Christmas Countdown - Week 1

This year I'm trying to follow the Grand Plan over at http://organizedchristmas.com/holiday-grand-plan to try to get ahead on Christmas this year, and it's week one. According to the schedule, it's list week, and I actually have a lot of this done already. I already have my budget set out (and Christmas Club at the bank nearly completed), my card list up to date and visits to make. My Thanksgiving menu is already planned, and Christmas Eve is always the highly traditional KFC! I've also started thinking about Christmas meals as my brother will be here, and I will need to plan ahead to stay within budget. I'm also looking at the calendar to block off some baking days the week or two before Christmas. It looks like I've got a lot of the list making already done.

So this week, I need to finalize meal plans for the 3 days my brother will be here over Christmas, aiming to start putting up some freezer meals for this time; pick out some cookie recipes to trial over the next month or two to include in the cookie exchange with my friend from NW Ohio; and inventory paper plates, napkins, etc., for Christmas Eve. Those are do-able lists! I'm not going to print out the lists from the website since I will rely on the planner I already use. I'll feel more organized, and there will be less paper to lose that way, too.

Cleaning-wise, this week will focus on the front porch. I've been wanting to scrub the porch anyway and give it a good cleaning, so this is perfect timing. There are pots that need to be returned to the basement, and can you believe the tree stand from last Christmas is still out there? Shesh! Not that I'm lazy or anything.... ;-) Actually this is a big reason why I need to start this plan NOW. Little bits every week.....

Next week will be Question Week and deep cleaning the living room. Maybe that will encourage me to pick up the phone and call Stanley Steamer to get the carpets done, too!

Teen Stocking Stuffers

My kids still love to see what is in their stockings on Christmas morning. The only problem is, as they get older, it's harder to find inexpensive stocking stuffers. Last year they ended up with a lot of batteries and chocolate! So this year, I'm making a concerted effort to keep this in mind now, especially with end of summer clearance sales. DD is generally pretty easy to please - batteries for her MP3 player and digital camera, LipSmackers lip balm, nail polish and as much chocolate as is humanly possible to fit in the stocking! DS is more of a challenge. He get some batteries too for his MP3 player and some chocolate, but I have such a hard time coming up with other things; thus, the hunt starts now. My goal is to keep stocking stuffers under $20 total per kid. Wish me luck!

Christmas Planning

I've mentioned before that I'm in a Christmas mood. Ready to bake, ready to craft, ready even to address my Christmas cards! I'm usually pretty organized for Christmas. I try to have my gifts all bought by Thanksgiving, and the day after Thanksgiving is my traditional day to address cards. I schedule our December as far in advance as I can, working in a visit to Cincinnati and several baking days along with activities at our church. The last few years, we've been trying to spend more time at home, or at least in town, because with all the different productions, displays and events going on that we like to go see, we could easily find ourselves on the road every weekend in December.

This year I'm trying something a little new. I found a website, www.organizedchristmas.com, that looks very interesting. There are organizing plans on there that promise to help you "simplify your holidays and celebrate the season." There are lists for everything you can think of and a lot of things you wouldn't have! There is a 6-week plan and The Grand Plan and Houseworks Holiday Plan actually start next week!

I've looked things over and decided I'm going to start the Holiday Grand Plan. While there are plenty of checklists and calendars to print out, I'm not going to use all of them; I have other organizational materials I use routinely that will work just as well. I'm interested to see how this works out. I'm all for anything that results in less stress, and hopefully less stress will result in a better attitude and an increased focus on Christ during a season that should be all about Him anyway.

Countdown to Driving - Yikes!

Teens count down the time to events differently than parents and other adults do. For instance, DD already knows it's 179 school days left until summer break. I know that it's only 10 days until OSU football season starts and 120 days until Christmas. But the biggest countdown for both kids? Counting down the days until they turn 15-1/2 next summer and can get their temporary driving permits.

