Happy New Year!

19 years ago tonight...well actually a little after midnight....I met my dear Hubby.

For several years before meeting Hubby, I would spend New Year's Eve at my girlfriend's house with her and her boys. She has 5 boys and when they were younger, if I showed up and we made a lot of food, it was a party. LOL! So on 12/31/95, I went over in the early evening and we started to "party". That entailed drinking some wine, making food and watching movies.

A little after midnight, after we had counted down to the New Year, my girlfriend said, "Let's go to the Hop." The Hop was a disco, yes disco, that she liked to frequent. Since I was a raging workaholic, I did not go out at all. She had decided that my New Year's resolution should be to get a life, so she convinced me to head to the Hop. I was wearing flat shoes, a sloppy sweater and flat hair. Not my typical mode of "going out" dress. But we went. (her oldest son was old enough to leave at home with the other boys and my gf had a pager and we could be back in 10 minutes if something happened.)

When we walked in the door, I looked across the bar and saw a tall, good looking guy in a white shirt that made his broad shoulders look even broader. Hmmm... I thought. But figured I was not dressed to pick up any hotties. LOL! My friend said, "Oh look. There's Bob!", and headed across the room. This girl knew everyone in that place! Yes, she was a partier, but only when her kids were with their dad. She walked right up to the broad shouldered hottie and said hi. OMG! That was Bob and she knew him!

We ended up talking and dancing with each other until the bar closed. I figured that was it until my gf invited him to follow us to her house to continue our New Year celebration. He agreed and followed us to her house. While in the car she told me all about how she had seen him there for the last couple of years and what a nice guy he was. He was divorced with 3 kids and loved his kids like crazy. WELL! I knew he was not for me in that case. I was not interested in kids and didn't want to date anyone with kids. I actually didn't want to date anyone. After my divorce several years previously, I had decided I was better off on my own.

We got to gf's house and ended up drinking wine and talking into the early morning. We had sobered up by the time we decided to leave, so Hottie said bye, got in his car and left. And I got in my car and left.

That might have been the end of it, but gf decided that Hottie and I should get together so started playing matchmaker. It took her a few weeks, but she finally got us out together. I thank her regularly for her perseverance. LOL!

There, isn't that a good New Year story?

Every one have a safe and Happy New Year!

Hubby handed me a barf bag.

Not for Christmas! LOL!

I am going to catch up on the happenings around here. Friday, 12/19, I had scheduled a day off to go with Hubby to pick up his new leg. Yeah. On Thursday before, I got up and "felt funny". I don't even know how to describe it. My tummy was mildly upset, but I figured it would go away so got ready and went to work.

When I got to work, I felt worse. I didn't know if I had a stomach bug or something I ate had disagreed with me, but I was just feeling worse and worse. I told my boss I might need to leave and he told me to go if I needed to. Hubby called me around 10 and when I told him how I was feeling, he offered to come get me. I have NEVER asked Hubby to come get me from work. I said, "Yes, please." So he came to pick me up. When I got in the car, he handed me a couple of plastic bags, 'In case you need to throw up." Isn't he sweet?

I got home and crawled in bed as I felt like I needed to throw up, except when I was lying down. So, I spent the next 18 hours in bed or in the bathroom. Hubby has never seen me sleep that much. He said he had come in the bedroom a few times to make sure I was still alive. LOL!

The next day, I felt better, though a little "wrung out", but I went with Hubby to pick up his new leg. Good thing I did, too as that thing is heavy and with the other stuff that went with it, it would have been a bit difficult for him to get to the car, though I guess someone would have helped him if I had not been there.

He cannot walk on it for long amounts of time, but he can wear it and stand on it. (He starts PT to learn how to walk with it today.) But he wore it on Saturday, 12/20, when we had our get together at his mom's. He walked into her house on his own two feet. Yeah. He spent most of the day sitting and used his walker to get around when he did. He probably only spent about 30 minutes total walking on it. So not too much.

The get together was nice. Our kids and two grandkids were there. Jacob, our middle grandson, was not there. Chance gave some mumbled excuse. I think maybe he just didn't feel like going to pick Jacob up. Oh well, we just sent his gifts home with Chance. I took some pics but no group shots. Got some of those on MIL's camera, so hopefully she will send us some. Here is a typical pic of Hubby and our kids.

Last week I had a busy few days at work, then got to have a totally relaxing 4 day weekend for Christmas. Hubby and I took it easy pretty much the whole time, though I did have to grocery shop yesterday.

Christmas Day was nice and relaxing. We had way too many gifts to open, but they were all fun. Hubby thinks I need lots of presents to open. Don't tell him, but I love it.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas 

filled with family, friends 

and lots of love!

Why I am not having Thanksgiving dinner at my house.

Oh, don't worry. I AM cooking Thanksgiving dinner for Hubby and me. I will not deny us my awesome cooking. LOL! But we are not having anyone over for Thanksgiving.

Hubby and I both figured that our kids would do as they had done in previous years and attend the Thanksgiving get together that Hubby's sister has. The sister that Hubby has not spoken to in 4 years. I did have to message the kids about Christmas as MIL wanted to figure out when our family Christmas would be. Then the kids started asking what we are doing for Thanksgiving. I told them we figured they were going to their aunts, but they wanted me to cook sometime, too. I bet they did! LOL! We had decided on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Then last Friday night I came home to this:

It did not look like this when I left for work. And this is only one view. It was just as bad behind me. Boxes and wires and cables and electronics everywhere with paths just wide enough for Hubby to get through in his wheelchair. He decided he felt like hooking up his electronics. Fine with me, but when will you be done? LOL!

I had told him about the Thanksgiving plans and he told me we would have to meet the kids at a restaurant as we were not ready for anyone to come over. I told him fine...he would need to make arrangements with them. So, he started working on that.

A couple of days ago, the living room looked like this:

I just laughed. It kept getting worse and worse, but stuff WAS getting hooked up and Hubby was busy and happy every day.

The plan now is that we will be meeting the kids on Saturday at Olive Garden. But I want Thanksgiving food, so I will be cooking up a storm for Hubby and me tomorrow. I plan to have LOTS of leftovers. Yummy!

