Hello out there!

Guess what? Amber’s Window is making a comeback! After y-e-a-r-s of absence due to that thing called LIFE, I’m getting back to my love of writing. I feel like I have things to say again. New things. Fresh things. Important things.

So, I’m cleaning the window, so to speak. In the coming days and weeks, I’m revamping the site, updating content, and changing things to reflect who I am now. I’m not the same person I was when I started the blog. I’m not the same as I was when I stopped writing.

The blog must reflect that.

So, hang in there with me while I change things up a bit!

Accomplishments

Frugal Accomplishments:
*Used a coupon for free rotisserie chicken and 2 free boxes of cookies at Sam’s Club from a Living Social deal.
*Made homemade Nesquik. Yummy! Found the recipe on One Good Thing’s blog.

***Had a bit of an internet glitch yesterday and early this morning, so I couldn’t on on here to finish this post and I already had it scheduled, so here’s the rest of it!***

*Took the kids to a free open house at our local university’s vet school. The only thing we paid for, including the shuttle, was food. I didn’t mind paying that, because it was cheap and for a good cause. Field trip and fun family day all rolled into one!
*I forgot to thaw some salmon for dinner on Saturday, so we ate leftovers instead of running out for something. This also gives me a head start on the next menu–I’ve got frozen salmon waiting for me!
*Hubs worked on a built-in bookcase that will free up a TON of space on our other bookshelves, meaning I don’t have to buy another organizer or bookcase for our school stuff, my old text books, and all the novels I have.
*Used my homemade taco seasoning instead of the pre-packaged stuff.
*Did our almost monthly grocery shopping trip. Overall, it was a big success with big savings.
*Filled up with gas at Sam’s for a good savings after our trip.
*Used the clothes line every day except the one day it rained.
*Another one of those things that I do all the time and never think about is that I clean counters with peroxide and toilets with cheap dish soap. I love the non-chemically smell (really, the lack of any smell) that peroxide has, and soap is soap. A $0.97 bottle of dish soap lasts probably 2 months or more per toilet.
*Used baking soda to get rid of that awful wet dog smell on the couches and carpets in the living room.
*Still using my homemade laundry detergent and loving it. I have stopped washing towels with it, though, because I read somewhere that baking soda can decrease the absorbency of towels, so they get regular bottled stuff. My towels, especially the kitchen towels, do seem to be more absorbent again.
*Kept unnecessary things turned off and unplugged.
*Opened the windows to let the fresh air in.

Home school field trips

When you think of home school field trips, you typically think of trips to the zoo, the museum, or the aquarium. Don’t get me wrong, I love these field trips.

There’s more to educational ventures than just these old stand-bys, though.

For example, if you live near a university, check out their open houses and events. We’re heading off to a local university’s vet school for their annual open house event. We’ll see many demonstrations, including milking, sheep shearing, K9 and tracking teams, a parade of dog breeds, and roping, and we’ll get to see some exotic reptiles, birds, barnyard animals, and tour the inside of the operating rooms. After that, we’re heading across the street to visit the Insect Zoo at the same campus to see insect exhibits, roach races, and butterfly releases. It’ll be a great day, because it is both fun and educational. I’ve taken my kids for many years, even before we home schooled.

Find out about behind the scenes tours at parks, businesses, factories, or even zoos. Your kids can learn the ins and outs of anything from caring for park animals to how ice cream is made.

Check out your state parks for demonstrations and events. You might get to see candle making, spinning (not the bike kind), or go on a nature walk with a ranger. At parks with historical connections, you can expose your kids to living history as people “live” life as it was back in the period the park highlights.

Similarly, check local newspapers and websites for details about festivals, farm days, exhibitions, and other events you can learn at. A festival isn’t just a place for face painting, funnel cake, and cute crafts. You can learn more about the subject being featured in the festival, like sunflowers, apples, mules, the Colonial period, the Antebellum period, shrimp, sea turtles, rattlesnakes . . . the list goes on and on, and those are just the ones I can think of from a glance at a recent publication from our power company.

