Menu Planning- Week 4

This is the last week in January for the menu. I am in the process right now of making February's menu...My friend, Joy, is bringing me some deer meat.. so I've been researching yummy recipes for that. Can't wait! That will save A LOT at the store this time on meats! Score! Here is the final week (week 4) of January's menu:

Sunday: BBQ Chicken Quesadillas with Spanish Rice (like the Lipton or Uncle Ben's box/bag)
Monday: Pizza Night (this can either be frozen pizza or homemade. I do the roll out crust, pizza sauce, mozz. cheese, pepperonis, and whatever other toppings we want... easy peasy.
Tuesday: Baked Spaghetti with Cream Cheese, Salad, Garlic Bread (same kind from Wal Mart deli) (with the spaghetti, I use penne pasta or small shell pasta and I use a whole block of cream cheese)
Wednesday: Crock Pot Ham (with pineapples and honey), Scalloped Potatoes (from real potatoes), and Wild Rice (Uncle Ben's)
Thursday: Leftovers (Ham sandwiches on Hawaiian rolls are the best) and Chips
Friday: Tilapia Rolls, Asparagus, and White Rice (where it says "Sole" I use tilapia. Works the same.
Saturday: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup (this is also shopping day for me.. It's Feb 1st!) to the grocery store I will go today. WITH NO KIDS OR HUSBAND. This is the only way I will stick to my list and only spend what I budget myself for. No exceptions. I used to let D come with me, but he wanders to much and picks things up on every aisle. Never again. The kids are so bad, but I just need to think while I'm shopping for a whole month.

Stay tuned for February and all it's deer meat glory! Can't wait!

Menu Planning- Weeks 2 and 3

I know, I'm late.. again. Sorry! I've been busy.. as usual. So, here are weeks 2 and 3 for my menu for the month. I will be doing my menu for February next weekend and writing my grocery list. It takes me a while to write out my list and get it just right (so I don't have to go back to the store.) I DID have to go to the store on Sunday ( I know, GAH!) I ran out of butter ( I'm not sure how) and sugar over the weekend.. and I cook so much from scratch, I HAD to have those items. So to Kroger I went after church. And I ONLY bought those two items. Yep. I'm serious about this stuff, y'all! :)

Week 2 - January 12-January 18

Sunday- Taco Stuffed Pasta Shells (these are delicious!) or just Tacos and Mexican Rice (I use Lipton)
Monday- Manicotti and Breadsticks (I get the 12 pack of fresh breadsticks from Wal Mart and freeze them) (and on the Manicotti, don't cook the noodles first; it saves time and they cook fine in the oven when baking)
Tuesday- Parmesan Broiled Tilapia, Red Potatoes, and Broccoli/Cheese (just broccoli cooked with velveeta melted over it)
Wednesday- Crockpot Chili and Cornbread (homemade recipe at the bottom) (cornbread is jiffy mix)
Thursday- Breakfast (the kiddos picked waffles and fruit for tonight) (usually we eat sausage, biscuits, bacon, eggs...)
Friday- Tuna Cakes, Carrots, and Pasta Salad (kraft pasta salad)
Saturday- Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Bell Peppers (this is for just D and I tonight) and Wild Rice (Uncle Ben's long grain and wild rice)

Homemade Chili:

1 pound ground chuck (I use ground round or turkey meat) cooked
1 onion, chopped and cooked with meat
1 can diced tomatoes (I use canned tomatoes from the garden)
I can tomato sauce
1 cans tomato paste (1 if you like it more soupy)
1 can kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 cup water
chili power, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper to taste (we like it HOT)

Dump everything into the crock pot and cook on low for 8 or more hours. I always cook this on a Wednesday when I work until after 4 and it's SO good...

