Thursday, January 9, 2020

Choose Happy, Seek Joy



I am a firm believer that happiness is a choice.  No one and nothing can make you truly happy.  But by making the decision to be happy and seek joy, life takes on a whole new dimension.


A key part of my happiness is my strong sense of gratitude.  I am sincerely appreciative and grateful for everything I have and all that I will have in my future.  I find that carrying a strong sense of gratitude makes my heart happy and I am filled with optimism.


Happiness is not something I take for granted.  I treasure its worth and consider it to be incredibly valuable.  I know not everyone is blessed to be happy and feel contented in their life.  If everybody knew that all they had to do was make a choice, it would be a whole different world to live in.


I encourage everyone, every day to decide to be happy.  To be grateful and appreciative of what they have.  To take pleasure in the simple little things.  To feel contentment.  And to seek joy.


I choose happy.  Every day.


Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Grocery Shopping In 2020



I am planning to approach my grocery shopping in 2020 a little bit differently this year.  While I still plan to purchase the very best food I can afford at the best possible prices I am hoping to purchase a little less of it.  I am also hoping to spend less time shopping.


Food management absorbs a lot of my time.  I spend a great deal of time planning, looking at ads and for coupons, storing, meal prepping and all the clean up and storage of leftovers.  It has become a huge job and I want to make it more efficient this year.  If that is possible.


I do like the whole process of managing our food and it is the one type of shopping I truly to enjoy.  I love to plan our meals, cook and bake, but I wouldn't mind simplifying the process a little more so I could spend more time on other things.


We are blessed to still have a very full freezer at the moment and quite a bit in our pantry as well.  To begin the year I will be shaving down our grocery budget to a mere $100 a month for January and February and using a lot of what we already have on hand.  In March I will see where we are at and decide then if I will carry it on that month as well.  In the meantime I will concentrate more on fresh produce and just replacing items we are low or out of.


Food waste is something I try to be very mindful of and will continue to be this year as well.  I rarely through food out.  Between the three of us and our chickens we have plenty to eat with little waste.  In that same vein I also want to be more mindful of what I purchase and the amount of trash it generates.  I shop with reusable shopping bags and have used mesh produce bags off and on to keep the plastic to a minimum.  I could do better on those plastic produce bags.


As is my usual, I will continue to shop the ads as well as make my purchases at the stores I know will have the best prices on certain items.  I still want to make sure I am getting the best value for my dollars spent.  Mindful and intentional spending will be my mantra this year.  Especially if I only have a $100 grocery budget to start with.



Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Our New Gift Wrap Organizer



I am bound and determined to get my house organized so I have all like items stored together.  This not only makes a lot of sense, but will certainly make tasks much easier as I will know where everything I need is to complete that task.  Our new craft center has been amazing.  Far better than I ever could have imagined and I'm super happy about it.  I want to continue with the organization and decided my gift wrapping supplies would be next.

I was happy to see how heavy duty this organizer is

The selling feature here is the roll storage - yes!

I had a nice large tote to hold most of our supplies, however the rolls of wrapping paper have always been problematic.  They've not had the best home propped up against the wall next to the hot water heater.  They fall over and get bumped, just not ideal at all.  I found an organizer on Amazon that would hold everything in one place, including the rolls, and it hangs up on a closet rod eliminating the bulky tote being stored on the closet floor.

I couldn't believe the pockets were large enough
to hold all of my gift bags & gift boxes

Loads of pockets on the other side to hold bows,
ribbons, tape & scissors as well as my gift tags

The organizer is a gray canvas bag much like a garment bag.  It has different sized clear vinyl pockets that zip closed so I was able to sort and keep everything neat and protected as well as easily accessible.

Tags, scissors & tape in one pocket

Two pockets hols all of my sticky bows

These are pretty large spools of ribbon

Once it was all loaded up I realized just how much wrap, gift boxes, cello bags, bows and ribbons, tissue paper, gift bags and tags I actually had.  


In retrospect I probably didn't need this wrap after all

But I have a great place to keep it while I use it all up

Way too much, in my opinion, and likely enough stuff to last me for several years.  I don't plan to purchase anything new for a long time to come.


Monday, January 6, 2020

Last Week's Thrifty Moves



Sunday morning I was up early and spent a good two hours sipping coffee and writing.  I did a little bit of future planning and then it was time to start my day.  I decided to run the self-clean mode on the oven to get rid of all the crud from holiday use and gave the stove top and range hood a quick once over with some degreasing cleaner and hot soapy water.


