American Sewing Guild Meeting

Samples of the classes offered at this center
This is just a little tease if you really want to see some amazing things...

visit me here at a
Place to Create
Go on click on in and then come back

Well there was a wonderful luncheon where I was a guest of my Sister,
felt strange not to bring anything.

It was nice to be around the common love of all things sewing again.
I spoke with my husband I will be saving up for membership dues.
It is time to take time to be with my sister and to be with those who sew.

Cement Blocks via "ask"

The Garden extension supply.
The pursuit of money or the dependence on My Creator who owns the universe
Optimism challenged remains trusted and true

A gift of labor from my man
Doing for us the things that HE can

We got a call at 6 a.m. I got us all up and began to get to the ready and loaded the children grabbed snacks. I grabbed hats and gloves for me too.
Daddy man grabbed gloves and we were off for a long trip
We were the first to respond to the free section on crags list.
I have diligently been watching it.

We were just barly able to close the tail gate and the topper was tied down so to speak with some scrap metal tubing in a pile

This is a horse property
These folks are closing down this home because her husband has been transferred
He is in the secret service.
Her and I spoke of 911 and I told her to tell her husband thank you for the sacrifices he is making. Then I gave her what I saw to give.
The aventurine (looks like a butter scotch candy) and jade set of earrings/necklace/bracelet.
I boxed it before I left.
She was of autumn coloring it was perfect for her!
She said she would remember me when she wore it.

It was a very good gift exchange of the soul.

We drove home
Pulled into the drive I ran in and put a dress on and jewelry and ran out the door.
I arrived at the ASG meeting only 5 minutes late.
Post to follow

The topper almost closed and we were able to fit all of them.

I came home to find that Steve had washed the truck and had unloaded.
We made count and looked up the cost of such and it was $170. plus tax and it was gifted to me by a stranger
For FREE
ASK
Optimism another word for knowing who loves you and remembering who owns the planet.

Hi all

I am not real talkie today...
My heart is weighed down by another electric thunderstorm within my head, bad behaivor and very frustrated with my self.

I think I am discovery that not enough sleep/caffeen before the medications/ and stress will set off the migraine. No pain but it is very well...like a storm in my head. It hurts likde a shocking in the dome and the firering just stops my functional abilities. I get real irritable and grumpy and there is nothing left to process the moment . I gert very angry and act like a mean old bear of a woman.
I am really very sad over it.

I hate acting like a mean old bear.

anyway I found some block for free but it is a real drive and I have a ASG arizona sewing guild meeting at 10 a.m. I may rejoin now that my sister has returned then we would have at least one day a month contace and a common thread.

ARG! I just really want to nest. My days have pulled me away to often this last few weeks. I just want to get some time consuming things done here.
I am real sad about Shory Bear...makes me think about some friends who have gone on before. I just really want to see health come by her way and overtake her. I am grieving the trials of many whom I love I guess
Trying hard to do the best as a Mom wife and homemaker I can and getting worn around the edges as I see how I have let myself down in the parenting aspect. The efforts are better focused however and that is good.

My garden is tired too
It is so sad to me to see it wither up in the heat and pass into the stages of dormancy. It appears the melons were a flop. I know that I have had a lot of foods come from there. It just hurts to see this seasons work for little . I hope to do the extentions. Finding the materials will hel[

Please pray

My Friends those who Love Him.
He loves a woman called Dee .
Dee will be beginning chemo on Monday.
Perhaps her last option.
Please open your hands and lift them up on her behalf..


Dee is loved by our Dear Annette
Annette hurts so deeply in her love/friendship of Dee.
Please lift your voice also on Annette's behalf that she might find comfort at this time.
Thank you

Thankful Thrusday All I have need of...

Join us here
at Spiritually Unequal Marriage
Family packaging of meats often call for
Repackaging into smaller quantities...
Meat is one of our most expensive aspects of the grocery list.

By buying the family packed meat your purchasing a large quantity that is not often easily use up in one use. The use of the purchasing power is accented by freezing it for a later use.

