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Oct 31 2021 at 11am Rascal went over the rainbow bridge to join his buddy Wilber and his adopted Mom Miss Kira . Seizures , really bad ones by something in his brain as they ruled out every thing else. Heart broken especially watching Charlotte hunt for him and then sit and wait at the door waiting for him to come home to her.
Miss Kira is on the left and Rascal is on the right
Spouting guy is coming today for finish that part. That will be paid in full also
Probably good we are stopping with outside projects until next spring with this cold drizzling rain we have had for the last couple days and today.
Rascal(black one and 11 yrs. old) woke us up at 5:30 am today having a seizure. Charlotte was right there with us holding him and trying to keep him calm through it. Cookie, one of our old dogs used to have seizures. He is doing good now. Rough way to start the day. Every time she goes past him she stops and smells him and then goes on.
I have an ear ache, used garlic oil ... my ear did the Mexican hat dance. Gland is swollen and I have a low grade fever. Took aspirin for fever, Vicks the gland and wrapped a towel around my neck. Hot tea with honey after I took my elderberry syrup. I really need to remember to wear something over my ears when I am outside in this type of weather. In this area, I am my mother's child. She always got ear aches and ear infections if she didn't wear a scarf. Fever broke quickly. Ear is no longer dancing and I feel a lot better.
We watched Charlie Brown Halloween on PBS. We got a kick out of it as it's been a couple decades since we have watched it.
This week in the pantry:
I roasted a pork butt roast, froze the leftover meat in meal servings size, made broth from the fat and bone. Canned 5 pints of pork broth and put the fat in the freezer.
I roasted a ham,(still want at least 1 for freezer ) froze the leftover meat in meal servings size, made broth from the fat and bone . Canned said broth and froze the fat.
I roasted a turkey for supper last night, will be freezing the leftover meat and making bone broth from it and freezing the fat after I put a casserole together of it for Monday.
Tonight is taco soup using stuff from the pantry and freezers. I am making enough for Sunday also. I gave him a choice of taco soup or chili (which is already canned). He chose Taco soup.
I shelled and jarred small red beans, coco beans, lima beans, and Italian cranberry beans.
Hubby is now only drinking half a pot of coffee each day. I asked him why and he said I mentioned how his coffee is very seldom on sale( he drinks bold or French roast) and he uses two to three times as much as I do. GEEZE I should have said something sooner??? He is the one than makes the coffee in the morning, you would think it would click he was just turning mine on to reheat every other day while making a full pot for himself daily.
Daily I have started brewing a kettle of hot tea around 11 a.m.. When it gets down about half way I fill it back up with water using the same tea bag and bring it to a boil. We used family size tea bags with our kettle.
We had doctor appts so combined it with grocery shopping. M gave us her list. It took 3 stores to get everything. Two stores were half empty of food. The last one had some empty spots in every aisle. Could not find saltine crackers. Amish use them a lot. Family members that are in food service told us that even the restaurants are struggling to get them. I found a couple recipes that I will try.
After we dropped off M's stuff to her and I put our stuff away (still didn't find a red cabbage). Hubby announced he wanted the house stocked back up like I had it before we supplied the kids for the pandemic. Believe me, I ran to the computer, made 6 orders (ended up with $18 digital and 5 % cash back on what was through Amazon) before he could change his mind. After I placed all the orders I asked why the change. He said he thought it would go back to the way it was, not maybe as many varieties of stuff but the basic stuff. Not being able to find saltines was what triggered it wasn't going to be back to normal between the pandemic and the drought in areas.
He EVEN ORDERED a fitness tracker as he knows during the cold months he does not get the exercise like he does in the warm months of pushing the push mower around garden boxes and unloading produce at the auction. Doc has mentioned it more than once he should have SOMETHING to track his movement. He didn't even argue with me when I told him to ordered a protector and extra bands for it.
