He is still my Best Friend!

   Today Jeff and I celebrate 33 years of marriage!  We met when I was 19, officially started dating 6 months later when I was 20, got engaged on my 21st birthday and got married that following Spring.  Sometimes it just amazes me that the minute I met Jeff, I just felt this instant connection to him.  It only took us 6 months to run into each other again after that. 😉  From that moment on, we were a couple and spent every bit of time we could with each other.  Our relationship has always been built on the solid foundation of being friends first  From the very beginning, we could talk about anything and became each others biggest encourager, supporter, sounding board to bounce ideas off of.  No one knows us as well as we know each other.  We have shared our deepest secrets, fears, dreams, successes and sorrows together.  We are totally honest with each other and will let the other one know if we think that they could have handled something differently. 😉 We both have each other's backs and our love is, has and will always be unconditional.  Jeff has fully embraced my parents, brothers, sister, cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents as his own and they have done the same for him.  He shares a very special relationship with them and for that I am so thankful to him and to them.  He and  I also remain close to some of his cousins, one of my former sister in laws and her husband, and our oldest niece and her beautiful family.   We also love our youngest niece and hope that once she turns 18 and can make her own decisions in life, that we can rebuild our relationship with her.  They are all amazing people and we love them dearly.  We are choosing to focus on those that love and support us and not on the "the others".

   Jeff and I could have never imagined all those years ago the great joy of becoming parents and watching our children grow into the most amazing adults and start their own families.  Back then, being grandparents seemed to be so far off in the distant future but now here we are with a 6 year old, a 4 year old and a 9 month old!  We now have these amazing daughters that came into our family when they married our boys and hope to add another one in the near future. 

   My husband is a gift, given to me by God.  He has and continues to stick by my side through my debilitating illnesses that have taken years to get a proper diagnosis on.  He has really stepped up and taken on more and more of the daily responsibilities of running our home and making it easier for me on a daily basis to be able to function here, especially on bad flare/crash days.  He drives me where I need to go most days, comes with me to my doctor's appointments, is there when I have had surgery, takes over anything and everything when I am having a rough day and is my best friend.  I could not love him more! 

Happy 6th Birthday Bradley!

    Today we celebrate and thank God for sending us this amazing kid!  Bradley started us on our journey to becoming grandparents and the beginning of this amazing new chapter in our lives.  He is smart, funny, loving, kind, sarcastic (how can he not be in this family 😉), strong willed, athletic, and an avid outdoorsman already.  He is fiercely protective of those he loves and is an amazing big brother to Isaiah and big cousin to baby Steven.  He has an understanding of the world far beyond his years.  He makes us laugh and also touches our hearts so deeply with his compassion for us and others.  We feel so blessed to be his Grammie and G-pa and can't wait to see all that he accomplishes in his life!

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 2/24-3/2 2018

 

   I'm very late in posting this.  I had planned to do it on Monday after a busy weekend, but I ended up tripping over the dog and taking a fall, so I was not up to doing much yesterday afternoon or evening after that.  The dog is fine and so is the computer that I dropped when I fell.  I fell on my funny bone (that hurts) and elbow and also one knee.  The knee is doing pretty good, the elbow hurts and is sporting a bruise, my back and foot are tweaked and today my neck is also sore.  This, on top of the normal Fibro pain, is really limiting me at the moment.  Thank God I did not hurt Caesar or hurt myself any worse.  Onto the saving...

~Saturday Jeff and I made a run into Pullman and had lunch.  We also picked up a few things we needed at the Dollar Tree and then went to Palouse Treasures Thrift store. We made a game of it where we each had $10 and could only spend that much or less and if we wanted to spend more, we had to negotiate with the other person to get some of their money. 😉  We had a lot of fun and each got some things that we wanted.  I can't remember all Jeff's stuff but for me, I got a Nerf football for the grandkids (the cat destroyed the other one), 2 Williams and Sonoma cookbooks along with a India cookbook

