46. Plump, red tomatoes, hanging on the vine.
47. Continued health, in spite of little girl's lingering cold.
48. Menu plan hanging on the fridge, making dinner something to look forward to, rather than to dread.
49. Poetry, pure inspiration and enjoyment.
50. Washer and dryer, working hard so I don't have to.
51. Mounds of clean clothes, folded and put away.
52. Tender Father, longing to give good things to His children.
53. Almighty God who hears my prayers.
54. Contentment in the waiting.
55. Connections with sisters and sisters-in-law, even thousands of miles away.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
A Little Time = A Big Savings
I spent about 45 minutes on the phone yesterday, talking to our phone company's customer service. My handyman and I have talked about canceling our home phone line for quite a while, and yesterday I went ahead and took the plunge. I had actually called to cancel two other times in the last year, but each time they offered us some deep discounts if we would keep it, so we did.
A couple of weeks ago we mysteriously started getting FLOODED with phone calls, everything from car insurance quotes to college recruiters, all responding to a request for information that my Handyman had supposedly submitted online. (Which he absolutely did not!) During the first two days we must have gotten 5o phone calls. It was insane! Thankfully, nearly two weeks later we're only getting one or two calls a day at most. I have no idea how they got our number, but I'm very grateful that it's mostly subsided.
The influx of phone calls prompted me to reconsider canceling our home phone line. We use our phone very rarely, anyway, since my Handyman and I both mostly use our cell phones. For a while we kept the phone line just so we could have DSL internet service. Now our provider offers DSL without a phone line, so we're able to make the switch.
The best part of my 45 minute call yesterday was that I was able to upgrade our internet connection to a speed 4-times faster, and we'll pay less than we did before! My former boss once told me that you should call your phone company (or internet provider) at least once a year to make sure that you're getting the best deal they have to offer. She is so right! I'd also add to that that you should check out their website for deals before you call. Yesterday when I made the switch to just internet service, the rep was wrapping things up, and hadn't mentioned any change in speed or price. I had seen online that they were offering a 4-times faster speed for less than we were already paying. When I asked him about it, he said he didn't see that as an option, but he put me on hold so he could check. Five minutes later he came back and "Yes, you are absolutely right! I'll sign you up for that discount." Wow - if I hadn't checked out the online offers, I would have had no idea! That one phone call should save us $276 over the next year. I'd say it was worth my time. Maybe you should try it!
A couple of weeks ago we mysteriously started getting FLOODED with phone calls, everything from car insurance quotes to college recruiters, all responding to a request for information that my Handyman had supposedly submitted online. (Which he absolutely did not!) During the first two days we must have gotten 5o phone calls. It was insane! Thankfully, nearly two weeks later we're only getting one or two calls a day at most. I have no idea how they got our number, but I'm very grateful that it's mostly subsided.
The influx of phone calls prompted me to reconsider canceling our home phone line. We use our phone very rarely, anyway, since my Handyman and I both mostly use our cell phones. For a while we kept the phone line just so we could have DSL internet service. Now our provider offers DSL without a phone line, so we're able to make the switch.
The best part of my 45 minute call yesterday was that I was able to upgrade our internet connection to a speed 4-times faster, and we'll pay less than we did before! My former boss once told me that you should call your phone company (or internet provider) at least once a year to make sure that you're getting the best deal they have to offer. She is so right! I'd also add to that that you should check out their website for deals before you call. Yesterday when I made the switch to just internet service, the rep was wrapping things up, and hadn't mentioned any change in speed or price. I had seen online that they were offering a 4-times faster speed for less than we were already paying. When I asked him about it, he said he didn't see that as an option, but he put me on hold so he could check. Five minutes later he came back and "Yes, you are absolutely right! I'll sign you up for that discount." Wow - if I hadn't checked out the online offers, I would have had no idea! That one phone call should save us $276 over the next year. I'd say it was worth my time. Maybe you should try it!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Neck Pillow
My Handyman and I are preparing for a 20+ hour drive to visit my family in Maine in a couple of weeks! We're so excited to spend time with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins!! I'm sure Sweet Pea would be really excited too, if only she knew what is in store!
