15 Day Challenge

So, the dear Mrs. Wasp from The Wasp's Nest tagged me in this post. So, I think this sounds fun, and I shall take part in it. :-)

Be looking for some fun (and apparently informative) posts to come over the next two weeks!

XOXO,
Mrs. Jones

Wordless Wednesday: Photo Booth

Photo Booth amuses me. See?

Menu Monday: No-Guilt Milk Shake

Since spring has (seemingly) sprung, and I keep feeling like it's almost summer, I've been craving some milkshakes and sweets that make me feel like a kid again.

I used my new, super fabulous Cuisinart Smart Stick Blender to whip up a new treat I found in a magazine a few weeks ago, so I thought I'd share:


No-Guilt Milk Shake
From Health magazine

Makes 2 servings
198 calories each

Ingredients:
1 cup chocolate low-fat frozen yogurt
1 cup 1 percent low-fat milk
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon agave syrup

Directions:
1. Place all ingredients in blender and puree until smooth.
2. Divide shake, serve.

Enjoy!!!!

XOXO,
Mrs. Jones

The Keychain Swap...

So, I hope everyone else thought the keychain swap was a success, because I absolutely loved hosting it and taking part in it.

I've put a linky-thing at the bottom of this post, so if you blogged (or are about to blog) about taking part in this, you can link up and we can all see what you got!

I swapped with Sweet Home Amy (yay!) and she sent me this little goody....

How cute is that?! I'm totally in love with it, and it's already on my key ring! Thanks Amy!

Hope everyone loved this. Can't wait to do another one!

XOXO,
Mrs. Jones

Gap love

So, forgive me if anyone is getting tired of my "I want to shop posts" but I've been having fun. 

On to today's topic. Gap. Seriously. 

There was a period of years, where I couldn't find anything I liked in that store to save my life. It all looked odd. But recently? Gap is rocking it. I'm in love with just about everything. I mean, I got 3 pairs of Gap City Flats and another pair of precious flats for under $30 total. So they have great sales too!

Then I saw this in a magazine. I die. It's close to sold out in the clearance section online, so I may have to check a store sometime and see if they have any. Because it's awesome.

And these shoes? I think I wear them at least three days a week to work. They are so incredibly comfortable I don't know what to do.

So, is anyone else kind of in love with Gap currently?

XOXO,

Mrs. Jones

Frugal Friday: A Fun Week

Oh. My. Goodness. It was such a fun couponing week, I can't even explain it. But I can show you pictures!!!

I paired a BOGO (buy one, get one free) sale at Rite Aid with a BOGO coupon, and only paid tax ($1.80) for $44 worth of nail products!

I got a sunscreen sample in the mail:

I snagged new shampoo for under $1 at Publix!

My Target freebie after stacked coupons:

And my Walgreen's trip, where I paid $4.87 for all of this, and got a $5 Catalina back. I do believe that is called MAKING money, right? I've heard great things about this toner too, so I'm really excited to open it tonight. Plus, I was out of my favorite Almay eye makeup remover pads, so this made things even better.

I do believe that's the extent of what I have to show you from my couponing this week. I enjoyed EVERY minute of it and can't wait for next week, because a lot of new deals are coming and it seems like it will be another great (ahem, geeky) week to be a couponer!

Did anyone else score some great deals this week?

XOXO,
Mrs. Jones

Muffy Martini Stationery Swap!

I signed up for the dear Muffy Martini's stationery swap a while ago, and hadn't gotten around to blogging about it. I've used umm..... almost all of the cute cards that Laura sent me, but I did have a few left to take a picture of!

I love Muffy's blog, and this swap was useful and such fun! Thanks for swapping with me Laura!

Have a great weekend everyone!
XOXO,
Mrs. Jones

The Perfect Alabama Weekend

Last weekend was perfect. In so many ways.

Alabama softball (then-ranked No. 2 in the country) swept No. 1 Georgia in a weekend series.

In the middle, Alabama Gymnastics won the SEC Championship on Saturday. It was a great weekend, and I got to see Friday and Sunday softball games, and gymnastics on Saturday.

I'm a proud Bama girl!

Roll Tide!

Mrs. Jones

Menu Monday: White Bean Turkey Chili

Happy Monday everyone!

It's another edition of Menu Monday, and I'm a little late in sharing this one. I've made it 3-4 times in the past few months, and I wanted to share it before it's too hot to enjoy it!

So, here it is...

Skinny Taste's White Bean Turkey Chili

Serve with yummy cornbread.

It's simple, and makes a lot, so it's great to have for lunches. I highly recommend adding the red onion on top, because it just gives it a great kick!

XOXO,

Mrs. Jones

Frugal Friday: Waiting on the Mail

So, it hasn't been a huge bargain hunting week. I did make out like a bandit with my grandma at Big Lots. :-) We found my favorite Rubbermaid Easy Find Lid containers for under $2. I am soooooooo excited.

Instead of crazy couponing this week, I've been scoring some fabulous freebies online, but now I have to wait for the mail!

