Friday, September 15, 2017

Frugal Friday: Money Saving Weekly Recap

Well, it's been a hectic week.  We went to see the psychologist early in the week and she upped Alvah's Prozac to see how he does once the medicine is completely built up in his system.  So far I'm kind of mixed on it.  On the pro side of things he had a GREAT week at school, had a decent day at therapy mid-week and seems relatively happy for the most part.  But, I have seen an uptick in him hitting on the higher dose of medicine, so I'm paranoid watching him to make sure the hits are mild and that he's doing it when he's genuinely frustrated.  So far, so good, I think.

Then in the middle of the week my husband's truck broke.  His windshield wipers keep coming off of their linkage and so he's been driving home in rain a couple of times and had the windshield wipers go out and would have to pull into a gas station to rig them back up to get home.  Well, in the middle of a downpour the wipers just went and wouldn't stay on the linkage anymore.  And while out trying to rig them so they might work he realized that he had an out headlight.  Since he has full lamps (basically full headlights) that need to be changed out he knew that if one went out the other one was soon to follow, so he wanted to get replacements for both.  And he needs a new muffler.  We knew that the truck was going to need maintenance, but weren't expecting it in the same week.  So, basically we are a one car family until we can get the truck fixed.  Luckily the husband works nights now, so I can still make it to Alvah's therapies and get the kids to school during the day.  Thank goodness we at least had that option available to us.

The chickens went to their new home yesterday and it actually went really well for a change.  Every other time I've moved the chickens it was basically a bad comedy skit with me chasing chickens all over the place, so this time I made sure to move them RIGHT before dark so they were all in the nesting box and kind of loogy, which made it a lot easier.  They seem to really like their new home, my sister-in-law is signing up her kids for 4-H and the kids have already named the chickens.  I'm glad to be free of the added financial responsibility, honestly.  I was starting to get better at cheap chicken keeping, but still the feed bill was really sawing at a threadbare budget, which caused me additional stress whenever I'd see a broody hen in the coop because I knew their feed consumption just doubled.

I heard from Shani and she at first thought that the prognosis was really good for her to recover to a point and be able to live for years.  They did the special scan for her cancer in California and found that it was all still in her liver, so they thought they could remove the tumors, get her on the right meds and she could live for years with a decent quality of life.  And then they did an in-depth MRI on her liver.  Her cancer is inoperable.  She has 40+ tumors in her liver and the doctor said if they waited another week it would be over 60 how the tumors are popping up and growing.  They also found that she had lesions in her colon in various places due to the cancer as well on further testing.  So, they are putting her on meds to try and stop the cancer from spreading so quickly and giving her injections and things to help at least give her a decent quality of life in the time she has left.  She's seeing a naturpathic oncologist who has her on a very restricted diet, so she's hoping that they can do something where modern medicine is failing.  So far she's already lasted longer than they said she was going to at first, so we'll see how it goes.

And yeah, between that and my daughter not sleeping this week (you read that right...THE DAUGHTER decided not to sleep and be louder than anything while doing it all week, which kept me up and has made me decently cranky at this point.  Grumble)...I'm tired and hoping that tonight I can get some sleep so I can at least get some of the things I wanted to get accomplished this week DONE tomorrow.

Now, onto the money saving things that happened this week!

1.  My daughter got invited to her friend's party again this year.  Her and this particular boy have been friends since we moved here and they met in first grade, so I try to make sure to at least get him something decent for his birthday (and he spoils her rotten for Christmas and things, so I feel terrible if I don't do something decent anymore).  This year, however, with the truck needing to be fixed, the mortgage NEEDING to be paid this week and all out of one paycheck and still have enough for gas and things for the next two weeks I knew money was going to be super tight, so I tried to think of an alternative to buying him something.

He loves Minecraft and Leggos, but I didn't have any reserve Leggo kits around like the one I gave him last year, so I tried to think of something I could make a young boy who liked Minecraft and Leggos with materials I had around the house.

After hours of scouring the internet and studying Minecraft (since I had NO IDEA what that was) I came up with a Minecraft sheep pillow (seen up top in all of it's "sheep like block glory") based on this example (I sewed mine, though, obviously).  I was going to try to make him a Creeper pillow (it's a green critter with black eyes and things), but I didn't have green material.  I had white muslin because I always have muslin and I had a tan sheet I'd bought to use for material to hopefully make my husband a few shirts out of, so I dug around and found some pink fabric for the mouth.  I didn't have black material for the eyeballs, however, that I could find anyway, so I dug out some permanent fabric markers (a used store find that was brand new from a quilting store that went out of business and I got them for .75 ages ago) and colored in the black with those, which worried me as it was pretty wet and smudgey and I was worried it would bleed if washed, but after talking to people who had used them before they basically told me not to worry about it as the markers were definitely permanent once dry (here's hoping).  It took me two nights to get done as I was doing it around chicken transfer and kids and things, but it got done.

