A New Year

I love the new year. It's like a fresh start. A new beginning. I don't really make resolutions, but I try to think of manageable goals and things to work toward. One of those for 2013 is to enjoy the simple things in life. Being a stay at home mom doesn't allow me the freedom I once used to enjoy. But that's okay! I know I've got an important job to do. One that is hard, yet full of joy!

I was happy to finally put away the last of the Christmas decor....

and replace them with these pretty flowers.

What do you look forward to in 2013?

Thanks to Rebecca over at Simple as That blog for the inspiration to celebrate the simple things in life. I am linking up to her Simple Things Sunday photo link party

 

The Creek and Thanksgiving Plans

Occasionally when I write about our weekend plans, I mention going out to "the creek." However I don't think I've written a post specifically about the place. If you were to ask Mr. Price, my husband, he would tell you that it is a magical place. The first thing he wants to do with any free time that he has, is to head to the creek. In fact at least three generations of Price men are drawn to this place like moths to flame. Mr. Price's grandfather grew up on several acres of land along Craigs Creek in Virginia. Although his primary residence is now in Georgia, he still has a home on a piece of property overlooking the creek.

For many years the home on the creek was a single-wide trailer. The inside was spruced up a bit with new windows and a large deck on the back overlooking the best view of the creek. But a year and a half ago Mr. Price's grandfather built a cabin just two lots down from his existing home. To be honest, I am a bigger fan of visting the creek now that the cabin is there.

We now use the terms the creek and the cabin interchangeably. They both refer to the same place. The cabin is just a 50-minute drive from our home in the city. I always use the phrase over the mountain and through the woods to describe the drive from our home to the cabin. Because it is just that. You must navigate over a windy road up a mountain and then through the countryside.

Mr. Price's grandfather makes frequent visits to the cabin, and he graciously allows us to stay during our weekends or time off. Mr. Price occasionally does handy work to "keep up" the place.

It is a very peaceful, beautiful and relaxing place to be. It is hard to be overwhelmed with life when sitting on the back porch listening to the ripples on the creek. In the summertime you can find the locals floating down the creek on big inner tubes. The water is crystal clear, perfect for finding just the right stone to skip.

I'm pretty sure Mr. Price moved to Virginia just so he would be close to the creek.

We will be spending Thanksgiving there with Mr. Price's brother and sister-in-law. I can't think of a better place to spend the holidays than a place where time seems to slow down.

Follow me on Instagram to see updated pics of the cabin/creek and our Thanksgiving dinner.

A Neat Story

Today I'd like to share with you what I think is a pretty neat story. The picture below is my baby book. The baby book my mother and father kept for me. It was purchased just months before my birth during a trip my mom took to New York.









One day in June while working at 2nd helpings, I was dusting off some books to sell, and I came across a baby book. Not just any baby book. A Metropolitan Museum of Art baby book identical to mine. I just had to buy it.







I remember telling a co-worker, "I'm not pregnant, but I have to buy this baby book because it is the same one my mom kept for me."

Well little did I know, I WAS pregnant. The very next morning I took a pregnancy test. Since several previous months' tests came back negative, I wasn't expecting anything. But sure enough, on June 4th, the test displayed the word - pregnant!

I think coming across the baby book foreshadowed what I was about to learn. Now my daughter and I share matching baby books!

A Temporary Hiatus

PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW!

This week we are celebrating the birth of our first child. We praise God for a comfortable pregnancy and a natural childbirth delivery.

This blog will be on a temporary hiatus as we transition into our new roles as parents!

Love,

The Price's

2012

HAPPY
NEW
YEAR!

The beginning of 2012 is bringing us frigid temps! It's not supposed to get much warmer than 29 degrees today. We finally got our first taste of snow. Although its not much to rave about, just a light dusting. Here's the view from our living room window:

Fall Leaves

It's the middle of November and the peak season for the vibrant fall foliage has come and gone. It's interesting to watch the process of the leaves changing colors. In just two weeks, a tree's leaves can change colors and then subsequently all fall off, leaving a bare tree. From what I've noticed, the leaves at the top of the tree change first and then the color makes it way down. By the time the leaves near the bottom of the tree start turning, the leaves at the top are falling off the tree.

Each tree is different. Some change colors earlier in the season and some later. So even though it's not peak season, there are still many vibrant colors to see. Most of the time pictures don't do the beauty justice. I only snapped a few pictures of trees behind our apartment to give you an idea of the beautiful scenery we've been able to view. Soon the trees behind our apartment will lose all their leaves leaving us another great view of the mountains.