Week 3: January 19- January 25

Sunday- Waffles and Fruit (we will probably have leftovers or sandwiches)
Monday- Red and White Pasta, Salad, and Breadsticks (I usually add meat to this pasta dish)
Tuesday- BBQ Chicken Sliders, Baked Beans, and Chips
Wednesday- Crawfish and Corn Chowder (this is SOOOOO good, FOR REAL. I add 1 bag of frozen shrimp, too with the rest of the recipe. It's SO good.)
Thursday- Hamburgers and Fries (I make homemade fries, but you can just get a bag of frozen)
Friday- Steak Fingers with Gravy, Mashed Potatoes (I make homemade potatoes,) and Corn on the Cob (Kyler's favorite meal)
Saturday- Baked Chicken Drumsticks (just drumsticks covered in BBQ sauce and baked for about an hour), Green Bean Rolls (whole green beans rolled with bacon and drizzled with Italian dressing), and Mac and Cheese (either box or homemade)

Only 1 more week in January!:)

Week 1 Recipes (a few days late!)

I'm a bit late on this, so I'll do another post tonight for week 2. That way, whoever wants to start will have the recipes to go on!

Week 1 Menu:
Sunday, January 5th- Crock Pot Philly Chicken Sandwiches and Chips
Monday, January 6th- Ranch Pesto Rigatoni Bake (which was FABULOUS!) Salad, Breadsticks
Tuesday, January 7th- Baja Chicken Wraps (which we didn't eat because we had so many leftovers from the weekend and Monday, I'm moving this to Thursday night) and Mexican Rice
Wednesday, January 8th- Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings (a no fail recipe, good every time!)
Thursday, January 9th- Caesar Pork Chops, Pasta Salad, Lima Beans (we're eating Tuesday night here)
Friday, January 10th- Sesame Salmon with Stir Fried Vegetable Medley, White Rice
Saturday, January 11th- Baked Shrimp and Grits with Biscuits

Crock Pot Philly Chicken Sandwiches:

http://foodfamilyfinds.com/slow-cooker-chicken-philly-sandwiches-recipe/

Ranch Pesto Rigatoni Bake (I get salad from Kroger and breadsticks from Wal Mart (in the deli section))

http://www.mostlyhomemademom.com/2013/05/ranch-pesto-rigatoni-bake-vegetarian.html

Baja Chicken Wraps (for the Mexican rice, I use Knorr Rice, they are usually $1.00 at Kroger)

http://www.itsoverflowing.com/2012/04/baja-chicken-wraps-recipe/

Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/170855379587153227/

Caesar Pork Chops (pasta salad is from a box and lima beans or peas from the garden that I put up)

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/caesar-pork-chops-pasta-123052.aspx

Sesame Salmon with Stir Fried Vegetable Medley (just box white rice)

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/sesame-salmon-stir-fried-vegetable-medley-123049.aspx

Baked Shrimp and Biscuits (I make homemade biscuits..not from a can) (and I but frozen shrimp from Wal Mart, $5 a bag. 1 1/2 bags make 1 meal for us, but that makes two lunch plates for the next day)

http://oystersandpearls.net/baked-shrimp-n-grits/


These will take you right to the recipes. You are ready to start your own week! It's all done for you! :) Get planning!

Menu Planning (This is LONG)

Ok, so I have had too many people to ask me about my menu planning and grocery shopping... so I figured I might as well do a blog about it. That way, I don't repeat myself and everyone can get an inside view.

First things first: YES, I plan my menu for the WHOLE month. As in, every night of the week for however many weeks there are in the month. The whole month. Second: YES, I only go to the grocery store ONCE a month. Yep.. ONCE a month. I know, I know. Some of you think I am crazy. Some of you have told me, "There is NO WAY I could do that. I have to go every week...." I'm telling you, it's possible. It just takes time, effort, discipline, and habit. Those are hard to do at first, I know. It took me a while to figure it out totally. And this is not a science.. It's just how you do your own family and what works for you. I have a "budget" that I stick by. Now, I don't always stick to it exactly. But I will stay within my means of what we can do monthly. It works for us. Now that I have it down pat, there's no way I could ever go back. 

