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Free Ice Cream This Saturday!!!

All Cookeville residents, head over to the Jefferson or Algood Wal-mart Saturday, May 30th from 11 a.m to 4 p.m. for free ice cream! Click Here for details and to check if your Wal-mart is participating (if you do not live in Cookeville).

My $55 Shopping Trip

Yesterday I ventured out for my weekly grocery shopping trip with list and coupons in hand. I was able to get my groceries for the week for $55!!! That total also includes 2 packs of diapers...woo hoo!! I am trying to re-work my blog, so stay tuned for some new posts coming soon!

Menu Plan Monday

Here is our menu for this week!

Monday: Chicken Santa Fe (click here for recipe)

Tuesday: Taco Ring

Wednesday: General Tsao's Chicken, Broccoli and Rice

Thursday: Pork Tenderloin and Veggies

Friday: Spaghetti

Saturday: Chicken Crescent Rolls (click here for recipe with pictures)

Sunday: Leftovers

Head Over to Orgjunkie.com for more menu ideas!

Frugal Friday

Taking Our Own Pictures

Since we have had a baby, and I have become a stay at home Mommy, we have had to find creative ways to save money. About a year ago, I saved my money and invested in a good digital camera, lens, and flash because photography has become a hobby of mine. My husband also recieved a version of photoshop for his birthday. When it came time to have our daughter's 6 week pictures taken, I decided to make my own "studio" in our living room and take them myself. I wouldn't be out any money if they didn't turn out good. I ended up being very pleased with the results and we ordered all the pictures we needed for us and our family for $27.oo!! I also spent $4.00 on black fabric for the back ground. I was very proud of my pictures, and incredibly proud of the price! Here are a few of the ones I took!

I am already searching photographer's blogs and wbsites for more picture ideas for her 3 month shots! Don't be afraid to try this yourself. There are lots of ideas out there and great technology to make your pictures look professional and save you money!

Check out Biblical Womanhood here for more frugal ideas.

Menu Plan Monday

This week I am trying to use up some things I already have so I can plan ahead for next week and get some good deals on food!!

Monday: Leftovers from the weekend

Tuesday: Pancakes and Sausage

Wednesday: Beef and Pasta meal (frozen meal from Blake's Mom)

Thursday: Salmon, rice, and broccoli

Friday: Chicken and rice

Saturday: Dinner on the road

Sunday: Baked Ziti (frozen from last week)

Check out orgjunkie.com for more menu ideas!

Headlights and Taillights

The right tail light on my car has been out for several months now. I went to Auto Zone to purchase a bulb and have them install it; however, they could not get to it to put it in. So, needless to say, I've been driving around without a brake light (praying I don't get pulled over when a cop is behind me) for a while. (Of course I did have a plan to pull out the bulbs I had purchased and plead my case with a new baby and all if I did get pulled over). Well, last week some time, my left head light went out. I decided it was time to take some action and get my car back in order. I went back to Auto Zone and purchased the bulb for the head light. Big shock... they were unable to put it in! I broke down and called the dealership and was told that I have to bring it in because they have to take the entire bumper off to replace the head light! How ridiculous is that??? But, I need to see when I drive at night, so off we go to Nissan. Do you know how much it costs to replace both headlights and brake lights? Eighty-four dollars!! I went ahead and had them replace both of them so I wouldn't be back in a week with another light out. On top of that, they informed me that my rear brakes are down to 10% and my A.C. line is leaking. Ughhhhh!!! There goes some money out of savings!! That took most of my day today. I did manage to cook dinner tonight and do a couple loads of laundry while DH held my baby girl and watched the Kentucky game. So, a pretty productive day! Now, I'm hoping for some sleep tonight!

A Successful Day!!!

Well, I am officially considering this a successful day! I was able to clean my bathroom, bedroom, and a good portion of my kitchen today! This is the most cleaning I've been able to do on my own since my little girl arrived! I'm hoping that I can clean a few more rooms tomorrow, and maybe have a clean house by then end of the week!

Menu Plan Monday

Here is my menu for this week. Hopefully I will be able to stick to it sice basketball season is now over and my hubby will be home after school instead of after practice! He should be able to help watch the baby so I can cook!