Here the lead in add was buy one get two free
It was a Fourth of July deal.
That is a good time to get steak on sale.
Buy the most expensive one you can afford and then get the next two at the highest price to get the "of same or lesser value deal"

After they are frozen I wrap each one as a single and then place them all in a freezer bag.
I am able to then just pull out what is required for one meal.
This is my process of storage.
Notice that the package is only opened at on end, leaving the bag in tact the mess is greatly minimized.

the only mess a small spot over to the left to be bleach sanitized and I was done.

I had received the meat as a gift from the store manager.
I had cut my hand on a cart he secretly surprised me with the meat...
FREE!!!!!!

On to the next delightful task...
Melon for lunch today
yum
all I have need of...

Self Esteem

I am doing a series on Self Esteem and the five components of such over here at my Life Restored blog.
Join me as I journal into discovery...Ask yourself these questions, apply them to your parenting as well.
Love ya

Please pray

Denise over at shory bears, she is getting some news on lab results.
Surround her with the love that she has shown toward all of us

Free Steak

Good Morning!

I was just kneading the bread and thought of the shopping of yesterday morning...
I thought of the add for the buy one get two free steaks.

Yesterday I cut my had on a grocery cart so took said cart to the cashier to tell them to get it out of circulation. It had a bad weld on it. It needed to get filed down.
The Manager concerned gave me a band aide and I had some neosporin (anti biotic ointment ) spray in my purse. He asked me if I wanted to file an incident report and I declined saying "well that's just for if my hand falls off" and smiled...
The grocery trip was a real relaxed teaching time with the kids and so at the end I asked if the manager would honor a lead in that was empty on the shelf with another brand...joking to make up for the injury...

the add was buy one get three free...

He returned and told the cashier to take off the hot dogs and charge the price of one.
Folks he gave me $12.
the ones he gave me were higher quality

$12. free of dogs...

Well He had said something softly to her and I was a bit distracted by the children and so finished my order. The cashier said that the add was not for the all beef type that he had gifted me with. So I made point to thank him...
Once again I thanked him on our exit and told him with service like that I'll just have to keep coming back and doing my shopping there.
He laughed said he had 5 kids and understood.

I just looked at the receipt...
he gave me $60 worth of steak for free!!!!!!!!

It was a buy one get two free...
So I had made a point to teach the kids to choose the most expensive one and then get the other two as high priced as possible to get them free....

That thing he whispered...
Not to charge me for the steaks!

Gratituesday

Monday night I met up with all the girls to celebrate Lisa
It was her birth that we all acknowledged this time.
We had a really nice evening.
I started a silly little quiz of three questions.
what is your favorite color
what do you collect or love to have
what is your favorite character quality
?????????????

It was fun to hear them all share.
I took some note then almost forgot them on the table...oh me.

This day began after a long night of prayer and introspection brought on by silly me...
drinking three ice teas not thinking about the caffeine.
Two a.m. is very quiet at my house
:)

Thinking about addressing the needs of my children and my own self I set intentional course for the day.
Telling the children of my "mission" to go get the rest of the lead in add items for the stock pile concluded with a statement about succeeding then to play with them at a bowling alley!
So after said accomplishment at the grocery (spent $80 and saved $55) we dropped it all off at home.

We then grabbed a box of crackers, ice waters and some peperoni...we were off.
I found this place and was stunned at it!
Inside we went to find that even though each child had a free game reward it would add up yet like so
shoe rental 3x$4
my game $3
$15! an hour to rent the lane

Oh the game would not be able to be finished in an hours time so it would be $5 additional charge per 15 minutes. The lanes were full so he then handed me a pager.

I took the kids over to a snack bar table and showed them the run down of charges.
I asked Dash to add it up.
$30+ for a game of bowling!

Well I told the kids that I thought that was a disrespectful way to treat our income and they agreed.
After looking at the coupons we decided to head over to the roller rink instead.

I decided they were so good about all of this that I took them into the arcade and bought a $10. card for the games and received $9 credit that differed from the add on the teller machine.
Rip off over rip off

I split the funds between them
They had a nice time.
It was a bit stressful keeping track of the funds but I found myself easing my shoulders and choosing to just relax.
I have just become way to focused on fund but you know it showed to me that all around me it was like nobody cared they were all like robots just dolling it out?
I was in a cobra den...snakes in the grass!

