The hub has been working a lot of OT lately. His paycheck tomorrow, is the biggest since he started working at this job almost 18 months ago..$959 more than budgeted. This will go to CC#2 and put us a FULL MONTH ahead on our debt repayment plan! I scheduled a payment for tomorrow for $1000.

Lunch ended up being free today. A team met at lunch time and there were leftover subway sandwiches up for grabs, so I took one and ate at my desk and read.

Tonight is my 'date' with the hubs aunt. It should be a fun night.

Tomorrow is Friday, but I dont have a date with a grandchild..instead, I am keeping DD1's two kiddos Saturday night so mom and dad can go out. This is a three day weekend, which I am looking forward to. I have some housework and laundry to catch up on since I was gone last weekend.

Good Morning Friends!

I wish each of you a wonderful Valentine's Day today!

Today was an exciting day for DD3. The ice road between the camp she has been at...and the camp her dad is at...was finished late last night. So this morning after she got off, she and a co-worker were able to drive over to see her dad. This is the longest she has ever been away from us and they were both pretty happy to see each other. I have to settle for a picture of them sharing the moment on the slope...

Here they are:

I miss them both and it brought tears to my eyes to see them looking so happy. This is truly a shared experience that they will both look back on and enjoy. DD3 is having such a good time working up there...and the hub LOVES it. So this pic did my heart good.

There is a little mexican restaurant near my job that I like to go to when I want to get away at lunch. They recently changed owners and I have been wondering how it would change. Today I went and got to find out. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the taco salad I usually get was still on the menu and a few dollars cheaper!! It was only $5.25 (used to be $8.95)...it was a little smaller, which is perfect as the more expensive salad was too much for lunch. The quality was just as good. I usually just have water, so this is a very reasonable lunch..and the service was amazingly friendly. Nice surprise!!

After I got home, I got another surprise...I wasnt very hungry, so I wasnt sure what to do for dinner...and then the doorbell rang...DD2 had picked up the kids AND pizza and popped in!! Fun!

All in all, a great day. I truly am very, very blessed.

I received a notice today that the city house mortgage is being sold....to Ch#se. Ironically, the country house loan was orginally taken out at Ch#se. A few months back, one of the credit card accounts we have was assumed by Ch#se. I can't help but feel Ch#se is slowly gobbling up all things debt in my life. Thankfully, my goal is to rid my life of Ch#se for good- :/ Someday.

After a beautiful weekend, and a couple of long work days on the coast, I am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight. No matter how great the view and how wonderful the experience, there is simply no place like home.

Today was another no spend day. I just love those anymore!!

Some crazy demented woman set up my calendar for work tomorrow. I have appointments booked that will take up most of my first day back in the office. WTH was I thinking when I did that? ugh. Oh well, hopefully it will make the day go by fast..

Its good to be home...in spite of Ch#se.

Tonight is my final night at the condo. My co-worker arrived this morning and we visited two of our larger locations, which took most of the day and then came back here- she had to leave home at 6am to get here for our first meeting, so she relaxed...and I summarized our findings and emailed them off. Tomorrow we will pack up and go visit our three smaller locations and then head home. I will sure miss this beautiful place, the sound of the ocean and the beautiful sunsets! I have 100% enjoyed this stay.

I spent $10.99 on a bottle of red wine for us to share tonight- but otherwise, I havent spent any money this weekend. I am so so blessed. The job paid for our lunch and dinner (uh, prime rib?) And tomorrow's lunch. We will be home in time for dinner.

Our jobs will ensure that we are back over here at least quarterly for a day or two..which is something I REALLY look forward to!!!

No other money news tonight. Just a quiet night with the door open, a cool breeze blowing in, a wonderful glass of wine and some great memories for this gramma.

Here is a picture of tonight's sunset. Another amazing freebie from mother nature:



Today was wonderful. I didnt fall asleep until about 4 this morning..just being in a new house, different bed- my mind was not wanting to shut down. So I caught up on the blogs, read news, looked at pinterest, read...and finally dozed off. I woke at 9, was up for an hour or so and then took a 3 hour nap. The rest of the day I have enjoyed the ocean view, read, and just tried to relax. At home, relaxing is combined with housework, laundry, drop in visitors, projects, etc. Relaxing today was interesting--I kept feeling like I needed to do something. But tonight, I do feel rested and am ready to tackle the week ahead.

