...we're down to six at our house again. We had such a wonderful visit with my brother, his wife and four kids from Anchorage. Their older two and our younger two are the same ages, and all the cousins had a blast. We had my other brother and wife come over yesterday for a bbq - lots of food, talk, a cutthroat game of monster badminton and picture-taking. We miss them already, and it's so quiet here.

We did great on the meals. I stocked up ahead on milk, cereal, sandwich-making items and fruit, as well as plan out the week's dinners. We ordered in pizza once with a coupon deal (we paid.) My sis-in-law offered to make a meal (she shopped for what was needed.) And the rest of the meals were what I had planned out, with no restocking needed. As I plan out meals normally for us, I should have known how great it would work for double the people!

Loving my new camera more and more. We usually have an extra friend or neighbor we can call upon to take a group shot, but not this time. I figured how to use the self-timer feature, and we got several great pictures. (I know - probably most cameras have this feature, but I am so proud to have figured it out.) We are still working on my oldest's senior pictures - we may already have too many pretty shots to choose from.

We have found that my brothers and I will each have a bit of money coming to us, and it's a bit of a shock, though not totally unexpected. Going to give thorough thought to its use...kind of thinking along the lines of paying off the rest of the house and a little leftover medical debt from old times, definitely will max out the 401k, check into funding a Roth. I have a certain minimum amount of it that I'd like to see boost our EF. So far, those lines seem reasonable, but then there's the rest...

It would be nice (and a foreseeable need soon) to update one of our failing fleet of vehicles. We have made due with the under $1000 wonders, but I have to admit that we seem lately to be unlucky magnets for cars with troubles. Right now we have enough cars to allow one to be out of commission to be worked on. My husband does much of the work, but still it's pretty constant. The cars have managed to live up to that expectation and quietly take their turns being the car in the midst of repair. Except that we kind of look like a really bad used car lot, I don't really mind old cars as long as I can get to work each day. None of us really tie our identities to what we drive (though there are days when I probably do look as tired and worn out as my car, but that's something different.)

But occasionally, I get to thinking that while a new car is a poor investment, it's also nice... We've had a good experience with buying a brand-new car just after my husband and I married in 1984. We knew what we wanted, offered a price and quite amazingly got it. We loved every moment with that car, and we drove until its end (a sad day indeed.) We car camp, and more recently, have been venturing further from home across the country (I know, great timing with gas prices and all...) Is there a Dodge Colt equivalent out there for us - something reliable, gas efficient, travels well? Or do we bump up to a $5000 wonder? Lots to ponder, and we don't have to rush into any decisions at the moment luckily.

Otherwise, we're enjoying a quiet Sunday, with a mix of leftovers to do a "fend for yourself" day (the boarding house cook is taking a day off!) It's homecoming week, so tomorrow we're back to busy!

Enjoy your day!

We all survived the first week of school! I did manage to keep on top of all of the papers (my homework as it's called) and the checkwriting (why do I ever think I'm done with just the supplies and shoes!) All fees and forms are complete - my girls are now free to attend school, just us parents are broke!

I used the crockpot twice last week, as there were curriculum nights and activities. It all has to start at once, I guess. All other meals were at home too. Grocery-shopped this morning, and kept to budget.

Because I started back to work too, I was again using the dryer for the daily load of laundry. Today was beautiful, though, so my clotheslines are filled.

My brother, his wife and four kids from Anchorage are coming for a visit in a week. Actually they started driving on the 1st and may have arrived up north in MN today - they have plans to hike the Superior Trail before heading down to us next Saturday. They homeschool their kids, so have the flexibility, but the week they'll be here is kind of a crunch week for us, with something going on each afternoon or evening. I'm doing my best to pare all that I can... and at least there will be the two weekends. I'm planning out some large-crowd, kid-friendly meals - chili, tacos, grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, etc. With my nearby brother and his wife, there will be 14 of us around the table, into the living room, and on the floor. We'll be cozy, and I'm looking forward to it all!

On the spending front - I purchased a new digital camera last weekend. I went in with a particular camera in mind, but was flexible enough to spend $20 more to get double the megapixels and 2x more optical zoom. Actually, I'm totally amazed at what I spent on this new one and all of its features compared to its few-generations-ago predecessor (my old camera was four years old, and very well-used - it was a great camera while it lasted in and out of my hands!) I loved my old Canon, and really love my new one (720IS)! I took some gorgeous senior pictures of my oldest last weekend at a nearby historical house and grounds. It's where the local Proex goes for their outdoor senior photo sessions. All I can say is that this new camera made ME look like I knew what I was doing, as well as making my daughter look as beautiful as ever. Plus the camera was cheaper than the Proex portrait session I was pricing, which was the lowest of the senior picture gamut around here. Thanks to all who encouraged me to do so after my previous senior picture mention a few entries back!

Still cleaning up a bit around here - we should look pretty presentable by the time our company arrives next week. The teacher that I work with at school gave me the prettiest tub of yellow mums for a 'late birthday/welcome back to school/oh my, what a caseload this year' gift. It looks wonderful on my front step, but the nearby summer flowers are looking really sad and past prime. Kind of want to get some more mums.... but it'll pass because I don't have time to go get some (being busy works in my favor often - no time to shop!) Oh well, I guess that's what fall is all about here in the upper midwest. If they get too bad, those summer flowers are compost!