I need to update the to do list and think about meals as of Monday Nano (National Novel writing month 50,000 words Nov 1st to 30th... https://nanowrimo.org/ )
Blessed Be everyone
We haven't had our first frost yet, it's about a month behind. A little scary with how warm it still is. The weather is cool in the mornings and mostly warm in afternoons except the few times we have gotten rain (we need lots more).
Furnace is on 70 until bed time, it goes up to 72 *which puts where Hubby sleeps up to 70. I just shut vents mostly (not all the way as HVAC guy said the could damage our furnace but 1/2 half way shut was okay) When he gets up around anywhere from 3 to 5 a.m. he turns it down to 70. I turn it to 68 when he goes to work and when raising bread I use a heating pad.
The oil lamp is lit in the mornings instead of turning on the light.
A candle is lit at supper instead of turning on the light.
Laundry is on drying racks or clothes line.
I inventoried my baking supplies and then grains. Baking supplies were good, grains we were almost out of barley and farro but the rest is good. I am also low on chia seeds. What is needed is now ordered at lowest price I could find. I was surprised that none of the bulk stores didn't carry any type of barley.
I went through two cookbooks wrote by Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette. It is Monastery recipes. I also went through another one "The American Woman's cookbook (1948) by Ruth Berolzheimer. I pulled recipes that we have most of the ingredients. Both had turnips and radishes in recipes and I have plenty ready to pick in gardens. Lettuce should be ready this week also.
We talked about ham and Hubby wanted another turkey for bagging as shredded. I told him we would wait until after Tday unless the price drops. I would like one ham for the freezer and another to cook in the next week. We'll see what that price is. Hubby wants 3, one whole for freezer, one in slices and bone for soup and one now.
I wrote the grocery list based on the recipes I got from the cookbooks. Hubby whined a bit about soups until I pointed out that most were potage type soups aka thick or stew type.
We then had a round about whether or not Boston baked beans (or any baked beans) were a side dish or main dish. Just in case you are interested
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_baked_beans
I did ask how bean soup could be a main dish but a bake bean (aka casserole style) couldn't be. He told me his family never ate bean soup, not even his grandparents. So he texted his mom to make sure he was thinking right and she said his great grandparents on her side ate a thick bean soup but not her parents or them. and his dad's side didn't at all. She really couldn't answer why. Since he is always willing to try any food at least twice. So he didn't say anything when I fixed the meal the first time . All the kids love bean soup, fried potatoes (or fried potatoes and onions) and corn bread.
Some people are just not soup eaters. He loves red beans and rice, Jambalaya, and Cuban black beans and rice. Refried beans are welcomed once a week LOL. My parents ate soup twice a day for years since that was what they had during and after the Great Depression.
We got the last of the watermelon dealt with . I still have apples, pumpkins and dried beans. Couple jellies, jams and tomato paste also.
We will be combining doctor appts, banking, groceries and a few pit stops on Tuesday. Will be a LONG DAY.
I sat down yesterday and paid (or sat aside) Nov's bills. I forgot 4 items... all 4 auto pays. Added them into the SS budget as we now call it and instead of having $1.70 left, we are over by $78. IF we get the raise in SS like they say, we will have a lot more at the end of billing.
I talked it over with Hubby when he got home from putting ramp on front of parents home.
I showed him what we pulled between both IRAs and SS last year. Also supporting Daughter 4 was 1/4th of that amount. Plus we sold her our car so that was a drop in ins. (I hated the car but was what we could afford cash wise at the time).
I suggested we use His IRA (which we weren't going to use at all) to cover medical *$6400 out of pocket, propane $3000 IF we can keep the heat like we did last year, $1200 for 2022 Christmas and $240 for the umbrella farm ins. That puts us back down to social security and my inherited IRA. We decided part of it would go in savings for the medical, we can put the rest in 11 month CDs (no penalty if pulled sooner). I'll do small CD's so anything we don't need can be rolled over for 2023 which is when Hubby goes on Medicare. This year I had 2 surgeries by Feb. that wiped out my share of the out of pocket. Hubby never has wiped out or even used half his out of pocket but about the time I don't put it aside he will need it. That's why I figure we will end up rolling over part of it.
