eMeals for Me!

Well, actually eMeals for my whole family! Today I signed up for eMeals.com, a meal planning site that was recommended by my close personal friend, Dave Ramsey. (Who also helped me score a 15% discount on my membership, thanks Dave!)  :) 

I have been having such a hard time lately coming up with good meal ideas, and I always feel like I'm throwing something together at the last minute. I know that this is completely the wrong approach and that I probably spend more time & money at the grocery store by not planning ahead. I think that just having a plan and shopping list will help cut down on the grocery bills, and will definitely save me time!

The way it works is that meal plans are emailed to members one week at a time.  When I joined, I got last week's plan and this week's plan. My next one should come out tomorrow, so already I have PLENTY of meal ideas! Members also get a weekly shopping list. Do your shopping once a week and fuggit-abowdit!

I signed up for the Family Natural/Organic plan, which is supposed to focus on recipes that are a little healthier. Sounds good to me! eMeals even does plans specific to a certain store (Whole Foods, Wal-Mart, Kroeger, Ralphs, etc...none of which are near me!) but not to worry...I'm pretty sure I can get most of what I need at my local grocery stores. And it will be gardening season soon, so that's a plus! 

I will try to update soon on how the plan is going. I'm excited...and hungry! :)

Close Call

Next weekend, Local BFF is getting married.  (Yeah for her!) :)

I am very happy for her and her fiance, and have the privilege of being a part of the wedding! And a year or so ago, when she asked me to be a bridesmaid, I thought it was way cool that she was letting us pick out our own dresses instead of sticking us with some icky brides-maidy thing that only looks good on 20 year olds.

Fast forward to last month - I found a dress I thought I really liked. I just had a little trouble getting it in my size. I first bought it in a size too big for me in another town. (Bargain shopper sales strategy - they were having a sale and I got a good price.) I knew I could return it at the store closer to home for the correct size. Well, I neglected to try on the new one until last week when I was matching my shoes. I had a little bit of a shock when I found that it fit just fine, BUT it was a good inch shorter than I expected! Not too appropriate for a 40-something bridesmaid, if you ask me. (As Sportsfan said, "Yeah, everyone would have been looking at you...not that you'd look bad, of course! It's just a little short.") Thanks for that, honey.

After a light-speed trip to the mall last Friday night, I found a great dress! I was ready to pay any price, but it was ON SALE, and it is much better for me than the micro mini I had before. Whew! Close Call! See picture below...(and yeah, that's not me. I wish.)

Really?

I'm sooooo sick of cracking eggs the old fashioned way!  I hate, hate, hate it!  With my new EZ Cracker, my troubles are over!!  I'm crackin' eggs all day long!

I Heart Candles

So it's getting cooler outside, and I'm in the mood for a new candle.  For some reason colder weather just makes me crave yummy smells in my house.  I figure, if I can't bake something and create those aromas on my own, I better hunt down some manufactured scents out there somewhere.  Anyway, I found a candle today at the local superstore-slash-lumberyard, Menard's.  It fit my candle criteria perfectly:


1) Smells good


2) Cheap!


$3.34 for a jar candle works in my budget.  BUT, what sealed the deal was the enticing description on the label.  "Cranberry, cinnamon & clove - with an exciting splash of ripened apple."  Imagine that - an exciting splash of apple!!  So right there, in the middle of the Halloween/candle/doormat aisle, I entered a dream-like trance, envisioning all the hard work that must have gone into this awesome candle.  I pictured the candle makers, chubby little men (almost Oompa-Loompa-ish) still sweaty after sprinting back to the candle factory from the orchard out back...baskets overflowing...rushing in to chop up their apples...and with an excited gleam in their eyes, adding the juice (just a splash) to the already delightful candles.  All of this for only $3.34!!


Maybe I read too far into product labeling, do you think?  Maybe I have a very strange imagination (yes, definitely!)  But being an advertising/marketing type person, I have to say...someone in the candle marketing department certainly earned their gold star today!