Monday, December 8, 2008

Happy Monday!

Well, here we are...another day...and I spent yet another dollar.....LOL!

I forgot last night that today was Monday! I had all these wonderful plans for today, and didn't realize until I had my third or so cup of coffee this morning, that I had to go to town. Now....I have to admit, reading that last sentence really sounds like I had to really GO to town! But, in all honesty, I live in town.....it didn't used to be town, but by golly, now, we are almost just in the middle of town. And I hate to go to town. I love staying home, all locked up nice and warm! But, I dragged my body into the bedroom, into some "go to town clothes", (just didn't think the sweat pants and baggy t-shirt would do.....of course, we live at the beach, technically.....and we have lived here a long time now...so maybe I could have gotten away with it...I mean, I didn't run into anyone that I knew...), but I spiffed up about as much as I could......dare I admit, that I forgot to brush my hair? Anyhooo...off to town I went to buy milk, eggs, and OJ and bananas. Now, with coupons? That should have set me back about $10.50.....so how on earth did I get out of there with FOUR bags, and a ticket that said $36.00? I mean, really......HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?

As I drove home, I rehashed the trip to the checkstand in my head.....I did get:

1. eggs, 2-18 packs for $3.49
2. Milk, 3 (1/2 gallons) for $3.00
3. OJ, 2 (1/2 gallons) for $2.00
4. Bananas - $2.04
For a grand total of (ta dahhhhh), $10.53
(Coupons Rock!)

SO, how on earth did I manage to do $36.00 worth of damage? I was horrified....pulled over and looked at the receipt.....(just outside of Taco Bell, so I pulled through and got a Pepsi....large or small they ask? Well, duh...I am looking at a RECEIPT from a store that obviously messed me up...make it a LARGE.....)

As I perused the receipt, making slurpy noises with the straw to the absolute frantic excitement of the seagull that had settled down in the flower bed next to me...(why oh why didn't I get some fries?)...it came to me...I didn't go through the checker line...I DID IT MYSELF! So, obviously...it was the computer at the Self Check line that messed me up.....you know what they say about computers...oh, yeah..... they are only as smart as the one running them.........

This is what I saw:
Eggs, Milk, OJ, bananas......okay so far so good.......

Ice Cream.....WHAT? Oh, right...coupon, 5-1/2 gallons for $5.00....still, that doesn't add up to the grand total......and everyone knows that if you don't have lots of ice cream in the freezer, you do not have a well-stocked pantry...and heaven forbid that I fail at that.....

The New Country Sampler, which was a very hard decision....I had done a new subscription, but I didn't have it yet, were they going to send THIS issue to me? Or would it be the next one? And, if I waited and didn't get this one? Would I be able to sleep....but what if I bought it and then they sent it? Hmmmm? Well, I certainly didn't need two.....besides we are in a Recession..(I heard this from a very reliable source), and I should be careful with my money. Investments...that's what I need to do. Well, after thinking this through, (and putting the magazine back on the rack, off the rack, on the rack....muttering to myself.....) I realized that the magazine was an investment.....(towards Maxs' sanity), and if they sent me another one? I would donate it to someone who didn't have one.....So, that added $5.99 to the total...but still....

OH! The last book of the newest Nora Roberts Trilogy...but really, I couldn't count that, as I have been waiting forever for it......and I did get it for 25% off...so that was a steal......and now I would know FOR SURE, that the third guy got the third girl....(okay, I know that this is ALWAYS how it goes, at least for Nora...but what if this is the one book that she changes the formula? Could I look another person in the eye, knowing that I wimped out on the third book? I think not...)

Next out of the bags, a Large sized PayDay candy bar....(Max's request), that was a stunning $1.29 (no coupon), a Hershey Bar with Almonds $1.00 (no coupon), my request I believe....but honestly, by then, it was all a blur......OMG, the ice cream is melting.............

Sunday, December 7, 2008

A Busy Sunday!