This year, I am thankful for my family, friends, good health and financial stability. Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

"Frugal is the new cool!"

I am always looking for new information on how to save money and how do do stuff more frugally. I was watching a video, that I found through a link on About.com, on DailyFinance.com and a tag line on one of the videos was "Frugal is the new cool!".

I was hooked! So I have been exploring and found some interesting info. I am not advertising for the site and was not contacted by anyone at the site. I just wanted to share something interesting.

We have spent a little less money this week, thank the Lord. I did order a new computer to replace the one that dies, but after much shopping and comparing and pricing, I found a refurbished off-lease computer that more than fits our needs for a great price at TigerDirect. It will be delivered today. Hubby is happy as he has not been on the internet since ours died. I use my netbook and my Galaxy media player, but he is not interested in using those "toys".

Hubby said that our new computer will be "our" Christmas present and that is fine with me. Neither of us need anything, so it can be our big present and then we can get some little items for under the tree and since I spent right under $300, it will be the cheapest Christmas in a long time. LOL! Hubby generally goes crazy and buys me all kinds of things and does not worry about any stinking budget. The computer dying saved Christmas. Well, not really. We never go into debt for Christmas so I guess we will just have some extra after Christmas.

Maybe we can go to the casino. Yeah, that would be fun!

Hope everyone is having a good week. I am just working and when not at work trying to arrange Thanksgiving and Christmas get togethers. I thought I didn't have to worry about Thanksgiving as Hubby's other side of the family has a big blowout that we don't attend. You all remember about the feud years ago, right? I wrote about it here.

The kids go to that so I planned to just cook for Hubby and me. In previous years, they usually showed up later, not humgry so I didn't have to worry about making a ton of food. This year I have been asked when I will be cooking. LOL! I guess I am cooking!

Wine Makes Everything Magical!

I heard that line in a radio commercial and thought, "That is so true!" LOL!

I am not drinking wine right now, so this post will not be magical. Oh, and the fact that it is about our recent money hemorrhaging makes it even less magical. 

Fortunately, we have not been having medical expenses as Hubby met his max-out-of-pocket for the year a couple of months ago. Well, we did have to pay a $1600 bill from last year in the last couple of months, but it was a $2000 that I asked for a discount on and got it! WooHoo! Plus, I had been expecting that bill for about a year. Hey, I should not have to call a provider and ask them to send me a bill...so I didn't. It was for Hubby's wound vac from sometime last year. But they are paid off now and we are good.

Then we have had a few miscellaneous expenses, like nicotine patches for Hubby which the dr prescribed, we paid $80 NOT ON SALE and Hubby later decided he is not going to use. I am going to try to return them to CVS, but don't know how that will go.

Then Hubby needed a transfer bench to get in and out of the tub. The medical providers were dicking around with getting it to us, so I just ordered it myself. Around $60 on Amazon. I figured we aren't paying for other medical stuff...we can afford it. Hubby has not used it ONCE. Ugh!

Then Hubby saw someone with a wheelchair with wheels that come off making it easy to load in the car, so I got one, once again off Amazon for $165. I decided to do that instead of dicking around with medical providers and insurance. Now Hubby has used it, but the wheelchair we already had is lighter, so he prefers that one. Ugh!

Are you seeing a pattern here? LOL!

The week before last, my keyfob for my CRV would not lock the doors. I thought it was probably the battery in the fob until Hubby's didn't work either. So I took my car to the shop and told them while it was there, to check it over for anything else it needed. Since we have not done anything but oil changes for 2 - 3 years, it needed a brake job and a few other things. $1092!! But my mechanic gave me a discount, so only $1039. LOL!

THEN!! 2 days ago our computer quit working. I always think it is a few years old, but checked and I bought it in 2008. I have not had to do a thing to it, since I bought a monster with some casino winnings. It is still not obsolete. Unfortunately, it will not turn on. I did check another power cable to see if that was it and it isn't. I could probably start replacing parts until I got the right one replaced, but Hubby and I decided a new one will be a good Christmas present. So I am computer shopping.

See....hemorraghing money! On a good note, we have not had to take any money out of savings for any of this, so I am happy about that.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Getting a leg up....

Hubby has been doing so well since his surgery. Last week, his surgeon removed the steri-strips he had put on the incision 3 weeks prior when Hubby's stitches were removed. It is healing so well. The incision is totally closed. Of course, there is still healing going on inside, but the outside looks great!

I took today off off to go with Hubby to discuss the timeline of getting his new leg.

My baby's gonna be a pirate!! We have pretty good insurance, so he won't have to get a peg leg. LOL! We are not sure exactly when he will have his leg, but it will be no longer than 5 weeks from yesterday. Yeah! He will have his new leg for Christmas. We are pretty excited about it.

Oh to a nice long relaxing weekend. (I hope.)

I got my car inspected and finally found a new purse.

Not in the same place. LOL!

I had to take some time off last week as Hubby started his outpatient rehab and still needs a driver. So I took off Monday morning, Tuesday afternoon and Friday afternoon. Monday, I wanted to sit and read while his did his physical therapy and occupational therapy. I never complain about getting to read for 2 hours. But Hubby had other plans for my "spare" time. He wanted to send flowers to the girls in his podiatrist's office and the nurses at the inpatient rehab he has been at. We had gone to the thrift store and he found a couple of vases. Then he told...no wait...he asked me to go to Kroger and pick up some "cheap" flowers and deliver them.

So, while he worked out, I went to Kroger and bought flowers. I did not buy cheap ones, I bought pretty ones. See:

They were really pretty and only $12.99 a bunch. I got 2 bunches. That is not really cheap flowers, but much cheaper than the florist. And they were very fresh, too. I bought them and headed to do my delivery duties. The girls at the podiatrist's office loved them and were so happy to hear how Hubby is doing. They all love him there. I didn't know the nurse that was manning the desk at rehab, so just told her they were for everyone that took care of Hubby.

Then I went back and sat and read. When Hubby was done, he asked if I had gotten flowers. Like I was NOT going to do it or something. I told him yes and showed him picks of the flowers and my name badge where I had to sign into the hospital. LOL! I am a good wife.

After he was done, I took him home and went to work. On Tuesday, I had a TON of work, so went home, picked up Hubby, ran him to rehab, then went home and worked until he was ready to come home. Whew!

