Hello hello how are you?  The sick bug has hit our little family.  Mark was sick all weekend before last.  I was hoping I wouldn’t catch what he had but being in such close quarters almost makes that impossible. I should have known something was going on last Tuesday when everything I did seemed to be crazy.  Well crazier than normal, you know me. Have you ever felt that way?  I got a late start at work and then everything just seemed to go down hill from there.  It’s like everything I did was strange like I was walking through a fog. I had a weird day at work where nothing seemed to go right.  I went to the Post Office and left my keys in my P.O. Box and when I got to my car I couldn’t figure out where my keys were, I went to Walmart and the self check out messed up after I had already rung everything up.  I went through the drive through at Sonic and they brought me the wrong order.  I totally forgot about a million things I needed to do because it seemed like I had a permanent brain fog.  I should have known something was going on.

By Tuesday night I started to get this little tickle in my throat and then by morning I was coughing my head off and sounded terrible.  But me being the me that I am, thought I could still handle going to work so in I went.  Of course everyone there looked at me like I had the plague and gave me that “why do you want to come to work and infect us” look.  I don’t blame them I would have been the same way about them. I felt really bad and I left at noon and went home.  I went to bed and I didn’t leave the house until Sunday morning when I decided to venture into town to get a few groceries.   Mark had to work a looooong work weekend but he was on the road to recovery.  I grabbed a few groceries and went home.  I knew I still didn’t feel right and sure enough I had developed a sinus infection. Finally after starting a round of antibiotics yesterday I am feeling much better.

So lots of days off.  How nice was that you might think.  It was, except that I didn’t feel like doing anything.  I laid on the couch and in my bed and read (that was nice) and knit that was nice and cuddled with my fur babies (that was really nice) and ate myself into oblivion (not so nice) and read a lot of books and watched a lot of TV (really nice) and wallowed in being sick.  Sometimes I think you may need those sick days to just give yourself the time you need to recuperate and regenerate from everything that life is throwing at you. I guess that is where I am in this scenario called life.  I have enjoyed it but I AM READY TO GET OUT!!!!!  I HAVE CABIN FEVER!!!!  I actually did go to work today. I am starting to feel normal again.

                      I Knitted this toboggan it really has more of a pink color than what
it looks like here.

I also started this scarf

With me being home for several days Kitty Kitty and Scruffy were right there with me trying to make me feel better and clamoring for a spot on my lap.

These are a couple of really good books I read.
Check them out.

           Do you love these conversation heart candies that appear near Valentine’s Day?  You either love them or you hate them.  You probably noticed you haven’t seen as many of them this year and there is a reason for that.  These hearts have been in production for more than a century before Necco, the company that made them, filed for bankruptcy last year.

The rights to produce the hearts was purchased by the Spangler Candy Co. in Ohio, which will return them to production after it receives permission from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.  But this could take at least a year.  So only a very few were left to sell this year.

Some people find these disgusting, this includes my husband.  But he knows how very much I love them. I could eat them all year long.  Probably a good thing they are only around at Valentines.  So when my husband discovered that they were hard to find in the stores, even Walmart, he got on line and ordered me a two pound bag to munch on.  Yes it’s true folks you can get anything from Amazon.  I think that’s pretty darned nice of him.

I hope you are having a wonderful week and the sick bug stays away from you.

Love your day your way!!!

Hello friends,  at the beginning of the month I decided I was going to try and be more frugal. Webster’s defines frugal as: Economical in use or expenditure; prudently saving or sparing; not wasteful.  Economical in use OR expenditure. Yet most people automatically think when you mention trying to be frugal you are saying you are not going to spend any money or cut back on spending.   But by not wasting, and using what you already have you will probably find yourself saving money.  You will also find yourself being kinder to the environment.

At my attempt at being more frugal I noticed that I’ve spent less money. This comes from not wasting, more than anything else. I concentrated on using the food in my pantry and freezer instead of throwing out a ton of food that has gone bad or is out of date.  It is from making more conscious decisions about what I really need to buy. I am terrible at making impulse purchases only to find that I have something exactly like it when I get home. I am making an attempt to try to find a less costly solution instead of just barreling out and spending money. I guess the thing that really hit home with me was when I cleaned out my closet at the end of the year and found several shirts with tags still on them. I had forgotten all about buying them. That my friend is ridiculous and wasteful. I don’t want my closets stuffed with clothes I don’t even know I have.

(Not my closet but it could be)

I am at a time in my life where I will not deprive myself of what I need.  Last month we had a new deck put on the back of our house. The old deck was over twenty years old and quite frankly a little scary. We also replaced the doors which had gaps in them and was probably causing a lot of wasted energy.  As usual it cost more than we had anticipated, just as most things do. But it was something we needed and had to be replaced and I don’t regret a penny of it.

I love to travel and visit new places. I like to be able to do this without worrying about the money I am spending for each trip. If being less wasteful in my home and life does this then that is just an added bonus. But this is me. It may not be you. You may enjoy eating out every night and shopping every weekend. And If you do then I am happy for you. Go for it. Life is short you know my motto, Love your day your way because that is what life is all about.  I certainly don’t want to impose my thoughts and beliefs on you or appear hypocritical when I do indulge or splurge on things I want and need.

Here are a few things I noticed about being more “frugal” this month:
It reduces waste (both food and otherwise)

I can see everything in my pantry.

I can see everything in my refrigerator (like even way back in the back)

I feel like I have a better idea of what is in my closet.  I have taken lots of items to good will and unlike past times I didn’t run out and buy things that would fill up closet again.

I discovered many things in my closet I had forgotten I had.

Every time I think about buying  a new piece of clothing I go into my closet to see what I might have that I can use.  This has actually been pretty exciting.

But anyway with all of that being said.  I am enjoying cutting back and reducing clutter and waste in my home and life.  Just a little tidbit for your Tuesday morning and man it is snowing like crazy here today.  I am headed out to try and get some pictures.  It is one of those nice wet snows that cling to everything.   Happy Tuesday.

Love your day your way!!!