Dinner will be grilled tonight - chicken and peppers for fajitas. Enjoy your weekend!!

Boy, the last paycheck just shot of our house, between bills and back to school, coupled with no OT. Hmm, I think we start to enjoy that OT too much, then forget it's not always there.

Oh well, this is where the 'laying low' comes in. There isn't anything we need, and nothing to spend on that is worthy of touching the savings.

We're sort of restless with these last days of summer break. So far, we've headed to the beach every day for the last two weeks. It's been absolutely gorgeous for this late in August. Usually, the 'dog days' have arrived, along with the pea soup green scum. Definitely, soaking up as much summer as possible - we're about due for a true MN winter here in a few short months.

We hit the library earlier this week, and I've actually found some books to pique my interest. I've gone through three so far. I love reading, but if it doesn't grab this tired mom's attention fairly quick, I fall asleep. (Of course, the reading of late is not improving the said mom's tiredness...but it's still summer break.) Oh, and I picked up some dvds - Zorba the Greek (I haven't seen it since I was a kid, but I remember my mom loving it- it may be a hoot, or not.) Also Snakes on a Plane - missed that one the first time around, though from what I hear it's a lot of snakes popping up everywhere (hope I didn't give away the story!)

I've been doing great with using up some of the newly discovered frozen foods at the bottom of my recently cleaned freezer. Lots of crockpot use lately. I even used a lasagne recipe twice that was so delicious and easy, I may not return to my oven recipe. I know Boo and some others here have mentioned this site - crockpot365.blogspot.com - it has lots of great recipes and fun commentary on the author's commitment to using her crockpot every day for a year.

I do have to meet my husband later at the DMV to renew our driver's licenses - both our birthdays are coming up. I'm looking about as good as it gets...

Enjoy your Friday!!

...and dinner's in the crockpot.

On Sunday, I cleaned out the chest freezer and the one on the kitchen frig. I also had to defrost our older model chest freezer. It wasn't too full, so it seemed like a good time for the job. I pulled its plug, and sorted its contents, getting rid of the insanely old. We propped a fan to blow into the chest, and it was defrosted in a couple of hours.

A side note - I always kind of know what I have purchased and put into the freezer. But then, my inlaws clean out their freezers, and pass along their castoffs. We eat what doesn't look too old and frostbitten, but unfortunately, most of the food should have been thrown. To my inlaws though, someone should get to use it, even if they can't, and no one else should. Oh well, we're just that extra step to the garbage sometimes- what the inlaws don't know, doesn't hurt them!

A side note to the side note - the inlaws do this with 'things' too. I cringe when I hear they are cleaning out the corners in their house. They invite our girls to help, which is great, but then they send home lots of 'too good to throw' things. That's another long story... They mean well, and we do respect that a lot, and deal with it all (things and food) accordingly.

Anyway, back to my clean freezers. They look wonderful, if I may say so myself. I also wrote a quick tally of what are in them, and making plans for meals, so I don't pass along too old frozen food to my children - you know,once they move out and are on their own and all. (Boy, didn't know how much planning went into keeping insanely old frozen food! I should really give my inlaws credit in ths feat.)

Yesterday, I put a close to too old beef roast in the crockpot, and cooked it until shreddable for sandwiches. Today, with a bit of cooler, rainier weather, I'm putting on my favorite crockpot minestrone.

I'm relishing my clean freezer time - once the kids start rummaging around in there, well, it never lasts too long, does it?!

Take care!

...or maybe more like gushes! Nothing too out of ordinary, but still...

My two oldest and I went to the eye dr today. We all wear glasses, and we all needed new prescriptions (it's been four years on the current glasses, so not too unexpected.) The girls said it's like shopping! I felt the same, only without the exclamation point. I'm always amazed at how the word 'shopping' brings two such diverse reactions in my house.

The girls have simple lens needs, and so after insurance, their pairs cost about $40 each. Now mine, on the other hand...not even close to that. I would be wearing very thick lens, if not for the wonderful progressive thin(!) that are available now, for a price. I'm at an age where I appreciate the blended feature of my bifocal, for a price. And my frames, again for a price, make my grey hair less noticeable and might even make me look a bit funky...um, thank you daughters, I think?! Well, these super-duper specs came to about $350. I very much appreciate the sight they afford me, so it's ok and a part of my life, such as it is. But still...!

Over the weekend, I did our two-week grocery shopping. Because of some great store coupons deals on meats especially, I spent a little bit more than usual, but not too bad - $240. We also made a bread run to the thrift store and got enough bread and buns for a few weeks (I freeze most of it.) They've been out of bagels the last two visits, which my girls enjoy, but we'll make due until they get them in again. I probably need to get there earlier in the morning. Plus I go on the one of the two discount days, so lots of things go fast. It seems more people than ever are shopping there - it can get a bit crowded at times.

We've been going through a dry spell here, weather-wise. I've been hanging my laundry out on the line. I know it probably sounds corny, but I do enjoy doing it. It's been beautiful outside, and I get to watch the birds and squirrels chasing around. It's usually a solitary activity, which isn't a bad thing in our not-so-large, not-so-quiet house. Sometimes my youngest comes out to help and chatter. I look over the flowers, while I'm out there. I talk to our three cats who sit in the window begging to come out (ok, no longer corny, now crossing the line to loony...) Well, you can see, it doesn't take much to entertain me!

