DD3 found out today that she got a job up in Alaska with the company her dad is working for. It is a seasonal job that will last about 4 months. She is excited for the opportunity. I have mixed feelings- but am happy that her dad will be there too. I dont know if she will come home mid-shift or if she will just get a day or two off somewhere during the season. She will learn more next month and will start sometime in October.

I spent $5 on a sandwich today for lunch. Dinner was leftovers...so a fairly inexpensive day.

I am eager to start baking. It is still too hot to get motivated to heat the house with the oven...but it should start cooling off soon and then the baking will begin.

Looking forward to this weekend and having my friend from California here for a visit. Unfortunately, I will only get to see her one day, Saturday. But that will still be fun!

Otherwise, its pretty quiet with the hub back up in Alaska.

The hub is heading back to Alaska tomorrow. He will be back in three weeks. It will be busy while he is gone with out of town visitors and three birthdays. I am still dealing with this cold, but am definately on the mend. Just a residual cough now. I really havent had much energy until the past day or so...that was quite a bad cold actually.

Tonight we took DD3 (20) and her new bf to dinner at Olive Garden. He seems like a really nice young man. DD3 has not had good luck picking her bfs...but I am impressed with this one. A good job, manners, and very nice towards her. Dinner was $108 including tip. Not cheap, but everyone enjoyed themselves and the dinner was good.

Now back to the budget. I had enough leftovers for lunch tomorrow. I plan to stick close to a budget these next three weeks.

DD2 is pondering the budget advice I gave her. (Thanks for all the suggestions). She was told that starting Sept 1, she gets all her hours back- so she should be ok after that. The hub and I did buy her new tires for her van. We couldnt let her drive on the tires she had knowing the babies would be with her...The hub used his firewood money to pay for them...$400. His next hitch home will be spent processing wood....but that $$ will go into his account to replenish what he spent helping kids out this hitch. (Thankfully the $$ didnt have to come out of the household budget!!)

This coming weekend, my friend from California is coming to visit. I get to spend Saturday with her. I am really looking forward to girlfriend time...especially now that I am feeling better. Not sure yet what we will do, just know whatever it is will be enjoyable!!

Not for me, but for my DD2...a little more on that in a minute...

I am so glad it is the weekend. It is tough to work when you are as run down as Ive been. The cold/cough was no fun but add in this heatwave and I was drained all week.

I am feeling better today. I have cleaned out my fridge and scrubbed it down, which feels great. It was needing attention. It never fun to see waste..and my fridge had several expired and even science experiment worthy items. But, now its nice and sparkly again. I am washing my sheets and cleaning...After feeling so useless, it feels good to be productive.

The one good thing about being sick is that Ive reduced my appetite and Ive been eating much healthier. I plan to continue on this course and see if I cant lose some weight for the rest of the year.

Tonight we have been invited to our friends house for dinner. They went deep sea fishing several weeks ago and want to share their cod with us. We have this couple over fairly often, and they are treating tonight, so we just have to show up! A free, relaxing evening with good friends sounds wonderful!!

I sat down with DD2 today to try to help her get budget focused. She is a struggling single mom, who tries...but she could do better. I suggested she read Mary Hunts "Freedom Account" article for starters. I know I have used a freedom account for years and it has been very useful. Im not sure if she will look at it or not. But I will keep tossing suggestions her way. To her benefit, she has no debt outside of her rent and utilities and cell phone. She could just be better at allocating what she gets so that she isnt in such a pickle when things like new tires and dr visits come up. I know there is so much out there to guide her to...what do you guys recommend??? What has worked for you?

The hub is back home until Wednesday. It is nice to have him here- he is changing DD3s brakes right now...but after, it will be a relaxing afternoon and evening.

I am FINALLY back to feeling somewhat normal again. Whatever I came down with kicked my hiney. High fever for 2-3 days followed by very congested lungs. I worked half day on Monday and Tuesday, only to come home and spend the rest of the day in bed. I made it at work all day today.

Although the hub is on his rotation home, he is gone to training this week in California. The company pays all expenses and he is paid 10 hrs per day for the training..which is nice to get extra pay, but I wish he was home. We missed time at the beginning of our vacation...then I got sick...and now hes gone to training. At least he will be home 4 days before he heads back to Alaska next week.