Yesterday and today were no spend days.

Tomorrow a co-worker is joining me at the condo and we will visit locations together. Lunch and dinner will be paid for by the job and then we will stay here tomorrow night and visit the rest of the locations on Tuesday- then head home.

The hub has an aunt a few years older than me that lost her son (23) and then her husband 4 months apart- this was about 10 years ago. Since, she has struggled with depression and reclusiveness. But lately, she has reached out to me for friendship. Her financial situation is bad- she lives on a very tight budget. So I asked her out for Valentines. One of our mom and pop restaurants is having a special- prime rib and a special desert for $29. It should be a fun evening and something for her to look forward to.

I sure have enjoyed my free getaway this weekend...I will have to see if any upcoming weekends are available here. No need for this place to go unused if its not reserved!!

Oh my goodness. I was a little late leaving home, but got on the road by 10:30am. My job needed me to bring a company vehicle over, and leave it for the staff over here to use, so I didnt have to pay for gas for the drive. (I will catch a ride back with a co-worker on Tuesday)

I put the book on CD in, that I bought last week...then I hit the road...there was hardly anyone else on the road, so the drive over was easy. I used the turnouts everytime anyone got behind me and just drove at a comfortable pace on the windy mountain roads. Part of the drive includes the giant redwoods, a beautiful river that was close to turquise in color, a frosting of snow in the trees. Simply beautiful. At 1pm, I arrived here and unloaded. Here is my view from the balcony of the condo:



It is February, and that is a bright clear sky and it is fairly warm out...



The whole front of the condo is windows...I have the slider open and have spent the afternoon listening to the waves crash, watching the ocean and seagulls, and reading a book.


What in the world did I ever do to deserve an oppotunity to stay in such a beautiful place, for free. Just me...this view, a book...a couple of movies, a good bottle of wine...and great food to cook.

Here was my lunch:

Toasted sourdough topped with caprese...fresh mozzarella, roma tomatoes, sweet basil a little olive oil and a sprinkle of salt...



Tonight, the menu is rosemary lemon chicken and quinoa, a glass of Oregon wine, at a table with an unbeatable view....followed by a favorite chick flick (havent decided which one yet)...

I have honestly found Heaven on Earth. Did I mention its all free to me? FREE. to me. I am blessed.

And here is the Sunset tonight...

ARGH. I forgot to save first. *hand to head* Dang it.

DD2 received her tax return and paid us back yesterday. Between her payback, DD3s payback and my bonus money, we have paid back over $7800 this past month. YAY. We are working on paying cc#2 and instead of the normal $150 payment, we will snowball the other paid off payments and paying $500 each month (at least). I have projected all debt beside mortgage to be paid by summer 2015, but my stretch goal is to have it paid by the end of 2014.

Last night was my four year old granddaughters date night with gramma. She is all things disney, so we have played disney games and watched the disney channel. I give each of the kids a choice to sleep in the spare room, or to sleep in hte big bed with gramma. All but one opt for grammas bed. It never ceases to amaze me how little people can quickly take over a king sized bed and edge gramma out. After a quick adjustment to sleeping beauty at 3am, we were both back alseep in no time.

I plan to leave for the coast at 9:30, which should put me at the condo around 1. I am packing chicken, rice and quinoa to fix while there. I am also taking a couple of chick flicks, my kindle and my tennis shoes for walking. Should be a wonderful weekend.


Feeling pretty blessed this morning...life is wonderful!

Between the hubs and my payckecks tomorrow, we will have an additional $568. (Overtime, plus my raise) Last month, the hub had to charge extra to stay overnight in Seattle because of fog. This, plus his normal expenses for travel equalled almost $300 that needed to be paid on his visa which left $268. This was applied to cc#2.

I anticipated cc#2 being paid in October, but now I have budgeted to move that payoff to August.

Dinner tonight was the remainder of the leftover teriyaki chicken. I DID go out to lunch today with two former coworkers. I spent $7 and had a nice visit with my friends.

Tomorrow is breakfast burrito Friday...which is only $3 and fills me up for the day. And tomorrow night is granddaughter (age 4) date night. I am not sure what we will do. But I also have to finish packing for my trip to the coast. Us girls will have fun. GD loves to play on the ipad, but I am hoping to spend non-plugged in time with her.

The coast trip this weekend is free to me, except the food....I am soo looking forward to the time away. I have a good book, a good movie and a great view to look forward to. I am still debating whether or not to eat some fresh seafood while I am there...