Tonight is a grill night (it's hot and humid.) On the menu, hot dogs and brats, beans, chips and cut up fruit (we have guests - teenage males to be precise - so cheap, but plentiful is the plan.)

After dinner, we'll have some monster badmitton time. A couple of weeks ago, we bought a set with its big raquets and birdies, and the kids have been having a great time with it. Not particularly a financial note, but it is a fun and inexpensive way to entertain the troops.

Enjoy your evening. Take care!

How busy the last month has been! Between school's start and my new job and my husband's job, along with the girls' few activities - whew!

I've now worked long enough to get three paychecks, and all I can say is that it's so nice to write out the bills and have the funds ready. Our checking account buffer is back in place again, along with the small emergency funds. Now we're working on the one last cc debt - actually we have been for the last year, but we are making greater strides in obliterating that balance.

This month hasn't been cheap either. The school fees and expenses aren't fun, but are normal and expected. The unexpected included another repair on the conversion van (along the more important repairs, I now have the driver side washer fluid line working AND I have greatly improved heat and defrost. Yay! As this has been our warm weather camping van, this hasn't been too much of an issue. But with my oldest driving her sisters to school in the minivan, I'm using the behemoth, and well, heat is a good thing.)

The other expense that we weren't expecting quite yet was some dental work for my husband, which I paid in full today. Easy come, easy go the paychecks!

Budgetwise, we're holding tight. I've been cooking at home and still shopping once every two weeks. My grocery budget has actually decreased a little, due to changing to a different grocery store. I've been able to stick to just under $200, which has been my goal. The last couple trips I've been including stocking up bit by bit for upcoming holiday baking. I've also been trying out new recipes, mostly because I'm bored with our usual meals. Many are from the Light & Tasty magazine - some have been more successful than others. The girls come to the table warily, and I'm no longer bored as it's very entertaining to watch their expressions. A mom's gotta have fun once in a while!

Utility-wise, we're doing pretty good. MN has been going the whole range of weather lately, and we have had the heat on one night a couple weeks back. The last two days have been very humid and near 90. I keep a pile of blankets next to the beds and keep a constant refrain of "take the jacket...where's the jacket" ringing in my girls' ears.

That's all for now...take care!

It always take a week or two for us to adjust back to school and work. Last week I was tired, and my head was swimming by the end of each day. This week is going smoother so far (one day, I know - ha!)

I get my first paycheck later this week (I thought it would be on the 30th.) With all of the beginning of school year expenses, the timing will be great. Actually, all I have left is school photos for the youngest and yearbooks for the oldest two. Whew - I don't know why I'm so surprised at the flurry of checks the first couple of weeks of school.

I'm already trying out my paid sick leave on Wednesday afternoon. I arranged for a sub so I can go to a medical appointment with my oldest, scheduled from last spring. We're winding down on these appointments, as her medicine seems to be where it needs to be (finally!)

Last weekend was busy, but fun. We went to the high school football game on Friday night to watch my third girl cheer and my second one dance at halftime. The girls looked great (yes, I was the mom taking those annoying flash pictures.) The evening was absolutely perfect weatherwise, and the team won too.

Saturday I ran errands in the morning, including the grocery shopping. Later I took the younger girls over to the next town over for their Heritage Festival. Very small town, but it was fun seeing so many people we knew. My youngest two spent most of the time in the petting zoo area, with hedgehogs, bunnies and guinea pigs. They also went up the portable climbing wall a few times. The girls helped their daddy, who's a police reserve officer, in the public safety area. An AirCare helicopter even came as the highlight - I did mention small town, right?

The two youngest went to an amusement park
with our church youth group on Sunday afternoon. The two oldest were busy with friends. Gosh, my husband and I almost had visions of what it'll be like in a few years. So what did we do?? We made a run to make a return to Officemax, had a fast food lunch we were both craving, and gassed up at the cheaper gas station up that direction. Then we came home and caught up on some housework. I baked for the week's lunches. Hmm - not very exciting, but nice just the same.

I did good at the grocery store. I got a ton of food for the next two weeks, as well as some at the store deals on meat that I put in the freezer. Slowly, but surely I'm stocking us back up for the fall. A few weeks back, I switched back over to Cub Foods for most of my groceries. With this change, my oulay of dollars has decreased once again, making me wonder why did I ever leave Cub in the first place? I shop every two weeks, and I keep a running list of groceries needed, as well as menu plan a night or two before I go to the store. I guess there have been periods in my life where that much preparation was beyond what I could handle. I'm getting better at this as my girls get older. No slacking for me!

My house and work all seem to be in order - at the moment. Please make note, as it can all change in the next moment!

Have a great weeek and take care!!

Not a lot happening this weekend - just working at the odds and ends that are endlessly on the to-do list.