It might not be the best Minecraft anything ever made, but my daughter helped me to fill it and she's super looking forward to giving it to him tomorrow at his party, so I know he'll love it even if it wasn't a dream gift he'd wanted to receive (he really has a super soft spot for my daughter and treats her really well).  HOPEFULLY he'll like it.  Fingers crossed.

2.  Shopping went minimal this week.  I went to the store and picked up the bare minimum of stuff (boy food really and some milk) to see us through the next two weeks.  I spent 65.00 for two weeks and I think I'll be okay with what we got until the next paycheck comes in.

3.  When my husband was looking for truck parts we went on Amazon and put together an order, figuring we'd have to wait a week until parts come in and then my husband went around and checked locally for parts.  By looking around locally he was able to find the parts he needed for the same price or cheaper than Amazon and we didn't have to worry about them shipping late or that they didn't ship to Alaska (it was surprising, but a nice surprise).

4.  When my daughter ran out of her favorite flavored water for school lunches and we were waiting to get paid earlier in the week, I asked her if she would be okay taking some pink lemonade or other reconstituted drink mix we had around the house for a few days.  She was perfectly okay with that, which saved us a trip to the store, which conserved the gas for the husband having to commute my car to and from Anchorage every day.  It also made me realize that there were more options on drinks to send in school lunches for the daughter, which makes me happy as variety is nice once in a while (and in the case of things like say, Tang, will also give her some added calcium and vitamin C).

5.  When the chickens really needed their bedding changed was about the time I realized things were going to get tight this week until we got paid, so I didn't go and buy bedding like I'd planned on.  Instead I took the advice of one of our blog readers and went out and collected leaves when we had some sun for a bit one day (I had to go out and mix them up a few times to stop them from being damp, but it worked!).  I think my neighbors might have thought I was nuts as I was running out to the driveway in between appointments to stir leaves around with a broom to make sure they were nice and dry.  But hey, other than labor the leaves were free and did help to freshen up the bedding in the coop.  Thanks to whoever gave out that advice :).
6.  I looked out my door this morning to see sunlight and went out and stood on my deck breathing in the cool, crisp air as ANY sunlight we are getting this year has been rare and wonderful.  I happened to look over at the rhubarb plant on the side of the house.  Remember the teeny tiny rhubarb plant I planted last year?  I thought it had gone to seed and was done early in the year (which I thought sad, but figured it was due to the temperature changes and things we had), but it must have been the variety of rhubarb it was, because I looked at it and did a double take as I realized the plant was HUGE compared to how it had been at the beginning of the summer!  I went out and harvested about 1/3 of the stalks as I want to make sure it's nice and well rooted for next year and such, but I got a big sink full of rhubarb from what I picked.  I now have another huge freezer bag stuffed full of rhubarb in the freezer (yay!!!).

7.  My husband desperately needed some new jeans.  Normally we buy his jeans at Sears because we found that the Lee jeans hold up okay, but the last couple of times we've been in the store Sears was out of pretty much everything and trying to find jeans in his size (and he's a decently common size) was really hard.  I was figuring on buying some from Amazon, but my husband came up with the idea to check the used stores first.  Normally I can't ever find his size at the used stores (like I said, common size, so they tend to be sold out of them), but we happened to hit at just the right time and found two pairs in his size!  So, hopefully they fit him alright (as they are brands different than he normally wears), but we shall see as they are in the dryer now.

I also hit the used stores earlier in the week in the hopes that I could find a small remnant of black fabric (as all I have in black fabric here is canvas and I didn't think that would work very well with the other materials I had for the pillow).  I didn't find any, but I did find a Anniversary release of "The Tigger Movie" and "Bambi" for 1.00 and it was 50% off day at the used store for kids things.  I was thrilled as both DVD's were in brand new shape when I checked them and I grabbed them with some pocket change for the kids stockings this Christmas.  Both movies we only have on VHS tape at the house and my daughter loves "Bambi" and my son likes "The Tigger Movie" so I think that will work out well for gifts for the kids.  Good to put a few things away for Christmas anyway as the time is ticking away.