I sent budget to both our IRA guys. they felt that was really good as when they figured it out we were dropping the budget by almost 60% .We figured the in social security could cover clothing, shoes, groceries and stocking up.
Here you go
What's on Top of mind?
Getting the last of watermelon and apples (including picked) dealt with
Getting the last 20 areas of home done of seasonal cleaning by Oct 30.
Getting things around for new budget
Where I've been
SIGH too many hospitals and Amish home to keep everyone updated. THANKFUL everyone is home.
Where am I going?
This coming week MY OWN doctor appts, Hubby's hearing aid appt., grocery store, and drop Son 2's check off to our mechanic
What am I reading?
Nora Roberts Chronicles of One Book 2 of Blood and Bone
Ruth Berolzheimer The American Woman's cook book
Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette From a Monastery Kitchen
What am I listening to?
Silence. I've had enough of noise of any kind. OH and the dogs barking but shut up usually when I yell ENOUGH.
What am I watching?
Weather and only weather
What I am eating..
what ever is coming out of the freezers , with suggestions from granddaughter
Who am I paying attention to?
Hubby, Rascal, Charlotte, and ME MYSELF AND I as I am trying to get a head cold.
Who needs to be (figuratively) slapped?
Son 2 who hasn't did any exhaust work on his car in 8 yrs.
What is making me smile?
Homemade rice pudding with raisins using cooked rice that will go with the frozen stir fry meals on the menu for tonight with store bought fortune cookies
My late husband dropped dead at age 39. We had 4 children and his sister (same age as our oldest) in the home. No health ins to cover the hospital. No life insurance to cover the funeral and bills and no savings to cover anything including the amounts of the utilities. AND WORSE NO WILL.
It took 3 months for survivor benefits to kick in BUT since I had applied all the little help we were getting like WIC ended within a month of him dying.
I sold everything I could to keep the utilities on (didn't put one in my name because they wanted $300 to do that, in fact when I remarried they wanted that to put it in Hubby's name. We didn't do that) and the mortgage paid.
The his sister went to a cousin and his oldest we were raising went back to her mom. They both tried to take what was left in the house and the house. Thankful that the Judge not only sided with me but ordered them to pay MY lawyer for the extra costs.
The home we owned we had only 6 months and it was ONE step from being condemned when we bought it.
Within 4 years, we (as my kids worked right by my side) paid off the negative estate , doubled the value of the home and had a savings. I worked 3 part time jobs so I was always home when my kids were. We did yard sales once a week in the summer. Then Hubby came back in my life (high school sweetheart).
We have a will(due for updating next year) we have life insurance and we have medical insurance. We have each other listed as beneficiary on IRAs. I know what the social security benefit for me would be if Hubby dies before me.
I also know that the car insurance, health ins out of pocket, propane , electric, water softener, his life ins, his cell phone, vehicle maintenance, garden, personal, groceries and eating out would go down, maybe not half but at least 1/3rd. That's equal to what I pay for right now. I would sell the work truck, livestock trailer and flat bed dove tail trailer. I might sell the tractor and all the equipment and my truck and get a newer truck with a plow on the front. Other wise E will be over here plowing me out like he does the other 2 elderly neighbors.
If I die before him, he already told me he was selling all the garden stuff, canning stuff and 80%( probably closer to 90% as he is a 1 pot cook) of the dishes ,pots and pans. Not including my meds are a lot more expensive than his.
Still, know we are covered , I wonder if we are missing something.
When we update the wills, we are going to prepay our funeral expenses. Both of my parents did that, Daddy wrote his obit. Said he wasn't putting me through what Mother did (I wrote her's the day of our Thanksgiving) . We plan to do that also. Take that off the kids' backs.