I stopped on the way home tonight to pick up some food for the week ($54). However, the house is so hot, I dont really feel like eating-nor do I want to heat the house any more by cooking... so I opted for some nice cold grapes. I have the shades all pulled in my bedroom and the fans going- my airconditioner has a hard time keeping up when it is this hot outside...so for now, Im using plan b, which is working ok.

I forgot to water my tomato plants yesterday, so I made sure to go out and check them when I got home...clearly, they are LOVING this hot weather. I watered them and they are doing great. No tomatoes yet, but the plants look very healthy.

Im starting to see through the fever fog. After two days of near delirium, I am up and able to focus a little, thanks to meds. Still not sure what I have, but antibiotics are working and my fever feels like it is way down this morning. Cost of meds and visit, $60.

Food has been more $$than I had planned for the weekend. The hub has been in control and since I would say sure to anything .. he and DD2 and DD3 ate fast food and pizza. (I had chicken noodle soup or toast)

However, since we didnt go anywhere to use the budget for entertainment, the food was covered.

I just took my temp, it is still 100.1 so I am not doing as well as I thought...but maybe a full day on the antibiotics will kick the fever once and for all.

I have sproadically felt like looking at pinterest and so many are posting fall and holiday pins..It puts me in the mood to start planning, but I just dont have the energy. I am excited for fall. The soups and foods that I love mostly are during the fall time. (Not to mention all the football and snacks!)

I know on the drive from San Fran to San Jose, KeepingitFrugal shared some of her fall recipes and I want to make sure to ask her for those recipes. I love it when recipes are shared here...cause they are almost always frugal and easy...

This is a get better day...since its back to work tomorrow. Staying quiet, taking meds and drinking lots of water. not much else on the radar today.

One thing I didnt count on while travelling, was getting sick. Of course, it makes perfect sense that when you are around hundreds of different people over the course of a week, visiting several touristy places, you might pick something up. Drats. 101.5 this morning..so far it is feeling like my asthmatic lungs are the culprit, but not many symptoms beyond the fever and a little trouble breathing. Thankfully, it didnt start until I got home (2am this morning)...

Hopefully this will run its course by Sunday, since I go back to work on Monday. pffft.

The hub worked an extra day on this rotation (when his flight was cancelled at the beginning of our vacation.) He also worked some extra OT, so his check has an extra $400 on it. I will put it towards the debt that we are chipping away on. Also, next week, the hub has to go to training for four days. This will be 'extra' money that we hadnt counted on - so that will go toward house repairs. My house will need to be painted next year, so I need to start saving for that.

We are in the midst of birthday season in our family. Aug 1, 2, 5, 9 (anniversary, the hub and I have now been married 22 years!) 29, Sept 2, 8, 8 (yep two on that day). So I am quickly depleting the birthday account. Thankfully, after these, there is a repreive until Nov- when the next slew of birthdays start... Nov 16, 22, Dec 21, 24, Jan 2, 27. Keeping up with this big family is a job!!

I was supposed to have a playdate with a girlfriend today...but that wont happen now. DARN IT. But it will probably save me some $$ to stay home. :/ I just wished I didnt feel so stinkin crummy. bleh.

We arrived home at midnight last night. I thought I would share some sights with my SA friends.

This is the boat we took for the Kenai Fjord tour.



This is the town of Seward, taken from the boat as we sailed towards the Kenai Fjord glaciers. The day was very cloudy and we got some rain, but it was hardly noticable because of all the great things we saw.



Views on the train between Seward and Anchorage:






I have calculated a rough budget and we came in well under budget, so all in all, a fantastic trip- in spite of the bumps along the way.

Most of my pictures are 1-2 minute video clips that I took on my ipad. I will see if I cant figure out how to share some of those images too. That is where I catured all the glacier and animal sightings...except for these guys from the Sealife Center...

The vacation is coming to an end. It has been such an awesome week. I have gotten to ride trains, buses, boats and have seen whales, moose, bear, carribou, sea lions, otters, puffins, eagles, seals and lots of other fish. And the best...was seeing and hearing a huge glacier...wow,

Thankfully, the hub finally caught up with me Saturday night, so we had 3 full days together. (His flight off the north slope was cancelled on Thursday and didnt go out again until Friday night, then he had to catch a bus the next day and travel 6 hours to catch up with me..)