Now I just need to run into "Toy Story 2" in good shape and my son will be really happy *laugh*.

8.  I darned a couple of holes in a pair of jeans of mine.  I have no idea how well it will work, but since it was in an inconspicuous location I figured it was worth a shot (wearing out on the inside of the legs).

9.  We put up Halloween decorations this week.  Both kids were thrilled.  It always amazes me that we use the same decorations year after year, most of them the kids made at school or we made here at home, and the kids love them more and more every year (or so it seems).  I was able to add a few new decorations that the kids made at school last year to the walls, which was fun.

10.  I took advantage of lifetime oil changes on my car this week.  We built this into the price of the original car loan and are allowed four oil changes a year over the entire time we own the vehicle.  As a result I've always taken advantage of the four oil changes a year, which hopefully helped to keep the car in decent shape, and since we paid the car off years ago it's definitely cost effective to have the lifetime oil changes on the car now.  While at the dealership waiting for my car I took advantage of free coffee and popcorn and worked on some of my projects that I wanted to work on this month.

And there you are folks.  Some of my frugal ways this week.  How about you?  How did you do?

P.S.  By the way the menu plan is coming, it's just late.  It was hectic this week and I just never got an opportunity to sit down and make one.  I'm hoping to do a week plus one tomorrow to see us through till week after next.  We'll see how tomorrow goes as I have a lot to do this weekend!

25 comments:

  1. I have to say, I don't a) have kids b) play minecraft or c) even know what minecraft is about, but when I first saw that pillow, I thought...hey, is that a minecraft pillow? So I think you did good, Ericka! Your daughter's friend will appreciate it. :) And bonus, you're teaching your daughter that gifts are best when they're thoughtful and from the heart, so great way to model prosocial behaviour!

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  2. My kids do play Minecraft and either one would be THRILLED with that pillow! You did great!

    Good haul on the jeans and the auto parts. It's always nice when things work out better than expected, isn't it?

    Thanks for sharing, Erika! I always enjoy your posts.
    Lea

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  3. I didn't get my menu plan done, either. There was just too many other things that needed to be done. So, we mostly ate chicken all week, in one form or another. I cooked a large pan of bbq-sauced drumsticks, and my husband grilled a large bunch of thighs, covered in basil sauce. We ate them, then I turned some of the thighs into fettuccine alfredo last night. Hopefully, I will cook something else today!!!

    I did get my pickled beets done yesterday, between appointments with the kids. My beets were huge, so I worried that they would be tough, but they weren't, except for the middle of the largest ones, and I just threw that part away. That's a big, messy job, so I'm glad I got it done. Today, I'm working on the garden and house, while part of the family gets the rest of the wood we own from my sister's place. Then, I will help stack it when they get back here.

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  4. THe pillow looks great, I'm sure the boy will like it.

    I harvested onions last week, though a full third were rotten, it was a little sad. I think it was the white ones, because every time there was a white next to a yellow, they were both rotten. Crazy.

    We did a last minuite yard sale, but traffic was WAY down, ususally in the spring or summer it's nonstop from 7am til noon, this time it was a slow trickle. After reimbursing the kids for their stuff, we made about $100, usually it's around $300, so that was a LOT of work, because I hauled out almost 30 boxes. The end result is Goodwill will get a massive pile of stuff, and only about half of it goes back into the garage for next spring yard sale. I was hoping for more towards CHristmas and plane tickets to visit family next summer, but didn't happen. Ah well! I did take part of that to buy some fried chicken and potato salad for dinner, because I am wiped. My poor husband is working right now, and I was so tired because of course, the sun game out and it was blazing the two hours I was packing stuff back up so couldn't get the boxes stacked up ion the garage, so he will have to help tomorrow.

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  5. Is that the Minecraft Sheep? Ranee

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  6. Sorry about Shani, that hurts.

    I like the pillow. It is creepy looking like it is staring at you which means it is exactly what the birthday boy will love. Boys like things like that.

    Gold star for getting rid of the chickens!!

    “Why do windshield wipers only break when it is raining?” is a quote from my brother last summer when we were working. I shared the story and pictures of Jim and Dustin drenched. It might make your husband feel like he is not alone in his problems.

    https://getmetothecountry.blogspot.com/2017/06/my-job-typical-day-part-4.html

    It has been a good week frugal wise I think. My son Joshua came home Wednesday night and picked up the computer parts he had ordered to make a computer for a friend. He tells Mom not to open the front door and leave the heavy packages on the porch until he gets home, but she won't, so he ships them here. It works great for me, I get to cook for Joshua!!!! and then send garden food home to Mom. He went to Cookeville to take the computer to his friends, which is where Dustin is at school. I emptied out the refrigerator, packed up an ice chest and sent food to him. Dustin is my poor, starving college student. He was thrilled to get food he did not have to cook.

