SSF: the rule breakers

Another week of the September Spending Freeze is down!  I wish that I could say that I had another super successful week, but I can't.  

Let me start with this: the week started off amazing!  I kept my head in the game, listened to my wants vs. needs, and definitely resisted the urge to run to Starbucks to get a pumpkin spice latte.  

Then, Wednesday happened.  I had been getting over a cold, Daniel was starting to feel sick, class went late, I hit traffic, was running on 4 hours of sleep (long story), and neither one of us was in the mood to cook.  Plus, my stomach was screaming "FEED ME"!  So, we ran to Panera Bread and got some scrumptious soup.  Therefore, we broke the "no eating out" rule.  

Then, I caved again this morning.  I was picking up a coffee for my boss for her birthday, had left my coffee mug at home, and temptation for a latte won over.  

There you go!  I definitely fudged on two rules.  Knowing that we broke the rules is slightly frustrating, but I don't plan on breaking another one for the rest of the month.  AND, I'm half-way there!  

This week I wanted to focus on one way that we have enjoyed the Spending Freeze: cooking!  I love to cook, it definitely is a stress relief for me, but sometimes I get bored with the meal planning and cooking the same things.  I decided to try new recipes so that I had something to look forward to.  Since we're not eating out, I decided we needed to spice things up a bit!

Monday Dinner: Fish Tacos with Lime-Cilantro Crema.  This is actually a big favorite in the LaFuze household from Cooking Light.  

Tuesday: Beef Stroganoff...in the Crock Pot!!!!  I was so excited to pull it my best friend:

Comfort meals to me include beef stroganoff.  My mom would make it using cream of mushroom soup, and I loved every bite of it.  Then, I found out she made it so much because it was such a cheap meal!  I haven't had it in years, so when I saw this crock pot recipe I could not wait to get my hands onto it.  

The best part was that the husband put everything together in the crock pot for me before he left for work.  All I had to do was boil the pasta when I got home and stir in some greek yogurt into the mix.  

I was slightly apprehensive...and I decided to play around with the computer this night for your enjoyment...

It was amazing!  When the husband got home later he tried it out and was surprised at how well it turned out!  It is definitely going into the recipe box.

Tip: After a meal I always package them up into separate containers so that the husband and I have easy access to leftovers for lunch at work.  I always love opening the fridge in the morning without a care of what to make for lunch.  I especially love taking scrumptious food to work!

Thursday: Mexican Quinoa with Grilled Chicken

We have made this recipe in the past, and the reason why I love it so much is that it not only tastes good but it also requires a lot of ingredients that I have already.  I just grilled up some chicken while it cooked, and voila!  Dinner was done!  

Leftovers were packaged up for tomorrow's lunch!  

Even though we didn't stick through all of our rules this week, I would say that it still was a success!  $15 on dinner and $3 on coffee only sets me back $18 this week.  

This week it seemed as though a bunch of added expenses popped up and it felt as though all of the money that we were saving went towards these.  My car needed new brakes and the computer needed a new cord :(

15 more days to go!!!

{encouraged} in the rut

This past week was... It just was.  

Have you ever had a day, or a week, where you just weren't happy?

Last week was that week for me.  I don't know if it was the change in schedule from work and school being in full force, or having a brand new set of students, or missing my free time to discover me, or....

I just don't know.  The hardest part of all was that looming feeling of guilt.  What do I have to be sad or unhappy about???  I have a job.  An amazing husband.  A beautiful little home.

Then, I got sick.  It's part of the job.  

And then I got a beautiful e-mail from a friend who was passing along a Proverbs 31 ministries devotional to me.  I had already gotten it in my inbox but hadn't read it yet.  Maybe God wanted me to read it twice?

“…He said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet 

and get some rest.’” Mark 6:31b (NIV 1984)

Then, I started looking through my Pinterest boards: 

  

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I constantly struggle with getting down on myself.  Continuing to fill my mind and body with such negative thoughts is so unhealthy and only holds me back to what I think I am capable of.  I am capable of so much more!

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My beautiful mother always said this to me.  It's definitely a "Becky-ism"!  Although there are no major things going on to create this "funk" I was in, I have to know that it is just a phase.  It is not what I'm destined for.  

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Amen!

Being sick, reading a perfect devotional, and reading through all of these encouraging pins made me realize that I need to rest.  I'm definitely a busy body.  My body needs to rest, and I find that when I rest I see who I am more clearly.  I become happy with who I am, what I do, where I have been.  

A good majority of my weekend was spent on the couch watching too many episodes of "Brothers and Sisters" on Netflix.  Typical Jamie would start getting down on herself for not being productive.  But, rest is just what I needed.  It was through resting that I prayed, sought after God's joy in my life, and realized that waking up each day with joy realizing I have one more day on this Earth makes so much more of an impact.  

Today was a beautiful day.  Although I'm still sick, I feel rested and alive.  I feel joyful and exuberant.  My students were amazing today.  I laughed...they laughed.  I came home after a 13 hour work/school day and laughed with the husband.  Laughter is what feeds my soul.  

I just had to add that this always brightens me up when I see it:

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Sweet Sunday

This week was a beautiful and crazy week.  D and I enjoyed a beautiful hike as we said good-bye to summer, and then I was off to work.  My work week was cut short due to the blackout, woo hoo!  Even though I only worked 3 days this week, I was left exhausted and ended up with a cold this weekend.  It's harder to think back on this week and decide what were successes for me because there was so much to this week.  Instead here are the things that brought me happiness:

Happiness is....

1. Scrumptious homemade brownies from one of my new students!

2. Brightening up our little home with some fresh daisies from the farmer's market.

3. Taking blurry pictures with my love!

4. The husband having Saturday off!!!  (Woot woot!)  Spent the entire day together, including him making me lie down and rest :)

5. Buying fresh, organic vegetables at the farmers market and cooking with them that night.

Seriously, these tomatoes tasted like candy!

6. Having an amazing dad and step-dad that have both served our country.  It is sad to look back on what happened to our nation 10 years ago, but encouraging to see how far we have come together as Americans.  I will forever be grateful for all military members and everything they do to protect us.  

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7. Realizing that somedays are hard and tough, but what matters most is remembering that you make an impact on a child.  This week was a tad bit difficult as I realized everything that you have to teach kindergarteners at the beginning of the year.  You work so hard to get them right where you want them, and then they move on to the next grade.  I saw this on Pinterest and it encouraged me to remember that there are struggles in teaching, but I have a direct impact on all of my students' and love them dearly.  

What has made you happy this week???