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.

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 5/1/24 and 5/10/24

 

   Grammie brag!!! Our Isaiah is quite the hunter, he lined up his shot and got both turkeys with one bullet!  We are so proud of him.  His daddy also got a turkey so they now have 3 for the freezer. 😊  Isaiah is our hands on, outdoor loving kid who is happiest fishing and hunting.  I love that he shares this passion with his dad (our son Chris).

   Life once again got away from us.  We have been so busy both physically and mentally.  Many, many phone calls have been made concerning Jeff's aunt's trailer and her care. There was also a trip up there and another one coming up this Monday to hopefully finalize the Power of Attorney for Jeff's aunt and pick up the last of the items that she wants from her home.  A few will be going to her at the care center to help decorate her space.  I really hope that will help he feel more settled in.  This has been a rough journey for her, and for someone who has lived alone most of her life, a HUGE adjustment.

   

Week 1:

~We went to a dear friend and his son's birthday party over the weekend and had a wonderful time!

~Jeff installed the new toilet into our guest bathroom.

~I got the steaks I bought on sale repacked up, along with 1-pound blocks of Mozzarella cheese and food savered them, then froze them.

~I marinated steak tips in red wine and Montreal Steak Seasoning and the cooked those up with onions and sweet red bell peppers.  I served those with well-seasoned mashed potatoes.

~We made a last-minute trip up to see Jeff's aunt on Monday and cleared out more of her house for her. When we got home, I changed into pajamas and went to bed.  I was totally exhausted and hurting so badly.  Cleaning out houses when having fibromyalgia is not a good combination.

~Tuesday Jeff went to work, and I got up early, feeling an urgency to pray.  As I opened up Facebook, I found out why.  So many of my friends and family need prayer.  This became even more apparent later in the day also. Of course, this made my fibromyalgia flare even worse and I am so glad I had leftover pizza in the refrigerator that I could warm up for lunch.

~I spent most of Tuesday on the couch, in pain, and getting caught up on a few shows on TV.

~Dinner Tuesday night was cheese and crackers.  Jeff and I both thought that sounded good and it was very easy to pull together.

~I uploaded Safeway's digital coupons onto my card.  I will have Jeff pick me up some of the creamer that is on sale.

~We worked on many projects around the house.

Week 2:

~Jeff and I went "treasure hunting" at the apartment complexes that WSU students moved out of.  We found and collected the following: a fun t-shirt, an Eddie Bauer light down filled jacket (this is going to Chris and Isaiah), a heavy weight winter jacket, a fleece pullover, a lightweight hoodie, a Carhart jacket that fits Jeff, a round side table, 2 milk crates, and a large plastic tote (which was much needed).

~I cut a really big pork loin roast in half so it would fit in my largest crockpot and made Kalua Pig with it.  I added spinach from our garden shortly before it was done and after I shredded the meat and put it back in the juices and broth.

~Jeff and I worked on the gardens, and he got the tomato support and the bean arch done and in place.  He made these with pig panels and some t-posts.

~I got more things seeded in.  I also trimmed back plants that had gotten hit by the frost we had about 3 weeks ago.

~We shopped the loss leaders at the grocery stores.

~Our entertainment for the week was going to a very cold and windy baseball game to see Bradley and Isaiah play.  They both did great!  My biggest surprise and blessing was Steven seeing Jeff and I arrive there and running up to me yelling Grammie with a huge smile on his face!  We both has really missed each other.  It was so good to see Jaysn and Rachel too...it has been way too long with them and us having been super busy lately.  I have to give it to my family, they really do try to be there for one another as much as possible, and that makes my heart smile.

~We got to talk to Josh and Lauren about when would be best to come down and see them.  Jeff and I were both giggling listening to them both stop mid-sentence multiple times to tell the little ones something.  It brought back many memories of our boys growing up and us doing the same thing.

~I have been trying to use up things that have been in the freezer for a while.  I will need the space when the gardens start producing so I am getting ready now.

~Jeff and I watched a disaster movie on YouTube.  Yes, it is relaxing to me.  Strange I know.

~I got all of Jeff's aunt's summer clothing washed and ready to go up to her.  I am also throwing in some of my things that I no longer fit in, but I think she will since she has lost a lot of weight.  She was very happy with that idea.

~Since the weather has been much warmer, I hung the sheets and some of the other laundry out on the line to dry.

~For Mother's Day this year I asked for and got 2 green table grape vines.  I usually ask for rose bushes, but this year I changed things up a bit since I found the grape vines at a terrific price and I have always wanted some.  Now to figure out where to put them.

   Be blessed my sweet friends and may your days be filled with beauty, peace, and all things good!

