Fantastic Friday

I was going to label today "Frugal Friday" but the word frugal reminds me of dried up grapes (raisins?) and I'm really not a fan.

Without further ado, this week's fantastic deals.

CVS

One always needs movie candy. Five grams of protein? It's practically a vegetable. Used 7 ECBs from last week's deals.

Total out of pocket: $2.96.

*The key to the game is to keep buying stuff that gets you ECB's. This trip was a fail. I make up for it later:)

Publix

Spent: $79

Saved: $70

53% savings

I've said it before and I'll say it again - I think balance is key here. I'm sure I could save more, but we try to eat moderately healthy. Yes, moderate includes chewy fudge brownies.

MS is returning from the frozen tundra and I'm really excited about some steak tonight.

It does sound good, doesn't it?

Beef...it's whats for dinner.

Happy weekend friends!!

Lunchtime Errands

I'm getting pretty adjusted to the neighborhood and can almost run all of our errands close to home. No small feat in the Ham.

It was rushed, so I hope E. Seasom appreciates me picking up her dry cleaning.

Was glad to see a good(?) report on the Grizz when I picked him up from grooming. Does this read Big Baby or Big Baby? Both fit. The big baby was ready to get OUT OF THERE and took a flying leap into my car. Impressive when you have the build of a bowling ball.

I cut off the exclamation point. It kind of looks insulting without it. Oops.

Happy Thursday. I'm so looking forward to a glass of merlot with Addison Montgomery tonight.

A Few of My Favorite Things

A few new favorites while we push through this gray winter weather.

Behold, the sweaty band. I got one for Christmas and am loving it. All those layers I thought were a great idea when getting the wife chop no longer hinder me from running like the wind. I'm boring and got white. It has a silver stripe. Step back.

I'm sure I owe most of my water consumption to the Tervis Tumbler - grande size. Bonus points - the lid and the straw. I travel up a few floors every morning to get the good (Sonic like) ice and I'm set for the morning.

Speaking of morning, I have a new love in the face wash department. I love it so much I want to use it at night too. Is that ok? Does the evening dilute its effectiveness? Its caused quite an identity crisis, but I love it none the less.

Fresh scent? Caffeine? Sign me up.

And the BEST FOR LAST. I wish I could take credit for this discovery, but alas, I cannot. You can thank me later.

Living the Dream

It was my favorite kind of weekend. Plenty of time to be both lazy and productive. After spending all night parked on the couch with the folks at Sterling Cooper, we headed out Saturday for a cloudy 8 mile run. It was painful - not that a long run is ever entirely pleasant, but my legs -perhaps weighed down by Goobers and Sour Patch Kids - felt pretty tired. Not exactly the feeling I like going into a race next weekend.

The training plan doesn't stop. Cue life lesson. So after dropping MS off at the airport Monday morning (hello, Bravo and pancakes for dinner), I took a little nap (it was 6:30) and decided to get one of the week's run out of the way. This is about as real as it gets. I'm sorry I'm not the type with the full face of makeup to work out.

I told you I owned a lot of pink.

It was heavenly. I felt good. Made it up all the hills at just the speed I wanted without feeling near death. We all know what uphills mean - downhills. Downhills that led right back to my starting point. It was just what I needed.

I spent the afternoon with this guy. He was very excited about it. I think he prefers me at work.

Other than a poorly scheduled visit to the dentist (this just in - flossing is KEY if you don't want your mouth to look like you got punched in the face at your semi-annual cleaning), it was a great vacation day and start to the week. Is it just me or does that extra day make all the difference?

Attitude Check

I have referenced my tendency towards a Type A personality numerous times on this blog. There are many advantages - I'm fairly organized, I'm pretty good at planning ahead and providing some structure to our family life.

On the flip side, there are parts of my personality that aren't so pretty. An exaggerated sense of time urgency, competitiveness and becoming easily irritated are things I struggle with. When things don't go according to my plan, I get frustrated. It's amazing how these are magnified when living with another person who doesn't always share these traits (thank the Lord). It's something I've been praying God would begin to change in me this year.

Be careful what you pray for. As I'm sure we've all experienced, God doesn't just give us patience, or love. But instead, gives us a chance to exercise patience and love. I've been slow in making the connection between these prayers and the circumstances God provides to give me a new attitude.

This week in church, we read 3 John. As I glanced through the intro, I read something that struck that nerve again. "It can be easy to join others in gossip, complaining or small acts of dishonesty..."

Rarely, if not ever, do I think of complaining as a fault, much less a sin. It really clicked with me how deep our attitudes run and how what is in my heart surfaces.

"The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things from the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks."

I think blaming a personality type is a cop out. I'm going to go out on a limb and say most of us have a tendency towards selfishness, frustration and jealousy rather than serving, peace and joy. As I move forward this year, I pray that my heart would be changed. I think the rest will fall into place.

A Run and The Pub

Before all the snow and ice hit, it was relatively warm for a nice, albeit hilly, 7 mile run. I overestimated the chill and found myself stripping down everything I could that wouldn't get me in trouble.

We were pretty hungry after and seized the opportunity to try the new 500 calorie or less menu at McAllisters. I was delighted to see the chicken spud as an option. If it had some jalapenos and salsa, it would have been perfection.

We were thirsty too. Don't you love their tea?!

After refueling, I dragged MS to do the weekly shopping with me. Despite the mad rush for milk and bread, Publix had their game face on. It was crowded, but well stocked and we were in and out in no time.

Total: $59.07
Saved: $45.65

Favorite purchase of the week - Batter Blaster (not bladder baster, like I told MS on the way to the store)- Organic Pancake Mix. Normally $3.99/can on sale for BOGO. Had (2) $1 off coupons, paid $1 per can.

This, plus my CVS trip and grabbing a few odds and ends (read:ice cream) through the week put us right on target with the grocery budget.



Ahhhh...I heart Publix.

We Were Prepared

There were forecasts for lots of snow here yesterday. Lots, if you're in the South, anyways. Lots of snow turned into lots of ice. Neither snow, nor rain, nor sleet.....you get the idea. There are no snow days at my work. But, I wanted to ensure we were prepared.

After all, ice cream and brownies > milk and bread.

And just for good measure....

We also had some exciting company for the weekend.

We are light ages behind, but thanks to Netflix and some more up to date friends, we are enjoying our nightly dates with Don Draper and company at Sterling Cooper.

Some of us enjoyed the snow more than others. Eating the snow, laying in the snow, making yellow snow. Good family fun.

I'm dunzo with the snow. I have my own winter layer courtesey of Ghiradhelli. A girl can only run on a treadmill so long.

Praying for temps above 32,