Last Trip?

K Mart Haul
Only $5.57 this time for over $60.00 worth of goodies.  My grand total for the K Mart deals has come to $34.76 out of pocket for over $190 worth of various household items.   I could have easily spent $35.00 on about 7 things with my old way of shopping.  I totaled 78 items at roughly  45 cents per item. 

Here is what I bought:

3 Pledge duster refills

2 Glade oil candle refills

2 boxes Brownie mix

2 reduced fat Pringles

3 Gillette body wash

2 Vaseline lotion for men

1 Sure deodorant

3 double packs of Oral B toothbrushes

1 Nature's Source window cleaner

Frugality through the Year

I decided to go backwards in my "Frugal Living" posts and I realized that I have been doing this super-coupon stuff for just over one year.  My first real CVS post was on March 16 of last year.  I sure have learned a lot and sure have changed what I spend.  I remember when I would spend $4.00 (ouch) on one box of cereal, and actually paid for toothpaste and toothbrushes.   I still have a lot to learn compared to some of the blogs I read, but in reality, we all find our spot and what level works for us.  I am pretty much at my level.  

Maybe I do need counseling...

No, I am sharing this loot. 

I spent a bit more on this trip to KMart.  A grand total of $22.75.  For both trips I am under $30.00.   Not much needed at the grocery this week, so I will still come in cheap for the week.  Even shopping at the Kroger Mega Sale  when I visit my sister should not break the bank.  However, I am also about out of good coupons, so my trip to visit my sister's  KMart will be quite paltry compared to this.  

Here is the list, only I am not taking the time to breakdown the prices.  If you need a list of ideas to get you started, go here.  She even tells you which insert to find your coupon. 

I purchased:

6 boxes Cinnamon Toast Crunch (husband LOVES his nightly cereal)

5 Suave body wash (believe it or not, I was getting low on the girly stuff)

2 Gillette body wash

4 Glade oil candle refills (good deal on those, already have the holder)

2 Soft Scrub Scrubby Pads (anxious to try those)

2 Pledge duster refills (I was glad to see those for the holder I snagged earlier, and I didn't know the coupon worked on these, but it clearly stated any multi-surface product)

4 more packages of Oral B toothbrushes

1 Lysol toilet bowl cleaner

2 Vaseline body lotions

1 Nature's Source cleaner

4 more Sure deodorants

Whew.  Gotta go put it all away.  Don't be surprised if you are a benefactor of a goodie box in the near future...

KMart Double Coupons

KMart was very good to me!

Everything in this picture came to $6.44 !  

That sure helps the budget!  

Click on the picture of the receipt to make it easier to read!

They are doubling your coupons up to a $2.00 face value this week at certain KMart stores, and lucky for me, mine is one of them.  A $2.00 coupon means $4.00 off !  ( up to the purchase price- they won't give an overage) Many of my items were free!  You can only use 4 of the same coupon in each transaction, so I will be back later this week.  I have a lot of coupons. 

I was bummed that they did not carry Mentos gum in the single packs because I have good coupons for those, but I am visiting my sister later this week and we will check out her KMart. I can always get it cheap (but not free)  at WalMart though.  

Here is what all I ran off with, and the prices I paid:

4 packs of 2 each Oral B toothbrushes (free)

1  3pack of Trident (free)

4 Sure deodorants (free)

4 Gillette Body Wash (.49 each)

4 Fuse drinks (.50 each)

2 Super Stack cans of Pringles (.89 each)

1 box of Lipton tea bags (1.59)

2 Band-Aid fabric bandages (1.29 each)

1 Glade candle (.50)

2 Luden's cough drops (free)

1 bottle Greased Lightening (.49)

1 Pledge duster (free)

1 St. Joseph 81 mg aspirin (.39)

1 Johnson & Johnson first aid to go kits (free)

1 Johnson & Johnson fabric tape (free)

Over $70.00 worth of goodies for $6.44!  If you plan to go , you need to go to KMart's web site and sign up for email notices first because you get a $5.00 off of $50.00 coupon.  Use that first in your transaction, then use all of your other coupons.   That $5.00 coupon helped with all of the items that did not come out free.  

Fun way to start my spring break!

Dancing in The Rain

I just love it when God gets my attention.  

A couple of posts ago I told you all that I miss that intimacy that I felt with God during my health crisis.  I was pretty much beating myself up over it.

 Well,  just this past Monday night I was with my girlfriends and one wisely told me not to feel bad because she felt that was  just a special time when God just gave me more, basically because I needed it.  She said that even though we are strong Christians, those intimate moments are reserved for times like that.  

 I chewed on that for a few days, ( I am like that, I must have a processing delay because I have to think about things for a while)

 Anyway,  I likened that statement to thinking of a parent. Thinking of a parent  who although has lots of children and loves them all equally,  the sick one gets to sit on their lap.  Thus, the sick one obviously feels a special connection at that moment in time  to that parent.  

Now if that revelation was not enough to make me "get it", God did it again. 

 This morning in church, it was almost as if God whispered, "Anita, it's not raining." 

 You may think I am crazy, and what in the world does that mean?  So, I will try to explain my train of thought this way. 

Remember when you were little, and playing or dancing in the rain was actually a fun thing to do?   My boys would beg to go out in the rain.  I was always the worried mom, thinking that a stray bolt of lightening would jump out of the sprinkles and hit my boys.  I was mostly too cautious to let them enjoy the hidden blessing in a rain storm.  I did give in at one point, and encouraged them to enjoy the rain.  I even  have the picture to prove it:

Look at those faces.  Do they care that it is raining?  

No, they knew how to "dance" in the rain.   They knew that special feeling , that although there might very well be a storm approaching, they had no control over it, and might as well do the best they could in that moment. 

I am thinking that maybe, for a brief moment in time, I remembered that as well.  That although there were "storms" all around me.  I  sought comfort up on God's lap, and at times He encouraged me to go out and dance.  

But to make God's point clear in my life now, I have to realize that it is no longer raining.  I have been very blessed with my recoveries and right now it is not raining in my life.  While I still may enjoy the "dance",  (I still enjoy my relationship with God just as much now as ever) it is not the same as when you dance in the rain.    

That is a special combination of events.  Dancing outside on a sunny day is wonderful, but not nearly the same as facing a storm and enjoying the dance in-spite of the circumstances. 

The following picture is a sign that my sister made for me at Christmas.  I loved it then, but just now the depth of those words are sinking in.  ( I told you I have a delay.  God just works on me that way.)

 

So, I guess I get it.  I can rejoice that I have a great relationship with God right now, when things are clear.  Yet, I can also have the knowledge that if that storm ever rolls back in, that I can crawl to Him, and ask to sit on His lap because I need it.   He will be there to pick me up or hold my hand.  

He will supply whatever I need, and we will dance. 

Welcome to my Blog

I would like to welcome the E.P. "Coupon Class" to my blog.  (ha)  I do like to talk about my coupon deals, huh?  Just to give you a few notes about my blog:  I am slowly adding labels to all of my past blogs, so if you want to pull up all  of  my frugal living posts you will soon be able to.  It is a work in progress.  My blog is just a small reflection of my life, the more you visit, the more you will get to know me.  The blog will rotate from my deals, my health issues of past, my walk with God, and my family news.   So, pull up a chair, get a cup of coffee (cheaper if you make it at home) and stay a while. 

Not sure where this will take me...

I have been, as I said wrestling with God on a few issues lately.  I just have not felt like I could sit down and put it all into words.  Here goes.  

Warning--this post will not be an upbeat, "look what I bought" kind of post, so continue reading at your own risk.  

Issue #1 :

There is a little girl at our church that is in the midst of a terrible battle with cancer.  She is not even two years old and has endured more than most of us will ever see in a lifetime.  What began as a rare liver cancer has progressed to her lungs and she is fighting for her life.  Her mom keeps a blog  which truly humbles me as I read her updates.  My mind and my knowledge of God tells me that I should not think this way, but my heart hurts and wonders why this little girl is so gravely ill.  More precisely, why was I blessed so much in the last year?  Why did I survive both a heart attack and a rare and serious form of thyroid cancer in a 4 month span?  Why did I dodge the breast cancer scare just a month after that?  I KNOW I should not question these things, but to be completely honest, there is some survivor's guilt going on here.  Why did I get along so well, and this precious little girl is struggling so?  I keep going back to the scripture which tells me that His ways are not my ways. 