Visit a bakery. This is a great trip for budding bakers, and can be useful to reinforce math and measuring skills to reluctant learners. This home school field trip is guaranteed to please students and teachers alike, particularly if samples are involved! You could also see about visiting an ice cream shop, a cafe`, or any other eating establishment you love.

Now you have some ideas to ponder, since spring is upon us and it is time for those field trips! Time to give everyone a break from worksheets, books, and even DVDs. I can only take so many National Geographic movies! Hit the zoo, but hit the park too. Visit the aquarium, and visit the ice cream shop for a demo too.

Think outside that home school field trip box!

Thankful Thursday

Is it that time of the week already? I guess so!

Here’s what I’m thankful for:
*The weather hasn’t been too hot yet. Granted, it’s been more like January or February for the majority of March, though we got a few nice, warm days. It’s not unheard of for the temps to be drastically above average (and more like summer) in March around here.
*We also have been getting plenty of rain. In fact, it’s probably raining here while you’re reading this!
*I have a fire burning away in the wood stove again, thanks to the cool, windy, dreary weather, so it’s warm and toasty without using propane or electricity!
*I have all my meals for the next few weeks planned out, so I don’t have to worry about what’s for dinner.
*I don’t have to go to the grocery store for several weeks! Yay! See my post on monthly grocery shopping for details if you haven’t checked it out yet.
*We got some potentially good news about Hubs’ job . . . I’ve been complaining on here a good bit lately about how wrong his department has done him, but things appear to be getting straightened out.
*The kids are doing very well in school. Both appear to be very math-minded, which is good, but could present a problem for me later down the line! I am NOT math-minded at all. I’m a reading and writing kind of girl, so I’m hoping I’ll be able to continue teaching them successfully.
*The four of us seem to have dodged the awful stomach virus that both my brother and sister (and about half of our church) had.
*I’ve had a good bit of traffic on the blog lately, so if you’re reading this, THANK YOU! I hope you keep coming back!

Here’s a sneak peak for tomorrow . . . I’m going to talk about cool ideas for home school field trips. It just so happens that we’ll be going on one Friday, one that I’ve looked forward to since we started school last fall.

And here’s how it went!

So, we survived! I guess that is the first thing to point out about our monthly shopping trip that I talked about yesterday.

Here are the things I learned about this trip:

1)It is tiring. I expected it to be, but it was more than I thought it would be. I was tired. Hubs was tired. The kids were tired. The car was probably tired.

2)Monthly grocery shopping trips should not be planned on a day with ANY other planned activities. At 4:30, I suddenly realized that Kitten had t-ball practice at 6. We made it on time, but only because I already had a quick and easy meal planned for us, probably because I realized when I made the menu on Sunday that we had practice that evening.

3)Taking the kids requires an extra measure of patience. And longsuffering. And lots of gum to bribe them with. Not sure how that’s going to play out in the future, because I felt like it took longer with the two kiddos in tow, and Hubs was doing a lot of kid wrangling and not a lot of helping me with the big items or the decision-making. But, he did help with the loading and unloading, and he always got the REALLY big stuff for me. I’m not sure which way is the best way. Ideally, I’d take him and leave the kids at home. Oh, Grammy, I foresee a fun-filled day with the kids in your future!

4)Extra stops seem to work their way in, though there really is no time for that. We went to the three stores I’d planned to go to, but we also made two other stops for important things Hubs needs for work because the two stores were “right there”. Each stop only took a few minutes, but there was still the getting in and out of the car and the extra drive time that factored into our long day.

5)The shopping didn’t take as long as I thought it would. It went pretty smoothly, and the actual shopping took about 3 to 3.5 hours, not counting the driving and the lunch stop in Sam’s, which took 20ish minutes. Also, the potty breaks were well-timed, so they didn’t add too much extra time to the day–there was no trekking all the way across Sam’s to hit the loo. Both kids needed to go while we were right there, and Daddy and Doodle went again while Kitten and I stood in line, then she and I went again while the guys took the groceries to the car.