 

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 4/26/24

   Jeff and I have been super busy this past week.  We took a trip up to see his aunt on Sunday and to start cleaning out her home and getting the things out of there and down here that she wanted to keep.  Chris, Heather and the boys came up to meet/visit with Aunt H and she was delighted to see Chris as a grown-up man and meet his family.  We went over some care and legal matters with her and Jeff was named Power of Attorney, with Chris being a backup if needed.  Jeff is Aunt H's favorite nephew and Chris knows the medical side of things, so they were both the best options in my opinion.  

   Chris and Heather were an amazing help getting things out of Aunt H's place.  She has some great artwork pieces from other artists, as well as some that she did herself.  We also took her computer, the rest of the family pictures, some furniture that she wanted to have us keep for her, financial documents, the television set, and some nick-nacks that mean a lot to her.  She gave us a list and we followed it and then picked out more things that we were sure she would want out of there and added those to the bins that we took up to store it all in.  The biggest item, her car, was given a good jump start.  She gifted the car to Chris and Heather so that the boys, Bradley and Isaiah, could share it when they got their driver's licenses.  What a generous thing for her to do and we were all very touched by it.

   Other frugal doings:

~We stocked up on baking supplies before the prices go up again.  We had been down in the valley and found that prices at Winco are cheaper there than up by us.

~Jeff and I ran into a dear friend that we had not seen in years!  Years ago, she and her husband ministered here in our town and our kids got to be good friends.  She and I became very close friends too and it was hard when she moved away.  We are able to give each other hugs, get caught up on each other's lives, and share great memories.  What a blessing it was to see her once more since I had been wanted so badly to see her and had just been thinking about her moments before.

~I bought 4 beautiful Geraniums on sale for $1.99 each and am going to try my hand at propagating them.

~Meals were eaten here at home, or, if we were out, we bought a sandwich to share from Winco.

~I found a Ninja Turtles walkie talkie set on clearance at Walmart.  This is a gift for one of our hanai son's birthday. I also found a gift bag to put it in at a thrift store.

~Jeff and I went to watch Bradley and Isaiah's baseball game on Wednesday.  We took popcorn and our drinks with us.  Jeff also gave Heather's dad a box full of some screws that he can use.  He was blown away by how many there were and only took one of the two boxes full.

~Jeff also found someone who wants to buy some of the drywall screws that he has here from that pallet of screws and nails he bought for $50 from work.  He is going to charge them $25 for them which is a great deal for them and gets Jeff back half the money he spent.

~Jeff bought a new taller toilet from work and of course got his employee discount on it.  We needed to replace the toilet in the guest bathroom.  He will be installing it this weekend.

~I bought some steaks on sale and will be repacking most of them and freezing them for meals at a later date.  Steak is something that we can rarely afford, so when I saw the amazing price on these, I jumped on it.

   Now, an update on Remmie, or Miss Hiss, as I have nicknamed her. 😉 She is settling in more and more each day but cannot be left without supervision.  She tried to jump up on the curio shelf with my grandmother's teacup and saucer set...um no, that is not happening!  When we leave our home to go somewhere, Remmie has to go into the guest bathroom where her food, water, liter box and her cat bed are.  She is not happy about this arrangement, but sadly, it has to be done.  She is getting more and more loving with both Jeff and I, but will hiss at us when she is told no or just randomly.  He and I are learning to ignore her when she does this since we are sure some of it is attention seeking behavior.  She still gets lots and lots of lovies from us both and is slowly learning what the rules are in our home since she basically ruled the roost in Aunt H's house.

   Be blessed all and have a great weekend. 

    

A Phone Call, A Family Reunion, and Remmie.

 

   Life has been so busy and we thought it was starting to slow down, when we got the phone call.  Jeff's aunt needed us and we dropped everything to go up and be with her.  Arrangements were made to take care of our cats and I quickly made a hotel reservation.  Jeff and I packed an overnight bag and headed up her way.

   We had a wonderful in person reunion with her (it was supposed to have already taken place but we did not have a vehicle to get to her until we bought the new one since the truck was also having issues).  Lots of hugs, tears, memories, and the starting to make plans on how to handle things.

   The main concern, and rightly so, was her beloved cat, Remmie, who is a beautiful 18-year-old Russian Blue.  Remmie needed to be rehomed and we told Jeff's aunt that we would take the cat before even meeting her.  Upon meeting Remmie, we were greeted with lots of vocalizations, figure eights around our legs, and the need for lots of lovies.  Jeff's aunt had been concerned that Remmie might hiss at us and even bite or scratch us.  There was some hissing, but only when we had to get her in the kitty carrier to bring her home with us the next day.