I noticed the other day though, when I was out running errands, that when Sweet Pea fell asleep in the car seat, her head kept bobbing all over the place. That's manageable when she's only napping 15 minutes here or there, but not so good when she'll be sleeping for hours on end (please, oh please!) on a car ride across the country. So I decided to make a neck support/travel pillow for her. I found the inspiration on the Make It and Love It blog here.
First, I drew a pattern on an old sales flier and cut it out. (The cats are never far away when there's a project in the making!)
Then I cut out two pieces of the material and pinned them, right sides together.
I sewed around the edge, leaving a small opening to turn it right side out and fill it with stuffing.
Then I filled it with stuffing (which I robbed - I mean recycled - from an old pillow) and hand stitched the opening closed. Ta-da! A neck pillow which will hopefully reduce the head-bobbling and make for a more restful trip.
I noticed the other day though, when I was out running errands, that when Sweet Pea fell asleep in the car seat, her head kept bobbing all over the place. That's manageable when she's only napping 15 minutes here or there, but not so good when she'll be sleeping for hours on end (please, oh please!) on a car ride across the country. So I decided to make a neck support/travel pillow for her. I found the inspiration on the Make It and Love It blog here.
First, I drew a pattern on an old sales flier and cut it out. (The cats are never far away when there's a project in the making!)
Then I cut out two pieces of the material and pinned them, right sides together.
I sewed around the edge, leaving a small opening to turn it right side out and fill it with stuffing.
Then I filled it with stuffing (which I robbed - I mean recycled - from an old pillow) and hand stitched the opening closed. Ta-da! A neck pillow which will hopefully reduce the head-bobbling and make for a more restful trip.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
A Bow Holder
A little while ago I found this fabulous crafting blog, and saw a cute idea for a bow holder. Sweet Pea has lots of bows, which I have usually kept in a little box on her changing table. Lately she's taken to grabbing the box and dumping out all the bows every time I change her though, so I thought it was time to give this project a try. I didn't think to take pictures as I was making it, but here's the final result!
I picked up some pink and green ribbon at JoAnn Fabrics the other day, and for the backing I used a leftover scrap of white cloth that I had used for Sweet Pea's baby quilt. The frame is an extra picture frame that I had laying around the house. I hot glued the fabric to the picture frame backing, then glued on the strips of ribbon, and Voila! A bow holder. Sweet Pea was very fascinated to see all of her bows on display on the wall. I'm really happy with how it turned out, and it makes picking out a bow that much simpler!
I picked up some pink and green ribbon at JoAnn Fabrics the other day, and for the backing I used a leftover scrap of white cloth that I had used for Sweet Pea's baby quilt. The frame is an extra picture frame that I had laying around the house. I hot glued the fabric to the picture frame backing, then glued on the strips of ribbon, and Voila! A bow holder. Sweet Pea was very fascinated to see all of her bows on display on the wall. I'm really happy with how it turned out, and it makes picking out a bow that much simpler!
Friday, June 11, 2010
My Afternoon Project
My handyman and I use the cash envelope system for our groceries, eating out, and clothes. Each month we put the budgeted amount in the appropriate envelope, and when the money is gone, we stop spending money in that category. It works really well for us and helps us stay on budget.
Several months ago I stumbled upon a link to a free envelope template on this blog, and have been itching to make some for myself.
Today I finally got around to buying some pretty paper so I could make my own envelopes. I had so much fun!
Here is the paper I picked out.
I cut the paper down to 8 1/2" so it would fit in the printer,
and then printed the template and cut it out.
And repeated times 6, and used a thin bead of glue to hold them together.
They fit perfectly in my envelope system from Dave Ramsey.
I "stitched" the envelopes together with some pretty silver ribbon.
Now that will make paying with cash more fun!
Several months ago I stumbled upon a link to a free envelope template on this blog, and have been itching to make some for myself.
Today I finally got around to buying some pretty paper so I could make my own envelopes. I had so much fun!
Here is the paper I picked out.
I cut the paper down to 8 1/2" so it would fit in the printer,and then printed the template and cut it out.
And repeated times 6, and used a thin bead of glue to hold them together.
They fit perfectly in my envelope system from Dave Ramsey.
I "stitched" the envelopes together with some pretty silver ribbon.Now that will make paying with cash more fun!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Dreams really DO come true!
