}com. :)

NSM {Week 3}: I MET MY GOAL!

2012-01-23T11:33:00.001-08:00

Yup, it’s true! My goal for our No-Spend Month, besides not using my debit card at all, was to contribute $200 all on my own toward paying off a certain debt. I am happy to say that as of right now, I have earned:

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! :)

The crazy thing is, when I gave myself a goal for $200, I was expecting to teach one extra piano lesson and also have a Wildtree tasting party for someone. None of those things ended up happening, yet God was still gracious enough to let me earn the money….and the month is not over yet! :)

I have prayed many times this month that God would provide extra ways for me to earn money to pay off debt. The Facebook resale groups that I mentioned 2 weeks ago have been such a blessing….I keep finding stuff to sell and post and praise God, people keep buying it! lol

As I mentioned in my review post for The Money Saving Mom’s Budget, having a goal has been invaluable. When I didn’t get the money for the lessons or party like I originally thought I would (I was expecting to bring in between $100-$120 from those events), I was forced to reevaluate and get creative with selling what I could.

The crazy thing is that the more I purge our house, the more I find that I can get rid of! Our house is like a Mary Poppins bag! lol

Anyway, I just wanted to encourage you to think outside the box and keep pressing on if you’re working at chipping away debt. And most importantly, don’t forget to PRAY! I really believe that living debt-free is a big deal to God and that He will bless you in those efforts.

You can do it!

P.S. I do have to admit here that I did use my debit card on Wednesday to buy a salad at Wendy’s. Luke had an evaluation for his feeding issues that was an hour and a half away and in my nervousness about the meeting I totally forgot to pack a lunch for myself. We left the house at 9:20 and didn’t get home til almost 3 – and I was starving. So yes, the debit card did get used once! Our printer ink was completely out so we had to buy an almost $30 cartridge for it – otherwise I would have had extra cash. I am hoping to have $6 left over this week to put back in the account to make up for it!

P.P.S. If you ever have a situation where you need to eat fast food, remember that Wendy’s supports the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption! Their Baja salad is really yummy and you can order it with a baked potato instead of chili so you don’t have to eat fake meat aka FEET. lol!

Three Random Things to Tell You

2012-01-21T11:31:00.001-08:00

Okay actually four.

1. A while ago when I posted my Crockpot Salsa Chicken recipe I also shared a recipe for homemade tortillas. These tortillas are so, so good –and I had wondered if I could freeze them to use at a later time. I just wanted to share that I have since tried freezing them two ways: first, I made all the balls and froze them that way and then pulled them out of the freezer, thawed them, rolled them out and cooked them when I needed them. They turned out fine but it was a lot of extra work.

Now I make a big batch, cook them all, then wrap the extras in plastic wrap, then foil, then put in a freezer bag. Thaw before you need them and they come out great! Still chewy and everything. I love this because now I only need to make a mess of rolling them out and getting out the griddle once. Just wanted to pass that along.

2. We made it to January 19th without any serious snow. We now have about 8-10 inches. I still can’t believe we made it to mid-January in Connecticut without snow. It’s unreal! I feel like I got a taste of a Southern winter this year and I’m not gonna lie….I’m kinda jealous of what it must be like down there every year! It was so nice to have such a mild winter. But the snow is pretty, I will admit – so I’m trying to be content that it’s here now and I really have absolutely no choice but to live with it. lol

3. I’m still pressing on in the weight loss and exercise department! I will post an update next week. If you’re working hard at this, too, KEEP GOING! You can totally do it! :)

4. My son Luke had a big eval this week for his feeding and sensory issues. The reason I didn’t post at all this week was because we learned that he is going to need more therapies than we originally thought. It has been a really hard and emotional week for both of us as we’ve processed this info. I will share more at a later time but for now we could both totally use prayer for wisdom for us and the specialists who will be working with him in the future.

Thanks all! I hope you are enjoying your Saturday – whatever it may look like outside your window. :)

NSM Week 2: Our Weekly Household Budget

2012-01-16T13:38:00.001-08:00

Before I get into the details of my shopping trips, I am super happy to say that this week I earned $45 by selling $20 worth of Luke’s old clothes, an oven hood we bought for our last house and didn’t install before we moved, a DVD, some coffee mugs, and some Christmas items on the Facebook resale group I mentioned last time.

That means that so far this month I’ve brought in a total of $174, which means I only need $26 to reach my goal of $200 to put toward debt this month! So close!! :)

-------------------

So I mentioned last week that I thought it would be interesting to write down in detail how much I spend a week on our household needs. I wanted to do this for 4 reasons:

1. To remind myself in years to come what food and household items cost in 2012 (I’m sure I will be shocked at how “cheap” it was!)