Let me remind you of something....I'm a single mom. With twins. Who will both be wanting to drive. At the same time. In the same vehicle. I have said it before and I'll say it again ---- there ain't enough Valium in the world..... haha! I'm sure we'll make it through fine, but I'm not waiting until next summer to start planning. Here are some things I'm doing now to ensure a good experience with driver's education for both the twins and myself:

1. Start setting a good example now. I'm more conscious of speeding up to get through yellow lights, rolling stops and things like that. I can't teach my kids that a stop sign means STOP if I'm not coming to a full and complete stop.

2. I've started to ask the kids to give me directions on how to get to places around town, what the speed limit is when we're driving, etc. Personally, I know how to get where I'm going, but don't ask me for detailed turn-by-turn directions on the spur of the moment. I want my kids to be aware of street names and to get used to watching for traffic signs now. I'm also going to introduce map-reading with our next out-of-town trip. DD especially hates maps, so it's important that she especially get used to them. Both kids think that they'll just get GPS units and not have to deal with maps, and maybe they eventually will, but as we've all heard, GPS units aren't 100% perfect, and the twins need to be familiar with maps.

3. I've started talking with them about their contributions to the increased costs that will come when they start driving, namely insurance and gas money. Depending on the economy, I have the generalities of 2 plans fairly well settled, one depending on if they are able to get a part-time job and the other if they are not, in which case their costs will be tied to their grade point average. I've also stressed the fact that insurance costs are, in part, based on their GPA, so that is another reason to do well in school.

4. We have one vehicle. I had briefly toyed with the idea of getting a small, cheap clunker to have as a spare car, especially since DD is quite petite and the van is quite large in comparison! However, with the transmission replacement last month, a second vehicle is out of the question for a few years. Both kids have talked about saving for their own vehicles, and they are aware that I will not sign for a car loan for them, so both are looking into jobs and saving their allowances. We've also discussed the idea that they can buy a car together, pooling their resources, and that they would want to civilly and politely discuss that possibility and set ground rules beforehand. Finally, they know that they will not be driving to school every day once they do get their licenses. We've had a set rule growing up as to who gets to be first or do a specific thing on what day (who's day is it?), and I've told them we will revert to that rule with driving, whether it's getting their hours in with their temps or driving to school and other places after being licensed.

5. I will be getting them the Ohio driver's booklet in the next few months so they can start to read it now. I'm sure I'll be getting a lesson or two on road rules over the next few months too!

6. Lastly I'm stressing responsibility and trust. They have heard many times already and will continue to hear, if I can't trust them now in the small things, I'm not going to trust them driving when there are lives at stake. If they can't listen to me now, how can I trust that they will listen to my driving instruction? They will definitely be tired of hearing it, and I'm trying to vary how I get the message across, but this is obviously the most important part of preparing any teenager to drive, so they will be hearing it. A lot.

These are just a few things that I can do now to prepare the twins for this upcoming exciting time. Anything I've forgotten?

Tackle a Pile, Er, Counter!

I've gotten behind a bit in just general clean-up the last couple of days. It's amazing how the paper piles accumulate when you ignore them for even a day! My kitchen counter was nice and clean Saturday when my friend was here to help me out in the yard; this morning I could hardly find a place to make breakfast! So my goal for today is to try and be done with work before the kids get home and get the counter cleaned off. I got a migraine last night that has carried over to today, but hopefully that won't slow me down too much. (I have an appointment with a neurologist Thursday to see about the increasing frequency of these atypical migraines and had been thinking about cancelling it; maybe this is God's way of telling me not to?) So we'll see what happens. If I can stay away from Facebook and my emails, I just may be able to do it!

What to Sell? Or Rather, How?