    *I also asked for advice last week on Prudent Homemaker for a cheaper substitute for walnuts in zucchini bread and the ideas poured in. This week I have been following up on the suggestions. I will share a long update on her site and this one also when I have it ready.

    *My husband has dropped back to working part-time now. He struggled with it for a long time, would not ask his boss, just agonized. He finally mentioned it to his boss who was thrilled at the idea since they are short on projects at the moment. Bill NEEDS TO WORK LESS TIME, HE IS EXHAUSTED. The last three weeks he has felt so much better, but has worried about the lack of money. I am not worried. I have done this before and know what to do.

    Fails:
    *I have stopped harvesting anything from the garden, sick and tired of doing it. I don't have enough put up but just can't get back to it.

    *Bought peaches for $.77 at Kroger week before last to put up in the freezer. They looked great, were big, no bruises but were still a bit hard from being picked too green. I left them out to ripen but they rotted before they ripened. It was irritating. We discussed taking them back to the store and complaining, but was not sure what to do. Has this ever happened to anyone else?

    Jeannie @ GetMeToTheCountry.Blogspot.com

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    1. With the peaches, unfortunately this will happen a lot up here. I think the just pick the peaches too green and they can't build up the sugars before they rot. What I do is wait a few to see if they will ripen and then if there is no way? I beat them off the counter a lot to bruise the crud out of them to release the sugars, peel, pit, put them in a bowl with some sweetener of choice (like honey) toss to coat and then put into freezer bags and freeze. It's the only way I've found to make them taste decent and not go to waste. Definitely not the prettiest of peaches but they get the job done.

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    2. I have never heard of doing that! I don't care if they are pretty since I could throw them in a smoothie. It is too late to try it now since Bill threw them in the compost pile to get the gnats out of the house. I will remember your idea.

      I also finished my list of suggestions from everybody for finding a cheaper substitute than walnuts in zucchini bread. I can purchase walnuts for $6.29 for 16 oz (4 cups) at Aldi anytime and this is the price I am trying to improve upon. The ideas and suggestions from everybody were fantastic. Below is a summary and follow up to all I have tried:

      * Purchasing from Sam's Club – The closest location from my home is 38 miles and I do pass by the area occasionally during the year. I am thinking about stopping and asking for a tour. I don't know if I would buy enough to cover the membership fee.

      *Wal-mart - $9.98 for 32 oz ($9.98 divided by 2) which is $4.99 for one pound. They offer free in store pick up but I went to my Wal-mart and they carry them! I bought two bags since this appears to be a sale price; however, I will once again start checking their grocery prices. In my small town, Wal-mart is the most expensive store, next is Kroger, followed by Dollar General Market then the best prices are at Aldi's which is in another town.

      * Harvesting from the wild sounded like a crazy suggestion but in reality I have 5 walnut trees on my property. It is a good idea except I can't get to them without wading through shoulder high, tick infested weeds. No way. Even free walnuts are not worth that. Come winter I will see if there are any left on the ground but not before then. Two weeks ago I dealt with the horrors of ticks on Scooter; not again if I can help it.

      http://getmetothecountry.blogspot.com/2017/09/scooter-is-in-big-trouble.html

      *I also have one pecan tree but the squirrels beat me to them every year. They know when they are ripe and within a few days, they are all gone. I checked yesterday and saw a few still left up high. Tomorrow I will try to get them, it won't be easy but it will be free.

      *Another idea was to add less to the recipe, simple but effective.

      * Buy them on sale and freeze them.

      *Other suggestions were to use substitutions such as:
      Grape Nuts cereal, Cranberries, Raisins, Peanuts, Sunflower seeds, Pecans, Pumpkin seeds, Leftover crumbs from a cereal box, and add a struesel topping

      * I am growing Tahitian Butternut squash. The seeds can be toasted like pumpkin seeds and have a better flavor. This will be FREE.

