Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Wishful Wednesday....... June edition!

All this house planning and hot weather have led me dreaming about house fun - and new, work-appropriate summer outfits. Geez, the money I could spend! :-)

Originally $48, Currently $29.99

Originally $68, Currently $29.99 (but out of stock online!)

That's all for now....
XOXO,
Mrs. Jones

Monday, June 28, 2010

The purchasing begins!

Today, I found one of the duvet sets I had fallen in love with (thanks Mrs. Smith!) on Overstock.com for even cheaper than it had been listed at Kohl's online. Imagine my surprise when I fell in love with another in the same black-and-white color scheme!

I considered that I could spend double the combined price and not get one full set at most stores, so I got these two beautiful duvet sets to go in our future blue bedroom!

What do you think?


Because I'm totally in love. We'll probably get dark brown wood furniture (I'll show you that as soon as we decide) but I am just SO excited about having options! I can switch it up when I feel like. Heaven!

And the total price, including shipping for these two beauties? $99. Thanks Overstock! :-)

XOXO,
Mrs. Jones

(PS. Forgive the lack of Menu Monday. We did takeout. :-) haha)

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Fabulous Frugal Friday..... finally.

Happy Frugal Friday on Saturday everyone! I haven't been couponing much at all lately. We're rather well-stocked on everyday items (except for paper products - GEEZ!) so I don't have a lot of fun to share this week.

Here are a few freebies I've seen lately.

Wal-Mart FREE bodycology sample

Get a FREE Nexcare sample

Wal-Mart FREE Three Dog Treat sample

Wal-Mart FREE Cottonelle sample

I did have a rather victorious shopping experience at CVS earlier this morning. I'll post that this week. I got $35 worth of stuff for $7! So happy.

Enjoy these links, even if they are a day late!
XOXO,
Mrs. Jones

Thursday, June 24, 2010

A Real Life Wife-tested, Eve Belle-approved......

Good morning lovelies!

Well, I have much to tell  you and let you see! Last week (I think it was last week at least - it's been a blur), we signed the contract for our very first house! I'm so excited. We will be moving (and closing) by the end of July!

What do you think? :-)



This is my favorite recent picture of sweet Eve Belle! She's checking out her future backyard. She approved, in case you can't tell!


Life has been such a whirlwind lately with work, thesis survey stuff (blah!), and OODLES of house stuff on the horizon. Forgive my sporadic blogging. Without a laptop, it's gotten so, so much harder!

Happy Thursday - it's almost the weekend!
Mrs. Jones

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Menu Monday: Borrowed style

Well, my poor Menu Monday has suffered lately! But today, we're back to Menu-ing it up, with a fabulous recipe that was shared on a different Menu Monday post by the dear Mrs. Smith!

Stuffed Shells by Mrs. Smith
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
1/2 box Jumbo Shells pasta
Larger container Part-Skim Ricotta Cheese (I think 15oz. is the size.)
1/2 c. Low-fat Mozzarella, divided
1/4 c. Low-fat Cheddar
1/4 c. Fresh Grated Parmesan
Salt & Pepper to Taste
A couple shakes of Italian Seasoning (That's a totally technical and specific term here in Tennessee.)
Large jar of Marinara Sauce - your choice. (We choose Trader Joe's Organic Marinara.)
Optional: Italian Sausage of some sort. (Our sort is TJ's Sweet Italian Pork Sausage.)

Directions:
1. Cook shells according to instructions on the box.
2-1. If you're using meat, cook in a skillet and drain excess fat.
2-2. Mix the cheeses and dry seasonings together in a bowl. (Use 1/4c. Mozzarella here.)
3. When shells are cooked and drained, run cold water over them to cool them.
4. Add a thin layer of the marinara to the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
5. Add meat to shells first. Then top with a spoonful of the cheese mixture. Add the filled shells to a 9x13 pan as they are filled, open-end facing up.
6. Cover shells with remaining marinara. Top with remaining Mozzarella.
7. Cover pan with foil and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Like, really? Check these pictures out:







Doesn't that just look delicious? Mr. Jones ate it up - and promptly asked for it again (only half-jokingly) the next night. It's on tap for a night in the next week for sure though.

Enjoy!
Mrs. Jones

(And I have so much to tell you about the house, life, Eve, weddings, and more! I'll try to type up a blog in my e-mail that I can post when I get home rather easily!)

Friday, June 11, 2010

Puppy musings....

Well hello!

Eve Belle here to talk to you tonight. Mom's been crazy busy, and I'm kind of tired of it. She has to work all day everyday now, and I don't really like being left at home alone. I've been destroying my toys rather quickly just to prove a point, but Mom and Dad keep buying me more. I don't think they get it.

BUT..... I feel like something is going on. Mom and Dad were so excited last night when we went for a car ride. They brought my fluffy frisbee and I wasn't sure what was going on. I'm still not. But we stopped, and got out at a place that I'd never seen before. We went inside. It was totally empty and they kept walking around and making notes and talking about possible colors and furniture.

Then, I got to do the most fun thing in the world. Mom and Dad opened the back door of this strange place,and turned me lose in a huge, fenced in back yard. I was so happy that I literally floated on air in between massive bounds across the back yard. We played frisbee and I ran and bounded around until my little fluffy self was beyond tuckered out.

I really like that place. I hope we go back. Maybe, just maybe...... it can be my new home?

Licks and snuggles,
Eve Belle

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

The first twinge of fear....

My dream for quite a while has been to move out of our little condo where Mr. Jones lived for years before we even met. and into our own house. Space. A backyard. No neighbors that share our walls. You know, that big HOUSE dream. :-)

Well, after a couple of months of perusing houses online, scoping out neighborhoods and more, we've got a little list. We've narrowed the list to just a few. And, tomorrow, we're going to see the very first one on our list.

I'm ecstatic.
I'm hyper.
I'm worried.
I'm nervous.
I'm happy.
I'm afraid.

Now that I know we're going to see one of our (on paper) three favorite houses, it feels different. I can't wait to see if we're right about what we want. I can't wait to buy our first home.

But.... Mr. Jones swung by Home Depot on the way home from grabbing our free Chick-Fil-A spicy chicken sandwiches tonight. And he purchased a "For Sale by Owner" sign. My heart stopped a little. This is by no means a money issue. My in-laws own our condo and graciously let us stay here. We pay all the bills, but it was nice to not have the stress of a mortgage when Mr. Jones didn't have a job. We've been able to save. To have fun. To grow into our space. And now we've outgrown it. We're ready to buy a place that is only ours - ours alone.

I'm ready to start the next phase of our lives, but when he paid for that sign, I died a little inside. This is real. It's starting. It's such a huge thing. I'm scared we will mess up. I'm worried we won't love what we choose. I'm frustrated knowing it could be a long process.

So.... those are my thoughts this Tuesday evening. Thoughts? Suggestions? Advice? I love hearing from you guys on major life topics. It makes my night. I've much to tell you. Coupons. Freebies. Chick-Fil-A. Pictures. Surviving bridezilla's wedding weekend. Getting IRB approval for my thesis survey..... all that jazz.

But for tonight, that's all I've got.
XOXO,
Mrs. Jones