 I am not even sure what my ways would be in this situation, and  I guess this is where trust comes in.   I do know that God is in control and that all the days of our lives are numbered,  but until those question marks straighten up I will still wonder. (see the quote at the top of my blog- -something to hold on to- -) 

If you have a special scripture to share with me here, feel free, just be sensitive to the fact that I already know that I  should not feel this way.  My heart just hurts for her and her family, and those feelings lead me to this thinking .  

Issue #2

I am going to be really honest here and tell you that I have struggled with this for some time. 

 I will set this one up this way:

Imagine you are the parent of a quite independent child.  That child rarely calls, rarely visits, and  does not come to you for much advice, because they prefer to handle things on their own. They live each day, pretty much without your help.   Now, at the same time, there is no doubt in your mind, or theirs for that matter, that they truly love you.  There is no rebellion here, just an independence that prevents them from communicating much.  When a serious issue occurs though , they will call and visit more frequently.  

This is where I came in.  I have become that independent child and I hate it. 

 I am speaking spiritually here, and if you know me well, then you know that my earthly parents have been gone a very long time.   My relationship with God however, is not at all where I want it to be. 

When I was dealing with my previous health issues I was so very dependent on God.  There was nothing I could "fix" on my own and I cried out to him moment by moment.  The song,  "I Need Thee Every Hour"  became a life song for my husband and I .  I looked for wisdom from God everywhere.  I listened and I truly felt He spoke to me.  I picked up wisdom in songs, conversations with friends and family, scriptures, and little things throughout each day.  I hungered for Him.  I needed Him to fill my days and my nights. Especially my nights.  I was taught so many lessons about waiting, trusting, and knowing that things would be okay.  One way or another, things would be okay. 

Where did that longing go?  Now, before I have the nay-sayers telling me that God is just a crutch,  I do not believe that for a minute.  I know that it is because of my everyday relationship with God that led me to cling to Him tighter during my storms.  But, truth be told, I want that deep hunger again.  

I do not want cancer again,  but I want the dependency of God once more.  Part of me tells me that the fact that I am wrestling with this is stirring up those longings once again anyway.  I just want to get back to that feeling where I lived as if  God was truly everything.  

I was asked last week if I wanted cancer again, to which I said no.  Then I was asked if I wish it never happened.  That was not so easy to answer, because of what I just revealed.  I learned so much about God during that time, was blessed so greatly by God, by friends, and by my family.  It would be sad to have not experienced those blessings in a lifetime. 

I am not sure I will have a quick resolve to either of these issues.  I am just the type of person that until I write about them, they stay all bottled up and will fester all the more.   I covet your prayers though as I do work through these. 

My Sister Said I Need to Update...

I am not really sure if I still have any readers out there, (no comments to speak of)  but I guess I don't really blog just for others to see anyway.

My life has been busy lately.  I have been busy re-doing oldest' room since he moved away.  The temptation was there to knock down a wall and make our bedroom much bigger, but instead we opted for some very nice used furniture,  and a few new items to turn it into a guest room.  We still want to move my treadmill into that room, but I have a very large treadmill that will need to be partially dismantled before it can fit down the hall.  That room has actually taken up quite a few of my evenings.  Oldest came home last weekend and waded through much of his earthly possessions and we threw out quite a lot.  I cannot imagine where he got his pack-rat tendencies from. (ha)

The picture shows some of the furniture we bought.  The chair is actually a single hide-a-bed, and the ottoman lifts for storage (great for the bedding).   The table by the chair was also part of my used furniture deal, as were two others.  I bought the lamp at Big Lots.   The little desk that is in the corner of the picture was also purchased at Big Lots.  I have since re-arranged and tweaked the rest of the room.   This might not be my fabric of choice, but the price was right and the furniture is in excellent shape.

I have also been busy loving Walgreen's this week.  I have made money over and over again in my various transactions.  It is so fun to go in, spend $8.00 and have them give you a $10.00 store coupon.  I have "made" about $12.00 this week on my deals.  Plus the good thing is that I have not spent one penny out of pocket to do it.  I have used my Walgreen's rebate money that was put on my gift card each time. Nothing out of pocket, plus a profit works for me.  The thing is I have purchased a wide rage of items including several grocery items.  

Other than that, our lives are pretty much the same.  I have really been wrestling with God on some issues lately, but that is reserved for another post.  I just don't know if I am ready to be so raw right now. 

 

Gotta Love It

Don't you love it when your kids actually listen to advice?  Oldest is trying to be frugal and is really watching his pennies since he is looking for a job.  He called a while ago to tell me how well he did with his grocery shopping this week.  He went to Aldi for most everything and  will only stop at the pricey store for just a few things to round out his needs for the week.  I am happy that my frugal ways are being followed.  Keep it up oldest!

Eleven and Counting.

I have been away from home 11 nights in a row.  I will be gone tonight.  The thing is, there is not one thing on that list of outings that I would sacrifice. I have been with my girlfriends, my high school girls, my church small group, best friends, visited my former college to see our friend's son play in his senior game, been with my boys, and with my husband. In reality I am grateful that my life is so full.  

Last night we celebrated oldest son's 25th birthday.  His actual birthday was on Thursday, and we did see him that night briefly, but last night we went to the town where he lives and took him, our youngest son, and 3 friends out to supper.  It was yummy, and we had a great time. 

The downside of all of this. I am old. 

My body and my house have taken a huge toll while I have been out having fun.  Most of my outings have required eating out, and a just few times in a row can play tricks on your hips!  Also, I am just tired. Last night in the car I thought I would sleep all the way home.  I think I did sleep a little, but not restfully.  Oh boy, this morning I guess I made up for that.  I got up a few minutes with husband, and then went back to bed.  I slept until 10:00 am!  That is unusual for me.  Even on weekends I often get up at 6:00 or 6:30 and stay up.  My body was surely craving this sleep.  

Now, on to my house.  It is not completely filthy, but if you are like me, when you are in and each evening things don't always get put back where they go.  I have spent about 30 minutes just picking up and returning things to their homes, and have much more to return.   Laundry has been a  huge  issue all week so that will have to be resolved at some point today.  

I am NOT complaining.  As I said, I love the events of the past week and a half.  It is just that so many hit all at once.  I do have the power to say no, but chose not to .  

Tomorrow however is another day...we plan on attending church and then I think we will lock the doors, throw away the keys to the house and car (we will be forced to stay inside that way) and STAY home.  Actually most of next week is looking promising to a homebody like me. 

Yummy Yummy!

You might remember that a while back I took advantage of the great deal on chocolate covered macadamia nuts at Walgreens.  Well, I have used regular macadamia nuts with white chocolate chips to make cookies and had thought about using some of these chocolate covered ones for the same purpose.  

Low and behold...one of my favorite blogs beat me to it!  You can click here to see what I mean.

(You will love her blog by the way, it is fascinating.  She starts the year with an $800.00 budget for herself and 3 girls.  This $800.00 is her total budget for all food, toiletries, dining out, and more.  She is far superior to me when it comes to obtaining coupons and getting the big deals.) 

 

  Anyway, back to the cookies.   I decided to go ahead and instead of using her recipe, I  just used my regular chocolate chip cookie recipe.  They are amazing if I may say so myself.  I also made some of my husband's favorite "chocolate chip cookies, without the chocolate chips".  Basically, we call them a brown sugar cookie and he loves them.  I just make a few cookie sheets full of these before adding the chips.  They are pictured as well.  

I still have at least 5 more bags of the macadamia nuts, so we can have yummy cookies again and again.  These cost just 50 cents a bag, which are much cheaper than even the cheapest chocolate chips, and so much more yummy!  