I have dreamt of having a garden ever since I got married. Living in an apartment in the city has not allowed me to do much toward this goal, however. I've tried my hand at growing herbs on my window sill, and even tried some potted tomato plants one year, but I haven't had much luck.
The neighbors in the home just in back our building have a beautiful garden area all fenced off. It has gone untended for several years, and my Handyman and I have eyed it longing, wishing we could put it to use. Well, a couple of nights ago we were outside with Sweet Pea. My Handyman noticed the neighbors out on their back deck and got up the courage to ask them if they would be willing to let us plant some things, and offered to possibly rent it from them. We'd never actually met these people before, but they are so nice!! They were thrilled to have us care for the garden - they actually said that we would be doing them a favor. Can you believe it?!
In the densely populated metropolis we live in, land is like gold. I think we hit the mother load!! The space is about 20' x 30', with a lovely picket fence all around it. It's seriously as big as some people's entire backyard! Oh, the possibilities!!
We're planning to plant tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, squash, zucchini, green beans, and several herbs. Maybe some other things, too. I'm afraid we're a little late in getting things started, so we'll see how we do.
The wilderness of our garden
It's just across the alley from our apartment
The weeds were tall and thick!
The work begins...
Progress!
We uncovered a small patch of rhubarb!
My Handyman did a lot of the work - Sweet Pea was not thrilled with gardening...
She did let us get a cute picture, though!
After 5 hours of work, we'd prepared about 1/2 of the space.
There's still a ways to go...
The robins are thrilled with the feast we uncovered!
The pile of weeds we pulled out was enormous!
The transformation is amazing!
The neighbors in the home just in back our building have a beautiful garden area all fenced off. It has gone untended for several years, and my Handyman and I have eyed it longing, wishing we could put it to use. Well, a couple of nights ago we were outside with Sweet Pea. My Handyman noticed the neighbors out on their back deck and got up the courage to ask them if they would be willing to let us plant some things, and offered to possibly rent it from them. We'd never actually met these people before, but they are so nice!! They were thrilled to have us care for the garden - they actually said that we would be doing them a favor. Can you believe it?!
In the densely populated metropolis we live in, land is like gold. I think we hit the mother load!! The space is about 20' x 30', with a lovely picket fence all around it. It's seriously as big as some people's entire backyard! Oh, the possibilities!!
We're planning to plant tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, squash, zucchini, green beans, and several herbs. Maybe some other things, too. I'm afraid we're a little late in getting things started, so we'll see how we do.
The wilderness of our garden
It's just across the alley from our apartment
The weeds were tall and thick!
The work begins...
Progress!
We uncovered a small patch of rhubarb!
My Handyman did a lot of the work - Sweet Pea was not thrilled with gardening...
She did let us get a cute picture, though!
After 5 hours of work, we'd prepared about 1/2 of the space.
There's still a ways to go...
The robins are thrilled with the feast we uncovered!
The pile of weeds we pulled out was enormous!
The transformation is amazing!Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Quick CVS trip
CVS was not very exciting this week. I did go, and did well with what I got, but it's not very interesting.
Dawn Dishsoap x 2 - $0.84 each
Aussie Shampoo - $2.99
Aussie Hair Gel - $2.99
Lady's Speed Stick - $2.99
Used:
1 $0.25 off Dawn coupon
1 $1.00 off Dawn coupon
1 $0.75 off Lady's Speed Stick
1 $2.00 off Aussie Shampoo/styling product
1 $1.00 off Aussie Gel
$5 ECBs
Total: $1.73 (paid with CVS gift card)
Got back: $6 ECBs
I ended up with $4.27 profit!
Dawn Dishsoap x 2 - $0.84 each
Aussie Shampoo - $2.99
Aussie Hair Gel - $2.99
Lady's Speed Stick - $2.99
Used:
1 $0.25 off Dawn coupon
1 $1.00 off Dawn coupon
1 $0.75 off Lady's Speed Stick
1 $2.00 off Aussie Shampoo/styling product
1 $1.00 off Aussie Gel
$5 ECBs
Total: $1.73 (paid with CVS gift card)
Got back: $6 ECBs
I ended up with $4.27 profit!
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