Menu planning for the month and only shopping once a month keeps me sane. I don't have to think about supper every night. I don't have to run to the store all the time because I need something to cook. I don't have to just end up eating something fast or popping corn dogs (now we do love corn dogs, but they aren't on our dinner menu) because I am in a rush and don't have anything to cook. Supper is either cooked, thawed out to cook, or ready to cook/when I get home every day. It takes me less than hour everyday (yes, everyday) to cook my meal and  have it ready. So many people have asked... so here's how I do it.

I sit down at the end of the month and make my menu. I use a menu planner sheet from Mommy Tracked. You can get it HERE. It looks like this: 

This is my first week's menu for this month. I use Kraft Food and Family books ( I get them in the mail, pay $12.00 a year for 5 books) about 75% of the time. I look in those first... then I fill in with Pinterest, online, and just other places that have recipes. I haven't repeated a meal since October. Now, we might have spaghetti one night. Then a couple weeks later have Spicy Meatballs and Pasta. Yes, that's almost spaghetti.. but it's a totally different recipe and tastes totally different. I always have a crock pot meal on Wednesdays. I work until around 4 on these days, so it is nice to come home and supper be finished. (I usually am home by 3:30/3:45 most days and start cooking a little after 4) Weekend meals vary depending on what we're doing or events on the calendar. This month, we have NOTHING on the calendar. We have decided to do a no eating out month to help jump start the year. Normally, we have one night out a month. I would write "eat out" on whatever night this is. 

After I make my menu out, I start my grocery list. I gave my last grocery list to a friend, so I don't have a picture. But, that too, is organized in it's own way. I start with my meats. All the meats are listed that I need to buy. I count how many, say, chicken meals I have. Then I write out exactly how many packs I need. I do the same for other meats. I buy fresh tilapia and salmon. I make my meat list like this first. Then I go through my recipes and write down ingredients that I do not normally buy and how many I need. Say, I need cream cheese for 4 meals. I would write down: cream cheese- 5 blocks. This keeps me from over or under spending. I know exactly what I buy is what I need for the whole month. I continue my list and then I make my own list (things that I need monthly or household items needed.) This is where your own personal family needs/wants comes in. Your budget might be different from ours. We are on a pretty tight budget. We don't have a lot of "extras." Now, I do buy snacks and cookies and drinks. But when they're gone, they're gone. I don't go out and buy more just because the kids ate a whole bag of chips in one day. And we don't drink sodas and stuff. We drink water, juice, milk, and I'll make Kool-Aid once in a while. Kyler has drinks for his lunch,

 but he doesn't get them at home. 

After making my list, it's time for coupons. I am not one of those crazy coupon ladies who buys 60 bottles of toothpaste and 75 rolls of toilet paper just because I have a coupon for it. I use the coupons I need. That's it. I look for coupons that I need for items on my list. That's it. Nothing more. But, I will say this: coupons DO save money. Especially if you shop at Kroger. They will send you coupons of things that you buy (from receipt history). I LOVE this. 

Anyway.. I get all my coupons together and I make a check mark or a star out beside that item on my list. This helps me remember

 I have a coupon and to use it. 

Then, it's just going to the grocery store and buying it all, putting it up, and keeping your menu where you can use it. Mine is hanging on the fridge where I can see it daily. 

It's not really that hard. It just takes discipline to only spend what you have allowed yourself. And then the habit of actually cooking what you have written down and not straying from it. Here is my menu plan for the whole month of January (and the first day of February): 

If you follow me on Pinterest, most of the recipes are on there under my board EAT. I usually put "pinterest" or "online" out beside some of my plans so I know where to look when I'm cooking.

This is not for some people. I know that. And some people can go to the store every week and spend $300 on food. We can't. On a teacher's salary and only getting paid once a month.. Money management is a big priority in our house. But planning and saving money on our food helps us save money to go watch a movie, go bowling, get an ice cream  every once in while. 