2. To show you what a family of 3 in Connecticut who eats mostly clean/whole foods spends their grocery money on

3. To actually somewhat dispel the myth that it’s not all that expensive to eat well. I COMPLETELY DISAGREE WITH THAT STATEMENT. Our family could survive on much, much less per week if I shopped solely what was on sale and cheapest. But the expense is worth it to me (remember when I said, “You pay now or you pay later, but either way, you pay?”). Sometimes it kills me to pay this much for food every week ($12 on 2.5 pounds of beef, anyone?!), but I feel so strongly about eating well that it is worth it to me.

4. To see if there were any ways I could improve when I saw it all written out – and I definitely did learn a lesson. At this point I had been making it a goal to use coupons on any name-brand item I bought – and overall, I did well on that front. But I’m going to try harder to really get the best deal on those non-couponable items (like baby carrots, for instance). That might mean some more trips to Wal-Mart are in my future (ick – I realllly don’t like that place!) but I think it would be financially beneficial right now.

I used a couple of letters to designate certain things I wanted to remember:

S = the item was on sale
C = I used a coupon
D = I used a Dollar Doubler coupon
WL = I bought this specifically to aid in my weight loss (not a normal purchase for me)
* = I bought this specifically for Luke to help fill in the nutritional gaps in his diet; not a normal purchase for me if he was eating normally

----------------------

Without further ado, this is where the money went this week:

Monday, CVS:

Whole milk for Chris, $3.49 S (plus 1 ECB back)

Tuesday, Stop & Shop:

Hood sour cream: free plus overage C/D
Horizon DHA organic whole milk: $4.09*
Stonyfield organic skim: $2.89 S/C
Laughing Cow wedges: 2 for $4.08 S/C/D/WL
Land o’ Lakes butter {Honestly, I got tired of melting butter in the microwave!}: $3.79
Whipped cream: $1.99*
2% American cheese: $3.25 S

Brown lunch bags {for homemade popcorn!}: $2
Napkins: $1.89 S
Latex gloves: $1.50 S

Flatbreads and Teddy Grahams {treats}: 4 for $5 S/C/D
Spaghetti: $1 S

Organic chicken broth: $1
Preservative-free ham: $5.78 C/D
Veggie fed, hormone/antibiotic-free ground beef: about 2.5 pounds for $12.38 {This is why we don’t eat a lot of beef! We are currently all out of our pastured beef so this will have to last us about 5 meals} S
Veggie fed, hormone/antibiotic-free ground turkey: 1 lb for $3.49 S
Wild-caught haddock: about 1 lb for $5.78 S

Strawberries: $2.99 S*
Onions: $2.49
Bananas: $1.13
Organic potatoes: $5.99
Organic romaine: $2.99 S
{Plus 5 reusable bag credits}

Total: $75.48

Wednesday, Wal-Mart:

Lipton Green Tea: $2.16 WL
Lemons: $2.50 WL
Tape Measure: $1.47 WL

Feta cheese {feta is like water in this house – we need it for survival! lol}: $.67 C
Lance WW PB crackers: 2 for $4*
All-natural bread: $2.50

Diapers (Luke moved to size 6 and we just can’t afford Pampers anymore!): $5.97
Shampoo (I have super-thin hair and this really helps!): $5.97
Pillow : $2.50

{Story about the pillow: my husband has hated his pillow for a while and it frequently gives him neck pain. Last week he said, “Honey, do you think in February we could buy a new pillow for me?” Ummmmm….I got the poor man a pillow this month. lol}

Total: $28.37

Friday, Shop-Rite:

Emerald peanuts (for homemade trail-mix): 2 for $1.48 S/C
Granola bars: 2 for $4 S/C
Scotties tissues: 5 for $3.40 S/C
Lysol wipes: $.99 S/C
V-8 Fusion: 2 for $4 S/C*
Black beans: 4 for $1.92 S
Salsa {for Crockpot Salsa Chicken!}: 4 for $4.36 S/C
Cabot cheddar cheese: 2 for $3.98 S
Turkey Hill ice cream {for guests on Saturday}: $2.99 S

{Plus 3 reusable bag credits}

Total: $27.03

On Friday I bought pastured eggs from our Pastor’s family ($4) and Saturday I bought some more milk since my husband was out and we were having guests and I wanted some available for their kiddos. It came to $2.69 – and I had to pay with a dollar bill and spare change I found around the house. Awesome. Not my first choice but you better believe I was not whipping out that debit card!

So that, my friends, is how you spend $141.06 in food and household items for one week. (My budget for all things food and household related is $140. I stretched it by using spare change to buy the milk this week.}

Depressing, right?! I see a few areas I can improve on, so that’s encouraging, at least.

So those of you trying to stick to cash – only: did you stick to the plan? Did you pull out your debit or credit card? Let me know! We’re halfway through the month – we can do this! :)

Giveaway Winner!

