a no spend month? what? why? really?

sure, why not?  yesterday gareth and i stumbled upon a lady's blog that i found very interesting.  her family does an annual no spend month in july.  it's a pretty rad idea and so the month of october is no spend month for the sever family of branson.

just to clear up something, we are not in any financial trouble at all.  this is just a great way to sort of declutter ourselves as a family.  to be conscience in what we buy.  to really divide our wants and needs.  

the goal?  we have 31 days and $250.  cash money.  everything has to be accounted for.  what this includes:  food, entertainment, clothing, and misc.  it wont include bills, business expenses or gas.  however, we are only adding 100 bucks in for gas.  we want to keep track of filling up and stuff, so i guess you can say $350 for the month and include gas.  the reason why we had to add money for gas is that we will be driving back and forth to harrison, ar a bunch since drs visit for the pregnancy are more frequent.  and honestly we don't have the most fuel efficient vehicles.  but don't hate... we recycle... does that help out at all?

and to keep me honest, i'll be posting on this blog the expenses and the goings on with this experiment.  

i am very excited about this.  if you know me well, i am kind of a nut about money.  i've been called a penny pincher and other things like frugal.  i just like to have everything accounted for and often have inner battles about buying something that is $1.75.  hmmm, but gareth on the other hand.  he is a tad more... free with the dough.

this will be an eye opener and i hope inspiring to you guys.  i think a lot of people buy stuff to just be buying stuff.  i do that every once in awhile.  damn you target/tj maxx.  this month we'll see what we really need to buy instead of what we want to buy.  the hardest thing will be staying at home to eat.  since the 250 includes eating out and the grocery store, looks like we'll be cooking more.  i'll miss you thai thai.  the other stuff will be easy.  we don't leave the house and go out much like to movies and stuff.  so food is our main challenge.  esp for me.  so what if i sneak out for a big mac supersized meal.... i'm a big ol' pregnant lady.  this better work for me.  my biggest weight gain with lilli was the last month.  i just couldn't get full.  this month i guess i'll get full on homemade pasta instead of french fries.  i love french fries.  wait!  what have i done?  i can't do this!  see ya at my next update!

Cheers!

this cake was a ton of fun!  it is a marble cake with marshmallow fondant.  gareth made the fondant.  making cakes with gareth is one of my favorite things to do.  i also liked painting on the cake.  everyone was happy with the end result and i can't wait for the next one.  i'm putting a few more tiny sculpted cakes in the shop.  so, we have a fun filled couple of days coming up.  i'll keep ya posted!

my bump...

well fRiends, it has been Requested by a few of you that i show you the belly.  i REalized the otheR day that this time aRound i have baREly taken any pictuRes of myself.  time is just flying by!  i can't even believe that in a couple weeks i will be going to my 8th month check up.  

in these photos i am weaRing ouR fRiend eddy's chaps.  he weaRs them on his motoRcycle.  i also added a pictuRe of lilli in a biRThday outfit she got fRom heR bestie Reese.  all jonas bRos!

i am in heaven.  it is fall in the ozaRks and the leaves will change soon.  the best paRt?  today we got bRand new living Room windows put in.  huge.  i can sit at the window and look at the Rad view.  i am just so stinking lucky.    

also, my sisteR-in-love kathie  has some pRetty cool news.  go to heR blog (on my blogs i Read list [RamonsteR blog]) and you will see that she is in a supeRdope film called handmade nation.  the oscaR buzz has alReady begun foR heR peRfoRmance.  she is just too AWESOME!  and pRetty easy on the eyes if ya know what i mean.  

Set in Stone. i mean Skin!

befoRe i go too faR on this post, i must tell you that ouR computeR is only pRoducing big ol' RRRRRRRs.  annoying.

gaReth got a new tattoo today fRom ouR favoRite tattoo guy, mikey at Ragin' Rhino.  i am so veRy flatteRed and in love with it!  my favoRite paRt is the chubby little Robin biRd... designed by me!  it is located on his right aRm.  sheesh.  i think he likes me a lot.  i love him too, so i've decided to deliveR anotheR baby foR him fRee of chaRge.  

