Loving Home

Last night I arrived home from a wonderful ladies retreat. There were 28 of us which included at least 10 guests of our members. We studied ACTS = Adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication. It was wonderful and I gained alot of insight from our speaker - Tina. We were at Hy-Lake Camp in Tennessee and it was absolutely beautiful. The cabin was nice and clean and the kitchen facilities were amazing. Here are some pics from it.

I went to the doctor today for my three month diabetic checkup. Well my A1C is 9.3 way not good. My blood pressure is elevated and I had gained 10 pounds. So on to this months goals. 1. Remove junk food from house. 2. Lose at least 5 pounds (a must) 3. Do at least 30 mins of movement a day (either walking, Wii or swim class) 4. Check my glucose at least three times a day. Record it for doctor. 5. Read up on Byetta and let the doctor know what I think. 6. Finish FAFSA this month for Rachel.

It is the 2nd of March and it is time to see how I did last month. 1. Lose 5 lbs. = I only lost 1.5 pounds. 2. Cull through my clothes = I did a little bit more of this but still not done. 3. Get my taxes done as well as Ian's and Rachel's = they are all done but I need to fix Ian's and send it back out. 4. Pay down bills = Success !!!!!!!!!!!! I paid off two more bills for a monthly savings of $326.56. For the year so far: $439.56 5. Start Christmas gifts for 2011 = well I did some planning but did not finish the afghans. 6. Finish organizing coupons = I did get this done. 7. Stay in food budget = once again I was a little over.

Ok today I did my first shopping on the month. First off: Sam's Club 1 box Fiber One Bars 2 dozen bagels 1 pkg of Bath Tissue 1 case of Sun Drop (for dd) $35.99 Food Lion 10 boxes pasta 6 jars Ragu 2 Red Barons pizza 1 Texas Toast Cheese bread 1 TGIF potato skins 1 pkg chocolate chip cookie dough $16.85 I saved $46.68. I got the 10 boxes of pasta for free. I also got the cheese bread, potato skins and cookie dough were free with the purchase of the pizzas. I had coupons for the pasta, Ragu and pizzas. The cashier at Food Lion was kinda nasty when I asked for a rain check for the Dove deodorant. Spent: $52.84 Saved: 46.68 Left for the pay cycle (two weeks): $97.16

With a new month starting tomorrow I took the time to think about goals for February. Here we go. 1. The weight loss goal will stay the same = 5 pounds 2. I will continue to cull through my clothes and donate to Goodwill. 3. Get my taxes done as well as Ian's and Rachel"s. Have them all e-filed by the end of the month. 4. Continue to pay down bills. Total saved per month so far: $113 per month. 5. Start working on Christmas gifts. Finish afghans this month. 6. Finish organizing my coupons and start using them more consistently. 7. Stay within our budget. #6 will help a lot in this area. Like I did this month I will revisit at the end of the month.

Well it is the last day of January already. It seems like it was just New Years and here we are staring February in the face. I thought I would revisit my goals for this month. 1. Lose 5 pounds = not good. I gained 2 pounds. When I am stressed I eat and this was a stressful month. Even too much of good things are not good. 2. Cull through my clothes = I have started this but I am not done yet. 3. Get better organized for next tax season = Success !! I found an expandable folder that is designed for taxes and it has been placed where I can find it. I already have some of this years info in it already. 4. Don't buy craft supplies just because = I have had to buy some to finish a piece I am working on. I did buy some for my next project but I haven't spent a lot this month. 5. Pay down bills = Success again !! We have paid off a hospital bill this month. This has freed up $113 a month. Now on to the next bill. Now on to next month.

The other night I cook an 11.6 lb turkey. It was falling off the bone almost when I served it at dinner along with stuffing and green beans. A little taste of heaven ... yummm We have had turkey sandwiches today and tonight I think I am going to try turkey tetranzzi. I have found a new recipe that sounds good and I have all of the ingredients. :) If it is a keeper I will post the recipe. What are some of the things that you like to fix with cooked turkey? I will sometimes make a "thanksgiving" casserole. I also like to fix turkey stir-fry. Tomorrow I might serve some turkey with baked potatoes and carrots. Yummy