Friday, I took the afternoon off, so did not work while Hubby was at rehab. I took my car to be inspected. WooHoo! It took about 10 minutes, then I time to kill, so I went to Walmart to look for a purse. I hate shopping at Walmart on the weekends and will only go when I am off during the week. I looked and looked and found a purse and a new nightgown. Yeah me! I hate, hate, hate purse shopping, as I am really particular and can rarely find one I like. But I had to as I really hated the one I have been carrying it. It was too big and too heavy and even though the style is "in" right now, I was finally over it. I found one at Walmart for only $!6! Yeah! of course, I know that means it it will wear out quicker than a more expensive one, so I will just go ahead and keep my eyes open for one to replace it in the future.

We had a nice weekend. Saturday we went to the library so Hubby could pick up a book he had on hold, then went to Dollar General to gets some stuff we needed. We must have needed a lot! Too bad I didn't know we were going or I would have printed out the $5 coupon that was available. Oh well. Hubby was happy to get out of the apartment.

Yesterday we went to Kroger to grocery shop. He said he won't be going again in a wheelchair. It was not handy to him to have to tag around with me and the cart. And he could not hold much in his lap. That is okay as we always spend WAY MORE when he goes. It is crazy!

So there is my update. Happy Monday all!

Hubby came home and I made salsa!

Hmmm...you would think I would have posted about Hubby being home before now, but apparently I have thought I was too busy.

Hubby was released from inpatient rehab on October 1. We were both so happy to have him come home. See how happy:

That little pic we are holding is a pic from either when we were dating or first married. I can't remember which, but it is Hubby's favorite pic and it lives on his nightstand. When he goes to the hospital, it goes with him. He is so silly.

He has been taking it easy since he got home. Well, easy for HIM. He is back to cooking, loading and unloading the dishwasher, doing laundry and anything else he feels like HE needs to do. All from his wheelchair. And last weekend, we even went "gallivanting around" doing some needed shopping. Well, we thought it was needed. I had to buy a new mouse and keyboard and he went along to "get out of the house". I am getting really good at loading and unloading the wheelchair from the car. And I am SO grateful that we moved downstairs and I do not have to lug that think up and down the stairs!

This weekend I started Saturday morning by going to my doctor with a recurrence of the sinus infection I had 3 weeks ago. More antibiotics, and stronger this time, so maybe I will kick it.

Then, since we ran out of salsa, I made some more. Hot for Hubby and mild for me (one jar is missing as it was already in the fridge.). 

Lest you all think that I was super industrious, I will admit that my salsa was made with canned tomatoes. Yes, I took a shortcut. But it is delicious and way cheaper than buying it.

I also cooked a roast in my new toy, and electric pressure cooker that I got for $39.99 from Aldi!

Hubby and I had been talking about getting one if I found  deal and it was in the Aldi ad the week before last. And way cheaper than any I had seen. I could not find reviews, but read that Aldi appliances are good, so we figured we would try it and if it was crap then I would just take it back. I am not taking it back.

Hubby was also industrious and emptied some still packed boxes. YES, from our move 3 1/2 months ago! But is was his stereo equipment and I wasn't touching it. So our living room was full of this:

But I carried some empty boxes and trash to the car this morning and will take the rest tomorrow. Which I will have off as it is Hubby's first trip to outpatient rehab. We have to figure out how he can get himself there as he has to go 3 times a week for a month and I don't want to use all my vacation days watching him do therapy. I would, but he is itching to drive himself anyway. And he can drive just fine as the amputation was on the left leg. We have already taken him to practice and he did great. We just have to figure the going to and from the car bit.

We will get there.

Happy Monday!

You can't debone 20 lbs of chicken in 30 minutes.

Last night, Hubby had given me the “night off” so I could de-bone chicken and watch Dancing with the Stars. So, I got home, pulled out the chicken and started to work. I noticed that some of the chicken was PINK. UGH! Despite the fact that I had checked WITH MY MEAT THERMOMETER and it indicated the chicken was done, it was not. So, I deboned 4 or 5 quarters, then put that meat in a baking dish and covered with foil. I put all the rest of the bone-in quarters in baking dishes and covered with foil and put in to the oven to roast for a while.

Then I bagged up my chicken broth. My girlfriend told me she freezes her chicken broth flat in freezer bags that can be stood up in the freezer after freezing. I am sure I have heard that idea before, but had not used it, so that is what I did. We will be able to fit them much better in the freezer that way. I put 2 cups per Ziploc and think I have 8-10 in the freezer. I quit counting as I was just ready to get it done. They are in the kitchen freezer and I will transfer to the big one tonight. Just gotta figure out something to stand them up in.

After the chicken roasted for a while, I took it out of the oven and the bone-in stuff went back in the fridge to de-bone tonight. The stuff I had de-boned, I bagged up and it is in the freezer. This was definitely not a regular weeknight activity! Since I am off tomorrow and can sleep a little later, I will be getting the rest of the chicken processed after getting home from the hospital tonight. I have all night to get it done. J

Hubby and I are both excited that he is coming home tomorrow! It will be so nice to just work and go home every night for a change. I am TIRED.

Happy Tuesday! 

20 Pounds of Chicken and 2 Dozen Cupcakes

No, that is NOT what I had for dinner last night.

First I wanted to let you all know that Hubby is doing GREAT! He was transferred to inpatient rehab on 9/19 and told he would be there 2 – 3 weeks. He is being released this Wednesday, 10/1. Yeah! The doctors and therapists are thrilled with his progress. And we are thrilled he is getting out so quickly.  11 days in rehab, with 2 of those being “off days” is great. There are people that have been there for MONTHS. I am so glad Hubby is not going to be there that long. I need him home! This is a pic of Hubby on his birthday. He looks SO good!

This weekend was a good weekend for us. I got some rest and was feeling so much better after treating my sinus infection that I got a lot of stuff done at home that I had been letting go while Hubby has been in the hospital. I did several loads of laundry including bed linens and pillows, vacuumed, did a lot of straightening of the second bedroom which is still full of boxes of books and other non-essentials. I just organized it a little so hubby will be able to get to the big freezer in his wheelchair.