   There were other things that needed to be taken care of and we were able to get a few of them done, but will be going back up again with our son Chris to pick up things from her home that she wants us to keep safe for her.  Chris will get to see his great aunt once again, since he has not seen her since he was a child.  His great aunt is very excited to see him again too.

   If I may, let our family be a lesson in how lies, jealously and deep hurts can tear a family to shreds, but there is hope for reconnecting with other family members who have also been victims of all of the above.  People, who were innocent, have been blamed for things they did not do, and that led to further divisions within the family.  The past two days, more lies were brought to light, and I think we all realized that so much time and energy had been wasted for all these years.  As for us, and for Jeff's beautiful aunt, we are just so thankful that we never gave up on reaching out to her and that now she knows the truth, that we always have, and always will love and want her in our lives.  

My Oh My!

 

   I am beyond exhausted and just want to find a warm spot in the sun and take a nap!  So much has happened over the past few weeks, and I have felt like I was in either "push it to the max" or drowning mode.  We have had medical emergencies including a late night run into pick up Steven from the emergency room where Rachel was for the second time within a 24 hour period (it turned out to be a very nasty and painful stomach virus that mimic gallbladder trouble, she is fine now thankfully) and bring him home with us and then get him back into his town for school the next morning.  We have had horrible news about our car and how much it would cost to fix it.  The fix is more than the whole car is worth, so we had it towed home and decided we would contact a salvage company to come and get it.  Jeff and I have both been battling sinus issues and our backs have been really acting up but gardening season is upon us, so we could not let down.

   

   We finally decided to bite the bullet and start test driving cars.  The first two we test drove were not our favorites and Jeff did not even fit well in either with his long legs.  The salesmen there tried every high pressure gimmick they could though to get us to buy one of them though.  We walked away from them and their nefarious ways!  I saw a Subaru Forrester that I thought would work for us so we went down to see it and before we could even get the keys to test drive it, Jeff saw the Chevy Impala above.  Jeff was sold on it!  We took it for a test drive, they took our Ford Flex in for a trade in (and they are going to pay to have it towed), and we also put some money down, so our payments are around $200 a month.  That is more than doable, and we will be throwing extra money at the payments to pay it off early.

   

   I've been trying to stretch the money like I stretch a chicken!  Above its meals 4, 5 and 6 off a roasted chicken that I got from the Walmart deli that was marked down to $3.32.  The first two meals were chicken legs, thighs and one of the chicken breasts.  Oh, I also made a chicken salad for sandwiches, so that would be meal three.  I then took the remainder of the chicken and put it in a shallow crockpot along with some water and a little chicken seasoning and let that cook overnight.  That gave me a rich broth that I cooked the cheese tortellini in while I picked the chicken off the bones and put most of it back into the pot.  I did save some and put it in the freezer to add to some soup later.  I also made some udon soup with green onions from our garden and made Jeff some crispy chicken sandwiches for dinner another night.

   Jeff and I stripped out our strawberry bed in the side garden and since we had to cancel our trip to see my parents because of all the car issues, I put out a post on Facebook that I was looking for some ever bearing strawberry plants.  A dear friend said she had some and that I could have all that I wanted.  Upon our arrival at their home I was met with the cutest little dog who wanted nothing more than to love on us and at least 12 raised beds of various types of strawberry plants.  We got ever bearing for the side and are trying some June bearing in the front around the bird bath.  Luckily Jeff had our side garden bed ready for the plants and he was I both worked on getting them in after I got dinner started.  We had a 30 minute window to get them planted and watered in while dinner cooked and we just made it!  We were both really sore with our backs aching and mine having locked up to the point where Jeff had to help me stand, but we did it and hopefully will be rewarded with at least a small crop of strawberries this year.  I am dreaming of more fresh strawberry topping for pancakes, waffles and Angel food cakes. 

   That is about it for now, I need to get the taxes all signed, copied and sent off in the morning after having finished them today.  I have a feeling that today was a rough day for Jeff at work and I did not want him to have to help me again with them tonight.  Anyone else think doing taxes is a real pain? 

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 3/8/24 and 3/15/24

 

 

   Our oldest grandson Bradley, pictured above, is now 12!  We are so very proud of our incredibly smart, creative, kind and yes, still sarcastic and quick witted young man.  He does not like seeing people left out of things and is our 6 year old grandson Steven's favorite cousin because he always goes out of his way to play with him.  Steven absolutely adores him!  He is a "country kid" and loves hiking, hunting, exploring, camping and playing baseball.  He also is getting really good at driving.  Again, country kid and it is very common around here for kids to learn to drive early to help out on farms and such.  He was and remains our favorite anniversary gift ever!

