Adoption is Awesome!

It's official!!
Kyle Christopher Duerr
Born 8/27/14
Adopted 4/28/17



   My sweet "baby" cousin Diane (yes, she will always be my baby cousin no matter how old we are) has been a foster mommy to this amazing little guy since he was just an infant. My cousin fell in love with him right from the start and just knew this precious child was going to be her son. He had a rough start in life and has special medical needs that will continue throughout his lifetime.  Kyle has been surrounded by so much love, support, and family since first being placed with Diane and is now a happy little boy and has come such a long way.    After a lengthy process, Kyle is now legally her son and all of us are thrilled for both him and her!  Congratulations to both mommy Diane and son Kyle!

   

Regrets, I Have a Few

  Do you ever look back on your life so far and have regrets about some of the decisions you made or the things you did?  I think all of us have things that we wish we had done differently.  Some may have been minor and we can laugh about it now while  others may have had a long lasted effect and changed the course of our lives.  I was thinking about some of those things as I sat outside on a cold morning having my cup of coffee (it is one of my favorite things to do to wake me up when I am feeling groggy).  I thought I would share some of my regrets here...the funny as well as the more serious.

1.  While in college I decided I wanted some highlights in my hair to match the ones that I previously had from the sun in Hawaii.  Unfortunately the person at the beauty salon had no idea what they were doing and I ended up with gray streaks instead of soft brownish red ones.  Luckily Jeff has a great sense of humor and we just called them "previews of coming attractions".  Now that I have actual strands of silver in my hair, I like these natural highlights even better! 😛

2.  Looking back I wish Jeff and I had gotten married in Hawaii where I grew up as originally planned.  I gave up my dream wedding at one of the most special and healing places in my life and was not able to have my childhood friends celebrate with us (and have one of my best friends as my maid of honor and in our wedding) and meet the wonderful man I was marrying.  I did not want to put any financial pressure on my hubby's parents with the cost to fly there, so I gave it up for them.

3.  I wish we had been able to buy some property that was zoned for farm animals.  I so want to have goats, chickens and a pot bellied pig.  I secretly think my hubby is glad that we were not able to though.  LOL!

4. Having homeschooled our boys for most of their school years and seeing how amazing they turned out, I would have started doing that even sooner.  It would have saved my oldest sons years of feeling "dumb" as he put it.  He has ADHD and it was hard on him in an environment where he was not getting the support and help he needed.  Bringing him home and his brothers home for school and spending a year rebuilding his confidence in himself was hard for him and for us, but so worth it!  All of my boys are now successful, kind and respected people who have gone out and accomplished their goals and continue to give back to their communities.  Nothing can stop those sons of mine when they set their hearts on accomplishing something!

5. There are times when I look back and wish I had been more cautious about who I let into my life and who I trusted.  I also tended to forgive people over and over again for hurting me.  Being able to forgive is a good thing but I really should have seen a pattern in some of them and walked away realizing that the relationship was one sided and/or even toxic.

6. I regret not putting money away for retirement.  We made huge financial sacrifices to homeschool our kids thinking that I would be able to return to work full time teaching once they were out on their own not having any clue that I would have health issues that would prevent that from happening and leading to me not being able to work outside the home for more than a few hours a week now.

7. I wish now that I had continued with piano lessons.  I can still read music and play but nowhere near what I would like to be able to.  Playing piano was a way for me to relieve stress and express my emotions when I could not find the words to do so.  Sadly I gave away my piano years ago now.

8. If my hubby would agree to it, I would become the crazy cat lady.  I love cats and I would be overjoyed to be able to give forever homes to lots of kitties that are sitting in shelters right now.  I do understand where he is coming from though since he is the one who cleans the cat box.  He also says Doofy has the energy and gets into as much trouble as multiple cats, so yes, there is that too. 😉  I really wished I had pushed harder though to bring Doofy and another furry friend home from the Humane Society.  I think it is too late now to convince Jeff that we need another cat.