The freezer which is totally stocked by the way.  While Hubby has been hospitalized, I have been stocking up on easy to fix meals. He insists he will be doing the cooking again as soon as he is out. I am confident he will, too. He has cooked from a wheelchair before. But still, I got some heat up entrees like lasagna, chicken parmesan, turkey and gravy. Things that only need a salad and mashed potatoes or pasta to make a meal. We also have loads of fish, chicken, hamburger and frozen veggies.

Speaking of chicken…..yes, I was speaking of chicken. I to a great deal on chicken quarters this weekend. $.49/lb in 10 lb bags. I bought 2. Yes, 20 lbs of chicken for $9.80!! Even better, I had a $2 off $10 meat coupon on my card which came off since I also bought some lunchmeat for Hubby. I am counting the $2 toward my chicken. Last night after getting home from the hospital, I threw all that chicken in my giant stew pot and simmered it until done.

In my fridge today is this giant bowl of chicken and stew pot full of broth. Tonight after the hospital, I will debone and portion the chicken into freezer bags and portion the broth into freezer containers. Then we will have chicken ready to just defrost for recipes. I have never done this before, but decided to try am make cooking a little more convenient. We will see how it works out.

I also made 2 dozen carrot cupcakes for Hubby’s return. To keep us from eating them all within the first few days, I have frozen them and put them in freezer bags so we can just thaw a few at a time. We will see how THAT works out. LOL!

I also bought 12 cans of tomatoes to make salsa next weekend. I am going to try making it in my jam maker that Hubby got me for Christmas. I will still can the jars afterward, but we will see if it is a time saver.

That’s all I can think of right now. Happy Monday everyone! 

Update on Hubby.

It has been a long week, but the end has been better than the start.

Hubby had his surgery on Monday. It went well and the surgeon was really pleased with how it went. I had only scheduled to take off Monday. I usually only take off the day Hubby has surgery and the day he is released, as he is fine by himself in the hospital. This time, wasn't as easy as previous ones. This surgery hit me harder than previous ones. I guess because it was so major.

I kept tearing up throughout the day, which has not happened in years. Not in front of Hubby. I know that it was harder for him than me.

We are both okay now. As Hubby said when he made the decision, it is what it is. We will make the best of it.

Hubby was transferred, last night, from the hospital to an inpatient rehab center. It is almost across the street from where we live, so very convenient. He has a short rehab session today and is off tomorrow, then start into intensive rehab on Monday, to help him learn to get around and to build up his strength. The staff seems really good and caring and we expect it will be a good stay. They project 10 days to 2 weeks, but it depends on how he does.

I worked 2 days this week, then spent the evenings at the hospital. The days I took off I was there all day. I have been just exhausted, more than I thought I should feel. And I finally realized that I have a stupid sinus infection. Fortunately, my doctor's office is open on Saturdays for urgent care, so I ran down there this morning and got a shot, an antibiotic and some steroids. I should be feeling better in a few days. Thank goodness.

I will be back at work this week, but my boss is super understanding and I can take off when I need to. Plus I have about 5 weeks of vacation days left. LOL!

Hubby's birthday is tomorrow. Poor thing. But it is not the first birthday he has spent in the hospital. I will be going to spend most of the day with him. At least until he runs me off so he can watch football.

How is this about anyone but Hubby?

I do not understand why some people have to make things all about them, no matter what it is.

As I told you previously, Hubby has decided that it is time to have the inevitable below the knee amputation. We have both come to grips with it and have been preparing for the surgery that takes place tomorrow.

Hubby has not told his mom. He never tells her before he has a surgery as she worries herself sick about every little things. She would do the same over this as well and he does not see any reason to do that to her. He will, of course, tell her after the surgery. He will have to...LOL! She will notice his missing leg at some point.

I was surprised that he did tell each of the kids already. He has let them know it was time and it is his decision and I was under the impression that they were very supportive.

Today we went to have an early birthday lunch for Hubby, as his birthday is next Sunday. Our 3 kids, 3 grandkids and Hubby's mom all came. The surgery was not mentioned and everyone had a really nice time.

Hubby created his ode to Breaking Bad:

That is a 58 made out of bacon, in case you cannot tell.

So, we ate and visited, then Hubby and I came home. He is now packing for the hospital. I vacuumed, cleaned litter boxes and started surfing the 'net.

The reason for my title? Our son posts on Facebook that he is frustrated with having to come to grips with some news and feels "put in a tight spot" by being asked to keep secrets. I messaged him asking if he was referring to his dad's surgery. And he was. I was SO mad. How does this become about anyone but Hubby??? Son said he just knew that MIL would be upset by not knowing. I was even madder. I love my kids, but how DARE any of them get mad about their dad sharing his news with who he chooses to share it with??? I told Son that if it made him that uncomfortable, I would see to it that it never happened again. He then did some back pedalling about how he and the girls are just worried about their dad.

Well, kids, if you are so worried about your dad, call him once in a while. Don't expect him to coll you all the time. And if he blesses you by sharing his information with you, then just pray for him and go on your way. Don't post about how you don't want to keep secrets.

And, by the way, shall I go ahead and share with your grandmother all of your deeds and misdeeds that we have never shared with her???

Okay. My rant is over.

"It is what it is."

That statement is one of the many reasons I love my hubby. I have been trying to figure out how to write this post without being a whiny baby, but I am just going to have to jump in feet first.

Hubby has now been on IV antibiotics for 8 weeks. When he got out of the hospital in July, after having an abscess drained and the doc finding osteomyelitis (which is infection in the bone), his infectious diseases doc determined he would need to be on iv antibiotics for 6 - 8 weeks. He has been in a lot of pain for the last couple of months and that has not eased.

A few weeks ago, he told me that he had been discussing with both docs, foot & ankle and infectious diseases, and that he had made the decision to have a below the knee amputation. Apparently, the iv antibiotics are not getting rid of the osteo which is in all his foot and ankle bones. The drugs and the infection are at a standoff and the infection is not clearing up. It has not spread higher, but it has not decreased. 