I've been trying to follow Dave Ramsey and his financial advice in getting rid of debt and had been doing okay for a while but got off track a while back. He advocates before paying down debt, that you have a baby emergency fund of $1000. I had that for all of 2 days this year, and it's making me nervous. According to Dave, the average family can raise $1000 in 4 weeks or less by selling things, getting a part-time job, cutting expenses, etc. That may be true in a lot of 2-income families but not here! We've been holding yard sales over the past few years, so there really isn't that much left to sell. In fact, my last yard sale, after paying for the newspaper ad, I LOST money! If push came to shove, yes, I could basically sell everything but the beds and a few kitchen items, but I'm not that desperate yet. Yet. haha

My dilemma now is, I have 2 "large ticket" items: a ring left to me by my mom (which I will probably never wear) and our piano. I don't want to describe the ring too much for safety reasons, but if I got even half of its insurance value when selling, I wouldn't have to worry about the emergency fund. It's not my type of jewelry, and the times I have worn it, I've been very self-conscious about it. The question here is, where to sell it? I've inquired at the jewelers in town, and none of them buy this type of jewelry. I would like to find a reputable jeweler in either Columbus, Mansfield or Cincinnati and know I wasn't getting taken. Easier said than done!

Our piano, on the other hand, would probably be fairly easy to sell. I'm the only one who plays it, and even then, I'm not very good at all. I had always thought that I would learn to play better when the kids are off to college, but I don't see me paying for lessons anytime soon. If one of the kids wanted lessons, that would be different. DD wants me to teacher her, but that has not worked out well. She wants to know how to play perfectly NOW and just gets stressed out with me. She would do better with a professional teacher but has declined formal lessons. I could probably get $100 for it, which would help the emergency fund out, but do I really want to sell it?

Oh, decisions, decisions.....

Comparison Shopping

While we are a pretty healthy family, all 3 of us do take prescription medication (DS has migraines, DD has asthma). At one point I was spending nearly $150 a month just on prescriptions, which is a pretty good chunk of our budget. Thankfully our doctors have worked with us to change over to less expensive drugs, and recently the most expensive one has gone generic. I now spend around around $45 a month - that's a big difference!

But I was reminded last week that it never hurts to shop around. My usual pharmacy has been sold and is undergoing some changes, and I'm not sure I want to keep our routine medications there. So I took 10 minutes and called the pharmacies in town to check prices. For example, in our case, I found DS' most expensive migraine prescription ranged from (cost to me) $13 to $44 - for the same generic prescription! I pay 20% of the shelf price, so if you don't have prescription drug coverage or are on Medicare and in the doughnut hole, the difference would be even more pronounced - $65 to $227! And that's just within our medium-sized town.

Ultimately I will probably stay with our original pharmacy. To get the best deals, I would need to have all 4 prescriptions at 3 different pharmacies, and I'm not sure I'm THAT organized!

Insurance, cable, phone, prescriptions....these are all things that should be comparison shopped routinely a couple times a year. Anything else to add to the list?

Don't forget to stop over at www.lifeasmom.com for more Frugal Friday links!

Debt Reduction Chart

On the side here, I have 2 charts: one for debt reduction and one for savings. Both are looking pretty pathetic at the moment. The reduction chart was close to 50% before the transmission incident (yes, I'll eventually stop talking about that!), so it's a little disheartening to see that change. My original goal had been to have both my savings and my debt goals met by the end of 2009; it now looks like that will be pushed back by about 6-7 months, barring any further setbacks.

The good thing is, I like charts. I like seeing them fill in and and the percentages go up. It's a motivator for me, and anything that spurs someone to increase their savings and decrease their debt is a good thing! Since paying off the van earlier this year, I have been lack in sending that extra money to debt payoff. We've had some vet bills and other car repairs that have come up, and while I have appreciated having that extra cash to use for those, I need to buckle down and, as Dave Ramsey says, get "gazelle intense."

I really want to see progress on those charts. With the start of a new school year, this needs to be the start of a new dedication to savings and debt repayment. The cards are again put away, and I'm starting to get the budget under control. Let's start filling in those charts!

For your own chart, go to http://www.ncnnetwork.com/.