6)It didn’t cost as much either. I came in about $70 under my absolute maximum budget, and about $50 under what I’d planned to spend. That’s good, because that gives me plenty for milk and fresh produce (and anything else I may have forgotten as I get used to this kind of shopping) over the next 3 weeks. Granted, I didn’t find a few things that I wanted that I’ll either need to figure out a way to substitute something else for or make myself, or do without. Dry Ranch dressing mix is the big thing I couldn’t find. I found packs of dip mix, but it had spinach and onion dip too, and that’s not really what I wanted. Anyway, I didn’t get everything on my list. But, I did get several things that weren’t on my list. We found a good deal on Reese’s eggs (63 for $4.91) and those are our FAVORITE! I let the kids get a few more treats than I’d planned, and I myself fell victim to the “I’m hungry, and cinnamon raisin bagels with cream cheese sound really, really good right now!” trap. But overall, even with the splurges and unplanned purchases, I feel that we did really, really well.

7)Some things are not cheaper at Sam’s Club, and some things are not cheaper in bulk. There were a few things that I didn’t buy at Sam’s that I’d planned to, but purchased them at Aldi instead because the per unit price at Sam’s seemed too high. This is why having a good price list is so important, I guess. I’ll be working on that price list as soon as I can. I made notes in the stores, and I’m going to use my receipts as the starting point for my spreadsheets.

8)Both Aldi and Sam’s have limited selection, which is a good thing for time, but not such a good thing when you only shop there and need a specific thing. (Ranch dressing mix again.) It was easy to go, spaghetti noodles, check and not have to think about or decide on angel hair, linguine, blah, blah, blah. But, I couldn’t find coriander, so I’ll have to pick that up another time, and I went to Walmart for toothpaste, mouthwash, toilet paper, and cat litter first. I’ll probably start going there last to fill in the gaps, if I have to go there for the specific TP, toothpaste, and mouthwash we need.

9)You have to be willing to try a different brand than “your” brand. For the most part, I’m not stuck on one particular brand. There are things that I am picky about, like Crisco. I have preferences on some things, like cat litter, and with those things, I’m willing to try a different brand once if the price is right. So, since we hate every single other brand of cat litter but Tidy Cat (which is our least favorite) and Scoop Away (my new favorite), and haven’t tried Fresh Step (my Mom’s old stand-by), I either have to buy less litter for the same price at Walmart (Scoop Away), buy my least-least favorite Tidy Cat (non-clumping), or try Fresh Step, which is a much better price per pound at Sam’s than even what Walmart has. We’re trying Fresh Step next time, and if we like it, great, if not, we’ll keep getting Scoop Away at Walmart.

10)Shopping once a month takes up a LOT of space in the kitchen! Organization is key, I think. I didn’t get everything put up today, and I need to rotate out those things I talked about yesterday that I always keep in stock, like cream of whatever soup. Wish I had a huge, huge pantry and a commercial fridge and freezer! Maybe we’ll get lucky and find a good deal on a fridge and freezer at an auction or something. Hubs has mentioned getting them before, so maybe I can talk him into a set!

11)Mistakes will be made. I know I bought things at Sam’s that I should have gotten at Aldi, and vice versa. Again, that’s were the price list will help me in the future. I’ll learn, and I’ve already decided that paying a few cents more per pound/ounce/unit for some things will be worth it to have only one container to put up instead of three or four. Other things are the opposite. And, I refuse to beat myself up over a couple of cents or my organizational/space options. A couple of dollars makes a big difference, but not a few cents. And I literally mean 2 or 3 cents.

So, that’s pretty much all I can think of. This trip has me tired, exhausted, and hungry. All that food! Looking forward to my splurge bagel and cream cheese in the morning!