I am Impressed

I do not give too many product endorsements, basically because no one pays me to do so.  

I must say though that I am impressed with these "green bags".  I purchased them with some of my Extra Care Bucks at CVS, so they were at no cost to me.  I figured that way I didn't have anything to lose.  I have used them for most all of my produce and have been pleased with everything.  I am most pleased with the fact that I am not throwing away a single banana!  They are staying perfect for at least a week. I ate the last one from a bunch after 8 days.  

So if you want a frugal tip that really does seem to work, buy these or get them free and stop throwing away food. 

Moment of Truth

After bragging about my cheap week, I decided to go ahead and make a Wal-Mart run.  I had some very good coupons for pet items and Quaker Rice snacks, plus some other coupons that I did not want to waste.  I spent $36.00 (started at $73.00 before my coupons).  Plus, I will get $7.00 back from my sister for pet items I bought for her cats.  Those coupons expired today and that was a main reason I went ahead and did the Wal Mart run this week.  So I still came in under $50.00 total for household spending.  Not bad at all.  

I just needed to get that off my chest...

I've Hit a New Low

For weekly spending that is!

My out of pocket spending for this entire week has only been $20.37 !   

Now, in order to accomplish that I have used coupons, Extra Care Bucks, gift cards (that were free money for transferring prescriptions) and a Walgreens' Register Reward.  I also bought the groceries at Save A Lot, which sure helps the budget. 

Cool thing is....after my Walgreens' purchases today, I am getting back $29.67 in rebates that will be loaded to my Walgreens' gift card!  

So, in summary, everything pictured, plus 2 gallons of milk , 4 Glade Candles, and the items in my previous picture, were all purchased for $20.37 out of pocket.  

Now to be fair, we did have a supper of take out last night.  I have had a nasty cold brewing this week so husband picked up sandwiches and fries to bring home.  He spent about $8.00 total.  Even adding that into the total, we have done very well.

I even "grew" my Extra Care Bucks at CVS due to coupons and now have $32.00 in those sitting in my wallet.   I will probably use some just on milk this month to continue to keep my spending low. 

I have enough chocolate and cold medicine to get me through my current bug and I am set on most everything else.  I can sit back, enjoy the stockpile, and wait on the best deals to come to me!   

The Bucket List

Tonight husband and I hunkered down and watched a movie together. 

 I was really hunkered down, I was wrapped up in my Snuggie (yes, I have one thanks to my father in law) and another blanket on top of that one.  This nasty cold was making me freeze.  Another thing about this cold:  husband picked us up some sandwiches for supper (pizza burgers from a favorite restaurant), and I could hardly taste mine.  What a waste.

Anyway, back to my point of this post. 

 We watched The Bucket List.  I am not a fan of Jack Nicholson, in fact, I even avoid his movies. However,  I had heard from a few people that this one was good so we put it in our Netflix queue.   I must say that it is a good movie.  Made me sad though.  Also made me think about my own "bucket list", rather the fact that I don't have one.  That movie makes me wish I did though.  The last year makes you think about that stuff.  Now, I realize that I am not in the same boat (thankfully) as the guys in the movie, but I still wonder what I would like to do.  

I wonder, is that something you have ever thought about?

Wally is back

If you are a long time reader of my blog, you will know that two years ago the class penguin came to visit.  He stayed during Super-bowl weekend and we had some great adventures.  Well, he is back tonight and although we are not having any really big adventures tonight, he did jump in my CVS picture.  (What a ham).

I did do pretty well at CVS tonight.  I purchased everything after coupons and a $6.00 Extra Care Buck for $4.10.   That was put on a gift card that I still have from transferring a prescription (free money) so nothing out of my pocket.  I "made" money and earned back $12.49 in new Extra Care Bucks.  

My goal for February is not how much I save, but how little I spend and although this is only the 3rd, I am doing fantastic...I have spent NOTHING.  I have both CVS and Walgreens' gift cards so those will help me do some deals and not spend any real money.   We have quite a few gift cards right now from Christmas gifts and deals so I should not have to spend much at all if I choose to tap into those this month.   I am anxious to track my spending and see how far I can go on very little.  We will need a few things here and there, so I am not really setting a spending limit.  Things will come up, but I want to see how little I can actually spend out of pocket.  

Maybe "Wally" will learn something.

Sorry I have been lost...

in Facebook.   I know, I have seen it before.  Once you start on Facebook, you just get swallowed up and it sucks all your time away.  Seriously, it is keeping me busy right now because I am building my list of friends  and I am accepting, confirming and requesting friends right and left.  I am over 30 now in less than 24 hours.  I think the thing has a mind of its own and just kinda snowballs once you get started.

I am fine though with taking a bit of time to develop my friends list because after last year I am anxious to reach out to as many of my friends as possible to stay in contact.  Family and friends are our best possession and we need to keep in touch, and any new way to keep in touch is a good idea.  Youngest son wonders if this old mom can keep up with a Myspace,  Facebook, my blog, email, and well, life for that matter.  We will see.   I do have about 773 (just a guess, but probably more accurate than not) coupons to clip and file and probably as many to weed out that are expired so I admit I am a bit behind.  I already was behind with the coupons though.  

Now, to be fair to me, I have accomplished a decent amount of things for a Monday night.  

I have:

• emptied the dishwasher
• reloaded the dishwasher
• cooked supper
• cleaned up after supper
• folded a load of "whites"
• started a load of dark clothes
• hung a load of darks from the dryer
• washed a load of whites
• put whites in dryer
• paid bills, and caught up the checkbook
• washed chairpads from kitchen chairs and hung them to dry 
• taken a bath
• tried to watch "Jon and Kate Plus 8" (cable did something funky)

All of that , plus add about 30 names to my friends on Facebook.   Whew.  I just made myself tired.  

I really did want to pull a few coupons out for some of this week's deals, but that can wait until tomorrow. 

Random Thoughts

I find that other than bargain posts I just don't have much to blog about these days.  I have some things I have been thinking about of a serious nature, but I am not quite ready to put that into words as of yet.  I  am afraid though that soon those thoughts will have to get out. 

Things are just pretty normal around here.  Our house is quiet and our lives quite uneventful.  Both boys are gone, once again giving us an  empty nest.  Oldest is living with a roommate in another town, and he has a job interview tomorrow. (Pray please)  This would not be a dream job, but in this economy you cannot be too choosy.   Youngest is back at school.

Both of my boys are making me so proud with their "frugal" ways.  Oldest is learning to shop wisely, asking me about current deals, and going to Aldi for his groceries.  Youngest called to tell me about a major retailer of men's suits that is closing the store in his college town and he purchased a suit and dress shirt for under $50.00.  How about that?  All this frugal stuff and posting about bargains is helping my boys spend wisely!  If only I had know all these tricks when I was their ages!

Husband and I are enjoying a few quite evenings here and there and it is amazing how much easier the house is to maintain.  If I could only get all of my coupons in order I would feel really good! 

After all of my health issues we have finally returned to our work with the high school youth and are very anxious to see where God takes us with that!

So, there are my random thoughts for the day. 

Catch Up

I hit CVS and Walgreens and bought everything in the picture for $8.60.

I have not blogged for almost a week, so today I will probably post twice. 

 This one is a bargain post...next one may be more serious because I am sorting some things out in my head today. 

First of all, for those of you that are very observant, you might notice that I had added a new feature on my sidebar, and have since removed it.  It was a listing of things I have obtained free with coupons.  Oh boy.  I could not keep up with it.  I probably average 10 or more things every week that are totally free, then there was the dilemma about posting things that are free because of Extra Care Bucks.  I had not been posting them, and in reality, they were free to me.  So, instead of trying to catch up,  I just stopped all-together.  I will occasionally post pictures though so you can still get a taste of everything out there that is free for the taking.  Just don't take them before I do. 