First Day of School

It's official. The twins have started high school. In fact, as I write this, they should be starting their 2nd period class. This will be a totally different experience for my son than it is for my daughter. She will have the typical day of changing classes, going from one place to another and not really being in the same area for more than 2 classes at a time. DS, on the other hand, is in a science/tech program new to the school this year, and other than lunch and phys. ed., he will be in the same classroom most of the day, although his locker is just about as far away from the bus pick-up/drop-off area as you can get without going upstairs. They have both been nervous the last few days, of course. DS was worried about the bus more than school itself. He's been looking forward to this new tech program and using the laptop each student got and anticipating the iPod Touch they will be getting in the next few days! Shesh! I remember being excited to be allowed to use a scientific calculator finally in Algebra 2 in 11th grade! I guess the kids are right - I am old.... ;-) Anyhow, I digress....DD keeps saying she is afraid some senior is going to "snap her in half" in the hallway. She's a petite little thing and is not happy that her locker is smack-dab in the middle of the set, on the bottom, where she is sure she will be crushed every time she needs in it. She is also not wanting to give up her days of sleeping in and being lazy (typical teenager!). It won't take long, I'm sure, for them to get back in the routine and high school won't seem so scary.

It doesn't seem like that long ago that we were anticipating the first day of kindergarten. Getting on the bus for the first time, letting them not only "go" but allowing someone else to drive them! A friend of ours brought her kids over so they could all get on the bus together and the twins would have familiar faces on their first bus ride. They were so excited! The first day of 1st grade was memorable in that DD came home stinking mad. They started a new school after our move, and at open house, the teacher had told them they would have homework every night. First day comes and no homework. DD was so mad! Of course now, her attitude towards homework is a little different! haha We had a couple of first days of school in the elementary years that were delayed by fog. First day of junior high brought back bus rides and a building with 2 floors. Now, we're at high school, and it's only 4 more years and we'll be looking at college. I think I'll need every bit of that time to get used to THAT idea!

It's harder with twins, I thnk. I'm sending both my oldest and my youngest off at the same time. I just need to remember that just as much as God is with me, He is with them, too. Sometimes I forget that, and I need reminded of it often. I try not to be a "helicopter" parent, although I do tend to be the "Mother Hen" type. I want to know where they are, what they are doing, are they safe, being smart, etc. I pray that over the next few months and years, God will remind me that it is more important that He is with them, not me, and I need to start letting go.

Tuesday's Blessings

1. DD discovering she has lunch period this coming school year with 3 friends, which is what she was most worried about. (The high school has 5 or 6 different lunch periods.)
2. The blue jays are back!
3. The generosity of our congregation in donating to the care boxes for 2 of our members on active military duty overseas.
4. Elimination of school fees! Wooo hooo! That's $100 I don't have to worry about finding!
5. Having fun with a friend while helping her with Facebook.
6. Free milkshakes from Steak-and-Shake.
7. DS taking the initiative to start getting up at his school wake-up time a week before school actually starts.

New Spending Self-Challenge

I am awful at going through fast food drive-thrus. It's much easier to do that than to plan ahead and either eat before going out or pack lunch/snacks or, frankly, just say no :-) . But I know it reeks havoc on my budget. So, since my grocery budget self-challenge is going pretty well, I'm going to tackle the next obvious money leak and see how that goes!

So here's the deal. We always stop at Tim Horton's on Sunday mornings on the way to church. It's tradition, and you can't mess with tradition when you have kids! That's $5.15 each week. Once a month, after DS's orthodontist appointment, apparently it's also tradition to take him through Arby's. That's usually just under $5. Aside from these "traditions," I would like to limit our fast food to once a pay period, or twice a month and eventually get that down to once a month. This will include day trips, shopping trips to Columbus but not road trips to Cincinnati (again, tradition to stop at Tim Horton's in Springfield each direction) or overnight road trips where we don't have access to proper food storage.

Hopefully both my wallet and my waistline will benefit from this new self-challenge! Starts.....NOW! :-)

Teen Life Lessons - The Checkbook

Some people don't believe that you should give details on your financial life to your kids. I think it depends. My kids don't know everything about my savings, debts, etc., but they know we have to watch our pennies, that I'm trying to stick to a grocery budget, etc. The last few months, DD has been helping me balance my checkbook. I don't mind doing it, but I find it depressing! So I have been giving her the account summary and letting her go through and check things off, adding and subtracting, and she enjoys it. The summary for August should be ready any day now, so this month I'm going to teach her how to actually balance the checkbook, to make sure I have what the bank says I have! She will need to learn this someday, and if she is enjoying it right now, it's a good time to do it. Eventually I will have to teach DS too, but as long as DD is interested and having fun with it, I'll be happy to start with her.

