Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Happy Hump Day!

So, this blogging thing takes some dedication and time.  I am still managing my time… seeking out where my true dedication needs to go, and getting whacked upside the head with life!  AHHHH.     I have committed to my diet.  With today really being day one.  I do hate to say diet. But, it is what it is.   Ok, let’s re-word that.   I am consuming less food as a daily habit to bring me closer to my goal of my desired self.  There how is that.   *ps, I am hungry*  I say, “Don’t think about a polka dotted pink elephant running backwards down a hill”….  Haha.. that’s a funny picture right…   STOP thinking about it… I asked you not too.  My tummy just had that same discussion with me over some cottage cheese I have in the fridge.     


So, I resisted most urges and mostly got through my meal plan with no additions.   I wore my body bugg yesterday and purposely did as little as I could to try and capture my lowest calorie days.  I burned 1867 calories.  I ate about 1200 giving me a deficit of 600 calories.  That not with exercise, so the results will be better once I find what I truly want to do.   I weighed in this morning at 136.  I would love to see 133 before this month is up.  


As far as acting my wage, I had some ebay buck so I ordered 20 dog food coupons that will be a $1.47 money maker at Wal-Mart. Thats right that is a $29 money maker.  I likely will not be able to get them all at one time, however a few here and there will cover bread and milk.  My ebay bucks were at about $5 and the coupons cost $10.   I paid I believe $4.95, so if you subtract that from the $29, its still about a $25 money maker.  Plus  FREE dog food.  You can't beat it. 

Thursday, October 6, 2011

On a serious note

I'll admit that I thought I had plenty to say, but I believe some writes block has just crept up on me.  I wouldn't think that it being 4 am has anything to do with it.  Yes, its that early.  I get up early to beat the crowd.

I have been listening to Linda Larsen's 12 Secrets to High Self Esteem.  In doing this it ties into one of my goals for October, which is losing a bit of weight and really finding myself.    I have came to realize that I don't really accept myself.  My motivation really is coming from a place of self loathing and that is not going to produce results.   She asks that you get in front of a mirror.. in your birthday suit. My initial thought was,  Gasp... has this woman lost her mind?  Why would I want to do that? Next step is to really check out what you see...   I am riding in my car thinking... well, she had me until now, there is no how no way I am doing this.  Then, she really topped the charts by saying to do this every morning and every night while saying that I truly love and accept myself.   I have not started that process yet,  but it really made me think.  Why on earth wouldn't I be able to?   What does that really say about how I feel and where I am.    Could you?  Would you?   I will validate that in this searching, I realized that when I was down to my skinny happy place, about 15 pounds away,  I got there just by making better choices.  I wasn't in a place of loathing.  I wasn't there to punish it off of me.  It was not  a chore, it surely was not an obsession and a disappointment.  It was just me enjoying life, myself and my marriage.   The weight loss was just a wonderful side effect.

Acting our Wage


How many of you get excited when watching Extreme Couponing?  I'll tell you that the woman last night laughing about clearing the shelf aggravated me.  If they have a limit of 4 products per transaction that was put in place to ensure other people can get the deal as well.    It was just frustrating to me to see it.   Sometimes I only want two of something... and its not there.  

So I received an email yesterday that one of my credit cards was paid off.  That is the first one on our list of many that has been checked off.  We are on a snowball repayment plan, so what that means is not the money that was paid on that one will be distributed to all the other ones.   I think it was only a $20.00 payment, but still.  We have one gone!!   WOO HOO.  I made my bi-lo and CVS trip yesterday.  My Bi-Lo transaction was $99 and I got it down to $56.  Not bad for a weeks worth of groceries to feed 4 people.  I also scored free and .19 butter.  (ladies, and 2 boxes of Tampax for $1.25 a piece.)  If you have  last weeks coupons there is a B1G1 that you can use and then use 2 $1.00 coupons that were in there, and there you have it!!  Fun Fun.  

Monday, October 3, 2011

31 days to Easy Living

So, the blog community is celebrating fall and the changing of seasons and is dedicating this month to change. I will gladly jump on the band wagon. I am committing to 31 days to a tighter budget, streamlined meal plan, clean(er) house, loser pants, and a faith filled heart. Sounds like a lot, but just as spring cleaning has to happen, the changing of the leaves on the Henderson Household Tree has to happen.

