Cash Budget

The hubs and I are starting an all cash budget TOMORROW. I have to tell you, he has been asking to do this for quite some time and I have been putting him off. We use a great excel budget and I promised we wouldn't go over the allotted amounts per category. Boy, was I wrong. There is something about that debit card that makes it just so darn easy to spend, spend, spend!

Dave Ramsay is the creater of using envelopes with pre-allotted amounts of cash in them for any extraneous category. We will be using envelopes for: my cash, hubs cash, groceries, trips, gas, and house fund. Obviously, we will continue having automatic withdrawal for pre-fixed payments such as cable and our mortgage.



Beth @ Design-a-Peele showed these cute envelopes today that she is trying out while using the all-cash system. So cute! You have to check them out.

I think the hardest part about spending cash will be the fact that when the money is gone, it's gone. There is no tweaking, no "oh well, we'll do it next month". I am excited to see how this next month goes. I will definitely keep in touch as to how it goes along the way!

Read more...

Antique Finds

My mom and dad visited this weekend and mom and I went "antiquing." There are so many fun shops around here that redo old furniture and sell antiques.

I picked up this iron wall decoration for between my two sconces and LOVE it. It really does pay to wait and find something perfect for a spot like this one!



My mom and I loved this little table so much she bought it for me to finish the look of our office. I think it looks so cute under the chalkboard. I just need to find the right object for the other side..ideas?






It has two leaves so that it could be used as a round end table or against a wall like I have it. I know I will be able to use this table in many different ways over it's lifespan.



I hope you all had a nice weekend. There was lots of football to be watched at my house. My mom also dropped off a Fall baking magazine and I can't stop oohh'ing and ahhh'ing over all the delicious recipes using pumpkin!

Read more...

Fall Decorating

I received my Pottery Barn catalog in the mail the other day and was so excited to flip through all the beautiful decorating ideas for Fall.

I especially love these pomegranate taureans. They also come in vases of all sizes. They look so pretty with the artichokes in them.

These corn and acorn fillers would be very cute for clear apothecary jars with their stalk hanging out! I also love how they used the acorns around a candle. This is something I plan to do in my home since we love to use candles at night. The colors are so pretty. I love the Fall colors as they go with my house just perfectly.

I have had my eye on this runner for a while. It is so simple, and could probably be used season to season. Runners are less expensive than tablecloths and I think they last longer because they make a more subtle statement on the table (or your tv stand or coffee table).

These plates would be a great accent for Thanksgiving dinner. I can see watergate or strawberry pretzel salad on them already! The votive is a nice touch. I am trying to gather ideas for my tablescape when I have 12 people at my home for Thanksgiving this year. This one takes the cake!

What are your favorite decorations for Fall?

Read more...

Misc. Monday

So I'm a little late on Monday to be sharing, but life has gotten away from me lately! Just bear with me.

One. I love the idea that Emily had over at Imperfect to try out a few holiday-type recipes over the weeks that proceed Thanksgiving. She is inviting any and all of us to join her and share in the adventure! It will be interesting trying to do this with only a toaster oven, but I know it can be done!

Two. One of my little darlings at school asked if I was pregnant today. Obviously, I am not...I just had a large meal 30 minutes before my kiddos returned to the room. Don't you love the cute things they say?

Three. We have to buy a new air conditioning unit in the next couple of months. I lie away at night wondering how we will ever be able to part with 5-6K when all I want is a new kitchen...and an oven...and a stove with 4 burners...and a microwave that doesn't turn on when you open the door. Ahhhh...oh well.

Four. We had an engagement party for my best friend at my house this weekend. We watched the Gators conquer the Volunteers, ate, drank, and were merry.

Five. I'm making this incredible lasagna dish tomorrow night. Seriously...its to die for. And...you don't have to boil the noodles. And...there is cream cheese involved. Need I say more?

Six. I think it would be fun (as we get closer to the holidays) to share our favorite recipes for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. We could link up and get great ideas from each other. What do you think?

That's all--have a great week!

Read more...

Fashion Friday Edition #3- Home Trends

This week I decided to focus on home fashion. Here are a few of my favorite rooms.

I obviously love this room as it is closest to what my home looks like and it makes me feel comfortable just LOOKING at it! That ottoman is too cute with it's skirt.



This kitchen is amazing. Seriously, that island is as big as my kitchen. And those drapes...I never would have thought I'd like drapes that hung over half a window, but those work!

PS- We all let our babies play on our granite countertops...right?



This dining area is about the same size as ours. I've decided we need patterned drapes like these to bring the room together.



This farmhouse kitchen is so much like what I want ours to look like in a year. That sink is to DIE for. It is just a simple but pretty room.



And, just to get us all in the fall decorating mood, here is a beautiful fall scene on the back patio, complete with fireplace. Gorgeous! This gets me excited to get out all my fall decorating essentials. If only it would dip below 85!



I hope you all are enjoying my Fashion Friday. I hope to change it up just a bit every week to keep it interesting!

Read more...

Bachelor Pad Anyone?

I know many of you probably don't watch this silly, ridiculous, meaningless show (Bachelor Pad), but I find it HIGHLY entertaining! Anyway, I have watched most of the Bachelor/Bachelorette shows and coming into this show I knew many of the players. For those of you who know what I am talking about, what did you think about last night's show?




Here were the final four:

Tenley and Kiptyn were my picks for the final two...but that didn't happen.