We also decided if we died together or went in nursing home. Son 2 who is in charge of us and estate is to have an estate sale/auction, everything goes. Son2 did happy dance as it's in writing so none of the other kids can cause a problem or they don't get any of the $$.
Do you have that stuff taken care of?
I added to it when the pandemic hit.
Hubby pointed at it yesterday and said he wanted to add to it.
I asked what he wanted to add.
His respondence was "living on social security only"
He has decided with out any decision that he wants us to live on social security only for 1 yr to see how hard it would be. Since he has the biggest income with his IRA, he can make the choice. It took me 2 seconds to tell him we would be short what I pull from Daddy's IRA. BUT pointed out how tight the budget would be, there would be NO extra paid on mortgage or projects done that we had to buy something or hire it done. No helping kids or his parents. We could do birthdays but Christmas would not be covered in that budget.
He said work it out
Okay, I went on computer and changed the budget and showed him how it would have to be. I pointed out the following which is where we usually have disagreements.
I did bring up restocking. He wants to not restock until next fall but agreed to restocking with sales and then agreed to a certain amount set back as we both know it can take a bit of time to get cash from an IRA if you don't have it set up.
Propane. I prefer 68 to 70 for heat . He prefers 72 to 74 (worked over 30 yrs at furnaces in factory). I told him heavier shirts, slippers on his feet instead of just socks and use a blanket when he is sitting. We decided on 70.
Electric. I will run the furnace fan full time (we already know that helps with cold spots) BUT I brought up he doesn't need to leave a light on by his chair and two at the desk in the front room. He doesn't need to leave his laptop on all the time and he doesn't need to put the tv on sleep for 60 minutes when he goes to sleep in 30. I really wished he would just turn it off but he is has had this habit since he was 16 and had rheumatic fever. He needs He added he quit plugging in his LED candle in the wheelchair bathroom as he found if he left the curtain cracked he could see well enough through the night with our security light. I will not turn on my bedroom light by the bed until I go to bed. Habit of turning it on when I close curtains so when I go to bed I don't step on Rascal who is BLACK. Means I have to walk around the bed 3 times dealing with lights, I laughed and said more steps for my Fitbit (which is under medical budget as it lets me know when my heart is racing). He suggested I use the bathroom candle he isn't using. He has adapted to less AC (since we only turn it on when Wilbur was panting, we will do the same for Rascal gets to that age ).
We by passed any bill that is set or already to the lowest we can.
Christmas is based on what ever we can afford.
Food processing this budget is at ZERO. I have plenty of canning jars (HA HA), vacuum bags, freezer bags, foil, saran wrap, press and seal wrap etc to go 2 years if I can careful.
Garden costs is set at $20/month. I need a little bit of soil for some of the boxes , I and 1 type of tomato seed.
Home maintenance is $20/month. I usually use Menards rebates to refill this except for the frig filter. I buy it by every other year. We won't have much in rebates since we are not doing any projects that we don't have materials already.
Cleaning items is $20/month. The only thing I don't have a year's worth is for the dishwasher soap. Well I might if I am the one putting the soap in. Hubby follows the directions. I use about half of that.
Personal. $10/month. I really couldn't think, we both checked, of anything we needed but felt something might pop up so it's in there.
Paper goods $5/month. Another one I don't see needing for awhile and can wait for sales
Office supplies.$5/ paper and ink, stamps (next fall)
Eating out .... I said $40, that's one sit down meal at our local restuarant or take out Chinese. He said $120. We agreed at $80. But that doesn't include birthday or anniversary.
Groceries ... I had cut it to $200, now I have it at $150. I did ask M and B(E's mom) what they spend at the store and how often. Both buy lemon lime soda(7 up for B as her hubby won't drink anything else) . Both said around $70 to $100 if there is non food products. They both said twice a month. Once themselves (usually their hubbys) and once with an Englisher going to Aldi's that is not in this area. I am really stocked well now except for ham. Hubby thought another turkey( I have a 20lb one in freezer) and 3 hams for stocking. SO it's up for debate.
