Everybody Needs a Giggle

 

    

   I know, it has been about three months since I last posted here on my blog.  Life has been busy as usual, and to be perfectly honest, I have been dealing with some rather heavy things emotionally and just have not had it in me to post anything here.  I try to keep my spirits up, but there are some days when it is hard.  This time of year can be especially hard for those of us who are dealing with the loss of loved ones whom we have passed within the past year or even longer ago than that.  It is also hard knowing that this may be the last Christmas you have with someone you love.  And while typing this, I just got a phone call from a dear friend who is in the ER.  Depending on how things are looking, I may be heading in to see her as soon as Jeff gets home from watching our Isaiah sing at church this morning.  I did not go because I am having a Fibromyalgia flare and I knew that sitting in the hard pews or standing up for any length of time was just not possible today.  Please pray for my friend, she is dealing with so much and we love her dearly.

   Now you understand why I needed a giggle, and I found it in Mortimer, or Morty for short.  Morty is my "emotional support snail". ;)  As soon as I saw Morty in the making, I knew he must be mine.  Morty is part of a family of snails that our Heather's father Bruce carved and painted.  He is a very talented man who has rediscovered his love of carving and does amazing work.  You can see some of it on his Facebook page Gods Country Art (10) Facebook   If the link does not work, you can find it on Facebook by doing a search.  Bruce was selling some of his carvings at a local Christmas Craft Fair and I was so relieved to see my Morty still there.  No, Bruce had not named, him, but I sure did!  Some of Morty's siblings had already been sold, but there on the table was my buck toothed boy just waiting to bring me immense joy, and lots of giggles.  So yes, I happily bought him and brought him home with me.  Morty is the second carving that I have that Bruce has done.  The first one was a custom-made gift from Chris, Heather and the boys.  It is a honu (turtle) with special meaning to me.  I wish I could share it here, but there are personal reasons that I cannot.  So, everyone meet my Morty and may he bring you giggles too!

   And not to be outshone by Morty, it is our grandson Tate's birthday today.  He is now five years old!  He is our bundle of energy and way too smart for his own good at times who also has us in giggles.  One of Tate's latest escapades was when he loaded up his golf club set in the back of his little battery powered truck and drove across the cul-de-sac to the play park, unload his golf clubs, pick out just the right one and proceed to smack the golf ball hard with his driver. That kid has quite the golf swing and his accuracy rate at putting is amazing for his age.  Since his daddy is overseas at the moment, our Tate is practicing so that he can beat him when Josh gets home and takes him golfing at the course at Hill AFB.  Tate loves golfing there with his mom and dad.  Peyton likes the snacks at the snack bar.  LOL!

   Wishing you all a holiday season filled with love, joy and yes, lots of giggles too!

   

   

I Took Some Time Off

 

   Yes, I took some time off.  It has been another busy season in our lives.  In addition to dealing with all the garden produce, we were enjoying some much-needed time with family.

   Josh, Lauren, Tate and Peyton came for a visit and it was the highlight of our Summer.  Josh timed their visit to be able to spend his and Chris's birthday together.  This is a big deal for the two of them, being twins and all.  That bond is so very strong.  It was wonderful to see the grandkids all playing together and for the 2 youngest to have a sleepover with their oldest cousins while their parents got to go to a WSU football game. Another day we all spent part of the day on the river and some of us went fishing or just for boat rides in Chris's boat.  Tate caught a fish with Isaiah, Chris, Josh and I cheering him on in the boat!  Peyton got to drive the boat and was thrilled to bits.  Steven played keep away in the river with his uncles and older cousins.  That boy has turned into a fish!  Bradley amazed his cousins, along with his aunts and uncles, with his agility and acrobatic skills and strength.  One afternoon I took my 3 beautiful girls out to happy hour at Applebee's while Jeff took the guys and the grandkids bowling.  This was our gift to all of them.  We want to build memories with all of them.  There was lots of good food, laughter, love and family bonding as we celebrated Chris and Josh's birthday along with Jeff's birthday, which is a few days after theirs'.  

   Lauren and the kids are now back in Utah and Josh has deployed to Japan for about 6 months.  Before he left, he got great news!  They had put in a request for their next duty station to be Germany and they got it!  They wanted so badly to be stationed somewhere in Europe so that Lauren and the kids could experience living there and so that they could travel around Europe seeing so many wonderful places and soak in the history of it all.  It is going to be a great adventure for them all as Josh has been stationed at this same base in the past and had the time of his life exploring Europe.  Jaysn had even made a trip over there to see his brother at the time and experience Europe for himself.  Josh was a great host and thoroughly enjoyed showing his big brother around, along with being able to spend time with him.

   With the start of the school year, it has been harder to spend time with our kids and grandkids here.  We have been squeezing it in when we can coordinate it.  Yesterday we popped in to see Heather and the boys (Chris was at a training) since we were in the area having a lunch date and hitting up a thrift store and antique store before that.  It was so good to see them and Isaiah sent us home with zucchini, a pumpkin and spaghetti squash from the garden and Heather gave us some eggs from their chickens. I felt like we hit the produce jackpot!  Tonight, we are going over to Jaysn and Rachel's to spend some time with them and Steven.  Rachel messaged me this morning and invited us over.  Of course, we said yes!  Jeff and I were just talking about how we wanted to make plans to spend some time with them and then this morning, we got their invitation for dinner. :)  

   Later this month, we will be heading over to Montana to see my parents and brother Fritz.  Mom and I are already planning on making some special treats together.  We have also invited our hanai son #5  Ben to come up for lunch while we are there since he lives at the lower part of the lake.  My parents love him, and he has been to their home a few times now.  They watched him grow up with our boys, so it has been a long relationship with them also.  We are so excited to see him before he heads to California for the cold weather months to play music gigs down there. This is our son who was on "The Voice" and was on Team Blake.  Ben really is a very talented musician and songwriter.  Yes, proud hanai momma here. ;)

   I suppose I should get myself together and get a few things done before we head out later for dinner with Jaysn, Rachel and my bubby Steven.  Jeff has been busy winterizing the swamp cooler and changing the oil in the car.  Me, I have been a slug up until now today.  Yep, typical for me after the busy but fun day we had yesterday.  It takes me at least day to recover from too much fun or from doing too much.  You should have seen me the week after Josh and family were here.  I spent the next week recovering since it was go, go, go the entire time they were here.  Do I regret it....not one single bit!  Be blessed!

   

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 8/15/25

 

   It has been a strange week weatherwise.  We went from hot to very cool and will be heading back up the thermometer to "I'm gonna die" temps this coming week.  Upper 90's and Fibromyalgia do not mix well for me.  Maggie however is not happy with cooler temperatures and either wants me to cover her up with her blanket, or I will find her on the couch.  I swear she would be happy living in a dry sauna.  Friday found us running lots of errands and both Jeff and I were exhausted by the time we got home.  The only thing that made me able to keep on going that long was the cooler temperatures.  So we ended the week on a good note!

