Changing things up a little this week-
Friday is our anniversary, so I thought that deserved it’s own post!!
Tiffany & Co. Aviators (HELLLLLLO, Summer!)
You can buy them HERE!
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Weeknight Taco Salad- Adding this to the plan for next week!
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And, just a little humor 
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Happy Thursday, y’all!
So, I did this a while ago and it’s a habit that I’d like to bring back (although no promises!).
Here are some things that I hope to accomplish in November:
1) Date night with the hubby! We’ve been so busy with life and things, that we’ve not spent much down time together. We’re headed on a little weekend getaway this month and I’m looking forward to a real date night!
2) Get the majority of my Christmas shopping started or planned out. I’d like to at least have a plan for each person, even if it’s not completed this month!
3) Spend time walking Croix around the neighborhood in the evenings. I feel like he gets short-changed during the week when he is in his crate most of the day! I’d like to make a point of taking him for a quick walk in the evenings, even if it’s just a short spin around the block!
4) Continue to focus on leaving work at work! This has always been and will always be a challenge for me! I’m trying to get a little better handle on it before BabyH arrives!
5) Plan a Thanksgiving menu that incorporates family favorites with some healthier twists. I love the holiday traditional dishes, but I’d like use some of the recipe suggestions I’ve collected over the years to try and adjust or adapt some of the dishes. If all else fails, I’ll add some simple roasted veggies and a green salad (not marshmallow based!).
What are your goals for the month? Do you set monthly goals? How do you achieve them?
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It’s not called ‘Whole Paycheck’ for funsies…
Eating healthy and making good, more natural choices can be expensive!
I started searching around to try and find some tips for saving money, and figured I’d share some of my finds!
Here are a handful of Articles that I found to be the most interesting and/or helpful:
11 Ways to Save Money on Healthy Food (from Tina @ Carrots n’ Cake)
10 Ways to Save Money on Food Shopping
How You Can Save Money on Food and Still Eat Healthy
Here are a few things that we try and do each week:
1) Eat what’s in season or on special! We’re not too picky about veggies, so we often end up picking what is good at any particular time, or what’s on special.
2) Coupons! We make a point of trying to clip coupons for products that we use or want to try. Then, using the weekly ads, try and figure out how to get the best prices.
3) I like to try new products- particularly things designed for healthy living or more natural products, BUT, I try and go for the smallest size possible, use a coupon or find a sample before committing to the purchase! That way I know that I’m spending money (even on an expensive product!), that I know I like and will use!
What are your tips or tricks for eating healthy and not breaking the budget?
Ahhh… Sunday morning.
The one morning that I’m really good at getting up, enjoying my coffee and reading the Sunday paper from start to finish. I skim (SPORTS!) or read (TRAVEL!) all sections before even thinking about starting my day!
Today we are headed out to run some errands, start prepping for turning our house in wedding shower central next weekend and spending lots of time in the garden!
I’m going to use my Sunday posts to give you a general update, pictures from the week, and so here we go…
Progress on the flip flops! I put it away for the week, but I was really pleased with how far I got last week! Here is a close-up of the new section:
And, here’s the second project that I am working in! It’s the 4th ornament in my Nutcracker series! I was hoping to get 2 more done by September to send for finishing!
And, here are some new pictures from the garden! Flowers first:
I’ve been letting the Zinnia go crazy in hopes I can use the, next weekend to have fresh flowers around at the wedding shower we are hosting!
And, here are the veggies! So impressed with how well things have been growing this year!
A few notes: those peppers in the 3rd picture are HOT. Any ideas about what to do with them?
The tomato planters were a gift from Bella for my birthday and they have exploded with flowers! It was this neat roll of seeds that you put under a thin layer of dirt and keep wet! So easy and will give us tons of tomatoes!
Ok, that’s all for me today! Off to do Sunday things!
Hope you have a great day!
XO, Mer
Ahhh… the weekend. It ‘technically’ starts that moment you step outside of work on Friday night, or have that first sip of wine on Friday afternoon.
Here’s the thing, I have no idea what to do with weekends. I need them, oh gosh, do I need them to turn my batteries off and recharge, but I don’t really have the hang of that!
My week, which you can read about here, is intense and fast-paced on a regular basis. My weekends are usually the exact opposite and I have no idea how to transition from one to the other.
So, I end up doing things like:
Here’s what sometimes works for me/what I am trying to do:
How do you make time to relax and recharge on the weekends?
HAHA, reading this post makes me sound uptight, stressed, and in need of a little ‘loosening up’. It’s probably true.
Anyway, I’m off to finish a cup of coffee, some stitching and then tackle my creative project for the weekend! And, wait for the hubby to get home from work to enjoy a relaxed dinner out on the deck with some playing in the garden.
What are your plans?
Check back tomorrow for my needlepoint progress update from the week and my projects rotation for next week!
XO, Mer
ANIMAL FILES:
Did you follow all the drama on FB or Twitter ~2 weeks ago, when we had to rush Cruzan into surgery for a large gash on his leg?
Here’s the patient, stitches removed yesterday and he is a HAPPY dog!
Going home to rest on the couch (oh wait, that’s what he does all day every day!)
Also, our friend Dave helped out friends this week, by adopting their cat after their son developed allergies!
So, here’s a ‘shout out’ to webmaster/personal photographer/ travel agent/ dear friend Dave, for having a heart of gold (hint: we’ve always suspected this!)!