What do you think? Do you shop monthly for your groceries? Are you willing to try it?

Monthly Grocery Shopping

So, depending on what time you read this, I could very well be embarking on a new, money-saving (and time-saving) idea: monthly grocery shopping. Well, this trip will cover 3 weeks, then I’ll launch into monthly shopping. I figured that since I am used to shopping for two week’s worth of groceries at a time, I’d do a transition trip of three weeks, then begin the monthly journey.

Here are the reasons why I think monthly grocery shopping will save me money:
*I’m only going into the store once a month, so I won’t be tempted to buy things that aren’t on my list.
*I will be shopping at Sam’s Club, so I can buy things in bulk that will be used over the course of a month (or more, for the more shelf-stable items).
*I won’t have the extra expense of gas every week, two weeks, etc. I already limit my trips into town, but with only one major grocery store trip, I won’t be making multiple trips to town for just groceries, like I currently do now.
*I’ll be relying on the foods in the freezer and in my pantry more, instead of purchasing them and letting them go to waste.
*I can justify a trip to Aldi, where the prices are typically lower on the items I purchase every day, because it’s only a few miles from Sam’s Club. Though both stores are a good 40-45 minutes from my house, I’ve been driving 30ish minutes to Kroger or Walmart every week or every two weeks anyway.

Reasons why I think monthly grocery shopping will save me time:
*I’ll only be spending one “day” going grocery shopping each month, instead of 2+. While I don’t think it will take all day to go the grocery store, it is quite a long day, and I’d rather have one day that’s slightly longer than multiple long days each month.
*I don’t imagine it’ll take THAT much longer to grab two bags of frozen chicken as opposed to one, or two pounds of butter instead of one, so I wouldn’t be surprised if my slightly longer day isn’t really much longer than a “regular” day after all.
*Because of where I’ll be shopping, I don’t have to worry about coupons, sales, etc. I know that couponing and combining sales and coupons can be a great way to save money (I’ve been doing it for years), but I find that I often purchase things I don’t really need, or that we won’t eat, or that we shouldn’t be eating, just because they are free or cheap. Plus, it can take a good two hours or more to prepare for one trip to Kroger, in addition to the time spent in the store. I really don’t have those extra two hours to spend on couponing right now–and that’s two hours after I’ve doing the meal planning, for the most part.
*I will be more focused when I know I need to go to more than one store, instead of taking my time going to Kroger. I tend to be kind of lackadaisical if I know I only need to go to Kroger, so I get started later, and get back later. When I know I have more than one place to go, I am much more motivated to get going and get done.

