Pieces

The cold snap has begun. It should be interesting to see how much wood we go through to keep the house nice and toasty for the remainder of the week. We’ve already burned one cords worth. That also means I have to make hardy fare for the dinner table. This kind of stuff always makes me think of Grandma.

Had our Thrifty group last night. It is nice to have a group of likeminded women going through the same struggles and concerns. I feel stronger after the exchange. Like a booster shot so I can handle the onslaught just a bit better. There is a lot to glean from one another. Although….I think the highlight of the evening was planning for our chocolate potluck in February. Yeah baby….chocolate will cure what ails you.

There is plenty to do today. As always there is laundry. I hang the laundry on a drying rack in the lower level so that kind of makes for laundry daily. I am trying to not use the dryer anymore than necessary. We also have to carry in firewood. I’ll be making roast tonight for dinner so there is plenty of dinner prep and I probably should whip up a dessert for the gang. That always warms them up. I have two meetings to plan for and homework to finish before class resumes next week. Bookwork is needing to be done for finances and menu planning for the upcoming week. And, I have a poncho I need to finish making. Yep, I should be able to stay busy today.

The budget is going pretty well. I haven’t been to the store in over a week. Yesterday I had to buy gas for the car otherwise I’ve been holding on with what we have. That really isn’t bad. And the family seems to be doing well with it considering I’m cooking like a fool. I always cook more when I’m spending less….why is that?

I have no deep thoughts. My mind just keeps wandering over to hoping to hear the phone ring and hearing Erin on the other end saying she is on her way home. My thoughts and energies are directed souly to that right now. I just want her home.

Starting off again

Wow, it HAS been awhile since I bothered to do anything blog related. Such is the vacuum of the holiday season. Too much to do in too short of a time. Not to mention I just find myself placing more and more on my plate schedule wise. Oh let’s get real, I do that with food too. I had been doing good with my diet before the holidays hit. I think eggnog is the nectar of satan. It is time to get back with the program Theresa.

We’ve got about a week before Erin is back!!! I cannot wait. Unfortunately she will be coming back to some difficult issues. Her mother-in-law suffered a stroke two days ago. It is still uncertain as to what is going to happen. Jerry is flying home to be with his mother at Erin’s insistence. He was so torn between being there for his mother and being home when Erin got back from Iraq. Poor sweet man. I’m glad Erin convinced him to get to his mama.

So, lets see what is on my mind lately. Well, to start, I hate the amount of money that flowed out of our accounts during Christmas. We have a budget but time and time again we go over it at Christmas time. It boils down to our weakness. The only thing we can do about it is building up stronger discipline. And this year it is especially glaring given that we are one of those statistical families who have already lost half of our retirement savings to this struggling economy. I keep hearing that I shouldn’t worry because it will bounce back. My concern is when and at what cost. At our age the bounce back is a bit more difficult. I know, I know….suck it up.

I have been finding ways to save a penny though. Yesterday is a perfect example. We were in need of king size pillow cases. Well when we got rid of the fullsize bed this past summer we had all these sheets left from it. Yep, I sewed us up some new pillow cases. Even Bob says they look perfect. So, 20 minutes of work saved us not only the price of new cases but the gas and time to purchase them. While I had the machine out I recovered some of our pot holders in the kitchen that were looking pretty nasty. Wha-laa. What is the saying…”make do, use it up or do without.”
I would like to plant vegetables this year instead of flowers. I don’t care if it would make us stick out like sore thumbs in the subdivision…it is far more practical. Who knows…maybe we’ll start a trend in the neighborhood. I know I’ll never have the kind of garden here that I had back in Wisconsin but at least we could have a salad garden. Not only does it help economically, but environmentally AND emotionally. There is something therapeutic about growing something that ends up on your table. A real sense of satisfaction. To feel productive.

We have Office 2007 on our computer now. It is actually hilarious to be sitting here typing. I write like I speak….fragmented and smacking of my hick upbringing. Well that gives grammar check fits. LOL I don’t worry about it. If I were to correct all such things I wouldn’t be sharing what is honest and immediate on my mind.

I’m fighting some weird symptoms again. I really do not want to go to the doctor. I am so sick of all the tests. So instead I have been trying to make adjustments in my eating, activities and so forth hoping to find some sort of magic mix that brings me back to center. One thing that is helping is I have walked away from the Wii. They have all those warnings about people with seizure disorders to be wary of the system and I ignored it. Well I never did it on a regular basis so it really didn’t affect me. Well, once Mario Kart came into the house and my addiction to that game started my symptoms spiked. So, no more competition on the Wii. Sad. I will play an occasional game of Tiger Woods golf with my hubby though. Oh, and bowling.
Anyway, I will continue to see what changes help and go with that. If it goes on too much longer then of course I will have to surrender to the fact that I’ll be in for more tests. ARGH! Not good considering our insurance has changed and the coverage is not as good.