Alaska is a gorgeous state this time of year. Everything is green or greener. (except the glacier, which is blue). The food has been phenominal..and the people have been very friendly.

Everything is more expensive here. But I am certain we stayed within budget. I plan to do a little accounting on the 3 plus hour plane trip ahead of us.

I will post pictures after we get home. What an amazing adventure!!

I am writing this by the fire in the lodge Im staying at in Denali, Alaska, It is so gorgeous here. At home, the weather is 105 today. Here, a brisk 48 - hense the fire. I am in hot flash heaven...lol.

I cant begin to describe how beautiful this state is. Yesterday, I took an 8 hour train ride through the most beautiful country. WOW. So far, I have had several phenominal meals, mostly fish- since it is so fresh here. I am literally in paradise. I will post pics soon.

THe only problem, MY HUSBAND ISNT HERE....yet.

The planes off the slope were all cancelled on Thursday because of fog. FOG??? Then, he didnt get out until late yesterday afternoon. He had been up 36 hours and ended up sleeping on a bench at the airport in Anchorage (where we were supposed to meet on Thursday)...

It is now Saturday and am hoping he caught the 7am bus...which will get here in an hour or so....(6 hour bus trip for him). I have tried to enjoy the first half of vacation by myself. And I have, its just NOT what I expected. But life is like that sometimes, isnt it. So I have made the best of it.

And it has been amazing so far. This afternoon, we are meeting up with an old friend of the hubs and his wife. They live here in ALaska...he is actually the friend that talked the hub into considering a job up here. They have a new baby, so I am eager to see them.

Tomorrow we leave this beautiful lodge to head to Seward...and the adventures there. But for today, I am soaking up the beauty and trying to capture everything in pictures.

Because the hub hasnt been here, I am well under budget for the trip. Maybe even ahead, since he worked an extra day. I hope he enjoys the second half as much as I have enjoyed the first.

My airline ticket for my vaca was free because of my mileage account. Well, then again, I have paid a fee for the mileage card for the past two years, so in that sense, the ticket cost $100. (normally I pay $600-700 for the hubs tickets so I am still ahead.) I am able to log in 24 hours before the flight and upgrade seats for free- which I did this morning.

I am enjoying this extra day off. I slept in a little, have read several blogs and had some coffee...and next I will start loading the suitcase.

I will miss my son-in-law and grandsons birthdays while I am gone, so we are going to dinner tonight to celebrate. Its one of those restaurants where you sit around a grill and the chef chops and cooks while telling extremely corny jokes -(adds to the fun IMO). I love going there, but save it for only special events. I will digress for a minute to add that it is also always bittersweet to go there... Before my dad passed, he had been pretty sick and spent about three weeks in the hospital and assisted living. When he was released, he said he wanted to go to this restaurant- because he had thought while he was really sick that hed never get to go there again...sadly, he was released and within a day his health again deteriorated and he never got to go.
The night he passed, we all went to the restaurant for him...and go each year on either his or my moms birthdays. But we have a good time when we go and always toast nana and papa. THe young ones LOVE it when they light the 'volcano' (stacked onion rings with oil poured inside.)

My tomato plants look MUCH happier this morning than they did last night. No sign of the black widow..which isnt all that reassuring. :/ So long as I can water safely, I am not too worried...but will still get the yards sprayed as there are constantly youngsters here and I dont want to risk a bite. And I know that when there is one black widow, there are others.

I cant wait to start harvesting from the plants and putting some of my fellow blogger ideas to use!!

Ok, time to get serious about this trip. YEEHAW>

I am officially on vacation for the next TWELVE DAYS!!! Wahoo.

I was going to work tomorrow, but I have plenty of days saved up and knew my productivity tomorrow would be nil....so, I took it off. I get to sleep in and then take my time packing and getting ready.

It feels great to know I have some time off.

I called the hotel that we will be staying on night one to find out if there was shuttle service from the airport...NO. drats. However, the hotel is walking distance to the train depot, so it made sense to stay there. When I got the cash out for the trip, I got some $5s and $1s to pay for cabs and tips.

My newly planted tomato plants are not as happy as Id like tonight, so I made sure DD3 understand that she HAS to water them this week. ALso, there was a HUGE black widow by the plants with a big egg nest. I think I got both, but have a mental note to call a pest service tomorrow. I saw a black widow web in the front yard too...I definately dont want to get an infestation.