Acting our wage

We never really want to act our wage do we? That is until we see that number. It is always that one defining moment when we can take off the rose colored glasses and realize we done a darn good job keeping up with the “Jones” but now who is gonna pay that bill off. What? Me, us? Not fun. The worse part about what Joey and I have done to ourselves is that we had more money and enjoyed more things when only he worked. Somehow my job involved more material things and less spendable income. We did however, face the facts and own up and started acting our wage. We opened up a debt consolidation plan, which turned out to not be the best option. It killed our credit score. We still need to buy a house one day. I pray that when the time is right the numbers will just work, or, I will coupon us into a new house.... woo-hoo.
I did receive an email showing where one of our credit cards is now paid off. When I get my next update on all of our totals I will give a comparison on where we were and how far we have made it. Joey and I toss around getting really dedicated and having our consumer debt paid off in a year. I think it’s achievable; we will just have to make sacrifices, but if we sacrificed it for a year, and we did eliminate that, oh man. To have that burden gone....... I’m psyching myself up. Are you getting excited? Do you feel like tweaking your budget? Let’s do this! (insert fist pumping)

Menu Planning

I think we need to purge the cupboards as much as we can. I think we need to be humble and eat like paupers for a bit. The kids eat at school so I think I can be creative and use what we have for a bit. In the mean time though, I will be stalking Once a Month Mom. I plan to try this to see how it works for me. I like the thought of cooking once and being done. I like knowing a good meal prepared by me is in the freezer/fridge. Grocery shopping once a month will keep me out of the stores, even when couponing, you can start to dump money. Or little purchases here and there and the last minute meal idea could cost you $30 bucks or an unplanned dinner out... that runs us $50 + that can really dig into a budget.

Healthy Me
Yep, I have fallen off that wagon. Not all the way mind you, I managed to catch a foot and am being drug behind the thing. There’s a lot to think about when you’re down here. I will be counting points again. That’s always my easiest way of getting back on track and getting some perspective.

I also will be starting back on a easy going exercising plan. Today I went to the gym at work and did two full body circuits.   Tomorrow morning is cardio, and a pic of my weight so we can keep track of it. Please join me with Posts to let me know where you are too.   I have a picture of Lunch,  baked chips, a spinach, cream cheese (skinny cow, garlic and herb) and turkey low carb wrap, one piece of dark choc, and some Tazo green tea.    Dinner was leftovers from last night, some squash casserole, shout out to pbfingers.com, and a stuffed pepper with turkey and brown rice and more red and yellow peppers.  I had snacks of an apple, 100 calorie pack of almonds and cottage cheese.  Breakfast was plain jane oatmeal with a banana mashed up in it,.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Is it almost Monday already?

So another weekend has basically came and gone.   The house is still messy and I have a stomach bug.  I feel like crap and still have put on 3 pounds...   Its all those crackers.  boo.  (oh and maybe that bang bang shrimp at 9 pm the other night......) So I will be visiting my treadmill in the early morning.   I have been recording TV shows that I either just never get to watch or that I fall asleep during.  I am making a promise/deal with self right now that I can only watch those movies/shows on the treadmill.  I may go to Zumba a few times this week.    I sure do miss it and it burns about 400 calories on me a session.  

We went Friday night for a painting class and both of us ended up loving it.  It felt really good to be that expressive and have something pretty to take home.   We will definitely go back.

Extreme Couponing


Ha!!  That sounds so funny!  We actually did have a good trip yesterday.  Couponing at our finest.  I do have to compliment my husband because the Walmart portion of the trip was his planning.  The total on all products was a whopping $180.00,  we paid taxes and all , drum roll......$25.00.   How awesome?
We have 28 bags of cascade dish washing tabs, 5 bottles of scope mouth wash, 10 things crest toothpaste, 5 crest floss, one pack oscar mayer hotdogs, 3 packs oscar mayer deli meat, 2 packs oscar mayer bacon, 10 Fage yogurt , 2 bags assorted chips 4 cans libby veggies, 1 carton eggs, 2 packs of hamburger meat, 4 things organge juice, coffee creamer, almond milk, 8 Fuze drinks , hotdog buns, hamburger buns, one loaf of bread and 2 things of jello


Friday, September 23, 2011

When I Grow Up....

