Frugal Friday 12/13/24

Saturday:

~Jeff worked for part of the day so I stayed home.  We had a snacky dinner and watched Christmas movies.

Sunday:

~We headed down to the valley to get 2 new tires for my car.

~There is a Chefs Store next to Walmart where we found a huge package of udon noodles. I divided up the noodles into 1 portion sizes and froze them for future fast lunches for me.  We also bought a gigantic bag of tortilla chips since Jeff lives on nachos.

~We stopped at Goodwill where I found some more brand new Christmas gifts and some fun Christmas shirts.  Oh, I also found a new mug and 2 crystal red wine glasses for .99 each.

~A stop at Grocery Outlet in Pullman was fruitful as I found some white wine there that I have come to really enjoy.

Monday:

~Jeff and I got the Christmas tree set up and decorated.

~I made teriyaki and pineapple meatballs with a homemade teriyaki sauce and served that over rice for dinner.

~We got the new living room rug put down for the colder weather.  It really helps warm up the room and the fur babies love it!

Tuesday:

~Jeff and I both did not sleep well at all Monday night.  I finally came to bed at 4 a.m. and that is when Jeff, just having dozed off and on all night long, decided to just get up.  I did get up at 9:30 a.m. and then was back in bed again at 11:30ish for a nap.

~Leftovers were for dinner.

~I put the green pine wreath, along with a battery powered candle, on the front door.  My father gave this to us years ago and told us that he grew up having a plain green wreath and candle in the window growing up.  I am trying to keep the tradition alive since it means so much to him.

Wednesday:

~I uploaded the Safeway digital coupons onto my card.  Jeff used one of them to get 4 bottles of creamer for our coffee.

~Jeff picked up my prescriptions from Walmart for me since he was already in town for work.  He used the Good RX program to bring those costs down.

~I washed the sheets so they are fresh for our bed.

~Changing out my purse for the Christmas season is something that I love to do.  I got out my Brighton Christmas greetings purse and have that ready to go now.  People always tell me how much they like it ad it brings a smile to their faces and to mine.

And it is here that I stopped making a daily record of what my frugal doings were so the rest of this post is just a list of things I can remember for the remainder of the two-week period.  Yes, I know, I know, I should have kept up on writing things down, but life got in the way and there was just too much to get done around here.

~We went to Goodwill on Senior discount day and I found a few more gift-worthy items.  Jeff also found some pants and I found a soft and cozy sweater.

~Marshalls is my "go to" place for getting fun treats.  I was lucky and found some great things to finish off my gift stockings for our grown-up kids that live near us.

~I used my coupon for a free body care product at Bath and Body Works to get some great smelling lotion for someone near and dear to us.

~Grocery prices continue to go up and up but I was still able to buy a fully cooked chicken from Walmart for under $4. We were able to get 3 full meals off the chicken before I threw the carcus in the crockpot and cooked it for 24 hours on low to make a lovely and rich chicken broth.  I then turned that into some delicious chicken noodle soup using the bits and pieces of meat that were also left on the bones.

~I made 2 more loaves of homemade bread.

~Remmie peed in Jeff's recliner when he chased her out of her kitty box while he was trying to clean it.  We went and bought some specialty odor remover from the pet store and that seems to have done the trick thank God!

~A package of 6 Italian sausages were cooked up in the oven along with some red potato wedges.  Jeff had 2 and I had 1. I used the remaining 2 sausages, cut thinly, to use in a pasta dish later in the week.  This made 5 servings and was so good.

~Jeff got his bike trainer thingy set up in the garage so now he can use it to exercise out there and away from the bad weather.

~Jeff also got the raised garden beds, along with the blueberry and rhubarb patches, covered with well-rotted chicken manure so it can help get the beds ready for planting next year.

~I had Jeff pick up some eggs for me since the ones I had in the refrigerator are old and I needed some for baking treats.

 

 

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 11/30/24 and some Ponderings

 

   Well here it is, the end of November already.  The past few weeks seem to have flown by all too quickly.  I had such great plans to get things done Christmas decor wise but found myself completely exhausted and wondering why I was losing so much hair.  Then it hit me, my body has reacted this way in the past when I was under a huge amount of stress.  I now realize why I have felt almost paralyzed, trapped and not able to do much.  It's that "fight or flight" response.  My "flight response" is mentally shutting down and closing up within myself, something I did in my childhood just to mentally survive at times. I know it sounds extreme, but that is just the way I cope (or maybe don't cope) with stress.  Hopefully, now that we have Helen's ashes here with us and will be scattering them where she wanted, Jeff and I can both breathe a sigh of relief knowing that we have done all that she wished.  I also made it through my first holiday without my dear cousin Jeremy here.  It felt very sad not to be able to call him and wish him a Happy Thanksgiving.  I am pretty sure that Thanksgiving was his favorite holiday.  Jeff and I both miss him so very much.  He became like a brother to me and one of Jeff's closest friends.  We have had too much loss within a short amount of time and it has taken a toll on both of us.

   Speaking of Thanksgiving, Tammy, our Heather's mom, invited us over for Thanksgiving again this year, which was so very sweet of her.  Everyone contributed something to the meal and, as usual, it was delicious!  I had a great talk with one of their friends Kaila, who I met last year at Thanksgiving.  Kaila and her husband are missionaries who do a lot of outreach to families in need.  I also got to visit with Heather's grandma Sandra, whom I absolutely adore.  I glanced over during the meal and saw her sitting at the "kids table" with all her great grandchildren.  I know that she and they love each other so very much and are so blessed to be in one another's lives.  It brought me great joy to see them enjoying their meal together.  I am so very glad she lives right up the road from Heather's parents and that the greatgrandchildren enjoy spending time with her and that she is teaching them all kinds of wonderful things.  We did miss Jaysn, Rachel and Steven this year but were so happy that they were able to go down to visit Josh, Lauren, Tate and Peyton for the holiday.  It really warms my heart to know that our kids continue to be close and want to be in each other's lives.  I also love that our grandkids can and do build those strong family bonds.

    So now we get to the frugal doings for the past 2 or so weeks.  Again, please know that this addled brain of mine has trouble remembering all the stuff, but I will do my best.

~I went to Goodwill and found brand new reusable Christmas and Winter themed bags (originally from Marshals) for .39 each.  I got both the huge size and smaller sized bags.  I am thinking they are good for both shopping since we have to bring our own bags in Washington state when we shop anywhere and also would make great gift giving bags filled with presents for loved ones.

~More bread was made.

~I made a huge pot of macaroni and cheese for Thanksgiving and made extra cheese sauce on purpose.  I then took that cheese sauce and made it into broccoli, potato and cheese soup.  YUM!

~I did my "Black Friday" shopping online and got some great deals.  I bought practical things like a nice forehead digital thermometer, electric toothbrushes, electric scrubbing brush with long handles to help clean the shower without us having to lean over (it also works for cleaning furniture and cars), some glass bottles with stoppers for decanting my homemade fruit infused vodka and gin, along with homemade vanilla, more rolls of bags for my food saver, and a Christmas gift that is a surprise.

~Jeff and I have been watching Christmas movies on TV.  It is wonderful to just be able to pop some popcorn and settle back into our recliners, with our feet up, and watch some of our favorites.

~We bought Maggie a winter jacket.  I never thought I would be someone to buy clothes for their dog, but here I am.  She gets cold easily, so we found her a nice jacket for under $20 at Ross.  It fits around her barrel chest and even has a cute hood (which she is not too keen on).

