Carport Sale

Last weekend we had a 2-day carport sale. Everything we put out was something we just wanted to get rid of. There were about 3 items we needed to get some money for, but the rest we would've thrown out just for the space. If we made nothing, we wouldn't have lost anything - not even time - since it was a nice morning to be outside and meet the neighbors.

I made about $60, which paid for shoes for Jordan, a business lunch for me, Tim & Adam to strategize our business, and a few other things we needed.

Logan sold some stuff I never thought would sell, yet he made almost $20 on unwanted old toys and electronics taking up space. Now he can buy the 2nd controller to Adam's Xbox so he can play too.

Jordan did the best of all. She sold a Barbie 3-story dollhouse for $50, jewelry, perfume, and books. She made over $50! She's getting a Littlest Pet Shop toy, and probably saving the rest.

Tim didn't have any real guy stuff to put out except a set of expensive golf clubs, so he didn't do much with it.

So Money Tip of the week: Yard sale!
You never know what you have laying around that people might want. I recommend a yard sale to people when you need a little extra cash to get you through. It's also a great way to get rid of unwanted stuff and give you more breathing space in your home.

Grocery Strategies in tough times

I had a few people ask me how I can feed a family of 5 on under $100/week without eating pasta and macaroni and cheese every night. Here's what I tell them:

1. I check the flyers of the 3 or 4 stores I usually go to. I don't even look at the 2 or 3 others that are more expensive consistently.

2. I circle the items featured that I know we buy pretty regularly, or that I want to buy that week.

3. I compose a grocery list, by store, of the brand and size, sale price and how many I want. This way when I get to the store I know I'm looking for say, Ocean Spray juices, 64 oz., 2/$3, and I want to buy 2.

4. I then plan when to hit each store. Sometimes it's all in one day in a circle since they're all pretty close together. Other times, I may plan to stop in on my way to something near there.

5. I shop only what's on my list, saving the non-sale items I need for the last place I go, because I know they're consistently the cheapest on most non-sale items anyway.

6. When buying non-sale items, and even compared to sale price items, I buy the store brand of everything unless the sale truly is cheaper. I can get groceries, including meats, dairy, and fresh produce, for a family of 5, for around $75 a week.

7. By keeping groceries to $75/week for 3 weeks, every 4th week (or so), I may spend an extra $50 or so to catch up on staples we've run out of, or stock up on a really good deal, or refill our meats in the freezer, etc.

8. I don't cut coupons, I find it's a waste of time for us since we buy the store brand. As an example, I can buy a $3 item with a 50 cent coupon, so it's $2.50. Or I can just buy the store brand for about $1.50 and save a dollar just on that one item! Store-branded stuff is just regular brands in the store's private label. All of it! This way the store can charge less by not paying the advertising fees.

For example:
If you really hate one store's brand of ketchup, they usually offer a great return policy, even if it's opened, then you can try another store's ketchup instead til you find one you like. Some may use Hunts, some Heinz, but it's all branded stuff in plain packaging.

9. I recommend to overspenders to try to bring cash, or withdraw that amount from the ATM first. This way you have to keep track and only spend what you have. If you happen to go over, you can still use your debit, credit or check, but you'll be over by a few dollars instead of spending $50 over.

10. Eat before you go! There's nothing worse than going shopping on an empty stomach. If you shop while you're full, or even sometimes just chewing a mint or cinnamon gum, you aren't as tempted that you "want it right now".

11. As far as non-food or junkfood is concerned...I don't buy chips, cookies, ice cream, cakes, or candy. If it's in the house, we'll eat it, and more than we should. I try to teach my kids that you should have to go out and get stuff like that, it should be a treat, not a regular staple item in the house. If you want it bad enough, you'll go get an ice cream, and if you don't feel like going out to go get it, then you've saved yourself empty calories, bad chemicals entering your body, and money!