Cash Envelopes

I feel blessed that Matt and I have very similar views about money and debt. Before we got married we created a budget, and we have successfully tracked our spending in an Excel spreadsheet for the past two years. But sticking to our budget has been another thing.

We don't go out and spend money on frivolous or expensive items. Nor do we usually go in debt, but we seem to always go over budget in our dining out and grocery category each month. This means that at the end of the month we have less to save or invest. I feel discouraged when we can't get a handle on the amount of money we spend on food. Of course food is a necessity, but when we don't stick to our food budget, I feel as though I am not being a good steward.

Mr. Price recently suggested we try the envelope system, and I thought it was worth a shot. It seems like such an old school idea. And I think I had the impression it was for people who had trouble balancing a checkbook. We've been using the cash envelope system for two paychecks, and, for lack of a better phrase...it has been AMAZING!

It has really opened my eyes. I was skeptical that we could do it, because at times, we've gone over our food and dining budget by $50 to $100. The first time we used the envelopes, we came UNDER budget! I was completely surprised.

Dave Ramsey was right - if you have cash in your pocket, you are more likely to think twice about how you spend it. You don't experience any pain when you whip out your debit card to make a purchase like you do when you hand someone cash for a purchase.

Not only does using cash envelopes help us stay on budget, but it also makes balancing the checkbook at the end month a little easier. Not to mention that many banks will soon be charging a fee for using a debit card.

I am a huge fan of the envelope system now! Hopefully we can keep up the good work. If you are interested in learning more specifics or about our Excel budget spreadsheet please e-mail us.

Playing Catch Up

My blog posting has been pretty light over the past few months. Therefore I thought I'd write a brief catch-me-up post. Hopefully this will get everyone up to speed and I can begin posting more regularly.

So here's what we've been up to...

We've gone to the cash envelope system and it has worked wonders! I will have a detailed post about this coming up soon.



We tried a new-to-us restaurant in downtown Roanoke. Thelma's Chicken & Waffles is just the place to go for some good southern cooking. Mr. Price actually ordered chicken and waffles. I opted for the vegetable plate and still had trouble finishing my meal.






Mr. Price celebrated a birthday, and this year I actually got him a gift. I am such a slacker when it comes to getting gifts for people, even my husband. But this year I planned it perfectly. I had a portrait of his dog painted.




We celebrated two years of marriage! The second year was just as wonderful as the first! This year we took a little trip to Abingdon, Virginia to celebrate.




Lastly, I'm finally getting a baby bump! Sorry we didn't make a big announcement about my pregnancy here on the blog, but I'm sure I'll start sharing more soon.

Models on the Market

Sometimes I dream about being a model. Well, okay. You got me. Every time I get a JCrew catalog in the mail! But not because I think I have the looks or ability, but because the life of a model seems so glamorous. It incorporates so much of what I love: photography, traveling and clothes!

I was recently able to get a little taste of the model life.

National Thrift Store day was celebrated on August 17, 2011. To promote the Rescue Mission's thrift store, several employees modeled formal wear on the market square in downtown Roanoke. Twelve other mission employees and I chose formal wear and accessories from the two Rescue Mission shops. The Thrift Store and 2nd Helpings (upscale resale) shop are operated to generate income to support the medical, food and shelter needs of the homeless.

The weather couldn't have been any better for modeling on the market square. Clear skies and sunshine followed us as we all rotated modeling on different street corners during the busy lunch hour. Women striking poses in formal wear is not an everyday occurrence on the market. Needless to say, I think the event generated interest in the Rescue Mission's Thrift store. Several people stopped to find out where the store was located, and many couldn't believe the prices of our formal wear.

The day after the event, someone actually called to find out where she could buy the shawl I modeled!

I think it was a success!

A new-to-us game

Yahtzee has been around for awhile, but Mr. Price and I played it for the first time a few weekends ago. Yahtzee is a dice game in which you try to score the most points by rolling certain combinations of dice. During each turn you have three chances to roll five dice to get a full house, small straight, large straight, four-of-a-kind or three-of-a-kind. Plus you must roll to get three matching dice with each number 1 through 6. There are thirteen possible combinations and you only have thirteen chances to obtain them.

Of course you hope to roll five-of-a-kind, which is Yahtzee! Rolling a Yahtzee earns you 50 points, the most of any combination. Both Mr. Price and I had beginners luck. We both rolled a Yahtzee during our very first turn.