9. I regret not spending more time with my grandmother Summer I turned 20.  I took a trip home to visit my family in Hawaii and my dear grandmother was weaker than she has been the last time I saw her which had been a year and a half before that.  A few days before I was to return back to Idaho, I spent part of the day with her and cooked her favorite dinner for her and my grandfather. We cuddled up next to each other, looking through old photo albums and talked about this special man named  I had just met a few days before coming home and she told me I was going to marry him.  My grandmother asked me to stay and share the dinner I had cooked for her but I had plans with friends and limited time to see everyone.  As I hugged my grandmother goodbye and told her how much I loved her, I knew in my heart that was the last time I would ever get feel her arms around me and that it was the last time we would ever be together in person.  I wish I hand cancelled my plans with my friends and spent that time with Grandma instead.  My grandmother died the following February.  Before her stroke, she told people that Jeff and I would get married (we starting dating 5 months after we first met) and that he would take good care of me.  She was right, we got engaged on my 21st birthday.  My grandmother was the one person in my life up until then that loved me unconditionally and who I knew I could always count on.  She understood me in a way that no one else did.  She and I shared a very deep connection and could communicate across miles without words.  We just "knew".  Grandma was right about my Jeff, he does take good care of me and he loves me unconditionally, just like Grandma did.

10.  My last regret is that I was not a more patient mother to my children when they were little.  We were under huge financial stress at them time and there were things going on with my oldest son at school that I did not know about that caused him to completely change.  I did try to find out what was causing the changes but was lied to by his then teacher over and over again.  His behavior changed so drastically and I did not know that my poor kid was being singled out for undo punishment and ridicule by the teacher and that was causing him to act out at home.  She even hit him!  I wish the parents that were in the classroom and saw what was happening to my son would have spoken up sooner, but they were in fear of retaliation against their child if they said anything (that is what they told me).  Once I found out what was really going on, I did take measures to protect my son and every other student at that school and she no longer had a job there.  I regret punishing him for his acting out behavior before I knew the truth about what was really going on.  Thank God he does not remember those times. 

   So yes, regrets I have a few.  I'm sure that every one of us wished we had been a better parent at times, spent more time with loved ones, made different choices on who we let into our lives or possibly even career paths.  We have learned from all of them...too bad some of those lessons were so hard and had such long reaching effects.

Fibromyalgia Made Me Do It

   I have often wondered why I react in certain ways to textures and why I am finding that I am now seeking out different fabrics for my daily use.  I am also learning that there are actual valid reasons why I prefer to stay in my jammies as opposed to getting dressed for the day.  Like many people with this disease, my skin and body have become hypersensitive.

   Ok, like most women, the moment I walk through the door at the end of the day I want my bra off.  In the past, I could put up with the discomfort of wearing an underwire bra to keep the ladies firmly in place.  Not so much now.  There are days when I can't even stand to put on a bra at all because it hurts and makes my skin itch where it is touching me.  There are other days when I can deal with a bra but only if it is one of the very soft, not underwire kinds...you know the ones that are more for home use and lounging around.  Now if I was not as "abundantly blessed" in the bust, this would not be a problem but these fourth letter in the alphabet cup sized ladies should not ever go out in public without major support under a shirt or dress.  I just want to either burn or throw away all my underwire bras at this point.

   I used to love flannel sheets but now they hurt my skin.  I need to now use the softest cotton or cotton blends.  No more crisp cotton sheets that I used to love in the Summer time either.  We got a new mattress that requires deep pocketed sheets so I had to buy new sheets for it.  I finally found some that are super soft and was able to order them through ebay.