So I hope that helps somebody out there. I know there's coupon games and stuff out there, but unless I buy branded stuff, it doesn't work as well as my system. Sure I can get a free toothbrush, or a protein bar for free, but I'd rather save $75 a week consistently, on stuff I buy every week, without filing through coupons at the store, or checking for expiration dates, or making sure I bought 4 to get $1 off, etc. Good Luck!

And so it begins

My middle child just turned 13 and spent his birthday with his girlfriend. She lives 3 1/2 hours away, so it's not more than phone calls right now, but he is head-over-heels in love with her. I try to give him advice as he goes along, like:
"let her talk, listen to what SHE wants to talk about" and
"if you throw yourself all over her, she's going to take off running" and
"she's sat next to you for an hour without taking her coat off, you're making her uncomfortable, back off".

And so it begins...

The Family Visit

I love when the family gets together...here's 4 generations of the Cross (and Tower) family:

Grammy & Grampy Cross, my mother-in-law's parents
Tim & Bonnie Tower, my in-laws
Jamie Powers, my husband's cousin
and our family

The Cardinals Made it to the SuperBowl!!!

Well, it's been a long, hard season for the Arizona Cardinals. They survived all the usual pitfalls - losing in the last quarter, never quite getting their game going, too many injured players, coming in last or 2nd to last place in the NFL - they fought their way to the Divisional Championships, then the NFC Championships and even made it to SuperBowl 43 in Tampa Bay.

Although they lost (we won't even get into how that last play should've been reviewed and the pass WAS incomplete!), they did better than most expected they ever could, and they proved to themselves they ARE a first-rate team if they work at it and try hard enough.

We had a good day here, mostly just me and the kids til Daddy got out of work. We made signs, decorated the living room, made SuperBowl party foods, and had the warm day of 70 or so, so we had the doors open. It was still fun, let's see what next year bring!

Let's Bring Back the Picnic!

So many of us are stressed, running around the hamster wheel, and not taking time for friends and family. Some of us have time but no money to do too much these days either. Here's a solution to take us back to a simpler time - Let's bring back the Picnic!

I think sometime in the next week, I'm going to pack up a picnic basket, grab the kids, a blanket to put on the ground, and surprise my family with a picnic. There's so many parks available, and it's going to be warm this week, so why not? What's more important than getting fresh air and exercise with my kids? The dishes? Laundry? Vacuuming? I don't think so.

What to pack...maybe some turkey and cheese sandwiches, grapes, some lemonade, and maybe some crackers. I wonder if I can pick up a Frisbee before then? If not, there's always lots to do with a soccer ball, football or basketball. It'll be a nice change of pace for us. Oh, and I better not forget the camera.

My first onion soup

Yes, I'm still experimenting with recipes I've never made before. When Abbey Gardens closed down, I got a HUGE bag of onions that would've been thrown away. In fact, I thought they had been tossed til I got home and found out they'd been put in the van for me. So what do you do with 20 lbs of onions? I made onion soup. It was interesting since I've never even TASTED onion soup, I've only seen pictures of it. I made it with organic beef broth, I took an hour or more to slowly sautee the onions to perfection, and the toast and cheese on top really topped it off well. Even "Middle Child" who claims to hate onions tasted it and said, "Well, I guess I can't say I don't like onions anymore."

I can't wait to see what's next! Maybe something with that odd food I saw at the store called "jicama" (HICK-a-muh)?

The End of an Era...

It's the end of an era...for the past 11 years, Abbey Gardens victorian tea parlour and gift shop has been the best place to get away, hide, do something girly, and celebrate with your best friends. This past weekend it had to close its doors. The economy is killing people. You know how I know? Because I worked here. In spite of right decisions, lowering costs, and offering top-notch service, people just weren't coming through the door like they used to. The good news is that, at least for now, I'm able to be home with my kids after 6 months and get them, their schooling, their attitudes and the house all back up to where they should be - and I can rest my aching body for now.