We helped out my inlaws around their house. My husband and I are starting to see a need to schedule a bit more time over there to keep things up better, as their health keeps limiting them more and more. All I know is that I had visions of my mom's house and the endless stuff she and my dad had collected. It took me a long time to clear out things from her house when she entered the nursing home, and the long-term storage ruined so much of it. My inlaws have organized their stuff into an endless sea of plastic storage boxes, tucked into corners everywhere. They're finding out that their three kids and families are just not really wanting any of it. The stuff has meaning to them, but not to their kids. It's kind of sad. Oh well, it helps motivate my husband and I in limiting what we think we should store away (a small house also helps with this.)

I went with my oldest and youngest to visit my mom. She's doing well, though conversation is a bit confusing as usual. We were joined by a talkative gentleman who managed to share his life up to the point where he and his wife had their six daughters. He was interupted to go to dinner, but I'm sure I'll hear about the second half (or more - he's 93) of his life. My mom enjoys the company of men, so she mostly giggled, laughed and made the occasional odd comment throughout his story. I always leave there with a smile.

I baked some vanilla chip cranberry bars and used up the rest of the package of chips into some chocolate vanilla chip cookies. After the obligatory 'testing of the recipes' by my family who came out of the woodwork, I bagged up and hid the treats in the freezer for the lunches this week.

Over the summer I had talked to the girls about our use of bottled water for the lunches. They were all willing to carry reusable bottles - yay! The environmental reasons spoke to them more, while I was definitely hearing the monetarial ones as well. Either way, it's all good!

To-do list odds and ends that got crossed off include my husband and girls washing both the vans in the driveway. I cut my husband's hair with the clippers (on the patio - you'd think we were doing this only to embarass our kids!) My husband turned his time sheet in online with 30 hours OT from last week (he was out of town two times, and gets drive time.) I sprayed the new athletic shoes with Camp-dry, so dew, rain and snow wreak less havok on those new shoes. Starting to go over a new budget with my husband so that there is no mindlessly expanding the spending to fit the pay increase. Otherwise, we're all getting ready for school's start tomorrow.

Happy Labor Day...take care!

...because I am tired!

I've been working sub hours like mad this week. This is a great boost to the paycheck, but makes for a tired me. Today I worked with a 4th grade girl with Down's Syndrome. I'll sum up the day by saying, gosh, that girl can run! It's one thing when it's in the school building, but today was 'play day', a sort of field activity day that was out in the high school football field. At least I scored a Mackenzie, after running the length of the field. My youngest was out there too - she thought it was funny that I was running all over that field. Fine sense of humor, kidlet!

Our first camping trip of the season was last weekend. I woke early on Saturday morning and took a nice long walk by myself. On Sunday and Monday, we all slept in. During the days, we canoed, biked and hiked. Each evening, we sat enjoying the campfire. It was a nice break.

Tomorrow I'll head out to the bread outlet and the grocery store. I also need to see if there's anything I need to get for my third daughter, who leaves for church camp next weekend.

I woke up on Tuesday with some sort of cold or allergy thing. I tell you, I work all school year with preschoolers sneezing on me and not getting anything. It doesn't seem to be a true cold, but I'm attempting to generic "Airborne" it any way. Not too successful so far. Luckily the weekend is here. Well, not that sleeping in is going to happen (girls going in all directions,) but I won't have to chase any of them across football fields.

Enjoy the weekend...Take care!

There's a new driver on the road! Yes, my oldest passed her road test on Friday. And oh, have I been getting offers to run my errands, although I hardly run all that many errands on a Saturday. I am thinking, just maybe, someone is a bit anxious to be DRIVING. I let her take the minivan to work on Saturday and to a friend's on Sunday. She's happy, and I'm not out too much gas. Oh yeah!

Moneywise, my husband got his pay raise - not a lot, but we won't turn it down. It'll mostly end up going into our retirement funds, where it'll be far more appreciated and beneficial to our future selves, than what we would currently do with it.

I emailed my interest in working the extended school year over the summer, and they were interested in having me back. They'll let me know what grade level, and I enjoy working with all ages, so I'm not picky. My oldest works the same hours - 3 hours in the mornings M-Th for six weeks - and it's only until last part of July. What a hardship, I know! My second daughter will stay with the younger two, and I pay her a little for it (she usually uses it as her spending money on her mission trip and for her church camp week up north - it's quite amazing how careful she is in making purchases, when she's earned the money!) If the younger two want to take a community ed offering, it's also at the same time as what I'll be working. And of course, I'll get a paycheck into the summer a bit. Win-win all around.

I planned meals for the next two weeks, made my shopping list, and went to the grocery store on Saturday. Still keeping within the budget for that too.

Otherwise, plugging along...take care!

We've been having gorgeous weather, so every morning I've been hanging the laundry on the line. We had a little rain a couple evenings ago, so the grass has been flourishing.

We've been eating meals from the crockpot or slapdashing something together each night. At least, we're staying away from fast food on these busy days of late. Tonight's dinner is homemade pizza once again!

I finished up the last of the kindergarten classes this week, which will ease up the calendar. I also saw the posting for the summer positions. I could apply for paraprofessional for either pre-k through 5th grade or 6th through 12th grades. Still determining the logistics with the girls...

This week hasn't been easy on the checking acct. I signed up the oldest for the instructor course through Red Cross. Maisy, my mom's border collie, went to the vet today. She's 16 years old and was a bit cranky about having some blood taken, but otherwise, she's doing good. On Sunday, she'll go in for grooming.