The hub called at 5pm tonight...he had been working a 30 hour shift with a small nap. He sounded pretty tired, but he still had 3-4 hours to go. I hope he has time to sleep tonight. Working that many hours cant be good for anyone.

I know being out of the office part of next week will catch up with me...but I also know that spending time with our new staff is important too.

In any case, I am looking forward to a quiet Sat and Sun ahead.

Tonight was leftover night. (chicken teriyaki, sweet onion and jasmine rice). I know people who say the 'hate' leftovers and never eat them. When its just me here, I have leftovers more during the week than I do original meals so I cant fathom that..leftovers are often even better than the original meal. 1- prep time is so much quicker and 2- the flavors meld together and are so tasty 3- the cost is right. What is not to LOVE about leftovers?? Anyways, mine were excellent tonight.

I went to the used bookstore today and picked up two books on CD to listen to on the way to the coast this weekend. ($30) When I am done with them, I plan to take them back and get some of the money back- I think I will get half back.

Tonight, when I told the hub how we are doing on debt repay he perked up. Both of us are ready to do this..so he was as excited as I am.

Today was another crazy busy day. I am ready to have just a normal day at work- where I get to work have a to-do list and have a few interruptions during the day. Right now I juggle a to-do list and 'fires', of which there are many. This is the stuff burn-out is made of. Seriously.

But it is also the stuff job security is made of. I am blessed to have a job I love...just wish there wasnt so much of it to squeeze into every workday.

All in all, cant complain. I am pretty stinkin blessed.

DD2 has learned that her tax return will arrive on Friday. (its showing as pending now)

So- I scheduled the payoff on CC#1 for Friday and will have $1200 to send to cc#2 on Friday. (yay!)

I forgot lunch this morning, so I took advantage of pizza Wed at work. For $3 you get 2-3 slices of pizza and a can of soda. Its a good deal- so I dont feel too guilty for $3.

Tomorrow I will be able to see what the hubs check will be..extra is going to cc#2.



Now that I am focused with a plan, debt repayment has never been so fun.

I am so glad I save entries now...almost lost another one, but didnt!

Dinner tonight was so yummy. Chicken breast, spicy teriyaki sauce, sweet onion and jasmine rice. So cheap, easy, quick and tasty! Love those go-to meals! Cost less than $5 and took less than 30 minutes in the kitchen and was way healthier than fast food. Did I mention LEFT OVERS too- at least two more meals!

I have a long list to finish at work this week. I love staying so busy the days fly by, but my goodness- I honestly dont think Ive ever worked at the pace Im keeping since the first of the year. I love my job, its just I feel like IM juggling as fast as I possibly can. I will be visiting our new branches next Monday and Tuesday, so I will be out of the office...which means even more fun when I get back.

I called my friend in California last night and arranged to stay with her the extra two nights that we will be there. The package for the three day hopper pass, three nights at the hotel, a free meal for four and a $20 gift card was $1790, which I have paid. Now we will have to pay for gas, food and any extras - DD2 and I are splitting these expenses. I figure another $500 each- gas and food will be the biggest chunk. I am taking a cooler so that we can take snacks and drinks on the drive. We will do mainly water (using water bottles) in the park. DD3 is getting each of the kids a gift card and they can use it for whatever they want, but that way she can cap the spending.

Im not sure yet what I will do for food this weekend at the coast. I have some very ripe bananas- so I am thinking about making muffins to take...I am not sure what they have cooking untensil wise in the condo...so I may end up just eating out for a meal or two. But I havent decided. With a little planning, and taking what I think Ill need- it would be easy to cook my own meals and hole up at the condo with a book...hmmm. Much to think about.

I paid off one debt today and schedule the remaining money from the bonus, $1600, to go to the next debt, which will happen tomorrow. It feels wonderful to be started on this trajectory.

I received a refund check today from our cancelled cell phone service for $77.83, so I am scheduling an additional transfer to debt #2.

Yesterday and today were no spend days. I had leftovers for lunch and dinner.

When the hub comes home next time, he is going to have the taxes done. I wish we could do them ourselves to save money, but he has his wood business that always impacts our taxes. Last year we got a net refund of over $2k. I anticipate this year will be similar..that money will also go to debt #2.