These are my bargains for today:

At CVS I purchased 5 bottles of the Gillette Shampoo, each came out free due to coupons and Extra Care Bucks.  The cough drops were free due to free coupons that printed out with my card, and the Mr. Goodbars (husband's favorite) I  bought as fillers to make sure I spent enough real money to use the Extra Care Bucks I had in my purse.  I spent $14.58 in Extra Care Bucks, plus $1. 51 in real cash (mostly for tax) and earned $15.00 in new Extra Care Bucks.  

 I won't pay more than $1.25 for cereal,  and today Walgreens had these cereals for $1.99 each.  I had $1.00 coupons expiring today, so I stocked up.  $0.99 per box of cereal works for me, and  husband LOVES his nightly bowl of sweet cereal.  I also walked away with 4 candy bars that were free due to buy one get one free manufacturer's coupons and Walgreens weekly coupon.  

Summary:

7 boxes of cereal

2 packages of cough drops

5 bottles of shampoo

and 6 candy bars 

total:  $8.60 

Great day for the stockpile. 

MId Winter Vacation

Gee, 

I love having 5 days off of school in the middle of winter.  it sure forced me to do some necessary things in my house.  The bitterly cold wind chills forced our district to shut down last Thursday and Friday, add to that an already long weekend for Martin Luther King Day, and we have had 5 days off!

All good things must come to an end though, as today is our last day.  I am celebrating by spending the day with my sister.  She is coming up and we will play all day.  We will be bargain hunting and going out to eat with our brother.  Have I ever told you that I love my sister?  

Baby it's Cold Outside!

I know I am one of the fortunate ones, my school district cancelled today.  I do not have to go out in this cold except to open the door to let my dog go out.  I can stay hunkered down in my warm house and do whatever I wish.  

Today I am tackling some much neglected jobs.  I have to say that I am actually still behind in doing some of the things I neglected during my health issues.

Dresser drawers for example.  Mine were a mess.  I was still fighting summer clothes and crowding.  I couldn't really tackle the jobs requiring a lot of usage of my arms so I put it off.  Then I went back to school and really didn't have the time for concentrated jobs.  Today I started that job early on and all 5 of my drawers are neat and tidy and uncluttered.  

I have also stripped the bed and have the bedding washing.  I will not remake it though because our mattress requires flipping.  Husband will have to do that this evening.  

After my bedroom is vacuumed and dusted I think I will move on to my kitchen and bake cookies.  Youngest heads back to school tomorrow for 2nd semester and needs some cookies to take back with him.  

After all that, I might be lazy for a while.  

I am wondering about tomorrow.  There is a chance things will be just as bad tomorrow and perhaps no school again.   I am sure I will find something to do. 

I'm Baaaack

Ah to be feeling well again.

Let me say this.  There are many unpleasant things in life, but puking has to be among the most unpleasant ever!  I am too old for that.  I think it should only be allowed if you are three or under.

  

I stayed home from school today and slept in until 10:30.  I am not usually such a late sleeper, but I knew my body needed it so I did not attempt to get up any earlier.  I feel pretty well now, although I still don't have much of an appetite.  Maybe I can drop a few of the pounds that found me during the last 8-10 months.  That would be a good thing.  

Yuck

I am sick.  At least this time it is "normal, not life threatening  sick"  But I wasn't so sure for a while.

Today started awful and got worse.  I woke up at about 7:00 am with terrible indigestion.  The only other two times in recent memory that I had morning indigestion were the day before and the day of my heart attack.   I put up with it for quite a while. I  took a chewable antacid,(which was terrible by the way)  and waited it out for a while.  Finally at 11:30 I drove myself ( I know, bad idea)  to the convenient care clinic to be checked out.  I was fortunate to see my heart PA at the clinic and he point blank told me to go to the ER.   Again, I drove over by myself.

Not a good day in the local ER.  A glazing of ice on the roads and walkways had already sent 30 people in for falls.  To my "advantage"  anything remotely heart related moves your position in the ER up significantly.  

After 3 hours, an  EKG, blood-work, a chest x-ray and a test for my pancreas, it was decided that I have severe gastritis and sent home.  I was home by 3:00, soon went to bed and by 5:00 was puking my guts out.  

Now I am in that limbo period where I am wondering if it is over or if it is just waiting to strike again.  

Husband went to get me something to drink and got food for himself  and youngest.  He is such a dear.  He even went on some coupon runs to use some very good coupons that matched some deals expiring tonight.  

So, I may not write much for a day or two, and deals might be put on hold... unless my husband was bitten by the coupon bug instead of the flu bug! 

Busy Week

Going back to school is rough.  I am tired. 

 It is almost 9:00, but I have an appointment with my treadmill, so I am cutting this post short.

This has been a tremendous week as far as bargains go.  I have probably purchased about $300.00 worth of stuff for about $50.00 out of pocket.  Other than the two pictured Walgreens trips, I have made about 3 other trips and about 3 to CVS.  I just keep reading about a deal online, finding the coupons for it and then I am off to repeat it.  I live VERY close to both stores so I can easily do that.  

I am enjoying myself.  Yesterday however, I did no deals.  I came home from school with a pretty serious migraine and was in bed by a little after 8:00.  

Well, I gotta go.  Treadmill is calling...

Walgreens Again...

I had to go back.  They forced me.  

This time though I actually spent some money.  Not much though because my receipt says I saved a total of $66.00.  I spent $23.00 out of pocket,but I came home with $10.00 in new Register Rewards due to the vitamin deal.  

 I used up the rest of my hair care coupons, bought vitamins (which we really really needed- we were on our last bottle and down to about 1 week's worth) when I found out the sweet deal going on.  I then  nabbed some more Cottonelle wipes, some Palmolive, and 1 more Softsoap that missed the picture.  

Have I ever told you how much I love coupons?  Okay, about 100 times, sorry.

Now, in case you are wondering.  I did purchase big city papers today and I have used about $25.00 worth of the coupons that were in those papers.  I spent $7.50 on 4 papers, but I think that I have more than made up for that.  Plus...I have many many more coupons from those papers to use.  

Walgreens probably hates me...

Today the deals to be had were at Walgreens!

I am sorry, but I just do not take the time to break down every deal as to what coupons I use, but I did go to two Walgreens, and do a total of 3 transactions to get the following items for the stockpile.  I used a combination of sale prices,  Walgreens' weekly coupons, Walgreens' monthly coupons,  and manufacturer coupons to get the best prices.  I also had $11.00 on a Walgreens' gift card due to a rebate from last month, and a few Register Rewards.  The combination of all these deals really helps the wallet!

Here is my haul:

2    Gallons of milk

4    boxes Kelloggs Smart Start (my favorite)

4    boxes Kelloggs Frosted Flakes

10  packages Russell Stover sugar free candy 

3    Softsoap hand soap

2    Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil

1    Electrosol ( I will get back $1.50 with a Walgreens rebate)

10  Garnier hair products (shampoo, conditioner, mousse, and hair spray)

3    Cottonelle Fresh Wipes

1    Ben & Jerry's pint 

Total cost out of pocket (that would be our hard earned moolah)

$ 10.69  (would have been over $130.00)

This is all stuff we use, and stuff we like but can't always buy. (Ben & Jerry's)

When I add all of this to the stockpile it sure helps in the overall budget!

Profitable Day

I wish I had pictures, but I needed to put stuff away to clear the clutter. 

I went shopping with my sister today and netted many free items due to good coupons.

These things were FREE:

7 packages of Cottenelle toilet paper 

3 that my sister gave me from her coupons, and 4 I had coupons for.   

( 99 cents every day at Kroger,  50 cent coupons DOUBLED)  they are the very small rolls, but hey, free is free. 

5 Air Wick  Lumin  air  flameless candles (rollback to $4.96 at Wal-Mart, $5.00 coupons)

1 bag of 9 Lives cat food (free coupon came in the mail)

1 box of Kashi cereal bars (free coupon came in the mail--VERY yummy!)

Plus some very good deals on other things.