I really liked Tenley more before this season. Her personality kind of drove me crazy after watching this show.



Now, I never would have guessed that Natalie and Dave would be the big winners AND that they would share the money!



I was under the impression that Dave was basically using Natalie to get to the final two and I didn't think he would think twice about her feelings over the money. But, him choosing "share" truly shows that he cared for her--or that he was smart...one or the other!




Anyway, it has been a fun season, but I don't know how they will do this again since the ending has been spoiled. Anyone from here on out would know to split the money...or would they?

Read more...

Fashion Friday Take 2

I'm back with fashion Friday! This week I picked a few more inexpensive items and linked up for you to see where I found them. The only over the top item are the shoes, which are inconceivable for me, but I'll link them anyways!

I think houndstooth will be a big hit this season. I love it on all types of clothing: jakets, sweaters, skirts, and bags!



Houndstooth Skirt

I love open sweaters too, especially in the south. This red and grey is an adorable color combo! I love the ruffles too.



Ruffle Sweater

This top is just too cute. I have a feeling stripes are in for the season. I love the flower detail at the neckline.



Striped Top

The straps on these purses are a lot of fun for a night on the town.



Purse with Chain Straps

This scarf is so much fun and cheap! At $20 it could go with multiple fall outfits. I love the ruffly detail...obviously.



Ruffle Scarf

These boots are AWESOME! If only they weren't RIDICULOUSLY expensive. I love the fabric and the cute bow on the side. And grey is a great color for boots.



Bow Booties

Happy Fall shopping!

Read more...

New Blog Design!

I LOVE my new blog design. House '09 created my header and formatting and they did an awesome job. We have been working together on the design for the last two weeks, so it is nice to finally have it up and ready! I won the header over at Tales and Trials so I have to say thank you to Abby :).

Read more...

A Long Weekend

I hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day weekend! We continued our "travels" with a weekend in Orlando visiting my parents and then a trip to the beach for the day.

My parent's dog Pretzel is 14 and LOVES Clyde. They are best buds.



How cute are they with their matching Gator scarves!? GO GATORS!



Love these girls. We had a great time at the beach, just us and our men. See, even when you live in Florida, you can still look like Casper the friendly ghost. Exhibit A on the left.



September is going to fly, as is October. I don't think we are home more than two weekends between now and the middle of November. But, we are going to have a great time in: Sarasota for an engagement party (one sister), Gainesville for a Gator game, Sarasota for a wedding (the other sister!), and Nashville for another Gator Game (and to visit my brother). Can't wait to share it all with you!

Read more...

Fashion Friday My Way

I have always loved reading other blog's Fashion Friday posts so I thought I would do my own. I didn't give credit to anything because it was all so pricey and this is just for fun anyway! Let me know if you are dying to know where something is from.

You will notice that, for Fall, my most favorite colors are tans and purples. And, I love ruffles.

I love this bag, which reminds me that I need to switch my bright yellow purse for my brown one. Such cute buckle details on the bottom.



These shoes are adorable and I think you could dress them up or down. I love the pattern on the main part of the shoe.



This cardigan is very fun. I love ruffles. Need I say more?



This just looks comfy and cozy. Something great to throw on around the house or when running errands on a cool Saturday morning.



This dress is great for two reasons, yep you guessed it, it's purple and has ruffles!



I am trying to convince my friend Ryan to buy this dress for rehearsal dinner or her bridesmaid's luncheon. It is just too cute! I saw it in the store and immediately thought of her. I love the flower detail at the neckline and especially love the iridescent pattern on the bottom half of the dress.




This is obviously not purple or ruffly but I just though it was too cute. I tried it on the other day and it was far too short for my astronomically long torso, but it would be cute on a petite woman.




I love this sweater top, purple and ruffly...are you catching on yet? The details at the neckline make it interesting and I love flutter sleeves like these.




I did just buy this for a special event. I will be going to lots of bridal showers/luncheons etc for the next YEAR and some in the winter, so I thought this would be cute with a nice pair of fancy pants.




These pants just "woo" me with their cute ties on the side and pearly buttons. I love fancy pants! You can dress them up or down--adorable with the top above, or with a t-shirt and flats.



Hope you enjoyed my Fashion Friday! I look forward to doing this more often. If you want to know where any of the items are from, feel free to comment and I will get back to you!

Read more...

Fresh Deliveries

A friend of mine just started a fresh fruits and vegies delivery service. Tuesdays and Thursdays she delivers produce to your door in this cute little box which has cold packs inside to keep the produce fresh.



There are all different types of boxes you can choose from, but I chose a 5 item box, any fruits or vegies. We picked: 2 zucchini, scallions, 3 garlic cloves, a head of broccoli, and 2 avocados.

It was all cool and delicious looking (and tasting!)



They even throw in an "extra" each week. This week it was fresh oregano from their garden!



I made stuffed zucchinis and zucchini bread using just 2 zucchinis (spell that word three times in one sentence!). I had to hollow out the zucchinis so I used the inside in my bread recipe.

These are basically: cooked sausage, Asiago cheese, sun dried tomatoes, and scallions. We hollowed one zucchini, stuffed it with the mixture and baked it at 350 degrees for 15 minutes! It was AWESOME. I highly recommend this meal to anyone who loves to have their meat and their vegetable all in one meal.



Hope you all are having a great week! Mine is much better than last week, phew!

Read more...