So- today I asked and guess what, I RECEIVED. I am going to be working over on the coast Monday and Tuesday. Our job has leased a condo while we are merging operations...and I asked if I could go over on Saturday and enjoy the condo (which is OCEAN FRONT by the way) for the weekend...and YEP. I am soo excited. PLUS...they need me to take a company car over so that there is a car over there permanently...Another worker is coming on Monday and I will ride back with her on Tuesday afternoon....SO I GET A FREE WEEKEND AWAY with a spectacular view and I dont even have to pay for gas!!!! I just have to feed myself, which I can do really cheaply. Yippee!!!
I totally see a good book in my future..yes yes yes!!

I have a date night on Friday with my four year old granddaughter and then on Saturday morning..this gramma will be ON THE ROAD.

Life, well...could it get any better???

I cancelled the ING transfer for the bonus. Instead, I sat down today and made a payment plan for paying off all debt besides our mortgage. I will confess that I have never calculated this, because I was afraid the payoff date would be so far away that I would get too discouraged. (Kind of like my fear when I step on the scale....some folks might understand this, others wont.)

Anyway...I did it. And I was PLEASANTLY surprised. By using a snowball method and not calculating any future windfalls or pay increases, we will be debt free by mid Summer 2015. That is completely doable!! And very exciting. Expecially since my budget doesnt account for any OT for the hub- which during the winter months, there is a lot of. So if I stick to this basic plan, that is the date. However, if I put extra at every chance, it could be even sooner.

What an awesome feeling. And this allows us to continue to add to savings, 401k, and enjoy vacations.

Why did I wait so long to do this???

So, my bonus money and what DD2 pays us will go towards the smalles of the debts and pay them in full. Then, the payment $$ from those bills will be allocated towards the next bill...and at the end of that fairly long (for now) tunnel..is the debt free life I want.

YAY!!!

The other half of the plan means taking care of our vehicles, so that those dont have to be replaced and not adding any debt along the way.

Tonight I am baking chicken. I was really disappointed when I went to cook, to realize that I left my nice big bottle of olive oil at the rental house last weekend. I use olive oil almost every time I cook, so I will need to pick some up tomorrow. I used butter tonight...because I didnt know what was the next best thing besides that.

Am so happy to share my plan. Now, to start watching the debt disappear for GOOD.

Happy Sunday!

This morning, I woke to DD2 and her 3 kiddos knocking at the front door. She showed up with coffee store mochas and very energetic youngsters. We sat down and mapped out a plan for the Disney trip. She nixed the Blue Bayou lunch plan- she is a picky eater and didn't see anything she wanted on the menu. So, that will save me a little- because the meals weren't cheap there.

Our plan is to leave on Friday- drive to Sacramento and stay with my son. Drive to my BFFs house near Disney on Sat...I will stay with BFF and DD2 will take the kids to see her grandma who lives a couple of hours on down the road.

She will come back Sunday afternoon and stay the night at BFFs and then we will head for the three night stay at Disney (30 min away) on Monday. Then, on Thursday, we will head home.

We plan to pick up snacks for the room, buy water bottles, etc. between now and then to save some money.

Our package includes a free character meal..which will help with the cost while we are there.

DD2 is getting her income tax return next week. She owes me $3k and will have enough to pay that back- plus all her other debt, have some for Disney and still put about $2k in savings.

With DD3 paying us back, the bonus money this weekend, and now DD2 paying us back, I am building savings quickly. I will come up with a plan for paying some things either off or down myself now that the money has been repaid and it isnt flowing out to help struggling kids anymore.

DD1 invited me over for the Superbowl today, but Im not sure I will go. I am pretty tired and havent had a chance to catch up on the housework like Id planned. Staying home and doing that sounds like a great idea...but I will see how things go this afternoon. Plus, I still have to get over to the pharmacy to pick up the pills that they shorted me last week.

So glad I copied this before sending...so I didnt have to start over.

I had a great time at the banquet tonight. I already set up a transfer to ING on Monday to include the tonights bonus plus the rebate money I have saved this year. All in all I am transferring $4344 to savings. Then, when the hub comes home next, we can decide which bills to pay with the money.

I reserved the excursions we are planning for the cruise. Since I can change up until a few days before the cruise, I thought it was a good idea to reserve spots NOW for the things we really want to do before they book up. Then, if we change our mind, I can cancel with no penalty.

I also finished paying for the hotel and Disney tickets today.