According to USDA thrifty plan we should be spending $426.70 on food (not junk food or non food products) a month. I can say my in laws spend that much but I see a lot of snack foods that neither of them should be eating due to diabetes and weight issues. I know where Hubby got his snacking from. As a kid they had a snack bowl(5 qrt bowl) that they munched through twice a day. I was told to get a drink of water.
We will see how this goes. Hubby wanted to start it NOW but I pointed out we had to pay J for the two porches, an exhaust system for Son 2 (Hubby told him he could make payments), Daughter 4's last payment. PLUS he wanted to add 3 hams and another turkey and he is not fooling me, he will order a prime rib for Christmas eve. I got him talked into starting Dec except for groceries.
You know how some families point and say I am the same faith as my great grand parents.. Not my family. I am not sure if ANYONE was the same faith while living in the same house.
Daughter 4, Son 2 and I have been struggling with menu... so Daughter 4's daughter is now in charge of sharing HER menu.
We had 123 pasta Saturday with cheddar biscuits
Sunday we had meatloaf, baked sweet potato, green beans and pineapple.
Monday was pork butt roast with roasted veggies.
She usually does menus on Wed. Last week she had goulash, Son 2 thought it sounded good but definitely made too much as he ate it 4 meals in a row. Had no freezer room as he had just bought a couple roasts LOL. I have been pulling from the freezers and pantry. Daughter 4 doesn't go to the store until she get the "menu".
My to do list is down to 25, I have 7 phone calls to make tomorrow, (hubby has one and has to go make the truck payment) and counted a 10 different veggies and a fruit that need processed in the next week. It was up to 32 but I did some things that were on the internet to get it down. Today, I planted over 100 bulbs of flowers part of them were in real bad shape but they were free so I planted that was on the list for a couple weeks from now. We'll see how it goes if they grow or not. Total now is 42 divided by 11 days left to get it done is 3.8 a day. I get the phone calls done and I will have done 2 days LOL. There is one day of appts so I won't get anything done on that day.
We needed humidifier filters (2 per humidifier) I found them on sale so ordered enough to get through this heating season.
While looking for that I found adjustable window screens. Hubby had priced new screens made for our windows at $65 each. We need 9. we decided to get the old fashion ones that we will be sticking in the windows until we replace the windows. I got found them for $12 with a $3 off each code. Then got another $3 off total order and 5% cash back on my credit card. Well worth looking for something else since we plan to replace these windows in 5 yrs.
E let us know last night that his daughter's appendix burst when they started surgery BUT since she was already in to the surgery it wasn't bad. We checked on the older kids that was home and the eldest let us know they had an older cousin staying with them to help with chores. They spent today at the cousin's family (E's oldest brother). Hubby just left to go get E and M and child from hospital. I sent 2 pillows, a light blanket (she had no coat when she went) and a small trash can just in case. Hubby took water bottles for every one. Hubby went and told E's family , his family was going to send a message to M's side through a Mennonite. I hope the families go help E and M to play catch up on chores and getting ready for winter.
Hubby installed a solar charger for the electric fence we have between us and the pond. One of E's horses likes to lean over the wire fence and play nip on Charlotte. Only took one zap (both got zapped and she raised up to touch the fence in same area) and both now stay off the fence but it's not costing us anything. They still race each other down the fence line. Pretty much a tie according to E.
E &M child is home late Sunday night. The 4 little ones came home Monday afternoon as B thought it would be better for M and child to have some quiet. M's brother sent one of his older girls (he has 6 girls and 6 boys) to help this week.
