It's Already February?!

I can't believe it's already February.  Time has been flying by, especially with Billy being in school.  And Ellie will be 6 months old in a little over two weeks!  My little girl is really growing up...she's trying to sit up on her own, blows raspberries, grabs everything she can reach off the table, and she talks non-stop.  She's definitely her own little person.  She knows exactly what she wants when she wants it (and lets us know about it!) and she's a MAJOR Daddy's girl.  I don't mind that at all, though...I think every girl should be enamored with her daddy, and I'm hoping it will influence her choice in a future husband.  I've already been praying about that little boy out there who's meant to be Ellie's husband, asking God to set him aside for her and that he would grow up to be a man of God.  I think I'll be praying about that one for the next 20+ years lol.

In other news, I did my grocery shopping this week and spent $40.  Not too shabby!  I didn't get any crazy good deals (thus, no picture) but I did save a lot on pasta sauce, soup, and more Sobe drinks.  I also went to Target this week and used one of my free Excedrin coupons, so I got a $5.99 bottle for free.  I also bought two boxes (108 count) of Luvs diapers at $16.99 each and got a $10 gift card at Target.  I still plan on going by CVS this week to get another bottle of Dawn dish soap for free because I got another $1 Dawn Hand Renewal coupon in the mail, making the small bottles at CVS free.  I also got a 25 cents off coupon on regular Dawn, but I'm not sure if I want to use it on a small bottle at CVS or wait until it goes on sale at Kroger and get the coupon doubled.  I'll have to decide on that later, I guess.

I'm trying to make myself eat more fresh produce.  I love vegetables like squash, zucchini, and broccoli, but Billy hates them, therefore I never buy any fresh veggies.  I'm not a big fruit person...I like my occasional apples and grapes, but that's about all I eat.  I've been trying to get better about eating fruit (especially when it's on sale at Kroger), so I tried making strawberry smoothies last week and I really liked them.  I used a cup of strawberries, a cup of orange juice, 10 ice cubes, and blended it together.  The recipe I found online said to add sugar, but I didn't because I don't like things really sweet.  It turned out great and so I've become a bit more confident about eating fruit.  This week, I purchased strawberries, raspberries, and bananas to use in smoothies, as well as pineapple mango juice.  Hoping my experimental combinations come out okay.

This reminds me....does anyone have any good ideas for buying fresh, inexpensive produce?  I really want to try to eat things that are fresher, and of course I love good deals, but I'm racking my brain trying to think of where I could get good deals on produce.  I know the best time to buy anything is when it's in season, but other than that, is my best bet going to be Kroger?  We have a natural foods store here, but I've been there once and it didn't seem like the best place for saving money.  I've also thought about going to the Farmer's Market in the spring and summer (I'm pretty sure there's one here in Lynchburg, and I know there's one in Roanoke), but then again, I'm not sure I would get good deals there.  My dream would be to grow my own produce, but we have very little space in our yard and I'm sure our dear Shelley would eat whatever she could find.  Any ideas?

This week, I've been (unsuccessfully) working on creating a blog header for my blog.  Not that this blog is a hotspot (I have 4 followers lol), but I just want my blog to look nice.  I've been using a tutorial from Clover Lane but I'm getting hung up on the pictures I'm using.  I tried to get Billy's input, and he was helpful, but I really want him to just do it for me =).  I'm not super computer savvy, just enough to be dangerous, as Billy puts it.  I can follow the instructions from the tutorial, but I just don't know what pictures to use.  I have a lot of pictures I love, but when you put 3 or 4 of them together, it gets a little busy.  I'm trying to decide if I should just go take some new, simpler pictures, or pull some random old pictures....I have no idea.  I've been avoiding thinking about it the past couple of days.  I guess I'll get around to it eventually.


I just remembered, I got a really good deal at Shutterfly this week!  Because I ordered so much stuff from them last year, they gave me a code for a free 8x8 photo book!  All I had to pay was shipping.  Of course, I made it all about Ellie, but I'm so excited that it was free, and I get to have a cute photo book of her first 5 months!


Today, I've been working on the meal calendar for the month.  I'm almost done, I just have two open days and I'm not sure what to make.  Hoping I will be inspired as I browse online.  I decided to do something new this month and color code each day based on what type of meat we're eating.

red = beef
blue = chicken
yellow = pork
pink = fish
green = no meat


That way, I'll know what to defrost in the morning so that it's ready in the evening.  I also thought it would help me as I plan the grocery list so I know how much meat I need for the week.  Hoping it will be another helpful way to keep track of everything and keep me organized.  


I have to confess, I've been super lazy about my cleaning list, which was my January goal.  I had it all printed and ready, and then I got sick and did absolutely nothing for several days, and it messed up my routine.  Then I revised the list, and I've never reprinted it.  Shame on me.  I'm hoping to be better about it this month...I'm actually going to print it right now so that I don't have an excuse!



That's all from me.....Kristen