The sweetest thing of all is I got a new Dyson!   ( no, not free with a coupon)  We received Christmas money from husband's folks and were thinking about a Dyson.  We have been watching the ads and noticed Sears had one for a pretty good deal. However,  Wal Mart had an even lower price on the  same one AND had a deal expiring today in which they gave you a $100.00 Wal Mart card!   Sweet!  Husband has already tried it out and either it was impressive or depressive which ever way you want to look at it.  Impressive with its power, but depressive at how much it pulled out of our carpets!   To think, we lived with that stuff trapped in there when we thought we were vacuuming sufficiently!   

It was a long day of deal chasing, but there will be more to chase tomorrow!

Today is the Day

We are packing oldest for his move to another city.  Due to the anonymity thing going on in my blog I am not telling exactly where it is, but I will say that it is a nice, growing town with many more opportunities in place for him than in our area.  He does not have a job to go to though, so he will live off of savings for a while until he finds something.  He will be much happier  because he has friends there,  and he will be moving in with a good friend of both of the boys. 

He is taking enough that we had to rent a truck.  Neighbors might do the happy dance when they see the truck pull up. They might think we are all moving. 

I am deciding what to do with the extra space...I am not sure what his room will become so I might have to wait until next weekend to set it up.  It will need a corner to corner cleaning first though and since I go back to school on Monday and will not be home tomorrow I might have to just shut the door for a week. 

He is also taking half of what is in our sun-room so I will get to re do that room as well. 

I better go, we are about 3/4 of the way ready and with all he has, that last 1/4 will be a chore.  (silly me, I started to say that the last 1/4 will be a "killer" , but since I had a heart attack the day after I helped pack up youngest to move home, I will avoid that phrase.) 

2009 ~ The Year to Come

Never thought I would get so excited about a new year.  Never before have I felt so strongly about the fresh start and everything people talk about when the calendar page flips.  Mostly my life just slides from one year to the next without much fanfare.  

This year it is different.  

I thought about writing one of those "Year In Review" posts. 

 Well, I only thought about that for about 3 seconds.  Don't really want to go there.  

However, as much as I don't feel the necessity to go back over all the details of the last year, I can't really say that I want to forget them either.  In some ways, this has been the most important, most pivotal year of my life.   I have definitely been changed, and not just physically.  When I look ahead to the new year I want to put those changes into practice and learn from them.

I have never been big on resolutions.  

Why make promises you can't or won't keep?  

This time though my resolutions are of quite a different nature and the urge to keep them is strong.  

I want to do the following things this next year:

• I want to be appreciative.  I want to show my appreciation to God and to people around me for the blessings in my life.  Just today I looked up at the gray, cloud speckled  sky with a bit of sun peeking through and I thanked God for such a beautiful sight.  I thanked Him for the cold shot of fresh air hitting my face and the way the sun seemed to sneak in with that air as I breathed.  I never want to lose this new appreciation for even the simple things. 
• I want to be positive.  I know that with the type of cancer I had that there is a chance of recurrence, but I do not want to live my life with a cloud of cancer hanging over my head.  I would rather live my life covered with a cloud full of all the blessings that God gave me over the past year.  A cloud so full that it could burst open any minute and rain those blessings over me any time I even start to think negative.  
• I want to be a blessing.  Lets face it.  I have been blessed this past year in every way you can imagine and  it is about time that I start spreading those blessings around.   I need to do this because without returning the favors they stop with me.  
• I want to grow.  There is a reason God chose to extend my life and to keep living without growing seems pointless.   I want to learn more about God and develop an even  closer relationship with Him.
  

I guess that is what I am aiming for personally in this next year.  Physically, I really don't want a repeat (a "do over" might be nice, but not a repeat) of next year,  but come what may, I know that my God can handle it. 

Have a Blessed New Year.  Take stock of what your life really is.  Change what you can for the better , and allow God to manage the rest. 

Such is my Life

These have been very busy days.  

I am so enjoying my break from school, but I am trying to cram a lot in this week. 

Today I cleaned out my freezer.  We have a very large upright freezer and it was a mess. Luckily we do not have to defrost it, but things had been put away in a sloppy fashion and I no longer really knew what type of inventory I had.  Youngest and I spread a blanket on the basement floor and then started pulling things out and separating them into piles.  When we finally put everything back in I was very pleased.  I did however find out that we have plenty of pork products and enough chicken for a while, but no BEEF.  My family loves beef and I have none.  So I guess I will look for deals on various cuts of beef for a while.   I have more convenience type foods than I usually have on hand, but because of some excellent coupons and deals I have stocked up on some of them.  I will probably share some of those things with my boys for their apartments.  

I also had a therapy appointment and my therapist was thrilled at my improvements during the last week.  Suddenly my uncooperative left arm has decided that it is okay to do what I want it to. I can finally move it up past 90 degrees.  Practically all the way up.  It is pretty sore tonight, but I can live with a bit of pain while it is getting used to moving again.  

This evening I have been busy getting things ready for oldest to take with him when he moves out on Friday.  He will be moving to another city and sharing an apartment with a friend.  It is so nice to have a stockpile that I can pull from to help him get started.  I filled 4 boxes in no time with things like food, toiletries, cleaning supplies, and room fresheners and will still fill a cooler from the freezer when we move him out.  

I also did a bit of bargain shopping today.  Walgreens has their Christmas things 75% off already and I stocked up on a few things for next year.  I also bought a few gifts to put back, and snagged some free Hershey Kisses (6 bags) due to the sale and my coupons.   I have found that it is possible to have free chocolate in my house at all times since I have been heavy into deals and coupons.  Dangerous, huh?   

Tomorrow I will try to check a few more things off of my "to do" list, but I plan on meeting two girls from my first girl group for lunch.   I can't wait for that. 

What a Merry Christmas!

Today was a wonderful, lazy, day.  

We did something different this year and opened our gifts from youngest to oldest.  There was a secret reason that I devised that plan and it worked wonderfully.  We actually got to see each present and see each reaction as well.  We had planned a special gift for husband this year and wanted him to go last. The plan worked perfectly.  

I must say that I was very spoiled this year.  You can really really tell how much a man loves his wife when he gets her an electric blanket!  I will explain that I am not at all like most ladies my age. Instead of fluctuating between normal and hot flashes ,  I mostly only have one body temperature:  FROZEN!  My husband has seen me go to bed with two pairs of socks, and truth be told, one night I had on three pairs.  One pair was on my hands!   Lucky for me though, this blanket has dual controls, or I am sure I would never have gotten it.  The sweet thing is, I really did not think to write this on my list this year.  He just knows me.   

As I said though, I was SPOILED.  He also got me a 12 cup Kitchen Aid food processor,  (my request) a very nice Rowenta iron, and 7 pieces of jewelry.    

My boys spoiled me as well, youngest got me a silicone rolling pin, and a large bacon press and oldest got me a basic pastry decorating set and a CD.  

I had not planned on cooking much today, I was going to thaw out some homemade vegetable soup and be lazy, but when we set up the food processor I had to slice a potato, then another, then a few more.   It was FUN. ( I know, I get my kicks in the strangest way)  Anyway, after slicing 6 potatoes in about as many seconds, I felt I should put them to good use, so I made scalloped potatoes.  We grilled pork chops and cooked some green beans  and biscuits and that was our Christmas dinner.  

We watched the animated movie WALL-E this afternoon, and other than a bit of picking up here and there, have been really, really, lazy!

I hope you all had a very nice holiday with your families.  I hope the gifts you gave were a reflection of your love, and that the gifts you received returned love to you.  

I pray you took time to reflect on the greatest gift of all and that Christ has blessed your family as He has ours.  

Amazing Video--Listen Carefully --All the Way Through

Upside Down from Pace Hartfield on Vimeo.