I go in a bit to pick up third daughter from girls scouts. First, I'll get the clothes off the line. (It's such a hardship to be out in the warm sun with he temp at 70...)

Enjoy your evening...take care!

Not much happening here. Still going strong with the laundry out on the line. All meals are at or from home - even though after working the whole day yesterday, with an hour at home for homework and dinner, and before heading out to work again...I WAS sorely tempted to do a fast food run. We opted to eat what you want, as long as you can fix it yourself. By no means a stellar meal, but it worked in keeping us away from the fast food, and it definitely worked for tired me. Tonight I made pizza, before evening church activities.

Only one more week of the evening Kindergarten classes. I know many of the kids and families, so it's been a lot of fun to see them so excited for Kindergarten. But the long days get to be VERY long! The checks will be welcome too.

Tomorrow the minivan finally gets repaired. I'm anxious to get it done, and find out how much it will be. Fingers and toes crossed that it will be less than more.

Need to still call for a vet appointment and some grooming for the dog. Along with the tulips, lilacs and rhubarb, spring blooms abundant bills!

Have a nice evening...take care!

Much was accomplished over the weekend, as many of the seemingly perpetual tasks were crossed off the to-do list. A decaying couch was removed from the garage (see previous entry) - finally! That acted as catalyst to the general cleaning up of the space. This is truly a wonderful thing!

Trusting, and really, really hoping, that spring is indeed here, we pulled out the patio furniture. We lucked out in that my parents were ready to get rid of these things when we were first married. I have my grandmother's wrought iron set (couch, chair and coffee table) and my parent's old metal lawn chair. On the actual patio, we have a metal mesh table and chairs set. Last year I painted them a sage green. As there are leaves in the wrought iron design, I stenciled ivy leaves onto the back of the lawn chair. The paint held up well, and I'll just touchup with a small brush. I set the couch and chairs in an area under a huge maple tree. I then will plant up pots of begonias and impatiens. On the patio, I get to have some sunny flowers. Can you tell I'm anxious to get planting? May 15 is when it's considered safe to plant here. My youngest two girls and I did plant frost-tolerant pansies in the playhouse window boxes on Saturday. And the rhubarb is shooting up. Signs of spring...

Except for yesterday ( it rained,)the laundry has been out on the line for the past week. I grocery shopped on Saturday, using store coupons that saved me almost $10, bringing my total a good amount under what I budget for the two weeks. I bought tons of fruits and vegies - we're starting out with the most perishable, and working toward the less.

Visited my mom on Saturday - she doesn't seem to be doing as well right now. Her potassium levels are up, and the dr is using meds and tests to stay on top of this. She seemed so incoherent - time will tell if this is the current medical condition or just the Alzheimer's progressing.

Have a great Monday...take care!

Laundry on the line again! Maybe, just maybe, spring is here.

My husband headed out of town to Rapid City - that area used to be installed from Denver, but now it's out of the Twin Cities. I don't enjoy when he has to work out of town, but he'll put in a lot of overtime, which we can use. Such a baby I am, I know - and he's due back on Friday.

Yesterday's shopping turned out well - while second daughter and friend were at the mall, I got my returns taken care of at Target, and stuck to my list of purchases, even with three daughters in tow. Third daughter needed to go to Blick Art store for a drawing pad and three watercolour pencils, all of which happened to be on sale (or maybe perpetually on sale, with that store.) Then first, third and youngest daughters and I headed to Barnes and Noble, the most dangerous of stores to go. But it turned out fine, with only oldest and youngest making purchases. With the third's birthday dollars for the art store purchase and oldest's wages and youngest's Christmas(!) money for the bookstore, my only layout was at Target, which was planned for. Whew!

I see the girls making their dollars count. My oldest wanted a book on drawing the human body. The selection at the art store was fairly expensive, and even more so at B&N, until she found a nice one in their reduced area. I also see them think ahead about purchases, decidng if they really want something, and whether it's worth the money. This is good!

Tonight's dinner is my youngest's requested mac and cheese (the 25 cent generic box kind) and leftover hot dogs we grilled outside yesterday. Arg! A nice salad with beans and cheese and lots and lots of vegies will hopefully nudge the nutritional value of this meal upward a little. (See, this is what happens when my husband leaves!)

Enjoy the day...take care!

...for Easter. My family and I cleaned the house, the groceries are bought and ready, and the Easter Bunny is ready to deliver treats for tomorrow morning.

On the money front - we received our federal refund, direct deposited and 24 days earlier. All of the funds are being transferred to savings. I bought groceries yesterday, and even with hosting the Easter dinner, the amount was within the normal amount for two weeks. With the windchills of late at zero, the heat is on, but with more hours of daylight and the sun shining, the heat only goes on at night. (With a teaser day last week with temps in the 80s, and then this week's barely to 30 with windchills nonetheless - well, spring is being way too fickle!)

Still to come...we're still awaiting for our repair guy to get all the parts he needs for our minivan. Repairs includes replacing a 'boot' and the exhaust system, and a general checkover. I'm hoping for under $500.