Happily the games were all reduce due to time of day.
I never saw this before but the games were set up like debit machines fully automated and we lost almost $2 more to bad machines

Dove is so young and magical it is so hard to see her tricked and yet I have to let her make an informed decision. My Dear God...It is like I just can not lighten up!
Try as I might I am just so serious~

So Dash choose to take a turn at this and had then just figured he had lost I looked down at the crane just as the chain was sliding through and then the hook on the chain caught the cranes claw and he got it!!!

Dash was so happy.
Dove was gracious but hurt.
Dash will often win he is just shined on that way
hard to see Dove work through it.
I really need to work on seeing her made more aware of her competency.

He was so shocked!

I brought a box of crackers and we sat with some peperoni as well and ate a snack.
The kids had chosen to get these cool little suckers that had a drip of flavor syrup,
they had opted for them at the grocery.
I was iffy and then let them do it.
They rang up half price and that was neat.

She is so loving
Dove is very athletic and strong.
Sometimes I really feel like I am falling short with her.
I wish I could give her so much more.

two great kids!!!!!!!!
We spoke about a Dr Pepper soda treat but it was only a few coins left, She had asked about it...
When I told her there was some at home...
That we would have some there she was amenable and kind.
Needless to say we did leave the skate rink a little before the session was concluded.
They were satiated and ready to go home and have that soda (they seldom get to have them).

Well at long last!
Just as we were getting ready to leave the arcade...
Dash lost that tooth!
The tooth fairy had found a cute t shirt for him.
It met both needs.

It is Wednesday Morning now 4:26 a.m.
I fell asleep at 7 p.m. last night and am up early.
The house is quiet.
I feel rested but worried...this living by budget is so good I only spent $16 to do all of that and around me families were just spending huge amounts that I do hope they really can afford.
Living debt free makes you look like a poor man sometimes and we are so far from that.

My largest kitchen table challenge went bust.
We had spent nothing for a few weeks so the pantry was empty.
Now is is full and we are again in great setting with supplies.

What would it be like if people around me in society were really living debt free...?
Would we stand out?
we do a little now.
Steve said we really belong in a lesser home.
We tried to sell it out last year...
We are doing alright it is just hard and I think my flesh is crawling with it a little.
Seeing all the extravagance out there yesterday just hit me strange. I find myself feeling just a little sorry for myself.
You know it is all perspective and that I am not alone at all. I am just transparent about it and most folks I see are pretending that the status is the same...they keep spending to keep it up too.
I thank GOD that Steve is a man of good financial sense.
And I am a woman of same.

So what if it is hard it is harder to live a lie when the effect of said lie really hits home.
I wish we would have lived this way in our younger days.
Though I do wish we could lighten up, the strain of it is getting old.

Tackle it Tuesday

My tackle today is two fold with many layers as well...
First off I am going to tend to the esteem needs of my children and myself
security
self hood
affiliation
mission
competency
I did an extensive post with two journal post over at A life Restored blog

So....
First off it is my mission to go to the grocery that has a few lead in adds that I do not want to miss out on for I have coupons on the items and should save well over 50%
It is my heart to example mission and competency to the kids by including them with a sense of purpose.

For when we return from the store we will shower and then go bowling
We have coupons the kids got at the end of school year as an acknowledgment to the good work they did during the last semester.
They both received one.

Then I plan to shovel a few more loads of rock from the plot for the flower garden to be...

The bed tent for my son out from under the big bed and set it up.

Enjoy your day and remember that...

YOU MATTER!

Menu Plan Monday

It is hot!
So in honor of the heat stove is not going to be humming much this week.
Just some morning preparation cooking and the rest is served raw and fresh.

I get to go out tonight
do you hear the little bird singing
:)

Laundry on the line and it is summer time!

Harvest this morning...the beans are a bust I think just too much for them.
Strawberry's lost the battle too.
Amazingly that out of season gift of a winter squash it lives!
It is now shaded with a yard umbrella.
Lost 4 musk melons to critters?
Then gave them to the dogs and the chickens.
The chickens thanked me with a 5 egg day.
The garden is languishing it is so hot!