   I don't like anything form fitting or tight against my body clothing wise.  I want soft, loose and flowy clothing.  Anything that feels a bit rough against my skin will send me into a tizzy. I am also finding that when I get overheated (which happens a lot) my skin gets raw where it rubs against itself. I know that some people with Fibro get cold easily and there are others like me who get really hot. Throw menopause in there too and my inner furnace seems to be on full bore most of the time. My favorite outfits at the moment are soft cotton shirts and pants.  Well either that or soft cotton or silky feeling jammies.  If  I do not have to go anywhere during the day,  I prefer to stay in my soft and loose fitting jammies.   No binding, pulling or rubbing at the waist, just nicely gliding over that area all together.

   All these changes for me have made be want to get rid of lots of perfectly good clothing and bedding that I already have and used to wear and use with no problems and replace it with things that will not drive me nuts or cause me discomfort or pain.  So yes, some of my shopping I can now blame and Fibromyalgia...Fibro made me do it. 😜

   

   

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 4/15-4/21 2017

 

   It has been a really busy week for us with lots of good food, family, and recovery from all the happy but hectic getting ready for the baby shower last weekend.  I worked this week, did some thrift store shopping and found some great deals both there and at the grocery stores that will make our Summer BBQs and camping trips easier for us all. 


~We had tons of leftover food, even after giving a bunch away, after the baby shower so I froze quite a few of the treats.
~My mother took Jeff, my cousin Jeremy and myself out to dinner after the baby shower.  I could not finish all my food so I brought that home and had the leftovers for lunch on Monday.
~Sunday Jeff mowed the lawn and worked on some things outside while I crashed on the couch all day.  We had leftovers for dinner.
~We used our hot tub multiple times.
~I made a corn, ham and potato chowder with some of the leftover ham.

~I froze lots of leftover soup and turkey for future meals.
~Our town had a free Spring Clean Up Day where they will take your big items clean out garbage for free.  We took advantage of that!
~I sent my mom home with homemade Turkey soup, homemade Zuppa Toscana soup, some venison, elk and moose meat, and grapes and cherry tomatoes.
~Tuesday I went to Goodwill after I finished working at MOPS and found a few things there.  I love when I can find brand new products in the HBA section that we need and use for a fraction of their retail price.  I spent $2.99 on a hair product that I use on a regular basis that retails for between $14-$16.  I also found some bug repellant spray (that we are going to need going camping next month), a body spray that I love, brand new candles, a shirt, permanent markers, a jar with a chalkboard label and a few other items.

~Wednesday I went to my favorite thrift store to drop off some donations and of course I found some things there too. ;)  With all the weight that I have unfortunately gained, I needed to find some capris that would fit me for this Summer.  I found 2 pairs at $3.47 each, 3 shirts (one was brand new with tags at $2.98 each), a shirt for Jeff on the clearance rack for .10, 2 cookbooks, a gorgeous framed picture, a Costco sized bag of paper cups for .99, a Tupperware divided server with lid for .99, a Bodum French Press large covered tea drinking glass (this will come in really handy for camping and hotel stays since you can also do coffee in it) for .99, a spatula that you use when cooking fish, a sippy cup for the new baby when he is ready to transition from bottles to cups, and a  complete sushi making kit with all the molds for .99.

~Walmart had some amazing markdowns in their gourmet cheese section.  I found both smoked gouda and regular gouda for half off or more.  I bought 2 of each!  They also had Stove Top stuffing marked down to .80 a box.  When I got to the register, 3 of the boxes rang up at .40 each (I had 3 of each of 2 different flavors).  I love to keep this on hand since we use it year round.

~Safeway had some really good deals on toilet paper for their 12 packs of double rolls.  I got the limit of 2 for $3.99 each.  I also stocked up on diced canned tomatoes at .38 each, some marked down green enchilada sauce (we use this a lot), pasta at .68 a box, and picked up some apples and salad that were on sale too.