, and a puzzle for the grandkids.  Our grand total came to a little over $14 so I think we did well indeed.
~Sunday we went to Moscow to hit Marshall's clearance sale where we found a nice sweater for Jeff, a new hair styling brush for me, a sleepshirt for me, some tea and some agave.
~While in town we hit Goodwill and found some clothes for Steven ($1 each since that colored tag was half off), a really soft shirt for me ($2), 2 mugs (one of which will be a gift), a nice brand new space heater for the garage and a good sized bag of Legos that will be part of Bradley's birthday gift.
~We stocked up on fresh produce at Winco since they had great prices on pears, asparagus, bananas, broccoli and we also got some milk and shrimp.
~Jeff and I watch the old classic Godzilla movie that we got at the thrift store last week.  I remember watching it as a child and call me hokey, but I still love those old movies and I still cheer for Godzilla! 😁

~Monday I cut Jeff's hair.  He no longer looks like a hermit that just came out of the woods.
~I started to do Yoga again this week using some DVDs I have here.  Boy am I sore.
~My DIL Heather and another friend suggested that I try to do yoga with this instructor via Youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFKE7WVJfvaHW5q283SxchA
~Tuesday I checked out the upcoming grocery ads online that go into affect tomorrow.  There were only 2 items that interested me so Jeff will pick those up near the ned of the sale cycle since one of the items is bananas and we still have 2 bunches here.
~One of my dear friends was rushed to the hospital Monday night so I called around this morning to the hospitals trying to find her.  I finally reached her at home and am glad that she is doing so much better.  I had planned on going in to see her at the hospital today if she was still there.
~I did not sleep well at all Monday night so I took it easy on myself Tuesday.  I still ended up having a migraine, but I knew that something would happen due to my lack of sleep...it always does.
~There was a documentary on Netflix about Charles the 8th that I watched and really liked.
~Jeff and I decided at the last minute, when he woke up in the afternoon, to go to a matinee movie.  We had been given gift cards for the theater for Christmas.  We had not had lunch so we bought sodas and popcorn and ended up spending $9 out of pocket for everything.  We really enjoyed the movie "Black Panther".
~I had won a free bagel or donut in the Safeway Monopoly game so I picked up a donut and Jeff and I split it.
~While in town, I picked up some zucchini  for .99 a pound.  I have been craving them like crazy lately.

~Jeff and I came home and had leftovers for dinner.
~Wednesday I went down to the library and borrowed another cookbook for the Instant Pot.
~I did the hot tub maintenance and saw that it needed more water so I added some and then laid the hose out in the driveway to drain so it would not freeze and then crack.
~Chopped up celery was added to the tuna salad to stretch it and make it more tasty.  I added a large stalk to a small can of tuna.  I also went light on the mayo since I am trying to eat a bit more healthy.
~I had a swagup 100 point bonus that I had to use by tomorrow so I cashed in for a $5 Texas Roadhouse gift card bringing my gifts cards for there up to $30.
~Jeff wanted to sell some bumper covers that he had in the garage so I got them listed online.
~While putting a bag full of Legos into a Glad container today I noticed that some of the parts were of one of the Star Wars plane kits.  Upon further inspection, I found lots of other cool kit parts too.  Our grandson Bradley is going to be thrilled with Grammie's $5.99 Goodwill find!
~Thursday was another stay at home day for me.  I worked on my points programs for a good portion of the day.
~Dinner that night was baked split chicken breasts with baked potatoes for Jeff and roasted asparagus for me as my side dish.  I am trying to avoid russet potatoes at the moment.
~Dessert that night was Greek yogurt with some agave to sweeten it and fresh blueberries.
~Friday we got more snow so I again stayed home.  The savings in gas is a good thing.
~Jeff needed more bread for sandwiches, so I baked him 2 more loaves.
~I was craving broccoli cheese soup so I quickly made some for lunch...YUM!
~A big salad was my choice for dinner and Jeff made himself grilled cheese sandwiches.
~Both Chris and Josh called and I had a nice visit with each of them.

   I still can't believe it is already Tuesday.  Today is a bright and sunny day and I am happy to see the sunshine.  I feel so badly for everyone that is dealing with the horrible storms in the midwest and back east.  My family members all escaped damage to their homes back east, but some of their neighbors were not so lucky.  Please keep everyone who has been affected by these storms in your thoughts and prayers.