~I put the chicken carcus into the crock pot, added some vinegar to draw out the calcium from the bones and cooked it overnight.  It made 2 bags of rich chicken bone broth, along with lots of chicken meat.  I froze these for future meals.

~Jeff picked 3 plums for me from the wild plum trees that grow along the gravel road just up over the hill from our house.

~We went down to our  little Sunday Farmer's Market here in town and got the following free:  3 yellow squash, a bag of potatoes and a  bag of pears.

~I made a big pot full of homemade elk burger casserole using ground elk from the freezer, a small bag of macaroni noodles, spices from the spice cabinet, and 3 cans of V8 vegetable juice.  I cooked it up just like you would hamburger helper.  It made for 2 meals for my husband and I which was perfect since the temperature outside the following days were brutal.

~I picked lots of tomatoes off our plants.  Unfortunately, the big slicer tomatoes have now developed blossom end rot and are no longer usable, but the other tomatoes are still doing well, especially the cherry tomatoes. I also picked our first cucumber from our plants.

~Snacky type lunches and dinners have been a big thing for me this week.  I usually have a cheese spread, crackers, cherry tomatoes, green olives, and some kind of fruit.  I do small portions of each but going heavier on the tomatoes since we have so many of them.  Perfectly simple and perfectly delicious.

~Jeff and I stopped at Home Depot so he could look for something he needed.  They did not have it in stock in the store, so we will order it via their website.  I, on the other hand, found pony packs of petunias for $1 each and bought 3 of them to replant into my now empty half whiskey barrel where I had potatoes growing before.

~I found a sale on corn on the cob for .25 each.  I bought 4 because that is a reasonable amount the Jeff and I can eat before it goes bad.  I know I could have blanched and frozen some for later use, but to be honest, I just did not have the energy to do all that.

~Jeff fixed the middle bamboo blind on the back porch so we now have even more shade out there in the afternoon.  It also offers us more privacy, which I enjoy.  We can still see threw it to our garden and can keep an eye on Maggie and Ginny.

~We watched the movie "The Day After", which my cousin Jeremy had given to me years ago.  Talk about sobering.

~We did the grocery shopping on Monday.  My goodness, the prices have gone up since about 2 weeks ago.  Thank goodness we shop the sales and found marked down items.  We did splurge on a watermelon at .48 a pound at Winco, but it was a huge treat for us and we will get lots of fruit to eat from it.  It still came out to under $7, so I will call that a win.

~Jeff fixed the hanger on one of my large pictures.  I changed out the pictures in the guest bathroom with that one and a Bev Doolittle print that we were gifted from Jeff's aunt before she died.

~I cooked up a pot full of rice and will used it in meals for the rest of the week..  If we can't finish it in time, I will freeze some for later.

~I have been enjoying the squash we were given in several different forms.  Jeff  does not like  squash so I get to enjoy more of it for me. 

~I mixed up some Ranch dip with plain Greek yogurt, mayo and Ranch seasoning mix.  This was used as a dip and also as a topping for some of those potatoes that we got at the Farmer's Market.

~Jeff and I had a lunch date at the bowling alley and then he bowled for the first time is his knee surgery.  He did pretty well and I am so pleased for him.

~So... we went to Goodwill to look for a few things and found a self-inflating blow up mattress for the other bed in the trailer..  We now have all the bedding and mattresses we need.  We also found a few books for the grandkids, some beautiful Fall floral pics for $1.99 that retailed for $7.98 and $14.98 respectively, a brand new pink fuzzy robe for me, some black jeans that fit me well and have been on my wish list for a few years now and a cookbook for me.

~Jeff and I had a lovely phone call visit with my parents.  We are pushing our lake cruise to next year.  Things have been crazy for them and for us.

   I know our life sounds horribly boring but honestly, we are homebodies for the most part.  We do greatly enjoy visiting with our family and friends.  Traveling is limited for us due to health and finances, but that is ok.  We do what we can, when we can. 😉  As  long as we have our family, that is all that really matters.

   

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 8/9/25

 

Blogger is being weird so please forgive the formatting on this post.  So, it has been another week of rollercoaster weather.  We had hot, cooler with some rain (praise God, it was desperately needed) and are not climbing back into the "it feels like we are living in an oven" temperatures.  Not my favorite by a long shot and I am craving Fall with the cooler temperatures and the gorgeous turning of the leaves into vibrant reds, yellows, oranges and speckled green.  The burning bush plant next door is already tipped with some red due to cooler night temperatures this past week and I am here for it!

Now, onto the frugal doings:

~More tomatoes were picked from the garden.  I am enjoying them on sandwiches and just snacking on the smaller cherry tomatoes.

~We were given 2 huge zucchinis by our grandson Isaiah and 2 smaller ones by one of our neighbors down the street.  She and I had a rather nice visit too. :)

~We visited with Heather, Chris, Isaiah and Bradley on Thursday.  I helped them pick beans and snap peas in their garden.  Bradley and Jeff played chess and the rest of us played wild rummy.  I am slowly learning all the quirks to that game and loving it.  I also won!  They sent us home with a moose roast,  some steaks, and lots of ground venison.

~I have only been shopping the sales for things we need.

~Jeff found a pair of high top tennis shoes on clearance at Walmart for $5.  He had been looking for some for over a month now and there they were just waiting for him.

~Jaysn and Rachel invited us over for dinner on Friday.  We were bringing Steven back from spending the day with us.  They had burgers, hot dogs, salads and cookies waiting for us when we arrived.  It was all yummy and the company was great!

~I found 2 books, along with a cute apron from Hawaii at Goodwill.  One of the books is a cookbook that looked really interesting and the other one was an in depth look about the people that came over on the Mayflower.  It covers exactly what was happening in England at the time that made them leave, their voyage and what they faced once they landed and tried to establish a colony here.  Given that my family on my mother's side is descended from someone who came over on the Mayflower, and a grandson who wants to get into family genealogy, I thought this would be a good book to learn more of our personal family history.  I spent under $6 for the books and the apron.

~We bought two cooked chickens from the deli at Walmart that were marked down.  I put one in the freezer and we ate off the other one.  The carcus will be used for soup.  I am throwing it back in the freezer.

~Jeff changed the brake pads on his car.  That saved us about $350 in labor cost.

~Jeff mowed our neighbor's lawn so that they would come home from their trip to a nice lawn and not an overgrown one.

~I made bread and bagels this week.  I was trying out the Greek yogurt bagel recipe that I have been hearing about all over the internet.  It was good!