Do you ever wonder if you are where you are supposed to be?  I am in a two day seminar and when I am in these along with being in Church, a fire ignites inside of my very being and I just want to speak.  I want to speak and I want to share.  I want to pace, get loud,  and be funny.  I want to see emotional impact.  I want to reference all the great things I have read, along with all the Bible verses that rock your soul.   I want to inspire, I want to be great, do great,  I really want to touch lives.  Is it still okay to day dream what you want to be when you grow up? A columnist? Guest Speaker? Motivational Speaker? A journalist? An Author of some renowned book? Do a show? A DVD? A movie??

Do we ever really arrive in life?  Or is it all just one journey?

Monday, September 19, 2011

In Butter's World

In Butter's world,  the food bowl is always full and her cup floweth with everlasting  waters......  What, am I the only devoted cat owner that turns the faucet on every time she jumps up there and talks sweet kitty talk? I like to pretend that she has some rare kitty deficiency in which she has to have water straight from the tap or she will not survive.  But, just so we are straight it has nothing to do with cleanliness, because freshly flushed toilet water works just as well.  I thought once the kids were big enough that I would be able to use the restroom alone.. I was wrong.  Butter is there waiting for the flush and if I shut the door then the fuzzy butted one thinks she is cut off from all human contact and swats my toes from under the door and meows as if she is on her death bed...a slow agonizing death from a broken heart because she was abandoned for more than two minutes.   Though I have to be careful to let her in, she has a personal vendetta with any and all paper products.  It started young.
My post today started about how Butter and Itty B's food bowl is always full.  They have a fuzzy little cat house to play and sleep on.. the fuzzy butted slips in a night or two piled up with me in the bed.  I just wanted to reflect that its how I feel about God sometimes.  He always fills our hearts and gives us plush alters to come visit him on.  We just take it all for granted sometimes.  I know I do.  This comes a little from my 31st bday being yesterday and a bible verse I found today.    God sneaks them in on me and when he sends them to my inbox in various ways, I listen.  Getting an email from the Boss is serious enough in itself, but when the email comes from Jesus....  lol, you have my undivided attention.   I said today that I welcomed my thirties because I had tons to do and nothing to prove.  So please join me my friends  on my journey to forty and be apart of all the blessings along the way.  

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Lets Start a Blog, Take 2

Wow, so many moons have passed and I have failed to touch my blog.  Boo.  I'm a slacker, but life trudges on.  First off,  A moment of silence for 9/ll.     I wanted to put that out there.  I'll be back soon to catch up.

Lots of love,  MJ

Monday, July 18, 2011

Dear Monday..go away!

Good Morning everyone!!   Its almost 5am, and I need to start getting ready.  Now it is time for my grown up day job.  I have been mother, wifey, and housekeeper all weekend.    Along with eating anything that didn't eat me first.  Must mean anxiety, I just don't know over what.  I was going to weigh in and give my measurements to show my progress, but I feel kind of defeated this morning.  I'll make it a learning curve and embed in my brain that though it didn't all add 200 lbs, it is not getting me toward my goal.  If I am still full this morning, thats a good indicator I ate too much.  Though it actually was a salad.  (I wont fess as to what was on it.)

Tonight though,  ZUMBA with Ashley!  I heart this chic, much.  This will be my second class, but the first one was awesome.  If you are local, come support.  I am now a fan and will be there as much as I can.   We even Zumba'd in the rain.  Shout out!!  Too fun.   I just half way groovin, just cause I dont know the songs, burned 600 calories.  Is that not crazy.  I thought so!!! 

There were butternut squash here.

And this was okra big pretty leaved okra
I found 1/2 my garden gone.  Yes just gone.  We discovered a momma dear with a wittle baby.  It is just too precious for me to care. 




I am moving along in my Bible in 90 days.  I am a bit behind but not enough to hurt me.  I'll catch up today during lunch.   I'm loving really knowing God's story. 