2012-01-15T13:53:00.001-08:00

Well kids, I think it’s safe to say that my review and giveaway post was the most highly viewed and commented post on This Blessed Life EVER. That is what happens when Crystal Paine mentions your blog on her Facebook page! My FB friends already know how I literally felt weak in the knees after seeing her reference my blog and my review – and my Google Analytics site basically blew up after that! haha

Enough about me, let’s talk about YOU!

The lucky winner is:

“SUE G”

Sue, I have sent an e-mail to your inbox – please message me back with your address so I can pass it on to Crystal! She has very generously offered to mail the winner the book herself.

Be back tomorrow with my no-spend update! :)

YHM Progress, Week One: The Honest Truth

2012-01-10T11:24:00.001-08:00

I am sitting here and seriously dreading the words that my hands are currently typing. I worked SO hard last week – I worked out 5 days on my elliptical, plus did some light weight lifting each of those 5 days. I ate much smaller portions than I had been, got back on the clean eating bandwagon (that had derailed a little over the holidays), stopped eating all treats and leftover Christmas candy, and….

I lost .2 pounds. Yup, that’s right. POINT TWO. For real, I could cry.

Let me give you a little insight into how my week went. Let’s just pretend, for the sake of argument, that my starting weight was 1 pound (because so help me but I am just not brave enough to post my real weight on the internet yet).

Tuesday – 1 pound
Wednesday – 2 pounds (????)
Thursday – still 2 pounds
Friday – .4 pounds
Saturday - 1 pound
Sunday – .8 pounds
Monday – .8 pounds
Tuesday – .8 pounds

WHAT THE HECK??!!!

You want to know the crazy thing? The two days I didn’t exercise at night were Thursday and Saturday. Not only that, but Saturday I also went out to eat at Olive Garden! (I ate only until I was satisfied and ate healthier choices, but I thought for sure I would see it in the scale in the morning.) And those are the only two days I showed a loss! I don’t understand!!

I’ve always known I have a really sluggish metabolism, and clearly this week is evidence of that. Who in the world starts dieting and exercising and loses TWO-TENTHS of a pound?! I did some research online today and saw a few tips that are supposed to help: like interval training, lifting higher-pound weights, drinking green tea and taking fish oil supplements before working out. I’m going to implement some of those this week.

Does anyone have any insight for me?? Clean eating is my thing – but exercising and weight loss are definitely NOT my thing. I need help, people!

Sorry for the downer post – I just needed to vent. Some of you had mentioned that you were also trying to get your eating and exercising under control. How are you all doing? Specifically Kathy, Becky, Tina, and Sarah! Let me know girls! E-mail or comment!

No-Spend Month Check-In {Week One}

2012-01-09T12:00:00.001-08:00

Just thought I’d pop on and give you my weekly update about how our No-Spend Month has been going!

First of all, I am happy to say that NO plastic was used this week! YAY!
I did use every last dime of my grocery budget, though. hahaha

Also, on the positive side, so far I have earned:

to put towards debt this month!

Which only leaves me with:

to reach my personal goal of adding $200 toward our loan payment this month! Sweet!

I reached that number by getting paid $80 for music lessons, plus I sold $49 worth of items from my house on a local resale group I’m a part of on Facebook.

{This group, by the way, is a GREAT idea that I cannot take any credit for…but I want to pass on the idea to you! It’s a group of local shoppers/sellers who list items for sale in a group on Facebook by creating an album. People can see the items and the prices and then set up a time to meet each other by messaging the seller. It’s a little safer than Craigslist because you see real names and the person can potentially get deleted from the group if they repeatedly don’t show up to meet and stuff like that. I always meet in a neutral location, just to be on the safe side!}

I did get a Vera Bradley diaper bag (that I am in looooove with) for $15 via one of those groups (using Christmas money – remember, I allowed myself that in “the rules” haha!).

We also were able to go out to Olive Garden on a date on Saturday night, thanks to my parents watching Luke and $50 in gift cards from my in-laws for Christmas. This is why January is a good month for us to do this challenge…it’s not as hard to stay sane this month like it might be in February! :) I think summer is also a good option since you can grill out, have picnics, go to the park, the beach, etc. all for free.

There’s something about knowing you CAN’T spend any money that somehow makes it all the more tempting! lol

Throughout this upcoming week I’ll be taking pictures of what I spend our money on so you can get a glimpse of how our weekly budget works.

How about all of YOU? I know several of you said you were trying the challenge – how’s it working out for you??

How Crystal Paine’s Book is Changing My Life {Review and Giveaway}

2012-01-05T07:05:00.001-08:00

{Edit: This giveaway now closed!}

I’m really and truly not exaggerating with that title.