Facing Reality and Planning for the Future

   Jeff and I sat down and had a heart to heart talk about aging, health, our future and things that need to be done to make this house work for our changing needs and stages in our lives.  We would love to be able to move to Idaho, but we have to be realistic at this time and figure that we will most likely be here for many more years, possibly for the rest of our lives.  With only one of us able to work outside the home and both of us having health issues (him with degenerative disk disease, foot problems and tendonitis), we have to face the facts that we cannot keep up on the gardens the way they are now, and the house needs some modifications to help me on those days when I am having trouble walking and climbing stairs.  I will never be healed of CFS and Fibromyalgia and find that as I age, things are getting worse, not better for me.  Now that our home is fully paid off, that leaves us some money to tackle some of the projects that have been put on hold.

   The first thing on the priority list to to rebuild the front steps coming into our home.  They are currently a one piece cement monstrosity that is crumbling.  The stair rise is also too high for me and for our youngest grandkids.  On days that I am in lots of pain, getting up or down those things is exhausting and painful.  I asked Jeff if when he tears out the old concrete ones, if he could change the rise of the stairs to make it easier for me and for the grandkids.  That will mean at least one more stair, but the rise will be shorter per stain and that will make it nicer for us all.  He offered to just put in a long ramp, but I told him I am not ready to admit total defeat yet. 😉 

   The next thing on our list to to redo the back screened in porch, tearing off the old plywood and, if we can swing it, redoing it with Trex Deck and also rebuilding the stairs up to it.  The ones there now are super thin and both Jeff and I have slipped on them in the past,  We used the porch about 8 months out of the year and I want it to be nice for us and our family (both human and furbabies).

   The third item on my list is the gardens.  It is getting harder for me to bend over to plant and harvest things.  My back freezes up and then spasms.  Weeding is extremely painful for me and Jeff has had to take over doing that.  He has back problems too.  What I proposed was that we put in raised beds where we can sit on the sides, to plant, harvest and even weed.  We will have walkways between the beds that are covered with a weed barrier and either gravel or wood chips.  This will cut the area that we have to weed way down also.  I would also like a small greenhouse to start things in and also extend the growing season.  As Jeff retires (in about 10 years), we are going to have to live on much less income so I am looking forward to ways to help cut our cost and growing more of our own food is a good and healthy way to do so.

   Pets...we love our fur babies and they are part of our family, but they can be expensive.  Caesar is HUGE and eats a lot.  Our 3 cats are on an expensive food due to Doofy's allergies and go through a lot of cat litter.  Before I go on, let me say that we are not planning on giving away any of them.  This is their forever home and I hope they will be with us for a good long time to come.  Realistically though, as they pass away, I am thinking that we may not get another dog, as much as I love having one.  Caesar is a lot of work and needs to be walked, makes a huge mess of the backyard and produces a lot of dog messes that need to be cleaned up.  Jeff is the one who has to handle that and I would like to make it so he does not have to do that after Caesar is gone.  I am also thinking 2 cats would be reasonable since they could keep each other company and do not require as much work as a dog.  That would also leave us free to go somewhere overnight, just setting out extra food and water, whereas right now we have to hire someone to come in and take care of our fur baby tribe due to the dog's needs.


   I know that we are also going to have to add "grab bars" to the walls in our bathroom as this is also becoming an issue for me on some days.  It will also make it easier for my father when he visits on those days when he is having a rough time. He has come back so far from his stroke, but on days when he is tired, he needs some extra help too.  He and my mother come and stay with us at least twice, if not more, a year so I want everything in place for him as well as for Jeff and I.

   Carpets still need to be ripped out and replaced in all 3 bedrooms and I am hoping our boys can help with that huge project.  We have the carpet but just have not had the time or manpower to get it all done.  All the furniture needs moved out, carpets ripped up, floors sealed and then new padding and carpet installed.  We may just have to hire someone to do the carpets and I just have the kids help us move all the furniture out to the porch and then back in again when the weather is good.  I can't lift any of the stuff anymore and Jeff should not try to do it all by himself.