Well, that is about it for this week.  Jeff and I are going to enjoy our lunch out here on the back porch for at least a week since the high temps hit us big time tomorrow.  Be blessed.

 

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 8/1/25

   

   Jeff was finally ready to return to work 2 days a week.  He is working Monday and Wednesday and going to physical therapy on Tuesday and Thursday.  Wednesday they were especially happy to have him there since the other 2 people in his department were both out.  He ended up working a half an hour longer than normal so he could help close up the store at the end of the day.  He is coming home really tired, but I know that he is also happy seeing so many people he knows once again.  He does still plan on fully retiring this Fall though.

~We had our town wide yard sales on Saturday and Jeff and I decided to go to them.  We scored some good stuff.  We found a large tote on wheels for $10.  We had been looking for one to put in the back of our truck for when we go camping.  We also found the following all the following for $12: sterling silver earrings, another cute pair of earrings, a large 31 brand insulated bag (I had been wanting one since our last one broke), 2 Ruck for the Fallen shirts, 1 Ruck for the Fallen hoodie, a like new quilted flannel jacket for my hubby, a nice reversible leather belt for hubby, and one other item that I cannot remember at the moment.  

~We had some nice visits with our neighbors that day.  One of them is going to be retiring soon and had lots of questions and concerns about how to transition from working full time to being fully retired and how I managed it.

~Lots of raspberries were picked along with more tomatoes, blueberries and the barrel of potatoes was harvested with dismal results.  We think it was due to the heat and us being in a drought since everything was drying out so quickly.

~We ate lots of salads this week with lettuce and tomatoes from our garden.

~Jeff changed the alternator in our truck.  The battery is now holding a charge!

~Jeff cleaned out the chest freezer.  Wen found all kinds of stuff buried in there.  I need to keep a better eye on things.

~We had leftover pancakes for 2 more meals.

~I cooked up a pork loin for dinner one night and it gave us 2 dinners and 1 lunch

~Jeff picked up bananas at the grocery store while he was in town.

~More hummingbird food was made, and the feeder was refilled every 2 days.

~Jeff got one of our bigger bills payments changed to come out after his social security check comes in each month.

~We had several nice telephone calls with my parents.

~I found chicken thighs for $1.29 a pound and bought a family pack of them.  That gave us 8 thighs.  I had one and Jeff had the rest over several more meals.  He loves oven baked chicken!

~I have been trying to us up some of the mashed potato, rice and pasta mixes from the pantry as side dishes.  I do not want any of those things to go bad.

~I did break down and have Jeff bring home Panda for dinner on Wednesday.  It got up to 101 F on our back porch and I really do not do heat well.  The last thing I wanted to do was heat up the kitchen.  We had leftovers that I morphed into another meal adding a few veggies to it.

~I went through my buttons stash and found buttons to sew onto and fix 2 pairs of Jeff's shorts.  He is happy to have the shorts fixed again.

~I made a grilled cheese on sourdough with sliced tomatoes (from our garden) and Colby Jack cheese for lunch one of the days that Jeff was at work.  It was so good and the perfect comfort food.

~I have been enjoying listening to Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar on YouTube.  It reminds me of my childhood growing up in Hawaii and hearing it played at night at the resort my father managed. It is one of the things that I can always count on to calm my soul.

~I gave Jeff a haircut.

~We picked the summer apples off our tree.  So many were lost early due to the heat.

~We harvested the two remaining raised beds of potatoes and got about half of what we did the previous year.  Still, I am grateful for what we were able to harvest.

~I made a large venison meatloaf, and it gave us 3 meals with sides added.

~I uploaded Safeway's digital coupons to my card.

   We had to cancel having our Steven out on Friday to be with us for the day.  There is something going around at Jeff's work, which we did not want to expose him to.  That is the last thing Jaysn and Rachel need to worry about with her still recovering for her ACL surgery.  It turned out to be for the best anyways since the weather was a bit stormy and a very lovely cool temperature.  It was not however conducive to swimming at the pool.  Jeff and I spent the morning in the garden and rested in the afternoon.  I have discovered that this slower pace of life is starting to fit me better and better.  I am not feeling the pressure to get everything done at once and pacing myself helps with the pain levels.  I can always tell when I overdo it...my body just screams at me.  Stupid Fibromyalgia anyway.  

   So there we go.  That was our frugal week.  This next week will also be a frugal one.  I will not be going to the next town over town wide yard sales.  I will be baking bread, working on making applesauce with those apples and am hoping to be able to get one more picking of them if the wind does not shake them all down.  Jeff will be working on car repairs and he and I will work on some inside projects that desperately need to be done.  Be blessed!

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 7/25/25

 

~Jeff made a second compost bin with some of the pallets that we have here.  He also dug out the top layer of the other bin, put that on the bottom of the new bin, and now we can reach and use all the rich compost that is at the bottom of the old bin.  Oh how I love that man of mine and how handy he is!

~We harvested 6 gallon sized bags full of lettuce from the garden before it went bitter and to bolt.  I gave some of it away.

~Our tomato plants are blessings us each day with ripe and juicy little bursts of sunshine.  There is nothing like a warm from the sun tomato fresh out of the garden to eat.

~The raspberries continue to produce for us.  I have frozen a lot, given some away, snacked on them fresh like crazy, made 4 quarts of raspberry vodka and have more to go out and pick tonight.

~The blueberries have produced more this year than ever before.  I am enjoying them too.  Dinner Wednesday night was smoked breakfast sausages and pancakes, plan for Jeff and blueberry for me, with homemade syrup.

~We picked up fruit and a bottle of wine from the Farmer's Market on Saturday.  We also went to a few yard sales where I bought Bath and Body Works body sprays, a really cool puzzle/model (will be a gift), and 3 seasons of Last Man Standing on DVD.  Steven was given a toy glider that has its own motor.  He was thrilled! 

~Jeff and I hit a sale at Bath and Body works.  It was their semiannual sale.  I also had a coupon for a free product since it is my birthday month.  I walked out with a body spray and 2 yummy smelling liquid soaps for the kitchen and bathroom.  We bought these days before the yard sales where I found the other body sprays.  I am now set for years!

~I made homemade Fettuccini Alfredo since I had everything I needed on hand, and it is a favorite with Jeff and I.  It made 2 meals for each of us.  

~Green salads have been on the menu also.  Jeff and I each enjoy making them the way we want.  

~Jeff grilled up some sausages on the outdoor grill and I made homemade Sweet Potato Fries in the Air Fryer.  They were so good.  Jeff cooked up extra sausages and they have been a blessing with my fibro flares.