I'm kind of excited about this:

I have been using more and more Physicians Formula makeup lately. I just like it and I can always find a good deal on it. Thursday I scored new PF powder and blush for just $6 total at CVS after stacking coupons. :-)

I did get one great freebie in the mail this week, from a Revlon giveaway.

There is more to come..... hope everyone has a wonderful Friday!!!

XOXO,

Mrs. Jones

Wishful Wednesday: Vineyard Vines

So, I'm always on the hunt for precious bags. I love them dearly. Purses, tote bags, clutches... yes, it's a problem. Especially when I find ones like this!

Vineyard Vines

Pink Ribbon Classic Tote

$95

So precious and springy. I don't have a VV tote, but maybe one day!

XOXO,
Mrs. Jones

A lovely stay-cation...

I have this entire week off from work, and I'm loving it! While I was afforded some time off, my dear husband was not, so I'm trying to make the most of this time at home.

I've taken sweet Eve Belle to the vet for her yearly check-up, shots and blood work. She has not reacted too well, so I've been keeping an eye on her and trying to spoil her a bit.

Today I got to have lunch with my little sister and a dear family friend at a downtown cafe. Talk about the perfect lunch. The weather today has been beautiful, and I've been cleaning things out of the house, organizing the garage, and scouring town for patio furniture. It's one of the things I want taken care of this week.

I'll be catching up on blogging as well. I've got SO much to share! :-)

XOXO,
Mrs. Jones

***Reminder: If you are a part of our keychain swap, make sure you have gotten your package out to your partner. I want to link-up and show our finds next week. Amy, yours is going out in the morning. Yes, I am a slacker. EB stole my time yesterday and today!***

The Perfect Weekend: Chattanooga

I spent last weekend in Chattanooga with my favorite blog girls. I can't say enough about it. We had so much fun. You know how some groups just click? We were one of them. From the wine to the shopping to the fabulous meals.... it was a weekend to remember with Mrs. Smith, Katie and Tami!

(Now, before I go any further, don't hate me. This is a SERIOUSLY photo-heavy post!)

This was how the sky looked when I hit the road at 6:30 in the morning:

Okay, moving on. We met up Saturday morning at BlueWater Grille. It was SCRUMPTIOUS!

{my lobster and crab cake sandwich}

We caught up, talked, took care of a few introductions, and plotted our course for the weekend: shopping and eating. And taking pictures so we could blog about it, of course.

{shopping at Blue Skies}

{The hotel, The Chatanoogan}

{wine in the hotel room. perfect girl time.}

The evening featured Terra Nostra, a fabulous tapas and wine restaurant in downtown Chattanooga. We had wine, and ordered a bunch of things to try!

{lobster bisque]

{mozzarella bruschetta}

{lobster quesadilla}

We had a fabulous night, despite the dreary day and rainy weather. The next day involved much of the same. Check out the gray skies!

We got ready at our leisure, after a night in some of the most COMFORTABLE beds I've ever been able to fall into.

We headed out to The Blue Plate for our farewell breakfast before we all parted ways.

{my egg sandwich for breakfast. so delicious...}

I know I've forgotten pictures, and I have some fun Earth Fare adventures to share from after breakfast, but that's another post. I loved, loved, loved my time with these wonderful girls. They're amazing and fun and I can't WAIT until we do it again.

XOXO,

Mrs. Jones

Wordless Wednesday: Be still

{Because sometimes all you need is to stop, and love the moment you're in.}

Menu Monday: Mexican Mac and Cheese

Yep, it's Tuesday. But I decided this recipe was going up tonight regardless. It's wonderful. And it was our dinner on Monday night. And it was Mr. Jones' lunch today. And his dinner. And it's my lunch tomorrow.

So, here you go! Enjoy!

Mexican Mac and Cheese
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens, March 2011

Ingredients
12 oz. dried penne pasta
1 lb. pork sausage
1 onion, chopped
10 oz. medium salsa
16 oz. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Tomato wedges
Sliced jalapeno peppers
Salsa

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Grease a baking dish.
3. Cook pasta, drain and set aside.
4. Cook sausage and onion in large skillet. Let meat brown and onion become tender.
5. Drain fat, return to skillet. Add as much of the salsa to the mixture as you like. (I used about 8 oz.) Mix well.
6. Place half of pasta in baking dish. Cover with half the sausage mixture and half the cheese. Repeat layers.
7. Bake (uncovered) for 30 minutes.
8. Top with tomato wedges, jalapeno slices and more salsa if you like. Enjoy!

XOXO,
Mrs. Jones

The best of times....

That's what I'll be having this weekend. My sweet husband is letting me pack my bags, load up my car, and hit the road for a short weekend.

I'm heading here:

to visit beautiful Chattanooga, Tennessee and to

SEE ROCK CITY

with

Katie and Tami

and

Mrs. Smith!!!!

I am soooo excited. There will be much to blog about upon my return tomorrow night!

XOXO and happy weekending!

Mrs. Jones