Squash, Rugs and Object Lessons

So, this weekend has been busy. Busy, yet fun.
This past week's AP meal was Rigatoni with Squash and Prawns. Minus the prawns. Sorry. They weren't in my budget this week. (You'll see why shortly.)
It was pretty good - I think it would definitely be better with the shrimp. But it was still yummy - I used whole wheat pasta and added oven-roasted tomatoes.

Here you can see object lesson #1: this is what I get for buying a rinky-dink vegetable peeler. It is not very effective on a butternut squash. It took fooorrreeeeevvver.


Finally got it peeled and chopped up. I was much happier at this point.


I cooked some extra butternut squash and mashed it with some butter, salt and pepper. Michael did not want to have anything to do with it, but that's ok. He ate the oh-so-good Asiago Cheese Bread from Panera. Sooooooo good.



And here is the rug part. Mike told me on Saturday that a rug was high priority on our list of house items. Could I have asked for better words to come forth from my husband?? :)
Anways, on Saturday Meg, Heidi and I were already headed out to the Lancaster outlets to look for a bridesmaids dress for me for Michelle's wedding. While out there we stopped by Pottery Barn Outlet to see what we could see. And lo and behold! What did we find but this beauty of a rug! I had to duke it out with another lady who was also interested in it, but in the end she decided it was too small for the room she was decorating. While sad for her, I gladly swooped in to offer this rug a new home. Here it is, as well as dear Michael the Husband enjoying some Sunday afternoon football.



And this is where we come to object lesson #2. I should preface this story by saying that I was going to a plethera of favorite stores while having already spent my clothing budget for the month. And that's all I'm going to say.
Here, ladies and gents, is the dress I found for Michelle's wedding:

I had ordered another dress online a few weeks back, but when it came it was not at all what I had anticipated. So I was on the hunt again. I quickly found yet another dress at J Crew that I liked quite a lot. It was rather expensive, but Mike made a deal with me. He said I could have it, but I had to first search for 5 days to see if I could find something that I liked just as much but at a better deal.
I promised.
And I searched.
And I found this one at Ann Taylor for an amazing amazing deal. And I liked it. And it was cheaper. Way way cheaper. I had fulfilled my promise AND I liked the dress!
And that's when things took a turn.
May I just say, this sounded like a good idea at the time. (And maybe I still kinda think it sounds like a good idea???? But don't tell Michael....otherwise he may say my lesson has not been learned.) But no, truthfully, I do see his wisdom, and I am grateful for his leadership.
Anyways. I had just walked out of Ann Taylor having saved beaucoup bucks. And I walked into J Crew still quite aware that I had saved beaucoup bucks.
And this was hanging there:

And it was 40% off. Plus Heidi could get me an additional 15% off with her student discount. (She asked to be the heroine of this story with her 15% discount.)
And so in my mind, because I had just saved the equivalence of what the coat cost when I bought the dress, it made sense that I could get the coat.
Well, apparently this did not make sense to Michael.
And, long story short, I am on a payment plan until February. It was either that or return the coat. I chose the payment plan ;)
And I have learned my lesson. Looking for a better deal is not always just so I can buy something else (though sometimes that IS the case). Sometimes finding a good deal is God's blessing so we can actually SAVE that money :)
But, since I have learned my lesson, I would just like to say that I like my new coat very much ;)