Well, today is not a day that I will have to wonder what I did.....(which happens much more often than it should around here!). I worked on table runners all day today. If I get it all together early tomorrow, I might get them finished! And, before I pat myself on the back too much...I have to admit, these are Christmas presents and should have been finished, okay started a month ago! I don't know why I do it, but I seem to always be behind! Anyway, if I do get them finished tomorrow, I will post a photo...I am pretty pleased with them so far.....especially since I cut one wrong and as my cousin would say "I had to punt"! Poor Max has spent the day saying "you are your own worst critic" and "what have I always told you"? (see the first comment). And yes, I probably am my worst critic, but, it is what I do, and I do it well!!

Since I was so full of myself, and I felt guilty at ignoring the others, I cooked Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy and Greenbean Casserole for dinner. After all, it is Sunday. The faces were priceless. I probably should be a bit cranky about it, one would think that I never cooked a full dinner! Oh, they would be right now that I think of it....Friday? We ate out all day! Except for dinner, that was pizza, and I actually had to GO TO THE STORE and get it, then I had to COOK IT IN MY OVEN! Now that I think of it, that counts as a full, homecooked meal, don't you think? LOL!

Brenda called this afternoon, and she and Jeff stopped by before they left for Alaska. She picked up some of the goodies that we bought on one of our shopping trips. It has been so nice to have her in the same state! We actually got to spend almost two days together, and we had a blast! Now, she is home, and they won't be back until September. But, there is the telephone!

Well, I guess I better get busy and add one more side to one of the table runners, and then I am crawling into my jammies....I would love to get a book out, but if I do? No one would get ANY presents under their tree, (unless, of course, they left their tree up another month....hmmm....that might not be a bad idea...)

So, I will say goodnight, and hope that you all had a wonderful weekend, and have a great week!

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Sue has a NEW contest!!!!! Check it out!!

Well, guess what? Sue at Oodlekadoodle has done it again! She has a new contest, and it is a great one! It involves, memories, gifts, memories....did I say gifts?!!

To enter, you just need to pop over (she is listed as "blog I am following", or in the Favorite Blog list....and you need to post a Favorite Christmas Memory in her comment box...and well, she has all the rules listed on the posting...you can end up with 8 entries....and the goodies....so many great ones!!

So head on over and check it out!!

Friday, December 5, 2008

PIF--What a Wonderful Idea!


Well, I was surfing around tonight and discovered a new blog.....Cottage Days and Journeys. It's a wonderful blog...and what a fun and wonderful idea she had on it! It was so good, I decided that we needed to play too!!


It is something called "Pay It Forward", and this is how it works...


I added the PIF symbol to this blog and linked back to Cottage Days and Journeys blog. Then, the first 3 visitors of my blog to leave a comment saying that they would like to be involved will receive a handcrafted gift from me within 365 days of joining. Isn't that the greatest idea? These times are so hard for so many, and very discouraging...what a great way to spread some happiness! So, how about it? Want to play along and spread some kindness in the next year? The first 3 to leave a comment and say that they want to participate will get a handcrafted goodie from me sometime in the next year! You also need to follow-up with an e-mail to me at jcolleen(at) starlightprims.com to confirm your spot. To participate, you must have your own blog, follow these steps, (linking back to me, instead of Cottage Days and Journeys), and do the same for your first 3 visitors.
Let's spread some happiness!!


Tuesday, December 2, 2008

I've been Tagged!!!!

Well, guess what else I missed this last month? We got tagged!!! Sue at Oodlekadoodle tagged us. So, here are the rules.....

Rule #1 ~ Link to the person that tagged you. Rule #2 ~ Post the rules on your Blog. Rule #3 ~ Write 6 random things about yourself. Rule #4 ~ Tag 6 people at the end of your post. Rule #5 ~ Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their Blog.Rule #6 ~ Let the tagger know your entry is up.

Hmmm...well, are you ready? Here goes:

1. Being a Wife/Mother/Grandmother...the BEST!!

2. I dislike the TV.....okay, maybe that isn't exactly how I feel about it....but hate is such a nasty word!

3. I am sure that I am in the wrong century....I am pretty sure I should be in the 1700's.

4. I am a voracious reader...I will/have read anything put in front of my eyes....(ask my Dad.....on those trips to Los Angeles on Hwy 99? EVERY sign, door, blimp, car license.....)

5. My favorite book/s? The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon...I just finished the set again for the 4th time...when I am finished? I am depressed for a bit...I LOVE those books!

