Overheard At My House: God and Haircuts

Here's the scene: It's the week before school starts, on the morning I've scheduled to get back-to-school haircuts. My six-year-old has been informing me all summer that she's growing her hair long.

Daughter: Mom, I've decided to get my hair cut short.

Me: Oh really. Why?

Daughter: I was talking with God last night, and He says that I should cut my hair off if I want to because it'll grow back.

Me: (pause...) Really?

Daughter: Yeah. Besides, I kind of want a new look for the 1st grade.

I just got myself a new look last week and I'm not quite feeling it. Maybe I should have had my daughter consult with the big guy about my haircut, since she seems to have some direct contact with him on the subject.

Meal Plan Monday

Here's what's on the menu at our place:

Monday:

Breakfast for Dinner

Tuesday/Wednesday:

Spaghetti and Meatballs

(similar to this recipe, plus some mozzarella rolled in)

Thursday:

out for burgers

(I've been craving a burger lately... cooked by someone else)

Friday:

pizza

Saturday/Sunday:

chili

(again: YAY!)

What's cooking at your place?

It's Friday... Breathe.

Looking forward to a peaceful weekend... Have a good one!

{found this thought here}

Fall Resolutions: Checking In

{find these fall lovelies here: brooch , headband , painting , ring , earrings }

Resolutions check in.... Last week I listed 5 things I'm going to try to do more of. I thought it would be good to revisit these.

1: Am I drinking more water? Well, I am thinking about drinking more water, so I guess I'm getting somewhere. It's in my head at least. I just need to move past, "I should go fill up my water glass," to actually filling up my water glass.

2. Did I start to exercise more? Not so much. I worked out one time last week and once this week. I only walked my daughter home from school twice. I'm ducking blame on this one as it's been raining for days here (very convenient excuse, huh), and our jogging stroller was taken from the porch. Working on resolving this issue.

3. How's that house looking? Much better!! Yay!! Now I didn't tackle it in small steps like I set out to do. I put in a huge effort this past weekend, but I plan to keep it up in small, regular steps.

4. Creative Time? Absolutely no time was set aside for being creative. Boo.

5. How's the patience going? Very well. I have consciously kept my cool on several occasions that would have normally gotten to me. Staying cool, calm and (mostly) collected over here. Still praying and asking for help in this department.

Okay, so not stellar, but not too terrible. I've been thinking of adding some fun/easy ones on to the list. How about this one:

6. Try a new bottle of wine once a month (at least). We tend to get the same one over and over again (Mirassou Pinot Noir $11 at Target: cheap and yum-my). I think I'll succeed with flying colors on this goal! Any vino suggestions?

Once I feel like I've made these a habit, I'll add some more onto the list.

How are you doing?

Spending Hiatus: Purging

I mentioned my productive weekend on Monday... I swept through through the house like a tornado. This time it wasn't the kids as little destructive tornados, but me whirling around assessing and clearing out. I have one huge trash bag, a car full ready to head to the consignment store, and a corner of the garage waiting to be taken to Goodwill. It feels so good.

I'm hoping that this process will help me keep on with the spending hiatus. Seeing all the stuff we've accumulated and don't need (or really want) is eye opening. Some spots still in need of a good purge: my closet and the kitchen cabinets. I'm hoping to accomplish that this week, helping to organize, use what we have, and maybe find some new/old duds for the fall season.

Seeing big, plastic toys finding a new home (and out of mine) makes me happy! Any good purging on your side?

Dreaming of... Mudrooms

When I think of my dream home there is never the omission of a mudroom. I long for a space to corral coats and bookbags and all the stuff. I just think it's the perfect buffer zone between the outside world and my home.

In my head, I just know that all I need to be an uber-organized person is a mudroom. Any one of these would surely do the trick, don't you think?!

{images via all over the place... I started saving these way before I knew I should be saving the source. If you know where they are from, please let me know. Sorry!}

Monday Meal Plan

What an awesome weekend... Saturday started off lazy as planned (so very nice) and then it got productive. I really started my purging/cleaning I was talking about last week. It felt so good and I hope to do more. This is what we'll be feasting on to keep that energy and momentum going this week:

Monday:

lasagna

Tuesday:

leftovers

(a little chili, some spaghetti, and whatever else we can clear out)

Wednesday:

chicken caesar salad

Thursday/Friday:

pork chops

green salad

cinnamon apples

Saturday:

out

Sunday:

paninis

(I got a panini press: makes me smile!)

Hope your week is off to a wonderful start!

TGIF, seriously.

So looking forward to the lack of commitments on my calendar for tomorrow.

Have a good one!