If I could send a message to all my customers, I'd tell them how much I enjoyed the challenge of being a blessing to them every day. I'd pray for them to feel loved and appreciated when I was serving them, and they'd end up making me feel better in the process. There's so many I'll miss. As for my boss, I hope things turn out better than he expects and he finds prosperity just around the corner. He made going back to work after 15 years a joy by running the business and employees with character, integrity and Godly principles.

I don't know what our future holds without me working, but whatever happens, I'm sure it'll turn out okay anyway.

Ratatouille

I don't bake, so I don't experiment with too many baking recipes - cooking, that's different. I saw eggplant was on sale for 50 cents each so I bought a couple and figured I'd look for a new recipe. The kids don't like Eggplant Parmesan so much. I came across a recipe for Ratatouille (yes, like in the Disney movie) and thought I'd try it. It takes about an hour to make and cook, but it was so much better than I expected - and a LOT better than it looks.

I sauteed an onion in olive oil, cut into rings, until they were clear and carmelized. Then I fried 3 garlic cloves I grated, along with 2 green peppers cut in strips. Then I turned up the heat and added the diced eggplant (you sprinkle it w/salt, let it sit for 1/2 hr., then rinse and pat dry before cooking). After a few minutes, I added Italian squash (the recipe asked for zucchini but they didn't have any where I get my produce). The last step is to add 2 fresh, firm tomatoes cut into wedges, or half-wedges. Then you reduce to a simmer on med-low heat and let it all come together for about 40 minutes.

It was sweet and delicious. The kids ate it all with no leftovers and they hate most of the ingredients! You can eat it like the vegetable stew that it is, or you can add it to tomato sauce and ladle it over pasta for a filling meal.

It's easy, cheap to make, and tastes great - especially on a colder day.

Today, I'm making a 10-bean soup with chicken and maybe some rice.

A New Year, and a time to make big changes!

I love New Year's Resolutions. I know lots of people make them and quit, or hate them so much they don't bother, but I love them. The new year is a clean slate, a new start, a chance to drop bad habits and start new ones, a time to get rid of what's not working and begin working on improving situations in my life. I admit, sometimes I forget a few of them and find my list of resolutions about halfway through the year, but then I get back on track, and even if I only succeed at half of them - I'm better off than if I'd never attempted to do anything, right?

Here's a few things I'm optimistic about in 2009:

Our growing business will grow to the point I can leave my job and be a full-time, homeschooling mom again.

I'm already down close to 40 pounds this year, so 2009 should end with me healthier and happier.

I've already got a little bit of money put aside so I can visit my Grandmother this summer. So far I only have enough for 1 ticket, but I'm hoping to earn and save enough to pay for 5 tickets by then.

Thanks to my sister's generosity, our family will finally get to see CA and the Pacific ocean around the end of March.

I've been at a new church for about 5 months since Tim switched us from Mountain Valley to Central. This year, I'll join their ladies' bible study so I can meet some new people and not dread going to a place with so many strangers. I'll finally get to worship among friends again.

I'm determined to finish my Ferguson heritage scrapbook album. I've got the great-grandparents done, the grandparents, the aunts & uncles. Now I need to do the pages for the grandkids and great-grandkids in 2009.

If I can get out of the job thing, and the money's there, I'm also looking forward to visiting FL and TX to be with my family I haven't seen in years! I also would like to get to AK, but that may have to wait til 2010.

...and I've got lots more, but these are the top ones for now.

Mmmm...Gelato....

If you've never had Italian gelato...OMG, you're missing out on one of life's hidden treasures! It's not ice cream, it's better. Ice cream is around 50% fat, this is more like 8 - 10% fat, less calories, able to be eaten by lactose-intolerant people, and you've never tasted such strong natural flavors. Imagine eating banana ice cream, only denser, and sweet but not the typical "sugary" taste. Each bite has all the flavor of a real, organic banana.