Hung 7 minutes ago!

DRY!!!!!!!!!!!!
Time to fold and remove
7 minutes!
The trick is to not let them get any dryer than dry or they get crispy.
If you do hang out and it gets crispy here is a trick.
Put the dry items in the dryer with a wet wash cloth or rag and dry for 10 minutes the moisture will soften the clothing the time is still much shorter than the 45 minutes to dry them in the dryer from wet, hassle well that depends on your philosophy
is it more of a hassle to put your makeup on and contend with the traffic and a a boss and coworkers?...well to some it well may be.
Not this woman.
I love the hassle of gaining/having freedom.



To many of you dear souls it is not an option, often leaving you nothing left of yourself to even think of contending with the task.

laundry is fast in the summer from washer to folding it

even a fresh cool pool is just not enough today
time to let the dogs in for a few hours.
I let them in the evening of the 4th to wake up and step in dog pee on the floor!
I am not amused!
But I am kind heart and it is just too hot out there.

This my friends is in the shade
you back Easters now have a good day and get out and play in that rain for me will ya?
:)

The Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today... Monday, July 6, 2009

Outside my window... Sunny with a full blue sky...the dogs lay in the sun and the chickens are up in the hutch laying eggs. The gravel longs for another scoop and dump of the wheel barrow, I am thinking what I heard out in the garage this weekend may have been my husband filling the flat tire on the wheel barrow.

I am thinking... Going back to bed after morning lunch duty and sleeping in until 9:45 was just what I needed.

There s a sweet little girl who is just devastated that we are not having the party for Dove.

We gave Dove her choice and she had a skate party during the year with her school chums. On her day in two weeks she chose to do a family thing.

This little one hold the kids parties in high expectation.

We are friends from our home school days.

I cant get that little darling's grief out of my mind but I also can not do the normal big birthday party for Dove either. I usually do a big 12 kid get together with games and a cake and all. She must really love it. Oh I just so want to fix it for her....I do not see how I could possibly do so. Perhaps a play date?

I am trying to think up a way of yet providing this little girl with something to look forward too. I had no idea of how disappointed she was she really wept and opened up. This after Dove ran in VERY Upset and concerned about the fix she felt she was in.

Dove is also a tender heart.

I am thankful for... Rainier Cherries they are a pleasant memory from my childhood. I am grateful for having some things that were a fondness as a child. Being able to work hard and keep my family well fed without wasting lots of my husbands hard work (income ) doing so.

From the kitchen... Fresh fruit for I shopped last night. Counters still have things that need to be put away. Last nights loaf turned out so beautiful and sliced real nicely this morning.

I am wearing... A lavender mid calf cotton night gown. I am starting off slow and easy today.

I am reading... Eldala by Michelle Gregory see her blog Beautiful Chaos

I am creating... Cloth napkins to replace/reduce the use of paper products at least in part.

There are also the scrubbers that I use for dish washing that need to be made.

A clothing inventory list and a list of birthdays and dates with favorite colors so I can add it to the budget sheets and better be on top of it . this way I can have time to begin way before the week I need it. I can have the names and faces before to come up with some thing wrought by my hand.

I am hearing... The ceiling fan whirl and the hum of my computer . The children speak in the other room as they too are having their computer time.

I am going... out this evening to celebrate the birth of a most wonderful woman. She is an amazing mother and friend.

Happy Birthday Lisa

I will make a note later if I can attend at 5:30 or at 6:30 depending on my dear man whether he has to work over.

Around the house... There is a teddy bear/stuffed critter revolt and they are all staged on the floor in the hallway...groceries still need to have a few things put away and the laundry...well hidden in the mounds of my dirty laundry are a few more of the give away things I am sure to sort out into the giveaway box.

One of my favorite things... summer fruit

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week... One more stop at a Albertsons to cash in on a few smoking deals, a gathering of my dear friends tonight (JOY) ! Laundry An attempt to cash in on a freebie deal to give the kids a day of play outside the home. A play date today and a swim date with the boy at his house on Friday. His Mother returns soon from a trip.