Amputation will get rid of the infection 100% as well as the pain that is in all the bones of his foot and ankle due to the infection. He decided it was time. He was worried about telling me as he thought I would be really upset. Don't get me wrong....I am sad that he is at this stage and I feel for him, but I have been preparing for this day since he had his first foot surgery. Other than this issue, his health is really good, so I am not going to complain at all since Diabetes is such a horrid disease and many people suffer much more from it than we have.

When I asked him how he was feeling about it, his response was, "It is what it is." He is not the, Woe-is-me-how-unfair-that-I-have-to-go-through-this type of person. And for that, I thank God everyday. Not that I would have married him if he were like that, but he could have become that way and I am grateful that he has not.

So, we have been preparing, as much as you can prepare for something like this. He is scheduled for surgery next Monday, 9/15. We have unpacked and arranged all that we have to. There are still some boxes that are not unpacked, but it is Hubby's stuff and he is not worried about it, so I am not going to. 

Hubby has been told that the healing time will be about 3 months, then he can get a prosthetic leg. He said one of the reasons he decided to do it now is that we have hit his max out of pocket for the year, so we will have not expenses for this or the prosthetic if he gets it before the end of the year. 

He says he is being frugal. :-)

I will post updates along the way.

You spent how much for soap?!

Happy Monday, everyone!

I have been in HELL all day. It started at 8 and has not let up most of the day. So I thought I would take a few minutes to breathe and write a blog post. So there!

You might remember how I was bemoaning the fact that my stockpile was worthless as it was all still packed up a while back. Well, it is not any more. It is all unpacked, on shelves and in use. Yeah, stockpile!! I would show you pics, but since there are still many unpacked boxes in that room, I decided not to.

While everything was still packed up, Hubby had gone to the store and picked up a couple of items he needed even though we knew we had them in boxes somewhere. My silly hubby. He thinks he needs to use things like deodorant Every. Single. Day.  It took a while to find all the bathroom HBA. I was set, but I did not need to shave as often as he does. So, he ran to the store to get a few “needed” items.  He came back with Dove bar soap, as well as the other stuff he got. I have not bought Dove soap in years. I love it thought and that is all my mom has ever bought, so I grew up using it.

I figured we would use what he bought, then go back to my soap bargains. We are bar soap users, so I bargain shop for it. Lately, we have been using a lot of Dial as I got it at the best price. Dial is a great soap and we like it. But my skin was starting to look like “old lady skin”….in the summer…when skin is never dry. Since using the Dove, it hasn’t gotten back to “young chick” skin, but it is looking better. And Hubby likes Dove. Go figure.

So, CVS had Dove soap on sale last week and I decided to buy some. Price was $8.49 for 6 bars, B1 G1 ½ off.  So, $8.49 + $4.24 = $12.73 for 12 bars. WHAT?!!! That is crazy! But I did have a $1 coupon. (Yes, I only had one.) And CVS had some items that generate a $10 GC when you spend $30. As I was already buying hair color and mascara, the Dove soap got the amount up to right over $30. If I had not bought the soap, I would not have earned the $10, so I consider that $10 offset the soap and I only paid $1.73 for 12 bars.

Could I have bought other items to get that $10? Yes. But Hubby and I decided we like Dove soap and our skin is worth it.  And I did not even get any free soap to write this post about Dove soap. LOL!

In other news, we are still unpacking and neither one of us are stressing out about it. We have stocked up our freezer and pantry, so have cut back on the eating out.

And we bought a new rocker recliner this weekend. I will post picks in a couple of days. Yeah for new furniture!

I have not been so frugal lately...

And I don't feel a bit guilty. Is that bad?????

We have been spending money like crazy lately. But please don't think I have totally lost my mind. We are only spending money we have. Nothing has come out of savings and the credit card bills get paid off every month, in full, so we are not paying interest on anything.

It just seems like a lot of stuff hit at once. We moved, which always costs some money. We spent money on our movers, but they were SO worth it!!! But then I added to those costs by buying things we "needed" for our new apartment. Did we really need them? Probably not. But I wanted to get some things and we can certainly afford it. After years of thinking we should buy a carpet steam cleaner. (We have cats. I will say no more.) When the first cat hairballed in our new apt, I got on line and ordered a steam cleaner. I am not getting on my hands and knees to clean up stains anymore. I will clean up the...um....solids. But I can now steam clean any stains and not have to get down and scrub. I LOVE it!

Of course I bargain shopped and got a good deal on it. I did the same on the new phones I wanted, as well as some new shelves and air purifier and some other things we "needed:.

We have also had quite a few medical bills to pay, but we put them on a credit card and got points. Everything paid except interest. LOL!

While Hubby was in the hospital, I didn't worry about unpacking any more than I needed to live. I didn't cook. I stopped and got take out every day. And did NOT feel guilty. When Hubby got home from the hospital,... and he is doing very well, thanks for asking...I didn't want him to feel like he had to do stuff. He needed to stay off his ankle and let it heal. So, we didn't unpack much and I stopped and got take out every night. I HAD gone to the grocery store before he got home, so we had frozen meals and sandwich stuff for him to eat at home and me to bring to work.

We moved 5 weeks ago and still have a lot of boxes not unpacked. And we aren't worrying about it. Well, we were both worrying about not getting enough done, but I made a deal with Hubby that if he wouldn't worry, then I wouldn't. We have managed to unpack everything we need to. We just have lots of boxes of books and knick knacks still packed. But that is okay.

We went to the grocery store yesterday and spent $172!!! OMG!!! I don't think I have ever spent that in one trip! But we are STOCKED up and Hubby intends to cook at home now. We are both burned out on take out food. LOL! We will be going to the meat market to buy some meat, but other than that, we are really stocked and next weekend, should only be a milk/product/bread run.

I didn't want to push Hubby to cook as I just wanted him to take it easy, but I am SO happy he will be cooking. And we can get back on our frugal bandwagon. Spending all this money does not seem as fun as it used to. LOL!

Back to our regularly scheduled lifestyle!

Oh, and we both love our new place. First floor is so EASY!

R.I.P. Freezer Food

Friday was a sad day.

After work I went to my girlfriend's house to get our frozen food out of her freezer. I had taken it over there so it could vacation in a comfortable frozen climate while we moved to our new apartment.

