Happy New Year!!

Well...Almost....45 minutes to go. Our plans changed last minute due to the weather, snow and below freezing temperatures. We just were not sure if we would risk the back roads of Lincoln county on a crazy night anyway...so here we sit.

We had a fun night of playing cards, drinking sparkling wine from our crystal champagne flutes, munching on snacks, and a little tech time (iPad/Wii). It's been nice, not having to dress up, sitting around in lounge pants, and doing whatever we want :-) the baby is asleep in her crib, and I am hanging with my best friend getting ready to ring in another year of our life together.

Looking back on my 3 New Years resolutions from last year I met them all! We have been making our own laundry detergent, and dishwasher soap, I have greatly increased the amount of veggies I eat, and I have had a few more outings with friends and hubs minus the baby.

For this next year here are a few things I would like to do:
1) BE PRODUCTIVE...YET CALM - this is my number 1 goal for the year, take a deep breath because these moments will not happen again....
2) continue to be healthy and loose more weight- this year I met my goal (one day before New Years).... But none the less I met it and surpassed it by .4 pounds :-)
3) meal plan- really because I like it.....and dabble in freezer meals- instead of going to Time For Dinner
4) try a couple new gym classes- I was thinking 1/month, but that seems lofty as of now, considering I do 0.
5) sell our house- can I make this a goal if I have NO control over it?
6) talk hubs into adding to our family {am I allowed to say that?}

I am hoping for a great year for my family and friends- with lots of laughter and travels. Cheers!

Merry christmas!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Can you believe 2012 is almost over!!

What a wonderful Holiday season we have had, we celebrated with my grandma on Christmas Eve Eve by going out to lunch with her and my parents. I always love seeing my grandma :-)

On Christmas Eve we headed to my parents house and opened presents with my parents and brother and his family. Allie got so many things! Cute clothes, boots, a little rocking chair, books, a baby doll, and so much more! Scott and I got a bread maker, and I got lots of coffee for my Keurig :-) the bread machine is great so far!

On Christmas we headed out to Troy to celebrate with my in-laws. I wasn't feeling the best in the morning, but thought it would go away once I ate some food. Well....turns out brunch just made me even more sick. We opened so many wonderful gifts, including clothes, PJ's, coffee, beer, and slippers for Scott and I. Allie got a grocery cart, stroller, baby dolls with handmade diapers/wipes/diaper bag, clothes, a pouf, and so much more!

Unfortunately after making it through all the gift giving, I was NOT feeling good at all...Scott was awesome enough to pack up the car and we promptly headed out. I hated to leave in such a rush, but I was hurting bad...yuck...Scott did an awesome job getting Allie all together, brought her inside where she took another 3 hour nap! Wow! I was impressed, and that time was great for me to get a little better. I had body aches and chills all day :-(

We did not celebrate our Christmas at home until the following day, because I was not feeling well. Scott and I exchanged gifts, he got me Coach perfume, and I got him a DVD and a case for his Raspberry Pi. We stuck to a list of 4 things for Allie- I found this idea on Pinterest. I felt like it was a good way not to go overboard on toys and such this year.
1 thing you need- snack cup, and bowl
1 thing to read- an Olivia book
1 thing to wear- a puddle jumper for when we go to the pool
1 thing you want- a water and sand table!

What a great holiday week! Enjoy the pictures!

(And I didn't gain a pound thanks to having the stomach flu....)

6 ways I save $$$

Throughout the day I always do something that reminds me that I need to write a blog, or I come across something that would be a good topic for a blog...but those ideas are always short lived and with a few passing minutes I forget what my thought was. AND THEN....when I go to write the blog I have no idea what to say.

So I will just write about a few money savers:

Lately Scott and I have been giving more thought to the money that we spend on a monthly basis. We sat down and discussed where to cut corners, and cut back, so that we can save enough money to be comfy when it comes to selling our home and buying a new one. Here are a few things we do to save $$:

1) no more cable/dish/extra TV

2) make our own laundry detergent- seriously this saves SO MUCH $$ and it could not be easier- we use this recipe- http://www.livingonadime.com/homemade-laundry-detergent-2/

3) make our own dishwasher detergent- again this is super easy and costs MUCH less than buying pre made detergent at the store. We use this recipe- http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/02/homemade-dishwasher-detergent-revised.html

4) pre plan meals for the week and only buy things on the grocery list (or if there is a super good deal)

5) cutting back on going out to eat- really we don't need the calories of going out to eat, and I already pre planned the meals, so this is not needed much any more.

6) participate in local FREE activities- we have always been a couple that likes to explore what our city has to offer, now we just get to experience things as parents with a toddler attached

And here are 2 things we could give up if we had too, but I would be very sad about:
1) our smart phones
2) our gym membership


Well...u til next time...hopefully I will have a better idea of what to blog about...but to make up for this one here is a cute picture of my baby girl saying "cheese"....