I cleaned and reorganized the silverware and utensil drawers.  For years and years the silverware tray has slid around in the drawer and annoyed me to no end.  I finally fixed it by going out to the motorhome for some leftover non skid drawer and shelf liner, cut me a piece and lined the drawer with it.  Why did I wait so long to do that and allow myself to be annoyed for so long?  One of the great mysteries.


I went through my closet and found three items to donate, a tank top that is too big, a top I don't like and my old pair of work shoes I kept as a backup pair and didn't touch all year.  My current pair of work shoes are still in great condition as are a second pair (purchased three years ago) I rarely wear but will be wearing more often this year.  They are still in new condition.


Monday I put away all of the Christmas decor and put away our tree, moved all of my gift wrap and supplies into a new organizer, purged a few more items from my daughter's closet and from under our upstairs bathroom sink.  The girls took the donations to the thrift store for me.


I took my Miche bag out of storage and gave it a once over sprucing up the base bag and straps with my black leather shoe dye and cleaning all of my covers.  I've decided if I don't use it this year I will sell it on eBay.  No point in keeping something I don't use.


Tuesday my youngest had oral surgery to remove her wisdom teeth.  We began our day with her surgery which was scheduled at 9:00 am.  We were home by 10:30.  While she slept and recovered I used and old fitted sheet and some fabric scraps I had to make her a huge pillowcase for the body pillow her sister got her for Christmas.  She was surprised and pleased.  The bulk of my day was spent running up and down the stairs taking her drinks, broth, ice packs and ice cream.  Lots of fetch and go.  I felt so bad for my little one to have to go through that.  Needless to say it was an interesting way to finish out 2019.


Wednesday was New Year's Day and I was bound and determined to get my life off to a great start for 2020.  I started with coffee and a couple hours of quiet solitude before the rest of the house was up and about.  I wrote a lot and thought about things quite a bit.  Then it was time to get dressed and get moving.


I loaded up all of our glass recycling and took it to the supermarket to deposit in the giant bin.  I then went into the store and purchased a bouquet of apricot colored carnations for $5.  A simple little thing to bring me joy and add a touch of freshness and color to our home.  I also bought my daughter a bouquet of daises for her bedroom while she recovers.  She really appreciated them.

Monday I ran the self-clean mode on the oven and
cleaned the range hood and stove while it ran


Thursday morning I renewed my Tracfone cell phone service for 90 days and only paid $20.71, less than $7 per month for service.  I also used a promo code to receive an extra 60 minutes of phone time for free.

Fine dining for those that have their wisdom teeth removed

I went back to work on Thursday.  The rest of the week was fairly quiet and low key, which I appreciated very much.  We watched movies and hung out, mainly as my youngest was still recuperating from her oral surgery.  My poor baby had a really rough go of it, but by Friday evening she was turning the corner and starting to feel better.

Stella is feeling much better and is on the mend
after her ordeal the week before

Saturday was literally her first good day and she even ate a meal, which made me feel much better too.  That evening she went with my oldest and I to shop for a pair of replacement jeans.  My oldest needed to replace a pair she had completely worn out and found a really nice pair at Ross Dress For Less for $8.99.  While shopping my youngest found a three pair set of Nautica brand underwear for $8.99.  I went ahead and bought those to replace a few pairs she has outgrown.

Meat loaf for dinner & meatballs to put up in the freezer for later

I did some investment cooking on Saturday using a pound of ground beef and a 5# package of ground turkey.  I put together a meatloaf and some meatballs with the ground beef and half of the ground turkey.  I baked the meatloaf and put the meatballs into the freezer.  I cooked up the rest of the ground turkey and put it in the freezer for other meals to make in the coming weeks.

My latest purging

I did not do any grocery shopping last week.

I washed out a couple ziploc bags and plastic food containers to reuse.  I gave all of our kitchen scraps and some stale cereal to our chickens.

Clean & shiny inside & out 😍

Some of the 15 Minute Chores I accomplished to keep my home in order:

Laundry Room & Half Bathroom - vacuumed floors, tidied laundry room, organized bins, cleaned top of washer & dryer.  Cleaned sink & mirrors.  Daily swish & swipe.

Dining Room - vacuumed & spot mopped floor.

Kitchen -  vacuumed the floor, cleaned stove, oven, range hood and microwave.  Cleaned and reorganized silverware & utensil drawer, wiped drawer fronts.

Bedrooms & Main Bathroom - vacuumed & dusted.  Cleaned mirror, scrubbed sink & toilet.  Daily swish & swipe.

Other - three loads of laundry, vacuumed & dusted living room, hallway & entry, cleaned shelves & desk.  

How was your thrifty week?