The money for both trips is budgeted not coming out of savings or being put on debt.

I started logging food again on My Fitness Pal...and am starting to use the free weights that we have. Tomorrow I plan to also incorporate a walk into the plan. I need to get ready for the walking at Disneyland and I really want to get in better shape for the cruise. I did really good with the food logging until the banquet tonight..the food was spectacular and I decided to just reset in the morning and start over.

Looking forward to a quiet day tomorrow. Superbowl or not, I want to get in some down time. Life is good!

Tonight is date night with my 4 year old grandson. He got to pick dinner...we had McDonalds. I took him to one with a big play place and he seemed to have a great time. I would have preferred something else for dinner, but it was his choice.

We came home and watched a movie together, now he is playing and using up the last of his energy before bedtime.

A couple of nights ago the hub bbqd tri tip and we had baked potatoes. I love green onions on baked potatoes, but when I pulled them out of the fridge, they were pretty soft...so I decided to forego the onlions. But I put them in a glass of water..and tonight, they are all perked back up. I trimmed the ends and have a nice healthy supply to use this weekend. I plan to just keep them growing this way. I dont use much, so I should be able to grow enough for me easily..all I need is water, a glass and a little sun from the window. The cost is right..and I will always have onions when I need them! At appx .75 a bundle, its not huge, but it is an easy way to save a little.

DD3 got paid today and I am tickled to say she has now paid us back in full...and has a real live savings account!! Go DD3!

So glad the weekend is here! I am looking forward to slowing my pace down for a couple of days and catching back up at home. Tonight, enjoying my date..life is blessed!

DD3 is doing so good in Alaska. I am really proud of her. She is working long hours without a day off- but is plugging along. After 3 and a half weeks, she has brought home $5800. For a 21 year old with hardly any job experience, thats not too shabby. She has already completely paid us back the $5k she owed us, and now is building her savings and paying off her small student loan. She has no other debt. If all goes as planned, she has at least 3 more months to work- and then pans to come home, get her CDL and then go back up and work full time. Again, I am so proud of her.

But....I am a little sad too. With my son and his family in California, the hub gone at least half the time to Alaska, and now DD3 gone for such a stretch...my empty nest feels deserted. Well, not totally, the two older girls and their families are still here.

Work continues to be super busy with no slow down in sight. The days fly by, but I am so, so tired at night when I get home. This week, I have managed to forget to eat breakfast, overeat at lunch at my desk and come home not very hungry...so much for my mealplan. I will spend time this weekend working on a food plan. If I dont get my stuff together, I am not going to lose weight and feel healthier for the vacation time I have planned. AND THAT IS NOT OK.

Tomorrow night my middle grandson, age 4, is spending the night. I am going to buy us the Hotel Transylvania movie to watch (Ive never seen it). His splurge for dinner.....McDonalds. At least it wont be exspensive. When you are 4, I guess that is the IT place to eat. I have snacks, including popcorn, and breakfast stuff here...Looking forward to having him over. He doesnt often get to go without his big sister (7), so I am hoping he enjoys a night all about him.

Pooped, but still so blessed. Life is good.

The meal plan for the next couple of weeks.

Breakfast and lunch will be oatmeal, bagels, sandwiches, eggs and canadian bacon or leftovers.

Thursday:
Leftover steak/bread/salad

Friday - Grandson's choice

Saturday - Awards Banquet - Free

Sunday- Superbowl Party at DD1s - taking cupcakes for dessert

Monday - Rosemary/garlic/lemon chicken + quinoa

Tuesday - Leftovers

Wednedsay - Bean burritoes (with chicken if any is leftover)

Thursday - Teriyaki Chicken, rice and pineapple

Friday _ Grand daughter choice

Sat Leftovers chicken/rice

Sun - eggs, canadian bacon and cheese

Mon - at coast, job pays

Tues - at coast job pays

The hub headed back to Alaska today. He is on a four week rotation again..so I am home alone for a month.

I planned to go to the store tonight and spent some time on my break at work looking at sale ads and clicking on the online offers and coupons. The store has been asking me each time I go in if I am taking advantage of the online app and special offers..so I thought I would give it a try.

Lucky for me...along with this being the first time I used this program - the store completely changed their shelving system since I was there last week. HUH? Talk about totally disconboomerated...They changed the location for everything except the perimiter items(Meat, produce, bread and some dairy)..everything else was in a completely new location...