      *Sunflower seeds I learned are cheaper at Tractor Supply because they are sold for bird food. I went by and checked their prices. The salesman said you can order different varieties online and have them delivered to the store and avoid the delivery charge: 5 pounds are $6.49, 20 pounds are $26.99

      I purchased the 5 pound bag and sorted through it and found about one tablespoon of stems, and dried leaves. Nothing that would break a tooth or be noticeable. I also found one soybean and two unidentifiable seeds. The package stated it was manufactured in a facility that processed all types of major allergens. The bag is sold for animals, not human consumption, so it is a lower quality product which does not bother me. Purchasing animal feed is not foreign to me since I have raised livestock and am accustomed to dealing with problems which I shared in this post.

      http://getmetothecountry.blogspot.com/2017/05/my-favorite-country-store.html

      continued in next post.

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    3. Normally I freeze the bag first then winnow (pour grain from one bowl to another outside on a windy day) to get rid of any bugs or debris. If you are squeamish about this, try sifting some of the foods you buy from the grocery and see what you find. I did not freeze the bag first because I wanted to see the quality and if it had bugs or worms. Usually they crawl to the bottom and I did find my bag was infested with weevils. Not surprising since this bag might have been stored since last year. It is probably too early for this year's crop to be harvested, shelled, bagged and shipped to the store. What I did not find was rat droppings and that is what matters. One rat dropping and the whole bag will be tossed.

      I will purchase them once again later in the year but will look for unbroken seeds, freeze, winnow, and then check for bugs.

      We also discussed looking for walnut substitutes for pesto and these are some of the ideas.
      *almonds
      *bread crumbs – this I will be trying when I have more basil ready in the garden.
      *different greens added along with basil – I will also try this too.

      I am thrilled at all the ideas and suggestions. It is good to know a seasoned tightwad fanatic can learn new tricks. Thanks to everybody for the help but now I must go climb a pecan tree without breaking my neck. If I never post again, you will know I was not successful.

      Jeannie @ GetMeToTheCountry.Blogspot.com

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    4. I can't say how breadcrumbs would work in pesto but I vouch for almonds. I can't do pine nuts due to peanut cross contamination so I went with safe almonds instead. Cheaper too :).

      Parsley is a pretty good extender for Basil. I've even used mint to make a pesto-like substance when Alvah was allergic to garlic (now THAT was a nasty allergy to work around). Experiment! You might discover something cool. And let me know how the breadcrumbs work...those would definitely be cheaper than nuts!

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    5. Walnuts, not pine nuts. Seriously my mind went into lala land there!

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    6. Jeannie,
      I was raised on a peach farm, and also had one for quite a while as an adult. Those peaches were definitely picked too soon. There is a point where they are so green where they will never ripen, and a point where they will ripen up fine. The variety of peach determines how green you can pick them. Some peaches will ripen on the tree and some will fall off at the first sign of ripeness, so those MUST be picked green. Also, if they are being shipped, they have to be picked somewhat green. One of the biggest challenges in the u-pick peach business is determining when to let the people into the orchard. Too soon, and they unwittingly pick those too-green peaches and are sad because they rotted. Too late, and they fall off and rot and the farmer is sad because they did not get to sell their peaches. It's tricky!

      So, when you are choosing a peach that is ripe or will ripen, you are looking for a yellow-golden color underneath any red that might be there. The peach should be slightly soft to the touch--give in a little. The problem with pushing on the peaches is that it makes them bruise. The farmer and produce man don't like to be left with a box of bruised peaches!! Some are so delicate that even the slightest pressure will cause bad bruises. They should always be treated as delicately as china, or eggs. The kind they pick and ship are usually more hardy, but not as sweet as the early, super soft kind, which don't travel well at all.

      I would mention it to the produce man/woman at the store. Even if you aren't looking for your money back, I would want to know if I was in charge of the produce at a store--they would need to choose a different supplier, or at least notify them that the peaches were picked too green in the first place and that you had to throw them away.

      I've never pounded peaches either. In fact, I've never heard of anyone but little kids pounding them while they are playing. I've been blessed with more peaches than I know what to do with most years--still am because my sister still has a peach farm. One year, I picked the rejects at my sister's farm--the ugly ones no one picked. There was a very short crop, and we figured I'd get 100 lbs. I was way up above 200 when I finally quit, and canned 100 quarts. I know- spoiled by peaches. I wish I could send some to all of you--but they are over for this year, and do not travel well anyway.