Scheduling My Month Part 2

I meant to post this the other day, but frankly, I'm having problems coming up with a schedule! I know I should, and I did come up with a general one, but there sure are a lot of "depending on" notations. For example, I would like to set aside Mondays for yard work, mowing, weeding, fertilizing, etc. But that would be "depending on" the weather. Tuesdays would be good for going to the grocery, but that would be "depending on" the pay day. So I pretty much came up with guidelines rather than a set schedule.

Mondays - yard work
Tuesdays - shopping
Wednesdays - youth/small groups
Thursdays - trash night/clean up
Friday - laundry

Wednesdays and Thursdays are non-negotiable. Even if I have to add shopping into one of those nights, it will still always be church activities night and trash night.

For my monthly schedule, this is going to have to be done month by month. For the rest of August, I need one baking Saturday (the 15th), and I have a friend who is going to come down and help me with some extensive yard work and be a sounding board for practical ideas for landscaping one Saturday. (She's much better at that than I am!) That leaves one unplanned weekend. Depending on the budget, we may take another inexpensive day trip or just do things around here. I'll know better about that tonight after working on finances.

So, I'll try it. It really isn't that much different from what I've already been doing, but I would like to make an effort at being consistent, yet flexible when needed, and not procrastinate near as much! Wish me luck! haha

2010 Tax Refund

Isn't it awful to be thinking already about how I'll spend my 2010 tax refund? I know that sounds desperate, but a lot of days, that's how I feel, and I really look forward to getting that chunk of money.

I have a fair idea of what I'll be getting back. It's been holding steady the last few years, and with the stimulus bonus, it may be even a bit more. I don't have federal tax taken out of my check because I get such a large refund, so I don't get the stimulus throughout the year that most people are getting. It's my understanding, though, that I will get it when I file my tax return. I also get a decent refund because I file Head of Household and have 2 kids. I truly dread the year that I can no longer claim my kids as dependents! That's another big reason I want to be debt-free ASAP.

Anyhow, before the transmission fiasco a while back, I had hoped that with this refund, I would be able to pay off the last of the credit cards. Now, I don't think that's going to happen. I'll be able to pay off one, but not both. I'll have to play around with the numbers later in the year to decide which one, but, by golly, one of them will be gone!

Actually the first thing I will do is tithe my refund. I usually hold this for the Easter offering at church, which we use to pay down the principle on our physical church building. It is always truly amazing how God takes what we give and just multiplies and increases it beyond our dreams. Then after the tithe, I will pay my real estate taxes for the year.

Then comes some big decisions: How much to put away in savings, which card to pay off, and do I go ahead and get tires and/or replace the hot water tank and/or refrigerator? These are all things I need to do in 2010 - replace the tires on my van, replace the hot water tank and replace the refrigerator (unless one or all force my hand before then). Logic says to get some money in the bank, but I so want these cards paid off and gone! I also don't want to be caught in the middle of a shower with ice cold water or to come home from a weekend away and find my refrigerator decided to die while we were gone. I know the frig is 16-1/2 years old (as are the rest of my appliances), and I have been told by someone I trust that my hot water tank is on borrowed time. The wear strips on the tires are already showing, and I can only hope and pray we have enough traction for this winter. I've priced water tanks at Lowes, and what I would want is about $500, not including installation (Energy Star with 9-year warranty, 40 gal.). I'm pretty sure I can get a basic refrigerator for $400-500, but I'm not sure what the tires will cost. I wouldn't mind used tires if I could get them at a decent price to get me through the next few years, but I'm not sure where to go for that.

Anyhow, I guess we need to see what the next few months bring and then pray for God's direction.