It's healthier, more filling, more satisfying, and more tasty. In the Northeast, there's a place on (or near) Merrimac Street that serves it (google search?), and I know Boston's "Gelataria" in Faneuil Hall is amazing. Here, they just opened a store called Angel Sweet. It's so amazing. It's my new treat when I've been good and got all my work done.

You've gotta try some!

WE DID IT!!!

We started a Monavie home-based business March 1st of this year. In just 9 1/2 months, we made it to the following levels:

Star
Star 500
Star 1000
Star Maker
Bronze

Not only that, but in our group, we've got 2 personal 1000s, 2 personal 500s, lots of Stars, and that's just the ones we've personally put into the business. Only 2% of distributors that sign up in Monavie ever hit the level of Bronze. Here's what we've found:

My migraines are permanantly gone - 100% of them!
My rheumatoid arthritis in my right thumb is better when I'm drinking the juice.
My auto-immune disease - scleraderma - is in remission and it's almost gone.
I sleep better.
I'm more rested, even on nights I get less sleep.
I don't have chronic fatigue anymore (no more crashing on the couch asleep at 3pm)

AND THE MONEY'S REAL !!!!! We make over $500 a month in our business now. And if we get it to make $2000/month, I'll be able to come home and be a stay-at-home Mom again. My goal is to leave the workforce by June 30th, 2009.

It's real...and if you're looking for a solution to your health issues, or income issues, you've got to at least TRY this!

Looking Forward to Rest

As busy as the last 2 weeks have been, the last 2 weeks of December should be a time for more rest. I normally have Sun - Tues off from work. That gives me the time to teach all day Monday, do my Tues. bible study, drop kids off at drama class and make it to the Tuesday night business meeting.

Well, Christmas week we're closed Christmas eve and Christmas day - Th and Fri. That gives me Sun - Thursday off! My in-laws will be here by Tues. afternoon, but that's not hectic. I enjoy their company and the kids get to hang on someone else for a change!

The week after, we're closed Sunday through Thursday again! So I'll have another 5 days off after the holidays to rest, sleep in, play with the kids, get caught up on stuff, and get back to playing drums. I actually expect that by the time those days get here, I'll have filled them with stuff to do, but at least it'll be stuff I want to do instead of going to work.

Oh...to sleep past 6:30am for just one day!!! It's been 6 months since I could do that!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

I was feeling a little restless on the last night of my 3 days off, so Tim and I went to walk through the outdoor mall down the street. They've got 2 great sitting areas with outdoor furniture, heaters, fireplaces, waterfalls, Christmas lights, a huge tree, lights that look like falling snow, etc.

I love this time of year. People act, do and give their best - and make things look as pretty as possible. Having Thanksgiving so late this year makes this season fly by. I hope I can take as much as possible in before it's over.

A Good Thanksgiving

It took a lot of planning and lots of running around before-hand, but I made it a good thanksgiving. I cooked (with Logan & Jordan's help) roasted turkey, cornbread stuffing, turkey gravy, homemade orange-cranberry sauce, mixed vegetables (real ones, not frozen or canned), real mashed sour cream & onion potatoes, sweet potato casserole, pumpkin pie, vanilla cheesecake, homemade thumbprint cookies and fudge we'd made last week and frozen.

We played cards, ate together, laughed together, Tim took the younger two for motorcycle rides, brought Adam to a parking lot to practice his driving (can you believe he's almost 15?!), we looked through past Christmas' scrapbooks, made homemade ice cream with the kids, went to church the night before, started filling out Christmas cards, and even found time to relax and watch the football game. Oh yeah, we put up the Victorian tree too!

Now we begin planning Christmas. It's definitely going to be low-key, peaceful, and not some commercial whirlwind of complaining. We're focusing on what we want to give, not what we want to get. The kids are catching the vision.

Lots of baking still to do, and shipping boxes to find.
It's going to be great.

Mid-Week...how are we doing?

