Vacation

One of my favorite scenes from the trip
Yum, dinner on the patio at the condo.

Vacation!

View on our way up Mt. Greylock
Along our way to the summit of Mt. Greylock
On Mt. Greylock, along a trail.

One Happy Guy!

Hubby at The National Baseball Hall of Fame

VACATION

View from our condo.
Our kitchen
Living room / Dining room

Wow is not a good enough word, but I said it about 1000 times in the last 10 days.  Eastern Massachusetts is just gorgeous.  We spent our vacation in the Berkshires and they live up to their reputation.  I am amazed at what God did in His creation.  

We had a fantastic time and went to a bunch of places!  Here is the quick list :

• First night in Erie, PA-  we ate  at a fun  place, Quaker Steak and Lube then drove up to Lake Erie for a bit 
• Arrived at our condo in the Berkshires.  Ahhhh.  Nice place, good accommodations,  cool temperatures (returned home to sweltering heat)  It rained a lot, but we managed to dodge the raindrops enough to have a lot of fun.  
• Visited Vermont 3 times,  The Bennington Pottery place is disappointing.  When you have a son who throws clay on a wheel to make pottery it is sad to see pressed pieces sold as "hand-made" 
• Bought maple syrup and great cheeses in Vermont
• Drove down to Connecticut just to say we did, then  turned around and headed right back
• Went to 4 museums:  The Norman Rockwell, The Clark (art collection) The National Baseball Hall of Fame, and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Something for everyone. 
• Went to Mt. Greylock, the highest point in Massachusetts. 3,491 feet.  Not a record by any means, but when you consider that we live in a town with an elevation of 597 feet, it is impressive.   We drove to the summit and then climbed a tower that was 92 feet tall to look out . 
• Stepped foot on the Appalachian trail.   Okay, I walked on it for about 10 feet. Interesting story there. 
• Went to Stockbridge, Mass. /  Saw the famous Red Lion Inn--did not eat there, lunch would have been at least $75.00 for 3 of us. 
• Saw scenery that takes your breath away
• Laid out by the pool, in 64 degree temps!  It was sunny enough to keep us warm and the pool was heated. 
• Cooked most all of our meals at the condo.
• Loved The National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, Ny.    Quaint town, shops line the streets for about 4 blocks, mostly with a baseball theme.
• Rocked in Cleveland at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  We found it interesting that some of our favorites are not inducted yet.  ( I kept saying indicted --big difference)
• Rested, watched movies, ate on the patio, and generally felt blessed to go on such a great trip!  
• OUCH---spent $5.99 for one gallon of milk when we ran out mid-week.  A trip to town is at least 20 minutes one way so we bought a gallon at the resort across the road, it had a "grocery store".  I sure am glad that I am frugal on most days! 

Chicken and Strawberries

I could live on those two foods.  Well almost, I must get my potato quotient in there.

Last week bone-in chicken breasts were on special for 88 cents a pound.  I bought about 16 pounds.  I roasted most of it (some I pulled off the bone after roasting, some I left as is and  we will thaw those and throw them on the grill for a few minutes all sauced up) , I  de-boned some of it into boneless -skinless breasts and tenders ,  cooked down any trimmings into a delicious broth,  and now I have it all divided up in the freezer.  Today we purchased strawberries at 49 cents a pound!  Husband and I both bought some so now my freezer is packed with an assortment of sliced and sweetened, crushed and frozen ( I will pull those back out to make jam when I am ready) , and a tray of whole berries that are freezing individually so I can bag them whole later.  

Shopping the way I do (stockpiling) allows me to take advantage of the really big sales without feeling that my family will suffer that week if I put most of my grocery money into one or two items.  

Even if I spend all my grocery money on a few items, there is always something in my freezer or pantry that I bought up on a previous sale and I make my meals from what I have on hand.  

I love being frugal.

Return to Blogging

School is out now and I really hope to keep this up a bit better.  As I sit here today there is a gentle rain coming down so I am naturally forced inside today.  My flowers will get a drink and I will get to focus on the inside of the house.

I have many projects that I want to work through this summer.  A few have already been accomplished and  today I should knock off a few more.  We are getting ready for vacation soon.  Can I just tell the world how very excited I am about this year's vacation?  This is HUGE to me after what we went through last summer and I plan to soak up every possible bit of joy there is to be had.  

We will be going to  gorgeous area in Massachusetts.  I have never been to that state, so I will add another one or two on my list.  I need to learn how to spell it though since I am going there. (thank goodness for spell check)  We will focus on mostly scenic, outdoor activities,  and just relax!  