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    7. I discovered that trick of purposefully bruising them from my mom and grandma. Grandma had a few peach trees in her yard, but in PA we would get awful thunderstorms and there was a few times the peaches got knocked from the tree from the wind too green. So I would watch my mom and grandma beat peaches. Grandma always said it got the sugars flowing. Are they as good as naturally ripe peaches? Nope. But, it does work to the point they are usable once sweetener is added. I miss really good produce. Up here, with the exception of locally grosn during the summer, we pretty much have different variations of subpar to choose from. Produce is expensive enough people will study it with the discerning eye of a fortune teller, each person giving you advice to tell if the produce inside is good or bad.

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    8. It was disappointing to have all of the peaches be horrible. I should have tried something before they rotted but I wasn't expecting that to happen. I will be more careful next time now that I have an alternative plan. I really wish you could ship me a few truck loads Becky.

      Erika, I will let you know how the bread crumb basil pasta works. I don't have any parsley right now, went to seed and the other seedlings are too tiny. I think I will add collard greens to one batch since I love them. Almonds are more expensive than walnuts here and we consider them a rare treat.
      Jeannie @ GetMeToTheCountry.Blogspot.com

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    9. Update: I still don't have parsley. Something ate the seedlings. It might be too late but I will try planting more seeds tomorrow.

      The pecans were not ready on the tree which was still covered. I will do a better job watching it.

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  7. Love the Minecraft sheep pillow. My son would love it! Great Bdaygift.
    I had peaches that rotted before ripening also. I wonder if they got refrigeratorated too cold? I worked hard this week to creativly use up food in the fridge and freezer. I did a pretty good job. I boiled a bunch of lavender that was given to me to make a flavored simple syrup to add to lemonade. It is yummy!! I froze the leftover syrup in small containers to use later.

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  8. How old is your daughter? is she old enough that she understands that you need sleep? If she is up all night, maybe she needs to be told that she is making the rest of the family suffer and it is not acceptable. I can see with your son, but your daughter is not special needs as far as I know. Is there a reason she doesn't know better at her age? I am not being mean - just wondering because from pictures I have seen a few times on our blog, she seems to be old enough to know better. Maybe I am missing something.

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    1. She's ten and unfortunately has always been a bad sleeper. This last week her stomach condition kicked in JUST enough to wake her up with a stomach ache and where normal people woyld go back to sleep she decides it is nature's way of saying to get up and play. She doesn't MEAN to be loud...she just is. I ended up taking her lamp away for the time being and reducing her tablet time down, and making her store said kindle NOT in her room so no sly watching happens. I then told her, quite bluntly, that I had not gotten sleep for nearly nine years and I was getting some now or else. She's been better the last few days :).

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    2. I give you so much credit. I don't know how you do it but you manage everything. It cannot be easy, but you never seem to give up. Way to go mom. I hope someday you have enough money so you can get away and have a well deserved break!

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  9. Hello there! Though I know nothing about Minecraft, I think the pillow is cute! Way to creatively make such a nice and unique gift!

    As to car parts... We always (bold, underlined..etc) find the best prices on rockauto.com. I had needed a fuel filter for my (nearly) 20 year old Camry a couple weeks ago, but didn't have time to order it online so went to a local auto parts store. Or actually a few, 2 didn't have one. The third did have the part but it was $24. Rockauto had them in stock for just $4. Now that is a significant difference! There are always 5% discount codes online also, to help offset shipping costs. Try them next time. We have ordered from them for many years, returns are easy and customer service is great.

    Have a blessed day!
    Kath

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    1. I will check out the site and see if they ship up here. Thanks!

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  10. I think the Minecraft pillow you made looks great and I think the birthday boy will like it. Good job!

    Hope you have a good week ahead with no more surprise repairs.

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  11. Earlier in the summer, I bought lovely, sweet, juicy peaches. I just froze them in slices with some sugar. Then, a couple of days later, I decided to make a few jars of peach preserves. Again the peaches were perfect. This past Friday, I purchased a couple of baskets of peaches just for eating since what I bought previously went toward storage. They looked perfect but when we dug into them they were just nasty - pasty and dry. ALL of them. I didn't want to just throw them out so I peeled and pitted them (and froze the peels and pits to make jelly later), then I heated the peach flesh with a little sugar and lemon. Once fairly soft, I pureed them. I'll use this puree in baked goods, and ice cream etc. I hate wasting food, so I found a way to save them. If I intentionally purchase fruit or veg on the clearance rack, then my expectations are lower, but when I pay a higher price and get subpar produce, I get quite annoyed. Luckily though, I did have decent fruit early in the season, so I shouldn't gripe too much. lol.

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