My oldest is scheduled to take her driver's exam in a couple of weeks. She's relentlessly looking for her own car. There's quite the spectrum of vehicles in her price range, so we'll see what comes of this search. She's filling out paperwork for post secondary enrollment options for next fall, and is applying for coursework at a community college. She'll need a dependable car for that commute, but we have a few months to look. The above mentioned repair guy works as parts manager at a car dealership, and can keep an eye out for us too. Patience is a hard thing, though much easier as you get older!

Of course, my patience is being highly tested...my second daughter turns 15 next month. "Mom! Did you sign me up yet for driver's classroom training?!!" Sighing heavily, "Yes, yes." Here we go again!!

Happy Easter & take care!!

March has been crazy! The girls and I have been off this week for spring break, and my husband took vacation the last two days. Yesterday, we went to Como Park and Conservatory (the flowers are gorgeous!), and ate out two nights in a row - yikes! Fun, and not too extravagant (well, for us, yes, but not on the budget.) For the rest of this week, I'm planning on hanging out and cleaning up the house and yard, with whatever daughters are home (See daughters dash quickly out the door!)

I'm pleased to find my mom settling in very well at the new nursing home. The other residents have come to recognize us, and seek us out. I'm not always sure what in the world our big group is talking about at any given time, but there is always a lot of laughing.

On the financial front - Taxes are all done. My daughter only owed to the federal for her 1099 work, and not to the state - yay! Ours resulted in getting a refund from the federal and on our property taxes, and owing a little to the state. We've fiddled with our withholdings, and this is as close as we can get (it would nice to have a little less owed to us from the federal, but it is what is it, as long as we have our four little tax deduction/credits around.)

Our Voyager van needs some repair - winter always takes its toll on our aging vehicles. Our repair guy is gathering parts, and will make the repair this weekend or next week. After that, we'll have him check over the Ford conversion van (our camping van!) for the upcoming camping season. (After this, I have to do some online reservations for Memorial weekend - can hardly wait!)

Don't let me get started on the state of things around the house! Nothing a few (or more!) dollars spent at Home Depot wouldn't cure. A whole lot of living happened at our house, that's all I can say!

Luckily, the rest of our expenses have been stable (some utilities were even down due to a milder winter and concerted effort on our part.) Groceries are still at $200 for two weeks (including non-grocery items and pet food.) We've been eating healthier (whole grains, fruits and vegies, and lots of chicken,) but lots of those things have been on sale. We have a freezer and stock up on the meat. The fresh vegies and fruit haven't been too expensive - and we eat the most perishable during the first week, and the more hardy the second week. The whole grain items are from a bread outlet store - we'd go broke buying that stuff from the grocery store! My goal is to use up some soups and meals frozen over the winter -and clean that freezer up a bit! Do I have a bad case of spring cleaning, or what?!

Take care, and Happy Spring!

Spent what we had planned to at the Funfest at the school on Saturday. Other than driving my oldest to work and church Sunday morning, we stayed home, as it was too cold to be out if we didn't have to be.

I made a very good soup yesterday. It started out being a 16-bean soup, and ended up being the means to clear out the freezer of several odds and ends of vegetables. I also tossed a bit of ham into it too. Kind of a bean-ham-vegetable soup - warm and hearty for our below zero weather of late, with leftovers for another future meal. Tonight's dinner is chicken stir-fry, using up leftover chicken.

My oldest told me that she think she needs new glasses (& maybe contacts this time.) We haven't used the vision part of our health plan before, and I'm not too thrilled with the provider list or their locations. We could go to our usual place, and just pay the out-of-network price. There is a mailorder option for the contacts, which may give us a discount. I guess I'll need to spend some time on the phone this week getting all the info gathered to make a good decision. Oh yay...

Trying to stay warm the past few days in some frugal and no-so-frugal ways. Our heat is turned up, we're wearing sweaters, socks and slippers, and cuddling under blankets on the couch and in bed. I took a warm bath each of the last three nights just to warm up a bit before bed. Even with lotions, my skin is raw from my warm baths and exposure to the weather. I'm ready for a bit of a warm-up - even a number above zero would be good!

Stay warm & take care!

My oldest daughter and I are losing weight together. Since early Jan., we've lost 5 and 8 lbs, respectively. And if that isn't enough, the amount I'm spending at the grocery store is reducing as well! Yay! I spent under $200 on Saturday, for the food and supplies for the next two weeks and a bit of pantry stocking.

Another thing I've been trying to do lately is try out a new recipe every week or two. My cooking definitely falls into some serious ruts. Tonight my family tried one called Bruschetta Chicken. They all found it tasty, though I'll cook it a little longer to crisp the top a bit more. It was also not too bad health- and dollar-wise.

I worked on the bulk mailing from work earlier today (my weekends are exciting, you can see.) I'll have a check cut at the district office and drop it all off at the PO, after my preschool hours tomorrow. I also work for a bit tomorrow night - and my younger girls can come to help me, and play with the kids that will be coming, if they want.

That is all, for now...take care!

...and it's financially related!

I've been moving through cupboards, drawers, my desk, etc. With my daughter sleeping and resting so much during her illness, I've had a bit of time on my hands. Can you tell?!