Monday: I cleaned all 3 frigs, Hubby took trash to the road for Tuesday 5:30 AM pick up. I hemmed 4 pants of mine, mended 1 shirt of Hubby's and he has already tore another shirt, 2 bras, 1 dish cloth and 1 wash cloth. I made 12 meals of taco meat and bagged the mushrooms into paper sacks (they will last longer.) Got 4 phone calls done. Checked on daughter 1 who had wrist surgery. She's doing fine except it's her dominate hand LOL. Hubby got one of his calls done, second one to call back and has to go to hearing aid place to get his hearing aid cleaned.
LORD what a week... it's only Tuesday and it feels like it is been a month instead of a few days.
Hubby's one hearing aid is not working so they sent it in for repair or replacement. So he's down to only one...we should have realized it wasn't working as I kept asking him if he had them in when I was to the right of him which is the one that isn't working. It's under warranty so it's free.
I got my IRA dealt with over the phone so I don't have to drive 30 miles one way to deal with it. That's done for this quarter. Mine averaged 20% earnings.
Hubby got his IRA dealt with over the phone (60 miles one way). That's done this quarter. Hubby's averaged 12% earnings.
We will have to go in person in Dec.
I got my Humira ordered, sharps container ordered and 2 doctors offices to call me back when they can figure out when to schedule me. One actually had their "scheduler" program fail, just totally fail. They don't know who is coming in when at this point. No back up system at all.
I canned 14 pints of Russian Salad ( zucchini, tomato, bell pepper)
I canned 12 pints of butternut squash and 2 pints of acorn squash.
Hubby went to 3 different Menards to get the last of the stuff for the kitchen porch, 4 outdoor timers for Christmas lights and some new roller handles and paint roller fills. I should have had him get brushes also as we are done to just a couple.
We are having pigs in a blanket for supper. It's what is in the frig LOL.
How is your week going?
FIRST Daughter 4 got her 1st and 2nd check at once. She did a happy dance. They were concerned since her 1st check didn't go through for direct deposit so they gave her a pay card for her 2nd check and then worked out the issues with the direct deposit with the small 1st check. She is grateful Son 2 and we strongly insisted we pay her this month even though she was getting checks. As her landlord doesn't do credit cards/pay cards she can pay him with what we paid her that is in the checking acct. and use the rest for utilities, groceries and gas and maybe fix the car where the deer hit her (in front of a state cop, he sent the video from his dash cam to her so she could give it to her ins). We all cracked jokes about another hit and run of her new to her car( 1st one was totaled and the cops still think the trash truck did it but no witnesses or evidence). At least her ins will cover this if it's more than the deductible. Her son in law thinks his brother and him can pop it out since it's on the door.
M and E's oldest daughter got sick late Wednesday night. Since a cousin had been over and had caught the flu and they don't think she was over it completely, they thought flu.
Thursday M sends note they can't get her stopped throwing up, did I have any ideas besides the 5 miles long list they had tried. I sent gas x (she was burping a lot) and Alka Seltzer for colds and flu. That helped a lot when I checked on her in the evening last night. She was keeping fluids and food down and feeling a lot better.
This morning at 4:15, ( It's Friday right?)M was at our door as the child woke up with pain in the area of appendix. Hubby had jury duty so I'm the driver. E called (other neighbor keeps a cheap cellphone charged in his garage for the Amish ) local hospital and they don't treat kids that young (she's 11 going on 12). So told him to go to Marion.
SO E and I took child to Marion who ran MRI and couldn't tell if she had ruptured so then they ran a CT scan and said her appendix had not burst but had a small rupture and since waiting for transport through the hospital would be 3 hrs. and then a 1 1/2 hr. drive to Children's hospital as they don't operate on children that young. (GRR, might as well drive straight to children's)The doctor was agreeable for me to transport even though he understood it would be 3 hrs. I made it in 2 hrs. before I could get her there, gave child a pain shot. and off we went.