Please pray for Deb she is having closure with her grandmother who is passing

It is her boy I will tend today so that her husband can have a little break time. He will still have a two year old. Hard times for my little family of friends who we care so much for.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...

burning the night oil

:)

The full moon was a shining on me last night.

I think that is the prettiest loaf yet.

If you would like to join us in The Simple Woman's Daybook, please see grand mother wren here for link during the summer.

Breads in the oven

11 p.m.
I just put the loaf in the oven for his lunch tomorrow.
I got back to the house for the last time around 9 or so.

Had to punch it down and let it rise again.
I am so tired
I awoke at 3 am ironed over 30 shirts had a full family day
Did the lead ins and coupons and checked the inventory.
Went out to do the stock pile off the lead ins.


went to two grocery stores and a drug store and Wal mart
spent $150 and saved over a $170. (free with coupon and lead ins) good for a month or so.

I'll go shower and then when I get out pull the bread out
then oh then the pillow with my name on it.
see you all on the flip side.
just hop I get out of bed on the right side tomorrow. It is a Monday with a play Date set for Noon.

Family time fouth...

Hello
Hope that all of you found contentment in your weekend.

We were so happy to have My Love off on Friday for he had worked two 10 hour days to help the boss on a job. We did a few things here and then got together and set the house in order.
I worked on a project to clear out the clothing that was needing to be given away.

We spent a wonderful afternoon here Friday with Steve's folks here.
We had missed Fathers day with His Father and it was my MILove birthday on Thursday...
the perfect excuse to all get together and enjoy a meal.
I baked some chicken legs and then grilled them with a smoked BBQ sauce.

We had my first batch of pinto beans from scratch
Soaked the beans and all.
Not really hard at all just took a little planning and a lot of forethought.
They were crock pot after soaking and then all night in the pot outt in the garage.
Oh the smell not nice to my nose next time outside on the porch.

Then I made cowboy baked beans after the pintos were well cooked.
The other half of them were cooked on the stove into pinto for made from scratch re fried beans.
They turned out real good.

Our afternoon with the folks was nice.
They were able to return home before dark

She came with a wonderful idea to enjoy her grand kids...
She made rice crispies with them as I tended the grill.
She came with strawberries, carrots and tomatoes too.
It rounded off a real nice meal of BBQ chicken and cowboy beans.

She gave me a nice cookbook, it is one of age yet new to me.
I Just love these older cookbooks...sorta like the velveteen rabbit...they have been made real
:)
also a thermos with the old glass insert and an extra insert too look at the box.
Thank you

Steve and I did the budget for three hours yesterday sending out a three month projection
We are now better set to plan well.
This being the first 7 months of this new to us method we are yet working out all the bugs...
We rearranged the categories to fit my style of planning a bit better.

We then took the kids to a public pool, came home and watched Charlot's Web and had broiled honey mustard chicken kabobs...
It was real nice so nice that they fell out by 9 p.m. and we opted to get some much needed rest.

I awoke around 3 am to a dream about a niece that sent me to prayer and disturbed me.
I got up around 4a.m.
Ironed over 30 shirts as I held out in the silence in our master closet.
It will be real nice for my MR to have ironed shirts like in the BC days (before kids)
Now that I am getting this estate back to normal and the kids are healthy it seams things are getting back to the days of old when our home was better organized.
There is still a long way to go.


Dash and I played a game he created
then we has a phone call the kids together with a little pal .
The call needed intervention by that time Steve and I talked about some of the things I had been talking to God about all those ironed shirts long...
I set the table for a game and the kids came in as we were having a visit to find it almost set up.
Those two just sat right down and the game commenced
MOM and DAD time will have to wait until later.

Well the kids just ate lunch

The kitchen caught up by my darling while I Had tried to rest a little .
It is so nice to get a break from dishes.

I'll have bread to make this afternoon.

We asked the kids about camping again this month for it is going to be tight and they showed little interest...said that they were a little board going camping?!

Well perhaps that will make us able to do some other activity that would be out of the question otherwise. Well see.

Dove will be turning 12 this month perhaps I can do a little something extra for her.
She is growing up so fast.

Pray for a girl named Jennifer I am so concerned.