When pressed for time, as in most of the time, I want things neat, but end up putting things 'temporarily' into places. So far, I've cleared out the useless (to me) for donation. I consolidated items together - I don't have to purchase Christmas and regular stationery for quite a while, and the number of packages of pensin my desk was unreal! I organized what was staying in a more manageable way, so I know what I have or may need. I know - what a concept! Actually I don't mind organizing, but run out of hours in the day to get to it. Here's to trying to do better!

I picked up some brochures from work that need to be prepped and sorted for mailing on Monday. I'll work on it over the weekend (may even have a little help too.) A bit on the check at least...and I'm hoping to put a full week in next week.

Other than grocery shopping and going to the bread outlet store, we're laying low this weekend. Want to make sure everyone gets over everything, and are all healthy for school and work.

Enjoy the weekend and take care!

My youngest is home with a fever. Where did our immunity go this winter?! This makes for a day off for me, but I'm thankful for my job's flexibility to do this.

She is mostly sleeping, so I will hit more of my to-do list, that never-ending list. The pile (of desk papers) got filed over the weekend, as well as the old stuff from the files pulled. I still need to shred them. I received a number of w-2s and 1099s, but still not all. Should be able to get the taxes done by early Feb nontheless.

I pulled out a package of the cutup ham from the freezer, and will make up scalloped potatoes and ham in the crockpot for dinner tonight.

We found out yesterday that my husband's company had been sold (officially - we knew it was going to happen, but didn't know exactly when.) Within minutes of the purchase, layoffs were made at each branch across the country, though thankfully not my husband. He did lose two vacation days though, which is far easier to lump compared to losing a job.

I have such a mixture of emotions - feeling bad for his coworkers, thankful for husband still having a job, and the pressing need to really batton down our finance hatches. At least, we're at a place where we could get through a layoff, if need be, along with the opportunity to be even better prepared. Staying positive...

We're in the second week of our groceries, and holding steady. I'm feeling like making a nice pot of chili for tonight. A pan of brownies would be nice too.

Busy Saturday already - oldest daughter off to the pool job, youngest off on a day's adventure with her girl scout troop, second daughter just arrived back from a friend's youth lock-in, third woke up from sleeping in (needed - she was one of the sickies this week.) Husband is off to police station to do a bit of work on their card access system. As for me, that pile to file IS going to get done - enough with the procrastination! (In reality, it'll probably take all of 20 minutes, if that even.) Usually once I get going, I keep going, so I have my to-do list handy...take that, inertia!!

Enjoy your weekend...take care!

My oldest stayed home not feeling well, but the rest of us are back to work and school. My lunch and water are packed for work. I work through lunchtime today, then I'll visit my mom at the nursing home before heading home. I've heard some local nursing homes are restricting visitors, but at my mom's place, visitors are requested to wash hands and make use of the numerous bottles of hand sanitizer. Winter is a hard time of year at the nursing home, that's for sure.

I got as far as I could with tax gathering yesterday. Now, to wait patiently for statements to arrive...I can try! I still need to file the pile (of papers,) but I left that fun for this afternoon.

As it is Wednesday, tonight's dinner is in the crockpot - spaghetti. Then I send the girls off to church activities for the evening, and help as needed with homework for the younger two.

Enjoy your day and take care!

My husband is recovering from a yucky stomach illness (won't go into detail.) He's still home today from work, as is my youngest from school, who woke up with stomach pains (so far, she's not going the route of my husband.) Preschool was off today, so I cleaned and disinfected around the two, and did the requisite laundry. I also put a pot roast in the crockpot for dinner, though there may two less for dinner.

I spent a little time checking out some accounts online. I spent a lot of time sorting through the receipts and tax stuff, cleaning out the old papers, and making room for the new and upcoming.

I also mounted two bulletin boards above my two youngests' beds (no tape on those newly painted walls!) And I re-hung the fireplace grate from my parents' house in the archway between the dining and living room. We painted the dr and lr in September, and are obviously not rushing in putting things up on the wall - ha! (I know it's a funny sentimental thing - but it's pretty and ornate, and I couldn't stand the thought of it being demolished with the house, or worse, finding it at our local JunkMarket.)

Went grocery shopping for the two weeks on Saturday. Whew! We're ready for steady sailing (barring any more stomach issues!)

Take care!

In response to my last entry...I've been using a crockpot for all 22 years that I've been married, and collecting and creating recipes that long too. Some of our favorite recipes come from the "Fix-it and Forget-it" slow cooker series. I also check out the library for slow cooker cookbooks and magazines. And of course, trade recipes among friends!

Crockpot minestrone is one of my family's favorite soups.

Crockpot Minestrone

3 c. water
1 1/2 lbs. beef stew meat
1 medium onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 - 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 tsp. salt
1 - 10 oz. pkg. frozen mixed vegetables
1/2 c. cabbage, shredded
1 clove garlic, minced
1 - 16 oz. can garbanzo beans
1 tsp. dried oregano

Place all ingredients into a large crockpot, stirring to mix. Cover and cook on low 10 to 16 hours (or high 5 to 8 hours.) Enjoy!

Note - substitute and modify as you wish... I do! Today, I didn't have any cabbage, used a lot less salt and a bit less onion than the recipe says, made do with garlic powder, substituted last summer's surplus tomatoes that were in my freezer for the canned, and I always rinse the beans (less salt.) Also, I add pepper - lots - to my bowl.

Enjoy and take care!