How I prepared for the trip:
*First, I researched once a month grocery shopping. My first stop was Raising Arrows. I follow this blog for many reasons, and this was the first place I heard about a once a month grocery shopping trip that actually seemed to work. I checked out her series on monthly grocery shopping under her large family living tab. To get started, I am using her monthly meal planner, and her shopping list.
*Then, I ventured over to The Prudent Homemaker‘s page. She shops at Sam’s a good deal, and has a price list from Sam’s on her site. I also checked out some of her recipes (including glancing over the ones I know I like to make, like beef stroganoff) in preparation for doing my meal plan.
*Next, I sat down with the calendar and wrote in our baseball practice and game schedules and my husband’s work schedule. That definitely impacts how you meal plan! I also filled in any other activities that I needed to remember when planning meals.
*Then I planned what we’d eat! I’ve been meal planning off and on (mostly on) for years now, and I know that I need to plan on either using leftovers to make something else (casserole from soup, for example) or plan a day to eat leftovers, or both. Usually both. I put things on the menu that we like, like salmon, fried chicken, spaghetti, and pancakes, and things that were easy, like hot dogs, frozen pasta meals, and sandwiches on busy days. I tried to balance my kitchen work load so that I wasn’t cooking a huge meal each day. I also tried to get the things Hubs loves, like fried chicken and homemade mac & cheese, on the days he’d be home from work so it would be fresh and hot and yummy for him.
*While planning our meals, I took into consideration the things that are already in our freezer and pantry. I mentioned in yesterday’s post that I am trying to empty the freezer, and that goal will continue until I make a dent in what’s in there.
*I didn’t plan all the sides for the meals. For us, that part of the meal is a bit flexible–it’s the main part that needs planning. I also didn’t plan breakfast or lunch. I know that we’ll eat cereal, waffles, toast, and yogurt for breakfast, and lunch will be leftovers, sandwiches, or something quick and easy–microwave pizza, a can of ravioli, or something similar. I kept all these things in mind for the next step, though.
*Then, I worked on the shopping list. I simply read through my menu, found the corresponding ingredient on the master shopping list, and wrote how many I’d need. I checked the fridge, freezer, and pantry as I went to make sure that I didn’t already have the item on the shelf, or that I was replacing any items we’d use that are staples (for example, I ALWAYS have cream of chicken and mushroom soups on my shelves, and I always make sure I have baking supplies like sugars, flours, and oil in stock. I’ll be using a can of each soup for meals in this cycle, so I’m buying a can of each to replace the can of each I’ll use.)
*I found and cleaned my insulated bags (one had vestiges of the trip my kiddos and their aunts took to the zoo in it, so checking and cleaning them each time is a good idea) and pulled out my big reusable grocery sacks. Those, along with a few small boxes, are musts when shopping at Sam’s and Aldi.
*I had Hubs clean out the car to get the folding chairs, baseball gear, and umbrella stroller out of the back. He also pulled out any trash that was in the seats, as well as the random toys, jackets, and stuff that somehow ends up in the car when you have kids.
*I set out everyone’s outfits for the day, which I typically do any time we need to go somewhere. The kids are going with us, because 1) we think it’s important to teach them how to grocery shop (I’ll never forget being in Kroger last fall and hearing a professor explain to the her college students about the ins and outs of shopping. One girl actually said she’d never been to the grocery store before, and several were surprised at how the raw meat looked. Sad. And no, these kids weren’t differently abled, challenged, or special.), how to follow a list, and how to be a team player, and 2) my Mom has her own stuff to do–she’s not a built in baby sitter! (Though I am eternally grateful for the times she does watch the kids for us!)
*I laid out the strategy in my mind: Walmart, Sam’s, and Aldi, in that order, with breakfast before we left and lunch at Sam’s. Sam’s has super cheap meals in their food court, and the frozen Cokes are a wonderful incentive for good behavior. I’ll reward the kids with a cool treat when we get done . . . or bribe them with it if needed. I am not above bribery.
*And we’re off, ready to try this new adventure!

Footnotes:
*I will have to run to the little local grocery store weekly or so for milk, or stop by Kroger or Walmart for milk and/or produce when I’m in town. Those little trips for ONLY milk don’t typically cause me to get distracted and vary from my list. I don’t know why, but I can stay focused when all I have to do go the back of the store and get a gallon or two of milk. For produce, I know that there are things we’ll want that won’t keep for 4 weeks, like bananas. While my plan is to eat the most perishable items in the first week, the more stable items next, and frozen or canned fruits and veggies during the last week or so, I know that my milk pit stops will probably also include fresh produce once or twice. Again, so much easier for me to stick to my list when I’m only getting one or two things, not a buggy full!
*I’ll probably hit three stores on each shopping day. Today’s plan includes Walmart (solely for the kids’ toothpaste and mouthwash that neither other store carries, and toilet paper. Hubs is picky about his TP, and neither Sam’s or Aldi carries it), Sam’s Club, and Aldi.
*There will be a learning curve. I’ll discover that some things are cheaper at Sam’s Club, while others are cheaper at Aldi. I’ll also learn, I’m sure, that some bulk items from Sam’s won’t be as good of a discount because we won’t eat it all before it goes bad. I’ll learn, and I’ll roll with the punches. I’ll be grocery shopping for a long time to come, I’m sure!
*To help with this, I’m going to try to start a price list of my own. It’ll take time, but I’ll start with it tomorrow.
*For the most part, I don’t intend to combine a huge grocery store trip with multiple other errands on the same day. Sounds like a recipe for disaster! One stop for one thing is okay, but we won’t hit Goodwill, the sporting goods store, the mall, and the grocery stores all at the same time. Now, if I find that this shopping is easier that I thought, maybe I could add some more stores later, or if I’m alone, I’d be more willing to try to do more, but first, I’m going to see how today goes!