   Our car remains in the shop waiting to figure out all that is wrong with it and hopefully, it will be cheaper to fix it than have to buy a new (used) vehicle.  Good news is that Jeff's Social Security was finally approved and we had 2 checks deposited into our bank account!  We have no doubt that most, it not all, of it will be spent on the car repairs or purchase of a new to us vehicle.  We can live on just what Jeff makes at his part time job thankfully.  Now onto a 2 week Frugal Friday Wrap Up...

   

Week 1:

~I found some marked down fried chicken at Winco for half the regular price.  That made 4 meals for Jeff since he loves fried chicken. 

~I had a "feeling" that we needed to stop in at Goodwill because there would be something golf related there for Jeff that day.  There was, it was a brand new golf glove in his size.  We rarely see those there.  I also found a beautiful Fall themed throw blanket with a pumpkin and fox print on it.  So very pretty and will become part of my Fall decor since I keep a basket of blankets in the living room for anyone to grab and cuddle up under.

~Jeff and I have been binge watching the various "Traitors" shows from around the world on Peacock. It is interesting to see how people react to each other as they try to figure out who the traitors are.

~Pantry pulled meals are what is on the menu this week.  Jeff got a package of ham slices out of the freezer and I used half of it to make Fettuccini Alfredo with some of the dehydrated zucchini from our garden boiled along with the noodles.  Very yummy and made for 2 meals!

~Chris borrowed a trailer from another one of his friends to haul our car over to our mechanic.  He traded his truck for ours to haul the car and took the truck our home with him since he used our truck to tow the trailer with the car on it.  We will trade him back when we go over for Bradley's birthday dinner next week.  I gave him $50, which he reluctantly agreed to take.  I told him to buy the guy who he borrowed the trailer from some beer and use the rest to help pay for gas for his truck.

~I tried something new with the sourdough discard.  I made some everything bagel crackers and did a long ferment on them.  So GOOD!!!!

~More homemade washcloths and a scrubby pad were crocheted on Monday while I watched some television.

~Tuesday we had leftovers for dinner.  It had been one of those days when I just had to rest both physically and emotionally since my nervous system was overwhelmed.

~I had some leftover coffee at the end of the day so I made an iced coffee as a pick me up as my energy waned.

~Homemade biscuits and sausage gravy with a side of fresh pear slices was dinner on Wednesday.  Comfort foods at it's finest.

Week 2:

~Jeff and I celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary over the weekend.  We ended up going out for lunch (much cheaper than dinner).

~I found 3 feather pillows for the living room for $1.99 for the smaller one and $2.99 for the two larger ones.  I have been trying to change over all of our living room pillows to high quality feather ones. Yes, this was at the thrift store.  I also bought 2 shirts for .75 each.  Jeff found a pair of work pants for $5.99 also.

~Jeff chose teriyaki meatloaf, rice and corn as our anniversary dinner here at home.  I also scrubbed up some potatoes that needed to be used and baked those alongside the meatloaf.

~Six of the baked potatoes were used in a huge pot of veggie chowder.  This gave us many meals!

~Our family celebrated Bradley's 12th birthday on Tuesday.  Can you believe he is a "tween" now?  I started this blog when we found out that we were going to become grandparents for the first time.  We all had a wonderful time together!  Oh, Chris sent me home with 3 bottles of beer since he was not fond of them.

~While at Chris and Heather's for Bradley's birthday, we filled up a large garbage can with well-rotted chicken poop and bedding.  This is going into our garden beds and will be worked in well.  Free fertilizer is always welcome!

My best find of the week, hands down, was a Magic Mill food dehydrator.  It was $34.98 at Goodwill.  It looks brand new and has the silicone drying sheets and screens with it.  I price checked on Amazon and they are welling for around $200 there.  I had been wanting to replace one of my dehydrators that has seen better days.  I was so very happy to find this one!

~Jeff got all the fruit trees and the berry bushes pruned and cleaned out.  That man works so hard for us!

~Our dryer decided to make an awful noise!  Jeff took things apart and found out the squirrel cage had gone out again.  We picked up a replacement part for it and Jeff will be installing it this weekend.  Luckily for us, we have our clothesline so we were able to get all the sheets dried out there.

   So there you go, another 2 weeks' worth of savings, bargain hunting, trouble shooting, gardening, cooking and 2 very wonderful celebrations of in our family.  As always, family is our main focus, for family is the greatest treasure here on earth that God has ever blessed us with.  We also continue to try to build up and expand our gardens, our food preservation tools and our skills here at home.  Be blessed my dear friends.