~Jeff worked on the pop up tent trailer.  Some of the hydraulic lifts were not working right so he built braces for the roof.

~One especially hot night, when I really did not want to cook, I quickly threw together cheese quesadillas and served them with salsa.  They were really good and so easy and quick to make.

~Steven helped me measure all the drawers and cabinets in the trailer so that I could find containers that were mouse proof that would fit in each of them.  I want to be able to store things in the trailer so that we are ready to go at a moment's notice. 

~We spent Friday afternoon at our town's swimming pool.  It is only $2 for a day pass per person.  The water felt amazing and I got to visit with some of my old students who now have families of their own.

Checking in once again...

   Hello once again.  I know that I have been horrible about keeping up with posting here.  It seems to be a trend with me and I wish it was not so.  I have been MIA for multiple reasons.  I wish I could say that it is because we have just been extremely busy (which we have been).  I wish I could say it is because Fibromylagia has been kicking my behind (yep, it has).  But the truth is that our family suffered another loss with the death of my Uncle Ed, and it hit me hard, harder than I thought it would. 

   My Uncle Ed was so much fun, and I enjoyed many moments of intense laughter, the kind that makes your stomach hurt, with this dear man. He was an outdoorsman and took his family camping for a good portion of each Summer while his sons were growing up.  He helped them learn about the flora of the 48 lower states as they visited each and every one.  They also visited Canada from what I remember.  He was one of my dad's close friends in college and it was through my dad they he met my Aunt Lucy, my mom's sister.  Love bloomed and they got married and had 2 sons, my cousins Mark and Tim.  As Jeff and I grew our own family years later, they would stop and see us at our home, or we would meet them at my parent's place in Montana.  My boys got to know them and Josh especially became close with them and with my cousin Tim.  It was wonderful watching my own kids and my grandkids getting to know my aunt and uncle.  He was such a special person to me and to them.

   This week I had every intention of getting a bunch of things done and then I got a message that another friend died.  Randy was a sweat soul who I have such fond memories of.  He was one of my little brothers through the fraternity where I was a Little Sister.  I was also close with his older brothers Chris and Kevin.  The last time I saw Randy was at one of my best friend's husband's funeral last year.  It threw me for another loop and bam...huge fibro flare.  I know I am at that age where friends and family are passing away, but man, this has been a hard year and a half for our family.  

   Jeff is in physical therapy and going twice a week.  He is doing really well and making great progress.  His range of motion is coming back quicker than we thought it would.  He has a doctor's appointment tomorrow, along with his physical therapy and he is hoping he can get the go ahead to be able to return to work starting in August.  He has already spoken to his boss who has agreed to let him work 2 days a week instead of 2 one week and 3 the next.  This will allow him to continue physical therapy if needed.  I am hoping he will be done by then because his health insurance is not covering any of it and it is expensive!  Oh, our Rachel also had her knee surgery and is now home recovering.  There have been some rough moments for her with this recovery, and I would really appreciate your prayer for both her and Jeff.  Thank you!

   Anyway, we will keep plugging along and then getting the medical bills, along with some other things needed before Fall paid off.  We have one more rough month financially before my Social Security kicks in now that I am 62.  We are working on projects around the house and harvesting things from the garden.  I am trying to be mindful of what we have in our gardens, freezer, fridge and pantry and not waste anything while being creative with meals.  Some days I am better at it than others. ;)

   

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 6/26/25

~I made a strawberry/rhubarb compote with fruit from our garden.

~I froze some chopped up rhubarb to use later.

~More Sourdough discard crackers were made.  This time I mixed in some Monterey jack cheese.   It was a huge hit with both Jeff and I.

~While looking at the reorder date of a supplement that we have for our dog Maggie, I noticed that I had some credits that I could apply to my order making it completely free!   What a blessing that is when we are only living on Jeff's Social Security at the moment.

~We went to Grocery Outlet for their produce sale.  We got a bag of avocadoes for $2.50, 3 cantaloupes for $2 each and a 5 pound bag of apples for $4.99.  I am trying to up our fruit and veggie intake.

~I made cheese tortellini for dinner.  I love a good pesto sauce, but Jeff is not so keen on it.  I decided to make a pesto alfredo sauce, which toned down the basil flavor to the point where my husband actually said it was good.  WIN!

~More strawberries were picked.

~I made some comfrey oil to use on sore joints and muscles.

~One of the things I treasure and go back to read time after time is a binder I put together with Laine's Letters.  I am so inspired after reading those letters from all years ago.

~Jeff started physical therapy twice a week.  He also had a doctor's appointment.  All of these were 48-mile round trips.  The cost of the additional runs into town have taken another bite out of our budget.  I am trying to make sure we combine errands if at all possible and am working with the physical therapy office to try and get the doctor's appointment and the second physical therapy session on the same morning.

~Social Security added some money to my upcoming checks since I could get more based on what Jeff has made on his.

~The raspberries are starting to ripen, so I have been enjoying eating them.

~This week I seeded in some New Zealand Spinach to my front raised bed garden.

~Jeff grilled up some smoked Polish sausages for us.

~Jeff and I decided to go and donate some things to Goodwill.  We stopped at Hope thrift store first and found a large wood wine rack that holds 30 bottles of wine for $4.99.  This will allow me to keep all my wine in one wine rack instead of 2 wine racks plus a box.  Jeff also found a nice pop-up shade structure for $30.00.  We had been looking for one to ad to our camping stuff so we can have a shade right outside of our pop-up tent trailer. I found a book on plant propagation for $2.99.  This is something that I wanted to learn more about.  At Goodwill I found a nice Tupperware container, some gorgeous plates and more books.

~I divided up a pound and a half of hamburger meat and used 2/3 of it for a Teriyaki meatloaf that I served with rice and corn.  The other 1/3 was made into taco meat that I used in a big taco one night for dinner. The salad included lettuce and radishes from our garden in it.

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 06/20/25

   It has turned out to be another busy week.  I had tried to keep things calm and limited trips out of town, but that was not to be.  We did stay home over the weekend and that was a much-needed break from all that had happened the previous week.   Jeff just wanted a quiet day at home for Father's Day, so that is what we did.  I do believe there were naps involved both over the weekend and during the week for both of us. Four different doctors' appointments of four different days for Jeff, having Steven here Friday, going to get our concealed carry permits, still attempting to get Jeff's enhanced driver's license, and doing some grocery shopping again wore me out.  Did I mention that all but three of these things required us to drive to other towns?  Then there is also the gardening to make sure we take care of.  At least Jeff is able to help with some of that once again, which is lovely!

   Onto the Frugal Doings:

~I did a sheet-pan dinner with 5 Italian Sausages along with a cut up onion and a large cut up orange pepper seasoned with salt pepper and Italian seasonings.  I served these on hot dog buns.  YUM!  