Back to frugal stuff. Bob and I did start something new this year. No more gift giving for anniversaries, birthdays, Valentines and so forth. Instead we are setting aside the money we would have spent on something and using it for something substantial later on. What that will be we will decide later. But some ideas have been things such as new furniture or a vacation. This makes FAR more sense than buying stuff just because you are “supposed” to for any given occasion. We are both loving this. So far our anniversary money has been placed in the account. Next up is Valentines. This is great.

Well the fire is going good in the stove now and it is time for breakfast. Hopefully I’ll be back tomorrow.
Hugs to all!!!

Christmas lights

Well this is what Zoe, with a help from a couple others in the house, was able to accomplish on the outside of our house this year. I think she/they did a great job.

Sandy Cove

So, here is Bob and I this past weekend while we were at Sandy Cove. If you have never been there it is an absolute must that you make a point of doing so. It is a truly uplifting time. I really hate how I look in photos. Blech. What's with the hair that day and am I a cheshire? Bob was really ill all weekend but he still managed to look great.

One of the things I conquered over the weekend was my fear of heights. Check it out, I went up Pikes Peak this summer and now I'm doing the swing at Sandy Cove. This puppy is between 30-35 feet high. The men couldn't tell me for sure. It felt like 50. I don't know what overcame me....I just wanted to not be enslaved by this fear anymore. Oh, I was plenty scared the whole time I was up there but the point is that fear is no longer controlling me.

It is my understanding that our friends Jen and Tony took video of this moment and plan on using it in call to worship this Sunday at church as a demonstration of faith. I'm told there will be sound. This might not be good. LOL

The weekend was about accepting and embracing the fact that our spouses our "different" from us. Oy, they have no idea how true that is with Bob and I. We are night and day different but those are the very things that attracted us to one another in the first place. Funny how over time one wants to change that very thing about each other. LOL Even though that man of mine wears on my last nerve sometimes I would still not want my life to be without his flavor. He is my spice.

We booked a suite this time down at Sandy Cove. This was what we got to watch from our balcony. Is this not the prettiest sunset?

Hoping to be on track writing soon. Love to all!!!

Time to get serious

Well I have been neglecting my blog haven’t I? I blame it partly on Facebook. In facebook I can give a one line blip and be done. Not well thought out or sharing all that much which kind of makes it a McBlog drive thru. Not exactly a healthy alternative.

Health seems to be on my mind lately. Had my blood pressure done at church Sunday only to find out it was high. I truly thought it was going to be normal. I’m on meds for crying out loud. But no, it surprised me being at 162/102. If this is my new normal I don’t like it. It made me go home and really think about what I have been doing to myself. I’ve had no discipline or motivation to do what is right regarding my health. I’ve been lazy and taking the easy way out. In a nutshell I talk a good talk with my kids about responsibilities but I have tripped and fell hard in the walk. There is a whole big reason I even mention that but I will not go into it here.

Anyway, immediately on Monday I started Weight Watchers again. Yep, counting points and all. I had to go to the grocery store special for some healthy foods. Apparently I never made a point of having the fresh stuff here as a standard and whole grains were something you fed livestock. The first day was tough but it has gotten easier with each day and doggone if I’m not getting excited about this. Something I cannot say I have had in the last five years of attempting diets. I just know this time I’ll make it. No need to believe me since I’ve said this so many times before. It is enough that I believe it and at some point you’ll get to say “Wow, she did it”.

I’ve given myself a week to let my body adjust to the new and limited foods and then Monday I start WW Walking challenge. Add some Wii Fitness to that and the weight machine and I’m hoping to be sexy by spring. LOL

Oh, and I did something else. Yesterday I decided to also begin getting rid of the frumpy me. I have let myself go in more ways then weight. My girls and I were talking about how we just don’t feel very feminine and how it is our faults for not being feminine. So, I tossed all my old make-up, which was wrecking my eyes anyway, and went in for a consult and bought all new make-up. Then, I went and got my hair cut. Yep, the frugal lady who said having long hair would save more money has decided if it makes you feel and look frumpy about yourself it just wasn’t worth the piddly savings. I may even go back to coloring it too if I can convince my family to let me. They all insist the grey is better. Hmmmm.