   So there is my list so far.  Not all of these things will be done right away.  The stairs do have to get done this Spring or Summer though, for safety reasons if nothing else.  Between aging, health and finances, we have to prioritize big time.   It will get done, slowly but surely.

   

 

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 2/17-2/23 2018

 

Our now 9 month old youngest grandson Steven, who we spent Sunday afternoon/evening with.

   We had lots of snow and bad roads this past week and the weather was not kind to my Fibromyalgia at all.  I spend a good part of the week flaring, which limited what I was able to do and I did find myself in bed several times during the day.  Despite that, I did try to find ways to save money and still have some fun.

A nice salad made with cabbage, peppered turkey, and other goodies.

~Saturday Jeff and I made a run into town to deposit his paycheck, pick up a few things and to get our grandson Steven to bring him home with us.  The weather was horrible and so were the roads.  We ended up not getting the baby (but rescheduled to watch him at their house on Sunday) and that was probably a very good thing since I was having a really bad Fibro flare.  I had a really hard time even walking and had to hold onto the shopping cart to just keep going.  Even that hurt like crazy. We came home and I went to bed for most of the afternoon.
~We watched the movie "The Holiday" while curled up in bed.  I love that movie!
~Dinner was a frozen pizza that we had picked up on sale at Safeway last month.

Udon noodle soup.

~Sunday Jeff worked on laundry and some cleaning in the morning while I rested and got caught up on blogging and email.  I was feeling better than I had been on Saturday, but still felt weak and sore.
~We headed in Sunday afternoon to watch our grandson Steven while his parents went on a date.  He was having a grand time until he started to run a fever and got really fussy.  He fell asleep in my arms twice and the second time, after we got him fed and in jammies, he fell asleep for the night.
~Monday I had a doctor's appointment at 9 a.m..  The roads were bad so we gave ourselves and hour to get there.  We had to plow through snow drifts which put me on edge.  Our poor doctor had car trouble (due to the weather) and then had horrible roads, so he was over an hour late getting there and we were the first appointment of the day.  We finally headed home around 10:35 after my appointment and hit drifts again.  By the time we got home, I was in another Fibro flare due to the stress of being on those roads.  Every muscle in my body hurt, along with my head, so I went to bed for 2 hours.

Some thrift store finds.

~My doctor recommended that I try taking Tylenol Arthritis on those nights that I am unable to sleep due to pain.  He said it was a time released medication so that should help.  I got to thinking about how Tylenol does not help so I'm not sure if this would help or not.
~I used our hot tub in the early evening trying to get my muscles to stop hurting.  Although the hot water felt wonderful, I was still really sore.

Homemade quick pickles.

~I made a big salad with cabbage, peppered turkey, pepperoncini, feta cheese and some olive oil and rice vinegar.  It was really good.  I'm trying to eat healthier upon my doctor's advice.
~Tuesday was another Fibro flare day...I am getting really fed up with these flares.  I did manage to work on my points programs since I could do that while I was in my recliner.
~Again, craving comfort food, I made a sour cream and noodle dish for dinner and also made some quick pickles to go with it.

Sour cream and noodle skillet meal.

~Wednesday I did battle with a billing company who screwed up royally and cost us big time.  They sent in the wrong codes to the insurance company so something that was supposed to be covered in full ended up costing us money.  They are now sending us back our check (after threatening to send us to collections because they waited a year to send us the bill) and hopefully this will be the end of it.
~I made some Udon Noodle soup with Kamaboko (fish cake) and Napa Cabbage for lunch.  This is pure comfort food from my childhood. 
~Jeff and I ran into town to do some grocery shopping (since the check was being sent back and had not been cashed by the billing agency, we still have that money in our account) and also hit Goodwill.  I found a lightweight Summer pajama gown and robe set that I used the 20% off coupon that I had on, some Scentsy melts (.99 each), some safety latches (.99), socks and a old Godzilla movie on BluRay that I remember watching as a child.  I love old Godzilla movies.  Jeff found a long sleeved moisture wicking shirt and a CD.

More thrift store finds.