~I have been filling my house with the sounds of Christmas, even breaking out the classical stuff when Jeff is outside. 😉 He is not a fan of orchestra music, but I am.  He does seem to not be bothered by my Christmas jazz music but prefers the old-time radio kind of Christmas music that he and I grew up with.

~Since my sleep patterns are so screwed up again, I have been using the late hours of the night and early morning hours to watch documentaries.  I am amazed at how much I do not know about our world. 

~I gave Jeff a haircut.

~I shop all year long for Christmas gifts and am already buying some things for next year for our kids.  I like giving them "gift baskets or bags, and since I already have most of the things for them for this Christmas, as I find other things I think they would like, I just set them aside for next year.

   I do hope that everyone reading this had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are looking forward to spending time with loved ones this holiday season.  Make sure to put some effort and thought into doing something special for yourself please.  So many times, we put others ahead of ourselves and often forget that we deserve some special time and gifts too. Be blessed my sweet friends. 

Mid-Month Frugal and Other Updates

 

      Jeff and I are missing our youngest grandbabies so much.  They recently got snow at their home in Utah and the kids were so excited!  They went out and made snowmen and played in the snow.  Josh said they were very happy little campers. :)  Chris and Heather invited us over for dinner last week and we had a wonderful time with them and the oldest grandboys.  We did try to get together with Jaysn, Rachel and Steven, but they were out of town at her cousin Doug's birthday.  Hopefully we will get to see them soon. 😊

     Jeff went up and closed out Helen's bank account and then headed up to Sandpoint to pay for her cremation.  His cousin very generously sent us a check to help with the expenses but we still spent over $1,000 out of our own pocket to cover her final expenses.  We will scatter her ashes up on the mountain where she wanted them.

   Jeff and I both got the crud making the rounds and are still recovering from it.  We both already had doctor's appointments scheduled for other reasons and luckily our lungs were clear.  Jeff had to get an x-ray on his knee and they found lots of arthritis there.  He now has another upcoming appointment with the orthopedist to see if he is going to need surgery since his knee has really been bothering him.  

   Now onto the frugal doings.  I am going to try to remember everything, but we all know how well my memory is.  LOL!

~I found more of the poinsettia garland at the thrift store and bought all that they had.  I also found some more Christmas decor including some old glass ornaments like I had on my childhood Christmas tree and 2 more bags of balls for Maggie.  Spoiled puppy!

~I am always on the lookout for more Christmas china.  I was so excited to find some of the Pottery Barn retired reindeer pattern dinner and salad plates.  I got the 4 salad plates for $1.99 each and the 4 dinner plates for $2.99.  

~Jeff found a pair of jeans on clearance at Walmart.  He needed a new pair for work.

~I made a huge pot of spaghetti sauce with the last of the tomatoes that had been ripening in our house.  I'm freezing it for future meals.

~Jeff and I went out to eat and we both brought home half of our lunch since the portions were so huge.  That made for 2 meals for each of us.

~Shannon was so sweet and brought us home a street taco kit from Costco on one of the days that Jeff was still feeling ill.  that made for 2 meals with leftover tortillas, salsa and cilantro lime dressing.

~I found some beautiful decorator Santa plates at. you guessed it, the thrift store for $1.99 each.  They are now hanging up in our kitchen by the sink and bring a smile to my face each time I see them.

~More bread was finally made.  It had been a long time since I made bread.  I sent one of the loaves home with Shannon as a thank you for all she does for us.  I also sent home some of the last of the tomatoes with her.

~Jeff finished off the wood trim for Shannon's new kitchen door.  Luckily, we had some extra wood here at home that he could use since they ran a bit short.

~We popped up some popcorn and watched the movie "Twister" on TV.  It was really good!

~Jeff and I both found some nice clothing at Goodwill.  I found jammie pants and some shirts.  Jeff found some slacks and a nice WSU jacket.

~Chris and Heather surprised us big time by giving us their pop up tent trailer.  We had offered to buy it in the past, but they said it needed some repairs and they did not want us to have to do them.  We had told them that we could make the repairs since most of it was replacing some flooring and dry rot.  Jeff can easily do that.  Still, they had not wanted us to have to do any of that.  Thus how surprised we were when they surprised us with such a kind and generous gift.  We are storing the trailer in their shop since it will keep it undercover.  In the Spring, we will bring it home here so Jeff can replace the flooring and we can paint the interior to give it a fresh look.  We are looking forward to many years of family camping trips and fun!

~I've been switching out the artwork on the walls with more winter and Christmas stuff.

~I went through Helen's Christmas decorations tote and found some beautiful and meaningful things in there.  One of the items was a fabric Christmas tree that Jeff's mother had made for Helen years ago.  I recognized it immediately since Jeff's mom had the same one in her home and had told me that she had made it.  I know this might sound strange, but I am finally able to appreciate things from Jeff's mother again.  There were years when I could not due to all the heartache she put Jeff, our kids and me through.  I'm still healing but am moving in the right direction.

   So that is all that I can remember right now.  My plans for this week are to get the house decorated for Christmas.  I really am needing the joy that the season brings.  It has been a rough year for us and this Christmas will be bittersweet.  There are daily reminders of our loss of my cousin Jeremy and Jeff's Aunt Helen since we have Maggie and Remmie with us.  I will say that Maggie and Remmie bring us comfort and comic relief.  I am so glad that they are now ours. I am going to try and focus on the good memories and building new ones.  Be blessed my sweet friends.

Frugal Friday Wrap Up (including the past month) 11/1/24

 

      Thank you all again for your patience with me.  Lots and lots still going on dealing with Aunt Helen's death and the aftermath of all the legal stuff that we are still dealing with.  Now I know what you may be thinking...what does the picture above have to do with frugal living...well I will tell you.  Our son Chris is receiving an award for going above and beyond in helping evacuate people and coordinating saving lives in a recent fast-moving fire.  Since he is also a firefighter, he knew exactly what to do and how to coordinate agencies.  We are so very proud of him!  Now here is where the frugal living comes in.  Chris was homeschooled as many of you know.  We lived on a small single income for many years to make this possible.  It allowed all of our boys to get the best education possible and for them to pursue their individual interests.  Chris happened to love firefighting and being an EMT.  Fast forward to today, Chris and Heather are living on a single income (his), homeschooling their boys, both are volunteer EMTs for their community and Chris is also a volunteer firefighter.  Heather helps to bring in some "fun money" by selling delicious homemade treats.  It allows them the freedom to go fishing, hunting, hiking, camping and to travel to see family when time allows.  They grew a very productive garden this year and Heather blanched a froze lots and lots of beans.  They also had tomatoes, squash, pumpkins, and all kinds of other things.  Using well-rotted chicken poop, tilled into their garden, made things grown quickly.  The chicken poop was from their chickens.    Now that is what I call frugal and I could not be more proud of them.  Oh yes, Isaiah (our grandson #2) shot a deer the other night when he and Chris went out hunting.  More meat for all of the family!

   Now here are some of the things that I have been doing over the past month in no particular order:

~Steven and I went to an estate sale here in town and I found a beautiful brand-new tote bag with a watercolor picture of a hummingbird on it.  My mother loves hummingbirds and this will be part of her Christmas gift.

~Other finds from the state sale were two cookbooks, one a local community cookbook from 1983 that has recipes in it from so many of the people that welcomes us with open arms and hearts when we first moved here, and the other a sourdough cookbook.  My other fun find was a handmade broach with a beautiful slice of agate.

~I have been going to the thrift stores and finding Christmas and Fall decor for pennies on the dollar.  Some of my finds include 2 ceramic partridges, some high-end poinsettia garland, a cute straw deer that Steven absolutely loves, and some crystal vases along with a few Christmas mugs. I also picked up a bag of tennis balls for Maggie since she loves them and destroys them pretty quickly.