You can sign up to get the Food and Family books HERE.

You can follow my EAT board on Pinterest HERE.

You can get the menu planning sheet HERE.

Everything else, is just YOU. 

Happy Planning and Shopping!

My FAVORITE part of the year! :) GIVEAWAY!

It's that time, again... YUP! SHUTTERFLY Christmas Cards!!!! And this time.. a Giveaway!

Shutterfly has been and is currently my GO TO place for all things pictures. I order photo books, prints, mugs, calendars... anything I want with a picture on it. I order from them at least once, if not twice, a month.

There photo gift options seem to be endless and they have NEVER disappointed. You can check out the photo gifts here.  My favorite thing to order from Shutterfly is Christmas cards.  It takes me at least a month to pick my favorite because there are just too many to choose! This year, Shutterfly has asked me to blog about their new Christmas card collection and photo gifts. I even get to do a GIVEAWAY! But first, here ar my top 5 picks of this year's card collection:

I love that this one is so simple. JOY is one of my favorite words, and this card is just that. Full of JOY. I like the layout and the simplicity of it. 

Black. White. Red. Enough said. My three favorite colors. All in one card. 

I think this may be a winner in my book. Chevron. Red. Vintage feel. 

I love how this one looks like a chalkboard.  It has a vintage feel, as well. With the perfect family pictures, it could definitely be on my "BUY" list.  

Again, see a pattern? Red, white, and black.. I'm a little obsessed. I love me a monogram! and I like things in NON capital letters.. My husband thinks I'm crazy. 

Shutterfly always has the best cards online.. it's hard to think that they could ever be better. But every year, they one-up themselves and do it again! There are NEW design styles and choices like:

Classic (traditional colors, monograms), Contemporary (like the chevron, and you can use Instagram pictures on these!), Whimsy (for the kiddos), Merry and Bright (color, color, color), and Religious (beautiful Biblical and religious based cards)

You can find Shutterfly's entitre Christmas card collection HERE.Trust me, you won't EVER want to leave.  The possibilities are endless.  They even link up to Facebook and other accounts for EASY upload of pictures. Genius.

Now, for the FUN PART! I get to do a GIVEAWAY!!!! All you have to do to enter is visit the Holiday Cards and COMMENT with your favorite title. That's it. Easy Peasy! The giveaway is for $50.00 (yes, $50) off your total order for Shutterfly plus FREE SHIPPING! You can't beat that!!!! 

Don't forget.. go to the Holiday Cards page HERE and comment on your favorite card title. Please include your e-mail address! Comments must be posted no later than November 24th.  Winner will be announced and notified on November 25th.  

Get to LOOKING and SHOPPING!!!! and COMMENTING!!!!!

I am having a hard time blogging. I know. Gah.
My computer won't read my SD card for pictures (who knows why....) so I don't really want to blog without pictures...
I know. Sorry excuse.
Here's a quick, and I mean, quick, update of the last 7 months. Geez. 7 months. I'm a terrible blogger!

So... spring semester went by way fast this year. Lots of fun things happened, and now it is SUMMER BREAK! WHOO! :) I will be teaching 3rd grade again next year, and I'm thankful for that. I really like this age group and I finally got a Promethean Board! WHOO! That is so exciting. I can do SO MUCH more with this type of technology. Must be a teacher thing.

Lately, it's been lazy summer days with the sprinkler, jumper, and pools. Kyler has been at VBS at New Salem Baptist, which is about 3 miles from home. He is loving it! There are several kids from school in his group, so it's like a mini reunion everyday for them. Harper is about to be 3 years old. Really?! Soon I will have a 7 year old and a 3 year old. WHOA.

I am so tired I can't see straight. I am working on figuring out a way to get pictures on here without having my SD card. I hate blogging with no pictures! :(

I PROMISE PROMISE PROMISE to do better. Really.

