Crockpot Menu Plan

Well the Convec Oven is out of commission this week and I am spoiled using it.

So I decided to try out several new Crockpot recipes.  A very Fall-ish plan!

Sunday - Brunswick Stew

Monday - Kansas City Sue's Chicken served over rice and with Broccoli

Tuesday - Maple Brown Sugar Ham with baked sweet potatoes

Wednesday - Leftover Ham with Mac n Cheese and baked apples

Thursday - Ham Panini Sandwiches with Veggie Pasta Salad

Friday - Dinner out

Saturday - Homestyle Beef Stew with fresh rolls

For other great menu ideas check out Organizing Junkie.

Small Town Festivals

It is that time of year.

Fall Festivals and Homecoming Celebrations.

This weekend I attended a local Homecoming Festival.

Come on along as we walk small town USA.

The streets were lined with local vendors.

Beautiful Fall wreaths, the antiques were rather pricey.

A beautiful breezy morning walk.

Grab a sidewalk seat, cause it's time to...

Bring on the Parade!

with a local band.

Fire truck!

Uncle Sam and a very good doggie.

It is not a country parade without tractors!

Small green tractors...

Big red tractors....

 and really old tractors.

and horses closing out the parade.

After we browsed the booths, ate a funnel cake

and bumped into neighbors and friends.

It was down the street to the Car Show.

Love the color blue on this one.  Check out the front tag.  ;-)

From country to class...

High class.

I hope you enjoyed our little country festival.  It was a wonderful way to spend a Saturday morning, enjoying the simple things in life.

What simple things did you enjoy this weekend?



Sweet Shot Tuesday

I love Rustic.  I {heart} old things. 

My cameras eye; under a part of the old barn.
Simple, yet intertwined.
Old with new.

Check out other beautiful photos at:

Weekly Menu Plan

E-Mealz Breakfast for Dinner, from last week

Monday - Lasagna and garlic bread

Tuesday - Oven BBQ Chicken, baked sweet potatoes and broccoli (rolled from last weeks menu)

Wednesday - Pintos and cornbread

Thursday - Leftovers, add Potato salad

Friday - Loaded Baked potatoes, broccoli

Saturday - Pork Chops with baked apples

Sunday - Brunswick stew with crackers (picking up from local BBQ place)

This week is pretty simple and filled with old stand by meals.  Finally made the Bourbon Chicken Sunday night and it was easy, quick and delicious!

Bourbon Chicken and Rice

We also tried 2 recipes from E-Mealz last week and both were VERY good.  However, this week's selections were not to our taste buds.  So the above menu is built around meat we already have in the freezer.  Huge savings in grocery budget.  For hundreds of menu planning ideas check out Menu Plan Monday links at Organizing Junkie.

My Birthday Recap

“This is the gift – to have the wonderful capacity to appreciate again and again, freshly and naively, the basic goods of life, with awe, pleasure, wonder, and even ecstasy.” ~ Abraham Maslow

 Me, September 9, 2010 sporting my American Eagle casual T that I picked up at the Goodwill for 99 cents. ;-) It is such a comfy shirt.

I was treated to a birthday dinner at...

I ate this....

Mobile phone pic of my dinner

Then I had this...

It isn't a birthday celebration without cake and ice cream!

Earlier in the day I stopped in a few of my favorite thrift stores only to come out empty handed.

I stopped in a little garden shop and found a clearance table, where I purchased myself a little birthday gift.

I love this!  Marked down from $24.95 to $5.  What a steal!

On Friday, I used one of my other birthday presents....

A gift certificate to indulge myself....

the deluxe pedi to

Pretty toes!

A few days off work, a celebration of Life and a little indulgence.

A very good birthday indeed.

Happy Birthday ! to Me

"All I'm after is a life FULL of Laughter"

Yep, I was born this day over ... years ago.

oh who's really counting, right?

I can be goofy and silly.  Most of the time I'm all 'grown up'.  Is that because I am the oldest of 3 girls?

My younger sister, Sonya and me.

Or maybe that adult thing comes from raising these...

Both of which are now 'officially' grown, since the baby girl is now 18.

Or so they think. ;-)

So it's time for Mom to kick back, let my hair down and act like a kid if I want!  First, I took the day off work.  (can't let the kid in me out while running an office!) 

I've hung the 'Cook's Off' sign in the kitchen and I am going to play!

Maybe in a field of these....

Photo compliments of Christy Burgess ~ Visions to Images Photography

See ya'll tomorrow with more....
How did you celebrate your Birthday this year?

Goodwill Glamorous - Shoes Edition

Welcome to my 3rd edition of Goodwill Glamorous! 

Find the Dress edition here and the skirt edition here. 

This week is all about Shoes.  Yeah, I know, I once was a shoe snob.  Wouldn't fathom bringing home a pair of 'used' shoes.  I have changed my tune.  What I've found is new and really nice almost new shoes to compliment my GW outfits for mere dollars.  If it gives you the heebie jeebies, just wipe them out with a Lysol cleaning cloth.

Adorable chunky stylish Mudd sandals - $2.00 (50% off of the regular GW price of $4.00) These appear to have never been worn!

 I wear tons of sandals to work, I like them comfy for those days where I have a lot of standing to do.  These Naturalizer's in brown are perfect!

$4.00

Black sandals - $4.00

Kim Rogers in black, more comfy than the above pair and brand new - $4

Need something classic and dressy?

How about these ~

Brand new Naturalizer pumps; $3.48 on half off day. 

Cooler Fall temps mean the sandals will have to be put away soon.

So I have been on the hunt for a few closed shoes.

This black pair of heeled loafers will look great with dress slacks or jeans.

$2.00 - half price color of the week.

Thrilled to find this stylish pair:

BRAND NEW Bare Trap Leather clogs

If you purchase them in the store they are around $89!

My GW price - $4.00

These cuties are my 'big find' in shoes so far.  If you would like to see a post with photos of more high end shoes and a lady that wears them.  Check out my new bloggin friend Dee over at A Little Junk in my Trunk.  She not only buys for herself, you will be AMAZED at the Eddie Bauer 'look' that she put together for her brother, all from the "G-Dub".

****I will be linking in to some thrifty and frugal parties this week, check them all out in my Blog Parties Link at the top of my page.

This Weeks Dinner Meals

One thing I have learned while meal planning is to be flexible.  It's great to have a plan, but we all know sometimes plans do not go the way we plan them!  This week's change of plans included being invited to dinner with friends twice.  I call that a GOOD change in plans.  Last week I had two new recipes on the menu to try out.  Still have the ingredients, so they will get rolled into this week's menu.

Monday - Cookout with friends

Tuesday - Grilled Honey Mustard Pork Chops with veggies

Wednesday - Breakfast for dinner (recipe from E-Mealz)

Thursday - Dinner out, it is my birthday!

Friday - Another easy E-Mealz recipe

Saturday - Oven BBQ Chicken, baked sweet potatoes, broccoli

Sunday - Bourbon Chicken and Rice

I had already meals planned around chicken purchased on sale last week.  This past week I found out I was the lucky winner of a 3 month free subscription to E-Mealz (you can read about that here).  Being week one for me, I used some of their ideas to fill in my menu planning.  I love that E-Mealz takes the time out of menu planning by having the meals, recipes and even a shopping list included!