Baby, It's Cold......

Outside, Inside....Everywhere!

After several years of above normal Winter temperatures,  today was BRUTAL!  Our high was 5 degrees....yes, I said FIVE!  And tomorrow,  our HIGH will be -2....n-e-g-a-t-i-v-e  t-w-o!  (with a wind chill of  -20 to -30!)   

Yes, I do live in Minnesota....and, yes, I have very many times experienced these crazy cold days....however, I am NEVER ready for them.  They always catch me off guard and unwilling to accept them!  :)  So, tomorrow is going to be a warm blanket and homemade soup day.  And, being that it is Martin Luther King Day....that means that there is no school so no waking up early and driving the kiddo.  Yay!  Just me, my blankie and my soup....yeah....who-am-I-kidding?!?  :) 

OK, back to reality....the reality where I have had my niece over here all this weekend and she and my 11 year old have terrorized this house!  So, tomorrow will be regroup and reorganize day.

I haven't been posting much lately due to family illness (yes, we had that dreaded flu) and extended family health issues.  I'm happy to say that my Mother in Law is doing quite well after her pacemaker surgery and my Father in Law is all recuperated from his own bout of the flu.

Immediately after her surgery and before we all became sick here,  we took dinner to them and helped them get things back to normal at their house.  I made a hearty beef stew....

and a yummy Apple Crisp......

and we spent the majority of an afternoon and evening getting everyone caught up and back to normal.

Hmmmm.....I'm thinking that tomorrow may be a great day to make another pot of that stew........

Anyway.....later that week I finally got out to do some shopping and had an awesome adventure at Target:

......where I spent 22.16 and saved 51.30 in coupons!

And, then a trip to CVS where I spent 1.53(after coupons and extra bucks) and received 8.00 back in ECB's.  I do love to get some bargains especially they way prices have been skyrocketing lately!

So, this is the beginning of the first "normal" week that we have had in a while.  Tons of laundry to catch up on and time to clean a house that has definitely not been feeling the love lately.  And, hopefully, some time to scour the ad's and find some deals this week.  

If you live in the upper midwest....throw a few more logs on the fire and remember that this is the way it is suppose to feel in January....not the 40's that we had last year at this time.  :)  Have a wonderful Monday, everyone!

Not The Best Weekend.....

Wow.... this weekend was not so great.  :(  I think everyone that I know has some kind of Flu, and now,  so does my family.  Hubby and the daughter are both in bed with fevers and coughing.  I was achy and miserable ALL weekend but feeling a bit better today....which is good because now I must take care of the family.  My plans for the week have been mostly put on hold until we see how things shape up around here.  My mother-in-law is having surgery tomorrow and we are suppose to be taking dinner to them on Wednesday, but,  there is No Way I will drag the flu germs to their house!  I may have to see if Hubby's sister-in-law can make something and take it over to them.  

Today I will do the bare necessities as I still am not at 100 percent.  Need to throw in some laundry and do a little 'general' pick-up and germ removal (aka-  get out the Lysol!).  Dinner will be some simple chicken noodle soup and I will thaw some homemade rolls that I made during the holidays.  I have a feeling that that is all anyone will be up to eating.  

Well, I hope that your families are all well!  I am having a hard time believing that it is the 7th of January already....where did the first week of 2013 go?!?

Whew....What a Day!

Well, its been a whirlwind of a Friday let me tell you!  Tons and tons of errands and shopping and I am very happy to say that I.AM.DONE!  :)

Target was by far my most fun errand!  No, I didn't 'shop til I dropped'...I couponed 'til I dropped'.  :)  It was such a great coupon day!

Total BEFORE coupons- $ 113.86  After coupons- $ 35.17!  Yay!

Now, that's how I like to shop!  
I had another wonderful adventure at CVS but put everything away before I remembered to take a pic for you'all.  :(  But, I will tell you that I spent $3.26 and saved $46.84 and got 10.00 bucks back in ECB's.  Really good day for this frugal gal.

I generally need to stay under 75.00 a week for groceries and incidentals....this week I came in at 70.67...which is awesome because I may need that extra 4.00 next week. We are taking dinner to my hubby's mom and dad on Wednesday night.  His mom is having her pacemaker replaced (on Tuesday) and will be out of commission for a few days so I offered to make a big crockpot of Beef Stew and some homemade rolls  for dinner on Wednesday.  They enthusiastically accepted because my father-in-law is NOT Betty Crocker!  :)

Well, it is time for me to gather the laundry and get dinner started.  Have a great weekend!  Mine will be spent organizing and emptying the expansion bedroom so that the "makeover" can begin soon!

Teresa  :)

Pottery Barn Knock-off pillow

Pottery Barn.....oh, how I wish you weren't soooooo expensive!!  Well, you do inspire me, though....

