I had a great picture of them with my kids and it's gone...and they left early this morning. The reason this picture was so special and this trip so important....mom mom Bella has been fighting cancer for a little over two years and this is the first time she has been well enough to travel. We were so blessed they showed up on Valentine's day. I happily cleaned our room up and gave it to them for two nights while hubby and I shared the couch. We had a great time. They are headed out to spend some time on a cruise.
Getting to how we saved this week, on Valentine's day, I made homemade lasagna and the kids and i decorated the table and lit candles in the house to surprise the hubby when he got home from work. We even got out the fancy glasses and had grape soda! It was so awesome, but my pictures got erased. I want to make special dinners a monthly event maybe with a different theme so maybe a picture will happen next time. We decorated with things we already had with the exception of a table cloth and pink rose petals from the dollar tree. I gave the kids each a home made decoration as a gift. My son made great chocolate chip cookies all on his own. I just pulled up the recipe on the computer. He did the rest while I worked on other things.
My dad forgot to pack some casual clothes for his cruise because their plans changed last minute (originally they were not going on a cruise) so we made a trip to Walmart. I found these beauties for half price left over from Valentine's. Originally I think they were 8.98. They are tulips. Tulips were my birth mothers favorite flower but she died when I was a little girl. These are a sweet reminder of her, and as a bonus they come back each year after you plant them.
Yesterday Mom Mom shared some of her special recipes with us, and we had a great meal right here at home that consisted of meatballs, chicken and dumplings, and cheesy potatoes. She also worked with me and showed me how to crochet, but I need a ton of practice. We have so much food left over that there will be some for dinner today!
I did shop a little this week at Kirkland's and I visited the mall with my daughter, but anything that was purchased we tried to use coupons or shop sales. I saved 10 percent at Kirklands with their spin and win app, and signs at Claire's were by one get one half off. I have really been working on the house, I hope to share some type of home tour soon.
Let me share also a beautiful blessing my husband received from a customer. It was originally designed to be a birdhouse, and while i think it would be gorgeous on the front porch, my hubby says it's too pretty to put outside, so I have put a tiny little nativity I have on it to remind use we need Jesus everyday and set it up on our entertainment stand. The guy that made this does it as a hobby, and would not take any money for it. The particular day hubby brought it home was a bad day for me, and I sort of felt like it was the Lord's personal touch in our lives when hubby received this item.
This was our week in a nutshell. I didn't do anything huge to save money, but the little things count too. It was a great week.
Oh yea my final thought is...our electric bill this month was back down to a manageable 140.00. This is the first bill we have gotten that did not reflect usage from when my nephew and his family were here. My goal is to get it down to $100.00. Maybe that is no longer ideal though, perhaps the rates are just to high now. I don't know. I hope each of you had a great week as well.
I enjoy reading about your week, MJ. I'm sorry about the pictures- maybe you can get together with them again sometime soon and take more pics. The wooden nativity is beautiful! That was really nice of your husband's coworker- and I believe it was designed to be given to you on that day when you feel you needed it. :) Good luck on the crocheting- I am still in the beginner stages and need more practice also. So far I did make a very simple scarf for each of the kids and one for myself. It sounds like your dinners this week were yummy and you had a sweet Valentine's Day. :)
ReplyDeleteYes thank you we did have a great week. That is awesome that you have crocheted a couple scarves. I hope to work more on crocheting in the weeks to come. Maybe I can make something we will see. I saw the food you have been making it looks great! I may have to try that apple cake recipe. Our dinners were pretty good too. I hope we can see my parents again soon but I don't know when they will be able to come here or when we will be able to go to Delaware again. We really didn't think mom mom would make it through the summer, but she did. That is the only reason losing that particular picture is difficult for me, but losing one picture won't take away all the memories right. I hope you had a good week!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you enjoyed your parents visit and that it made Valentines Day even more memorable. Last week was pretty frugal until the weekend. We made our annual trip to the Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Ky. We had annex for this and ended up with money left over, so I guess it was thrifty with a little splurging at the same time. A friend and I went shopping and I picked up a top and a scarf each for $10, so that was pretty good for mall prices. We came home to prepare for snow storm. We had a Valentine banquet after church last night. It was soup sandwiches and desserts. I made chili and had just enough for lunch for the two of us. We have about 10-12 inches of snow and its still snowing. This is our biggest snow here in many, many years. County officials are encouraging everyone to stay home and off the roads. We did go get our son and daughter in law. They couldn't get out of their driveway in their cars. They are here until at least tomorrow and hubby can take them to work in the ton truck (4 wheel drive) if they absolutely have to go in tomorrow. They worked from home today on their computers. We got out and sledded behind the jeep out in our field. It was fun but didnt take long to get cold! Hope you have a good week.
ReplyDeleteOh Vicky sledding sounds fun. We did it one year in Delaware, but we don't get snow like that here in Florida. The cold weather and snow in Delaware is why my parents chose to get away for a while. It sounds like you had a great week. I hope you stay safe but are able to enjoy your time with family and in the snow also.
ReplyDeleteHappy you had a great visit with tour family! Our parents have a wealth of knowledge to share with us. Mine are elderly, but I still learn from them regularly.
ReplyDeleteThe bird house is what we call God Winks. It seems like every time we need encouragement there is a God Wink of some kind or another.
Anne I like the name God Winks for those types of events.....I am fortunate to realize that yes the parents I have left do have wisdom and to take time to listen. When I was 19 I remember thinking what do they know....I am happy for the wake up call now!
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