Tackle a Pile Tuesday

It needs to be done. DD wants to help. I keep putting it off. But today's the day. I'm going to work on the stash of shampoo and soaps and lotions in the bathroom. It's to the point where I'm not sure what I have! I have gotten some great deals on shampoo and conditioner and have basically just shoved them into whatever space is available in the built-in shelves in the bathroom. I also shoved stuff in there when we had the leak under the bathroom sink and reorganized that area. It's not exactly a linen closet. They are shelves that were built over the laundry drop shoot. We don't use the shoot much because the basement is so wet, and we now have a hamper in the bathroom. In fact, I have a basket covering part of the shoot and need to just go ahead and cover the whole thing with something removable to get more usable space and eliminate things accidentally falling and smashing on the concrete floor below. Anyhoo......this is a huge pile that I seem to tackle a couple times a year. And today is the day to do it again. I need to just go ahead and give myself permission to throw some things away. Do I really need the lotion that I brought home when my mom moved from her apartment to the nursing home 4-5 years ago? Is it any good anymore? There has got to be something I can do with the shampoo/conditioner samples I got for DD that she won't use. I hate to just trash this stuff, but I also need it out of my bathroom. Maybe I'll post it on Freecycle. That's an idea! I love how writing things out helps bring things to mind! Hopefully this evening I'll have an organized bathroom again and soon someone will have some lotions and samples to enjoy!

Scheduling My Month

I've never been much of a scheduled person, always doing activity A on day 1 and activity B on day 2, etc. In fact, aside from when the kids were younger, it has been since college days that I followed anything close to a schedule. But now I'm starting to rethink that, especially for my Saturdays. And, the more I think about it, maybe "schedule" isn't the right word. "Plan" would be better.

Usually by Wednesday or Thursday of each week, I start thinking about what I want to accomplish on Saturday. Sometimes we'll be going out of town or have something specific we want to do. Maybe I'll decide to do baking day or work on an unfinished project. Maybe I'll think "I have no clue what to do!" Generally Saturday is laundry day and I'll pick a room to straighten up and reorganize, but I'd like to switch that to a weekday, leaving me an actual full Saturday to do whatever else. I'd also like to have my shopping done during the week so I'm not spending 4-5 hours running on a Saturday. Shopping always takes longer on the weekend; too many people and too much traffic, I suppose.

With the kids starting high school in a little over a week, this would be the perfect time for me to make some changes. So here's my plan: The kids will need to be out the door around 7 AM to catch the bus and will be home about 2:45 PM. I would love to have my work finished before they get home. I would then have 90 minutes or so to clean, sit and talk, plan shopping trips, laundry, etc., before starting dinner. Then after dinner, finish dishes, any clean-up that needs done, and have the evening available for any church or school activities, yard work, a shopping night, family "bonding" activities here at home (puzzles, games, favorite TV shows that we watch together), and maybe, just maybe, a little stitching time! I would also like to sit down at the beginning of the month and tentatively plan out our weekends - are we going out of town or doing an inexpensive fun day? Which Saturday would be best for a baking day or an unfinished project day? And maybe I will start planning out specific days, too, like Monday is yard day - mowing, weeding, fertilizing, etc. If I'm trying to get away from laundry on the weekend, then Friday would have to be laundry day. (The kids have gym every day for a semester, so those clothes have GOT to be done every week! lol) Wednesday is always youth and small groups at church. Anyhow, you get the idea.

When I'm done with work today, I'm going to sit down and pencil out a schedule for the rest of this month and post it here. We will see what happens!

Quick and Easy Christmas Ornaments

Ornaments? Yes, it's still only August, but the kids are getting antsy and, at least at my house, easily bored, and this is a quick, easy and frugal craft for them to do.