I am taking an unofficial break from crazy couponing.  I will still buy the papers if I think they will benefit me, but I have a huge stockpile now and I do not want the stockpile to outlive my family.  There is just so much toothpaste one can use.  Actually it is time to thin it out and give a goodie box to someone in need.   I just do not feel the need to chase every bargain.  We will live out of our freezer, pantry, and stockpile for a while.  My grocery bills over the last month have been quite small because of all of this and that excites me.  This way of shopping really pays off.   I am sure I will take advantage of the super deals out there, I made $8.00 this week at Walgreen's and I won't stop doing those deals (Ecotrin aspirin, I bought 4 boxes with coupons that made them free, then got back $2.00 on each in register rewards--I paid a total of 8 cents and made back $8.00)   I just am slowing way down for a while.  Don't worry, I am not going back to my old ways.  I will return in full force later on.  I am too good at this to stop.  Ha. 

More posting to come so check back more often.

Special note about the post below...

In case you think that I would share intimate details from prayer requests and small group meetings with the world on my blog without care, please know that I sent a rough draft of the following post to my friend for her approval.  I just do not want anyone to think that I would break the trust we held in that group. 

For Tom and Lois:

I have heard the old quote :  "Some people come into our lives and quickly go.  Some stay for a while and leave footprints on our hearts."

I must say I am feeling those footprints right about now.  Today I have thought a lot about some very special people in our lives.  

 I need to share tonight about friends who will be moving far far away very soon.  Tom and  Lois came into our lives about 12 years ago.  That is my best estimate.  I first met them at our church.  I remember one particular night I saw them, I don't think they saw me though.  They were sitting in our sanctuary, pretty much alone, and were praying.  That attracted me to them, and I was really thankful that before long they became a part of our small group.  We had a great small group.  It became an intimate and trusting group.  One where we could share our deepest longings and our most painful hurts.  We learned that Tom and Lois had recently spent over a year in the Ukraine as missionaries and had fallen in love with two little boys.  I still remember their names, and often I say a little prayer for them.  We all prayed back then that God would find a way to bring those boys into their lives permanently.    It was not to be.  God had plans unfolding, but we just did not know it yet.  

Our group grew closer and closer and sometimes we even let Tom and Lois know where we were meeting (inside joke) 

Nine years ago, my family experienced a major house fire, and this group carried us through that time and gave us a welcome home party after our renovations.  I still have the little bear fireman on my kitchen counter that Lois gave me to "protect" my kitchen from future fires.  

We waited, prayed, and cried for them and with them as God revealed His amazing plan and brought two perfect sons into their lives after a lengthy return trip to the Ukraine.  Watching this incredible family has been a joy.  This was always meant to be.  

We prayed for other events in their lives as well. We prayed for health issues and  for Tom to find a good job, (God , can we have a "do over" on that one?  We meant a good job close to us!)  

Tom and Lois have touched our own family in a profound way.  They love our boys and have devoted themselves to both senior high and college ministries.  Our boys have experienced genuine love and acceptance from both of them.  You know how special you feel about someone when they  genuinely love your children.  

As my health issues unfolded during the last year,  I was touched by the little things that Lois did for me.  She gave me a bracelet early on when my cancer was diagnosed to show me how God could make beauty from ashes.  When she learned that I was having trouble sleeping due to my fears and concerns, she made 2 music cds for me.  One for my days, and one for my nights.  Just today I was listening to one of them, and I thought so much about Lois.  I thought about how she ministered to me in such a real way.  About how she saw a raw and real need and met it.  

This is a couple that actually my husband and I have spent very little time with in the last year, but a couple that have made a huge difference in our lives.  They are leaving our area and I know we will miss their touch on our lives in a terrible way.  The northwest will be  very blessed when their family settles in and begins to share that touch.  

God be with you Tom and Lois and family.  

What a Deal !

I so love my coupons.  Today we were in another town to pack youngest up to come home for the summer.  While there I was able to take advantage of some amazing coupons from Target.  I had 52 coupons in all,  (glad you weren't behind me?) about half were Target printables, and the others were manufacturer coupons.  Many of them were Kraft coupons that I printed this week at home.  Target allows you to "stack" coupons by using one Target coupon and one manufacturer coupon on the same item.  Big savings result. 

I love when I am able to get grocery items at such a good deal.  Many of my bargains are health and beauty items.   The total before coupons was just over $102.00 .  The receipt below shows I paid just $42.48.  I saved over $60.00!   This portion does not show all the coupons.

What happened to Gratitude?

Tonight husband and I went to KFC to have dinner courtesy of Oprah and KFC.   I left with a very satisfied tummy, but a very discouraged outlook on America. 

 Mind you, this was a FREE meal.