So, that’s my newest idea! I’ll see how it goes, and let you know. It sounds good in theory, and it seems to work for families that are much larger than mine, so why not try it? It can’t be any harder than playing the couponing at Kroger and Publix and price matching at Walmart game, can it?

Accomplishments

Frugal accomplishments for last week:
*Hung clothes out on the clothesline.
*Opened windows to air out the house on warm days.
*Wore socks and sweaters on cool mornings/chilly days instead of building a fire or turning on the heat.
*Took advantage of a spring special for family portraits, including the mini-session, copyright, and a disc with all the edited images on it for $50. Haven’t had family pictures in AGES, so I was excited to find such a good deal.
*Combined trips to save gas.
*Ate leftovers for lunch.
*Sent leftovers with hubby to work.
*Pulled veggies from the freezer to cook for several meals. Many of the veggies were grown in our garden.
*Pulled meats and a few freezer meals out of the freezer to cook too. I’m trying to get as much out of the freezer as possible because 1) it’ll be time to fill it up with garden goodies soon and 2) I’m getting ready for a massive grocery store run. More on that Tuesday, provided that I get my meal plan and grocery list in order first. I’m planning on Tuesday being the big day!
*Discovered that those little toothpaste pals that are supposed to help you get more toothpaste out the tube really work. I bought a 2-pack a while back and put one on each kid’s toothpaste (they have their own toothpaste because Santa encourages good oral hygiene with fun, character toothbrushes and paste for each kid, instead of the typical blue sparkly kind) and I feel that I got way more toothpaste out than normal. Since I only paid $1 for both pals, I figure I’ll have my money back in no time.
*Bought groceries and cooked for all but two of our meals on our little getaway (lunch up there and lunch back).
*Took a book I had been given and magazines I either got as free or cheap subscriptions to read instead of buying new ones. I love reading on vacation!
*Used a coupon for free coffees and a free muffin at Racetrac when we stopped to fill up with gas.

I think that’s about it. I don’t think I did anything out of the ordinary this past week to save money. Hopefully this week will be better, though I’m a little nervous about this huge shopping trip!

Personal Accomplishments:
*Didn’t worry (too much) about Kitten and Doodle B while Hubs and I were away.
*Working on being patient and not being frustrated with Hubs about his job. I understand that it’s not his fault the powers that be are, well, politicians, and therefore, liars, and it’s not his fault that he’s back in the jail in a lower ranking position with no pay raise, despite being a sworn deputy now. He’s ill about it, and I am too. But, I’m trying very hard to make sure my frustration about his job situation isn’t manifested as frustration at him. Some days, it’s harder than others, I’m not gonna lie. But, this is his short week, so maybe people will get their acts together before another long work week rolls around in 7 days.

Spiritual Accomplishments:
*Enjoyed a wonderful Easter service at church. We all need to be reminded regularly about the magnitude of the resurrection. Jesus didn’t just rise up on one day–He is risen now. Without that knowledge, faith, hope, and works don’t mean anything, because without realizing that He is alive now, you can’t fully understand what it means to serve Him. Without that, all you do is for nothing. You’re just working for this world, not the eternal life that He died and rose again to give you.

Rolling with the punches

Apparently I forgot that yesterday was Thursday and was supposed to be Thankful Thursday. I almost forgot that this post was supposed to be Forgiveness Friday. I’ve been too busy rolling with the punches.