i had a nice weekend.  i got to talk to my big sis, Kenna.  she happens to be one of the raddest people i know and i wish we talked moRe often!  she said something veRy inteResting.  we weRE talking about my dixie sun bathing post and she said that one heR favorite things is a cheRRy limeade.  dRinking a cheRRy limeade.  i love that!  so simple but something she pRobably doesn't do often.  was i looking in the wRong diRection foR my "thing"  pRobably.  so that got me thinking... and gaReth pointed out that he thinks it is making biscuits.  (not aiR biscuits although i am good at that!)  i love love love making whole wheat biscuits.  i tRy to look foR any excuse to make them.  as i seaRch for my bath in the sun, it is fun to see the simple pleasuRes that make me me.

well fRiends, i am definitely feeling pREgnant.  veRy pregnant, and sooo tiRed.  like just want to be in bed all day type tiRed.  i also want to spend as much time with just lilli.  but she doesn't want to hang out in bed all day.  we've been playing dice and dRess up.  she is the funniest peRson in the woRld.  Really.  

i am staRting to Read eckhaRt tolle's "the poweR of now"  stay tuned people!

My dog likes to bake herself.

i was in the kitchen doing the dishes this morning and something caught my eye.  my old lady dog, dixiemae, was outside sunning herself.  this is her favorite thing to do in the whole entire universe.  i've seen her lay (or is it lie? hmmm) in the sun a million times.  but this time i stood there staring out the window at her happiness for a little while.  she gets sooo hot and her tongue sticks out and luckily she is panting so you can tell she is alive.  she is on her back.  and she is smiling with her eyes closed.  when the wind blows she sits up and enjoys it hitting her face.  she can only do this a few minutes at a time.  she comes back in and cools off and then goes back outside for another dose.  she doesn't do it every day, only in very hot weather.

watching her do this, i realized that this is her thing that gives her extreme happiness.  woah.  do i have something like that?  do you?  it is something that she looks forward to and when she gets to do it, there is nothing else in the world she'd want to do.  not even come in for some cheese.  

this is a toughy.  i thought it might be sewing, but every project i start i get tired of working on.  cakes?  paintings?  hmm nah.  i love to do them, but extreme happiness?  it must be something simple.  the obvious:  hanging out with the family.  duh.  but what else?  i know what gareth's is:  tap dancing.  lilli:  dance class.  i'm talking about the thing that makes you excited.  when you know you get to do it, you have an extra spring in your step.  perhaps it was crossfit.  when i used to work out all of the time.  who knows, but i am excited to find that thing that is equal to dixie's sun tanning.  inner peace.  no thinking of every day worries.  

what is yours?  perhaps i can steal it.

So in love, we might cause barfs.

G and i had a wonderful anniversary weekend.  just splendid really.  sheesh.  we went out to dinner to the bleu olive, a nice barely lit eating establishment.  i got all dolled up and headed out for a night of silliness.  we aren't too used to being all alone when we go out.  even before lilu we usually went out as a group.  this was fun.  we giggled and tooted and held hands.  we were the couple that sat right next to each other instead of across.  we shared a weird dessert. (even though we had left over ice cream cake waiting for us in the freezer)  as our dinner ended, one thing became clear:  i missed lilli.  not too much, but enough to go and meet her instead of going home and waiting for her to get there.  she was having the time of her life with the Wurst family.  out to dinner at the macaroni grill then ski ball where they won her over 1500 tickets to redeem silly prizes.

so our celebration is over right?  wrong my friends.  the next night we cashed in on our fancy shmancy condo stay at the hilton on the landing.  this was family style.  i for sure recommend the condos over the rooms.  i stayed out on the balcony watching a fiddle contest and all the many shoppers walking down below.  it was wonderful.  lilli loved it too.  the best part?  we were right above the buckets n boards action.  sooo fun!

the main moment that sticks out is this:  a lady was walking around with a 4 monthish baby.  the exact way i used to carry lilu.  my heart melted and then i realized that i get to do that soon.  i'm having another baby!  one that i can carry!  so many people point out to me that it is tough with 2 kids (like 1 is cake)  and boy i do believe them, but it is nice to see a reminder of the good stuff.  and then i remember that gareth had a lot to do with me being pregnant so that sparked multiple text messages of gratitude.  man.  i love my family.  and sending text messages.

K.S. & R.S 4ever

need i say more?  really!