Our step-mom showed us how to play on Sunday night. And we must of played this game three times on Monday, during our relaxing holiday at the creek. Have you ever played Yahtzee? It's not a new game, but I think it's definitely worth having in your game collection.

Thank You

I'd like to thank my mom and sister for driving seven hours to Virginia to keep me company while my husband was away last week. Mr. Price spent five days in Durham, NC repairing roofs with the mission group World Changers. I was so glad to have some company for three of those five nights. Even though I didn't take them on any exciting excursions, we still had some nice quality time together. I can't wait to do it again!

Minimalist Living

I wasn't kidding a few weeks ago when I said I wanted to embrace minimalist living. Check out the pictures of this home:

photos from littlebrownpen

I don't know if this blogger considers her style to be minimalist, but it sure looks that way to me. I love to organize. But now I just want to throw all my "stuff" away. To have an apartment not bursting at the seams with stuff seems so freeing and exhilarating.

I've taken a few little steps to clear my clutter.

I went through all my magazines. I ripped out all the good articles and recipes and filed them.



I cleaned out my stationery drawer. As much as I'd love to bring back the lost art of letter writing, I just don't use note cards. I saved two sets. That's all I need. I will be donating the others to the Rescue Mission where I know someone else will enjoy using them.

I am also getting rid of a few knick-knacks around the house that go unused. I had tons of old hotel toiletries. Don't know why I even have those. I cleaned out my Christmas decorations. I've been holding onto these decorative tin cans thinking I would use them one year for gifts. But I haven't.



I'm giving away a few clothing articles.




And finally I went through some of our pens. Looks at all the pens! We only need as many as Big Al can hold.



I've gone through some stuff, but it feels as though I've only scratched the surface! I've been thinking I should make a list of categories such as kitchen, linens, office, pictures, books...and if something doesn't fit into one of those categories, or even if it does and we don't have space for it, we can't buy it or keep it.

Wish me luck!

currently hooked on...

We watch a lot of streaming Netflix since we don't have cable, and you might be surprised to hear what we are currently hooked on watching. Right now we are into the 1970's crime fiction show Columbo. We're watching one, sometimes two episodes a week.

Columbo is not like most whodunits. Actually its a reverse of the typical whodunit show. In the opening scenes of the show, viewers get to watch a murder take place with the perp in plain view.

You might wonder what's the point of watching a crime fiction show if you already know who done it?

Well, when the disheveled, trench-coat-wearing Lt. Columbo enters the scene to investigate, it's hard not to watch him piece all the evidence together. He always knows more than you think, and he always trips up his suspects with their own words. In the picture below, you'll see him striking his trademark look. He rubs his forehead as he tries to throw off the suspect by pretending he's having a hard time putting all the clues together. But he knows who's guilty! If you like murder mysteries, this oldie but goodie is worth checking out!

Ice Ice Baby

We received about 2 inches of snow last week, during the second snowfall of the season. It's been so cold outside that even a week later, most of the snow is still on the ground. And some of it has turned to ice! We've had to use extra precaution when leaving our parking lot. I actually heard someone's car tires spinning this morning. I assume the snow that tries to melt during the day just freezes during the below freezing temps at night. Here are a few pictures of our apartment complex plus a few shots out in the country.

First Hike of 2010

We went on our first hike of 2010 this past Sunday. We took a little trip to Cascade Falls near Virginia Tech. It was a lovely day! A little on the warm side, actually! Plenty of people had the same idea we did about getting out and enjoying nature. There were lots of people on the trails.

There are two trails to reach the Cascades. The lower trail is considered the more scenic route, and the upper trail is more of an uphill challenge. Since we are trying to build some endurance and strength to hike Dragon's Tooth and Tinker Cliffs later in the year, we decided to take the uphill challenge to the falls, and then the scenic route on the way back. Even though this is a shorter hike, about four miles round-trip, it still gave me a workout. I worked my thighs on the way up, and my calves on the way down. I am currently looking for some good hiking boots. I think those should help!

It was hard for me to capture great pictures with all the trees, shade and light. Hiking trails will have to be added to my list of "things to learn how to photograph."

Of course we were starving by the end of our hike, so we decided to stop at The Cracker Barrel on the way home. I had pecan pancakes, and Mr. Price went for the trout and green beans.




A Camelbak is a necessary hiking accessory. It makes drinking water absolutely effortless.


Can you find the animal in the picture below?