  When husband and I arrived there were about 15 people in line, all with coupons in hand.  After getting our meal and while dining there, at least 20 more came in, and as the others, everyone had a coupon for their free meal.  This coupon clearly states that this meal is a manager's choice meal, and  with this particular restaurant anyway,  that included which sides were given.  

Oh my, I have not heard so much complaining for a long time.  

People were upset when they would temporarily run out of grilled chicken.  What did they expect?   This restaurant was graciously replacing the grilled chicken with your choice of fried  when they ran out, and people still grumbled.  People complained about the sides, and about the fact that you could only print FOUR coupons.  

I made it a point to thank two employees for our meal and to tell them how delicious it was. 

It really was delicious.  I am also glad that we dined in, purchased drinks, and that we did not cause them to use the extra packaging on a carry out order.    

I thought though, how sad this experience was.  Our country is in the middle of one of its hardest recessions, and someone steps up to "give everyone in America a free meal".   I would think people would actually show a little gratitude.  I would also think that if the year were 1940 and someone would have done this that the public would probably have kissed the hands of those that prepared it.  

What has happened  since then ?   

I know it has been a while

So sorry.

All of my devoted fans (both of you) have had to wait forever for this post, and it will be very disappointing.  I just want to wish my hubby a very happy birthday before his birthday is over. 

I will post again soon.

Happy Birthday Dear.

Sunday Doubles!

Double coupons at our Kmart again...   

Although, if you live in my area you saw that it does not say so on the flyer, but they are in-fact doubling.  

This would have been $107.00 before coupons,  (lots of grocery items this time) but all this loot only cost me $18.55 .   

The only thing missing from the picture is another 12 pack of Pepsi, because husband is taking that to work.  

I know that saving coupons and planning out every shopping trip takes a lot of time, but it is well worth it!  

I did concentrate more this time on non-health / beauty items.   I only bought a few.  I tried to focus on the grocery coupons I had.  I wish our Kmart had a larger grocery section, but I am not complaining.  

Don't know if I will go back for much more though, I am very stocked up.  

You are going to be so glad you are my friend...

My Stars and Garter Belts! (as my Grandma would say)

Look at this box of chocolate!   You just "gotta" click on this picture to enjoy it.

 I am fortunate to have been chosen to spread the word about the new Werther's Original Chocolates, and oh my my, this is amazing!   House Party chose me to "host" a party to get the word out about this amazing new treat. (You noticed the open package didn't you)   They are no longer accepting applications, but there are always new house parties out there.  

Anyway, if you cannot tell by the picture, there are 60 bags of chocolate here!  There are 30 with milk chocolate and 30 with dark.  They are not wimpy bags either, there are 24 pieces in each bag.   Each bag weighs 5.2 oz.  Do the math.   (19.5 pounds of chocolate!)  The dollar bill gives you a size reference.  I plan to pass some out to my  small group, and at my Girls Night Out (girls you get the bulk because I told House Party you were who I wanted to treat...)  .  Don't worry, I will still have some for school, family, and friends. Of course, I will have to  keep a "few" bags...

The box also has a stash of coupons to drool at, Post-it-Notes , and a cozy chocolate colored fleece blanket for me.   I am in chocolate wonderland at the moment. 

Makin' Money at the Drugstores

I can honestly say that I did not need any of the things in this picture.  However, because of coupons, I EARNED one dollar on each item.  These were all "free" after Extra Care Bucks (CVS) or Register Rewards (Walgreens).  My one dollar coupons that I had for each item helped me "make" money.

 The money I made because of coupons allowed me to buy the items in this picture which I did need/want.   Coupons not only save you money, but they can also MAKE you money.   I also had coupons on each of these items, and combined with the store sales, and Extra Care Bucks on the Colgate, I was able to purchase these with no real cost to me.   Loving my coupons...

Aren't they Pretty?

I know that fresh flowers are not the most frugal purchase, but 31 years does not come around often.  Husband sent these to me at school yesterday for our anniversary and I love them.    I guess that being frugal and clipping coupons helps make purchases like this possible. 

He did good didn't he?  

31 years Ago...

This is the eve of my anniversary.  

31 years ago tonight I was anticipating my wedding day.  

Oh, if I had known then what I know now...I would have been even more excited.

I am so blessed to think that  God somehow saw fit to allow me to share my life with this man.  

Last year we went on a little get-a-way for our 30th.  We had absolutely no idea at that time just what was in store for us.   This past year of our marriage has proven to me a million times over that I made  the right choice for my husband.  He loves me so.  He has been an unbelievable anchor in my life. He has given me strength and  encouragement, and has shown me in so many ways just how deep his love really is. 

I am so thankful for the life we have built, one that is centered on Christ.  A life together that knows what is truly valuable.  I am thankful for our two sons, and the way we all  love each other.