6. When I need peacefulness...It is handwork, whether it be needlepoint, spinning, rughooking...it brings me total peace and contentment.
I am in a totally different world.

So, now I need to tag somebody....and since Brenda isn't home yet? I am tagging her!!!

Brenda at Olde Harbor Saltbox
Kelly at Once In A Blue Moon
Karen at My Colonial Home
Lisa at Skunk Hollow Blog
Bethany at Happy To Be Called Mommy

A New Award!!!




Guess what I found when I started catching up? A New Award!! From Lisa at Skunk Hollow Blog!! Thanks, Lisa!! Now, I need to nominate 5 people:
Kelly at Once In A Blue Moon
Karen at KM Primitives
Cyndi at Keepers Of The Past
Bethany at Happy To Be Called Mommy
Sue at Oodlekadoodle
The rules of this award are: * Put the logo on your blog or post.* Nominate at least 5 blogs(can be more) that for you are Uber Amazing!* Let them know that they have received this Uber Amazing award by commenting on their blog.

It's the 2nd of December!

It has been over a month since I last blogged.....and I am so far behind! I had all kinds of good intentions, and even managed a couple days of blogging in a row...but then, life kinda hit us here! The evening of my last blog, we popped Mom F. in the car and headed up the river for dinner. We only made it a couple of blocks and had to pull over so she could get sick. So, we turned around and came straight home, but had to call the ambulance in an hour as we couldn't get the throwing up stopped. She spent the evening in the ER and they sent her home, after they finally got it stopped. She actually looked pretty good.

I spent the night over there with her, and she was up and moving in the morning, and even had about a quarter cup of broth. So, Max came over and I headed home to change my clothes and within about 20 minutes, he was back....Mom wasn't right, he said. So, I ran over and she had had a stroke...but was able to say NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO to the ambulance. We took her to her bed, as she was working herself into a pretty good lather over it, and I told her she had 5 minutes to get better, or the ambulance was coming. After three minutes, I said "times up"...and she replied "oh no it isn't"...so we argued for two minutes, and I called the ambulance. They were here right away, and one of the crew was one of the ones who had been there the night before, so that was nice. They got her into the ER, and long story short...she ended up spending almost a week in the hospital. She is doing fine now...she has a hard time remembering, but there were no physical leftovers. It caused her total confusion, and bad headaches.

The weekend after she came home, I had a call from my Dad....my Mom was unconscious and he couldn't rouse her. So, our neighbor came over and sat with Mom F. while Max and I headed South to my folks. The ambulance got there and she got checked out....she was conscious by then. They did lots of tests, and are still not sure what caused it.

I came home, closed my store, and then put a note on Brenda's...she and Jeff are down here for Thanksgiving. It was the first Thanksgiving without Jeff's Mom, so they gathered to help his Dad this first holiday.

On the upside...since she got home, we managed to get together twice....which was really hard to do....what with spending two mornings at our favorite coffee shop, drinking special coffees and catching up, but of course SOMEONE had to do it, so we decided it might as well be us! LOL! And it seems the coffee shop has gone a bit prim, so we had to check their stuff all out...pretty awesome stuff! And then, of course, after we dragged ourselves out of there? We SHOPPED!! We hit some great second-hand shops and loaded up. Then she came and helped set up the village in the hutch...which was wonderful! I just haven't had the energy to do that. Now, hopefully, she will be back in town for a day, so we can do another coffee morning....and I have to get the tree up...I have a feeling that there will be a test!

My brother is going to be starting his own business...he is going to be doing some Western/Cowboy stuff....he is an awesome carpenter, and he has had some great ideas. So, when I get the shop opened again, he may be joining me. Surely there is a way to blend Primitive and Western? We're going to give it a shot, and maybe that will inspire me to get things done! He is a fast worker, and I will be running to keep up with him!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and that the Christmas Season is bringing you lots of joy! I am trying to remember that it is not a race, but a Season of Reflection...and Max and I have been doing a lot of that lately.

I am behind on the gift making....the little ones are what I am behind on...and I have to get things off in the mail by the fifteenth, so I need to get it together!

Have a wonderful evening!