~I found a brand new with tags jacket for $5.99 and used a 20% off coupon to bring the price down even further.  I found out that it retails for $100.  Score!

~Jeff and I love lamb chops, but they are so expensive.  I found 3 packages marked at half price at Safeway.  I got all they had and repacked them with my Food Saver.  These will be delicious that coming holidays!  What a treat!  I also found ground beef on sale there for $2.97 a pound so I bought 3 pounds of it and repacked it for the freezer.

~The ice built up in our upright freezer and forced the door open.  Luckily we caught it and only lost a few things from the shelves on the door.  Jeff unpacked the whole freezer and defrosted it, the repacked it all.

~We have been enjoying pears and tomatoes that we grew as they ripen up in the house.  I am freezing lots of tomatoes too!

~Jeff and I have slowly been going through Helen's belongings and found lots of unopened health related products like mouthwash, dental flossing picks, toothbrushes, etc., that we are adding to our HBA cabinet.  It is hard to be going through her things as we still are mourning her.

~I'm still cherry picking the sales at the stores to stock up our pantry.

~We have been watching lots of movies lately thanks to Paramount, Disney, Peacock and YouTube. Have you seen the prices of movie tickets at the theater lately?  Even with our senior discount, we would still be paying a lot.  I'd rather be in my recliner at home watching them.

~Jeff and I both did a major purge of our clothing that we no longer use and donated it to Goodwill.  We shop there a lot so it is easy to just drop it off there and run into the store.  On one of those trips, I found an item that has been on my wish list for over 30 years.  I found a Fenton flow blue plate.  Luckily, they had just brought out a cart of new items and I snagged that and a tiny Victorian style ring box.  Right place at the right time I would say!

~Rachel's mom moved up closer to us all.  It was so nice to see her on Friday when I stopped by with Steven.  Steven had made her a turkey decoration earlier in the day at our house.  I am looking forward to spending more time with her.

~Jeff and I met with a court advocate who helped us fill out forms that we need to be able to access Helen's account so we can use that money towards her cremation. She also called some other advocates to help us figure out if we could get some financial assistance with Helen's cremation costs. Apparently, the county she died in will give you a loan, not a grant as we had been led to believe.  Jeff and I now have to foot the bill for the rest of the cost beyond what is in her account.  We are talking close to $2000.  UGH!  We will have to put it on our credit card and then pay that off in 3 payments with Jeff's checks from work.  If he was not still working part time, this would sink us financially.

~I trimmed my bangs as they were getting too long.

~Jeff and I have been trying to mostly eat out of our pantry and freezers.  There are times however that we still grab something to eat that is ready made from the grocery store.  It is still cheaper than going out to eat.

~Maggie has been a nervous wreck since she got home from the kennel.  I ordered her some CBD oil to see it that helps calm her down.  I feel so bad for her.  I think she may have thought that we were abandoning her.

   I think I will end this post here.  With all the stress of setting Helen's affairs, trying to get ready for the cold weather months, purging the house of so many things and the weather changes, my fibromyalgia and arthritis are acting up big time.  My sleep habits have been thrown into a tizzy also.  Not a good combination.  However, life must be lived to the fullest.  I have grandkids to love on, along with our kids, friends and other family members.  I'm looking forward to getting back into some kind of routine again and having more sleepovers here with the oldest three grandboys.  Steven spent Thursday night with us and it was so much fun!  There are also upcoming fishing trips with Chris who is buying a bigger boat from a friend.  I love to go fishing, so this will be a lot of fun for all of us!  

   Be blessed my friends and I pray that there will not be any more unrest or acting out in our country with the upcoming election this Tuesday.  We experienced first-hand some shady stuff in our county with the post office in Spokane processing our ballots, and sending them out, yet only a few made it to our town, ours's were not among those few.  Our county auditor has launched a full-on investigation with the postal service over this and we were able to get replacement ballots.  Much love to you all, be safe!

So much to share...

 

   I sadly share that our dear Aunt Helen passed away a few days before we left for our planned trip down to Utah to see our son Josh, our Lauren and our grandkids Tate and Peyton.  These last few months have been a real whirlwind of emotions for us all with Helen's rapidly declining health, her passing and all the legal hoops we are now having to jump through to gain access to her checking account so we can pay some of her final expenses.  Her social security checks got messed up for the last few months also, so we are hoping that gets straightened out so the wonderful care center that she was at gets paid and hopefully there will be some money left over to help cover the other part of her final expenses.  Even if it does, we will still have to come up with some money of our own to help and be able to claim her ashes. We still have not had time to grieve our beloved aunt and have learned just what a mess death is when there is no will and final expenses have not been prepaid.  Jeff and I have not made a will yet, and are definitely getting it done soon.  We do not want our kids to have to deal with all of this when we pass.

   Our trip to see our kids and grandkids was a L>>>O>>>>N>>>>>G drive, over 10 hours and we did it both down and back in one day each.  Jeff and I both did surprisingly well. We got there in the evening and took the next day to rest and do some shopping before the kids and grandkids got home from work and daycare.  The next 2 days we had the grandkids with us all day while their parents worked and that time bonded us so deeply with them.  Josh took Jeff, Lauren and Tate golfing on Saturday while Peyton and I had some "girl time".  She fell asleep on my chest at her nap time and I soaked it all in, knowing that this was a moment in time that was so special and I would most likely not have again with her since she is growing up so quickly.  She definitely is a Gpa's girl though. ;)  Tate on the other hand is a total Grammie's boy.  He was right there with me most of the time and we had so much fun together!  That is not to say that all of us did not deeply bond because we did and on the way home I wanted to turn back around and go back to my youngest grandkids. ;)  Josh and Lauren spoiled us rotten while we were there taking us to see some wonderful things like the aerospace museum, a really cool sporting goods store that has a Ferris wheel, aquarium, restaurant, candy store, cool animal mounts and lots of guns in it.  They also took us on a beautiful drive to see the fall colors and to see Bridalveil Falls. Josh also smoked a pork butt and made pulled pork for us that was beyond delicious! Jeff and Josh got building project done and I made homemade mac and cheese and got a stuffed whale that my mom made for the kids mended since they had "loved" it a lot. :)  We squeezed a lot into a week and it went way too quickly for all of us.  Jeff and I both cherish every moment we spent with all of them and they made us feel so loved the whole time we were there.

   We have been trying to be "frugal", but our trip did cost us a  pretty penny and it was so worth it!  It is because we are so frugal that we were able to do this.  Between gas, boarding the dog, paying for someone to come in to take care of our home for part of the time (Shannon stepped in to cover the other part that our house sitter was unable to do), some fun money for the trip, and doing some frugal shopping while there, the costs definitely added up.  We hit some thrift stores, a Mormon food store and a Big Deals Outlet where we found some amazing deals!  I came home with a brand-new down pillow, clothing for both Jeff and I, some holiday decor, Sambucol for the cold and flu season, and many food items to add to our pantry.  I menu planned based on what we have in our pantry and freezers on the way home, and we will be sticking to that for the most part for awhile so that we can bank some money to add back to our savings.  

   Thank you all for being so kind and patient with me...it really is a huge blessing that does not go unnoticed.  Be blessed!

Yes, I am still here...