Black widow webs are easy to spot. They are big, dont break easily , and have NO PATTERN...as a matter of fact, they are one of the sloppiest webs you will ever see. Not the nice spiral webs at all. My son once told me that haphazard webs and tunnel webs are the ones you want to stay away from. THe nice rounded webs are usually garden variety. The others are more often poisonous.

I dont know about you...but no spider web looks friendly to me. But I do stay clear of the ones my son cautioned me about.

My spending today was $5 for a subway sandwich and $20 to DD3 for watering the tomatoes while I am gone.

Looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow and then taking the day to get ready to go...

LIFE IS SO GOOD tonight!!

Remember all that laundry I did today? Well, I went to hang all the hang up laundry in the closet and tripped over the hubs free weight...and fell onto a pile of metal things..since my hands were full, I hit on my side...and now I have a narly bruise all down my side...from armpit to hip. Dumb free weight.

No broken bones...just bruised. Argh.

Oh well, good news is the laundry is done, bags are nearly packed and I didnt need a trip to the ER lol

Hopefully it wont hurt too bad come morning. Ugh. Dumb free weights....

I spent today finishing laundry, including bedding, and getting all the clothes that I am taking to Alaska ready to pack.

I found all the airplane sized bottles that we have on hand and have them ready to fill with shampoo, etc.

I had been taking care of the tomato plants that I was given last month, but had not planted them yet...but DD2 and I did so today.

I have started a list of to-dos for DD3, who will be house-sitting for me. #1 on the list, WATER THE TOMATO PLANTS. I sure hope she does as they will not make it in this heat if she forgets. I am looking forward to some fresh off the vine tomatoes when we get back.

I have the suitcase out and am packing the things I dont need this week.

I am enjoying a break to watch the womens gymnastics part of the olympics. How those young ladies do those balance beams, vaults and uneven bars is beyond me. But I love watching.

My to do list this week is to buy dog food and refill my meds. Otherwise, everything is about done for this exciting adventure!! (I leave Thursday...cant wait!!)

Here is one of the things we get to do while we are there:


I made oatmeal tonight for breakfast Mon- Wed.

It is five short months to Christmas. Are you ready?

I have a hub, four kids, three kid significant others, six grandbabies, 1 foster grandbaby, 3 close friends, 5 co-workers, 1 father in law and a donation to save for each year.

I set a certain amount for each person that I want to save and divide that by 12 each year. Then, each month, I deposit that amount to the Christmas club account that I have set up at ING.

Then, during the year, I look for bargains...but it also has to be the 'right' bargain. I dont buy just because its on sale...it has to be something meaningful for the recipient. Having the savings allows me to take advantage of sales during the year...like when stores put clothes and toys on clearance during the year..

As the Holiday approaches, I am ready for it. I know what I can spend and when I have to say no.

I keep my eyes open for opportunities..I look for bargains and keep lists.

When Christmas is here, I have a stockpile of gifts that I have found during the year. Some are purchased on vacations...others, during clearance sales, others still, when I find the right gift when it comes along.

Because of my big family, I love Christmas. I am itching to find those great gifts. The money is saved...and ready for the deal on the right gift.

I do the same for birthdays..

And I save for the miscellaneous bills.

Initially, it was very hard to budget for these expenses.

But after the first year, it has gotten easier.

I keep these budgets on an excel spreadsheet and update it weekly. Like anything in life, maintaining it on a daily or weekly budget is much easier than scrambling at the last minute.

If you havent started your budget yet, this might be a good time to start. Five months will go by quickly. No time like the present to start a plan and get ready.

Today was such an awesome day. I woke up to a strong urge for coffee, but didnt have any creamer...however before I made it to the kitchen, DD3 knocked on the door with creamer in hand. My little angel! We enjoyed a couple of cups of coffee and she needed to head off to kenpo. (She has some narly bruises on her legs to prove it...lol)

I had decided this weekend would be catch up since I have been gone the last few weekends. SO I did some laundry, cleaned the kitchen, made a shopping list and then decided a pedicure sounded good.

I was almost ready to call and see if there was an appointment available when I decided to just do the pedi myself. I have enough supplies to do this...