~Thursday I stayed home to rest and get caught up on laundry (I was exhausted after my outing on Wednesday and did not sleep well that night since my son Chris, who is a police officer, was out trying to track down an escaped prisoner).  I had leftovers for lunch which made it easy and tasted delicious too).
~Two more loaves of bread were made.
~Thank goodness for backup appliances!  My blow dryer has decided to shut off randomly now.  I have 2 extra blowdryers on hand here.  One I was given and the other is a fold up on that I use when we travel.
~We received several more magazines in the mail.  Most of them are ones I got for my son Chris.
~My hubby has his bowling league on Thursday nights so it is just Doofy cat, Caesar dog and I at home.  I made myself a fruit and cheese platter for dinner with some of the smoked Gouda I got on sale, crisp Gala apple slices, some green grapes and some multigrain crackers.

~I got paid on Friday for working on Tuesday at MOPS.  That was fast!
~Jeff and I picked up 3 geranium plants for $2 each.  These 3 plants will fill up the planter that I keep near our front door.  I love being greeted by happy flowers all Spring and Summer long when I either open my door to leave or come home.
~I had leftovers for lunch on Friday.

   This weekend we are hoping to get the garden ready to plant if the weather cooperates with us.  I really want to get my cold weather crops in here soon.  Who knows we may even BBQ some steaks for dinner too.  Be blessed!

Rachel and Baby Steven's Baby Shower

   Last Saturday we had a baby shower for our Rachel and baby Steven, who is due in May!  We are all so excited!  My mother made the 5 hour drive over for it and Rachel's mother, sister, cousins and one of her aunts made the 3 hour drive over for the combined family and a few close friends shower.  Our's was the second of three baby showers that people were throwing for her.  She and Jaysn have been so blessed by the outpouring of love for them from their co-workers, family and church.

   We had quite the spread of food!  Do you see that gorgeous cake?  Our very talented Heather made that...yes she did!  We are all urging her to make cakes for family and friends as a side business. ;)  My mother made the all the cookies, I made the brownies, Rachel's mother supplied the macadamia nuts, the decorations and some wrapped candy, and my mom and I made all the handmade candies and chocolate dipped strawberries.

   

We played games and I surprisingly won two of the games but did not take the prizes but had them give them to the runner ups. ;)  I had supplied the prizes from my gift closet so I definitely did not need any of them.  It was nice to be able to bless someone else with some nice smelling lotions and notecards and not have to break the bank to do it.

   After we played the games, it was time to enjoy that delicious cake and some of the other goodies.  Poor Rachel said the cake was too pretty to cut!  LOL!  The cake was a chocolate with chocolate chips in it too.  Rachel was in chocolate heaven!  She had requested a chocolate cake.  I tell you, those pregnancy cravings are a real thing!

Next came the gifts!  The gift table was filled to overflowing and we had to put some next to and under it.  I wish I had thought about getting a picture of it.  Oh, do you see that floral arrangement in the bottom picture that is next to Rachel's mother Joyce?  The "roses" are actually little baby socks folded to look like roses!  You can click on the picture to make it bigger if you want a closer look.  Cha Cha, Heather's aunt, made that for Rachel.  How cute right?  Oh they were so blessed with many outfits, two diaper bags, a bassinette, baby bath, lots of handmade blankets and quilts, money, baby care items, books, stuffed animals, and so much more.  I really wish my camera battery had not died so I could share more with you.  All in all, it really was a beautiful shower that took so many wonderful family members and friends coming together to plan, set up, decorate, bless and then tear down after the shower.  We had lots of goodies leftover so we gave some Jaysn and Rachel's church where we had the shower to share with their congregation the next morning at their Easter Sunrise Service and also had people that we at the shower fill up goodie bags to take home with them to enjoy later.  

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 4/8-4/14 2017

 

   I'm sorry I am so delayed in posting this but we were really busy getting ready for the baby shower on Saturday and visiting with family every night she was here.  It was a lot of fun and Rachel and Jaysn were so blessed with wonderful gifts for baby Steven. 😇 My mom left to go home Sunday and I spent the day on the couch.  I'm still tired but actually did get some good sleep last night.  Yes, I had some flares and crashes, but nowhere near how bad I thought it might be mainly because my husband, mother and rest of the family were very good about making me rest when needed.  I also got some closure on the difficult family situation and my mother was wonderful helping me talk through some things and her being very supportive.  I love my mom!  Anyway...onto the savings!