Things have been . . . strange . . . around here lately. We haven’t been able to get back into a good schedule since the week Hubs was gone and I spent a few days at the hospital with my Grandfather. It’s been one weird thing after another. Most days, I don’t know what day it is anyway, and with Hubs having two vacation days and then his two regularly scheduled days off, I honestly don’t know if I’m coming or going.

So, here’s a quick Thankful Thursday:

I’m thankful that:
*We got a quick vacation.
*The kids were well taken care of.
*We’ve been able to spend some time with Hubs/Daddy before he starts the new part of his job later this afternoon.
*The Sister who got the horrible illness that closed church on Wednesday night is getting better.
*No one else in our family seems to have contracted said illness.
*Temperatures are on the upswing after a cold March.
*God’s little unexpected blessings.
*Jesus died for me (no matter what the date of that death was) and then rose again. He’s not dead. And that’s something to be thankful for–because He lives, I live.

As far as Forgiveness Friday, I have become so used to forgiving in my quest for a more joyful, God centered life that I can’t even remember the individual forgiveness I’ve given. I’m not sure if that’s entirely a good thing, but I do know that forgiveness is becoming so much easier, and so much more of a habit, so I’m taking that to be a very good thing. Grudges don’t seem to last as long, and I find myself getting over things more quickly or–here’s the best part–not even being bothered by things that would normally bug me way worse that a burr under my saddle.

Rolling with the punches means you blog when you can, about what you can, and you do the best you can. I guess it’s like this: my blog isn’t my life. My life ends up on my blog, late, forgetful, and rambling. It’s a perfect representation of my life. Planned with the best intentions, but ultimately surrendered to the One with the Plan.

Update and a thought

So, Hubs and I went away for a “weekend”. In the law enforcement world, any stretch of 2 or more days where he isn’t working is technically a weekend. We headed out Sunday after Sunday school, and got back late Tuesday afternoon. We went to a cabin in the mountains, just the two of us. We watched tv (why is it that my real life cop is so fascinated with cop shows? We watched Law and Order SVU, NCIS, and Criminal Minds. Marathons of each, might I add.), slept late, took naps, ate yummy food, soaked in the hot tub, and I read half a book and an entire magazine in one sitting while he played pool. Snowflakes fell from the sky all day Monday, and were still falling when we left. Of course, it didn’t stick, and there weren’t enough flakes to call it “snowing”. I prefer the term “flaking”. It flaked all day. It was wonderful.

And, of course, I wasn’t going to post blogs while I was gone. Didn’t take a laptop or tablet or anything but the phone (which I ignored as much as possible). My PLAN was to have Monday and Tuesday’s posts done on Saturday.

Ha.

Yeah, right.

I got Monday’s done, but not Tuesday’s. It wasn’t worth the extra stress.

Then, when we got home yesterday, I had babies to love on and laundry to start. I don’t sleep well when I’m not in my bed, even on vacation, so I was exhausted (the 40mph winds we had on Sunday night didn’t help either. Limbs kept hitting the cabin, and I could see the tops of the trees swaying in the “breeze” all night.) and fell asleep pretty early.

So here we are. Working on a post full of updates. Next update: my Grandfather is still recovering well from his stroke and blood clot, so I am continually praising God for that. Hubs will be going back to work on Friday after graduating last Friday and taking our “weekend” away. We had family portraits done Wednesday evening. That was fun, and I’m pretty sure we got some great shots.

Now here’s my thought.

You know that thing, that thing that’s bothering you, worrying you, stressing you? That thing you’re dreading, ignoring, getting emotional or angry about? Yeah, you know what thing (or things) I’m talking about. Well, guess what?

God’s already there. At that thing. He’s there, waiting to take you through it. He’s already there.

We know He’s here now, and we know He’s already won the victory over the thing, even if you still have to go through it. But have you thought about how you’ll get through the thing? With Him, of course.