~I took the 1 leftover sausage, along with the leftover onions and peppers and turned them into dinner for Sunday.  I cut up everything and then added it to frozen cheese ravioli and pasta sauce, which I baked in the oven covered at 425F for an hour.  I then added some Pecorino cheese, along with Monterey Jack Cheese (because I was too lazy to go and get the froze block of Mozzarella cheese out of the freezer and deal with all that) right before serving, stirred some of it in and also topped it with some and set it under broil.  These made lots of leftovers.  I also served a spinach salad (with spinach from our garden) with it.

~I made a HUGE salad with some Romaine from the store, along with spinach, other types of lettuce, and radishes from our garden.  Jeff and I each customized our salads with various dressings, croutons, and other add ins.  There were leftovers which made for a nice side salad later in the week.

~I pulled all the radishes and got those washed and put in the refrigerator for snacking and salad making.  I also pulled all the spinach out since it was just starting to bolt.  I made a delicious spinach and strawberry salad for me with some of it, along with strawberries from the garden.  I also picked more strawberries throughout the week for snacking on.

~I got the tomato plants all staked up.  I also found a few volunteer ones that I will add to other areas in the garden.

~The cucumbers and summer squash plants, that I started in the greenhouse from seed, were all put into the garden.

~I made more Hummingbird food for our tiny, feathered friends.  They bring me so much joy! :)

~We had a lovely chat with my parents over the weekend via Facebook.  They were both looking really good and it was an easy and much needed one.  My parents are such a great and loving support for all of us.

~Jeff got more shade cloth put up over the roof of our greenhouse so the plants inside did not get sunburned and roasted.  Luckily, we still had some on hand, so we did not have to go out and buy more.

~Homemade lemon thyme and chive butters were made with herbs from the garden and frozen for future use.

~I scraped out the bowls I made the homemade herb butters in and spread that on tangy slices of sourdough bread.  

~I got my sourdough starter fed again and used the discard to make some long fermentation cheese crackers.

~Jeff helped me get the homemade blackberry vodka and raspberry gin into proper bottles instead of canning jars.  This freed up room in my refrigerator also.

~I made some homemade scrapple.  It is one of our favorites and is a very frugal.  We can make 3 meals out of it.

   Steven spent Friday with us once again.  Jaysn blessed us with donuts when he dropped Steven off in the morning. Steven helped us tremendously with the garden.  He planted cucumbers with me and I planted the squash.  We had some leftover cucumber plants which Steven took next door to his beloved Auntie Shannon.  He helped harvest more strawberries and rhubarb.  Later in the evening, Chris stopped by on his way to work the Sprint Boat races the following day.  We sent him off with some cucumber plants (that I had promised him), a nice hoodie that I found at Goodwill that I thought he would like (he did!), and something to drink on the drive over to where he would be working the next day.  

   As you can see, it has been a busy week for us.  Be blessed all!

The Final Goodbye and Family Coming Together

 

   This past weekend, family started to come into town for the final goodbye service for my husband's parents and also to scatter the ashes of his Aunt Helen, whom we were so blessed to have in our lives for the last chapter of her life.  Jeff's cousin Mike, his wife Felica and their son Jacob, along with their foster baby girl got her first.  Jeff and I had dinner and then went back to their hotel to visit on Saturday night.  We had a wonderful time with them and I got lots of baby snuggle time. :)  Sunday late afternoon, Josh arrived at our son Chris' home where he spent the night.  We did not see him until the following day because we were really encouraging him to spend time with his brothers.  We had seen him down in Utah a couple of months ago, but it had been awhile since he saw his brothers.  He spent that Monday night with Jaysn and Rachel.  All of the grandboys loved being able to play with their "funcle" (fun uncle) again. ;)  Then early Tuesday, he was off again on a 10-hour motorcycle ride back down to Utah.  Jeff's Aunt Jane and cousin Steve arrived Monday morning for the services.  It was lovely to see them again and we were able to catch up. We had breakfast with them Tuesday before they left to return to the coast and it was very nice.

   Monday's service for Jeff's parents, a later his aunt, was a hot one.  The temperatures were in the low to mid 90's and a lot of us ended up getting sunburned.  Jeff's sister planned the service and luckily her hubby Matt put up a nice shade tent for us.  There were so many of us there though that not everyone fit under it.  Our boys made sure that Jeff and I, along with Bradley and Isaiah and the baby were under the tent.  Bradley and Isaiah took turns holding the baby at the service and I think it helped distract them a bit.  Our niece Ella was there, and we had a really nice visit with her and with Matt.  Jeff's Aunt Jane was having a rough time since she was the last survivor out of her siblings.  Monday she was saying the final goodbye to both her sisters and to her brother-in-law. Jeff's older brother did not come down for either service.  He had his own reasons, and we will just leave it at that. Jeff's parents' ashes were buried in the Gilbertson family plot.  The service itself was short and all of us, with the exception of Jeff's sister, BIL and our niece Ella, headed up the mountain to spread Aunt Helen's ashes, as she has wanted done.

   Jeff's maternal grandparents had their ashes spread years ago up on Moscow Mountain overlooking the beautiful rolling hills of the Palouse.  Aunt Helen had told us that is where she wanted her ashes to be also.  Chris picked out a place that had a gorgeous vista of the Palouse, including being able to see our little town off in the distance.  Chris scattered the ashes as Felica documented the exact spot where Helen's ashes were. Aunt Jane wanted her ashes scattered in the same spot, so she could be with her baby sister and her parents, up on the mountain. Jeff was not able to scatter the ashes because he had knee surgery 2 1/2 weeks prior and is still in a brace holding his knee in place.  After we were done, we headed back down the mountain and to Jaysn and Rachel's home.  Jeff and I bought pizza for everyone and Jaysn and Rachel provided sodas and seltzers.  We all had some much needed family time and Aunt Jane loved seeing our boys and being able to visit with them.  Us girls had a great time visiting and so did the guys.  Bradley, Isaiah, Steven and Jacob played video games and it was so nice to see the younger cousins all together and becoming friends.  As everyone started leaving, we hugged each other tight, said I love You's and even made some future plans together.  The hardest goodbye was hugging Josh and knowing that it could be the last shared hug if he has to deploy early.  With the way that things are going in the Middle East, that could come soon, and my momma's heart is not handling it well.  He has been there before, but not in the direct danger zone.  This time he very well might be.