{awesome thought via here}

Fall Resolutions

{these fall pretties can be found here: necklace, truffles, acorns, pillow}

It's finally seeming more like fall around here and I'm really feeling the change of the season. I'm ready for it, as I've been in some sort of rut/funk/not-so-productive stage for a few weeks now. I've not been able to pull out of it, but this changing season has me thinking it's time to take control over the situation. Just do it, if you will. So I'm making some goals/resolutions to carry me through:

1. Drink more water.

2. Exercise.

3. Tackle home in small, regular steps.

4. Make time for being creative.

5. Practice patience.

That's enough for now. They are all so simple, but I think they'll make the world of difference. Feel free to hold me accountable! Care to make any Fall Resolutions along with me?

Definition of Class

We traveled this past weekend to attend the funeral of a dear great aunt on my husband's side. Getting to know her is one of the reasons I feel blessed to be a part of my husband's family, as she was such a neat lady. She was 98 years old and filled her days inspiring others and passing on her wisdom. The following article was read at her funeral. She had saved it in a scrapbook after receiving it from a niece, because it had reminded the niece so much of her.

Wow. What a way to live your life. I'm inspired.

She's still at it.

Monday Meal Plan

{image from here}

I just got back in town from an unexpected trip, so I've yet to hash out a thorough plan for our week. Join me in my brain real quick as I think aloud....

I know we'll be revisiting those BLTs from last week, as we were on the road rather than frying up some bacon on Friday. I'll have to pick up some fresh T and A (we like Avocados on our sammies)... The football and rainy weather that welcomed us home has me thinking chili again... Maybe I'll split the ground meat in half to make meatballs... And then use some leftover chili for chili dogs... I think we're having another cooking/playdate on Wednesday although I haven't talked to the other girls as of yet. (Last week's was a success, even though these two experienced cooks are slumming it with this simple gal. I'll be learning lots!) Friday I've got a girls' night out, so the fam will be eating on their own: Something quick and easy for them. Let's see where does that gets us:

Monday:

out??

(bc I'll most likely be too busy unpacking and washing to make it to the store)

Tuesday:

BLTs

Wednesday:

cooking/playdate?

Thursday:

chili

Friday:

leftovers

(me: out!)

Saturday:

chili dogs

Sunday:

spaghetti and meatballs

All righty then! Thanks for thinking through that with me! I'm feeling ready for the week now!!

It's Friday...

A good one to remember:

{image via here}

Mistakes are okay. We live and we learn. It's when we keep repeating the same one over and over that it becomes a problem. I just backed into my neighbor's car, for the second time. Dang it. I suppose sometimes it takes two times to learn.

Have a great weekend!

Download For YOU!

I was cleaning out my "cards in-the-works" file, discarding unfinished projects that I just wasn't really feeling anymore. I came across this one and hesitated before dragging it to the trash bin. I decided to print it out to see what it looked like. Heh, it was okay. I kind of liked the way the back pattern showed through on the front of the note when printed on white paper, but it still wasn't super special. Then I grabbed some natural colored scrapbook paper to try it out. I really like how it turned out:

So, since it's been a while since I've posted up a download for you, feel free to print out some for yourself. I'm going to keep some of these notecards on hand for quick notes to the teacher, love letters in the lunchbox and/or to accompany a meal to a friend. They'd also make a sweet little gift for someone.

Just print out the first page and then slip it back in the printer to print the coordinating patterned back. And repeat. Enjoy!

Spending Hiatus: Progress Report

{adorable print available here}

We made the decision to do a bit of clothes shopping this weekend. It was great... My daughter and I went to Old Navy for their 20% off sale and then to DSW. We had tons of girlie fun trying on clothes in the dressing room. I got 3 shirts and 3 pairs of shoes. She got some jeans and a T. We brought hubby home some pants and two shirts. It was deliciously fun, and we didn't break the bank.

I had a little reality check when we got home though. When I went to put the new clothes away, there weren't any spare hangers to hang the new duds in our closets. You would think by peeking in that we don't need a thing. (Maybe this is true...) There will be some serious purging this week. I'll be making trips to the consignment store and Goodwill, and really getting down to what we actually need and wear and use. I'm thinking that the rest of my house could use this same sort of attention. There may even be a garage sale is in my future. We'll see...

Cash envelope check in:

I'm doing okay. Let's just say there's room for improvement. I was at Costco yesterday making our last grocery trip for this two week period. I had $135 in cash in the envelope and the bill was $167. Boo. I had a feeling I'd be over though. We had diapers, toilet paper, and paper towels on the list. I could have gotten smaller packages at the regular store but that would mean another trip, so I opted to use the debit card and have the $135 cash go toward next week. I'm not calling it a success, but I don't feel like it was a complete failed two week cash run. We'll do better next week.