~Jeff and I finally got my hair cut.
~I have been wanting a new lighting fixture for the dining room so we stopped by the Habitat Resale Store and found a fixture there for $5 and bought 3 glass shades for $1 each. He already had the long electrical cord here that he added to it to make it reach the power source so he wired that in himself.
~Goodwill yielded light bulbs, a massager (that is what I went in looking for) and a DMI cable so we can hook the computer directly up to the TV and stream TV shows that way.

~I wrapped all the gifts for Steven's baby shower in recycled gift bags and tissue from the Dollar Tree.
~I fixed one of my favorite windchimes using clear fishing line.  I always keep some of that on hand because you can use it to fix so many things.  Did I mention that I also got it as a freebie?
~I froze the rest of the split pea soup that I had made earlier for some future meals.
~PinchMe let me get in on the free samples a bit early!  Yay!
~We hot tubbed several times to ease sore muscles.
~I used my credit that I earned mostly through Swagbucks at Amazon.com and got $95.25 off my
order.  I opted for free shipping for the entire thing.

~Breakfast for dinner is a favorite around here.  We meant to have it last week but did not get around to it.  This week we did.  Homemade pancakes with homemade syrups along with some Linguica sausage.  YUM!
~Banana peels were put around the rose bushes to help fertilize them.  Roses love banana peels.
~I watched some more TV shows online.
~Tuesday turned out to be a beautiful sunny day so I took advantage of that.  I washed Caesar's bedding and hung it out on the line to dry along with two fabric activity books that my mother had made for Jaysn and Josh when they were little (I already gave Chris his years ago for his boys).

~Two more loaves of bread were made.  I let them rise outside on the top of the hot tub cover to take advantage of the heat coming up from that and of the sun coming down through the hot tub enclosure roof.
~Going through my pantry, I found a multigrain salad mix so I cooked that up and added some quartered cherry tomatoes, diced celery and some diced red bell peppers to it.  Delicious and healthy!
~I watched several videos on YouTube about how to grow fruit trees from seed.
~The refrigerator got a good cleaning and I found some things that needed to be used up ASAP along with some things that just needed to be tossed. :(

~I used an old toothbrush to help get in the cracks and crevices of some kitchen appliances that I was cleaning.
~Wednesday morning I had coffee with a dear friend at the little coffee shop here in town.  Priceless to be able to get caught up with each other again. 😁
~Wednesday I did the grocery shopping and found some great deals on strawberries ($2.88 for 2 pounds), crackers ($1.49 a box), butter ($1.49 for your first 2 pounds), hams and turkeys.  Since the turkey was .59 a pound and a great national preseasoned brand, I bought it and changed my menu for this week.
~I cooked up the turkey when I got home from the store, got it all sliced up and ready to go for dinner on Thursday night when Chris, Heather and the boys were coming over to have dinner with us and my mom and then I made a huge stockpot full of Turkey Noodle Soup with the carcass.  It came out so thick and lovely!  I did however have to stay up pretty late so the soup could cool down enough for me to get it all put away. I was exhausted and really sore after doing all that but it saved me time and energy while my mom is here and we had the kids and grandkids over for meals

~My mom brought some of her silver serving trays over for us to put goodies out on at the baby shower.
~I skipped going to the thrift stores while I was in town to do the grocery shopping.  I did not have the energy to do that and get the shopping and cooking done.  Saved me some money.  Haha!
~I worked my points programs as much as time allowed.
~My mother and I made a Unicorn Cheesecake pie, peanut cluster candies, chocolate dipped strawberries and mint chocolate chip brownies.