   Jeff and I still remain exhausted from it all.  Emotionally, it was hard in some ways, but then wonderful in others.  Spending time with Jeff's Aunt Jane, cousins Mike and Felica, and Steve, along with Jacob and the baby, and off course all our kids and the three oldest grandkids, was very sweet.  I think Jeff really needs his cousins, whom he has a good relationship with, as do I.  He and his siblings are not in each other's lives and that seems to be a mutual agreement at this point.  Jeff is very much loved by his aunt, cousins, our kids, grandkids and my side of the family.  My brothers love their "big brother", and my parents consider him their own son.  My aunts, uncles and cousins all love him too.  What can I say, my husband is a very kind, compassionate, caring and loving man who would do anything for those he loves.  I think I will keep him. ;)

   

   

   

   

   

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 5/29/24

 

                                 When the kitty steals your new bed...

    Jeff is recovering from orthoscopic knee surgery and has to be off his leg for at least 3 weeks.  The first week was pretty rough, but we are now in the second week and the doctor prescribed some meds to help him relax so he can heal faster.  He is trying to help me with the household tasks and amazes me with what he can do without putting pressure on that leg.  That being said, I am still having to do the majority of the things he usually does around here.  With my own problem knees, back, hip and fibromyalgia, this has not been easy and I am exhausted but it has to be done.  Luckily our kids and neighbors are helping out with mowing the lawn, and doing other household tasks that I cannot do.  Prayers for my sweet hubby are appreciated and welcomed.

   This is a conglomeration of my frugal doings over the past month or so.  My memory is not the best, but I will try to list all I remember.  

~I'm back to making bread again.  I had taken a break for about 3 weeks, and both Jeff and I missed my homemade bread.

~Jeff got my back screened in porch furniture all take out of the shed and back where it belongs.  This was before his surgery.   I love sitting out here while I type up my blogs along with eating meals and having coffee (or cocktails depending on the time and the day).

~Jeff and I went to an estate sale and I found lots of nice quality named branded clothing in both my size and his, some were even new with tags.  I got us all stocked up for the colder weather months again.  I also bought a gorgeous crystal bud vase and a book.

~Yard sale finds included 2 sterling silver rings for $3 each and some more books.

~Thrift store finds were a caftan, some small shaker style jars to store seasonings in for the camper, and women's bible study book for me and a nice sweatshirt for Chris.  We also found some shorts and shoes for Jeff at a second store.

~I went to JoAnn Fabric on one of their last days and bought interior paint for the pop-up tent trailer at 80% off and also got bra extenders for under $1 per package.

~I put together my own hanging baskets of flowers for a fraction of the price of premade ones.

~We were able to use the ramp that goes over the back steps onto the porch that we use for pellets for Jeff to be able to use his walker to get into the house after his surgery.  I am so glad he built that thing and that we have wonderful friends and neighbors who got it set up for us before we got home.

~I found Hershey's chocolate candy for .79 cents a bar on clearance.  I bought 20 of them to use for making smores when we go camping (okay, there is one less chocolate bar now since Jeff and I split on a particularly frustrating day).

~We have a local to our town Farmers Market.  I went down to it for the first time this season on Sunday.  I bought some rhubarb blueberry jam and some homemade goat's milk soap for my hubby that a dear friend makes.  They were also giving out some food leftover from our town's commodities distribution.  I got a 4 bags of powdered milk, 2 bags of lentils, 2 bags of split peas, a bag of pears and a bag of apples for free.  This will really help with the food budget.

~The garden has been planted out with 5 tomato plants, radishes, spinach, lettuce, 2 1/2 beds of potatoes, 1 raised bed of beans, and I have cucumbers and zucchini started in the greenhouse.  Once the spinach and radishes are done, I will plant the cucumbers there and trellis them.  The zucchini will be planted out in another spot in the garden.

~Our new Home Depot opened and I was able to find 2 medium sized planters with pink Dalias in them for $8.00 each. They are now on either side of my bench in the front of the house walkway.

~I'm cherry picking the deals again at the grocery store and found pork loins for $3.00 each after my discount and the half off sticker.  This made 3 servings. I also found thinly sliced round steak that I turned into some delicious stroganoff with the addition of a package of sliced mushrooms.  This made 5 servings when served over baked potatoes.  I also got 2 more cans of baking chocolate so I can make homemade hot cocoa mix for Jeff to have in his coffee.  It is much cheaper for me to make it that buy the premade stuff.

~Our neighbors had bought a big watermelon and had too much for just the two of them so they gave us part of it.

~Our son Jaysn, along with our Rachel and grandson Steven came over and got the swamp cooler up and running for us.  This was really sweet of them since Jeff is in the second week of his recovery from knee surgery and still cannot put any weight on it or bend it.  We had pizza for dinner, along with some watermelon and had a wonderful visit with the 3 of them.

~I got the lighter weight quilts out that my mother made for the bed and the smaller ones for the living room to cuddle up under when the nights are cooler.  The heavier feather duvet got folded up and the duvet cover got washed and put away for the season.

~While making the guest bed (which is where I sleep), I put 4 hand embroidered pillowcases on my pillows.  These are ones that I found at previous yard and estate sales and compliment my mother's quilt that I put on the bed.

   Next week will be a rough one for our family with Jeff's siblings, his aunt, one of his cousins, and our kids and grandkids having a graveside service for both Jeff's parents.  Following that, we will be scattering his Aunt Helen's ashes up on the mountain where her parents' ashes are.  Given the family dynamics, well, we will see if everyone can just focus on paying our respects to our beloved family members who have passed.  We are looking forward to seeing Jeff's aunt and cousin and visiting with them, along with getting to spend a bit of time with our Josh who is coming up for the service.  As you all know if you have been reading this blog for awhile, family is our personal treasure here on earth.

   

   

Surgery for Hubby and Other Things

 

   Jeff was finally able to get his much-needed knee surgery.  There was more damage than they thought, but all in all it was the best outcome possible.  He is now having to keep his knee totally straight for two weeks and not put any pressure on it. Week three he can start to bend it and we will see at that point if he can start to put any pressure on it or not.  The doctor figured that he would be off work for about 6 weeks and then can go back but be careful with his knee for a bit more time.  Getting around the house with his walker (which he decided yesterday that he was done with and switched to crutches which he had me retrieve from Chris and Heather) was wearing him out, especially the getting up and down part.  I know he thought the crutches would be easier, but sadly, that is not the way it turned out.  Between the surgery on Tuesday and expending all that energy, he is exhausted and taking multiple naps a day.  We are staying up until 11p.m. for him to take his pain pill before bed, and then are back up at 5:15 a.m. for another pain pill.  Of course the fur babies all think that they are starving at that point, so I get all of them fed, coffee going for Jeff and I and then get him something to eat.  By 9 a.m., both of us head back to bed for a bit.   Now, if I were a normal and healthy person, this would not also be taking a toll on me so much, but you have to remember that I have fibromyalgia, along with hip and back problems.  I am doing my best at trying to take care of him, the house and yard, but let me just say this...some things are definitely slipping through the cracks.  I will be enlisting the help of my oldest grandson Bradley next week to mow the yard and possibly get Jaysn over here to work on the swamp cooler this long weekend since the temperatures are supposed to get up in the high 80's.  YUCK!