:)

It's That Time Again!!!

Yes! Christmas card time! :) Y'all know I love me some Shutterfly Christmas Cards! Shutterfly is asking the bloggerworld to show their beautiful cards for the upcoming season. This year they have so many new cards to choose from! I usually can't pick one, so I order two or three different ones! I have been ordering from Shutterfly for about 4 years now and they NEVER disappoint! I always get compliments and have so much fun making my cards! I love looking at the new cards they put out each year. This year is going to be hard to choose!!! That is why I am getting started early, and you should too! 

Before I start a long list of the cards I won't be able to choose from... y'all be sure to check out Shutterfly's specials page! They are always having a sale or some kind of deal! Check out the special page here: http://www.shutterfly.com/special-offers.
Now... on to the showcase of cards! Opinions are welcome! :) 

I finally got it down to about 6 that I like a lot. I either want about 4 or 5 pictures, or just 1 of the kiddos. Haven't quite made up my mind yet!

I just LOVE this one! I like the "teacher" like feel (HAHA) and the simplicity of it. Perfect for two pictures of the kids alone and two of them together. This one is on my top 3 list, I think!

And I love the vintage look of this one! Very simple, yet to the point! Just have to have the perfect picture!

This one is so fun for the kids! Very cheery and colorful. And lots of choices for poses to put in, too! I may even get a whole family shot in there for this one! :)

This one is cheery and colorful, too! I like the black/white pictures with the colored words. Nice contrast!

This card just looks like it would cute with a black/white picture in it. Still debating on it, though!

I love the color scheme of this card. If only I had a beach picture...

And this one is just very traditional to me. I love the verse and the colors. A picture with some pretty black eyed-susans in the background would make this card so pretty! :)

You can see all of these cards and even more (over 500 actually) at their site!

Don't forget to check out the specials page that I linked to above! They have some awesome deals to snag just in time for gifts and such! 

Shutterfly's Long Live Summer Contest

Can you believe it's almost school time again! I have been busy busy working my classroom at CES (WHOO WHOO) everyday! I am almost finished, though.

Wanted to take a moment to mention Shutterfly's Long Live Summer Photo Contest on Facebook. It runs for 5 weeks, but started last week... so that means there are still 4 more weeks to participate!

All you have to do is upload a picture that goes along with the theme for the week and post it via facebook to Shutterfly! They are giving away prizes and a grand prize at the end of the 5 weeks. How fun and easy is that!!?

Here are the rules and general information about it. Check it out! Sounds fun to me! :) :)

Hope your summer is still going strong in this HEAT!

Long Live Summer – Facebook Photo Contest details - 7/9 – 8/12 Multi-week summer themed photo sweepstakes with instant win prizes. http://bit.ly/sweepS

Win a trip for four to The Bahamas and a professional photo shoot so you’ll remember your vacation forever.  All you need to do is upload your favorite photo and caption based on the theme of the week.  Get a gift from Shutterfly just for entering! You can enter at any point during the 5-week sweepstakes period.

PHOTO THEMES

•       Week 1(7/9): Americana

•       Week 2 (7/16): Great Outdoors

•       Week 3 (7/23): Water Fun

•       Week 4 (7/30): Sports & Activities

•       Week 5 (8/6): Parties & Celebrations

PRIZES

•       Instant win prizes just for submitting a photo!

•       Weekly prizes (contestants can enter one time/week)

•       Weekly featured photos: up to 5 weekly entries will be selected from the gallery and featured on the Facebook fan page and awarded a $500 gift card on Shutterfly and a copy of the new Lonely Planet travel photography book.

•       Grand prize: trip for 4 to Bahamas, 4 nights, family photo shoot

WHOOOO Had a Birthday?!