So I got out a little plastic tub and some lavendar epsom salt that I got for free a while back. That felt so nice..then scraped, scrubbed, filed, moisturized and put the polish on. It was actually fun and was totally free. and now I have pretty toes for vacation!!...and an extra $35 in my pocket!!

DD3 came back over and picked out a really bad B rated scyfi movie. (I took a little nap at the beginning and woke up for the really dark, depressing ending.) DD3 even admitted it was bad.

I ran to the store and picked up the things on the list for the week, got home, cooked a quick steak sandwich dinner for us (about $5 for both of us...and I have leftovers for tomorrow) and now we are relaxing watching another dumb scyfi movie. (she seems entertained, so Im finding other things to do.)

I loved the last couple of weekends and getting to go places, but I have missed my home time and was greatful to catch up some today.

Tomorrow I am packing and getting ready for the trip...only 4 days til I leave!!

I belong to an organization that works to combat financial fraud and crime in our community. We met this week and discussed current trends. Unfortunately, several folks have recently been victimized by the "Heres a big check, keep $X and send me back the rest via western union" scam.

It is hard to see this being pulled over and over again - and no matter how hard we try to get the message out, people still fall victim to it.

We even have the western union reps watching out for it...but some people are so {desperate, naive, greedy, etc} that they insist on sending the $$ anyway. The scammers even tell the victims "dont talk about the details of this transaction to the bank or with western union"..aich.

Another scam that is still active is on the elderly. "Gramma, Im stuck in another country with no money, can you send me some"...or..."I just noticed your roof looks bad and needs to be repaired".. I detest people who prey on our elderly.

My advice- be cautious when dealing with strangers. No matter how good the story sounds, proceed with caution when western union is involved. ASK the bank teller, the western union rep, or your local police.

Unsolicited repairmen should raise red flags. Dont allow any work until you have gotten a second opionion from a trusted company.

And finally, if it sounds too good to be true, no matter how tempting, it probably is.

Actually, that should read a mocha today. Anymore, I so get the annual math on designer coffees, so it is a once in a while treat. Otherwise, coffee is free at work and I just get creamer at about $2.50 per week. Today, I had to go to one of our outlying branches and decided to splurge on a designer coffee...and then I remembered I had a full punch card....so it was FREE.

Unfortunately, when it got to lunch time, I realized I didnt have lettuce for my sandwich. When the sandwich consists of bread, meat, lettuce and mustard, the lettuce is kinda important. I just couldnt do meat and bread...so I spent $6 at Arbys for a combo meal.

The lettuce is all ready to go in the morning, so I will be back on track. Dinner, if I get hungry, will be leftovers.

The hub got his phone, but is having trouble activating it. :/ So still no talk. He mentioned in an email that he wants to change phone providers when he is home next....WTH? We just paid $100 for that darn phone. I am not sure if this branc new phone can be used with a new provider...but if it cant, I will be a hard sell on the idea.

I am down to 5 work days until vacation....so excited for the time off. I just hit the next level for days off each year. I now earn 29 days per year, so I will take at least two week long vacas next year.

I have been so bummed the last couple of days because I couldnt find my glasses. I thought I lost them during our trip this past weekend. Tonight I got home and decided to go back through everything again...and low and behold, I found them in my backpack that I checked three times already. I am scratching my head at how I missed them...but I am SOOOO glad I found them. They were about $600...after insurance about #250...that was not money I wanted to spend again.

Plus, with Alaska coming up in a week, I was worried that I wouldnt enjoy the scenery, since my distance site is so bad anymore.

BUT...problem solved!!

THe hub still has not received his replacement phone, so it has been almost a week since we talked last.

I had a meeting at 10 today at a restaurant...so I combined breakfast and lunch into one meal and ate for free. Tonight I made chicken and taters...I have enough leftovers from last nights soup, and todays dinner for the rest of the week. Leftovers are my friend.

Enjoying a quiet nite and looking forward to a low key weekend ahead before the vacation. Life is good!

This weekend, I went with DD2 and GS to a retreat. It was up near a lake, within walking distance of the ocean. It was no cost to attend. The camp was really nice. The grounds were beautiful, and the rooms had beds and a private bath. (Some had kitchens, ours did not)

The food was all provided- and it was wonderful. GS got to meet new friends, play on and in a HUGe jump house with a slide, swin in the lake, canoe, paddle boat, play basketball, ping pong...and just have fun. One night we even made smores in the fire pit.