Our Kroger trip went well. We spent more money than we had calculated.  But the deals were awesome.  And what we got will feed us for a while, well them.  We got 25 things of easy mac and cheese, 10 things of chips a hoy, 12 cans of pringles,  25 bottles of vitamin water, notebooks,  12 crayola crayons, fishsticks, pizza, hamburger meat,  deli meat, bread,  6 things of garlic bread, and a few other great deals ,  $450 dollars worth of groceries for under $200.  Included in that was a purchased debit card to add to my fuel points for gas.  I got .40 off each gallon of gas.    Not too shabby, not too shabby!!

When we get back from Florida, I am going to begin my "Act your wage" installments!!   Have a great week and blessed day everyone.  I hope to continue to become more frequent with my posts.  :)  So stay tuned for day to day As told on Bennett Lane!! 

Friday, July 15, 2011

Check in

The past couple of days have been a whirl wind.  I gots my hair did.  My fav thing to do.  Tracey rocked it out! Much love. 
Last night was Zumba.  I tried the class that is held here in town.  We zumba'd in the rain.  AWESOME.  I danced my butt off and LOVED it.  I never wanted to leave. 
Mega Kroger Event trip tonight.  Not a big purchase, but lots of food.  I'll post pics and do a Kroger post tomorrow!!  Its so fun. 
Still B90'n it.  God is Good!  

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Basil and Peaches and everything nice

Basil and Peach topped ice cream with a lemon poppy seed muffin. 
Yes, I am trying to lose ten pounds.  :) But to defend myself (giggles)  this was supper, and the second helping I had counted as dessert.  So there, and to be quite honest, if i didnt have to go to work, it could have been breakfast too. I heart this, alot.   I have to give a big shout out to my P-Dub,  The Pioneer Lady.  Where she comes up with these things, I ll never know.  But she wins my heart on a daily basis.   The lemon poppy seed muffin was my idea.   I need to close this discussion, otherwise I will be eating another bowl in my gym shorts and sports bra at 4 am while I finish this. 

I am on day three of my B90, only 87 more days to go that I am sure will be filled with delight.  I'm learning here.   There will be lots of notes for me to study when I am done.


I am doing well with my personal training.  I have lost a good 2 solid pounds, which makes me happy.  I have a goal in mind to lose at least 5 more before we go Florida.  And yes that is 10 days.   I think I can do it,  I know I can do it.  Im slacking on my cardio.  

I'm prepping for another good Kroger run this week.  For all of you who don't know by now, I have started couponing.  I love it.  We have been working on getting ourselves out of debt.  I have a number and will post it soon.  I intend on picking on day out of the week to blog on that, and it may indeed be on Sundays. 

This picture shows $400 + of retail groceries and household goodies.  I paid a whopping $70 for it.    I will show you guys my binder and hope that I can begin to list my shopping trips each week and then show my debt progress.   I do hope you guys follow me on my journey to enlightenment, debt freedom, weight loss, and just life!!  You never know whats going on at the Henderson's!!! 

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

B90 Baby!!

I started the Bible in 90 days yesterday, read my required and went a few ahead.  I will admit, I didn't know Noah like I thought I did.   Last time I went to church at where a friend of mine's father preaches, he did his sermon on how little we actually know of the Bible and how we take other's words as truths, when in fact its often misquoted  and some are just simply old wives tales that we just accepted because we have heard them so much.  I am really excited for this journey of just his word.

We are knee deep in summer and too far away from vacation.  I can not wait to hear those waves.  I always get up early that first morning, its normally still dark.  I'm like a kid at Christmas, I just have to sneak down.  This time we are on the first floor beach view, so it will make it all so easy.   I get my cup of coffee and just sit out there in the dark waiting for that first flicker, glimmer, hint of a sun rise.  The birds start to talk and I know its getting close.  I reveal in the silence but am always overcome by the loudness and serenity of the waves.  There is something so surreal about sitting there feeling like you have arrived at the edge of the earth, nothing else around you. Then the explosion of colors.  The sound of God's creatures waking.  Witnessing the birth of another day that we so often take for granted.   Eleven days and counting!

Friday, July 1, 2011

Whats that smell? One afternoon, one great quest, and a whole lot of GAG!