 

  We finally have Jeff's Aunt Helen all moved up and settled into her new home.  Her new care center sent down a lovely man named Jeff to transport her up in their van.  Jeff and I arrived about an hour before the big move to get her all packed up and reassure her that we were coming up to get her situated and to meet with the staff there.  Everyone who worked there greeted her by name from the time we arrived.  They all knew she was coming and were doing their very best to make her feel welcomed.  We got her unpacked and then met with her new social worker and signed a bunch of paperwork.  We also deposited some money into her account there and got her signed up for getting pampered with a new haircut.  I went over some things with her nurses too about her likes and dislikes.  We got set up to do Google Meet every Monday at 4 p.m. and that has been a blessing.  

   Two weeks later, we went up again to see her and surprised her with some new clothes for the cooler months.  I had great fun making sure that I coordinated her 2 new shirts and 2 new soft sweatshirts with a new cardigan so they could all mix and match.  I also took up the soft sweatpants and a nice pair of dressier pants for her.  Jeff painted her small shelf that she had in her home and we took it up and put it next to her bed.  I also surprised her with a new soft mauve colored coverlet for her bed  and a really fun purple throw blanket to cuddle up with.  She said she felt like a princess. 😊 I later told Jeff that I am now on the lookout for a tiara for her to complete the "princess" theme.  I think she will get a huge kick out of it.  We will be going back up within the next 2-3 weeks to see her again once she gets over her cold.  I feel much more reassured that she will be getting the care she needs there.

   After the past few months that we have had, I took a good look around our home and realized just how out of control the clutter has become and how much of a deep clean it needs.  I am trying to do a few small projects every week now and I can see that I am making some progress, although it is slow going.  I don't want to push myself or Jeff too much though because we are both trying to recover from the physical and mental toll everything has taken on us.  We both have been pushed beyond our energy and emotional limits and it has affected us.  Self-care is much needed as we try to heal and to finally get a chance to grieve the loss of my cousin and the deal with the losses that we are seeing as our dear Helen battles with dementia.  I hate seeing another loved one slip away slowly day by day as this horrible disease takes her away from us.   I know all too well what is coming having gone through this with our beloved Aunt Norma and Uncle Bob.

   Well Jeff just got home and I need to get our dinner ready and take care of our Maggie Mae who is dealing with an infection that needs twice daily cleaning and medications.  Be blessed my sweet friends.

 

   

   

A "Thankful" Post

 

   Aww...Maggie Mae brings me such joy and laughter.  She is a silly dog and I frequently find her sleeping in such weird positions.  On this particular day it was hot and she had her paws up in the air to cool off.  She is learning "manners" now like sitting and waiting for her food until I tell her she can eat it instead of trying to knock me over to get to it. 😉 We are still working on trying to get her to not be right behind us when we are in the kitchen so that she does not trip us.  She was used to being right beside my cousin Jeremy at all times and being the center of attention, so being with us and having to share attention with the 4 cats is a big adjustment.  There is not a day that goes by when I don't look at her and think of my dear cousin.  I will forever be thankful for all the time we did have together, the laughter we shared, and being able to reconnect our family once again.

   Jeff's aunt Helen will be moving to another care facility.  There is just not the staffing needed to give her the care that she deserves and requires where she is now.  She has met with some of the people that run that facility and she seems to like them.  Next Tuesday Jeff and I will be going up to help her get moved up and settled into her new "home".  It is further away from us, but we will continue to make every effort to get up to see her as often as possible and they are going to be setting up Zoom calls for us so that she can still see us and talk to us on a regular basis.  We bought her a Squishmallow to hug and hold onto.  We wanted her to have something soft and cuddly.  We are seeing more and more moments of her mind slipping away to somewhere else so we are more and more thankful for the times when she is totally "present" with us.  We are so very blessed to have her in our lives again and we cherish every moment we do have with her.

   Our garden is starting to grace us with cucumbers, squash, the first of the tomatoes and I can see that we have many cantaloupes coming on.   The blackberries are starting to ripen and the apples will need picking in the next few days to make into applesauce.  The raspberries and blueberries are about done, but the strawberries are giving us a second cropping.  I used some of the last of the raspberries to make another batch of raspberry gin since I gave my last bottle that I made to Chris.  I need to pick and dry some of the herbs from the garden and I need to process all the squash.  Some of the squash will be shredded and dehydrated and some with be peeled, chopped up and then frozen to add to stews, soups and other dished throughout the Fall and Winter months.  Of course I am also using some of it now in different dishes and breads.  I'm thinking that this first batch of cucumbers will be eaten in salads and some will be made into quick refrigerator pickles.  I'm needing to prune back the tomatoes to give them more airflow between the plants and I need to tie up some of the branches to get them up off the ground.  The garden and its bounty are keeping me pretty busy these days.

   I went through my clothing for the upcoming colder months and realized that I needed more soft and cuddly things to wear while at home.  I went to my usual sources (thrift stores) and found some nice loungewear type pants and some jersey material sweaters in gray and black.  Gray and black are my go-to colors, especially gray as it looks good on me.  I find that the older I get, the more that I just want soft and comfortable clothing and supportive shoes.  I still want nice purses though and it continues to be a weakness of mine.   Speaking of purses, I hit the motherload at Goodwill the other day.  Someone working in the back and pricing things really had no idea what they had and put out a beautiful blackberry shade small crossbody purse that looks to be brand new for $5.99.  They also put out a Kate Spade green zippered pouch type bag for $3.99 and a B Makowski black purse for $5.99.  I bought all three and will be keeping the first bag and most likely selling the other two.  Some of the other treasures that I found were an old advertising yardstick for a bank in Idaho (I will use this as part of my kitchen decor) and some beautiful decorative plates that I also use for kitchen decor, some small Thomas Kinkade framed prints, and a pretty and much needed picture frame.  Some books also made it into my basket...no surprise there. All of these things make me very happy and do not cost much at all, in fact some will make me more than enough money to pay for all of the other items.

   Heather, Rachel and I had a "girls' day" lunch date last Sunday and the guys all had "male bonding time".  The girls and I went to Applebee's and then did a bit of shopping while the guys had a BBQ and played some outdoor games at Chris and Heather's house.  When the girls and I got back to the house, we all headed out to see their garden and Isaiah, my garden loving grandson, sent me home with some rather large squash for both myself and for Shannon next door.  I almost forgot, I gave the girls some really cute house slippers that I found on sale and they loved them.  It was a "just because" gift.    It has now become a "thing" for the girls and I to go out to lunch together and just have some time without the distractions of the kids and husbands. 😊  It is something that we all look forward to and the guys really enjoy their "male bonding" time too.  I wish that Josh, Lauren and the littles lived here too so they could have joined in the fun.

   I had better get going and get a few things done before the heat of the day sets in.  Be blessed my friends and try to find some "calm and beauty" in the middle of the storms of life.  There really is so much to be thankful for and sometimes it is the simple things like a beautiful flower in the garden, a hug from a loved one, the silly antics of a pet or the hummingbirds flitting around the garden and stopping for a moment right in front of you as to say "thank you" for the food that you provide for them in the hummingbird feeder.  For me this morning it was having hot cup of  coffee while there was a cool breeze on my back porch. I settled in on my recently bought comfy outdoor chairs bought at an estate sale while a cat cuddled up on my lap.  It was a beautiful and peaceful way to start my day.  Yes my sweet friends, you can find pockets of calm and beauty if you just seek them out every single day.

   

   

   

   

   

And Yet Another Long Overdue Post

 

   The picture above is of my paternal grandparents on their wedding day.  I absolutely love my grandmother's wedding dress and veil.  She died when I was very young and only had one time getting to know me when I was about 2 years old.  I have no memory whatsoever of her and that is something that really makes me sad.