~I borrowed a movie and 3 books from the library.
~Two more loaves of bread were made using the bread flour that Rachel gave me.  Hubby prefers my white bread to whole grain breads that I have to buy.  This is an area that I am more than willing to compromise on.
~Thursday I pulled some homemade chicken noodle soup out of the freezer so we could have that and/or leftovers for dinner.
~Since I have to have good whole grain breads right now to eat and I won't finish the loaf before it goes bad, I am storing it in the freezer and just taking out what I need when I need it.
~Friday I stayed home and worked on my points programs.

New to me pajama set.

   I know I have been days late posting my Frugal Friday Wrap Ups but I am learning that weekends are generally not the time I want to post much.  I try to keep that time open to spend with my hubby and family and would much rather concentrate on them and not my blog.  Family first always!

Bitterly Cold, Snowdrifts and a Very Sore Body

   It is bitterly cold here.  The picture above is what the temperature currently is as I type this post up.  It was -7F last night when I headed to bed.  I think we may have broken some records for the low temperatures for this date.  The pellet stove ran almost continuously last night even when set at 60F.    Thank goodness it is due to warm up here soon and we should be hit by another snowstorm on Friday.  Not sure I am happy about the snowstorm, but I will welcome warmer temperatures.

   Yesterday I had an early morning doctor's appointment and had to be there by 9 a.m..  We left an hour before we were due there (it usually takes half an hour to get there in good conditions).  I'm glad we left really early because the roads were bad, as in scary bad.  We had to plow through snowdrifts and by the time we got to the doctor's office, I was starting to have another Fibro flare.  Yuck!  My poor doctor had car trouble due to weather and then hit bad roads as well.  He was over an hour late getting in to the office so by the time he saw us, and we were the first appointment of the day, we had been waiting in the exam room for over an hour.  He felt bad for getting there so late and we felt bad for him for having such a rough start to the day.

   We went over my test results and how I was doing on the new meds.  He was really impressed with how well I handled the transition to the new meds.  We talked diet due to me being prediabetic.  We also talked about my Fibro pain and trying something new for that and he told me to tell other people "NO" more often.  Jeff and I reassured him that I do say no a lot and that our kids, close relatives and friends are all very supportive and understanding.  I have another follow up appointment in 3 months to see what progress I have made on getting myself back into the normal and non prediabetic range.

   By the time we got home from my appointment I was in full on flare mode.  I hurt everywhere and had to head to bed for a couple of hours.  Even sitting up was, and still is, painful.  I tried hot tubbing seeing if that would help, I tried Tylenol...nothing touched the pain.  Saturday had been a similar day of flares and pain.  Sunday was a milder edition of a flare and I rested in the morning so I could help care for our youngest grandson in the afternoon/evening.  I came home worn out and sore from that but happy to have gotten to spend the time with him.  I was glad to be there to comfort him as he was not feeling well and spent quite a bit of time sleeping while curled up in my arms.  I realize how precious that time is and how sometimes, when you are a baby, you just need Grammie snuggles to make you feel safe and help calm you so you can sleep.

   So here we are today and I am still in a flare.  I'm trying to get a few things done like my laundry, blogging, and a few other smaller projects.  My body is screaming at me to just lay down but I am feeling the need to get things done because not doing so is causing anxiety for me.  I'm trying to find that balance between listening to my physical body and not causing anxiety due to things not getting done around here.  It's like walking on a tightrope and being so tense because you are afraid to fall.  Anyway, my laundry is calling me to get it folded and then I will rest for awhile.  I promise.

   

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 2/10-2/16 2018

 

   Here it is the end of another frugal week.  That goodness we paid off our home because we have a bill from last January (yes a year ago) from the hospital that finally came in and has to be paid in full now.  That leaves us with under $100 for the next 2 weeks after all the bills are paid.  I am very thankful for a deep pantry and 2 big freezers full of food.  In other news, I got the results of my blood work back and I don't have Lupus or Rheumatoid Arthritis, but did show signs in the high "normal" range of inflammation (due to Fibromyalgia so that was expected) and I am also PreDiabetic.  I have been there before and can get my numbers back down through diet and walking.  Coming off the holidays where I over indulged in way too many sweets and rich foods, this also does not surprise me.  Onto the frugal doings...