I opened the freezer door and immediately knew something was wrong as there was a smell of spoiled meat. Eeeeuuuuuuuwwwwww!!! It was not really strong and cold air came out of the freezer, so we were not sure at first what the issue was. Then we looked down and saw blackberry juice dripping from the bags of blackberries in the door.

Oh no! Her freezer had gone out. No wait...it was going out. We looked at the thermometer she has in there and the temperature was 42 degrees on the top shelf. So we grabbed a trash bag and I started throwing stuff in it. The meat that was in the top shelf was cold, but not frozen, so out it went. But, the boxes of butter I had on the top shelf were still hard, so it was like the lower layers of stuff was still frozen.

And the items in the bottom shelves of the freezer were still totally frozen. So we tossed some and were able to save some. Anything that was the least bit questionable was tossed. I may be frugal, but I am not going to poison us. If Hubby had been there, he would probably have wanted to take the meat home and cook it, but I was not even going to chance it.

Altogether, we tossed about a quarter of the freezer contents, so it could have been worse. Of course, most of that was meat, but oh well. I put the bag of tossed in my car to take to my dumpster as I did not think my girlfriend would enjoy having it in her garage until Tuesday when her trash is picked up. LOL!

We went in to wash our hands before I left to go home and my girlfriend went and pulled her checkbook out of her purse. I asked what she was doing and she said she was going to write me a check for what we had lost. What?!  I told her no way. It wasn't her fault her freezer went out and if I had come over last weekend, all my food would have been good.

I took what we could salvage home and put it into my freezer, temperature 0 degrees. And Hubby and I will be making a trip to the meat market soon. Well he wanted to anyway, but now we have to.

I did buy a bag of chicken breasts at Aldi yesterday, so we have some chicken.

StateFarm, you've done me wrong.

Hubby and I have had car insurance with StateFarm for many, many years. I am not sure exactly how long, but I think around 13 or 14 years. We have had a renters insurance policy with StateFarm for over 8 years. And I have an IRA with StateFarm that I have had there for about 7 years.

Over the years I have done some price comparisons, but I was never willing to change agents to save a few dollars. I really, really like my insurance agent...well, his whole staff. They are all very customer friendly. So, I never changed even to save money.

Imagine my irritation when I called to change our apartment number on our policies and was told that StateFarm no longer writes renters policies for my apartment complex! I calmly explained that I was not trying to buy a policy, just change my apartment number. The girl I talked to was nice, but no help, so I asked to speak to my agent.

He called me back and knew the issue and was very apologetic and upset with/for me, but explained that StateFarm had changed it guidelines back in February and my apartment complex was disqualified from be written policies. Though he was nice, basically he could do nothing for me.

I explained that if I have to buy renters insurance from someone else, I certainly would not be leaving my auto insurance and IRA with StateFarm. My agent said he hated that I would leave but understood why I felt that way. He said he was equally frustrated by the new guidelines. Oh, really, did the new guidelines just make you non-compliant with your apartment lease? I don't think so.

I am most irritated that I received no notification of this. Basically, I don't have renters insurance as of yesterday. Actually, I am pretty sure that StateFarm cannot cancel my policy without notice, but I am not even going to argue or fight with them. My apartment manager is really nice and understanding and is giving me time to find another policy.

I sent an email to the CEO of StateFarm, but I doubt I will hear back. Why would they care about losing one policy holder? So, I am shopping. I don't care if my insurance policy costs more...when I find someone that will write me a renters insurance policy, I am moving my auto insurance to them as well. I got a quote on line and an agent from Farmers has already called me. I have had Farmers in the past and was happy with them.

And my IRA will got to my bank, credit union or Fidelity, who handles my 401k. 

Screw you, State Farm!

On a happier note, Hubby got out of the hospital on Monday afternoon and he is doing fine. He is taking it easy so his ankle will heal up. He wants to be unpacking and moving stuff around, but I am trying not to let him.

I need to go to Aldi this weekend. I really miss it as I have not been in quite a while!

Stockpiles are worthless...

if they are packed in boxes and you can't get to them.

Did I scare you all? LOL!

Since Hubby has been in the hospital for a week, not much unpacking has gotten done. I did a little as I could, but it was mainly to clear out boxes so that Hubby will be able to maneuver the wheelchair when he gets home.

So though you would think unpacking my stockpile would have been a priority, it has not been.

In the last week and a half, we have had to buy razors, shave gel, deodorant, soap, shampoo, conditioner, zipper bags, foil and I don't remember what else.

And I have EVERY ONE of those items packed in a box somewhere. Ugh!

But at least I got it on sale/with coupons or at the dollar store.

I will be happy when we are unpacked and I can get to everything. Moving is so fun and the fun just continues.

Back in the saddle again...

Well, not really a saddle. If you guessed that it looks like Hubby is in a hospital bed, you guessed right.

Unfortunately for us.

Hubby's ankle has been hurting for a few days, but he insisted it was just a little sore. I thought he might have hurt it during the move though he said he didn't.

He had an appointment with his podiatrist today so said he would ask Dr. Mac to xray it.  Hubby called me at work to tell me he was being sent for an MRI and to be admitted to the hospital. Ugh.

He has some kind of infection in his ankle. (Who knows how that happened.) He will be having surgery to drain it and then will have a picline put in for iv antibiotics.

Not the way I would prefer to get a day off but we will deal with it.

"Working my way back to you, babe."

I was thinking about posting something, since I had not in a while and for some reason this song popped in to my head. I listened to it and thought it was a great way to start a Monday morning, so wanted to share. For those who were never disco queens, this will not bring back the fond memories it does for me. Please enjoy the music....

Hubby and I continue to dig our way out of the mountains of boxes created by our move. Here are some views of our apartment.

Ha Ha! And that is only from a couple of angles. I didn't even take any pics of the second bedroom, which is still FULL of boxes. LOL!

We spent the weekend in hibernation emptying boxes. So, it looks much better now than it did last week. Our bedroom and the bathroom are habitable. We have a place to sit in the living room and the kitchen is usable, finally. We have pretty much eaten nothing but take out for the last 2 weeks. Which would bother me, except that there were no bit trips to the grocery store during that time, so we may not have gone too far overboard. But even if we did, I am not going to worry about it. I have been working overtime, and getting paid for it, for almost the last year and it has just been growing in the bank, so I think we can just spend some of it during this move.