CVS is my friend

Today after church, and while a roast was perfecting in my oven , husband took me to CVS. Today was a blow out day of freebies.  I had a $35.00 dollar Extra Care Buck in my billfold that was a left over from the Thanksgiving sale.  I messed up that day and did not really want to be stuck with $35.00 on one ECB, but CVS came through for me today and I was able to roll it over and end up with multiple smaller bucks.  The basics of this deal are as follows:

I started with the $35.00 in Extra Care Bucks, plus a $25.00 gift card from a new prescription (free money)

I also had coupons on several items 

I spent the $35.00 ECB, plus $10.76 on the gift card for a total spent of $45.76  (NOTHING out of pocket)

I left with $49.47 in brand spankin' new Extra Care Bucks (in smaller more manageable amounts)

I came home with more Extra Care Bucks than what I spent in ECBs and on my gift card.  *** I MADE MONEY!!

I did 3 transactions and ended up with the following:

5 Arm & Hammer Essentials  Cleaning Kits

5 Listerene

5 Right Guard Professional Strength

1 Halls Naturals

1 Excedrine 

2 Sally Hansen Nail Polish

2 Loreal Eye Shadow

3 Thermocare Heat Wraps

1  Package Zip Fizz Energy Mix 

1 Package Benefiber Drink Mix 

1 Alteril Sleep Aid

1 Zantac

1 Sleepinal Sleep Aid

29 items that would have cost over $167.00 but that were actually given to me for nothing!

I left the store halfway looking over my shoulder to see if I would be arrested.  It amazes me that I can get free stuff like this!

Now for the remaining $49.00 Extra Care Bucks, I will probably blow through some of them without having to worry about rolling them over into new ones.  I figure this is great timing to allow me to buy a few stocking stuffers and last minute Christmas essentials.  

Melancholy Mood

Silly me.  I watched a sad movie today and spent half of the day blubbering.  First I blubbered about the movie, then of course, I blubbered about every thought that entered my head.   It really does not take much anymore to get the fountain started.  

I feel so incredibly blessed.  To think that next week is Christmas and that I am feeling so well health wise makes me want to blubber all the more.  Most of the time I hold it in.

I spend a lot of time lately wondering.  Not wondering why I had a heart attack and cancer.   Yet, wondering why I survived both of them with such a good prognosis.  Seems we mostly ask the big "why" questions when something terrible happens, and we don't think about asking "why" when things work out good for us.   However, I AM wondering why.    What amazing things does God have in store for me that He would go out of His way to spare me from not one, but two serious events?  Actually three if we count the breast cancer scare.  

This Christmas has taken on a whole new beautiful meaning.  Oh, don't get me wrong.  I have always appreciated and loved Christmas.  This year it is different though.  I look at our tree and want to cry, I open each card and say a prayer of thanks for the friends and family that mean so much to us.  I shop with a greater joy than ever before, and to be honest, I am looking forward to getting presents as well.  I want to soak in every second of this Christmas.  I feel a bit like Mary did on that first Christmas.  No, I cannot compare my experiences with that of Mary,  yet I have always loved the account in Luke Chapter 2.  I love verse 19 where it says that "Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart"    I am treasuring, and I am pondering.  Pondering how a little baby came to save us, to give us life abundant.  Pondering how I have been given a huge gift this year and how much I am loved. 

This next week will be busy.  Youngest will be home from school so both boys will be home for a while.   I will be cooking more, cleaning more, baking, wrapping, and waiting.  Waiting anxiously for Christmas morning with my family.  Waiting to savor the moment, to treasure, and to ponder. 

Christmas Crunch

Sounds like a recipe doesn't it? Sorry if you were expecting something delicious.

Rather I am talking about this time of year when moms become super human warriors that shop, clean, bake, cook, wrap, send out cards, and decorate while still attempting to hold their day jobs. As the time gets closer to Christmas we get all the more harried.

Yesterday husband presented me with an amazing gift. In reality it was the gift of time. He played the role of super human warrior yesterday by completely cleaning the house so that I do not have to this weekend. I arrived home from school to see that the kitchen was cleaned and mopped, bathroom cleaned and mopped, house vacuumed, bed made, bedroom cleaned, AND a cup of hot tea was sitting on the stove waiting for me! Isn't he amazing?

I love this man.

Another Medical Issue

Father in Law is in the hospital. Last night he went from fine to very sick in no time. Husband went there and the decision was made to take him to the hospital, only he was too weak to walk across the room so an ambulance was called. He seems to be doing better, but he has an infection of some sort which they still need to identify. I spent half the day with Mother in Law at the hospital. I am so thankful for sick days that allow me to do that. Thankfully I have some left after all the ones I have taken this year.

Medical Update

Some of you might already know this, but I thought I should post this for those of you that do not. The cancer I had has a specific blood test, much like a PSA for a man. A rise in my calcitonin level would be a red flag and an indication that something needs investigated. Pre-surgery my level was 1356, normal is 5 or less. After surgery the level dropped to 5 ! That was great news. A better, more reliable test is done at least 6 weeks post surgery. I had blood drawn on the 24th of November and last week my doctor called personally to tell me that the level was now "undetectable" ! She was very excited, but nearly as much as I was! This will be repeated for the rest of my life, probably every 4-6 months. I see her in less that 2 weeks and I will find out just how often she will want the test repeated.

Just thought you might be interested.

One for "The School Book"

****This is a huge departure from my usual posts, but it is something nonetheless that I feel you will enjoy****


The teacher I work with and I have said for years that we need to write a book. Some things that are said at school, "out of the mouth of babes" are just too precious not to share. Well, I am sure that this story won't fall into the "precious" category, but it has given quite a few people so far a good laugh. (Private note to my teacher--Mrs. M. -- I can't believe I did not share this with you yesterday, but you know how busy our mornings are...I will fill you in on who said it later.)

For the rest of you, please do not be offended at the following.

Yesterday morning I was busy teaching my morning groups. Our class rotates during reading from a group with the classroom teacher Mrs. M., to another aide, and myself. At this particular moment I was between groups.

Now I will try to be discreet here, but something unexpected happened. Out of nowhere, a small amount of silent, and not so fresh "air" escaped from my backside.

Okay, I think you all know what I am talking about.

Now, my next group was on their way to my table and I am thinking to myself. "Oh boy, this is going to be interesting". Just then one of the boys arrives, sits in his chair and immediately I see him ever so slightly sniff in the air. Panic was about to set in and then he remarked, "Mrs. W. I smell bologna, do you smell bologna?" I was thinking, "Well, not exactly bologna, but if thats what you want to call it then that is fine with me !" I just smiled and told him I did not....

Kids are funny.

Seems like a long time

I am so sorry. I know it has been a while. For you faithful few that check every day please forgive me. These are busy days. I had such a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with family and with having both boys home that I have neglected this blog.

They have been busy days. While everyone else shopped after Thanksgiving, I cleaned, and cleaned, and cleaned some more. I cleaned on Saturday as well. Much needs cleaned all over again, but it sure looked good for a while.

Our boys, mainly prompted by youngest' pleading decided to go out and chop down a real Christmas this year. We have not had a real one for about 10 years at least. They did an amazing job and we put it up on Saturday evening. The house smells wonderful! (thank you youngest, it was a good idea)

~Sorry about that photo and the weird black borders. Blogger did not like the way I had cropped it. ~


The last few days I have been busy as well, partly by snagging more bargains! Our local K-Mart finally decided to join with the rest of the K-Marts and do the super double coupons. Husband and I went on Sunday evening for the first trip and I did pretty well. I returned after an my therapy appointment on Monday evening just to pick up 2 Gillette body washes that ended up being free. However, tonight was the best trip of all. When I went on Sunday night I had purchased 4 cans of End Dust spray. The register kicked out a one dollar coupon good on future K-Mart purchases, but before the register was done, it froze. They had to re-boot it and it took a long time. When it came back up it spat out 4 more coupons. The clerk said she was giving me all of them since I had to wait so long. Tonight when I went I was "armed" with a few select coupons that I wanted doubled and the one dollar coupons from the register. They let me use them all! My manufacturer coupons all doubled, then I got to use the 8 one dollar coupons to reduce my total! I bought over $41.00 dollars worth of stuff for $1.68!!! It was sweet! Here is what I bought:


2 bags of Hershey Bells

2 bags of Holiday Reese's

2 bags of Kit Kats (yes youngest I will save some)

1 box of Fruit Loops

1 bag of Pup-peroni dog snacks

1 package of Dixie paper plates

2 -36 count St. Joseph 81mg aspirin

2 -24 count Tylenol Rapid Release

1 Gillette Body Wash

1 Diet Pepsi (mine)

I think I have just about depleted my good coupons though. I will not likely make any more trips to K-Mart this week. If any of you snag some great bargains let me know!