Yesterday I got the bug to do something with the pile of denim that I have been accumulating.  I keep any and all pairs of jeans that my kids/hubby have outgrown.  So, for this project, the denim came from a pair of my son's jeans and the ruffles from a stash of garage sale fabric.  I borrowed the pattern idea from my pottery barn magazine.  :)

The first of many projects to be tackled in 2013!

Today I will be storing all of the Christmas decorations that are, at the moment, sitting at the top of the stairs in the expansion bedroom that we are starting to remodel.  Must get them out of the way before we can start sanding.

Hope you'all are enjoying the first days of 2013!  It was back to school here this morning and back to a "normal " schedule.

Christmas/New Year celebration at the Grandparents house

Last night we went to my inlaw's house for a late Christmas/ early New Year's celebration.  We had intended for these to be seperate events but, my father-in-law contracted the flu and it landed him in bed for a week so all plans were put on hold.

We had a wonderful dinner and gift opening!  

The grandparents always make it special for the kiddos by doing something out of the ordinary .... this year it was a scavenger hunt.   Each child had 4 envelopes that they had to find.... every child was given their own color and had to find their envelopes that were hidden all over the house.  When every child had found all of their envelopes then they were permitted to open them.  To their surprise, each envelope contained a crisp new $5 bill!  :)  They were all thrilled!

The evening lasted until 10 pm and we were all exhausted and filled to the brim with cookies, pie and many other treats!  A great time was had by all .  :)

Now....on to the new year and more new events and memories to be made!

I pray that you all have a safe and exciting New Years Eve!

Happy New Year!

A bit early, I know, but I find myself making my lists for the new year and at the top of my list is getting back into blogging.  I have been an on again, off again blogger....mostly because life has been kind of hectic these past couple of months, but, the new year brings a "freshness" to our lives and I really want to make a commitment to including my bloggy friends!  :)

I started a list of things that I want to accomplish in 2013.  At the top of that list is planning my daughters wedding.  She is getting married on August 24th to a wonderful guy who we all Love!

We  think that they make the perfect couple.  They have complimenting personalities and are just an all around fun loving couple.  I am proud of them for their accomplishments and know that they have a very bright future ahead of them.

On to planning the wedding.....

We are making alot of the decorations (ie.- the table runners and the centerpieces) so there is MUCH to be done.  Thirty four tables and the head table means alot of flower arrangements and table runners to be made.

So, this brings me to the top of my 2013 list.... create something everyday! Now, don't get me wrong, I won't be commiting myself to making entire centerpieces or something like that everyday....however, there are many pieces to each centerpiece that need to be created.  There are candles that need cinnamon sticks attatched to....

Yes, I did a few already.  :)

Anyway, you get the 'jist'...I want to create something everyday.  And, not just wedding related....there are many other crafty items, clothing items, REMODELING items (ahem, I will tell you about that later)...that need my attention.

So, this is just the beginning....  I think 2013 is going to be a great year so stay tuned!

I'm Back.....again :)

This has been a very unpredictable Summer so far.  And, not necessarily in a good way.  Several weeks ago I had a scan of my left kidney and found out that I had a HUGE (1.7 cm) kidney stone lodged in it.  Doctor said that he had to do Lithotripsy (breaking up of kidney stone using intense sound waves) immediately.  So, we were scheduled for 'surgery' the following week.  They still call it Surgery because you are 100% under when they do it.

After the Litho....I was VERY sore...inside and out.  But, figured that everything would be fine after the bruising healed and all of the tiny pieces of kidney stone had passed.

3 Weeks Later:  We are to today.....and I am still having problems  :(  I had an xray on Friday and found out that the reason that I am STILL in pain is because apparently some of the stones are stuck!  Soooo....if this hasn't resolved itsself in the next 10 days (10 DAYS!) I will have to have real surgery to have the fragments removed.  To say that I am not exactly thrilled would be an understatement.

I am thankful that there is another way to resolve this....and, the Bible tells us that God will not extend to us more than we are able to bear!  I don't know how many of you have ever had Kidney stones but.....the pain rivals having a baby!  (NO kidding, folks!)  I do not relish having to deal with it for at least another 10 days.........

On a different note....My hubbys side business is taking off!  He has a show this weekend and one Scheduled for Sept. 8-9. For those who have NO idea what I am talking about because I have yet to set up my entire blog (LOL).... My Hubs and his brother have an Heirloom ride on toys business.  (All handmade by them).  Right now the interest lies in the Bi-Plane....so, they are concentrating on selling them at craft shows and Air Shows around our neck of the woods.  They do, however, have an etsy store. http://www.etsy.com/listing/98191122/wooden-ride-on-toy-bi-plane-airplane-toy
They are absolutely Darling ride on toys and alot of Love goes into making each and every one of them!

Yes, they have even made one for US Bank....it is sitting in their lobby at the branch in our town.

They are adorable heirloom toys and they make them finished (whatever design the customer wants ) or they  make them in kits for say ...daddy or mommy and kiddo to assemble together!)

Can you tell that I totally support their endeavor?!?  :)

Anyway,  Hope you all are having a wonderful Summer !!