So far:

I baked a few things with the kids (the fudge came out really good, especially since I never made it before).

I had time with both Cathy and Marina.

I listened to Christmas CDs.

I bought Christmas cards (we'll take a family photo Monday to put in them).

Tonight is our church's Thanksgiving Eve service at 7.

I'll try to pull out the Christmas tree and ornaments tonight after work, before church

After dinner tomorrow, we'll probably decorate the tree and make ice cream with the kids.

Thanksgiving week hopes

This year, I'm hoping to make the holidays less commercial and more meaningful, even though I'm working. Here's a list of my Thanksgiving Week hopes:

1. bake with the kids
2. make homeade ice cream with the kids
3. introduce the Advent Wreath and it's meaning
4. attend a Thanksgiving Eve service at church
5. set up my Victorian Christmas tree
6. listen to Christmas CDs (TransSiberian Orchestra's rock, and Manheimm Steamroller)
7. buy and start filling out Christmas cards
8. go out to eat Friday night with the family - my treat
9. have lunch with both Cathy and Marina this week
10. help the kids make gifts for my in-laws

I'll let you know how it goes.

Neil Simon's Fools

Adam was in another play tonight, Neil Simon's play FOOLS. It's about a village that believes it's under a curse that makes them stupid. OMG it's such a funny play! Adam played the magistrate who was in charge of marrying the main characters.

It's possible this may be his last play. It's not cheap to be in drama, and it's a lot of time and money if you've only got a tiny part.

I've watched Adam in so many shows, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Cinderella the Musical, Antshillvania, The Music Man, and now Fools. I'm always so proud of him (and Logan when he's in a play too). Moezart Productions has been such a blessing to our family, especially for bringing Adam out of his shell and giving him back his self-confidence. We've been so fortunate to have found (by accident) a Christian Production Company run by a homeschooled, missionary woman who loves kids as much as Sharon does.

I have to admit, the "Drama Mamas" I've met have become some of my closest friends, too. I'll really miss them if we're through with drama. Logan has interests in learning technical sound & lights stuff from Sharon's husband Steve, so maybe we'll still be around behind the scenes.

State Fair Photos

It's hard to match up wording to photos since blogs sometimes shift order so here's some basics:

We took photos from the biggest ferris wheel (and the sky ride), you can see the city's skyline in the background in a few pictures. Jordan loved her ice cream, she's spent 3 weeks trying to drop a few pounds to fit into a new shirt she has with a monkey on it. She did it, so I let her get a small cone as a treat. Logan went on his first roller coaster today - all by himself. The kids loved the hydro slide, it's a smaller version of Canobie Lake Park's Boston Tea Party ride back in NH.

Adam stayed home to work on school and babysit (his choice, I begged him to come, and he gets paid to babysit 2 girls Jordan plays with).

What else can I tell you? Oh, the strange photo that's first is looking straight up through the ferris wheel's spokes. I think it's the biggest one I've ever been on, but I don't know how tall it was.

ENJOY!

The State Fair

This is the time of year we have our huge state fair. I went with Tim when we first got married back in 1992. We've lived here for years now and never brought the kids. It runs for a few weeks, but it's either too expensive or not convenient, but this week, we're going to try to go on my day off. Their last experience was the Rochester Fair in NH. It was small, very "country", had a tiny petting zoo, a few rides that were expensive, no music or entertainment, not much to do. It's okay when the kids are little, but with them being 14, 12 and 10, it takes more to amuse them these days.

We'll hopefully get to see things that will expose them to the surrounding cultures in this part of the country, maybe they'll get to try new foods (no, we won't try deep-fried CocaCola or anything too unhealthy), maybe they'll even see an entertainer or two.

Anyway, with them getting so big so quickly, I really hold every moment with them as being very precious. I'm looking forward to spending the day with them playing. I don't like our only interaction to be school or chore-related.

If we make it there, I'll post photos.