Philippians 3:14 Friday

I hate that I'm so late in posting my goals update today, but we've had some scary tornadoes to deal with this afternoon (including tennis-baseball sized hail!). Thankful the Lord protected all of my family and our houses!

April Goals Update

Daily goals

• I have spent time in God's Word everyday this week. Some days it hasn't been a long time with Him, but it has been a little each day. I finished Galatians today. I've been so blessed the last few days in studying the Fruits of the Spirit!
• I have not started my "prayer journal" yet, but I did get the journal, so that's a start.
• I've remembered to take my vitamins everyday
• Exercise: I've worked out 4 times at Curves in the last week and took one bike ride. Not up to where I want to be, but will still work on it.
• I have read 15 minutes everyday but 1!

Reading

• Have 1 chapter left in Feminine Appeal

Projects

• We didn't get the garden planted because it's been so cold this week.
• Got a lot of wedding presents unpacked and worked on cleaning up my office. I will show pictures at the end of the month!

Homemaking

• I went to bed all but 1 night this week with no dirty dishes in the sink!
• I've done pretty well sticking to my menu, although my sweet hubby surprised me on Monday night by getting a gift card to Outback with his credit card rewards. It was a great date night!
• Work is going ok this week. I should have 20 hours done by tomorrow evening.

I love having the accountability of posting my goals and updating my progress! Be sure to head over to Which Proverbs 14:1 Woman? to see more Philippians 3:14 Friday posts.

Johnny Jump Up

Today I splurged and got a Johnny Jump Up for the little girl I take care of. She loves it and I love that she's "confined" and having fun at the same time!

She's so cute!

It's great for eating and sleeping too! LOL!

The Joy of the Lord

Today I am thankful for the joy of the Lord! I struggle with worry and stress. Not always with things in my own life, but stuff that my family and friends are going through as well. Here are two verses the Lord has been bringing to my mind the last few days:

Nehemiah 8:10
The joy of the Lord is your strength

Psalm 16:11
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore

• I am thankful for God's ever-present strength. I am so weak.
• I am thankful for the joy I have in my future with Christ.
• I am thankful for the joy that comes in knowing/remembering that the Lord is directing the path of my life (and the lives of my family and friends)!

Head over to Heavenly Homemakers to check out more Gratituesday posts!

Super Savings Saturday

Publix

• Whole Chicken
• Sweet Potatoes
• Bird's Eye frozen brussel sprouts
• McCormick pure vanilla extract
• Del Monte diced tomatoes
• Breakstones sour cream

Value $22.16

Sales & coupons $12.60

Total oop $9.56 (including tax)

Kroger

• Tortilla chips
• Paper towels
• All purpose flour (had a coupon, usually get at Aldi)
• Frank's hot sauce
• French Fried onions
• Luzianne tea bags
• 2 Sargento finishers
• Tennessee Pride sausage
• 4 (24oz) bags of shredded cheese
• Orange Juice
• Bell pepper
• Apples
• Bottled water

Value $70.24

Sales & coupons $27.11

Total oop $43.13 (including tax)

Aldi

• 10lb bag potatoes
• Zucchini
• Spinach
• Lemons
• Grapefruit
• Chocolate chips
• Soft tortillas
• Graham cracker pie crust
• Pepperoni
• Parsley flakes
• Paprika
• 2 cream cheese
• Sweetened condensed milk

Total oop $20.13 (including tax)

I'm pretty happy with my shopping trip this week. Lately I've been really pressuring myself to keep a $60 budget, but it hasn't been working. Alot of the things I got this week are the more expensive "brand," but it's what my hubby likes the best, and that's ok. What's the point for me to try to save so much money getting "cheaper" brands (or doing without) if my husband isn't going to be happy? I want him to enjoy his meals and snacks. I look at it as a way I can serve him. I know this point of view is not for everyone, but I think it's the best for my situation.

Be sure to stop by Money Saving Mom to see how other bloggers did this week!

Philippians 3:14 Friday

I am so excited to participate in Philippians 3:14 Fridays over at Which Proverbs 14:1 Woman! It's great accountability! I've actually never written down my goals (awful, I know!), so some may seem a little crazy, but I'll learn as I go.

My goals for April

Daily goals

• Spend time in God's Word. I would like to finish reading/studying Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians by the end of the month.
• Write down prayer requests that I come across on other blogs or hear at church so that I remember to pray for them daily.
• Take my vitamins everyday
• Exercise - workout at Curves 3-4 times/week, take a walk or bike ride on the other days
• Read at least 15 minutes/day

Reading

Finish reading:

• Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney
• A Wife After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George
• Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow

Projects

• Plant the garden (we're trying square foot gardening this year)
• Finish unpacking wedding gifts (now that I have shelves to put them on!)
• Clean up my office and spare bedroom. They are the catch-all rooms right now

Homemaking

• Wash all dirty dishes before going to bed each night (have done this successfully for a week and loved waking up to a clean kitchen!)
• Stick to my menu plan and weekly grocery budget
• Work 20+ hours/week (I work from home and have the hardest time getting in enough hours)
  

Well, that's all I can think of right now. I think these goals are pretty doable. Guess we'll see next week!

Things I Love Thursday - Road Trips

Last week I went on a road trip to South Carolina to visit family and one of my very good friends. I stayed in the dorm at the university I attended several years ago. Talk about lots of memories! I definitely don't miss dorm life although I do miss my friends! Here are a few pictures from my trip:

Me and my awesome friend Cassie. She was in my wedding last summer and I'm in her wedding this summer! We are kindred spirits!

This is me with my sister & her baby and a dear lady that was like a mom to us when we were at college away from home!

My FAVORITE road trip snack - Fritos (which are gluten-free! yay!) and Hershey's dark chocolate! I certainly needed something to keep me awake during the long drive home!

I thought the sunset was cool.

Even though I was only gone 1 night, it was a nice change of pace for me. I think it's good to get away sometimes to refocus on what's really important to us. I get in a rut a lot and forget to be thankful for the little things about home and my hubby. It was a great trip, but I'm so happy to be at home!

Be sure to stop by The Diaper Diaries to check out what other bloggers love!

Life today

I haven't been doing a whole lot today besides taking care of a darling (sometimes grumpy) 9 month old little girl. We have so much fun together! We made a fleece blanket today. It's a birthday gift for a 10 year old boy we know.

While I tied knots, little darling worked hard with the tape measure...

Then she decided she wanted to tie knots too...We made a great team! :)

Btw, the blanket was camo on one side and lime green on the other. Turned out very cute! Click here if you'd like to make one too!