This past week, I wasn't feeling well. Among other things, I was having horrible cramps. As I was lying in bed bemoaning womanhood and all sorts of stuff, Paul asked me if there was anything he could do. When I mentioned a hot water bottle would be nice, but we didn't own a hot water bottle, he disappeared into the kitchen. Soon he came back with an ingenious creation: he poured uncooked rice into a clean sock and then put it into the microwave for about a minute. It was deliciously warm and heavy enough that it gave the perfect amount of pressure. When I was done with it, I just needed to wash the sock and Paul can wear it again! Paul said we could probably cook and eat the rice too, but I guess I don't trust the cleanliness of his socks. :-)

Be sure to go over to Crystal's blog and check out all of the other Frugal Friday posts!

Somehow, I made it to adult life with no cooking skills whatsoever. I am pretty good at toast, and brownies, and I can make a mean rice and tuna mix - but meals escape me. I pretty much lived on frozen dinners and Tuna Helper when I was on my own for a year and a half - and I ate out way too often. (I was fed occasional homecooked meals by dear friends, which I much appreciated.)

Enter husband, and suddenly I realize that he doesn't enjoy Lean Cuisine as much as I do! So I have set out to change my eating and cooking habits to benefit the entire family. Recently, we decided to split the tasks so that I would do the meal planning and shopping, and Paul does the cooking. This works out well because he gets off work at 3 (much earlier than me), and also he is less terrified of cooking than I am. Also, Paul works on Saturday mornings so I use that time to menu plan and then do my weekly shopping trip.

I recently discovered Allrecipes.com which has helped immensely in planning the menu! Previously, our meals had consisted of what we knew how to make: tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, hamburgers, and grilled chicken. However, now that I'm not doing the cooking and I have at my fingertips a quickly-searchable database of recipes, we are branching out with the meals we eat. I also like the feature of being able to do a shopping list based on the recipes I've selected. All I have to do is transfer the list to my PDA and off I am to the store! I must admit shopping for unfamiliar foods like this requires many phone calls to my mom. I am pretty ignorant about a lot of things - like what fresh parsley looks like, for example. Or that you can buy refrigerated pre-cooked noodles (who knew??). But in the end I'm able to get everything and we eat happy for a week.

This little story does have a point! Recently Crystal at Biblical Womanhood has featured a series of posts about Supermarket Savings. This series has been challenging me a lot about the amount of money I spend on food. To be honest, I just buy what looks good and don't worry about the price too much. But I know that is the wrong, wrong way to do it, especially if my goal is to pay our loans off early! I know that I can't get too ambitious with couponing, etc. because I just don't have the time with a full-time job, but it seems that there should be a happy medium of saving and still having evening time to spend with Hubby.

So I am curious how our other readers approach grocery shopping. Do you plan your menus first and then shop, or do you plan your menus based on the food that you have already bought? Do you plan your menus around sales? What's the most effective way for you to stay in budget when grocery shopping?

For further reading, I recommend Crystal's posts: part 1 (planning shopping trips), part 2 (example shopping trip), part 3 (meals), part 4 (tips), and part 5 (couponing for beginners).

After reading Beth's recent post on autumn, I was reminded of a poem I read and studied in high school. I did a huge project on John Keats, and though it took me a bit to truly understand his work, I really appreciated it! (It's like that with Shakespeare too.) He wrote one classic poem which really seems to fit the season. (For a more in-depth analysis, click here.)

To Autumn
by John Keats, 1819

I

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells.

II

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap’d furrow sound asleep,
Drows’d with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;
Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.

III

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,--
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

Thanks to all for participating in the first ever Onward and Upward CD Giveaway! Before we announce our grand prize winner, let us discuss our completely random and scientific selection process:

We began by assigning a number to every letter of each contestant's first name. For example, A=1, B=2, C=3, and so forth. Each of these numbers was added together to create a sum, which was then averaged by the number of letters in each contestant's name. (To make things fair and all.) Next, this average was cubed, then divided by 2. This number is the Primary Identification Number (PIN) for the contest. The PIN of each contestant was then entered into a secure computer database, and the number closest to the secure, randomly generated computer number was the winner. We assure you that ever effort was made to ensure the authenticity and reliability of the random drawing.

And so, without further ado.

The winner is . . .
Beth!

Your winnings will be mailed to you shortly. Allow 4-6 weeks for deilvery.

Thank you all for playing!

Recently we have received in our possession a CD by Jeremy Camp called "Restored". Since neither of us are as much Jeremy Camp fans, we thought we'd give it away to someone who would appreciate it!

To win this fine, still-in-the-original-wrappings CD, all you have to do is mention this blog on your site! You can link to any specific post or just this blog in general! Then leave a comment here so we know to put you in the running. We'll choose one person at random (probably the old-fashioned method of closing our eyes and pulling a piece of paper from a hat) and announce it here on Friday, October 6th at 9pm (CDT). The winner then needs to email us her address so we can get it out into the mail! (We'll mail it to anyone in the US and we're willing to work with anyone outside of the US. :-))

If you don't want the CD then we would invite you to go ahead and share the news on your blog anyways in case any of your readers are interested. And yes, this is a shameless plug to get our name out there. :-)

Questions? Comments? Email us at onwardupward@ashleydesign.org.

Allison over at The Autumn Rain is hosting this week's Carnival of Beauty. I encourage you to head on over there to read many other women's thoughts, musings, and reflections on this most glorious of seasons.

Just when the lazy days of summer seem to be very lazy indeed, a crisp breath of air awakened me one morning. Excitement always floods my head, for autumn is just around the corner. In the heat and humidity of the summer, I long for the days of hot apple cider, crackling fires, brilliant leaves, and spicy pumpkin pie. Of hay rides through corn mazes, golden-hued mums, long autumn walks, and toasty marshmallows. And scarecrows. And of course hot chocolate :-).

As I sit here writing, I think about what I miss now that I have moved to Southeast Texas. I so cherish the autumns of my past--it is my favorite season after all. But now, many traditional things are gone. Of course the days are cooling off, but it never really gets cold until November. So that means no more changing leaves, no more snuggling by a fire (at least not until winter!). No more bundling up to protect against the nip in the air. It's still too warm to enjoy a mug of spiced cider or steamy chocolate. I'm learning to appreciate what God has given me here. And to live vicariously through my Northern friends :-). It hasn't been easy, but I'll adjust.

You know what I'm discovering that I love most about autumn? The fellowship with family and friends, the celebration of the bounty and blessings from God, the thanksgiving we share in another year. In other words, the spirit of the season doesn't have to change just because I have moved to a new place. May we continue to praise the Lord for His bountious grace and thank Him for His provisions and care for us.