For the better part of a week I have been complaining of a smell in the laundry room.  We have diligently washed clothes. I have searched cabinets.  On Wednesday, I was convinced it was a dead mouse.  The smell was bad.  Last night when I arrived home my house smelled terrible.  Joey had himself already turned the laundry room upside down.  I had a fear deep down my deep freeze was failing me.  Through numorous gag sessions and a questionable stickly floor, we found the culprit, sort of.  Whatever it was existed, or non existed, judging by the smell in a cloth clothes hamper.  We( and by that I mean Joey) tossed it on the back porch and it became cause for curiosity as the smell was just sickening.  My son was already dry heaving but the girls thought it was funny.   In a quick swoop Joey dumps it and we all stand there and study a grocery store bag full of something covered in a brown liquid (gag and double gag).  Then Joey announces it was a bag of chicken.  I normally would've been upset. I would have seen $ signs blowing in the wind, or rottening in a bag! (gross I know! :) )  BUT,  to watch my husband dry heave over one side of the porch and the boy tossing cookies off the other side, was pretty priceless.  I doubt it would make a credit card comermercial, but I almost sure this day will go down in history as, "The day  we found the brown chicken!".
p.s. I have a strong need to revisit my vegitarian diet for a few weeks.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Slacker, yea, thats me!





Well summer hit full force, and I havent spent too much time on here besides couponing time! I'm going to catch you guys up through pictures.  I'll write more next time to explain it all in a nutshell.  Hope you enjoy our summer so far!!

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Laundry day and garden catch up

Meet Bruce of Brussell's Sprout
And this is Millie Mater
Every one is busy putting up clothes, so I thought I would steal away for a bit.  I just wanted to post some update pics of the garden, and to update that I am going to update.... on my mission to destroy Captain Debt. He is one evil villain.
Look at my itty bitty squash..

Sunday, May 15, 2011

The boy hits double digits

Well, It's official, I am getting older... well actually "The Boy" turned 10... yikes...  10, a decade he proudly announced.  This birthday was a hit! We purchased xbox live and got him an xbox cake... (ignore the dent in the front, that was caused by my fat finger...boo)  My aunt bakes, and she bakes like a pro.  If it involves food, my family, we do it well. No worries of a famine when we are around.  The video games have been a hit all afternoon,  "The Boy" and Jethro (a.k.a, Joey or Jofus) are happy as hogs in..well.. you know.  Either way they are quiet and I feel good that I finally got him what he wanted.  Oddly enough Joe is just as happy, I think it was a conspiracy and I fell right into the trap. 

Before all of the festivities I got up early and hit Bi-Lo and payed $50 for $90 worth of groceries, yay.  Then we went to Walgreens, I had my work cut out for me. I am a CVS kind of gal.  I did however only spend $40 for a whopping $170 dollars worth of stuff. Those $12 razors, were .89 cents... SHUT UP!  I paid less for the two things of pull ups than what one costs. All those deodorants, FREE.  Yes, Free.  Sigh, it makes me very happy.  


 I will write tomorrow with my debt free plans and what we are doing to eliminate debt. I also want to start losing weight again, and there will be a garden update.   I have veggies...  :) I am a gardener.. I can grow my own food.  squeal...  it makes me so happy.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

My Garden, the storms, and life as we know it



Last weekend I planted my garden. Very proud indeed. I took lots of pictures, and intended on starting this blog on my happy Henderson adventures. Oh and two of children took advantage of the water hose.. and for a sneak attack on Daddy, and then Daddy got them back.


Then, the storms came.  The infamous day that went down in history.  We suffered no damage really.  We physically laid eyes on one of the twisters.  On the trip to take the girls home today, we saw much of the devastation first hand.  More than once it took my breath away. My soul cries for those affected. I can't even digest seeing the devastation,  I will not pretend to imagine what living it first hand feels like. 

I now will admit willingly for the first time, I understand what God Fearing means, and to follow that, praising him through the storm. I am my fathers child and I feel that he is speaking to us.  

I am going to post a few pics of my garden and call it a post....  not a very good way to start a blog, but in the spirit of our events, I will now start off slow, as things have been slow, not too much to share. Time in the south has seemingly stopped.    I do send my warmest prayers out.