Scrapple and apples.

~Saturday morning I really needed to get out of the house for awhile so Jeff and I decided to go and do something on our "bucket list".  He had not been to Palouse Falls before even though he was raised in this area.  We stopped at Subway, bought 2 of their $4.99 footlong sandwiches and headed out.  We had a very cold picnic overlooking the roaring falls and even made friends with a groundhog.
~After being out in the cold, we wanted to get some coffee to warm up so we headed to Dayton, WA to a bakery there.  They closed early so we decided to just head down to Walla Walla, WA and went to the Goodwill store there.  I found another pair of my favorite brand of jeans, 2 shirts, a Wedgewood plate, and Jeff found a shirt and a golf club cover for his driver.
~We stopped at a convenience store on the way back home and grabbed some coffee and something to eat out of the hot deli case.
~Sunday we stayed home for the day and napped...oh it was lovely!
~We watched the movie "Old Dogs" that we already had here on DVD.
~Hot tubbing was a really nice way to round out the night.
~Monday Jeff and I headed into town to buy a new kitchen faucet to replace our's that was leaking.  Jeff found one on sale and got it installed before he had to to to bed in the afternoon.
~I picked up a few items at the Dollar Tree while Jeff went to the pet store to get more cat food for the kitties.
~Caesar and I managed to get a short walk in.
~Jeff was in need of more bread for sandwiches so I made 2 loaves for him.
~Scrapple has been on the menu for weeks now and I finally got around to making some.
~I'm layering up even in the house since the weather has gotten really cold again.
~We had leftover meatloaf and corn bread for dinner.  It really hit the spot and I needed the room in my refrigerator. ;)
~Tuesday started off as a beautiful sunny but cold day.  I got the hot tub maintenance done so that we could enjoy a good long soak later.
~We were running low on my homemade pancake mix so I got more of that made.
~I had not planned on washing all the living room throws, but Patches decided to hack up a rather large hairball on my favorite throw (which I found when I went to cover myself up with it...YUCK) so all the throws went into the washer.

Lamb chops and roasted russet and sweet potatoes.

~I got the last package of marked down lamb chops out of the big chest freezer to thaw for dinner on Wednesday night.
~With us expecting a big snowstorm to hit in the early morning hours Wednesday, I tried to renew a movie I borrowed from the library (that was due Wednesday) online.  It did not allow me to do that so I threw on a long winter coat over my nightgown, some shoes and drove down the 5 blocks to drop the movie off in the drop box so I did not get any late fines.  Luckily I live in a very small town where the sidewalks roll up early on school nights so no one else was out and about.
~Thursday was Valentine's Day and I wanted to do something special for Jeff.  I got a beautiful card out of my card stash for him and then made a really nice dinner of lamb chops, a Romaine salad (he actually threw that together for me) and roasted garlic russet and sweet potatoes.  Neither one of us likes to go out for Valentine's Day because the restaurants are noisy and packed, and they frequently raise their prices with their "special menus" for that night.  I can make us a really nice dinner that we enjoy for a fraction of the cost and hassle.
~Jeff took my car to work that evening because of the road conditions.  We did not want him to get in an accident or slide off the road.
~I again worked on my points programs.
~Thursday I had the leftover roasted potatoes, along with some cheese for lunch.
~Jeff picked up my thyroid medication and it is finally back down to just $4 for a 1 month supply.  Yay!
~Friday it snowed again so I spent the morning enjoying that and working on laundry and watching videos on YouTube from Our Half Acre Homestead.  Bev has wonderful videos on how to make tons of stuff from scratch, gardening, home butchering, and lots of other ways to live frugally.  She also has Fibromyalgia so I can also relate to her on that level too.
~I went through my piles of free magazines and got caught up on some of my reading.
~One of the Facebook groups that I am on, Fibro Society, recommended a movie on Netflix called "Unrest" that documents the lives of people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.  I could see so much of myself in it and was also very thankful to live in a country where we are not forcefully removed from our homes and put in mental institutions because people mistakenly think it is a mental disorder.

Shrimp Yaki Soba

   Not many pictures this week because I was being very lazy about taking any.  Sorry about that.