Busted Budget

It was inevitable.

I could only maintain my grocery budget for so long.

Once I opened my last jar of sunflower seed butter from Trader Joe's, I knew my penny pinching was over.

I eat some version of nut butter every single day...so, I consider it pretty good that 10 jars lasted me almost five months!

A trip to Greenville was planned.

And after a three and a half hour round trip car ride, all is right with my pantry.....

And then some.

I hate that I feel the need to completely fill up my shopping cart to make my trip worthwhile.

But I love all the delicious food that I get to bring home with me to eat over the next couple (hopefully five!) months. 

I also made a quick stop at Whole Foods (we are getting one in September!) to get a couple of pre-made items for a quick dinner.

My inspiration was the TJ's Vodka Sauce.

I purchased some FRESHLY made pasta ( our first time to have it!) and some freshly made bread.  It was called Prairie Bread and was full of whole grains, nuts, and seeds.

Once home, I added shrimp to the sauce, cooked the noodles, and dinner was served.

It was divine!!

Every single part of it.

In fact, I believe Prairie Bread has just been added to my list of favorite foods.

Forever and ever.

(side note: Prairie bread with avocado and egg... I die.)

And for an appetizer.... Shrimp and veggie rolls from the sushi section. 

Fresh and flavorful and crunchy and incredible.

It's pretty safe to say that once September arrives my budget will be busted forever.

But good food sure does make us happy!

In the Last 25 Days....

1.  We didn't win the eleventy billion trillion dollar lottery.... despite my strategic ticket purchases.  I bought two from two different gas stations.  I was feeling lucky.  And clever.

We spent the evening discussing what we would do with the money.

Me: laser hair removal.

Kev: bill paying, investments, plans for retirement - lots of boring stuff.  Oh.. and an expensive car or two.

Then the numbers were posted.

And I was forced to invest in more razors.

2.  The University of Kentucky won the National Championship!!!!  GO CATS!!!

And my Dad hasn't stopped grinning since.....

3.  I discovered (on Pinterest) and made the most delicious dessert EVER....and then quickly turned against it, declared my hate for it, and hoped that I would never see it again.

After I ate four bowls of it.

It is what my dreams are made of.

Especially when it is layered multiple times in a trifle bowl.

4.  My sister bought some chickens. 

Chickens mean FRESH EGGS! 

Unlimited fresh eggs meant that I debated on moving in to a tent in her back yard.

But then I visited.  And smelled the chickens. Saw how much work they were. And decided that I would stay put and wait for the eggs to be hand delivered.

Which means that I will just keep buying them from the store.

4.  I celebrated Easter with my family. 

And got to see sweet Abigail hunt for eggs...

5.  We had visitors at our house....

And were able to spend the day by the pool.

Only ONE of us was irresponsible and got burned.  And that "one" just happens to be the "one" that lives in Florida!

Go figure!

But it was nothing that #3 couldn't fix.  #3 can fix anything!! 

In addition to a ton of aloe.

6.  I got blogger's block. I struggled and struggled to come up with stuff to talk about.... even though there has been plenty.

I've been getting used to a new Blogger layout.  And a new (to me) computer.  And days that are filled with work and chores and projects.

But I'm still here!! I'm still working out and cooking and laughing and planning adventures.  And, most importantly, I'm still blogging!!

Thanks for your patience and support and for wondering what the heck happened to me!!

It feels good to be back!



Working For The Weekend

It has been non-stop this weekend.  Non-stop with work and working out and chores.. and then more work.

Oh.  And also nervously anticipating the day that I ALWAYS get fooled.

By my Mom. 

She gets me every year ( except last year when she took a "break") and there is nothing that I can do to prevent it.

The minute I woke up this morning I started repeating to myself over and over... "Do not believe any thing that your Mother tells you".

She fooled me in the afternoon.  Via text.

I blame the heat.  And the fact that she is just so darn good at coming up with believable ( to me) stories.

Good job, Mom.  Good job.

And just as I foreshadowed in a previous post... I got "fooled" again today and did not get the chance to grill at our house... even though Kev did get to eat food off a grill!

We went over to Kev's parents' house tonight to celebrate Glenn's birthday.  His birthday was this past Thursday - but due to busy schedules, today was the first chance that we were all able to get together. 

It was such a fun evening and an excellent meal.  Kev said the steak was one of the best he has ever had!! It was an inch thick and smelled amazing!

My contribution to the meal was a kale salad.  I loved the mango and kale combination - but wish that I hadn't forgotten to add the seeds.  It was definitely missing some crunch.

It was also the second time this weekend that we have eaten kale. 

Kale chips were on the menu for Saturday night.. along with fish tacos and black bean salad. 

I had originally planned to grill the fish - or at least have Kev grill it - but our propane tanks were empty.

Literally and figuratively.

And it was all I could do to get the meal on the table by 9pm.  ( Which is why the lighting is so bad in the picture!)

Let's just say that our evening was spent building furniture and kickboxing.

It is up to you to figure out who did what.

Our weekends are just too wild and crazy for words.  ( Typed while rolling my eyes.)

Which is why it is good that I am heading to Florida tomorrow for work.  For the week.

It will give Kev a chance to rest up before next weekend..... when we (Kev) will be pulling weeds and repairing the driveway.

The fun never ends around here!