simplfiy.

Since adjusting to living on one income and still trying to save some excess I have been brainstorming ways to simplify our life and be a bit more frugal.  I found a great budgeting worksheet and have been keeping every receipt (reciept?) so we can track our spending and see what we need to be more frugal with and how much we spend on different things.

We got in a bad habit of eating out too frequently this past year.  When we were both working 40-50 hours a week we would get home at 6 or 7 in the evening and grabbing fast food or sandwiches on the way home was so much more convenient.

Now that baby and I have a bit more spare time at home I have been researching things to simplify our life a bit.  Finding tips on organizing,  getting creative with things we have already around the house, and finding DIY projects and natural cleaning products instead of pricey ones full of chemicals have really been interesting and fulfilling to me. 

One thing I have enjoyed is creating a weekly menu and grocery list.  Each week when I go to the grocery store I only purchase what is on my list for the week for each meal (and fresh produce to snack on).  It has really helped us cut back on expensive snacks, or over buying and then wasting food. 

Here are some of my meals I've been cooking.  They are all from Pinterest because I'm trying new recipes instead of the usual tacos, sloppy joes, spaghetti, ect.  (if you want the recipes they are on my pinterest page).  I have loved trying new recipes, and these are super quick and delicious! 


oven baked chicken

super moist crock pot roast

crock pot meatballs

homemade tomato soup

olive garden soup

spaghetti pie

 

creamy crock pot chicken

lamp re-vamp.

I had this lamp from Ikea that we replaced for a different one in our bedroom. I might as well re-use it in Eli's room, but it was... boring.  Add a few felt giraffes and elephants and its whimsical and fun!

 

 

 

 

Someday I'll need it if baby ever sleeps in his room :)  He slept through the night two nights in a row this week, so I was thinking the day may come when he'd sleep in his nursery, but since then he's wanted to eat every 2-3 hours day and night!  Growth spurt maybe?  Even though its pretty exhausting to look at that clock at 1:00 AM, 3:00 AM, and 5:00 AM, during the night as I wake up to feed him, I love his cuddles and smiles enough that its worth it :) 

 

a touch of fall.

Yesterday I added just a few touches of autumn to our nest to welcome in fall.  I told myself I couldn't decorate until the table was finished just to make decorating a little more fun with new furniture.  

 

Although its always sad to see the warm summer leave us, I do love a good high school football game, cider, sweatshirts, snuggling in fuzzy blankets with my bebe, and watching the world bring out new and beautiful colors of fall! 

 

 

 

 

 

That sums up all the decorations I own!  I just can't justify spending money on decorations I only use a few months out of the year, so I made or repurposed most of these things, but I still think it looks a little bare.  But its only September, I have time!

monkeyin' around

 

yea, he grows mustaches (out of monkey fur)

 

 

snuggles

 

 

football fridays.

Yep, we're football fanatics.  This friday was spent in the bleachers of Herriman High School, and Eli loved every minute of it!  He was the star of the show with his football gear his aunt Jessica made him :)

 

 

Sit and Dine.

Our table was a very generous gift from Bryan's aunt and uncle that belonged to his grandpa.  We used it and loved it for 3 years but it was worn out!  We wanted to buy a new dining room table when we got back from Alaska, but after looking our small budget was not going to

 buy much more than a coushin! 

The prices were outrageous so we re-did our table instead!  It cost about 25 dollars for the supplies to paint and varnish the table, and we purchased new chairs.  Perfect!  We were going to stain the top a walnut color and paint the bottom half black, but after we sanded the top the rings, scratches, chips, and water marks were too prevelant so we opted to go all black instead, and we love it!

 

 



sanding all the finish off the base and legs first.  (sorry its blurry)  But Baby was out here for a lot of it, and was a great helper.  (we put him inside while we varnised with the stinky fumes though!)



 



Coat #1



 

painting the top of the table

 

polyurithane finish

 

all done!

There are things we would have done different in hind sight, but we are both really please with it!  We celebrated our new table by having homemade chicken artichoke pizza.... yum!

Christmas already?

While we were gone in Alaska, I put my etsy shop on hold.  I have been selling more things recently, and am enjoying making these fun crafts. I love to sew and crochet, but if I only made things for me, our little apartment would be filled to the brim with stuff!  I wish my little shop

would get a bit busier, but its a start.

 

Funny thing is, my sewing machine died this week.  And when people buy things in sizes I don't already have made, I need to sew them.  See the problem?  haha

 

For Christmas the only thing I want is a new sewing machine, but I guess Christmas is today because we're going shopping now! (I do realize it may take a LOOOONG time to pay off the cost of the machine) but I have needed a new one anyway, mine is pretty darn worn out.  I love to sew and am slowly getting into quilting.  This new machine will last for many years and I'm excited to try it out! 

 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Lifelizziestyle

I got 250 free business cards through Vistaprint,
so I can include them with my purchases!  It makes me feel official :)

 

my helper.

When I was little I would "help" my mom fold laundry.  In reality it meant sitting next to her then she would throw all the warm freshly dryed towels and blankets on me so I could snuggle in them while she really did the folding.  It was just so warm and comforting. 

 

Today I covered Eli in the warm laundry, and of course he loved it.  We even folded hats out of washclothes for the occasion :) 

 

Playin' in the basket

 





 

That hat is a requirement when folding laundry!

 

 

 

more of the munchkin

I do realize I pretty much only post about baby... but that's all I do all day!  I run a few errands (with baby) clean house (with baby in front pack sometimes), make dinner (hopefully during nap time) but baby and I are a team!

And this little one sure is a happy guy!  His laugh is contagious, and when he starts to laugh, I laugh, then he laughs harder.  We don't get much done during the day, but we sure have fun doing nothing!

He's telling me where we should go for a walk

 

tickling those toesies

 

just playing with a new toy

fall is officially here.

We went to our first high school football game this weekend, which means fall is officially here!  Time to break out the apple cider, sweaters, crock pots, and my fall decorations! Yay!!

  We are working on refinishing our kitchen table these next couple weekends, so maybe i'll do a fall/table reveal!

 

Any who.... oh get it?  Hoo Hoo to my little mister owl.  I crack myself up...

He must be checkin out the cheerleaders :)

 

 

He snuggled in and watched the game for a few minutes :)

 

 

Kennecott Mine

How could we live in Utah for 2+ years and not go to the copper mine?  We on Labor Day and had a fun relaxing afternoon learning, walking, and ending a great afternoon with ice cream :)

This is how Eli started the tour :)

 

Boys...and trucks

 

Bottom of the mine

 

These dump trucks don't look very big, but check out the tires they use below

 

The blasted a section while we were watching

 


These tires cost 25,000$ each!



Family of 3

 

Saturday Bryan and I got to celebrate our 3rd year anniversary by going out to lunch. I can't believe how fast three year has gone.  A lot has happened in the past three and we have loved every minute of it, and it makes us curious to see what will happen in the three years to come! 

 

 Crystal watched babykins for us while we went out.  We kept thinking we needed to get him out of the car or check on him, but he was snuggled up with Crystal at home :)  

 

Looking at this picture he sure doesn't look like a two month old!  I must be feeding him ice cream instead of milk, but he sure loves to eat!

 

Life is so good :)

nap time.

Tummy time is tough



Baby slept in his crib for the first time

Sweet dreams.