~We watched the movie "Pete's Dragon" on Netflix with my mother since she had never seen it before.
~My mother, being the generous woman that she is, brought us over more of her homemade jams, jellies and fruit syrups.
~I cooked up the ham for dinner Friday night and served that with sliced baked sweet potatoes, salad and the Unicorn Cheesecake pie.

   Even with so much activity going on, I still managed to save a lot of money this week and am pretty darned proud of myself.  I have lots of leftover turkey and ham that will be used in other meals and some frozen too.  I love having all that cooked meat in the freezer!

Peter Pan and Wednesday Morning Thoughts and Plans

 

   When my alarm went off this morning, I found myself in that strange place, you know the one.  Remember that line in Peter Pan where as Wendy and her brothers are going home she asks Peter where she will find him again and he says something to the effect of between sleep and waking up? That is where I am right now.  Somewhere between sleep and waking up.  Not a bad place to be honestly.

   The world is waking up and I can hear the cooing of the Mourning Doves along with the songs of the other little birds.  The sound of Mourning Doves takes me right back to my childhood and is so comforting.  It reminds me that I have a brand new day ahead of me and I get to choose to make of it what I want.  

    The rain is just beginning to gently fall and the sound of it pattering on the metal roof is another sound of comfort for me.  I was finally able to coax Caesar back up on the porch and out of the rain with the promise of some treats.  He, Doofy and I are slowly getting a start on our day and easing into it.  I think we are all happy to have the outdoor furniture set up again so we can all be out here together even if it is currently 48F.  Thank goodness for soft, fluffy and warm robes and hot coffee to sip on to keep me warm. 😉

   My plans for today are to meet a dear friend for coffee here in town in about 45 minutes.  We are meeting at the little coffee shop that one of my sweet neighbors owns.  Donna and I have not had a chance to get caught up in ages and I miss her.  We homeschooled our kids together for 9 years, taught at the Homeschool Co-op that we helped organize, our kids were in a Praise and Worship band together and we even took a vacation and bonded over tetanus shots after stepping on rusty carpet tacks.  We've been there for each other as our children grew up, got married (not to each other), two of our children got divorced, devastating miscarriages, joyful births of grandchildren and both of us with major health issues.  We are the kind of friends that can months or even years without seeing each other  but will pick right back up where we left off.  We are also the kind of friends that would drop just about everything to be there for each other if needed.  Those kinds of friendships are rare and I treasure mine with Donna.

    Well I see that I have 2 minutes before I need to hop in the shower and get ready to go.  I'm looking forward to spending time with Donna and then it's off to get the shopping done so that I have everything I need for Steven's baby shower and to feed my crew that will be here starting tomorrow when my mom arrives.  I love knowing that soon most of my loved ones will be here together again. Hopefully it will not be that long before my dad and brother Fritz an come for a visit also. 😊  Be blessed!

Doofy is Excited to See His Tutu Later this Week

      Doofy was busy "helping" me get the guest bedroom ready and the bed made for my Mom's visit later this week.   He refused to get off the bed so I could make it until I told him that Tutu was coming.

   He promptly hopped up in the window and began looking for her. 😁  He then looked back at me as if to say "Liar, my Tutu is not out there".  Poor baby has no concept of time and does not realize that this Thursday does not mean now.  Tutu is one of his very favorite people and they have a sweet and close relationship.  He loves to cuddle and sleep with her (abandoning me) when she is here.  We do have to check and make sure that he is still here after she leaves because I have a feeling she would take him home with her if her cat would be nice about it and that he would be more than happy to go with her. ;)

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 4/1-4/7 2017

 

   I keep a running list throughout the week for this weekly wrap up and add to it daily.  It's funny because with my lovely brain, I frequently forget what I have done all week long.   I have to say, despite having a rough week healthwise, I did get a lot done and saved us money in the process.