All you need are pieces of felt, embroidery floss, paper, pencil, straight pins, a needle and a pair of scissors. (If you don't have felt and floss, you can find these at your local fabric/craft store quite inexpensively. Watch for sales, and you can pick them up for 20-cents to 25-cents each!) On the paper, trace different shapes: the bottom of a glass or pop can, small bowl, small rectangular book, etc., and cut out. Pin the paper shape to the felt (2 pieces per shape) and cut out. On one piece of felt, use the embroidery floss to embroider circles, wirly-gigs, flowers, confetti, the year, whatever strikes your fancy. If you want to use more detailed stitches, go to http://www.inaminuteago.com/stitchindex.html for a huge list of stitches and instructions. Once that piece is decorated the way you want, pin both pieces wrong sides together and work a blanket stitch, whip stitch or running stitch around the edges to join. Attach a loop of floss for a hanger, and you're all set!

Other ideas: Leave off the hanger, and you have a coaster; make a set of 4 or 6, and you have a nice Christmas gift. Instead of embroidering your top piece, add a third, smaller piece of felt. Use bigger pieces of felt and make pillows or wall hangings. Use 2 circles, emobroider a small face, add catnip, and treat your favorite feline furbaby. Use fabric paint/pens instead of embroidery floss. Add buttons, sequins, etc., for embelishment. Leave the top open and insert candy canes or gift cards.

But this is perhaps my favorite idea, and I wish I had done this 14 years ago. Trace around your child's hand in a mitten fashion and proceed as above, embroidering the year and the child's name, adding a new one every Christmas. I can just envision these ornaments on the tree showing the child's growth every year. Wouldn't that be neat?

Don't forget to stop by www.lifeasmom.com for more Frugal Friday ideas!

Christmas Crafting Mood

Yes, I know it's only August, but I'm in a Christmas mood. I'm not sure why, but I go through a spell like this every summer. Some years it's baking. Some years it's shopping. This year it's crafting. Luckily I have some things already planned to make, so I might as well get started, and I'll share my progress over the next few weeks.

First thing I think I will do involves my Grandma's old embroidered linens. She used to do a lot of different needlework, embroidery, knitting, crochet, and I inherited a lot of her old dresser linens when she left her house to go to the nursing home many years ago and again when my mother downsized. Unfortunately we don't use a lot of dresser and table linens any more, and these items have been stuck in drawers and cabinets for a very long time. Even more unfortunate, a lot of them have stains which, while that means they were used and loved, I haven't been able to get them clean to try to display them.

I was about to get rid of the stained ones when I came across a stuffed kitty pattern in a magazine, made from embroidered cloth. What a wonderful idea to use Grandma's linens for! We are a cat family anyhow, so this would be perfect. I have already photocopied the pattern and made two sizes, little (will be less than 6 inches tall) and medium (between 6 and 8 inches). Tonight I am going to go through the linens and pin the patterns. If I have time, I will cut them out also, but that may have to wait until tomorrow or Saturday. We don't have anything planned for this weekend, so Saturday I am going to plan to sew at least 3 of these kitties - one for each great-grandchild. I even have stuffing left over from a previous project, so I have everything I need.

I may not be able to keep these back from my kids until Christmas since they will be seeing them made - DD for sure will want hers - but this will definitely be part of my niece's Christmas gift. She's the only grandchild who knew her Great-Grandma, so hopefully this will be something very special to her.

Noell

Michelle at Scribbit had a post a while back about things she wants to do after her kids go back to school, and one of those items was growing garlic. That brought to mind the time my ex-hub grew garlic for me shortly after we were married and how Noell decided she liked garlic, and then there were a flood of memories.

The first Christmas we were married, ex-hub (ex, from here on out) basically told me to buy my own Christmas gift. (Yeah, big clue right there! lol) He, however, didn't specify animal, vegetable or mineral! Also that year, all my aunt wanted for Christmas was a donation to the local animal humane society. So one afternoon I went out to make a donation in her name, and they had a cage of adorable kittens by the desk. Yes, they knew a soft-heart was coming that day! I'm looking at these kittens, and I'm thinking, ya know, he didn't say my gift couldn't be alive..... So, when I sent my card to my aunt informing her of the donation, I was also able to write "and we adopted a kitten in your name also!"

