Thanksgiving adventure

My parents and brother are in town for the holiday. We have had a nice time. On Thursday we were at my aunt and uncle's house. Everyone was finishing the meal when my mom walked into the kitchen and asked if anyone had any benadryl. Jake walked into the kitchen and his whole face was beet red. He was allergic to something.

Thankfully my uncle's dad was there and he is a retired physician. Once Jake's tongue began to swell Dr. Estes decided he needed to go to the emergency room. So he and my parents spent the rest of the afternoon in the hospital. They made it home just in time for dinner.

We have come to the conclusion that Jake is allergic to kiwi. And I made the fruit salad. So the joke is that I was trying to off my brother.

I did it

I joined a gym today. This is a Christmas present from my parents. Thank you!! I went today to check on prices. The deal seemed so good I joined right away. I think I had a salesman that sweetened the deal to make it more appealing. He made it sound like this was the last day to take advantage. But I thought I might as well do it while I was there.

Exercising has been my nemesis since college, maybe. It is something I think about constantly but I do very irregularly. So the plan is to go in the morning. I'm excited about the classes, and hopefully I won't get bored.

What I have learned

Today I bought a double edition of the Sunday paper. (Double the coupons, too). I found the most usable coupons in the manufacturer's section. We shop at Target and I think these are the only type of coupons they accept. There was a Target flier in the paper, but it only lists their store sales. Another bonus I discovered that the manufacturer's coupons are good for several months. I separated them by the month. I would have liked to sit down and make my grocery list using the coupons but there was no time today. So I took them all and tried to nail down a few items that I could purchase using these coupons. There were several for items that we were needing, however, the Target brand of those items were signifigantly less expensive than the name brand minus the coupon price.

Today we only used one coupon. We saved one dollar and the paper was two dollars, so based on my first try we are slightly in the hole, but there are a couple of coupons that come to mind that can be used in the coming months. I am excited to see what coupons I can find next week. I might not get the double paper next time. I did read some of the paper this afternoon and I plan to recycle everything that was not cut out.

I almost gave up after today's dismal performance, but I remember the lady on Oprah saying it takes a little practice. I have also heard that shopping at discount stores like Target or Walmart are cheaper than just regular grocery stores.

Hopefully next week will be more successful.

Coupons

I was watching Oprah one day this week. I don't watch all of them, just the episodes I find interesting. This day the topic was thrifty living. A woman was interviewed who has saved her family tons of money grocery shopping using coupons. They challenged her to shop for a full weeks groceries, using coupons of course, and the goal was to see how much she could have the final total lowered. She got over $120 in groceries brought down to under $40 dollars. I was amazed.

I have tried to look for coupons online in the past. Most of the sites I found want you to become a member and there are so many to choose from. The free sites all appear to offer the same set of coupons. The coupon guru suggests buying several Sunday papers to find coupons. I think I will start with one and see what I find. I may have to shop at another store because I'm not sure that Target accepts coupons.

We don't buy a lot of groceries each week but I believe there is a way to get more for less money. I'm sure I may have to do some research. Hopefully it will be worth the effort. I'm excited to try!

On another note, Tim did pass his first certification test!! One down and one to go. The final test won't be until the end of next semester, then its off to find a job.

A Few Thoughts

Thanks to Larissa I am now more blog savy. The internet can be so overwhelming, there are so many options. Lately I am discovering that I like to keep things simple. Even when I was trying to choose my new layout I was fried by the number of choices. I like this one for now. I will probably change it at some point.

On another note Tim is taking his first certification test for school. It's a two day oral and practical exam. He is studying very hard, but I know he is anxious about it. I have full confidence in his ability to do well. Keep him in your prayers next Monday and Wednesday.

If you don't use it you lose it, if you ever had it.

I don't use computers much in my line of work. I was attempting to change my blog layout. The site I was on made it seem as simple as 123. Its not!! I am having a dissconnect somewhere along the way that is making the task completely impossible. I know that there is some quick step that would complete the chasm, but it is way beyond my knowledge. So I a lay person in the world of blogging am reduced to using what is provided by this site. HMPH!!!

Quote

Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response. In those choices lie our growth and our happiness.

I received this quote recently and it has been on my mind ever since. I am always talking myself out of action. My response is usually no. I always pray that my answer will be YES. Every time I answer with a no I feel safe, but disappointed by my choice. Over the last week or so when I think about doing something that is uncomfortable or pushes me instead of resisting I have been choosing to follow through and say yes.

At church yesterday the question was posed to us would we be willing to do whatever God asks of us. I have heard this lesson before, but I usually discounted it. I'm not sure what I will choose in that next space but I do desire growth and happiness.

Back to School

Next Monday is day one for most students in Texas. Including Tim. He has one year down and hopefully one more to go. The first year flew by for me. I'm not so sure about this year. Even though I am not a student anymore, the start of the school year is a time marker for me. Our lives have changed so much since this time last year. Sometimes all that change makes me wonder what the future will hold. Next month will be my 6th anniversary of working in a salon. I am pushing a decade of life in the metroplex. Time does fly. For everyone heading back next week, students and teachers, have a great year.

Flying through the air!!

I don't believe in irony, this is however a funny story. We spent the 4th of July weekend with Mark and Destin in Marshall, TX. We had a great time!! Saturday we took a family boat out on Caddo lake. Its beautiful. On my turn to tube I had been sailing along fine. Hanging on through the bumps and trying to see through the water spray that was constantly hitting me in the face. I was feeling proud for hanging on as long as I did. That thought quickly changed as I am sailing over the water, minus the tube, skipping on the water at least 4 times like a rock. I hear from those in the boat I looked like a rag doll flying around. I really wish I could have seen it from the boat. I wasn't hurt but today I am sore in many places. So in conclusion the ride can get wild from time to time.

Ony a technicality

On some of the new blogs I have read I am not able to leave a comment unless I am a blogger too. I have resisted long enough so here I am. I may not be here often because quite frankly my life is not worth printing. And I have also realized that I am a private person and while I give credit to those who can openly share themselves through this avenue I'm not so sure that I am able.