Hubby called to let me know he is headed to the grocery store so he can cook some REAL food. Yeah!! I wasn't going to ask him to, since he is unpacking while I am at work, but I am ready for some good home cooked food. Though we have been getting some pretty good take out, it still does not compare to home cooked.

Well, back to work for a while.

Happy Monday, all!

Why is that roach clip on your coffee table?

This was me this weekend....

I WISH!!

Really, Hubby would have let me spend the weekend this way, but he has been in high gear packing for our move this Thursday and I could not bring myself to just sit and watch him do all the work. So sad, I know.

So, we spent the weekend disassembling and dusting and cleaning and vacuuming and packing. I am so TIRED!!! So, I relaxed this morning by going to have my well woman exam. WooHoo!

On Saturday, we loaded up all our food from the large freezer and I carried it to my girlfriend's house to vacation in her freezer until we are moved in to our new place. I am so lucky to have a friend that has a practically empty big freezer in her garage!

After we loaded all the stuff in the freezer, I went in to visit as ordered by Hubby. (I am so lucky!) While sitting and talking, suddenly I noticed something on her coffee table...

"Why is that roach clip on your coffee table?" I asked.

She started laughing and said it was not a roach clip, but a bracelet buddy. I didn't know such a thing existed so told her I still thought it was a roach clip.

I looked when I got home and there IS such a thing. They look like this:

Who knew? Well, obviously my girlfriend did. LOL!

And just in case you wonder how I even know what a roach clip is, I heard about them once....a long time ago. Yep, that is my story and I am sticking to it.

Our boy is being hailed as a hero!

Well, in our town, anyway.

We knew he was one, but Chance did something Saturday night that not many others would do. I just thought I would share this news story. We are so very proud of him. And grateful that the Lord was watching over him!

News Story

I have got to get moving!

For some reason, our silly apartment is not packing itself! I just don't get it.

And Hubby had told me he would do ALL the packing for or move and guess what? He has not packed a single box. Oh, some boxes are packed, but I did them.

We HAVE done a lot of sorting and tossing and continue to sort and toss, so I guess once stuff is sorted and pared down, the packing part won't take as long. And we DO have 3 weeks to pack as we decided to move the last Thursday of the month. Our apt manager told us we could have the apartment sooner at no charge, but Hubby thinks we can go ahead a wait until the last week. Maybe he figures he will get motivated and get us packed up by then.

No, I am not really expecting him to do it all himself.

Today, we are waiting to hear from a couple of my girlfriend's boys as Hubby decided we would get rid of his weight bench and they were ecstatic when I asked if they would want it. Once they come get it, we will have more room to stack boxes and maybe it will be easier to get motivated to pack boxes.

We shall see.

I also have to get motivated to list our aquarium for sale or giveaway. We have a 20 gallon that we have had for years, but our new apartment has a fireplace on the wall that currently has our aquarium on it. LOL! The floor plan is like ours, only flipped and with a fireplace. So, I figured I would give the aquarium away, but know no one that wants one. So I think I will list it on a Garage Sale page for my area that is on Facebook. I may list it for $25 or $50 and just give it to anyone that is interested. I was afraid that if I listed it for free I might have too many responses to deal with.

I used to list free stuff on Freecycle, but my town's freecycle site is really inactive. I may check out the ones for other local communities, as I would just as soon give it away. Of course, I will have to drain it and rehome the 6 remaining fish we have. But it has been an nice hobby to have, so I won't complain about rehoming it.

Well, I guess I will get up and do something.

Hope everyone is having great weekend!

Performing my civic duty.

Guess where I am?

I am performing my civic duty ny sitting in the jury room waiting to see if I will be picked to serve on a jury.

This is only the second jury summons I have ever received. Obviously, my county has a big jury pool. I didn't get on a jury last time. Maybe I will today. That would drive my boss crazy! LOL!

Happy Thursday!

Where did all this stuff come from?

We are moving to a downstairs apartment at the end of June. Hubby finally agreed that moving downstairs was the suitable option now. My knees don't like the stairs anymore and Hubby's leg doesn't care for them so much either.

We have plenty of time to get ready for this move, so have started sorting and getting ready to pack up stuff. For previous moves, Hubby always scoured stores and got free boxes, but this time I thought he did not need to be doing so much running around, so after researching options and pricing, I ordered boxes from U Haul. Yes, U Haul. They were delivered right to our door in 4 days and the price was very reasonable. Hubby decided that he was okay with not having to run around.

So, we started sorting and I don't know where all this crap came from. Here is what is headed for the dumpster...

I don't know what is in all the bags as Hubby bagged up some. I don't want to even see what he threw away. He promised not to throw away anything of mine. I did throw away my two long winter coats. They are both SO OLD and I am always having to stitch something up on them. So, I told Hubby I was trashing them and would get a NEW coat next winter. Yes, a new one!

These bags are headed to the thrift store...

These bags contain a bunch of clothes that I finally weeded out of my closet and the final batch of jerseys Hubby had in his ebay closet. He is done with ebay forever.

He also surprised me by adding his golf clubs tot he pile...two sets...

And we had already sent several bags of stuff as donations to my mother in law's church for their garage sale. Their sale was last weekend, so we just had to throw together what we could for her. I sent a bunch of tampons and sanitary napkins that aren't needed in my house. LOL! And that was after I weeded out a dozen boxes of tampons for Samantha. I am also giving Sam 10 bottles of body wash. Hubby and I don't use it and she is happy to take it off our hands.

My HBA stockpile is much smaller, but it is plenty for us. We are being ruthless and we have just started. LOL!

Moving....it's a good thing.

"Well, it was good enough for Jesus."

What is going on, you guys?!

I have been way to busy since getting back from vacation. Since I am such a dedicated employee, I took a loaner laptop with me and actually WORKED ON MY VACATION. What is WRONG with me?????

Well, at least it was OT, so a little extra cash. Hey...it probably covered the whole cost of our vacation! I feel much better now.

When I got back to work, I went into the deep end. Things are all up in the air as a major restructuring is in the works, so there are all these "secret meetings" going on. LOL! I have been with the company for 15 years, so have seen this many times over the years and it does not worry me. But it worries some people.