Wednesday tends to be our busiest day during the week, so I always try to put something in the crockpot that is a full meal. On the menu today...crockpot minestrone. So after work, school and girls scouts for one daughter, we can have a quick dinner before children's choir and confirmation. We get to homework here and there as needed. Whew! Wednesday is a long day, but at least we have something to eat, and we can eat together. (And then we go to bed!)

Enjoy your day and take care!

I washed laundry, and hung it on the line yesterday. Today we have rain (desperately needed,) so the laundry will be in the dryer.

I went to the bread thrift store and purchased our usual monthly amount of bread. There was a also a great deal on bagels, so I bought a dozen packages to freeze (for upcoming school lunches.)

I also grocery shopped, and did well. We were pretty low on everything, so I stocked up a bit. I also made a start on buying items on sale for lunches and school snacks.

I've always used the coupons from the grocery store flyer, but this time I attempted to make an effort to use manufacturers' coupons. I found for the most part that I still do best with the store and generic brands (which suit us fine.) BUT...I did manage to save about $10 (about $7 being manuf. coupons.) AND...my total for two weeks of groceries (including general and school lunch stocking up and health/beauty and hh cleaning supplies) was $190 rather than its usual $200-220. SO...it seems worth it to continue working at this (thanks to Flash and all here who share their expertise!)

A rainy, lazy Sunday ahead - definitely a reading sort of day! Take care!

We're back from our camping trip up north. It was so fun and relaxing. We spent lots of time in the water - swimming in Lake Superior and under Gooseberry Falls. Roasting hot dogs and marshmallows over campfires at night. My second daughter discovered a talent at making pancakes, so we had several breakfasts featuring her artistic creations (round is boring, mom!)

During the requisite laundry catch-up, I spent time gathering together my youngest's outgrown clothes, as well as checking out the rest of the girls' closets. Altogether I had eight bags of clothes, shoes and miscellaneous household clutter to donate at our favorite place. Yesterday afternoon, we made a run to make the donation, as well as check out their thrift shop for clothes for school. I told the cashier that we were leaving with almost as much as we donated. Well, only four bags...but good deals nonetheless. Still looking for some jeans for the two youngest, but not desperate yet.

We're almost school-ready. I have the bulk of the school supplies bought (just a couple things that I need from the art and office supply stores.) My mother-in-law offered to buy the girls their gym shoes - the oldest and youngest are done, still have the middle two to do. Yay all around!

The next two weeks, I'm working the 'Ready, Set, Kindergarten' class. I need to get out of vacation mode, and back to real life! I have to plan out meals for the next two weeks, make the gocery list, and then head to the bread thrift and grocery stores. I'll definitely be out of vacation made by today's end! Take care!!

I've been starting to see some more samples coming through the mail. I wished there were more coupons with the samples, but free is free.

Also, inspired by our own Flash, I've made more of an effort to clip (and use!) coupons. We usually purchase a lot of store and generic brands, as well as staples that don't often have coupons, at the grocery store. But right off the bat, quite by chance I get to use a rebate for batteries, where we happened to buy the right brand. I bought a package of Charmin tp for mere cents with a coupon at our local Snyder's drug store. I usually buy the mega roll size, and this pkg was regular size (it looked puny!) I got some softsoap (coupon) and some generic ibuprophen (no coupon.) I think I need to work more on this a bit more. It seems that you have to shop weekly to maximize the best use of some of the coupons.

Last night, I took the girls to our local night out event. My husband is in the police reserve unit, so was already there grilling a ton of hamburgers and hot dogs. Very fun to see friends and neighbors, even in the rain...can you believe after weeks of blazing sun and drought, we had rain through the day, and a downpour right during the event?! We were all so relieved to not have 100 degree weather, that no one cared getting soaked.

Today is beautiful and predicted to be in 70s - no window a/c's, no fans, laundry on the line. Yay!

The youngest two girls are attending our church's vbs this week, and my second is a teacher's helper. Tonight the oldest two will go to a bbq at one of the congregant's (beautiful!) home. Then tomorrow evening is the family potluck for all the vbs students, staff and families. It's an easy week for dinner, that's for sure!

We're all looking forward to our camping trip. Food is all bought, and in the freezer or safely stashed. We'll pack the van up on Saturday, and leave early Sunday. Can't wait!

So as to not have to scramble when we get back (coupled with catching stuff on sale,)the girls and I finished buying the rest of the school supplies they need for September. When we get back, we'll search for athletic shoes for school - and I have some coupons for those.

Enjoy the day....take care!

My big plans for the weekend include doing a pile of laundry - bedding, towels and the regular load. We're predicted to have a little rain this afternoon, but so far, so good for hanging out on the line.

It was another chow-down week on the snacks, so next week will be a bit paltry - I keep reminding myself it's a learning process for the girls. It's just the snacks; no real starving for them.

We're working on clearing out the clothes that don't fit my youngest, and general closet cleaning and straightening. My, how that girl has grown this summer! We're accumulating a few bags of stuff to donate soon. Where we donate has a thrift store, so we'll start checking for jeans for school (and for camping in August - I think my youngest two have either outgrown or worn theirs to tatters.)

In between, there will be time for swimming at the lake and reading and puttering - definitely my sort of weekend! Take care!!