I will try to post more often, I have much to say, just not much time right now.

My "CVScapades" (My sister coined that term...I love it)

It was a very good day.

Everything in this picture, all $192.05 worth cost me a total of $20.74. My out of pocket would have been much less, if I had broken up the Right Guard purchases into about 3 more transactions, but it was Thanksgiving after all and I did have other things to do. I still walked out with only paying slightly over 20 bucks and have $35.00 in Extra Care Bucks for my next shopping trip.

Here is just what is in the picture in case you can't make it all out:

5 Right Guard Professional Strength Deodorants (these alone would have cost $40.00!)

3 packages of 3 each Dial Soap

1 Aussie Shampoo

1 Aussie conditioner

3 Gatorade G2

2 Maybelline Mineral Power (liquid make up)

1 Gover Girl Liquid make up

1 Cover Girl pressed powder

2 Colgate Total toothpaste

2 Loreal Lip Juice Lip Gloss

2 Sally Hansen Maximum Growth Nail polish

1 Johnson's Soft Lotion

1 Garnier Make Up removing cloths

1 King size Hershey Bar

1 Shick Titanium Trimmers

1 package of 2 each 5 Hour Energy Shots

2 packages of Phillip's ipod ear buds



I did start with $35.00 in Extra Bucks, so I had a good way to start my shopping spree. I also had $8.00 in manufacturer's coupons. I did 4 different transactions, and like I said, if I had split up my last purchase I would have spent less. I am not beating myself up though over this. I am quite pleased.

The store was out of the Bic Soliel razors that were in the sale ad for today though. Actually, they had one on their shelf and a gal in front of me got it. No problem...I have 4 in my stockpile.

I guess I should also include CVS with what I am thankful for this year, but not necessarily just CVS. I actually am thankful for this whole new way of shopping. Stockpiling, couponing, and matching ads has really boosted our budget!

These Things I Know For Sure

I am writing this post on Thanksgiving Eve. it is late, 11:09 now and I know I will still be up for a while. A cheesecake is finishing its last 10 minutes in the oven and then it has to cool for one hour before going in the fridge for the night. It is a delicious recipe and oldest son wanted to make it with me, so I waited until later tonight when we could do it together. My "famous" broccoli and rice is put together for tomorrow and will bake after we arrive at husband's folks.

I have some time alone now to reflect and compose this post.

My thoughts are so deep right now. As I think back on these last 6 months, I KNOW I have much to be thankful for.

Tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day will be the 6 month anniversary of my heart attack. The event which began the chain of events that will shape the rest of my life.

These things I know for sure:

1. God is faithful.
I guess I have known that in my head for quite some time, I have read the Bible enough to see that fact repeated in scripture. I have heard others proclaim that time and again when they have gone through crisis. I guess though, that it was never made more real to me than it has been in the last 6 months. There were so many events, and not just in my own life, but in the family as a whole, that might cause some to doubt God. In each situation though, even ones that did not turn out how we would want, God proved that He is right there, every step of the way.

2. My Husband is incredible.
Most every marriage vow includes the phrase. "for better or worse". I just don't think that when you are standing at the altar that you really think that time will come. Might I just be real and say that even though God was and is faithful, I would have never chosen these last 6 months. I cannot think many people would choose a heart attack, followed by cancer, followed by an emergency surgery, followed by a breast biopsy. Worse came all at once for us and my husband was my biggest ally. He was my support, my nurse, my advocate, my encouragement and my love. I cannot thank him enough for loving me in such a way.
I remember one particular moment that will always be etched in my mind: We were at the local emergency room when my neck had suddenly swelled. I was so afraid, and I was not handling it very well, I was crying and scared. I feared what was going to happen as I was struggling to breathe. My husband was at the end of the bed and to calm myself I just had to stare into his eyes and lean on his courage for a moment. He stood there and returned my focus. He was keeping his eyes fixed on mine to give me the support I needed. They quickly gave me a medication which knocked me out, but I remember the love and encouragement in his eyes. Oh how I love this man.

3. Family means everything.
I am blessed to have two sons. They were there the day of my heart attack at my bedside. They were there the day of my cancer surgery. They have encouraged me along the way. They are a sweet motivation and a huge reason to "press on".

My sister has gone over and above the call of duty and made so many trips to the hospital and to my home to care for me, to visit me and to love me. She and I have been close for a very long time, but the way we feel about each other now is amazing. Since the day of my heart attack we do not end a single phone conversation without telling each other "I love you". It is that important because we now know how fragile life really is. When the time ever comes that God separates us we will have no regrets.

My brothers have made countless calls to check up on me and several of them were able to make trips to the hospital to see me. I am so blessed.

My husband's family means the world to me and have been there through it all with many phone calls, visits, and prayers. They traveled many miles to be with me and have shown so much love, even though each of them had been dealt some pretty serious things in their own lives and families.

Husband's parents have loved me as their own ever since I married into this family and these last 6 months were no exception.
These were hard months for them as well, but that never stopped them from showing concern for me.

4. Friends are icing on the cake.
We are such a blessed people. It is not enough that the God of the Universe loves us and calls us His own, not enough that He puts us in an amazing support system known as the family, but He sprinkles our lives with friends to top everything off. What can I possibly say to all of my friends to express my thanks? I never wanted for anything. Meals, housework, yard-work, errands, visits, you name it and it was provided. Many things were provided before I even expressed a need. The prayers and phone calls helped carry me through each day and the cards poured in. During the "heart attack" period I received 79 cards, during the "cancer" period I received well over 100. I have kept every one, they are such encouragement. I have had church friends, school friends, old friends, and very new friends all rally around and shower me with love.

5. This world is not my home.
I think the most important thing I know for sure is just that. This world is not really my home. I now know life is fragile, that life can turn on a dime and be completely different in just one heartbeat. As much as I love life and love my husband, family and friends, I know that we are all here for such a short time. The God of the Universe knows that as well and thankfully made a plan for all of us to live forever. The salvation that I have in my life is the one thing I am truly most thankful for. Yes, even more than everything else I have lived through in the last 6 months. That more important even than waking up this morning breathing, I have an assurance of eternal life.


As I finish typing I am noticing that now it is indeed the 27th, the 6th month anniversary mark. After all I have gone through in those 6 months, I may not really know much, but those things I know for sure. I truly do have much to be thankful for.

I got my answer

I am not eligible for the clinical trial. The doctor's office told me tonight that because of a previous cancer (thyroid) that I am not eligible. You would have thought that this doctor would have known that this would eliminate me. So there is my answer. I still do not know though if he will choose to do anything else for me or just monitor me with mammograms.

Something to Think About

This has been a very good weekend and it is only Saturday night. Sunday is still coming, and that is my favorite day! I will blog more about the weekend tomorrow. Too much for one post.

Here though is what I need to think about:

On Friday, I had two doctor appointments before we headed south on our little get-away. One of the appointments was with my oncologist. Now, to clarify, I do not have an oncologist for the thyroid cancer I had. Don't need one, they got it all. This oncologist is for the cancer I did not have. Confusing? Yeah, a little. I have seen an oncologist twice for the breast issue. It was not cancer, rather some odd little cells that seem to increase your chances of getting cancer. I am over the 20% mark as far as lifetime risks go for getting breast cancer, and to him that seems to be a big deal. He is very interested in getting me in a clinical trial for a new use of a current drug. There is a drug that is being shown as effective in women who already have advanced breast cancer, but as of yet they do not know for sure if it could prevent breast cancer in women that are just at a higher risk. That is where I come in.