Noell was about 7-8 weeks old and a black/gray tiger, very similar to the cat we had growing up. Oh the stories we have about her. She definitely used up every one of her nine lives - eating firecrackers, soap and chicken bones, getting caught up in a tree and being unable to get down, getting caught in a groundhog live trap and coming out of it with no broken bones, only bruises, and so on. I could write for an hour and never get down all of her exploits, but I would like to share a few of my favorites:

We lived in a mobile home out in the country when we were first married. For New Year's Day that first year Noell was with us, we bucked tradition and had a turkey instead of pork. We also had an older cat, Emily, and we usually shared a little turkey with her and so did also with Noell. Only Noell couldn't get enough. We putt a little on a small plate for her, and she inhaled it. Again with the next few little pieces. So she had clawed her way up Ex's leg and onto the table, eating off his plate! She not only ate all the turkey he was GOING to eat, she licked off all the gravy and juices. In fact, we have a picture of her on the plate, eating, just a tiny little thing. It didn't take long to decide that, left to her own devices, she would eat more than her weight in turkey, and we put her in the spare room while we finished our dinner. Every time we had turkey after that, we had to put her outside with her own little serving (and no more!) until we were done and the turkey was put away.

Noell always went all out. She loved to chase Emily, our older cat, who was none too happy about this intruder in her happy home. Noell would go in an all out run, going so fast it took her a few seconds to be able to change directions. She chased Emily once but was far enough behind that she didn't see Emily jump up on the dining area cabinet and just kept running down the hall. All of a sudden she came to a screeching stop, all 4 legs spread, little head turning like "where'd she go? where'd she go?" So funny. Noell would also go running down the hall and if you were in the way, too bad. She'd hit your ankle and literally bounce off and keep going. If you were outside on the walk beside the trailer, when she came running down the hall, outside it sounded like a heard of horses!

She had interesting food tastes, too. She loved, loved, loved Taco Bell bean burritos with hot sause. Not plain, not mild sauce, but hot sauce! That cat would eat a whole burrito if we would let her. And then, yes, spend the night outside! And this brings us to the garlic story. As I said, one summer Ex grew garlic in the garden. He tried just 1 plant, I believe, to make sure it would grow in our soil. At the time I worked 1st shift, and he worked 2nd, so one day when I came home, there was a CLOVE on the counter with a note "here's your harvest." I'm thinking, if that is all we get, it's not worth growing it. Turns out, there had been 3 HEADS of garlic when he left for work 3 hours earlier. Noell had apparently eaten a lot and hid a lot. We were finding cloves of garlic for months, as anytime she wanted a "new toy," she would bring one out and bat it around the kitchen. Never did find her hiding spot! And let's just say kitty garlic breath is not too pleasant!

On Mother's Day when she was about 9-1/2, after the addition of twins to the house, a move to a different home, a 3rd cat added and many adventures, Noell disappeared. She had been gone for 2-3 nights in a row before but had always come back. Not this time. We're pretty sure a coyote got her before she even knew what happened. Not that I wanted anything to happen to her, but for all her adventures, it was a fitting ending. And I don't think that she would have adjusted well when we moved 3 months later to town. She was a good kitty, and we'll never forget her!

Tuesday's Blessings

1. Safety when shots were fired next door.
2. Rain and cool weather.
3. DD asking for a doctor's appointment because she doesn't like how her sleeping schedule is off and interfering in her life.
4. Staying under my grocery budget for the 2nd month in a row.
5. Being up and out the door on time for trip to Creation Museum.
6. A fun day with friends at the Creation Museum.
7. A NEW PASTOR! This is an incredible blessing. I can't wait to see what God has in store for our church.

July Goals Update

1. Pay extra on Mastercard. Done, but needed to use the card for the emergency transmission replacement, so overall balance went up......way up.
2. Deposit into savings. Done!
3. Continue with Revelation Bible Study. in progress
4. Finish one uncompleted project. Actually got 2 done!
5. Set aside $20 in extra Christmas funds. Done!
6. Weight loss (2-3 pounds).
7. Finish 2 books. Done!
8. Finish emergency folder. in progress
9. Clean basement. Almost - just need to sweep when the floor dries.