This sweet little girl...

turned 2 years old today. Well, TECHNICALLY, she turned 2 on Thursday. Exactly 2 years ago. But today, July 1st, is her REAL birthday! :)

We did HOOT OWLS this year! It was so much fun to plan! I ended up making and creating a lot for this party, since you can't find a lot in stores. I did happen upon an owl table cloth and banner at Wal-Mart (they were putting them out when I found them and ran to grab one of each!)
I got different colored tablecloths and hung them up like curtains to cover up the white walls. I also hung up some burlap owls that The Cookie Mama, Shannon Willcutt, has at her house. I borrowed them for the party! She was SO sweet to let me! :) Thanks, Shannon! They looked SO cute hanging up everywhere. I also picked up some cute things from Hobby Lobby and Kirklands. I decided to do her room in owls, too... so all this stuff is for her room! It looks cute in there, now!

We had about 16 kids there and about 30 adults. It was a par-tay! :)


The food table (covered up until we ate): Cake, cookies (from the cookies mama of course :), brownies, ham and cheese rolls, sausage dip, salsa dip, chicken salad, fruit tray, vegetable tray. and you know what? I only brought one tray home of leftover veggies. Everything else was wiped out. Totally. Guess our guests were hungry!

Happy table: bags of gummi worms (because that's what owl's eat) coloring pages and crayons (with owls) and little bean bag owls (compliments of myself and MIL.)

Harper had such a fun party! She had a HOOT (lol) with all of her family and friends!

Craft table: I made owl masks and the kids got to color their own and decorate with stickers. We also had mini owl ornaments they made from sticky  back foam. We did fingerpaint owls, too! This table kept them SOSOSO busy.

We played "pin the beak on the owl" but I didn't get a picture of it! :( It was cute, though. The kids loved it! We played 2 rounds of that.

Little Miss got LOTS of goodies for her birthday! From Barbies to Babies to Fur-Real Pets to Dress up Sets to Colors and Markers.

The best we could do for a family pic of 4. Fun times.

Needless to say, birthday girl slept until after 9 this morning. 

We have had another celebratory day since it is her REAL birthday! After church, we headed to Logan's to eat (because we had a coupon, buy one entree get one free) then to Wal Mart. We ended our trip with a nice cool treat from Smackers. Harper knows that place by name, and requested it after lunch. She has been in her room all afternoon playing (strowing out every toy she has) since we got home. She is one happy birthday girl. And that makes for a happy rest of the family! :)

Happy Birthday, Harper Layne. We love you!

Momma, Daddy, and Kyler

The smell of plastic

I know everyone knows this already.. but pinterest is the most genius thing. ever. Really. After being out of school for 2 weeks, (1 being on vacation) I am completely and totally bored. The kids and I have played every game, used up all the sidewalk chalk, and played outside in the water until we are immune to tanning now.
So to pinterest I went. I found some fun things to do, made me a list, and headed to Wal-Mart for supplies. I came home with plenty of stuff to keep up busy for the next few days. (I hope.)

Tonight, I made these:

take pony beads. lay them flat in a pan (no need to flour or butter)

bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. yes, your house will smell

like burning plastic, but it's not as strong as you think.

after a few minutes, they started to look like Trix cereal!

Take them out after 10 minutes. It cools and hardens almost instantly.

Pop it out and viola! I put a washer in the top of mine

so it wouldn't melt so I could put some ribbon in it.

Ta da! How fun!

So then we made some little ones to give as happies or

use for birthday parties... I'm still deciding what to do with them.

These I didn't put any washers. I am going to drill tiny holes

in them and put ribbon in. 

This one was all sorts of beads and shapes. It has a lot of clear in it

so it catches light pretty!

I started doing color schemes to see what looked the best..

This one was pink and grey.

Blue and pink.

Orange and Green.

Pink and Grey/Blue.

Multi.

Up against the light!

I have one hanging outside already. I have to drill holes in all the others and then see what to do with them!