   This leads me into some other thoughts.  I cherish my time with my grandchildren and get to spend lots of time with the 3 older boys who live close, Bradley 12, Isaiah 11, and Steven 7.  I so wish we lived closer to our two youngest grandchildren Tate and Peyton.  Jeff and I are trying to figure out when we can go and visit them that works for both us and for them.  Since we had to cancel our trip earlier this Summer, this is something that we really feel we need to do soon.  Praying we can find a way to make it work for all of us.

   Life has been beyond busy here and time seems to just fly by.  We have been determined to keep the gardens alive with this horrible heat.  We had one soaking rain come through is the past 3 months.  The thirsty ground took it all in and I could see that the plants were happier for a day or so before the heat again took its toll on them.  I frequently have to water twice a day.  The heat is also taking a toll on the hummingbirds who are drinking up all the nectar I put out for them.  I have to refill the hummingbird feeder every 3 days now.  It used to be once a week.

   I have been harvesting squash, potatoes, raspberries, strawberries and blueberries from the garden.  Our tomato plants are starting to set fruit, as are the cantaloupe plants.  The cucumber plants are starting to produce tiny little cucumbers.  The pole beans are struggling, and I don't know if we will get anything off them.  Our apple tree and pear tree seem to be struggling and producing little sized fruit.  I believe this is due to the heat and lack of water.  I need to get better at making sure they stay well-watered.

   Jeff and I spent about 2 weeks getting ready for our townwide yard sales.  We did sell a bunch of stuff and made about $100 for us, $38 for Jeff's aunt and Heather also made money selling her delicious homemade huckleberry cinnamon rolls.  We had lots of stuff left over so we took the sheets, blankets and bedspreads to the Red Cross Shelter that had been set up for victims of a big fire burning south of us.  We met a sweet mother and daughter there who had left with only the clothing on their backs and asked if we had any sweaters since it got cold in the shelter at night.  Jeff gave them a big bag full of sweaters from our yard sale and they were so grateful.  I really do pray they have a home to return to.  The rest of the items were donated to one of our local thrift stores that keeps the money in our community to help people get back on their feet again.

   We have made many trips up to see Jeff's aunt and will be going up to see her once again tomorrow.  We will deposit the money from the yard sale from the sale of some of her things into her account at the care center for her to use as she pleases.  I really do enjoy our visits with her and am so glad that we are in each other's lives again.  She is always pleased to hear how her cat Remmie is doing and this time I get to tell her how Remmie now cuddles with me at night and sometimes even during the day.

    While in town tomorrow to visit Jeff's aunt, we will also be going to an appointment with a Medicare broker since Jeff will be 65 next month.  Is it just me or is this whole Medicare thing confusing?  Hopefully I will understand more after tomorrow.  My reward for sitting through all of that is being able to go to a few thrift stores.  The Goodwill up there has been newly redone and the items there are really nice.  I have a few more things that I would like to pick up like some soft cotton lounge pants and I am hoping to find some either there or at another store.  The last time we were there I found some needed things and some nice artwork.

   Speaking of thrift stores, I found a really nice cuddly blanket that is perfect for this Winter and Christmas time.  I also found a knome, a decorative plate, a shirt, and a few other items.  The stores are putting out more Fall decor now and I am here for it!  Today I actually went through the Fall decor I have on hand here at home.  Most of it came from thrift stores.  Very few items were bought new, as I find great stuff at the thrift stores, and I can't stand to pay retail for anything if possible.

   I had better end this post here.  I need to get a few things done before Chris comes to pick me up.  We are having a birthday party for Isaiah at the skating rink (no, I will NOT be skating), followed by dinner at Panda Express.  Jeff is working today so he has my car and he will just meet us at the party.  This way I only have one car in town, and it gives me a chance to have some one on one time with Chris.  We rarely get that chance anymore and both and I enjoy our visits.

    Be blessed my friends and keep praying, staying strong and keeping your eyes and ears open.  So much is going on in this crazy world and we need to be able to separate the truth from the lies.  Make sure to also take time to relax, unplug and enjoy life to the fullest.  We all need that balance to keep us sane.

   

 

   

   

A Long Overdue Catch Up

 

   Well here I am again, after another long break from blogging.  Just when I thought we could breathe again, we had more horse poo thrown our way.  UGH!  After nearly a month of sitting down at the dealership, and several days AFTER we were supposed to go to Utah, we finally found out that there was nothing that could be done about our car since it was not throwing a code.  They told us to just drive it until the transmission goes out and then it could be replaced under warranty. I was seriously ticked off since we had to cancel our trip to see our son Josh and family, and the hotel I booked was nonrefundable.  So we did not get to see our youngest grandkids, I am out over $100 and my car transmission is still acting up. Oh, and did I forget to mention that we ended up owing the IRS about $1,400 dollars?  Yep...so tightening our frugal belts is beyond needed at this point.  On another note, my computer is not uploading photos from my memory card from the camera.  Therefore, there are no photos to share at the moment unless I figure something out.  

   Sadly, we also lost another dear friend to cancer.  He had been fighting it for years and would go into remission and then it would come roaring back.  This last time, it ravaged his body, and he could no longer fight it.  Tyke was an amazing, kind and loving husband, father, papa, and friend.  He married one of my best friends, Robyn, and I was part of their wedding party, and she was part of mine.  We remained close over all these years and celebrated family weddings, births of grandchildren and I became very close with two of their daughters.  One of their granddaughters is also a friend of our grandson Steven and they are in the same class at school.  Jeff and I went to Tyke's funeral and saw so many old friends there that I had not seen since graduating from college.  It really is sad that the only time you see old friends is at weddings and funerals. 😢Tyke will be dearly missed by so many people that loved him.

   With everything that has happened, I am just exhausted.  I feel like every time I think I can start to breathe again, something happens to knock the wind right out of me.  With the heat of the summer hitting, I am also feeling the effects of that on my body and it is no joke.  Fibromyalgia is kicking my behind and I am doing all I can to just try to stay cool at the moment.  At least this part is something that I experience every year so I know how it will affect me.  

   Okay, enough of the bad stuff, let's try to turn our focus to the things that Jeff and I have been trying to do to save money and some of the good deals we have found lately.  Sound good?  

~Jeff and I dug up 2 of the volunteer potato plants in one of the garden beds.  They were getting to be way too big for the space that we needed for other things, so out the came.  We got about 2 pounds of small all purple potatoes.  Hey, I'll take that. 😉

~Before the heat really set in, we were harvesting lots of lettuce and some of the smaller spinach before it went to bolt. We also were harvesting strawberries (and still are), so I was enjoying fresh salads with strawberries and balsamic vinegar salad dressings.  Pure bliss!

~Our raspberry plants are starting to produce, much to mine and Shannon's delight.  Yes, I had been sharing with her.

~Jeff and I harvested all the bok choi and the huge spinach plants.  I blanched and froze 5 bags of bok choi and 3 bags of spinach.

~Safeway had an amazing deal on steaks, so I bought a package of 4 and froze 2 of them for a future meal.  I also found some round steak marked down to half price, so I cut that in half and then froze both halves.

~With the 2 steaks that I kept out, Jeff grilled them and I served them with a nice salad, corn on the cob and rice pilaf.  Oh my goodness, it was delicious and a real treat!  We decided that it was my early birthday dinner.  

~I found a small cheesecake and some donuts marked down.  You know those came home with us too.

~I had been looking for another clothes basket and some shade cloth.  I found a collapsing laundry basket and a shade sail at Goodwill.  Jeff found something he wanted while we were there and I also found a beautiful Lenox bowl that retails for $32...I paid $3.99 for it, and I found a DVD that I had been looking for.

