Cheap Thrills

Beloved and I popped in at a friends house yesterday afternoon. We never see these people any more. He works. She works two jobs! They have a life. Beloved works. I work. I (sometimes) catch up on my grading.

We don't really have a life, but don't tell anyone. It makes us look pathetic.

I've noticed over the past several months that we don't go out. We don't see friends. We just aren't having much fun. Dang it. You know what they say, all work and no play...and pretty soon I'll be seeing ghosts and Beloved will stop shaving and then we'll have to make a trip up to Timberline to get all creepy.

I hate that movie, by the way.

Anywho...The fun factor around here is in the dirt.

I think it's time for a vacation. A real one. One that involved driving or flying and a hotel with clean towels that I did not wash.

There's just one problem...money.

The stove went out. I told you that, right? Beloved took the back off and discovered that we were lucky to NOT have died in a house fire. Melted plastic, melted power cord. I'm feeling pretty darn good not to be melted too! We've now been without a stove/oven for nearly two weeks. The part arrives Friday, thank God.

Our Boy enrolled in school which is awesome, but I would just like to mention that the outlandish cost of textbooks is a crime. It truly is. Someone should be taken out and shot. Maybe several someones.

The tax man commeth. It's almost that time of year and we know we'll have to pay this year and not just our local, overtaxing, illegal, spend-thrift state. We'll probably have to pay the Feds too.

Graduation is looming... with parties and gifts and all that. Which of course, means we'll have another college student next fall.

Our car is soon to need that 120,000 mile "special" tune up.

So, it looks like our entertainment will have to be local and cheap. Which is why I'm thankful for good friends.

We spent a nice couple hours just chatting and it didn't cost a dime.

Since we are all in this sour economy together, what are some ways that your family has found to have cheap, local fun? I'd love to hear your suggestions.

Stinky, Corn Pone, and Saved Princess

Life: It’s a real pickle.

Take today for instance. We are waiting on our stimulus check. They said it would be here today. Actually they said it would be here before the 11th. It’s really important that the check get here tomorrow. I have to buy an airline ticket and you know those nasty things go up every day you put off buying it. Grr!

I’ve got Soldier Girl and Master W arriving sometime this evening and The Dude and Kat arriving on Monday. The house isn’t as ready as I’d like it. I’ve been rushing around doing this and that, but it’s never really clean enough. You know how it is. But what’s really bad and I do mean BAD, is that something died in our chimney.

Do you smell that?

I cannot believe some stupid animal got into the chimney NOW and departed this earth. It left its stinky, decaying carcass in MY CHIMNEY. The smell isn’t overwhelming. It’s more like a gently wafting of fragrance at odd and intermittent intervals.

Isn’t that just swell?

And don’t even get me started on the yard. I’m beginning to feel like Elly Mae Clampett. Oh for Pete’s sake. Okay, it’s more like Granny Clampett, but did you really have to point that out? Geez, some people.

Currently taking up residence in our yard is one sink, one vanity, one water storage tank, a child’s kitchen (left over from the Tiny Tyrants for Master W), a stack of wood (half covered), and a ladder.

Just makes ya hungry fer sum fried chicken and corn pone don’t it?

Shoot me. Just shoot me now.

And a special note to a secret pal –

SavedPrincess, I love you and will always, always, always love you. No matter what you do, no matter where you go, I’ll stick with you through thick and thin. I have no stone to throw. I have no right to throw it even if I had a one. You know that path you need to take. Hold my hand. I’ll walk with you.

I’ll be moseying along now. Ya’ll come back now, ya hear?

This and That

We have eased into the days of summer. It will be a summer filled with me trying to figure out how to get places without driving. I mean really! Gas is over $4 per gallon. We live in the country so if I want to walk to the store I have two choices: I can walk to our little country store that is five miles round trip and the prices are higher simply because of location –or I can walk 15 miles round trip to the Safeway in town.

There is actually another option: I can just make sure I do everything that neeeeeeds to be done in town when I am actually in town. This third option seems to be my best bet but sadly I have a child at home who has Bible study on Monday nights, play practice on Wednesday’s, Piano lessons on Friday’s, and I’m certain that she’ll actually want to hang with her friends from time to time. Silly girl! Doesn’t she know that her mother is the bestest company evah? Snicker.

So, we’re feeling the pinch. I haven’t located another work-at-home job and I’m still waiting on some writer things to come through. We decided that me getting a job right now isn’t really a good plan. We have company coming in July, Miss C will be working at camp for two weeks (read: my driving her to town and picking her up twice a day for TWO WEEKS) and then Mr. W will invade with all his cuteness while Soldier Momma trains for her deployment next spring.

It's funny, but I now shop the way I use to when our children were wee babies in arms. If it isn’t on sale, I don’t buy it. If it’s still expensive I carefully weigh whether it’s worth it or not. Many times, we just go without. Who needs a tomato when they are over $4.00 per pound? Cheese? HA! There must be a cow shortage! I have to be frank and admit that I am beginning to miss the chickens we had. If things had been different, if the Great Chicken Massacre hadn’t happened, we’d still have farm fresh eggs at a fraction of the price.

And in other news…

I’m still working out, still eatin’ good (cept for those Peanut M & M’s that Miss C bought), still feeling strong. I started working out with weights and although the workout is hard I feel… stronger…leaner… meaner? Well, maybe not mean. Maybe tough is a better word. Yeah, tough. Someone (CoughteriCough) called me a goddess. Not, I’m certain, in the Biblical way, but in the You Rock way. And that felt great :)

And in case you’re interested…

We know a young man who entered the Mountain Dew Ad Contest and made it to the final ten. We are really proud of this homeschool graduate and his movie making skills. You can check out his ad, which is called Caveman Can and can be seen HERE

While there make sure and vote. The winner takes home $10,000 and that will sure help Zach pay for college. I’m biased, but I really do like his entry best!