~We don't get regular network TV and my hubby wanted to watch the Final Four Basketball game on Saturday.  Luckily we are taking care of our neighbor's home and pets while they are away so we were able to watch it there (with their permission of course) and spend time giving lots of love and attention to the fur babies.  Go Zags!!!! ☝
~Saturday I cooked up 6 venison burgers and popped open a jar of my cousin Jeremy's homemade tomato chutney to put on my burger.  OMGoodness that stuff is delicious!  I also had some of my homemade squash pickles with it along with some grapes.  The hubby decided that he just wanted to have 2 cheeseburgers and call it good. 😉

~Sunday Jeff sorted through and purged our pantry again.  In the process, he found lots of things that I knew I had but could not find since he had moved things around since the last time I organized it.  He is of the mindset of "if it fits, it sits" where I am more of the "let's keep similar things together so I can find them easily" kind of person.
~While sorting through and purging our pantry, we set aside some canned goods for our oldest son and his wife since we know he loves the canned stews and we no longer eat them.
~Jeff built some more shelves for me in our pantry with materials that we already had on hand.
~Sunday Jeff and I ran into town and I treated him to dinner after all his hard work cleaning out the pantry.  We went to Taco Time and got their $5 deals that had 5 items including a drink.  We brought home one of the burritos and Jeff had that Monday.

~While in town we also stopped at Goodwill.  I was looking for one of those big glass jar drink dispensers or another glass pitcher to use at the baby shower.  Low and behold they had another pitcher that matches the one I already have and it was brand new with all the tags still on it.  I did pay $5.99 for it but it is something that I will be using again and again.  I also found a few other things there that I had been looking for including some Wilton small treat bags.  I use these to package up homemade treats for the holidays.
~We watched a movie we borrowed from the library.
~I cashed in at Swagbucks for another $40 in Amazon.com gift cards.
~More supplements and vitamins were ordered through Vitacost going through the link at Swagbucks.  I was also able to find 2 codes that knocked an additional $10 off my order and I got free shipping.

~I was able to snag a free subscription to Bowhunting magazine for my son Chris.
~Monday I got some split pea soup going in the crockpot about mid day using some of the split peas my hubby found while redoing the pantry over the weekend.  I knew I had some split peas somewhere. ;)  This was perfect because I found myself dealing with low energy and sore muscles so much so that Jeff helped me get the carrots peeled.  I needed to be really careful and rest since I was scheduled to work Tuesday morning.
~Jeff continues to part out his old car and get the parts stored away to use on his newer car when needed.

~I was able to find the Gonzaga vs NC National Basketball Championship game streaming live online Tuesday. 👍
~Tuesday I worked in the morning and then went directly to my oldest son's place after that.  I resisted the urge to stop and get lunch on the way over.  I just skipped lunch and enjoyed my visit with our Rachel and her sister and later my son. :)
~I've been doing more research online about way to help with my CFS and Fibromyalgia. I also research who had the cheapest but still quality supplements that I needed at the best prices.
~We are trying to eat out of the fridge, freezer and pantry as much as possible.

~I cooked up some more of those free Chicken Fried Steaks that we were given.  This is one of my hubby's favorites.  I served it with mashed potatoes and some free to us green beans.
~Jeff picked up some more movies and books from the library for us.
~Thursday I made 2 loaves of Oatmeal bread and 3 loaves of Banana bread.  I gave one of the loaves of banana bread to our neighbor who had a medical procedure the day before.
~We hot tubbed to ease our aching muscles.
~I watched more TV shows online.

~We received some free samples and magazines in the mail.
~Jeff moved our cars to the far end of the driveway away from the big tree just in case the high winds knocked down some branches or the entire tree.
~I was so tempted to just order something from the tavern for dinner on Friday but we decided to just do a snacky type dinner instead and save the money.
~Swagbucks and MyPoints were worked as much as I could this week.

   As I finish up this post on Saturday morning, we are having a rain/snow mix outside.  This is typical weather for this time of year but I was really hoping to be able to get outside and work in the garden today.  Hopefully tomorrow the weather will be better and we can get started on that.  I really want to get my spinach and peas in.