Monday: BBQ Chicken Pizza
Tuesday: Salmon and veggies
Wednesday: Sandwiches
Thursday: Chicken Casserole, green beans, and carrots
Friday: Baked Ziti
Saturday: General Tsao's Chicken, Broccoli, and rice
Sunday: Leftovers

Head over here to orgjinkie.com for more menu ideas!

My House Is Out Of Control!

I really thought that I would have all the time in the world to keep a sparkling home after I quit my job. Instead, my days fly by, and by the time 5:00 rolls around, I've managed to accomplish the following things: feed my baby, change diapers, and play with my baby. Where does the time go? Needless to say, my home is starting to drive me crazy! I know the most important thing is to take care of my baby, but there has to be a way for me to make some progress toward a clean home. I have decided to go back to Flylady. If you haven't heard of her, check her out at www.flylady.net. The first baby step is to keep a shiny sink. She also has the concept that you can do anything for 15 minutes. So, my goal for the next few days will be to keep my sink shiny and to set my timer for 15 minutes and clean something in my house. I will be posting my list of things I wish to accomplish for each room in my house! Check back for my progress!

Frugal Friday

Since I quit my job to stay at home with my baby girl, I am really trying to focus on ways to be frugal. One thing I am trying to work on is a way to bring in a little money for our family. When I can find some extra time, I am working on a way to bring in some extra money and declutter our house at the same time. I'm not sure I have the time to organize a garage sale, so I am working on listing some of our items to sell on Craig's list and Local Sales Network. This way I can make a little money on the things that we no longer use and are cluttering up our basement! Hopefully, I can post my progress as I take on this project!

Check out Biblical Womanhood for more frugal ideas!

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Baked Chicken, Creamed Corn, and Baked Beans

Tuesday: BBQ Chicken Pizza

Wednesday: Sandwiches

Thursday: Salmon and veggies

Friday: Out with hubby for Valentine's Day (using a gift card)

Saturday: Grabbing something at the basketball game

Sunday: Grab something on the road

This week is pretty basic since we have a lot going on! Head over to Orgjunkie for more menu ideas!

2009 Financial Goals

I've been reading some other's financial goals for 2009, and have decided that is something I should set for us this year. Since we recently had a baby and I quit my job, it is important that I budget our money well. I have great motivation to do this because I want to stay home with our precious baby girl as long as I can. I feel like I am getting the hang of motherhood, so I can be on top of getting good deals and spending less on food now. So, here are some of my goals for 2009. They are pretty basic right now, but I will work on them through the year!

• Spend only $300 a month on food / groceries (this includes eating out)
• Save $1,000 in our Christmas Club account (this is an important time of year for us and I enjoy being able to do things for others)
• Have a "no spend" month. We will only spend money on bills, gas, and milk. I haven't decided which month this will be yet. I will need to pick a month with no birthdays and nothing major planned for us. The money we save will be used to pay off some debt and beef up our savings a little more for emergencies.
• Work on a budget for all spending and stick to it!
• Start consistently putting money in our daughter's college fund. (not sure the amount yet)
• Find a creative way to provide some extra income each month (I am looking into opening an Etsy store and selling some things on Craig's list / Local Sales Network)

These are just a few of my goals for 2009. I'm hoping to be able to stay home all year with our daughter. We'll see how it goes! Head over to Money Saving Mom to see what other's 2009 goals are!

Menu Plan Monday

I'm back to cooking!! I think I am finally mastering things with a new baby and am able to get some meals together. Of course, we were very blessed with meals for five weeks from people from church and our families! Here is what I have planned for the week! (Its pretty basic, but at least I'm cooking!)

Monday: Chili

Tuesday: Spaghetti

Wednesday: Leftovers after church

Thursday: Salmon and veggies

Friday: BBQ Chicken Pizza

Saturday: Baked Ziti

Sunday: Beef Pasta Dish (frozen meal from Blake's Mom)

In case anyone was wondering, this is the reason I've been so preoccupied! She is already 7 weeks old, I can't believe it!

Check out orgjunkie.com for more menu ideas!

Joining the October Procrastination Challenge.