I also had to pick up my prescriptions.

What an experience.

I was looking at my list, my online app for the store on my phone, trying to figure out where everything was...

Well...to make a long story short-

They filled the prescriptions differently this time- instead of one month supply they gave me 90 days, so the price was different. (however, when I got home, one of the bottles only had 30 pills, even though the bottle said 90..and then when I looked at the receipt, they failed to charge me for the prescription)

Some of the online offers discounted, some did not. ARGH. I was watching as they rang up, but the clerk explained that some of the discounts "come off at the end"...

So...I am not a fan right now. I will have to go back to pick up the rest of the pills, pay for the prescription I didnt get charged for and try to get reimbursement for some of the discounts I didnt receive. Way too much effort...Store FAIL.

I did save 31%- but I should have saved at least 10% more off of my $81 bill if items had rung up correctly.

Anyway, I am well stocked on groceries for the next couple of weeks.

This weekend is our awards banquet at work, which means I will receive my bonus. That is something I am really looking forward to. It should b e enough to pay off one of the smaller debts that we have.

Missing the hub tonight, but life is good!

I am on hour #8 today and am not much closer to finishing any of my to-do list or projects as when I started this morning. Coming back to work always means so many interruptions - even keeping my door shut and avoiding eye contact. (I know, very anti-social of me). And I came back to so much work. I have to wonder if that time off was worth it. This afternoon my memories of relaxing last week are vague and fleeting. bleh.

The hub is two more days, then he will be gone for another month.

By the end of his time home, I am always plotting ways to regain my frugalness. It seems like we spend so much more and so much more easily when he is home. Am I a closet enabler? Possibly...but my heart is in the right place. hmm.

One of my co-workers went to get pizza for lunch today. I failed to plan ahead and didnt want to leave at lunch, so I bought lunch since she was kind enough to go out and get it. $15- out of my allowance $$.

We never used the tri-tip this weekend, so I am hoping the hub is bbq-ing that up for us for dinner tonight and we dont spend anymore money. Thankfully, the house/grocery fund still has $43 to last until Friday and we have left overs that should get us through until he heads back north. Otherwise, I will use allowance for groceries that are bought beyond the $43.

Im pooped...and I still have an hour to go. And my brain is on fry mode. - But yes, I would do the week off again- even if it does mean long days this week.

The hub made chili for dinner tonight using the leftover bbq steak from last night. He had beans, green peppers, tomatoes, and seasonings and just made up the recipe. It was so yummy! He also made cornbread. Our friends arrived shortly after 5pm and had dinner with us and also loved the meal. Kudos to the hub..

Tomorrow is the friends day to cook and clean for meals, our day is Saturday. The rest of the weekend should be a no-spender for us, as we have all the food we need for meals on Sat. We might go to see one more movie..Django. Our friends really want to go see it, and it looks like a good one to see, so we may splurge one more time.

I booked the Disneyland trip last night and came up with some ideas for saving money on food and other activities DD2 wants to do with the kids. Glad we have some time to plan this out..

Enjoying out vacation so much. We have two full days left here..and plan to enjoy the whole time! Life is good!

Today has been such a great day. We are at the vacation/rental house and it is gorgeous. There is snow everywhere, but the weather has been mild. Today we went to the movies and saw Argo. Such a good movie - I remember when the hostage situation happened in 79, I was a senior in high school- but of course, we never knew this part of the story. We both really enjoyed it. It cost more here than at home...a matinee was $7.50 each.

Tonight we are grilling steaks and having baked potatoes and salad. Tomorrow night, our friends will get here. Like all vacations, time is flying by! The hub is grilling extra steak to add to some homemade chili tomorrow.

We have used the hot tub several times, and planning on enjoying it again tonight...and lots while our friends are here.

Another fun, memorable week for us- we are so blessed. Life is good!

Today would have been my dads 80th birthday...its been 5 years since I had one of his dad hugs...sure do miss him. Happy birthday papa!

When the hub comes home, he enjoys going to the restaurants that he misses while he is on the slope. We have ate out a few times since he has been home, Olive Garden (we took DD2 after her massage, $65), mexican ($32), and the first night we went to a little sports bar with friends ($45). Today, we went to Costco at lunchtime to pick up a few things for our trip tomorrow and I had a $1.50 hot dog, he had two pieces of pizza. Gotta love the $7 price tag for their oh not so healthy food...lol. Dinner was leftovers from the meals out. We bought a tri tip, thick cut bacon, salad fixings, snacks, etc. We still have to go to the grocery store in the morning to get the items that we didnt want to buy in bulk. We spent some time making a list today and packing what we had on hand to avoid buying extra.