 My life is so full. 

 I know that God provides for us in many ways.  The relationships that He helps us form on this earth are a huge means of His provision and I am so grateful for this particular relationship. 

So, tonight , on the eve of our 31st anniversary, I want to tell my husband how very much I love him,  how I am so glad he included me in the building of his world, and  how my world could never be the same without him.  

I  love you honey, thank you so very much.  

Happy Anniversary. 

So Very Busy

Gee, I have not posted for a while!

School sure has a way of keeping me busy.  I miss my days off where I could post whenever I wanted to.  

Here are a few highlights in bullet form;

• School has gone well since returning from break. The teacher I work with has graciously allowed me to read my very favorite children's book to the class and we have been having a great time with it.  I cannot underline the title in this program, so forgive me, but it is The Boxcar Children.  We have done a lot of special things so far,  made homemade bread, (bread machines) tasted blueberries, had "brown" cookies,  and played "Stump the Teacher".  --Ha! I have only read this book about 15 times, so it will be hard for them to stump me with a Boxcar question. 
• We had a great family weekend with husband's family.  His niece from Canada and her husband and new baby were home so the weekend was filled with visits and eating.  Maybe too much visiting and eating, as 6 family members have come down with a 24 hour bug so far. 
• And yes, I have been bargain hunting.  Sorry, no pictures or details this time, but let me say that Walgreens in my new friend.  They look forward to my visits and always let me leave with a smile on my face. 

So there you have it. A quick version of my last week and a half.  I will attempt to catch things up on a more regular fashion.  Maybe. 

I'm Tired

~Pretty flowers in freshly mulched bed~

I think that when Monday rolls around I will be glad to get back to school so I can sit down!  I have had a very busy week.  I am so glad though to have accomplished as much as we have.  No major work in the house like we did last year, but I have gotten a lot done in the way of cleaning, pitching, organizing, and yard work. (plus enough bargain hunting to sustain me for a few days)

This is the run down of the week:

  

• Made many trips to Kmart for double coupon madness(whoo-hoo)
  
• A visit to several stores in my sister's town (oh yeah, I visited my sister too)
  
• A major de-junking of the basement (more to go--ALWAYS more to go)
  
• My winter clothes are packed away in suitcases and spring has arrived in my closet
  
• Finished raking fall leaves out of the flowerbeds
  
• Mulch spread on 3/4  of the flower beds and borders--had not mulched for about 4 years
  
• (We bought 45 bags of mulch! Started out with 25 and realized soon that was not going to cut it--I know we should have bought by the yard, to be more frugal, but we got a good price and  convenience  won out this time) 
  
• --Plan to finish mulching tomorrow
  
• Hosed down the porch and patio and purchased two new chairs for the front porch
  
• Moved the treadmill from the sun-room into my new "multi-purpose" room
  
• Deep cleaned youngest' bedroom
• Made 3 batches of homemade waffles and  froze 23 divided up in freezer bags
• Helped a friend take a meal to friends at the hospital in a nearby town
• Laundry is caught up, the freezer and pantry are full,  so tomorrow when husband gets off work we will go out on the town (for us that would consist of dinner and a movie at best, but it is a night out)

I have had a good week, even though it has not been the lay on the beach type of break.  I was so limited last summer when it came to working around my house , that it actually feels good to do all of this again.  I did not work in my yard at all last year due to health reasons  after planting a few things in my garden.  Friends helped with everything else,  and it sure does feel good to play in the dirt again. 

Waffles on a Weekday?

Too bad my boys are not home this morning!  They might even rise up and call me blessed. Well, probably not.  I did get very ambitious though and make homemade waffles.  I found an incredible whole-wheat, overnight recipe here.  You will have to check out that blog.  This lady could come cook for me anytime!  

This waffle batter is so cool because you mix it up the night before and put it in the fridge where it does its magic.  Then the next morning you heat the waffle iron, and whalla!  (how do you spell that?)  *****correction*****"whalla" is actually "voila" with a schwa over the letter a (not that I know how to type the schwa)******(thanks Aunt D.) 

Next time though I will double the recipe.  I was hoping for many more so I could freeze quite a few for when the boys are home.  This made 8 waffles.  My waffle-maker makes 7 inch round waffles, which are not very big.  Husband and I loved them this morning and each ate one and a half.  I have 5 for the freezer.   I love that the whole wheat is not overpowering so that you can still taste your syrup.  I am thinking that while the waffle maker is sitting in the kitchen (it lives in the basement) I might just make up a double batch and let them work their magic during the day. It only takes a few minutes to make each one so I might just do that.   

We could have waffles for supper...

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.