~Jeff had been given a $25 gift card for selling a large amount of Trex decking at work.  We used that card to go out to eat at one of our favorite burger places (this is what Jeff wanted to use the card for).  It ended up being free for us since we used the card and we still have some money left on the card too.

~We finally got everything from inside the greenhouse planted.  We will have tomatoes coming out our ears when they all start coming in.  I have about 49 plants.

~I noticed that I have a tiny yellow squash forming on one of my squash plants.  I am beyond excited!

~Meal planning and cooking ahead have definitely become a need, especially with the heat and the fact that we are living on a very tight budget since we owe the IRS money and that took a good part of our monthly income.  

~I used up some of the random leftover pasta from other meals and made a big tuna pasta salad with veggies in it.  I did this twice within the past few weeks and it fed us for several meals.

~Grocery Outlet had their fresh family sized pastas on sale.  I had been buying them and freezing at least one package and then cooking up the other.  I also found coleslaw mix marked down to .49 a bag, so I bought 2 of them.  One bag was made into coleslaw, and the other was used in Yaki Soba.

~We have been watering the gardens in the evening so that the water does not evaporate so quickly.

~I have been having some computer issues and our neighbor was able to help me trouble shoot what was going on and how to work around it.

~I continue to feed the hummingbirds with homemade hummingbird food and I try to keep the front birdbath full of water for them too.

~Jeff and I went to an estate sale on the 2nd day of it when they were willing to make good deals on things.  I found a set of 6 really well-made outdoor chairs with cushions and got them for $30 for all of them!  Jeff and I are giving the ones that came with our table to Chris and Heather and are now using the ones we got at the sale out on our back screened in porch.  I also found some good cookbooks and food storage books there, along with a beautiful painting.

~Jaysn came over and helped us rearrange our living room since Jeff's neck had been bothering him and he wanted to move the recliner to a different spot so he did not have to turn his neck as much. Jaysn ended up taking us into the ready care clinic since Jeff's neck kept getting worse.  They did not take our insurance but finding out what was going on with Jeff's neck and getting him some relief was worth it.  He had strained a neck muscle so he got a shot and then started taking muscle relaxers to help it heal.  We are so grateful to Jaysn for dropping his plans for the day and taking care of us.  We did take him out to lunch as a thank you.

~Jaysn and Rachel picked up 2 more bags of tortilla chips from Costco for us.  It's nice that our kids have Costco cards and can pick things up there for us.

~I am keeping the bamboo sun shades down on the back porch to keep the sun from heating that space up so quickly and it also helps to keep the house cooler.

~We finally were able to take the 3 older grandboys to the trampoline place.  It was part of their Christmas present.  Since Heather is a first responder, we got them in for half price.  After they bounced for an hour, we went to a park for a picnic and Rachel joined us there after she got off work.

~Jeff and I cut each other's hair.

~We finally got new neighbors in Uncle Bob's old house.  They are a really nice young couple who are expecting their first child in August.  We are giving them our pack and play that we no longer need, along with our stroller and, if they want, our highchair. 

~The 4th of July fireworks were absolutely amazing in our small town this year and we enjoyed watching everyone's display that we did not have to pay for. Jeff and I both commented of how much money must have been spent collectively in our town on all the fireworks that literally go up in smoke.

   That is about all I can remember about the frugal doings lately.  We still have a long list of things that we want to get done that will save us more time and money.  Jeff is off until next Friday, so I am hoping to get a few more big projects done around here.  Be blessed my sweet friends.

   

  

Frugal Friday Wrap Up Over the Past Month

   I want to first thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers for my cousin Jeremy, Jeff's aunt Helen, and for us.  The loss of Jeremy has taken a huge toll on us emotionally.  We appreciate it and all of you so very much.  Jeff's aunt continues to have health struggles that we are trying to get to the bottom of and to get her the best care plan possible going forward.  We are also trying to get her trailer sold.  After a visit with my parents, we can see that my daddy is having some struggles with his balance, and we can see that he is definitely slowing down. It's hard to see him that way because he was always such a strong man physically.  He is in his late 80's now and I know just how blessed I am to still have him in my life.

   Below is a compilation of things that we tried to save money and some of the "curveballs" that life threw our way.  I know there are so many things that I missed, but given what all we were going through at the time, I'm sure that you will all understand.  I hope that you find something that will help you on your frugal journey in the post below.  

   

     Also four weeks ago:  Well, it is a good thing we did so well a few weeks ago with our frugality because we needed the money we saved to cover getting my car ready for long trips this summer.  New brake pads, fixing a rotor and a complete transmission flush was NOT cheap, but needed to be done.  Hopefully this is the end of car repairs and/or replacements for years to come.  UGH! This did not help with my fibromyalgia flare at all.

   Four weeks ago:

~I cut up and froze 4 pints of strawberries and 2 packages of Kalua Pig.

~Jeff built me a cucumber arch and I got cucumber seeds in and also planted more lettuce, spinach, and pok choi.

~Jeff got more well-rotted and aged chicken poop dug into more of the areas in the garden that I still need to plant out.

~ We had to go back up to work on Jeff's aunt's home, have a meeting with her care team and we also went to her physical therapy with her.  She did so well and really enjoyed having Jeff right there to help her.

~After our time with Jeff's aunt, we went out to lunch at Olive Garden.  We ordered off the lunch menu.  With our $25 gift card, we only ended up paying a little under $12 for lunch.  I did notice that they have changed their menu and there is way less on it now.

~Tuesday was a rough day for me after the really busy day before.  I ended up on the couch and in bed for most of the day.  I still managed to make dinner for us thanks to instant mashed potatoes, canned pears and chicken tenders quickly done in the air fryer.

~I fed my sourdough starter and made some sourdough discard crackers.

~The hummingbirds are back so I made some hummingbird food and filled then hung up the feeder outside for them.

~I called my cousin Jeremy and had a phone visit with him.  Please keep him in your prayers and pray for healing for him.

~We are getting our dates planned out for our trip to Utah to see Josh, Lauren, Tate and Peyton!  We will be down there for my birthday and I am so very excited.  We are already planning out things to do and see.  Josh reminded me that it will be really hot and he is being protective of me since I do not do heat well.  I think we will be going to the splash pads and the river near them.

~Jeff and I stopped into a Goodwill and found 2 brand new and fun t-shirts, some brand new tennis shoes in the exact size and brand that he wears ($7.99), a book, and some decorative ivy vines that I wanted for decorating.

~I continue to "cherry pick" the sales.  Oh my goodness, we all need to be on the lookout for deals and stock up when we see them.

~I called my dad on his birthday and we had a nice visit.

~I set up auto pay on our vehicle loan after the check we sent for a payment never made it to them.

   Three weeks ago:

Family emergency came up and we had to take a trip down to see my cousin Jeremy and pick up his dog.  We tried to be frugal on our trip, but it was still about $500 all included with gas, hotels costs, eating out, etc.  We now need to buckle down even more.

~Josh and Lauren graciously paid for our hotel room the first night of our trip.

~Instead of going out to eat all the time while on our trip, I packed snacks, we had burritos from the truck stop store on night and bought sandwiches several times. We did eat out at Applebee's one night with my cousin Andy and my Aunt Phyllis.  Andy made us breakfast one morning also.  

~The hotel that we stayed at on our way back home greeted its guests with a glass of wine.  Since there were two of us, we got two glasses of wine.  Jeff does not drink, so I had them both.  They also had a nice breakfast buffet that we took advantage of.  

~We spent one of the nights with my cousin Andy at the beautiful townhouse he rented.  I took full advantage of the big deep bathtub for a much-needed soak after a long drive.