We are pretty much packed and ready to go tomorrow. We cant check in until 4pm, which means we have no need to leave much before noon.

Today I worked about 5 hours keeping important balls rolling at work. I will spend at least 3-4 more hours working this week. Since DD2 has asked me to go with her and the kids to Disneyland, I will 'comp' out a day there.

The meals that we have at the rental house will primarily be stuff we make at the house, so meals shouldnt be too expensive the rest of the week. We come home next Sunday, which is Dd1s 31st birthday and so we will do something with her family for dinner.

Then, the hub leave a couple days later and will be gone another month.

But for now, I am looking forward to our get-away. Should be lots of fun. Life is great!

I went to two different stores today that carry plants and seeds. Neither had a rosemary plant or rosemary seeds. I tried last summer to get a plant, and was told then that they were sold out...Is there something special about rosemary plants and seeds that I dont know? I use it so often in my chicken, that I thought it would make much better sense to have a plant, rather than buy every few weeks in the produce section...but wth?

I will keep an eye out between now and spring, I cant imagine that picking up either a plant or the seeds can be this hard...and I know growing my own will be much cheaper than the $2.50 - 3 per package that I have been paying..not to mention more convenient.

Today, I spent $45 today on two new king size pillows, two standard pillows and 4 pillowcases to fit them. Our pillows were getting so old. I bought different firmnesses so that hopefully the hub and I can both mix and match to make them comfortable.

Im the slowest learner on some things. I have lost so many posts by not saving before I hit save and publish. Youd think I would learn eventually.

Take two..

The hub arrived safe and sound Friday night and our weather has been gorgeous all weekend, hardly any fog.

Yesterday we took DD1 and her two kids (7 and 4) up to the snow for the 7 year olds girl scout outing. It was such a pretty day. The sun was out all day, but it was cold and perfect weather for grilling hotdogs on a campfire and enjoying hot cocoa. DD1 had all the food, we just paid the $5 for the parking permit and had such a wonderful day. The kids sledded all day and then slept all the way home.

DD2 asked again if I would go with her and the older two kids to Disneyland. DD2 is a single mom (8 and 4) and also is the daughter who has Z, the little foster guy. DD2 is a hard working single mom who juggles her own responsibilities, plus those of being a foster parent. She doesnt have the money and resources to do disney on her own. So I am going to go with her. Z just turned two last week, so he is a little to young to appreciate Disneyland and the 10 hour drive each way to get there, so we will leave him here. I am checking into hotels and ticket prices for a good deal. I hope to keep the budget under $2000 for the four of us.

DD3 is doing awesome in Alaska. She loves it up there and is really enjoying her experience.

The hub and I will be home tomorrow and then on Tuesday we leave for 5 nights up at the rental home we reserved at the resort. We got a great deal...rent three nights, get two free..Our frinds will be coming up on Thursday night to join us for the weekend.

Enjoying vacation so far..life is good!

The hub is STILL NOT HOME. and I am not sure we wont have the same problem with flights this afternoon. He is about to board to fly to Portland, and is booked on the 5:30 flight to come home. However, that flight was cancelled yesterday due to the freezing fog and visibility...Right now, the sky is clear, but I can see the fog layer hovering on the horizon, almost like its lurking and laughing. Evil fog.

Our friends have offered to drive up to Portland to pick him up if the flight is cancelled again. We will know when he lands in Portland what the plan will be.

ARGH.

So, day one of vacation is being spent doing laundry and housework and waiting. So far, the added expense of this fog is Almost $200 (hotel and meals)..and if we have to drive to portland and back it will be another $200...or more.

This is feeling a little deja vu from my vacation last August in Alaska when it took the hub almost 3 days to meet up with me...Honestly, this trip and that trip are the only times weve had a problem getting him home. Feeling like my vacations are jinxed. :/

Oh well, a day off is always a welcome day. Enjoying it in spite of that evil fog lurking on the horizon. Dumb poo poo head fog.

Today I was not as successful at getting my workload completed for vacation. There were simply too many roadblocks. So, while I am officially on vacation, I will be toting my laptop from work and working off and on to keep some important balls rolling this next week. It is simply unavoidable. But, that comes along with being exempt.

