Good Day / Good Supper / Good Company

This was a very good day.  

Today, oldest was home for the day, so we went shopping.  We hit the thrift stores,  both Target, and Meijer among other stores, and had a nice lunch out.  I had some great coupons and did very well at both Meijer and Target.  At Meijer they had whole chickens for .85 cents a pound, so I bought 2. I should have bought more.  As soon as we walked in the door from shopping, I put supper together. 

(Now, I know that traditionally this is a "beer in the rear" chicken, but we do not have beer in our household.   Well, let me re-phrase that.  We actually do have a beer in our house.  We found it in our side yard about 2 years ago.  It is a full bottle.  It is in storage way back under our sink, because I know for a fact that it works wonders in keeping slugs away from your outdoor plants.  Just pour a bit in a bowl,  place it in your flower bed and wait for the slugs to party!  They come slithering in from all over the place, slide into the awaiting bath and then drown in their beer.  A true "slug-fest"!) 

So, back to my chicken.  

I used 7-up.  It is in the can nestled up the middle of the chicken.  Any liquid will do, it just bubbles away inside the bird and keeps it all moist inside and out. I did have a potato sticking out of the poor bird's neck, but that was removed before the photo.  Prior to roasting, I just oiled this baby up a bit, and sprinkled with my usual homemade rub.  Next time, I will omit the brown sugar from this rub and add garlic salt instead.  A few parts were a bit sweet.  After about 1/2 hour of roasting we prepared some potatoes, onions, and carrots and threw them in the pan.  I would have thrown in some parsley if I had thought about it.  One more hour later and we sat down to a pretty tasty dinner after a day of shopping. 

The bad thing, is that we ate way too late for us.  Husband and I are too old to eat dinner at 8:30!  We will see how the night goes.

As far as today went though,  I love spending time with my boys.  

Lately though, it has been one boy or the other.  The days are getting less frequent when we are all together.  I was reminded of this when  I saw a mom in Target today.  She had two little boys in tow.  They were walking along while she was pushing the cart.  A microphone toy on a low end-cap caught  their attention, and soon both boys had stopped in their tracks to perform for the rest of the Target Shoppers.  I for one loved it, but I saw that familiar look in the mom's eye.  You know the look, the "hurry up" look.   I wanted to freeze time for her, just to make sure she appreciated this spontaneous moment of childhood.  I just turned to her, smiled, and said, "Enjoy them mom, they don't stay little very long."   At that moment about 26 years of memories flooded my mind, and I felt a sweet peace to know that I still enjoy my boys. 

Today was a "keeper" 

Recovering

I have spent the last few days pretty much house bound, recovering from a bout with pneumonia.  It hit me all at once, I just felt like I had a cold coming on and then on Saturday morning I felt awful.  Since a  trip to the walk in clinic on Saturday morning, I have not done much else.  I hope to go back to school tomorrow, because it is technically the "walking" type and I am feeling better.  Going to bed early.  Now I know why I felt so tired last week. 

I was just thinking...

Lately I have been in my deep thinking mood.  Not really wanting this blog to be all about bargains and shopping, but rather more about who I really am. Now, I admit that bargain hunting is in my blood, but is that all I really want to be known for ?  I hope not.

So for those of you who stop by here occasionally, you just might see more of the posts that I used to compose. 

Fair warning.

Tonight, especially, I have been thinking about a card that I found today in my mailbox. I get similar ones quite often.  These are all from the same sender, The "Thursday Morning Morning Bible Study".  This is a group of ladies from my church that meet regularly for a Bible study and for prayer.  They pray for me of all people.  I have posted a copy of this card because it has touched me so.  Now the reason I am posting it has nothing to do with the part about my witness, however it is the first line that has me humbled.  

"We are always praying for you" 

Aren't those words powerful? 

Think of this:  This May it will be 2 years since my heart attack.  In September it will be 2 years since I was surgically cured of cancer.  Two years, no problems to speak of, and no set backs. Easy sailing. 

Yet, this group of women still pray for me, and they still send me cards. One might say that they could stop now, that there is no need to devote this time and effort for me any longer.

Ah, but might I say that maybe, just maybe that this group of persistent prayer warriors is part of the reason that I am cancer free and that my heart has not skipped a single beat?  

Sometimes we are not able to see the methods that God uses to work things out in our lives.  Sometimes, however,  the signs are there and we miss them.  I thank God that He reminded me to be thankful for this group of ladies tonight.  

I guess we all need to thank those people in our lives that keep us encouraged and keep us going.  Or perhaps the lesson to be learned here, is that we need to be the people who keep others going.  Something to think about. 

Life sure  is sweet in the Body of Christ. 

Sometimes I get tired of shopping...

or maybe it is that I am just tired in general.  I really am tired tonight.  You know, that every now and then, bone-tired.  That is me.  It is now 7:20 pm and I am already thinking of how nice my bed will feel.  

There is no real reason for me to be this tired.  Just a bit of a restless night last night and a busy day today.  I left school and for once I did not run any quick errands or bargain runs.  Tuesdays have become my heavy bargain run days and I usually make about 4-5 stops before I make it home.  I did very well last night but I just did not have time to post about it.  I would post about it now, but, you guessed it, I am too tired.

One word of note though, I am currently wrapping up a Beth Moore Bible Study on the Fruits of the Spirit with some very good friends.  I was invited into this group, they have done several, but this is my first.  This has been amazing.  If you have the opportunity to do one of her studies don't hesitate.  Be prepared to dig deeper than you might ever have, but also be prepared for God to speak to you more than ever as well.  

I will post more soon, but for now I hear the couch calling my name.

A Whole Lotta Nothing

Not so much new around here. I have been busy however with many things:

• Husband and I have been doing a lot of cleaning and de-cluttering
• I have made a daily trek to Kmart to take advantage of double coupons
• I had two out of town medical appointments this week- one just a follow up regarding my thyroid replacement medicine (need a slight adjustment)
• I have a new hobby - making jewelry (just basic stuff so far)
• We are heading to visit youngest son tomorrow

Not much, but that is life.