Those two steps made me feel pretty good. Bob and I went shopping last night though and I tried on some clothes. What is it about department store lighting and mirrors? I knew I looked bad at home but the conditions they present make me look even worse. I would think good business sense would be to give the customer more flattering lighting. Anyway, it just gave me another reason to be doing this besides health. I want my hubby to be able to look at me with the twinkle he used to.

Well, time to get moving. Movement…..it’s a beautiful thing.

Cold meds and jumbled thinking

The cold bug is taking hold of the house here. I am still battling the nasty little bugger and now Perry has been stricken down with it. Bob is starting to show signs himself but he never complains. He could have a ruptured spleen and we’d never know about it. You just kind of have to watch for the signs. Whether it is an old wives tale or not I am making up a big pot of chicken soup today. Couldn’t hurt right?

The weather is now at a point where I have to start a fire every morning. It also needs to be made every night before bed but last night by the time I got home from my meeting I was wiped and this is where Bob was showing those “signs” of not feeling too well himself because he opted to not build a fire himself. He isn’t prone to laziness and he definitely likes to save money so I know he would have built one if he had felt more energy.

Still reading up on the economy. Still depressing. And more people are losing their jobs. We know a number of them. Scary stuff. We continue on our path of thriftiness as a foundation for the what-ifs. Even our trip to Wisconsin was done very thrifty. We cashed in hotel points so we only had one nights worth to pay for and packed a cooler of food and one of beverage instead of frequenting restaurants. We did use restaurants five times but they were thrifty too. We felt pretty good about how cheaply we managed a weeks trip. It was less than just myself on my trip to Colorado in September.

The kids have recognized the importance of watching the pennies too. Perry had been concerned he wasn’t going to have the money for tuition again but the outlook is improving and he is feeling more confident about this. It has meant working more hours and spending way less than he used to but he is seeing it pay off. And the girls keep trying to bank every dollar they can. I am so glad they are not of the “entitled” set.

Even with illness and financial concerns there is still beauty all around us. We just need to open our eyes and appreciate it so it sinks in and transforms us. Here is yet another picture from Wisconsin. I love autumn.

Wisconsin

So, I just got back from a week in Wisconsin. I brought back a souvenir cold. It is the hardy Northwood’s Wisconsin variety and I question the ability for the east coast to handle it. You have to have strong Scandinavian blood running through your veins with enough bohemian to make it interesting.

Bob and I made this trip in the Yaris affectionately known as Lary. (Little Red Yaris) It is the car we purchased when gas prices started to climb and Bob is a commuter. He went from driving a truck that got 16 mpg to Lary who can give out 40mpg. Now we love that little Toyota but I have to say, for a car that is good on gas it is extremely hard on the ass for long distance. We got through it though and at a fraction of the cost it normally would have cost and we are nothing if not tightwads.

We both enjoyed our time with both of our mothers. We saw mine in the far north and were able to get some details taken care of for her that she has been wanting me to take care of for her for some time now and we saw Bob’s mother in Door County at an amazing rental property on Lake Michigan that his brother rented for a week and a half. In that case all his brothers and sister were able to make it so it was a whole family gathering with the exception of some grandkids.

We took advantage of the peak fall color time to drive around and get pictures of the autumn glory. I am a kid at heart when it comes to fall, I just love walking through the woods kicking up the leaves to just smell the season. Is there anything better?

Except for developing the cold the trip was nearly perfect. Bob and I enjoyed each others company greatly and had many good laughs. Oh, and we found the worlds greatest truck stop to eat too. If you are ever on highway 51 take exit 205, you won’t regret it. To pass the time we also grabbed real estate mags to peruse through while driving. Half way through one of them Bob was trying to figure out how one in the telecommunication field could possibly make a living in the Midwest. He would love to move back. I must admit…I miss the Midwest too. The whole pace of life is different. Plus it would be nice to be near family again. God will take us where God wants us or keep us where He wants us. I just pray we open our hearts to His will.

So now we are back home. I missed the kids terribly. It was great to get back to them and hear all their stories of what happened with them during the week. In fact the last couple of days have just been filled with conversation with them. Is it possible they missed us too? I am grateful, ever so grateful for family and home.

The picture is one we took on our journey. Isn't Wisconsin beautiful?