Since I had Son 2's car that DIED OUT in E's driveway when we were heading to Marion. We came back, I dropped E and child off, stopped and let my dogs out while I grabbed truck key. Then I switched vehicles with Hubby who's truck was in the bank parking lot where the jury was told to park. Texted him so he could check at breaks or lunch of what was going on. Stopped back to get dogs back in house. Picked up Child , M and E ,made pit stop to drop off youngest 2 as the 2 older boys walked across the pasture behind us as the hay pastures join between the two families, at neighbor around the corner and another pit stop to update E's mom .
E called another driver to pick up his parents this afternoon to bring them to Children's and his Mom will spend the night with M and child. Then driver could bring him and his dad back to take care of chores and get the older 5 over to his parents. So I am not on driver duty tonight. He knows Sherm is got a limit of drive time around 10 hrs. so he figured that counted for me also. It's a state number thing with being a commercial driver.
I told E that Hubby was hauling with his dad on early Saturday morning and was hauling for M's brother in the afternoon. But he could work in going after them at hospital if he need him to as both hauls can be put off until next week.
At this time the hospital thought they might keep her one or two days depending on the seepage from the rupture. Since E had his burst, he definitely understands the reason why they can't say exactly when she can come home.
All 3 of them went to sleep while I was driving to Children's.
Operating room was already prepped and they were waiting for us as E called the ER at Children's and told them when we were 30 mins away. So that helped everyone also.
I got 5 hrs. sleep last night. My rear hurts from sitting in a vehicle 9 1/2 hrs. since I couldn't go in with them (COVID rules) and it was raining so I couldn't even get out and walk around the parking lot. Blowing storms I stay put. I don't know how Hubby just zones out while being a driver like he does. He did say it's hard when he can't go in with them and time drags forever. But since I knew how long MRI and CT scan takes and normal time of waiting for results ...I wasn't wondering what was going on as E used hospital phone to let me know that.
Now there will be 3 households behind on things, E & M's ours and E's parents.
This month is flying by. We have taken the summer gardens down, I put row cover on the fall/winter gardens
Instead of horses we have the guinea hens visiting the pond. Rascal was frisky that day. Charlotte is always frisky
Daughter 4's daughter got married in a small wedding at the preacher's house which is her new hubby's uncle. Five generations was representing his side, four on our side. Daughter 4 looked at me and realized it's my generation that is the oldest now .It kept the focus on the vows and not on a big wedding. GD said she has seen that those with big wedding crash and burn a couple years down the line when times get hard. But those that kept it small haven't. I told her it was not the amount spent of the wedding but the attitude of why it was spent that crashed. Thoughts of "I deserve expensive things given to me" will wreck your life. GOOD life not based on money.
M is doing a lot better, she still has help come in after E had the 4 little ones for a day and complained he didn't get anything done ... then laughed and hired someone to at least come in half days. He's taken to working on the upstairs (drywalling) when he is on childcare duty. M and I just laughed and laughed.
I spent yesterday playing with the budget since Daughter 4 comes off OUR budget beginning of Nov. Still tinkering with it.
Fine tuning the last of the outside projects that to be finished this month. Right now it's more of getting him to quit changing what is planned and just get it done. We went a couple rounds about the roof over the basement ramp. J who is doing the porches stopped by to tell us 7 -14 days he is coming in to do both porches in 1 day. Bringing the work trailer and full crew. Hubby asked him what he would do for the roof... it was exactly how I said to do it. GOT TO SMILE.
I started with 76 items to get done this month I did that list on the 3rd. As of this morning I am down to 38. I told Hubby since he isn't hauling Tuesdays that he can get on his own jobs. He didn't looked thrilled with that but he could actually finish some stuff in a day or two if he quit putting it off. He is a procrastinator which has been a hard learning curve for me as my entire family is "let's get it done and off the list".
ANYWAYS
After spending time with the budget I tinkered with the grocery list. I have 4 things in the frig I bought 2 wks ago still not touched. Still good but not even opened. HUM...
We decided to go to Kroger's or Walmart once a month and then 2 wks later go to either Aldi's (if M needs something) or Save A Lot.
Got to get at it.. back to the to do list
Blessed be
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