The Past Week

The weekend has arrived which means  that I'll be staying close to home.  Last night's sleep was good and solid so I woke up (after coffee) with the energy of a bunny.  You most likely know which one I'm referring to.

The sheets went into the washer with a pod on the hot setting.  I use a pod for anything the pup comes in contact with because, let's face it, as cute as she is she does go outside.  I wash the blankets every other time and the mattress pad four times a year.  When the pad doesn't get washed it gets lightly sprayed with home made lavender water and wiped down with a dry cloth.  The pillows and blankets also get a spray and the window is wide to the cool air to freshen up the room.  When the cloth is done wiping the pad it gets used to dust the furniture.  I have to write myself a note to call the carpet guy to clean the carpet in the bedroom.  The decision has been made to have them cleaned once a year in that room as it is the most used room with carpet in the house.  The upstairs can go to an every other year schedule  because there's little traffic in that part of the house.

Since essential oils need to be stored in dark glass I splurged
and bought some bottles on amazon.  They're good quality and the sprayer
works well.  I just shake before each use to  meld the oils and distilled
water together and spray.  Easy to make and easy to use.

A couple hours on Thursday were spent with S. looking for jeans for her five year old.  She hit the jack pot at Children's Place where the sale price was $7.99 a pair.  I also hit the jackpot and came away with four shirts, a winter hat, and a bracelet set for the three year old for her birthday in the fall.  I'll look for a great book to add to the clothes and her gift will be complete.  The total of the clothing items came to just over $17.00.  I used the gift money saved from turning in my change from last year.

Every little girl needs a raccoon hat to keep her warm
during the cold months.

I seldom check my numbers for the blog and even less often check the number of followers I have.  I happen to check them the other day and saw four people had unfollowed me.  That's OK because I'm not after the numbers.  I think you all know that by now. This happened after I wrote something about my attachment to God in a comment.  That's OK, too.  I'm just hoping the two ladies I have become attached to were not of those who unfollowed.  It's difficult for me to know, but I want you two to know how much I appreciate you and consider you both a part of my life.

A friend put up a recipe on my Facebook page for a lentil soup that used only one pound of sausage in it.  It looked so good I decided to make it next week.  Maybe I can convince her to write it out for the blog so everyone can enjoy the winter goodie!  She artfully called it 'Souper Bowl soup in place of Super Bowl. 

As long as the subject of friends has come up, let me brag about another friend.  I call her the queen of couponing.  This woman runs circles around anyone I've ever met when it comes to setting up scenarios for buying the items she needs.  The best part is the scenarios she sets up do not just include her needs.  They include her local food pantry - each week.  I may get this number off a bit and I know she'll correct it, but if I remember correctly she has saved over $50,000 in a five year period by taking the time to scour the local ads, price matching, and using coupons.  Kudos for her efforts!  She is making her area a better place to be while having fun doing what she loves.

A local grocery store had a sale on clams and other seafood.  A bag of 18 clams was $5.00 and called out to me as I looked over the seafood case.  The same store had an offer of BOGO (buy one get one free) on organic butter.  After doing the math the organic butter was less expensive than the regular butter.  Regular butter is priced at close to $5.00 a pound in my area.  The organic butter, on sale, was $3.50 a pound.

So into the basket it went.  The clams went on the stove and some butter got melted to dip the clams into.  The butter was heavenly with a pure and salty taste.  Little did I know that butter could taste so good.  To combat the price in the future there will be less butter used on toast.  I'd rather have less of something that is healthier than lots of something that isn't.  I can think this way because I'm only responsible for myself.  I'm aware of how blessed I am.  This approach most likely would not be possible with a family of growing children and a hungry man eyeing what's cooking on the stove.  Please know I'm reporting my life here and not suggesting or saying anyone should follow my  advice or routines..

Have an enjoyable weekend where ever you are and stay safe.