   Before Jeff's surgery, I tried to get as much done as I could and get stocked up on everything we needed grocery wise except for the fresh produce and dairy products.  I did get some apples, since the last longer, but Jeff loves to have a banana a day, so I will have to run into the grocery store at some point for that.  Since Jeff will be without a paycheck for about 6 weeks, I told him we are just practicing for when he fully retires.  I will be getting a very small SS check starting in July, but we are going to try and save half of it and use the rest to pay for windshield replacements on both Jeff's car and the truck, and get the rest of the things Jeff needs to fix some other things on his car.  We are waiting to see how much his Medicare/Medicaid will pick up in costs, since we will have to pay off his knee surgery also.  At this point he is saying he wants to retire this Fall, but he also wants to make sure we get these other things done and paid for first.  I get where he is coming from.

   We are hoping our garden does well this year.  I have spinach, radishes, lettuce and potatoes already coming up.  My tomato plants have been living in the greenhouse and will be planted out tomorrow.  I have 5 different plants of different varieties.  I wanted everything from cherry tomatoes to pear tomatoes and onto big slicers.  I didn't pick out any Roma plants this year or grow any from seed because I still have bags and bags of them frozen from last year that I still need to process.  I started zucchini and cucumbers last week in the greenhouse and am waiting for all of them to come up and get a bit more established before I get them planted out.  Beans will be directly seeded this coming week and I am hoping I get lots of them also.  Jeff and I love green and yellow beans, and I'd like to blanch and freeze at least 15 bags of them this year in addition to eating some fresh.

   There really is not much else going on around here at the moment.  Other than going to the doctor for Jeff's knee surgery checkups and doing the occasional grocery shopping, we will pretty much be home bodies for the next 6 weeks or so.  Steven will be joining us on Fridays in early June, so that will be a much needed and delightful distraction for both Jeff and I.  He just celebrated his 8th birthday and lucky for me, is still cuddly.  ;)

  

I hope you all have a nice Memorial Day weekend.  Please take a moment to remember the reason for this long weekend and send up good thoughts and prayers for the families of those who have lost loved ones who served.  Please also pray for those currently serving and for their families also.  With the way the world is right now, our brave men and women can be put in harms way at any moment.  This is coming from a mom who lives with this knowledge and possibility every single day.  Thank you and God Bless!

   

   

Yes, I am still here.

 

   Yes, I am still here.  Things got crazy busy in our lives again and I needed to just focus on our family, friends and home.  It has been nice to take a break from blogging, even though I do love sharing my life with all of you.  My priority is and always will be, my family.

   Baseball season is in full swing for our oldest two grandsons Bradley and Isaiah.  Jeff and I are trying to make sure that we get to go to as many of their games as possible.  They are playing in different leagues this year so we are having to figure out which games to go to when and keeping things as even as possible.  We look forward to their games and being able to see our older kids too. ;)

   We recently got back from Utah where we spent a week with our youngest two grandkids, Peyton and Tate.  Josh and Lauren had an out-of-town commitment and needed a short few days of vacation, so we went down to take care of the kids.  We had a lot of fun watching Tate play soccer and doing some fun things with both he and Peyton.  Grammie here finally has a little girl to do her hair and dress up, and I had a wonderful time doing just that.  We took our dog Maggie with us down there and she enjoyed being part of a pack.  She also got a new bed out of it, which she absolutely loves.

   This coming weekend we are going to celebrate both Mother's Day and our middle grandchild Steven's birthday a little early. It has been a bit since the whole family has been able to get together.  We have all been stretched in different direction and trying to find a time that works for all of us has been a challenge. 

   The garden is taking up a lot of our time, but it is very worth it!  I found some great deals on plants and will be making hanging baskets soon.  I also need to get the lettuce, bok choi and spinach seeded in.  Jeff has done an amazing job getting the raised beds ready for me.  I just need to get out there and get er done! ;)

   These next two weeks are going to be busy with medical appointments and surgeries for our family.  I have my regular quarterly doctor's appointment so I can get my medications monitored.  I have bloodwork to do and luckily already had my mammogram which looked good.  Jeff has his pre-op appointment for his knee surgery next week, followed by the actual surgery the following week.  Our Rachel tore her ACL and is going to be having surgery to repair that during this same time period.  Her sister, who has the most beautiful heart, is coming up to help her and Jaysn with Steven and to help their mother if she needs it.   We had joked that if Jeff and her had surgery close together, that I would give up my recliner and they could watch movies together while they both healed.  Well, they are having their surgery within a few days of each other and the offer is still open.  ;)  I have a feeling that both Rachel's sister and I are going to have our hands full trying to keep these two resting and not going stir crazy.  LOL!  Yes, they are both not ones to rest much and tend to focus on all the things they think need to be done right then.  And yes, Rachel, I know you will read this and giggle because I am spot on.  Love you!

   I need to leave this here now since I need to take a shower and get ready to go to Isaiah's game.  Today has been a busy day for me already and I have gotten a lot done despite being tired.  Be blessed all!

   

A Big Thank You and Catch Up

 

   I want to thank everyone who has commented, prayed and kept our family in your thoughts.  It has not been easy.  I did not realize how much it was affecting me until I hit day 4 of not showering and just staying in the same pajamas.  I knew I had to claw my way back up and out of the depression spiral.  I can "mask" things pretty well with a smile, concentrating on helping others, etc. all the while slowing being sucked down myself. Not even my sweet hubby knows how deep the hurt is until I finally open up and tell him.  I then find out that he is hurting very deeply also.  So today, I finally took a long shower and tried to scrub away the pain.  Did it work?  No, but I am clean now and am able to post here again, so I would say that I am moving in the right direction.

   Jeff and I have been working on projects around the house, trying to get things back in order after almost a year of just not having the energy physically or mentally to do "all the things".  None of the projects are huge, just time consuming.  There has been lots of cleaning, purging, reorganizing and making lists of other projects that need to be done.  I'm sure many can relate to this.

   Jeff and I did go on a real "date" last Friday.  We went to one of our favorite breweries for their Saint Paddy's Day dinner.  Well, I ordered the traditional corned beef dinner, Jeff had a burger and then finished the rest of my dinner because there was just so much food! They also had green beer in very tall pilsner glasses and it was really good.  Dessert was Green Velvet cake with vanilla bean ice cream.  YUM!  Jeff and I shared that because it was a huge piece.  We waddled out of there happy and came home to our recliners and watched Moana 2.  