PLUS, one of my team members is just buried, so I graciously volunteered to learn about Bankruptcy in order to help her out. She is really nice and I felt so bad for her and since some of my work load has gotten a little lighter, I figured I would be a nice co-worker. But I have been working 9 1/2 - 10 hour days and I am TIRED. It does not help that my commute each day is one hour each way, so 12 hour days for me. But it won't last forever....hopefully.

On the home front, Hubby has been having issues with nerve pain in his feet. Not unusual for diabetics. His dr had prescribed Lyrica but it made Hubby's lower leg swell a lot. Not a good thing as that is the leg that he had the bypass in. So he quit taking the Lyrica and talked to the dr. His dr recommended "some natural stuff" according to Hubby. I looked at the brochure for Benfotiamine, which the dr is now selling in his office and then went looking on Amazon for a reasonably priced version of it. And I found some.

While I was looking I found another recommended item for neuropathy pain called Frankinsense and Myrrh Neuropathy. It got great reviews, so I told him and asked him if he wanted to try some.

He said, "Well, it was good enough for Jesus."

So I ordered some. I will let you know if either of them work for him in case you know someone else that suffers from neuropathy pains.

Well, back to work for a while. Happy Wednesday!

Where have I been?

I have been at the casino!

Jealous, SonyaAnn??

Hubby and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary on April 26 and on April 27 we headed to the Coushatta Casino in Louisiana for some celebrating.

When I told Hubby we could go, he had scheduled to have our bathtub refinished, so it was a  productive as well as fun week.

We got to the casino on Sunday afternoon and checked in to our FREE chalet. I have written about the chalets...they are little mini modular homes that are set up really nice with a living area, kitchen and separate bedroom. I like it better than the hotel rooms since if one person wants to sit up all night, they don't disturb the other.

We stayed 3 nights and had a great time. We didn't gamble as much as usual, though we took enough money. We are both a little crippled, so just didn't go over to the casino as many times. But we gambled enough. I left up $30 for the trip and Hubby was the loser this time, but he didn't lose a lot, so the trip was pretty cheap as we had a free room for 3 nights, a couple of free meals and ate food that we took with us.

So a lovely and pretty frugal anniversary trip.

And a brand new bathtub when we got home.

It has been a good week!

Don’t you deserve it?

I was driving to the park and ride this morning…the first leg of my morning commute….listening to the radio when a commercial came on. It was for some luxury real estate company that would sell your luxury home and get you more money because “after all, don’t you deserve it?”

I did not count the number of times the phrases “You deserve it” and “Don’t you deserve it?” were used in the commercial, but it was a lot. For the last few hours, that phrase has been floating in my head. Don’t you deserve it?”

And I started thinking about that mentality. “Don’t you deserve it?”

Isn’t that what advertising tries to make us feel? That we DESERVE anything…. or everything… that we want.  Advertisers want us to feel “Yes….I DO deserve it!”  Then we will buy their product or service, whether we really need it or not.  And if we can’t afford it we are depriving ourselves, our spouse, our kids, our pets. We are deprived because we can’t have everything! This causes many people to go into debt. (I know this is not the only reason for debt, but this is the one I am talking about.)

I see it in my kids sometimes though not always. Oh, I don’t think they are in debt, but I don’t know…it’s not my business. But I do know that at times they have purchased things they wanted then had to be bailed out. And yes, we have done it, but not often. And I guess they have all matured…or got better paying jobs…as we don’t hear of them having financial difficulties, though I still think they spend a lot of their money frivolously. I see the same thing in a lot of people I work with. They can’t afford a co-pay to go to the doctor, but they buy the new iPhone every time one comes out. (Not that there is a thing wrong with buying an iPhone...IF you can afford it.)

So, why don’t I feel deprived? I have not bought everything I ever wanted. I got a lot of what I wanted, but for me material items just don’t seem that important. I don’t think they ever have.  I think I deserve to be happy, but I don’t think any THING is going to do that for me.

I guess I need to thank my parents for that. 

Tone it down with the teeth whitening, Hollywood.

 I know that having super white teeth is in vogue now. There are so many products advertised everywhere and everywhere you go lots of people have really white teeth. Some to the extreme, I think. I have seen some people that have teeth that are so white they are almost blue. Adults’ teeth are just not naturally that white.

BUT, I know that white teeth are important to a lot of people. My mother-in-law whitens all the time and she has quit drinking coffee and tea because they would stain her teeth. Not a bad thing at all, I suppose.

How white your teeth are is your choice. And if you want your teeth unnaturally white, that is your choice as well. BUT when you are an actor, acting in a period piece where I KNOW people’s teeth would not be glowing white, it is just a distraction. I won’t name any movies, but Hubby and I were watching something the other night and several characters were dirty, in raggedy clothes with straggly dirty hair and their teeth were glowing white. LOL! I asked Hubby, “Is it just me, or are his teeth a distraction?” He told me it was not just me.

Then, this weekend, I binge watched a mini-series on Netflix. It was good and I really enjoyed it, but once again, it was a period piece. There were characters that were dirty, with dirty hair, raggedy clothes and those glowing white teeth. I know they are actors. I know it is a movie. But the producers did a lot to make the costuming and the staging seem real so the teeth were distracting.

I don’t think people need to go back to stained, yellowed teeth, although I must say my family didn’t whiten our teeth when growing up and we didn’t have stained, yellowed teeth. But we do have good dental hygiene. My mama saw to that.

But filmmakers need to pay attention to what they are doing. One example where this was not the case was a movie called “Mud” starring Matthew McConaughey. He had snaggly teeth in the movie that fit in with his character. I looked it up after watching the movie as I know he has pretty white teeth. For this film, he wore prosthetic teeth. Yes, he wore ugly teeth for the part. And, in this instance, his teeth might not have even been a distraction. But they were going for realistic.

I know Hollywood filmmakers and actors would not care what I think. But I think they should pay more attention to actors’ teeth if they are trying to be realistic.

Oh, and I do use whitening toothpaste sometimes….if it was really cheap with a coupon. But my teeth will never be glowing white.

Rant over.

Happy Monday all!