If He wasn’t already there, do you think you’d make it through? Do you think He stands on the far side of your thing and waves? “Hey, Child, I’m right here! Just walk through your thing to Me?”

Nope. He walks through the thing with you. He’s there waiting at the beginning of the thing to take you through to the other side. Holding your hand. Guiding you. Loving you the whole way through.

So if your thing is going to happen in 5 seconds, 15 minutes, a day, two weeks, eight months, or 3 years, God’s already there waiting for you. He’s at your thing, standing ready to help you fight that battle. Even if it’s scary, intimidating, bothersome, worrisome, stressful, painful, or whatever. He’s already there.

He’s already there.

He’s. Already. There.

And if He’s already there, why should we worry about the thing anymore?

He’s already there.

Accomplishments

Frugal Accomplishments:
*Made my own taco seasoning from a recipe I found on another blog on a link-up page. I think I’m going to make a large jar’s worth since we eat Mexican foods a good bit. I’m also going to try the chocolate syrup and the vanilla extract. Thanks, Brown Thumb Mama!

I made 5lbs’ worth of taco seasoning . . . it’s almost too pretty to shake up!

*Brother started planting our root crops, and weeded and tended the rows of peas. (My contribution to this frugal endeavor was free child labor, and I’ll be the one cooking and canning the veggies when they come in, plus feeding the hungry workers!)
*Fed biscuit and produce scraps to the chickens. Since they are free range now, I’m simply dropping the scraps off the edge of the front porch to encourage the chickens to come to that area of the yard. We have horrible fleas and ticks in the summer, and fire ants galore, so we’re trying to persuade the chickens (and guineas) to come be free, green pest control for us. So far, so good!
*Instead of paying the outrageous $17.50 per person for lunch at Hubs’ graduation, we went with his Mom, brother, and sister in law to a pizza buffet. We had good food and a great time together, and nobody’s budget was busted.
*Didn’t go to town at all this week, except for graduation, saving us gas. The weather cancelled t-ball practice one day, so we only had 2 days of trips to the rec department 10 mins away.
*Found the white dress shirt Doodle B agreed to wear as a compromise for getting the suit he wanted in his closet. Both the kids and I are set for Easter, and Hubs is working, so he doesn’t need anything.
*Made smoothies one day with very ripe bananas, a cup of greek yogurt nobody had touched, and the odds and ends of bags of frozen fruits. Added a random packet of strawberry Carnation Instant Breakfast that has been in the cabinet for . . . ever.
*Ongoing frugal activities that I always forget about because I’ve done them for so long: used both sides of paper for printing, reused blank envelopes that come with our bills (we pay everything online to save stamps and time), used scrap paper for lists (both sides), saved all glass jars like spaghetti jars, salsa jars, and the flavoring we use in our coffee, saved certain size plastic containers.

That’s all I can think of right now. It seems like a short list, but I’m working on it a few days early since we’re getting away for a few days. I’ll probably remember more to add to next week’s list!

Personal Accomplishments:
*Handled many of the changes and unscheduled-ness of Hubs’ last week of school with more grace than I thought possible.
*Quickly apologized to Hubs when I woke up on the wrong side of the bed one day. Also called to apologize after ending a phone call grumpily.

Spiritual Accomplishments:
*Had nursery duty last Sunday, and because several of our charges were either being dedicated during worship service or are the siblings of the babies getting dedicated, my partner and I pulled the “big girls” (Kitten and another girl her same age) and stood in the back of the sanctuary to let the girls watch and practice worshiping. They learn by example, and rather than us keeping just those 2 girls in the nursery and all of us miss the experience of being in God’s presence, we made the changes we needed to make so that we ALL could worship. I have a tendency to think “I’m supposed to be in the nursery (or doing whatever) so I can’t be a part of what’s happening.” I stopped that stinkin’ thinkin’ in its tracks, and we all were blessed by what we experienced.