Tidbits

Isn’t October pretty? It has to be my favorite month. Yes, people can have favorite months, it’s allowed. As a kid I probably liked it only because it closed with guarantee of a bag full of candy but as an adult it is simply because it is so gorgeous. Be it the colors the scents or the fact it is the beginning of snuggle weather, it is just wonderful. This month feels like a gift.

I’ll tell you one thing, the cooler weather is making it easier to do the exercise. Big girls don’t like heat. At least this big girl doesn’t. It has helped make my choice a bit more comfortable. I never did finish sharing about the weight choice last night. It is choice. It feels exactly like it did when I made the choice to quit smoking all those many years ago. Just like I finally saw how damaging the cigarettes were for me I have come to the same realization about Hershey bars. Time to step away from the buffet and belly up to the treadmill. I have some travel coming up and I even have planned to pack some hand weights with me so I can continue what I’ve started while on the road. I know from history if I let myself lax at all I will be right back to my unhealthy actions. This feels good. I also prayed about this and I can feel God giving me the strength to follow through. Praise goes to God.

The one tricky part of my goal is the word “diet”. I am watching my portions and am being a bit more selective about what I eat BUT……there is always one to be found….I’ve not been able to follow a structured diet in some time. Even Weight Watchers caused problems for me. The doctors are not sure why but every time I start the “diet” part of weight loss my potassium levels fall and I start teetering with seizure symptoms. Now what good is a diet if you end up flopping around like a flounder on the pavement? Not very attractive. So I’ll do what I can and try to be patient with that. Patience is NOT one of my gifts. OY!

Haven’t mentioned our budget lately. Well it is going just grand. We started the envelope system a month ago and all the credit cards are back to zero balances and we haven’t gone over on any of our categories. Bob looked like he might develop a tick the first few weeks without a credit card but now he has settled into the plan quite comfortably I think. It feels safe to account for all our incoming and outgoing. Before we just kind of bought what we bought without a lot of thought. We just figured we pay everything as we should so why worry? Well we should worry because we were not being good stewards and also saving like we should. Doing what we are now will give us the emergency savings we need and more to invest later on. Don’t even get me started on investments right now. Oy, the stock market.

Kelsey, our resident hippie and environmentalist, has discovered the book “Reuses”. Now this book was written in 1982, most of what they have you recycling in there isn’t even around anymore. Things such as pull tabs. Ahhh….the 70’s. Her excitement level rose when she saw that they recycle neckties by making them into skirts. You’ve already figured out that Kelsey has gone through Bob’s necktie collection haven’t you? I will keep you posted on her progress and hopefully will have a picture in a week or so for you.

Well I guess I have been just jabbering here with not much to say. Just kind of a grocery list of thoughts and doings. Nothing deep and profound…..just content and warm.

Here is praying the same for every one of you. HUGS!!!

Weighty Issues

Okay, I’ve made up my mind to do something about this first grader I have attached to my butt and thighs. That is how much extra weight I am carrying around. Good grief the family gene pool runs deep and THICK in this area. My father died at age 53 from a heart attack. I really truly believe it was largely in part to the fact that he was an obese man. Couple that with his type A personality and you have a powder keg. BOOM! Well I’m 48 you do the math. I have dreams of being around for the day I become a grandmother God willing. I’d like to see all four kids grown and married…God willing. I’d like to make it to a 20 year wedding anniversary for the first freaking time. LOL Again, God willing.

So what got me started? Stacking wood this week. I was reintroduced to muscles I had forgotten I had. So now I want to build some momentum with that. I’ve even started using that torture machine disguised as fun the Wii Fit. It looks so innocent and easy until you get a lard butt like mine up on it. OY! And it has become a source of amusement for my teens to watch me struggle on it. I’m thinking the humiliation will be character building as well.

Anyway, I am now keeping a progress ticker onsite so that it gives me an accountability of sorts. I could care less if I get the bod I had when I was 20, I just want to be able to see 60.

Some People Who Make Me Smile~of course this isn't ALL of them

Slideshow

The BIG Bang!

Erin sent some pictures about how she spent part of her day yesterday. I did get her permission to post these before doing so. Doesn't this make the typical day at the office seem a little less dramatic?

A quote from my daughter: "Yesterday I got to go blow up crap. We had to dispose of 4000 40mm grenades. Oh, it made such a sweet fireball and a nice boom. The crater it left was probably a good 4 feet deep and 8 feet across. There is nothing like playing with a little C-4 to make your day just a little bit better. LOL"

Blessed

What a beautiful morning. My old body is screaming in pain over the labor of the last few days, which just speaks loudly to how out of shape I am, but my heart is pushing forward with the tasks at hand. I thrive in the autumn season. Which, at my age, I am living out now as well.