~We took a side trip up to Crater Lake on our way home.  I asked about buying a National Park pass and they saw my handicapped parking placard. They handed me a form to fill out and I got a free lifetime pass because of my disability.

~Jeff and I stopped at 2 Goodwills, including 1 with a bins room.  I was able to find some nice and fun shirts, as well as some other home items that we had been looking for including a second pizza stone.

~I made a meatloaf one night for dinner and served it with some beans that I had grown and frozen last season, and some mashed potatoes.

~The next night I took the leftover meatloaf and made a macaroni , beef and cheese bake.  The sauce was a canned spaghetti sauce that had leftover red wine, more spices and cheese in it.

~I bought Maggie 3 large bones from our local meat shop here in town.  I gave her 1 and froze the other 2 for later. Talk about a happy dog.

~Maggie and I went for a walk around the neighborhood.

~Jeff fixed the lawnmower yet again.  He is a very handy hubby!

~We brought home food and canning jars from Jeremy's house.

~I've been talking to Jeremy every day and sending him pictures of Maggie and her adventures.  Being stuck in a hospital bed, he has really enjoyed seeing these pictures of her.

~My parents have offered to pay for our gas for our trip over to see them and all of our expenses will be covered while we stay with them also.  They have graciously agreed to let us bring Maggie with us too.

~I cashed in my points at Safeway for a free 2 lb brick of cheese.  I picked the most expensive item that we use on a regular basis to use my points on.

~I noticed that I have several volunteer tomato plants coming up in the front raised garden bed,  I think most of them are cherry tomatoes, but there is one that may be a Roma.  These will be transplanted to another spot.

~We had two nights of frost warnings so we covered up some of the raised garden beds with old sheets and a large tarp that went over the strawberry, rhubarb and blueberry patches.

~I picked, stripped, blanches and froze a 5-gallon bucket full of spinach that had overwintered.

~Heather, Chris, Bradley and Isaiah came over and brought dinner on Thursday night.  She made tacos with homemade sourdough tortillas (yum).  It was wonderful to have time with all of them.  Maggie (dog) enjoyed bounding around the backyard with the boys as they chased each other.

Three weeks ago:

~We took a trip over to see my parents and my brother in Montana.  Maggie came with us and Shannon took care of the cats.  It was so nice to be there with them and we got to visit with our friends Burl and Maggy also.

~While visiting my parents, we were invited to go to the dress rehearsal of the musical "Beauty and the Beast" at the Bigfork playhouse that was going to be opening to the paying public the next night.  It was absolutely wonderful and we were so blessed to have been in the right place at the right time to get the invite.

~Yes, you know it, we checked out the thrift store and I found a few things there.

~I called the hospital where Jeremy was at on Tuesday morning and got the sad news that he had passed away about an hour prior to my call.  Oh my heart hurt.  Since we were with my parents and brother, we all contacted family members to let them know.

~We stopped at the Care Center where Jeff's aunt is on our way home from Montana.  We took Maggie in to meet her and the staff and other residents there all spoiled Maggie rotten with treats and lots of petting.

~We ate out of the pantry, fridge and freezer upon our return home.  

~We ate out of the pantry, fridge and freezer upon our return home.

This past week:

~My new car, yes my new car, has developed transmission issues  UGH!!! Luckily we had bought a warranty for it and hopefully the cost, minus the $250 diagnostic test, should be covered.  Jeff, Steven and I took it down to Lewiston to the dealership.  Still waiting to hear what they come up with.

~I bought some shorts, a few shirts and soft summer dress at a few thrift stores.  I also bought some baskets and a few books.  Steven picked out a magic set.

~Steven helped me pick out a new collar for Maggie and we made her a nice new info tag (her jewelry) so if she gets lost, people can contact us.  We also picked up a huge 44 lb bag of dog food.  It was about half the price by unit than the smaller bags.

~I made a big tuna pasta salad.  It provided two meals for us.

~My doctor sent in a prescription for 3 month supplies of all my meds.

~Jeff brought home the leftover popcorn from the big popcorn machine on Saturday since they would be closed on Sunday.

~I made two loaves of bread.

~We got stocked up again on fruit and veggies since there was not a lot in our house.  I have been planning meals around them since we are trying to eat healthier.

~I picked my first strawberry off our new strawberry patch in the side garden.

~After getting a tetanus shot, I got really tired.  I don't know if there is a connection there because of my fibromyalgia or not.  I decided to take a nap and put off my afternoon plans of working in the garden. I later found out that it did the same thing to my grandson Bradley.

~I found a book that I had been looking for at a small little store across the street from my doctor's office.  I had been looking for a copy of "Five Little Peppers Grown Up" for years.  I found one there that was given as a gift from an aunt to their niece for Christmas of 1918.  How cool is that?  I love old books and was thrilled to find this treasure for just $12.

~I booked a hotel in Boise for our upcoming trip (it is the halfway point for us) through Priceline and got a great deal on a hotel with a pool and free breakfast.  I also was able to Use Rakutan, which will get me more money back.

~I chatted online with my cousin Andy (Jeremy's brother) for a bit.  He flew back over from Thailand to be with his mother and to spread Jeremy's ashes in a place that is special to my aunt.  Oh how my heart aches for them.  He asked about Maggie and I sent him a picture of her with her new collar and her chewing on a bone.

~ I found more volunteer tomato plants coming up in another raised bed where I grew them two years ago.

~We have been eating lots of leftovers for lunches.

~I finally got all my summer clothes and winter clothing switched out in my dresser.  I now have 3 bags full of clothes to try and sell at our yard sale.  I still have the closets to go through.

~Jeff and I broke down and bought some cantaloupe plants for the garden since only one of the seeds I planted came up.  We found two containers that had 3 plants in each of them so that saved us a ton of money right there.

   Life continues and we are adjusting to our new "normal" of having both Remi (Helen's cat) and Maggie (my cousin Jeremy's dog) living with us.  Maggie gets along well with all our cats, except Remi.  Remi is the cause of that though and she does not get along with any of the other cats either.  Maggie has also made friends with Whiskey, Shannon's youngest dog.  It is sweet to see both of them looking for each other when they are out in the back yard.  Please forgive me the lack of pictures.  I have not taken many lately.  Hopefully that will change with my next post.  Be blessed my sweet friends!

   

    

My dear cousin Jeremy has passed away

 

   My dear sweet cousin Jeremy has sadly passed away.  Jeff and I got a phone call about 2 weeks ago from my cousin Andy that Jeremy was in bad shape and were we still able to take his dog Maggie to live with us.  Jeff and I packed our bags and headed down that same evening.  It was a 12 hour drive.  We drove part way and spent the night and headed out early the next morning.  We got to spend some time with Jeremy, my cousin Andy and my Aunt Phyllis.  We said our heartfelt goodbyes the day after we arrived and brought his precious Maggie home to live with us.  Within a little over a week, Jeremy was gone.

   Jeremy left this life on Tuesday, passing away peacefully after a courageous battle with a very aggressive form of cancer that took over and ravaged his body.  My heart is breaking for my cousin Andy and for my Aunt Phyllis.  My heart is also breaking for my hubby, my kids, my grandkids and for me too.  Jeremy was one of the most generous, kindhearted and loving people that I have ever been blessed to have in my life.  His time here on earth was way too short and we cherish the time that we had with him.  We feel so very blessed to have connected with him and having been able to build a very close relationship with him.  He was more than just my cousin, he was also one of Jeff and my closest friends.  He loved our kids and grandkids and took great delight in spoiling us all.  

