$100 Grocery Budget for the Month

(A beautiful double rainbow)

(And a promise from God)

     Ever wonder how in the world you can go to the store and spend hundreds of dollars of groceries. As you push your cart out the door you wonder what exactly you bought that cost so much. And I know that when I went to the store as a child with my mother we all wanted these cookies, or that cereal. 

     I feel that we spend so much on groceries and it's only my husband and I! No little kiddies yet. So, I got the urge to do a revamp on my kitchen cupboard cooking. Check out what I did for this here. It's basically cooking from  you have for one month and only buying milk or other have-to-have items.

     The challenge: One month with $100 for groceries.

     To make sure I only spend that amount I got it as cash and have it in a separate part of my billfold.

     We're currently one week in and here's the breakdown of spending:

          Wal-Mart: Only $12.00!  Thanks to sticking to the list!

          Hy-Vee: $40.00  There were some great sales.

          Aldi: $3.00   Woo-Hoo! Only milk and sugar.

     Grand total left for three weeks: $45.00. I can do it! It's been great. The past couple of nights we've had chicken Parmesan over spaghetti, grilled salmon and loaded baked potatoes. 

     I'll keep you posted on how the rest of the month plays out.

"Lord I trust you
To move in miraculous ways!
Now I feel your arms around me
And I'll worship you all of my days
And give you praise"

Unconditional by SonicFlood

Workout Challenge: Husband Vs. Wife

(Fresh fruit picked from my parent's backyard)

     I have challenged my husband to see who can work out more. Men love competitions. Give them a simple game and they will go all out, like they're going to get a gold medal for winning. Yet, this is one thing I love about my husband. I casually suggest we should see who works out more and for the next couple of days he asks who is winning. 

     I chose to start this competition one day too early! That morning he mountain biked 3 1/2 hours! Way to go Erin, put yourself immediately in last place. And then I allow him to count busting up concrete. (My parents are replacing their driveway) And yes, it is hard work, especially in hot weather! My beloved racked up 4 more hours. His total: 7 1/2 hours.  My total: 2 1/2 hours....

     Oh, I will put up a fight! I'll be like the tortoise; slow but steady. And then we'll see if he can catch up! 

     One thing is I haven't picked when it should end, either a set number of hours, or a set time (like a month).

     My husband suggested ending it now, because he is winning! Yeah, right.....

     I'll update you on the results and what the prize is for winning this challenge. Let the workouts begin!

If you are interested in my previous posts please check out my old blog:  SimplyErin.weebly.com.

"I lift my heart in worship. Taken by the truth, that You are God. 

Silenced by Your virtue. Surrendered and in awe of who You are."

Song: Bless the Lord by Shaun Groves

LAMININ-
Do you know what it is?

It's a protein found in our body. It is a cell adhesion molecule. It holds our cells together. It's the glue of the human body. You might wonder my point. Without Laminin our bodies wouldn't function. Likewise without Christ, without God, holding us together we will fall apart. Check out why Laminin is so cool, see what it looks like below:
Check out Louie Giglio's talk on Laminin at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e4zgJXPpI4

Under the Weather and a New Job!

So I started a "new" job at a different branch of the library. I consider it "new" because it's a new location, new people and some new responsibilities. And it's full time,,,, never worked a full time job before. I know, crazy right? But I love it. I love what i do and I will probably be with the library forever (even though I want to be a stay at home mom) Don't know how i'm going to manage that. :)

So, with starting a 40 hour a week job last week i was also sick for a week. Nothing to keep me from going to work but just made me want to stay in bed and have no appetite. Enough about that, I need my time to craft!! Night time is when i'm going to have to do it because that's the only free time i have (well that and the weekends). I need my fabric, thread and a sewing machine time like a caffeinaholic needs her afternoon pick-me-up. Lame simile i know but my brain is fried. Later ya'll thanks for reading my ramblings.

Erin
"Appreciate the little things in life and don't take them for granted"

Photo Taking Pics of Purses

So, I've spent the good part of the last two hours taking pictures of the purses that i've made. You know what; it's difficult to get the lighting and position and all that just right! To bad it's not a cloudy day, just might've made it a little easier for me. But i do believe they turned out pretty darn good. :) Now all i have to do is upload them and get them onto my etsy. Oh the world of etsy, so much fun but also so much work. It's hard making a living with my crafts, well i guess that's why I have a "real" job. It also doesn't hurt that my strong handsome **winkwink** husband is the bread winner of the family. You know what, i'd craft even if i didn't sell anything, i love it and i always will. And so, this is my very first entry in my very first blog ever. I feel like it went quite well. So, off to do more crafts!

Simply Erin