Dd3 and I enjoed watching him have fun and we enjoyed each other and the others at the camp. The services were perfect for a mixed aged group. It was just a fun, relaxing weekend.

The only downside is I think I lost my glasses. I am going to have DD2 check with the camp to see if the found them, but I have a feeling they are not gonna turn up.

We got home tonight, I am a little sun/wind burned, a little tired, but very happy to have gone. Ive never attended anything like this, and wasnt sure what to expect...but am so glad I went. I spent about $40 on gas, and took DD2 and GS to lunch on the way to camp and lunch on the way home ($35 for both meals)...$75 was not too bad for a great weekend filled with wonderful memories.

I stopped at the store and picked up lunch meat, chicken and fruit...so with the other supplies I have on hand, I should be set for the week. $24.

10 more days until I leave for Alaska. Next weekend I plan to stay home and get everything ready to go.
What a fun, busy summer this is turning out to be!

My position is exempt. At my job, that means that I dont get overtime, but I also dont have to use PTO for partial days. I love that. I have had to take a few early leaves from work lately, so this week, knowing I need to get off early tomorrow, I opted to make up the time by working longer days. Technically, I dont have to make it up...but for my own conscience, I wanted to...so three days this week I came in an hour early - which meant waking up an hour early. Today was day three...(thank goodness) So tomorrow, I dont have to get up early AND...I GET TO LEAVE AT 3!!

Today was a crazy day...I am in risk management and it is clear the economy is taking its toll on folks (even though it seems to be improving here)...I am busy with dumb choices people are making. I am empathetic, but cmon. Dont jeopardize your job to fix a financial problem. Sad. Thankfully, I hand it over to HR once I am done investigating and they do the tough stuff.

So glad tomorrow is a short day. I have meals planned and ready, but I will need to get gas to head to the coast, so it wont be a no spender...but the offset is a great weekend ahead with DD2 and GS.

Life is good.

Ugh. I guess this is one time I am glad ? I had insurance. The hub broke his phone- talked to the phone folks and because of the insurance, it will only cost *cough* $100 to replace it. I guess the good news is that they will also ship it straight to him in Alaska. It should get there Saturday or Monday. He was hoping for overnight delivery, but no such luck.

He even had one of those protection covers that cost a small fortune on the darn phone...oh well.

DD3 was kind enough to do the leg work to get it replaced quickly..which saved me having to run around on my lunch hour.

Tonight I need to get laundry done and packed for the camp trip this weekend. I am excited to spend the weekend with DD2 and my GS (8). It sounds like the camp/retreat is really nice. Its walking distance from the ocean, but also on a lake. I love that it will be much cooler there than it is here!!

And since I have leftovers from last night, dinner is all but ready when I get home. Love leftovers!

I was hoping for a no-spend day..and it would have been, if not for that phone. :0

I saw quinoa at costco recently and thought it looked interesting. I decided to try it tonight for dinner. I made Rachel Ray's roasted garlic, rosemary lemon chicken and made a small batch of the quinoa. I added a little butter and chopped green onion to it and then spooned some of the sauce from the chicken dish onto it. Wow..the two complimented each other so nicely.

I like that quinoa is nutritionally a full protien..so my next attempt will be to make it for a breakfast with a little honey or brown sugar.

I enjoyed the nutty taste of it.

I spent $26 today to restock perishables like fruit, milk, etc. I have ample left overs for a meal tomorrow. I still have a bowl of oatmeal left and sandwich makings at work...so tomorrow is all set.

I am very ready for vacation...it is two weeks away. I went waaay too long from my last week off (June 2011)...I wont do that again next year. Im feeling burned out. No bueno. A day here and there just doesnt do it.

Life is good, but Im tired. :/

Today I stuck to my meal plan and had oatmeal for breakfast, a sandwich and fruit for lunch and a hot dog for dinner. So, no spending for food.

Dd1 and DD3 and I have been discussing the girls trip this year. (DD2 cant go this year). I found airline tickets for real cheap to go to So Cali to see my BFF in Sept...so the three of us agreed that should be our girls trip this year. I booked the tickets. We normally drive to portland and stay in a hotel. The airfare and a rental car were cheaper than our normal expenses...so we will save $$ by going to SO Calif this year. AND I get to see my friend. (The girls consider her their aunt) We have been friends since we were 12. I am SOOOO excited. We will stay with my friend and spend the trip with her. We enjoy Portland, but it just seems to be getting worse and worse for gang activity and violence...so I am somewhat relieved to be making a change this year.