Here is the deal, there is not much out there to try for me anyway, and this drug is not yet available in my instance, so this might be my best shot at a treatment plan. The current popular "preventative" drug has side effects that would not be good for someone like me with a previous heart attack. I am not naming drug names here on purpose. Last time I did that I was given a comment on this blog by a drug company spy or something like that, and I would rather not have commercial endorsements on this blog unless I am the one making them. I do know the name of the drug and plan to research it carefully before accepting any offer that comes my way. There are a lot of questions I would want answered before I would agree as well.

I am going to research that drug now, but I ask that you say a prayer for me for wisdom. I might not even get invited to join in, and I would take that as an answer from God. I should know by about Tuesday.

My other appointment was for my annual "female" visit. I see a nurse practitioner that husband and I both love. She is very good. She had not seen me for a year so she was a bit taken back by all that has happened.

Lazy Me

So sorry to all of you die hards out there, I have slacked off this week. I am not really sure how many readers I have anymore though because I don't get too many comments these days. That's okay.

This has been a busy week. I am focusing on getting into the groove of walking on my treadmill ( 2 nights in a row!) , plus I have had 2 doctor appointments so far this week and 2 more to go. Everything is fine, I just have so many follow-up appointments. I have a feeling that for a while anyway that I will be frequenting the doctor's offices.

This weekend husband and I are running away from home. Well, just one night, but it is still good to get away. I have 2 doctor appointments in the big city to our west on Friday afternoon, and afterwards we are traveling south a ways to spend the night. We will get up the next morning, drive a bit more, and visit two different nieces. One of them (farmwife) has 4 children, all adorable, and we have never seen the house they built.
The other niece lives even further south and her sweet daughter is celebrating her first birthday on Saturday. I will get to get away with my husband and love on great nieces and nephews all at the same time. Pretty good day I must say.

I don't know about you, but I am so looking forward to Thanksgiving this year.

Another Medical Dilemma

I discovered today that I may indeed have another medical issue.
It happens every Sunday morning.

My eyes leak.

Today they started during the opening song, continued throughout all of the worship music and then started really leaking during the sermon. One might wonder if the subject matter of how God gets us through tough times has anything to do with this problem, but I just know that this is happening with regularity. They get started and for some reason don't stop.

I will keep you posted.

I hope you are not thinking that I seriously think this is a medical issue. I know it is not. I know it is the result of the blessings of a Good God, and that He has literally carried me these last 6 months. Worship service is a time that I truly turn my thoughts and my praise over to God and I am truly humbled at His blessings in my own life. I do not know why He has blessed me so, I have done nothing more than anyone else to deserve this. I just know that I am truly grateful. Not knowing how to express this gratefulness causes my eyes to just leak uncontrollably.

I can think of worse issues.

$20.00 Marathon

This should make a believer out of you!

Granted, the following was all possible due to the careful use of coupons, rain-checks, a gift card, store sales, CVS Extra Care Bucks, and Walgreen's Register Rewards.

Really, all those deals had to merge to make this all possible.

This is what I got today for just under $20.00:

CVS:

3 big city papers

1 Loreal Age Perfect Moisturizer ($15.99--free after extra care bucks)

2 packs of 3 each, Arthritis Relief Well Patches (free, due to a rain-check)

2 bottles of Revlon Nail Polish

(I left CVS with $18.00 in new extra care bucks for the next big deal)

Dollar General:

4 Air-Wick Freshmatic Kits (these are $11.99 at Walmart, but only $6.00 at Dollar General, I had $5.00 coupons)

2 Lysol Neutra Air Freshmatics (same deal as above and I had $5.00 coupons)

Walgreens:

2 gallons of milk

4 packages of cheddar cheese, (shredded 8 oz)

4 bottles of Suave shampoo

2 small cans of French's French Fried Onions

The grand total for all 3 stores was under $20.00. It was a very good day.

That is how I stockpile!

Plus the papers are chock full of good coupons this week to allow me to stretch our dollars even further.

My sister will get good use of some the air fresheners, she has a number of cats and likes to keep her house fresh. (She does an excellent job by the way)

I love my coupons.

Cleaning Frenzy

I must admit that I have not put in a day like today for quite a while. Oh, about 6 months to be exact. Today I started cleaning and for a while I felt like Forest Gump when he just started running and never stopped. I eventually did stop, but I accomplished so much.

Today I :

-cleaned the kitchen and swept and mopped the floor

-stripped two beds and washed all the bedding

-re-made our bed, (oldest son can put his own back together)

-cleaned the bedroom and vacuumed

-cleaned the bathroom and mopped that floor

-sorted through a mound of paperwork in my dining room and cleaned it well

-straightened up the rest of the house

-washed/ dried the kitchen and bathroom throw rugs

-washed two other loads of clothes


That was truly a huge day for me, I did not quite finish. Husband will vacuum the rest of the house tomorrow. I still have some laundry to fold, but my my the house is pretty much all clean at once, and I did the most in one day that I have done since before the heart attack. It actually felt pretty good to dig in like that and have the stamina to work so hard. I tell ya, things are getting better and better!

Workouts

I was finally able to get back on the treadmill tonight after 3 weeks of healing from my stupid human trick. I am not completely healed, and in fact there is still quite a bit to heal. I do not cringe with every movement of my foot though, and actually it felt quite good. I only went for just under 25 minutes, but it got my blood pumping and I enjoyed it.

Physical therapy for my shoulders went well also, although they do like to make me work. I was on two different contraptions tonight, and then did additional exercises before she let me go. I have homework as well and I am already noticing a big difference in my right arm, the left is still weaker, but it is coming around.

Life is good.

An Open Letter of Apology

Now, I admit, that most of you who read this will have no idea what this post is about, but some of you will know very well. Read carefully.

This is an open letter to Karen.

Dear Karen,

Please forgive me for being so self absorbed as of late. I admit I have not kept up with those dear to your heart. I have selfishly been writing on my own blog about all of my own troubles and have just not taken the time to read about your precious friends. I used to keep up with you and I knew every heartache that the Baxters felt. I remember well when Kari had the terrible problems with her first husband and the joy that Ryan brought into her life. I wept with Ashley as she struggled to find herself and when she was pushing Landon away, even while I knew he was the best thing for her. I hurt so much for John and Elizabeth when they were trying desperately to find Dane or even to put a name on their firstborn son. How tragic that Elizabeth did not live long enough to see the desire of her heart come to be fulfilled. I followed you closely when Haley nearly drowned and the sorrow that event brought. I watched as Luke has wavered in his faith and in relationships. I have wished so much that Erin and her family could be closer to the rest and not so far away. I cried with the rest of you when Ashley and Landon's baby did not beat the odds and left this earth as soon as she came. I have seen the changes in Brooke and her husband as their faith has grown.

You see Karen, I did do a good job keeping up with you for so long. Remember, I rejoiced when Katie and Dane finally were able to get married and I felt the disappointment she felt with the closing of the CKT. You know that I have admired along with you, the great faith and influence the Flannigans have had in the Bloomington area. What neat people they are.

I am just so sorry that I have neglected you as of late. When I had my heart attack last May it is like I just let the entire Baxter clan go. How can we do that with friends? I know that "Someday" I should read up on your friends and surely I will not let the "Sunset" on these wonderful people. It is just that "Someday" and the "Sunset" are so far out of my mind.

Please Karen, forgive me and be patient with me. I have not even asked my friends how the Baxters are doing because I honestly want to find out for myself. Will you give me another chance?



****Okay, enough already. Please do not put the Baxter family or anyone else mentioned in this post on your church prayer list. Do not ask me how they are doing, and please don't think I have been one big heel of a friend to let a family go through so much and not keep up with them.

The Baxters are a fictitious family. Well, sometimes I wonder, because as many of my friends will attest, we "know" them so well. It is just that I have not kept up in my reading of the books about this family, written by Karen Kingsbury. I have read the first 12 books , however due to my own drama have just not managed to read books 13 and 14. I know, I am a terrible person to abandon them at this point and I beg from all of you die-hards (you know who you are) ( Reta, Kelley, Chel, Sue, etc., etc.,) my forgiveness.