I was given the opportunity to review Crystal Paine’s new book, The Money Saving Mom’s Budget, set to release on January 10th. Crystal, aka “Money Saving Mom,” writes a hugely popular blog by the same title. I’ve been following her since 2007, and this woman and her excellent advice has literally saved me thousands of dollars over the past several years. If you’ve never visited her site before, I can’t encourage you enough to go visit it. Like right now. Go ahead, I’ll be here when you get back. ;)

{via}

I can’t really describe it other than to say that when I read her book, something clicked. It was as if all the stuff I’d been hearing for years about how to truly get ahead financially finally aligned in my head - I finally “got it.”

To be perfectly blunt, I didn’t have high expectations when I read this book. I’ve read tons of blogs and several books about personal finance, and a lot of them say the same things: cut back on cable (uhh, we don’t own a tv), cut back on expensive cell phone usage (I use a Target Tracfone), don’t have a car payment (we’ve always driven used cars we paid cash for; our current ones are 21 and 11 years old, respectively), and on and on and on. Most of these books left me depressed, not encouraged.

But Crystal’s book? Simple, and to the point. It’s full of encouragement from a woman who’s BEEN there. (Chapter 9 shares how some months she and her husband had to survive on less than $650 – total. This is a woman who understands what it is to live on less, you guys!)

The number one point I’ve taken away from her book is this:

“I’ve found that the less I shop, the less I spend.” (141)

Ding ding ding! Light bulb!

Here was my problem:

I was taking out cash every week to buy household and grocery items. But inevitably, by the end of the week, I was still whipping out my debit card at the last store I shopped at, and here’s why: I have a bad tendency to go out to a store just to pass the time. I’m not talking about clothing or jewelry stores – I’m talking about boring old stores like CVS, Stop & Shop, or Target. It’s been cold here for a few months now (as in, too cold to go to a playground or park or spend days outside together), so most days I plan a shopping trip to get us out of the house and keep Luke and I from going stir-crazy. I honestly don’t mind being at home that much by myself, but sometimes the walls of this house feel a little too small for just me and my toddler – know what I mean?! lol My husband works a lot of long hours and sometimes the days just draaaaaaaaaag on and on. So one day I’ll go to the grocery store, the next day Target, etc.

Honestly, I really had good intentions. I wasn’t buying myself new wardrobes or treating myself to Starbucks – actually quite the opposite. I would pop into Target with $20 left in my wallet to buy diapers – and then I’d see wipes on sale….or a cleaning product on sale….or a food item I could get at a great price by combining a sale and a coupon….and before I knew it, I was putting $40 on a debit card in addition to my weekly grocery money because everyone knows that buying rock-bottom prices is how you truly save money and stay ahead and…

Yeah. This was continuing week after week after week. Call it “financial death by good intentions.” hahaha

Anyway, I read that line in her book and it changed everything for me. Immediately, I gave myself a challenge. Not only was I not going to use the debit card AT ALL anymore (except for gas – there is no way I’m leaving my 2-year-old alone in the car at the gas station!), I was also going to deliberately stay out of stores that I didn’t really need to go in. I was ALSO going to cut back our grocery budget by $20.

Well, I am happy to say that it has been a success so far! For the last four weeks, I have added an additional $80 toward paying off debt, not to mention all the money I’ve been saving by not using that little green card.

And you know what? It feels so good. :)

Reading her book and talking about it with my husband was also what prompted our No-Spend Month.

Specifically, these quotes:

“Goals give meaning to your efforts…Goals give you accountability…If you don't have written goals, it’s easy to spend money like water…Goals give you momentum…when you start working toward your goals, your whole outlook on how you spend your money changes. You feel a sense of satisfaction as you make progress.” (8, 10, 13-14)

So instead of saying, “We hope we’ll pay off debt soon,” and feeling like there’s never enough money to go around, now we’re saying, “This month we have a goal of putting $500 toward that loan” - and feeling super optimistic.

It’s a total shift in thinking – we’ve moved from hoping and wishing to concrete action.

I could literally go on and on and on about this fabulous book….I could share all the pages I highlighted and tell you how I read it in less than a day and a half because I couldn’t put it down….

But I really want you to read it for yourself.

Because I am posting a review for her, Crystal and her team are going to give me a finished copy of the book (we all got drafts to review). I’m giving away that final copy to one of you! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post – and make sure that if you don’t have a blog, you leave me an e-mail address so I can reach you. (I will mail you the book as soon as Crystal and her team mail it to me, so please understand there may be several weeks’ turnaround.)

Can I tell you my most favorite part about this book? ALL proceeds go to support Compassion International. She is not keeping one dime for herself. Isn’t that fabulous?! So even if you don’t win this giveaway, $11 is a an incredible deal considering you’re getting a fabulous resource and such a wonderful organization is benefiting.

It’s truly a win-win situation! :)