Nashville, here we come!

RR has a conference in Nashville this week, so the Bean and I are headed there with him! We are planning on hanging out w/ our friends, the Stephen's and the Russell's while we are there. So I probably won't be blogging much this week, b/c we'll be out having fun. :)

Update on the walking: the Bean has taken as many as 6 steps by herself, but that's it so far. :)

First Steps!!

The Bean took her first steps all by herself day before yesterday, August 20th, 2007. My dad had knee surgery that day, and she took her first steps in the hospital visiting him. (Everything went fine w/ the surgery, btw.) My nephew Evan had just taken his first steps that morning in the hospital as well, so we are thinking that the Bean did not want to be outdone. Maybe she'll be competitive like her Daddy. She hasn't taken any steps by herself since that day (she did it several times that day), but I'm just waiting for her to take off. Eeek!! Am I ready for that???

Future Supermodel?

The Smockingbird (kid's fabric store) is showcasing "customer creations", so I entered a couple of photos of the Bean. So here she is modeling my creations in all her glory. :) If she wins the contest, I get a $10 gift certificate to the Smockingbird. (They choose...wish y'all could vote!!) Free stuff for uploading two pics I already had of something I'd already made - not bad! She's photo #1 and #5.

Enjoy!

Menu Plan Monday

Hello all! Here's the menu for the week! See Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for more!

Monday: taco salad with homemade salsa (see archived post)

Tuesday: roast chicken, roasted potatoes, rolls

Wednesday: meatloaf, baked potatoes

Thursday: chili dogs, oven-baked fries

Friday: RR & AC will eat leftovers...I'm going on a retreat!

Yummy

Last night we had our new neighbors over for dinner last night, and I thought I'd post the yummy dessert recipe we had. I made a friend's Derby Pie recipe, which is almost identical to this. Also, I ended up waiting to use the pork loin that I put on my menu for last week until night, and may I say again that you have GOT to try this recipe! It's great for company.

The Grocery Experiment I: Coupons

So, for those of you who don't know, I am trying out a new grocery shopping regimen. My neighbor Erin spends about $200 less per month than what we do, so I am copying everything she does for a couple of months to see if her system works for us. They have a little boy about 3 months younger than the Bean, so we should be spending about the same amount. (Disclaimer: she is still nursing and therefore does not have the $40/month formula cost that we do.) So here's her routine: she does her "big" grocery trip at Publix and uses coupons from the Sunday paper. She takes advantage of their buy one get one free sales and plans her menus around that and their sale items. She also shops at Costco for several items. Lastly she uses Super Suppers, or at least she has for the past 2-3 months. I have been shopping at Costco for just a couple of items, and using Wal-mart for my "big" grocery trip with no coupons. I grocery shop every two weeks. I'll post on coupons, Costco, Super Suppers, and at the end, whether or not my new routine saves me money.

So, onto the topic at hand: are grocery coupons worth it? Well, I decided to get an 8 week subscription to the Sunday paper to find out. The subscription cost me $10, or $1.25 per week. The first trip to Publix I saved $7.55 in coupons, and another $22.57 in BOGO sales for a total savings of $31.12. The second trip to Publix I saved $13.23 in coupons and another $9.32 in BOGO sales for a total savings of $22.55. The biggest bargain so far has been using a 75 cent coupon on a BOGO Nature Valley granola bars, so I got two boxes of granola bars for only 67 cents. (Publix doubles your coupons every day up to $1. I.e. if you have a 50 cent coupon, they'll double it to $1, but if you have a 55 cent coupon you only get 55 cents off.) Obviously, the paper easily pays for itself. So no matter where I shop, I am now a believer in coupons. Even at Wal-mart it would've saved a few dollars.

So far, so good. Next I am going to try out Super Suppers. Erin and I are signed up for next week. I'll keep ya posted.

More hair-do pics!!

Here are more hair pics of the Bean. I mean, can she get any more adorable??? FYI, she is not quite walking yet. She walks w/ her push toy all around the house, but she's not brave enough to attempt it on her own quite yet. She turns one the last day of this month! Crazy. Also, aren't her jammies cute? $5 at Ross. :)

Bed head

The half-up pony tail

The half-up pig tails

Ok, so this is not a hairstyle pic per se, but Cousin Evan paid us a visit the other day, and this pic was just too cute not to post. The Bean was so excited about her visitors. (Uncle Drew, Aunt Marianna, Mimi and Grandpa were also here.)

Menu Plan Monday

This is my first time to do Menu Plan Monday. I typically plan my meals for every two weeks, so we have a very fluid plan. I.e., if my husband wakes up that morning and wants something different than what I've planned, I can oblige him b/c we have so many options available. That being said, this is the APPROXIMATE menu plan for the week. For more menu plans, visit Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Monday: not cooking...RR has a meeting at the church, and I am going to a Super Suppers tasting (Anybody tried that??? Would love to know your opinion on quality, taste and price.)

Tuesday: BBQ baked potatoes

Wednesday: manicotti (will freeze 1/2 for later), salad, garlic bread

Thursday: chicken pot pie, mashed potatoes (will freeze a second pot pie for later), rolls

Friday: homemade pepperoni pizza

Saturday: good 'ol Hamburger Helper...yes, that's right. RR LOVES the stuff and likes to have it pretty often. He calls himself a "quantity eater", not a "quality eater." He does not like stuff that includes "fancy" ingredients like capers or artichokes or most vegetables!!! :)

Sunday: pork tenderloin, green bean casserole, leftover mashed potatoes (a very easy and extremely tasty rub)

Enjoy!

More pics of the Bean

I have had a request for more pics of the Bean, so I shall oblige. Those are always the most commented on posts anyway! I really need to think of more interesting things to post about. Enjoy!

Look at my muscles!! I can walk with assistance!

I crawled in my toy box and thought it was hilarious! Don't you??

Vacation pics

Mimi (my mom) w/ the babies (the other baby is my nephew Evan)...love the mohawk and pigtails!

Having fun w/ Mommy in the pool

Isn't Dada a gentleman?

Sorry these are so tardy, but here are a few pics from vacation. :) Enjoy!