Right now... I'm baking. Oreo Poke Cake and these yummy things:

They smell SO good right now. There isn't a name for them yet.. Recipe to follow! :)

I'm off to finish baking and making pinterest projects! I plan on painting today and letting the kids paint outside. I bought these magnet ceramic paint things last night for them to do. We have a ballgame tonight, and then we have Life Group in Aberdeen. Happy Thursday!

Chattanooga Vaca

We left on the 31st for Chattanooga. All 8 of us. My family of 4, my brother in law and his fiance, BJ and a cousin, Jeremy. Don't worry, we took 2 cars. We got there around 11, ate lunch and then headed for the aquarium! That was the real reason for going so we could take the kids there. It is amazing! Harper and Kyler had the best time. Harper is just at the age where every animal is so interesting to her, so she had a blast!

I didn't take any pictures at the aquarium because I left my memory card in my laptop at the hotel. I didn't realize it until after we got downtown. :/ I did take some with my phone, though.

This was at the zoo. It is a nice and roomy, but not a lot of animals. There were about 5 or 6 exhibits. It was pretty and cool that day because it rained a little bit. 

In the front part of the zoo there are all these sculptures of monkeys and apes. Kind of reminds me of "Rise of the Planet of the Apes." Creepy almost. 

These beauties were just walking all over the zoo. They didn't have a specific place. I finally read where they are allowed to wander around because they think of the zoo as their home and they will never leave. Huh! They were so pretty and SO not shy. This one little guy walked beside us almost the entire time we were there. They make the loudest, most annoying noise, though. Very loud. And annoying.

I think this is my new favorite picture of these two. Harper was being so loving at the moment and Kyler was being extra cooperative. They are just so cute!

Then we went to the Creative Discovery Museum. Coolest. Place. Ever. I always thought the children's museum in Memphis was awesome, but this place is 10 times better. Everything you could imagine to make, build, destroy, cook, and think was there. Our favorite part was the rooftop play area. They had these seats where you sat down and had to pull yourself up on a pulley. It was so fun!

There was also a tower you walked up to see the downtown area. Very cool.

Self playing piano. But they didn't know that. :)

They found them a little seat!

Saturday we went to Lookout Mountain. Still pretty! It's been 4 years since we

went last and a lot has changed, but a lot has stayed the same as well. The view is 

still gorgeous!

Harper and I hung out and played while everyone else did Ruby Falls. I must have gotten more claustrophobic in the last 4 years because the thought of being 1200 feet underground under a mountain and not being able to get out until it was over was too much for me. I remember being down there last time, and it is VERY small and TIGHT down there. And I wasn't having it myself, let alone try and take little Miss down there. No way. So we enjoyed the outside view from ABOVE the mountain. :) 

We hit up the incline, too! Good times. At the bottom of the hill, we ate at his cute little place called Blacksmith's Bistro. Check it out here. Man, was it good. We sat outside (it was perfect weather) and enjoyed a delicious lunch! Good service and even better food. We gave it a 10. If you are traveling that direction, stop at St. Elmo Street and eat there. 

Beth (Chris's fiance) BJ, and me.

From the top of the incline! On our way down!

View from atop Lookout Mountain.

Harper by the prettiest flowers at Rock City! Love that place, but it is FOREVER long. We were there for 4 hours and we finally took the short cut at the end. We did get to see the Fairyland Caverns, though. All the gnomes and fairy tale stories in black lit rooms. Kind of reminded me of Gremlins. But it was pretty. Ha. Pretty Gremlins. 

Lover's Leap.

This is where you can see 7 states. Jeremy thought this was the coolest part of the trip. It is kind of neat to be able to see so much at one time! D and I took a pic here 4 years ago. 

Besides all the places we went sightseeing, the food was awesome, too! 

We went to:

Mellow Mushroom (good good pizzas)

Cheeburger Cheeburger

Boathouse 

Blacksmith's Bistro

Cracker Barrel (a vacation must anytime)

Gi Gi's Cupcakes 

Red Robin

Next stop, Orange Beach!