Stacie's Ramblings

  It's Friday!! Hooray!! It's been a long week as Sunday night we returned back from Las Vegas, so I have been playing catch up all week. Since I skipped last Friday, I have to catch y'all up.  Horses We were in Vegas last Wednesday - Sunday for a horse show. My husband bought a new horse in October and he has been with a trainer. This is my husbands third show with him and he is such a wonderful horse. We have been calling him Badger, but I'm not sure it really fits. When he first came into our lives, he was pretty stand offish. He'd been a horse on a working ranch and had not really been loved on. Now he's a total love bug and a big pet!  Reading I have been reading Elin Hilderbrand's Winter in Paradise this week. I LOVE it and will continue this series. I believe there are 3 books in the series. The main character, Irene, lives an idyllic life with her husband and 2 grown sons. Her husband travels often for work, but she get's a call on night that tu

Can you believe it is August already? It seems summer has flown by and before long we will be putting out the pumpkins and fall decor galore!  Every month I sit down and plan out what I would like to accomplish for the month. I try to break down my goals into categories with one or two specific categorical goals. Without further ado, here are my August goals.  Social As adults we all lead busy lives and sometimes we have to actually plan social events. My August goal is to do at least one thing in person with a friend. This can be meeting up for lunch, going to an event, etc.  Mental As a reminder to slow down and limit screen time, I want to read two physical books this month. I currently have Elin Hilderbrand's, Winter in Paradise, on my list to read and will likely read the sequel.  Financial I have made two goals in this category. The first goal is to put an extra $1,000 toward my vehicle loan. I am so close to paying this one off and it will be the first time in my life I have

It's Friday, most everyone's favorite day of the week! It has been another hot week in Texas, so we've been staying inside in the evenings and catching up on tv and I have been reading Where the Crawdad's sing.  Coffee Our new Keurig arrived this week, so every morning I have traded my morning hot tea for coffee. I have never been a daily coffee drinker, but we found some k-cups made by the Donut Shop which are a nutty, caramel flavor and they are delicious. I have been brewing a cup of that and adding a little heavy cream and a tiny bit of stevia. It's been fantastic! I also found these fun printed to go cups at HEB!  Television We have been catching up on watching Parker's Trail on Discovery. He goes to New Zealand to check out gold mining there and to buy some new equipment. The scenery is gorgeous and now a trip to New Zealand has been added to my bucket list.  Outfit My favorite outfit this week was my Wit & Wisdom jeans paired with a black splice blous

This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a commission. Thanks. I'm continuing my Thrifty Thursday accountability series on what I have done to save money this week or ways I have made extra money this week. Saving on Things I have Bought Cooked all dinners at home this week. Used a gift card to purchase a coffee maker on sale to replace our current machine that's on the fritz.  Used a $5 off $75 purchase coupon at the grocery store to purchase groceries this week. Every little bit adds up.  Avoiding Spending I really wanted to go by Sonic for a Diet Dr. Pepper one afternoon, but elected to get a soda out of the work refrigerator instead.  I've been using the Flamingo wax at home kit for my eyebrows instead of going to the salon.  Minimized extra driving by consolidating errands. We good a bag of frozen shrimp scampi this week and it had a lot of leftover clarified butter and seasonings in the skillet. I saved that sauce to use

Hey y'all, Happy Monday!! It was a little bit of a stressful weekend. I stayed at home while my husband had to take his dad to the hospital due to come cardiac problems. They were both gone all weekend, but arrived back at home late Sunday night after a quick treatment for dad! All is well now and everyone is back home!  I stayed at home to take care of the dog and horses and was able to catch up on a lot of neglected things around the house. I organized the pantry, cleaned out the refrigerator and did a closet clean out. I was able to list some clothes and shoes that I no longer wear on Ebay, so hopefully those will sell soon. I took a few items to the donation bin in town as well.  Since I cleaned out the pantry and refrigerator I have a grocery order placed today. Here's what we plan on eating this week: Monday - Hamburger patties with onions and mushrooms. Tuesday - Keto Huli Huli Chicken with a side salad.  Wednesday - Grill steak with roasted okra Thursday - Oven baked t

It's Friday, most everyone's favorite day of the week! This week was pretty standard around our house with going to work, enjoying dinner at home each night and our in-laws even shared some bbq they made with us one evening. Here's some of my favorite things from this week! Summer Fruit Watermelons are ready in my garden and they have been such a treat to have during this hot weather. It's been over 100 degrees each day and cold watermelon from the refrigerator is so refreshing. This is the Charleston Grey watermelon variety; they are large oblong melons and very tasty!  Exercise The elliptical really is a great workout and something I can do at home. I workout after dinner in the evenings and it has been too hot out to go for a walk outside. I put in my ear buds and catch up on my podcasts and enjoy the air conditioning!  Podcasts One of my favorite podcasts lately is the Sorta Awesome podcast with Meg Tietz and her co-hosts Kelly and Rebekah. These ladies cover every

Inflation is on everyone's mind these days, including my own. My Thrifty Thursday series will be an accountability series on what I have done to save money this week or ways I have made extra money this week. Saving on Things I have Bought Saved a few planned clothing and shoe purchases on my wish list and bought those during the Nordstrom Sale and Prime Days. Found some motion sickness medicine on clearance at the grocery store; I planned to buy it for an upcoming trip. Cooked all dinners at home this week. Used a gift card to purchase a coffee maker on sale to replace our current machine that's on the fritz.  Used a $5 off $50 purchase coupon at the grocery store to purchase groceries this week. Every little bit adds up.  Avoiding Spending Filled my online cart full of garden seeds and decided not to check out. I am not currently planting and do not have a current need for seeds.  Borrowed a copy of Where the Crawdads Sing from the library to read.  Minimized extra driving by