I did spend $$ to book the tickets. I save a little each week to pay for my part of the girls trip- so the money was already banked for this. It is so frustrating to book tickets anymore...the original cost looks great...but if you are taking a sutcase, want to pick a seat, want any fluff whatsoever, the cost goes up quikly. We opted for no frills, and will share one suitcase. Its just a two hour flight, so we will deal with assigned seating for the flight.

Otherwise, I did not spend on anything else today.

Tomorrow, I already have oatmeal cooked, a sandwich and friut are ready for lunch and I plan to make chikcen for dinner...so it should be another no spender tomorrow!

I am just two weeks away from the trip to Alaska with the hub. Getting excited!!

Life is good!

Today was a no spend day. The one thing I DID do Sunday was go grocery shopping. I bought a big thing of chicken breast, some lunch meat and a few other items so that I could cook meals at home and eat frugally this week.

Last night I made some lemon,rosemary, garlic chicken breasts and red potatoes. Enough to feed DD3 and I dinner and lunch today. I made a good batch of oatmeal- which will be breakfast this week.

Tonight I grilled asian chicken and had corn on the cob.

Tomorrow I will have a sandwich for lunch and soup for dinner...
And I have enough for the week. So it should be a no spend week, if I stick to the plan.

DD2 is taking her son (my 8 yo grandson) to a church camp this weekend and she and he have a large dorm type cabin to themselves...so she invited me to go too. There is no cost for going, so I am going to join them. It will be fun to have time with them, as usually they are busy and I have lots of others around when I see them...I think this will give me some quality time with them...and it is up by a gorgeous lake.

All in all, this should be a fairly inexpensive week ahead.

Im still smiling about the meet up this past weekend. Baselle, if you are reading this, we all agreed we would love to meet you someday!! (As well as many others of you!!!) What fun that was!!

What an adventure this past week was. DD3 and I left Thursday morning and spent that night with my son and dil...which means I got to see grandbabies there. I actually was invited to sleep with the kids...which always makes for an interesting, but totally special nights sleep.

DD3 and I got up early and headed to Napa to meet up with keeping it frugal, Swimgirl, Monkey Mama, and Looking Forward. We were the first to arrive, so we got a coffee and we enjoyed wondering if any of the female customers were our new friends...very fun to not know what the others looked like...

I turned around at one point and there was Laura..I recognized her smile instantly. Next was Monkey Mama and big monkey..and then Swimgirl and finally Looking Forward. We sat and visited for a while. We had such fun getting personally acquanted with friends we knew so well online. That was so amazing.

I felt like I was sitting and visiting with dear old friends. LoookingForward had to depart for a very busy day, but the rest of us headed over to San Fran to spend an incredibly fun day - I thoroughly enjoyed getting to spend the day with everyone.

The day ended all too quickly and Keeping it Frugal, DD3 and I headed over to San Jose for the night. We got to the hotel at 11pm and all crashed. The next morning we got up and went to a great little cafe called stacks for some breakfast (yummy!) and then went to the Winchester Mystery house for the tour. THat was interesting and fun. Then we stopped by Lauras aunts house for a quick visit and then back off to Napa to, sadly, drop Laura back off to her brothers house.

It was about 7pm...and DD3 and I decided that sleeping in our own beds sounded best...but it also meant a very long drive...but we arrived home shortly after midnight.

This morning I am reflecting on the weekend, feeling so blessed to have joined SA 6 years ago and made friends with such WONDERFUL ladies...I cant tell you how neat it was to meet each of them.

FUN TIMES.

Today will be busy playing catch up and getting ready to go back to work. It was a crazy busy whirlwind of a few days, but a trip I will forever cherish.

Hugs to all of you. Cant wait to meet up again!!

I am up to $92 in cash rebates on my loyalty visa. I put most of our purchases on that card now and pay it off before any finance charges are incurred. The card will pay 1% cash back up to $500 per year. If I hit the $500, I will switch over to the mileage card - which I earned enough points for my flight to Alaska in August. In addition to the 1% cash back, I get about 10% off everywhere I shop because of the relationship the credit union has with the merchant.