   Earlier this week I got a message from our son Josh who said that our youngest grandkids wanted to talk to Grammie and Gpa.  I got the computer all loaded up and we Facetimed with them.  First thing our little Miss Peyton says is "Where's Gpa?" since he was turning on a light and was not in frame.  Yes, she is Gpa's girl!  She then modeled her Snow White princess dress for us.  Tate, who is Grammie's buddy, decided to take the phone from his father and give us a "tour" of the cool new vacuum that  his mom got.  LOL!  This is a boy who loves cleaning gadgets and was very excited about them having a new one. ')    Those grandbabies, along with our other 3 older ones, are helping motivate me to come up to the surface once again. :)

   There have frugal doings around here too.  I cut up, sugared and froze 4 pints of strawberries. I made Belgium Waffles with some mix that I found in my pantry that I had forgotten about and served that with homemade maple syrup along with some cherry syrup I made with some of my mom's homemade cherry jam.  Jeff used up the last of the syrup, so I made more to have on hand.  We got in on a really good chicken deal.  I got the chicken hindquarters for $1.57 a pound with $1.00 off the package.  Apparently, they had a lot of chicken to sell quickly, so they also had a buy one family pack, get one free deal.  I froze one of the packages and made shoyu chicken with the other.  We had shoyu chicken over rice for one meal and I then froze the rest for another meal.  I love having fully cooked meals I can pull out of the freezer and just add a side dish to it.  The leftover rice was used for 2 meals of chili and rice. Cabbage was on sale, so I bought 3 of them.  I used half of one to make coleslaw, and will use the other half in another dish.  The 2 remaining cabbages will be used for a cabbage salad, while most of it will be blanched and the dehydrated so I can add it to soups, stews, etc. at a later date. I made a nice dinner with broiled asparagus and lobster ravioli.  I also made another nice homemade alfredo pasta dish and served that with a nice crisp salad. We ordered another hose online for Jeff's cpap machine saving ourselves about $40 there.  I have been using decor that I have on hand here to change out my Winter decor and bring our some of the Spring stuff.  Jeff found some watercolor prints from Hawaii that I will be framing and putting up in our guest bathroom.  They are bright and cheery and remind me of happy times in my life growing up.  I finally found a pair of jeans that fit me and Jeff found some lounging type pants at the thrift store.  Oh, I also found more new canning lids and rings.  I love to have lots of these on hand.

   I had better go and figure out dinner for tonight.  Be blessed all and thank you once again.

   

   

More Deaths in our Family

                                                                             😭

   We sadly have lost two more family members this past week.  We lost my Uncle Gary (my father's youngest brother) and my hanai Auntie Toots.  Both of them were so important to me and shared nothing but unconditional love, support and laughter.  I was sure when my mother gave me the news about my Uncle Gary, that she was calling to tell me that my Uncle Ed had passed away.  Uncle Ed is still holding on though, and is back in the hospital once more.  It is hard to be losing so many people that we love so close together.  Jeff and I were hoping this would be a good year for us, but it seems to be off to a rough start.  Prayers would be appreciated for my family.  There are so many people hurting right now.  Thank you.

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 2/21/25

    

Hello all, I hope you have had a good week.  It has been a productive one around here with little projects getting done.  Jeff is also finally processing his father's passing away (he died at the start of January).  I knew it would take him time to really come to terms with it.  My husband tends to hold things in and put them away in "little boxes" in his mind.  I understand this all too well, as I also do the same thing.  I am glad that he is able to talk about some good memories and some things that he cherishes that his father gave him when he was still allowed to have a relationship with him.  We talked about how we are breaking that generational curse with our own children and grandchildren.  And now, onto the savings this week.

~Saturday Jeff and I took a quick trip into town to both get me out of the house for a bit and to pick up a few things.  We found some great deals at the grocery store and ran into one of our neighbors there. 😄

~The snow came in over the weekend and Jeff got the driveway and walkways shoveled out.  He also got the lower driveway of our shared driveway with the neighbors done and shoveled out a walkway for the to their back door.  The have a baby and Jeff is always trying to find ways to make their lives easier and safer.  How I love that man of mine!

~For Valentine's Day (one day late), I cooked up some lamb chops, red skinned mashed potatoes from scratch (using up the rest of my half and half that needed to be used) and green beans.  I made a double batch of both the lamb chops and potatoes so that we could have them again on Monday.  The lamb chops were bought on sale a few months ago and frozen until they were pulled out again for a treat like this.

~We watched several movies over the weekend in the comfort of our home and recliners.

~Jeff and I cut each other's hair.  It feels so good to have my hair short once again.

~More bread was made.  Jeff loves my homemade bread.

~I took the bones from the lamb chops, added some celery, onion and parsley, along with some seasonings, put them in the slow cooker, and set it on low for 24 hours.  It made a very rich broth.

~We do not take Maggie to the groomers to have her claws clipped.  We did them ourselves on Thursday.

~Jeff reglued the joints on my larger antique rocker that has been in my family for generations.  It is an old Windsor style and I absolutely treasure it.  I put a pillow on the seat of it to help protect it and a sheepskin on the back to keep the drafts off your back in the cold weather months.  I brought it out here for extra seating for humans, but the cats have taken it over.  At least it is being enjoyed on a regular basis, right? 😉

~I used my Trac Phone rewards to cash in for a $25 Applebee's digital gift card.  I also was able to get 2 free digital magazine subscriptions, including Magnolia magazine.

~Jeff and I talked to Bradley and Isaiah about G-pa (Jeff) teaching them some basic car repairs on our little car that the boys will be getting within the next year.  Chris is too busy to do his own car stuff and takes their cars to a mechanic, so the boys have not been taught these skills.  We will pay for all the parts and things, and they will help with the labor.  Jeff will also be teaching them how to drive a stick shift (which is what this car is).  Both boys were very excited and both want G-pa's car.  They do have another car from Aunt Helen, but it is not "cool" like G-pa's car.  LOL!  It looks like they are going to have to take turns.  

~We have so many CDs.  I am trying to play them and see which ones I want to keep, and which I want to try and sell.  We are trying to do the same with some of our DVDs and Blu-ray movies.

~I received 2 refund checks in the mail from our doctor's office.  They had charged me for 2 office visits, both which should have been free.  These happened months ago and to be honest I had forgotten about them.  The checks added up to about $60, so that was a nice surprise!

   I'd better go and get the dog's tennis ball back from Patchy cat.  She and Midgey like to steal Maggie's toys and play with them, much to Maggie's dismay.  I have put extra balls out, but Maggie has a favorite ball and the cats seem to love that one too.  Go figure!  Have a great weekend and stay safe and warm.