The morning was indeed cool enough that I got to build the first fire in the stove this morning. The whole house is getting a cozy feel and smells absolutely wonderful. I’ve been hanging laundry out on the line watching the steam rise off the wet clothes in the chill while tendrils of perfect smoke are curling out of the chimney making the whole outdoors even more delicious in the autumn scents. I have to walk past the woodpile on my way to the lines and I make a point of deeply inhaling as I do that earthy, woodsy, musty smell that I wish they could bottle. Yum.

Kelsey is a bit concerned over the fire in the stove right now given this is her cat, Pickles, first introduction to fire. I’m fairly confident that given Pickles’ demeanor and curiosity that we will be seeing singed whiskers before the close of the week. The dogs are already vying for who gets to lie in front of the stove.

In an email from Erin the other day she was celebrating the fact that the temperatures had dropped below 100 that day. It actually got as low as 95. She said you would be amazed at how comfortable that temp is after living in 120 degree days. Can you even imagine? Add to that the fact that they are covered head to toe in the uniforms and Oy vey!! Is it no wonder that her number one request of items to send her is body spray.

Erin turns 27 next Tuesday. To those of you nice enough to think such a thought….yes, I am that old that I have a child that age already. Twenty-seven was a good year for me even with all that happened that would appear to have been negative. It was the year I can look back and see the hand of God at work. I didn’t give my heart to Jesus until I was almost 42 but it was the beginning at 27. It was then I had God in mind and felt Judaism was my link. Funny thought process. But through it all……..I did finally make it. Even with all the valleys I’ve journeyed through….it has been a blessed journey with God.

New Stuff

Hey Ya'll....don't forget to periodically look up and down the left side of the page. I've begun adding little links (Crown Ministry feed for one) and I have a poll you can all give feedback to and now I also have some YouTube with one of my newest funny ladies Mrs. Hughes. I even set it up so you now can subscribe to the blog. (Lets see how THAT works out)

Like I said...check once in awhile and see what has been added.

Hugs!!!

Ordinary?

It has been a satisfying day thus far. I pray for the remainder to be likewise. After finishing my morning coffee I threw on some work clothes and headed to the backyard to tackle the other half of the woodpile that needed stacking. We ordered two cords of wood this year and the gentleman we ordered it from prides himself “on a FULL cord of wood and it ALL being oak”. His full is overflowing bless his heart. So the rest of the first cord was stacked this morning with another cord to arrive probably within a week or so.

It felt good outside that early. I had to throw on a barn jacket to find some comfort especially since Zoe and I were seeing our breath as we labored. I have always enjoyed piling wood. Bob thinks I’m a bit whacked in the head but there is something so satisfying about being outside and working the muscles putting up something that is meaningful and necessary. It helps with the heating bill and the added bonus is it just plain makes the house cozy and inviting to have a fire built. Plus who cannot love the smell of the cut wood on a crisp fall morning?

I had already finished dishes and general housework before starting on the woodpile and once done with that I took on making some bread and some pumpkin bars. The girls always yell out “I love you’s” when I get to baking up a storm like that. I don’t dare tell them I had considered making caramel rolls too but by then the ache in my arm muscles was making it hard to lift my coffee cup to my lips. The rolls will wait until later in the week.

I got to thinking about the word “ordinary”. I even looked up the definition to reinforce my thought process. Take the time to look it up yourself. Then ask yourself why we ever came up with such a ridiculous word. How can it possibly be used in ones life? There is nothing “ordinary” about any given day. Right from the start you never know what you are going to wake up to and you know from experience that every sunrise is unique. You never know who will cross your path throughout the day or what news will make itself known. As hard as the weather men try to predict the weather it is always a grab bag of surprises. There might be a new person you meet or a maybe a new flavor of ice cream is found in the freezer section. Hey, a rock may hit the windshield or a stray cat scoots up to the window to say hello while you are busy with school. See, everything, no matter how one may think it is trivial, insures us that there is nothing “ordinary” about our day. Just like there is nothing ordinary about each one of us. We are all unique and gifted in our own special, God given ways and have the ability to make effects to the days and people around us anything but ordinary. In fact…with that in mind, the only way “ordinary” can be used…..is in how extraordinary every day and person is.

They say it is going to drop to the 30’s tonight. I can’t wait. I’m itching to build a fire to snuggle up next to.

Erin finally sent pictures so here is one!!!

Erin is the one on the right.