The store I usually shop at offers $ off on gas for points. I usually save at least 10 cents off per gallon at each fill up. THEN, they send a rebate for purchases. Today I used two of the loyalty coupons...$2 off meat and $2 off veggies...plus $8.62 off any purchase as a loyalty rebate to my purchases last month.

My job gives me 10% of all interest earned/paid each year as a loyalty rebate...which was about $300 last year.

I love being paid for my loyalty to places.

Alaska airlines rewards the hub with free upgrades and flights because of his loyalty.

Kohls rewards me with 30% off occasionally coupled with Kohls cash.

Of course, I try to always balance loyalty with the best deal. Sometimes, being loyal doesnt make sense if there is a killer deal somewhere else. However, when all things are equal, I go with loyalty.

Loyalty pays...and I love reaping the rewards.

Is it really Sunday night already? This weekend flew by...Im not so sure I am ready to go back to work tomorrow!

The hub and I are pooped, so we ordered a delivery pizza for dinner tonight. Not cheap, ($30) but certainly easy. He still is mixed up on days and nights, he has been up since 2am. I hope he catches up tonight now that we are home alone.

This is going to be a busy week at work. Lots of early meetings all week. The good thing is when the hub is home, dinner is taken care of and I can take leftovers for lunch.

I mentioned that we went to Kohls yesterday and used the Kohls cash...our portion was $4 after sales, etc...when we finished checking out the associate said, "You saved $76 dollars today"...for a pair of shorts and a shirt...Markup on clothes is ridiculous. Thank goodness for sales, coupons, and Kohls cash.

We almost have the meetup next month finalized. I am really looking forward to it. I am eager to meet my cyber buddies...

I had $30 in Kohls cash from last week. The hubs ears perked up when I mentioned it...so one of the errands we ran this afternoon was to Kohls since the cash was expiring today. He found sales on a nice shirt for work and a new pair of shorts. The total for both was $34 or $4 out of pocket. Besides carhart pants and cold weather gear, he rarely gets new clothes, so it was great to see him interested in getting something. (especially since it deviated from jeans and tshirts like he normally wears!!)

The hub is safely home and the kids are wrapping up a fun week with us. I am so blessed.

The hub has his days and nights completely mixed up. He woke up at 3 this morning and went to the gym and then did some grocery shopping. Now he is asleep. The grandbabies are snacking on watermelon while I heat dinner (some chicken nuggets, mini-corn-dogs and veggies. I have loved having them here, but the hub is ready for a quiet house tomorrow. That is bittersweet to me. But I will see them again next month when we head down for the SA Meetup.

The hub and I did get out a little while this afternoon by ourselves. Dd3 came over to see the kids..so we went to grab a quiet bite to eat. We discussed finances. While he is working 3/3 (three weeks on/three weeks off) we need to cut his monthly allowance back a little. He is fine with that. The 4/2 allowance is $300 more...but 3/3 doesnt really allow that much extra. I was worried he wouldnt agree, but he is fine with it. He still gets money for gas, house repairs for the 2nd house, allowance and $100 towards his goal of saving $1000. Once he goes back on 4/2 we will bump him back up for added savings towards his toys (or whatever)

Once dinner is done, its bath time, book time, and then bed time. I will miss our routine and all the sweet smiles that go along with it.

Life is sweet.

What working woman doesnt LOVE to come home to a house cleaned by someone else? Today, my daughters cleaned the house while I was at work. What a wonderful surprise to come home to!!! DD1 wanted the Sac babies to spend one more night at her house with the cousins tonight...and DD3 wants to pick her dad up at the airport at midnight. SO...I am home, no one to take care of, clean house and dont have to get up at midnight...and I have a three day weekend ahead. Uh, OH YEAH....This is one happy gramma.

The Sac babies will be here an extra day, so letting them go tonight was not too hard. :/

The hub asked to hang out at home this rotation and not plan any trips. Primarily because he has about 5 firewood orders he needs to fill, one of them is for 6 cords. So, we dont have any plans. The extra money from the wood business will be extra savings. He is partnering with a friend that owns a log truck, so the log loads are really inexpensive...alot of it just a barter for work on the log truck. He will probably earn an extra $2000 in the next 3 weeks. The hub is a hard worker..thats for sure.

Not much else happening tonight. Life is good!