This weeks savings, blessings, unexpected happenings, and revalations.

Attempts at saving:

I swear clothes just aren't made the way they used to be.  Some of the new kids my clothes received over Christmas etc....are supposed to be the right size but I am afraid if I dry them they will shrink, so those pieces I am worried about, i have laid out to dry in hopes to get a longer life span out of them.

I got our male kitten that we acquired in August neutered for free through our counties local humane society.  I forgot about this service.  I used it two years ago when we moved here to have a couple of females done (they ran away though not long after.)  Anywho....the program was free for all cats regardless of income of the owner.

We got creative with a couple of meals because I just don't want (nor will we ever be able to get a place of our own if we have) to go to the grocery store every single week.  We pulled chicken off the bone (from left overs) and added some spices, veggies and pasta to make soup...and when it looked like it might not stretch far enough, we made some cheese quesadillas and also used some left over re-fried beans to make some other quesadillas to go with the soup.  (my friend and I shop together but the amount we are spending on groceries in my personal opinion is getting astronomical but i know different strokes for different folk)

I was able to bring home a box of brownies from my daughter's school.  Sometimes they have left over Little Debbie snacks that they give to families.

We had lunch at the Sr. Center on Saturday.  We brought home some extra soup and a sandwich as well as a loaf of bread.  We played some games at home afterwards.

Blessings:

My daughter received from my Uncle's family a box of clothes in the mail that contained a princess dress, two pairs of pants, and a shirt I believe. She loved every piece.  I thought it was really nice of them to think of us when they are going through their things, and they pay shipping to send them all the way to us here in Florida when they could have donated them for free some place near their home.

We got to see some of the teeniest tiniest snow flurries on Saturday.  It made me smile because I actually do still like snow.

The friend I live with gave us a jacket her daughter will not wear, so it will be great for using now if needed and should work for next year too.

My friends built a fire in the fire place.  It was nice and most of the kids fell asleep by it in the living room that night.

Unexpected Happenings:

Not much drama in this department.  Doing my daughters family tree project depressed me deeply...at least the biological part does....our family is either broken or alot of them are gone.  If I could design it, part of it would be dead but some branches would have flowered with new life.  Most of the people we call family now aren't biologically and I know that doesn't matter but there would be some beautiful branches, if I could design it myself.  Doing the project made me think about alot of old things.  I am probably not making any sense.

My husband ran a fever for four days, and we ended up at the Care Spot, where they said he had an upper respiratory infection...so that was a $40.00 unexpected expense along with 5.00 for medications.  His antibiotic was free at Publix, but the pain medication was not.

Revelations:

You can't always run from your problems.  Sometimes you just have to sit there and work through and learn in them.  I need to pray more for my children.  I still struggle with changing my habits.  Our house hunt is proving difficult.  Waiting is proving difficult.  Not that where we live is bad or anything.  It is a beautiful and wonderfully warm home.  We are not being rushed out.  As a matter of fact when the temperature dropped this past week here, the kids and I felt led to pray for those that worked in the cold, or maybe even live in it and may have been unprepared for any type of winter weather.  Doctor's still can't say for sure what is going on with me, but there is hope that it is not life threatening if they can't find it right?  (like i said old baggage from losing a mother, and later in life my first unborn child.  You think everything is fine and one day it's not.)  So I worry alot about things I can't control.