   Jeremy's final "gift" to us was bringing my cousin Andy, my Aunt Phyllis, Jeff and I together.  He wanted us all to meet.  The last time I saw my cousin Andy and my aunt was when I was 2 years old.  He loved seeing us together and getting to build those close family bonds that were so needed in a time like this.  All of us spent time together and I hope it brought joy to Jeremy knowing that his wish for us all had come to fruition, even though the circumstances were not what any of us wanted.

   Jeff and I got the sad news when we were in Montana visiting my parents and brother Fritz.  Jeff and I took some time to go into Bigfork and we found a beautiful piece of art that spoke to me and represented to me the bond that Jeremy, Jeff and I shared.  Jeff bought it for me knowing that I needed something beautiful to look at to remember our sweet Jeremy by.

   Maggie Mae, Jeremy's faithful companion is now happily living with us.  I kept the promise I made to my cousin when he first brought Maggie home to meet.  I named her and told him that if anything ever happened to him, I would take Maggie and make sure she lived a happy life.  None of us could have ever imagined that within 5 or 6 years, I would be keeping that promise I made to him.  Maggie is the sweetest red nosed pit bull and loves other dogs and cats.  She has bonded big time with my hubby Jeff and is his shadow when he is home.  She is very smart and learns quickly.  I love her so much and am so happy to have her here with us,  Jeremy told me on our last visit that his main concern was making sure Maggie was taken care of.  It brought him great comfort to know that she was with us, people who loved her and would take good care of her.

    I'm still processing my grief over the loss of my dear cousin.   I know that I will break down at some point, but for now, I have too many other things and people that I feel I need to stay strong for.  I feel his loss so deeply and I fear he will not be the only family member we lose this year.  Plans are being made for us to travel to Tahiti to spend time with my sister who has been given a "timeline".  She is flying Jeff and I down and wants us to stay 2 weeks.  He first grandchild should be born around that time and she wants us there for that.  Please continue to keep her in your prayers also.

   

Family Going Through a Rough Time

 

😢

   You never want to get the call saying you need to come sooner than later and that your beloved cousin Jeremy is in the hospital with internal bleeding.  We got that call from my cousin Andy (Jeremy's brother) who flew in from Thailand.  He and my Aunt Phyllis were there with Jeremy. Andy warned me that Jeremy was looking really rough.  Jeremy wanted us to come and get his companion Maggie (dog) to come home and live with us. It was a promise I had made to him and I was going to keep it.

   I quickly called Jeff and he made arrangements to take the next day off work.  I also called Shannon and asked her if she could take care of my fur babies and water the plants in the greenhouse for me.  Josh called and I told him about Jeremy and how we needed to leave that afternoon and drive part way since it is about an 11 hour drive.  Josh generously paid for our hotel room for that night.  Jeff got off a bit early and quickly packed his suitcase and got the car ready to go.  I had snacks packed and ready, along with my suitcase.  We arrived at our hotel late at night and did not sleep well since it was across from a truck stop in the tiny town right on the highway.

   We got an early start the next day and went straight to the hospital where Jeremy was.  It was strange going back there since it was the same hospital where I had given birth to all 3 of my sons.  Andy and my Aunt Phyllis greeted us and Aunt Phyllis, Jeff and I headed down to the family lounge to get acquainted while Jeremy and Andy were on the phone with some government entity that was giving them the run-a-around.  I had not seen my Aunt, or my cousin Andy, since I was 2 years old.    Andy came to get us when the phone call was done and I got to share a hug with him and then go see Jeremy.  

   Jeremy was in really rough shape and the cancer had ravaged his body.  The internal bleeding was glaringly evident as well.  Despite all this, he was very happy to see us.  We all visited for awhile and then left him to rest for a bit.  Jeff and I drove around Klamath Falls and were shocked at how much it had grown in 30 years.  Later we had dinner with Andy and Aunt Phyllis and then went to stay in the beautiful townhouse that Andy had rented for the week.  My aunt took the late night train out to go back to her home.

   The next morning we went back to the hospital for one last in person visit with Jeremy and had a really good time together despite everything going on.  We told him that after we left him, we were going to the house to pick up Maggie and then we were heading up to Crater Lake since it was on our way back home.  He loved that idea.  We shared a last heartfelt hug and "I love you" and he made sure to tell me to pick out a bronze statue for Chris as a gift to him since they had shared a special bond.  He also wanted me to take any artwork that I wanted.  The rest would be auctioned off.   

   Upon arrival at his home, Maggie greeted us and I got her nails clipped since they had gotten so long.  I picked out a bronze statue that I knew Chris would love and Andy told me that Jeremy insisted that I take any art I wanted.  I picked out a wolf drawing that Jeremy and I both had loved from the moment he got it and was special to him, and I also picked out a wood block print that my Aunt Phyllis did.  I chose not to take any other artwork or cast bronze artwork because I knew the money that was raised from auctioning off these items would help pay for the debts that Jeremy had.  I had the two pieces that meant the most to me and the bronze that I knew Chris would love.  Andy also loaded us up with food from the pantry and I grabbed some canning jars.  We then loaded Maggie into the car, said our goodbyes to Andy, and headed up to Crater Lake where Jeff and I found peace, share memories of having gone up there when the boys were little and were reminded of God's amazing beauty that He has created for us.  We once again stayed the night at another hotel before we headed out for the final leg of our trip back home.

   About an hour before we would get home, my mom called and I update her on Jeremy.  I told her that I was exhausted and just wanted to get home and crash.  This trip had taken a toll on me both emotionally and physically.  She then said that she hated to tell me this, but she had more bad news.  My sister in law's mother had died the day before.  Again, I was hit with so many emotions knowing that my nephew Cade was with her when she had a heart attack and that she never recovered.  Oh my heart aches for my brother, sister in law, my nephews and for Christie's dad and brother.  I adored Min and we saw her last Spring.  She was always so kind to me.

   I am running on fumes here.  I have been trying to help my cousins and other family members deal with Jeremy's situation and to come to terms with all of this.  Phone calls, emails, facebook messages have all been happening.  I am at a loss on how to help my brother and his family deal with the death of Min.  I have texted with my brother and left a voicemail for them telling them how very sorry I am and how special Min was.  Right before we left to go down to see Jeremy, I got a call from Jeff's aunt...let's just say that it was not good and we now have to get caught up on things with her friend, her social worker and her on the situation.  I am dreading that because I know it will not be good news.  I have to remind myself of the reality of all that she is going through.  I love her and want the best for her, but I also have other things going on that had to take precedence at the time of her call.

   So yes, we are going through a rough time as a family.  I am praying for peace for my cousin as he makes his way out of this life and for comfort for my brother and his family.  I am also praying for no more "emergencies".  

    Finances have taken a hit with this unplanned and sudden emergency trip down to South Oregon, so we have to buckle down even harder financially.  I am glad we took the trip though because I needed to see my cousin and to get Maggie.  We have another trip to see my parents in a few weeks (this was planned for months now), and another trip in July to see Josh, Lauren and the grandkids (also planned).  Jeff and I are praying that the garden does well this year because we will be eating out of it this Summer and Fall.  I am hoping to can up some fruit and that we also get a decent crop of potatoes since I planted some and we also have several volunteers coming up in the various garden beds.  Much of the produce will also be dehydrated or frozen, as well as being eaten fresh.  My pantry needs to be worked on so I can expand my food storage area and get it better organized.  Jeff and I are slowly trying to get all of this done.

   Be blessed my friends and be sure to love on those people who mean the most to you in your lives.  You never know when you may get that phone call.