The hub is enroute tonight, but I am not sure if the heavy freezing fog we are experiencing will allow his plane to land or not. (Update...his flight is cancelled. He wont be home until tomorrow...poor guy.) He will arrive in Seattle in a couple of hours, and then we will find out if the connecting flight is happening. If it doesnt, the poor guy will sleep in the airport on one of those comfy (not) benches. He has been working 20 hour days and so I know he is exhausted already.

DD3 received her first full week paycheck. Her bring home, for one week = $1717. She was ecstatic. She will have all debt (she just owes $ to the hub and me and a small student loan) and have a nice big savings account to come home to.

Since she is paying us back, and we arent supporting her, my debt repayment will accelerate nicely. In all, she started out owing us just over $5k, but she will be under $3k tomorrow after only two weeks.

So happy to be on vacation..even though I have to work some, it is nice to know I can just do it on my time. So looking forward to our trip to the vacation home next week!!

This has been a good week.

I received my eval on Monday, and it went way better than I expected!! Not that I thought it would be bad, it is just the first time Ive been evaluated by this boss. My raise is 5.75% which is really good! However, the scale raised and even with this increase, I am lower on the scale than where I was before the increase. hmmm. So, I asked for that to be corrected. I am on the list that will be re-evaluated after evaluations are all done and the budget is finished. My argument has been acknowledged as valid and so it is very likely that the additional increase will happen.

Tomorrow is my last work day before vacation. I have been going full throttle since December with the changes we have had at work, and so I am ready for a break...however, my calendar that first week I go back is already booked solid. There isnt an end in sight for a while..so I plan to unwind as much as possible the next week and a half.

I mentioned that I bought new clothes and a new pair of shoes last weekend. My oh my...those new shoes are WAY comfy and were a good investment. My feet feel soo much better at night now. And the new clothes have put a bounce in my step. It has been great having a few new things to wear.

Z turned two this week. He is getting so big. Still no new word on what his future holds, but for now, he is safe, happy and loved.

The hub is supposed to come home tomorrow. But as Lucky Robin described in her blog today, there are extreme conditions on the Slope and it is questionable if he will actually get out and all the way home or not tomorrow. We dont leave for our get away until Tuesday morning, so we have a little wiggle room for travel delays.

DD3 is doing wonderful at her job up north. She is learning so much and aside from all the snow and extreme weather this week, she has really enjoyed being up there.

Monday and Tuesday were no spend days, I stuck to the food plan and ate leftovers. Today I went to lunch and had grilled salmon and rice pilaf ($15). It was so tasty and it was soooo nice and relaxing to get away from the desk for an hour.

Tomorrow will be super busy getting everything ready for being gone next week..but knowing when I leave work tomorrow night I have the next 10 days off will make it worthwhile.

Life...is really good. I am so blessed.

DD2 came over this morning with Z. DD2 needed to study and take some exams to recertify for her phramacy tech license. We had a great day.

I DID scoot out for a while today to finally get some new work clothes, loooong overdue. I took advantage of the end of season sales and got two pair of slacks, two jackets and a really pretty blouse for $114. Then, I got a new pair of really comfy shoes for $99. This is my second pair of expensive (in my book) shoes. They are so comfortable. With my salary, and the new work I am taking on, I needed to update the clothes that I wear. I have been rotating everything for so long, I know my wardrobe is looking tired. The new clothes are very nice and should last for a while. I lucked out and one of the jackets I got matches a shell I already had perfectly- as well as a neclace...so I have a complete + accessorized out fit and it cost under $40 + shoes. the other jacket and the other blouse will each make a new outfit with one of the pair of new slacks...so I can mix and match for 3 days.

DD2 called while I was out and asked to go to lunch. I decided this would be a good treat for her...so we met at olive garden. Our meals were big enough to also feed us dinner.

The new caseworker for Z has told DD2 that she is most likely going to lean the same direction as the former one...which is to place Z permanently with her. SHe just wants to make sure 'mom' has been given this last opportunity so that she cant come back on the decision down the road. That is reassuring...Z turns two day after tomorrow. This afternoon, he and I layed down for a nap. He patted my cheek and told me "wuv u gramma"...and then he fell asleep.

Tomorrow is eval day...and I hopefully find out my raise. I am excited to finally find out this information. I hope all goes well!