spring has sprung

**i am sorry for the grainy/blurry picture quality of this post. i think i had my camera on auto instead of high iso. so sorry ... oh well!! **

whoa, sorry about disappearing for um more than two weeks! whoopsie. spring has created its usual flurry of activity here. i'm just coming off a 10-day spring break during which much fun was had, much dreaming and planning done, and much rest accomplished. all in all, a wonderful reprieve.

i'm trying to be on the computer much less these days (but don't think i haven't spent a few leisurely weekday mornings with hot tea reading your lovely blogs as always!), so i'll try and keep this short so i can go eat chips with pineapple salsa from trader joe's and watch a movie on netflix.

87 degrees. yes, there was dairy bar (eek non vegan ....bah. louisville needs a vegan ice cream shop. it sucks always getting it at the store) ice cream involved here today. with rainbow sprinkles. in a waffle cone. there was a four-hour hike had and waterfalls eaten under (and arrived at very, very carefully over off-trail hiking). there was sunburn (mostly on my boyfriend). there was homemade indian food (vegan....ahhh). there was a lot of jazz and classical music and sunshine. there was a 15-minute tidy that even dbf participated in. there is wine.

my week began with a visit to this magical place in eastern kentucky.










we were blessed with gorgeous cool-but-warm weather, delicious (but EXPENSIVE ... oh yes this was a splurge for sure from this budding frugalista) vegetarian breakfasts and dinners, banjo and guitar playin, star-gazing, wine drinking, reading and knitting by the fireplace.
we like to hike and stopped at this state park on the way home, which is also super close to this state park, where we want to go back and rent a camping cabin.






we even got pizza (i went on a vegetarian bender .... and boy did i pay for it physically)... this place doubles as a rock climber's shop.


then there were a few days spent at this also magical place. i am seriously considering starting my own.













a day spent grounded at home ...


... then there was bluegrass music twice, piles of laundry to wash and dry and put away, a minor league baseball game, and today's hike here (loads of magical places there are!)


frugal living journey:
it's been our first month on a budget. we are not doing very well. but we're figuring out the hang of it and learning to say "NO" (most of the time) so that's a baby step. also, my credit cards are all UNDER the limit for the first time in a LONG time!

our biggest vices are a. eating out (i am menu planning which helps cut down the grocery bill a LOT), and b. "borrowing" from next month's budget. whoops.

our succcesses are building up my credit again by using one cc for gas only and one for food only and paying them off in full each month.

also securing a forbearance on my graduate loans to pay off a large credit card balance on the third card that i plan on using only in emergencies until we have a liquid emergency fund to match (at which point i'll keep the card to reserve and pay for hotels, etc. when needed and then just pay it off in full whenever something is on it .. again, building credit).

we are a one-car family. i need to get dbf on my car insurance but that will save, too. he works from home for now.

i try and see the bright side most of the time. hopefully in two years we'll be in home buying (or farm buying???!!!) territory.

this week will feature two more indian dishes, stovetop granola, and banana-blackberry muffins. all vegan. we are really trying to stick to vegan. i think we are both lactose-intolerant, actually. all bloaty and "boopsy" when we do occasionally slip and eat dairy. i think this might be the last week for the oven and stove. on to cold salads and vegan chili dogs! ahhh the foods of summer.

i hope you all have a lovely week.