Friday, January 3, 2020

Plans & Goals For 2020



I have a long list of things I would like to accomplish this year.  Some are things I didn't complete last year while others are new things added to the list.  Although my list is lengthy it doesn't feel overwhelming or insurmountable.  We'll eat this elephant one bite at a time.  In doing so progress will be made.


In the past two years I've ticked a lot of home improvement projects off of my list.  This year the plan is to finish up a few things inside the house and then move outside to do a few things out there.  I have a lot of plans for things to do to make our outdoor spaces every bit as nice and enjoyable as inside our home.  We will start with tree pruning and another fence repair and go from there.


I really liked the personal goals I set for myself last year and I plan to carry those on into the new year.  Living each day with more intent and purpose is important to me and I like how I feel when I do.  Practicing daily prayer and gratitude leaves me content and happy.  Spending less and saving more of my hard earned dollars will continue to be something I will be working on every day.  I have a lot of ideas for how to accomplish both of those things and I will be sharing that with you very soon.


As per my usual I have a lot to do and a lot I want to accomplish.  I am excited about this year and all that it holds for me.  I have much to look forward to and I can hardly wait to get started.  I'm also very glad to have you come along for the ride.  Let's get started, shall we?


Thursday, January 2, 2020

Our 2019 In Review



I knew at the end of 2018 that 2019 was going to be quite a year for us.  We began the year with a lot of changes in store and a ton of things we needed to accomplish in order to make it all happen.  Along the way we had a few unexpected challenges but in looking back over the past year I think we handled it all quite well.  Overall 2019 was a success.

Things We Accomplished 


Snuggling up in my lap while I tried to write my blog
was their favorite place to be

Sadly we said goodbye to our kitty Henry in March and unexpectedly to our big ol' boy Leonard in June.  It was heartbreaking, we cried a lot and we miss them even more, but in September we added Jack to the mix and he has been really something around here.  He is quite the character and I just love him to pieces.  Stella still isn't impressed.


My youngest made the cheer and dance team at the high school and also got her braces off last summer.  The dance team and orthodontics has proven to be a solid commitment of both time and money.  Holy cow!


Throughout the year I worked a full time job plus a lot of overtime, I did a ton of grocery shopping, meal planning and preparing, washed a bunch of dishes and a mountain of laundry, kept my house clean and my vehicles, maintained my vehicles, we mowed the lawn and raked up a gob of leaves, trimmed hedges, shoveled snow, pulled weeds and planted flowers.  I decorated our home for the seasons, inside and out.  We entertained friends and family, enjoyed a few movie nights, played games, listened to music and even worked a puzzle which we hadn't done in eons.

I spent a lot of time in front of this thing

I made cards and graduation announcements, I wrote letters and sent cards to my friends and my family.  I mended clothing, made some cleaning rags and fixed things that broke or wore out.  I took care of my children, my kitties and my chickens as well as myself, even a bunny.  I made several trips to the feed store for hay, feed and supplies.  I gave haircuts, hugs and advice to my girls.  I filed my taxes, managed my finances, saved some money, paid my bills and helped fill out gobs of financial aid and scholarship forms.  We went to the doctor and the dentist and took the kitties to the veterinary clinic.  I checked our mail and collected the mail for our next door neighbors who like to travel and we kept an eye on their place for them.


We recycled and reused, even gleaned some FREE WOOD for several of our projects.  We purged and we donated, we cleaned up and hauled off trash as well as made a trip to the dump and another one to hazardous waste drop off site always trying to be mindful of what we were contributing to the landfill and how we dispose of things.


When I first sat down to write this post I had just looked over my "To Do" list and moved a bunch of things left on it over to my 2020 list.  At that moment I was focused on all the things that didn't get accomplished and was disappointed that I hadn't been able to complete as much as I had planned.  However, in looking back at 2019 I am now focused on all that I did do and I have to say it feels pretty darn good.  I'm not disappointed in our progress at all.  We did alright!


2019 was a bit of a bumpy year for us.  We had so much going on and a lot of things happened along the way.  We've had to make a lot of changes and adjustments as our lives have been taking on some very different roles.  But no matter what happened we stayed the course and kept on.  Not even a pesky realtor could derail us.  We navigated that obstacle and made it through as well.  Looking back on 2019 I'm rather proud of us and can honestly say we had a spectacular year.

We have so much!  So much we are grateful for

My girls are growing up and I'm just steps away from a very different life myself and I'm excited about it too.  But, for now I'm ready to just enjoy 2020 one day at a time and do the very best I can each day to make improvements in our lives.  We have plans and new goals to accomplish and much more to look forward to.  We are determined to make it another great year and it definitely will be.  I'm quite positive about that!


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