Sorry for the lack of inspiration, but I must be honest.

Did you give the cash system a try? How's your progress report?

Monday (or Tues) Meal Plan

Better late than never. I seriously didn't even remember it was a Monday yesterday until well after I woke up. Good thing Chick Fil A was handing out free chicken sandwiches to everyone sporting a team logo yesterday, so dinner was taken care of. (No, we're not too proud to take advantage of that!) Here's the meal plan for the rest of the week:

Tuesday:

quesadillas

Wednesday:

TBD

Thursday:

chicken club salad

Friday:

BLTs

Saturday:

spaghetti

salad

Sunday:

leftovers for fam

(I'm eating out!)

Wednesday's fare remains unknown although there is a plan in place. A few of us are trying this new cooking playdate where we try out a new recipe while the kids play, and we leave with a hot meal in hand to serve for dinner. We haven't decided whose turn it is to pick the recipe, but I'm excited to start this little ritual. Oh, and notice the new planner? I scored this vintage frame at an estate sale recently, painted it, and will offer it in my shop as soon as I put the finishing touches on it.

Hope you had a great long weekend!

What's on the menu at your house?

Feel Good Friday...

Okay, so I normally like to do links at the end of the week because there's just so much good stuff to be shared. I've been having these weeks that I just don't get to do proper research though (or blog surfing: wah!), so I thought I'd sub in some inspirational tidbits. I have so many images and quotes that I've saved along the way when I've seen them and they've spoken to me. There's never a shortage of those, so today I'm passing along this:

{this bit of goodness found here}

How awesome would it be to keep this tucked in your pocket to pull out whenever we waiver? Just awesome. Have an absolutely beautiful looooong weekend! Thanks for hanging with me this week.

Overheard At My House: Balls

{some snaps of a fave activity in our house: collecting balls}

I just scheduled a Mommy and Me soccer class for my little guy. I am so excited because I know he's going to love it! The kid adores anything to do with balls. His first word was ball (well before Mama). He knows the difference between a soccer ball, basketball, "wootball", tennis ball, and baseball. When he works on his shape puzzle, he'll name the shapes as he goes: oval, heart, "ball" (circle), square... I even went as far as to (try to) make a basketball cake for his birthday. Well, my anticipation of our soccer class got me thinking about his love of balls and reminded me of this little story:

The scene: It's raining outside. My little guy is looking out the backdoor and crying.

Little guy (crying): "Ball. Baaaaallllll! My ball!"

Me: "Oh, honey, it's okay if your balls get wet."

Hubby: hehehehe.

So immature, I know, but I still giggle when I think about it. There's something kinda cool about sharing an inside joke with your spouse, no matter how juvenile it might be. It's amazing how many times we laughed at the word "balls" as of late. I just reread my first paragraph up there, and while I can't believe I just posted about balls, I have a hard time reading through it without cracking a smile. Hope it made you giggle too (and didn't offend). Happy Thursday to you!

Spending Hiatus: Cash Only

We had a budget meeting last night and definitely agreed we needed to tighten the reins. We will be re-instituting the cash-for-groceries deal. We went willy nilly last month in the grocery department and did not keep track of our spending at all. I really don't even want to go back to figure what we spent on food in August, as I know it would make me sick.

I'm channeling my inner Dave Ramsey this month and going back to his envelope system for our food spending. We'll be pulling from there to help manage and assess on a daily basis. Jenny at LobotoME outlined her personal system here which was helpful in pointing back in the right direction. She has some great links too.

Sooooo, we went to the bank yesterday and pulled out cash for the next two weeks. I'm putting it into envelopes to help monitor our spending. It's amazing the difference this makes for us. At our best, we use a cash system for groceries, eating out, and entertainment. We pre-plan for these purchases and pull out cash ahead of time. This money goes into envelopes. As the money goes out, the receipts go in. It works beautifully for us, when we stick to it. There's no more, "where did all our money go?" feelings at the end of the month... More mindful spending=less overspending.

What are your thoughts on the whole cash envelope system?

Have you used it? Do you think it would work for you?

Chocolate Cake in 5 Minutes? Why YES, Please!

Chocolate: I love it. I crave it. I need it. When I came across The 5 Minute Chocolate Cake recipe, I felt as if I'd struck gold. Chocolate cake in 5 minutes served in a coffee mug? Yes! Yes! Yes!

Side note: We cooked it the full 3 minutes the first time and while it was good, it was a bit dense. The next time, I took it out about 30-40 seconds earlier (Yes, I've made it twice now... Oh, okay, three times), and the consistency was lots better. I suppose it depends on your microwave. Enjoy!