I've decided to join the procratination challenge again this month hosted over at Virtually Organized (click here to check it out). Last month the challenge really helped me get some projects completed around the house. This month, I'm going to start with one...my scrapbook desk. As you can see from the picture below, it has gotten way out of control. I didn't even take a picture of the floor around it! My goal is to get it back in order so I can start working on my baby scrapbook and handmade thank you notes for my baby showers. Its amazing how bad I procrastinate when things are not organized!!

Finished a September Project.

I finally finished one of my September projects last night. My spare room is now clean and my non-maternity clothes are all stored in the closet. I still have a bag of clothes to take to Goodwill and a comforter to wash to put on the bed, but for the most part, this room is finished! It feels so good to walk in to a clean room! Here are a few after pictures. Click here to see the before pictures.

Panic Update

So, it has officially been a week since I went into "Panic mode"! I just thought I would post a little update on how things are going. I worked last week to get some things ready for our little girl's diaper bag for the hospital. I'm sure I am going overboard, but I like being prepared for anything. I have a couple burp cloths (I will be buying a pack of cloth diapers to add to these), some travel size bath products, a bottle, two pacifiers, and a travel pack of wipes ready to go. I am going to add some newborn diapers (thanks to a purchase from my Mom) and some simple onsies. I will also add a couple "going home outfit options" to the bag. I am still in search of her going home outfit, but hopefully I can find what I want after a trip to a larger town. I do have the blanket picked out (it is hanging in the closet) that I will use to wrap her up in when we bring her home as well. So, I do feel a little better about having a few things ready for her.

In other news, we are almost completely finished with the nursery! We got the paper lanterns hung over the crib and a couple frames on the wall. I bought the shelves this morning for the other wall, and will hopefully finish the letters for her name that will hang over the changing table in the next day or two. After that, we will just be waiting to fill it with all of her stuff (and her of course)! It feels good to know it is almost finished. I should also be finished organizing the spare bedroom this week. That project was necessary because we will have some people staying with us leading up to and after our little girl arrives! I'm sure I will start to panic again soon, but as of right now, I'm feeling a little better about how things are progressing!

Starting to Panic!!!!

I've been slowly realizing that this pregnancy is flying by!!! It really hit me in the last couple days when I started thinking that I have 10 weeks...10 WEEKS until my due date! That is a short amount of time (especially when I look at my to do list). So, I guess you could say that the nesting is beginning. I am starting to look around and see all the things that need to be organized, cleaned out, or thrown away before our little girl arrives. Not to mention, I have some lofty goals of making all my thank you cards and having a scrapbook up to date to show at my baby showers that start in three weeks!! Whew!! I guess I need to start breaking everything down into daily tasks to accomplish. My goal for this week is to get everything I need for the diaper bag for the hospital. I know this is a little ahead of time, but I need to feel "ready" to go. I will also be working on my list of things for my suitcase so I know what I need to purchase and what I need to start packing! Hopefully, I will blog about my progress, and be able to sit back and relax a few weeks before our baby arrives!

Menu Plan Monday

This week over at orgjunkie, it is family favorite week. I am posting three of our favorite recipes!

Monday: Chicken Sante Fe (click here for recipe)

Tuesday: Chicken Crescent Rolls (click here for recipe)

Wednesday: Baked Spaghetti (will be making enough for two meals and taking one to a family that just had a baby)

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Birthday party (we will be eating with family)

Saturday: Family reunion (we will eat there)

Sunday: Grilled salmon and veggies

Head over to orgjunkie here for more menu ideas!

Chicken Sante Fe

This week over at orgjunkie's Menu Plan Monday, it is family favorite week. The recipe is on of our favorites, especially in the fall. It is easy to make, and makes enough to freeze half and have leftovers!

Ingredients:

1.5 pounds chicken cubed
2 cans light red kidney beans
2 cans dark red kidney beans
2 cans chili beans
2 cans black beans
2 cans corn
1 jar southwest black bean and corn salsa
Tortilla chips
Shredded cheese

Directions:
Cook chicken in a pan until brown. Add all ingredients in a large pot (or crock pot) and cook for 30 minutes until hot. We serve this over tortilla chips and top with our favorite shredded cheese. Yummy!!