Gramma Ray's Blog

Wow. Our state is on fire. The air quality has hit hazardous on DEQs website. I have never been in conditions like this. It looks like a really heavy orange-ish fog, but when you step outside, it is like being surrounded by campfire smoke. I pray for the firefighters who are fighting more than 100 that have destroyed over 30,000 acres.

Today was a no-spend day. Leftovers all the way. Tonight I am putting my next crockpot fixins together and will toss them in tomorrow morning. Im going to try lemon rosemary chicken. I normally bake it, but I thought I would try making it in the crockpot.

The plan I spent the last month working on was reviewed and approved today. YAY. It is nice when you work so hard on a project and it receives praise. Totally made my day!

My son's little ones are coming for a visit next week. They have to share their time with three different grammas, but I will get to see them at least two nights. So excited!

Lots to be happy about and look forward to! Now if some rain would just come along and knock out all the fires and a good wind would blow the smoke away!

With all that's been going on, I totally forgot that I did this.

I needed to buy coffee a few weeks ago. The cost of our normal brand was almost double what the cost of a competitor was. But the hub prefers the stuff we normally buy (or so he thinks). So, I bought the less expensive brand and when I got home, I poured it into the empty container from the normal stuff...and guess what. I completely forgot it wasn't what the container said, and he didn't notice.

Hmmm...this makes me wonder. What else are we stuck on? Definitely something to ponder.

I got my errands all done this morning. (Grocery shopping and gas)

I put a beef roast and green chilis into the crockpot. This will make great shredded beef for tacos, burritos, french dip or bbq beef sandwiches.

Chicken breast was on sale, so I picked up some rosemary to make lemon rosemary chicken later in the week.

I got the makings for caprice on toasted sourdough- one of my FAVs.

I think meals are all set for the week!

I filled my tank on the way home- work clothes are all clean and ready. The only things on the to list- vacuum, wash sheets and read. My kinda Sunday afternoon for sure.

I am being treated to a special breakfast this morning. My 9 yo grandson is making pancakes all by himself. Usually he makes them with some help, but today he asked to do it solo. So, I am sitting back and observing. He clearly has been paying attention. I am so proud of him!

DD2 is working all weekend so she needed sitters for the kids. I volunteered for today- Not sure what the plan is for tomorrow.

2 hrs later:
I have some chicken breast in the slow cooker. I have several loads of laundry washed, line dried and put away- just 1 more to go. GS has played with the dogs, rode his bike, played a video game. Its getting really hot outside again today and its really smoky because of all the fires. Neither conducive to my asthma. So, once my quilt is dried, we are going to load up and head into town. I need to refill the water bottles- which I will do at DD1s and let GS play with his cousins for a bit. Then, GS need a new pair of tennis shoes, so I will take care of that. Id love to stop by the library, but GS says he hates to read...but I am tempted to see if I can change his mind. So many adventures to take inside those books!

GSs mom gets off at 6, so I will drop him off and head home for some peace and quiet, that yummy chicken, and one of my books.

A few hours later:
Well, plans changed slightly. When I stopped by DD1's the cousins wanted to come back home with us, so the three of the kids have been here all afternoon playing, arguing, eating, arguing and eating.

But I think they are having fun. Hopefully a parent will be picking them all up in a couple more hours and there will be quiet time for gramma. Im bushed.

All laundry is done and put away. The chicken is cooking away. And I have a nice bottle of something fruity and semi-potent chilling in the fridge.

Life is good.

Breathing space. Today I am enjoying a little bit of this, sometimes taken for granted, gift. When you are in the throes of things like tough personal issues, an overwhleming work load, family concerns, you forget how nice it is to have a clear mind and time to think. Today is a breathing space kinda day...finally.

My paycheck hit the account, but no bills are due until next Wednesday, so it will just hang in the account until then.

August and September are busy birthday months. 8 birthdays and an anniversary. However, I budget for birthdays all year and deposit each month to cover them, so the money is there for gift cards, gifts or cash. This weekend, I plan to get some of the shopping in..hopefully find a deal or two...or 8.

This weekend I hope to clean the little house, get some grocery shopping in, read, and spend time with the kids/grandkids.

Life is back to being good.

My raise hits my paycheck tomorrow for the first time. This is also a week that the hub does not get paid. Fortunately, my check will cover all the bills through the end of the month.

Today was a no spend day. I had leftovers for lunch and dinner. I cant believe there are people who don't enjoy leftovers. Cheap, easy and lots of times better than the original meal! Such is the case with the slow cooker teriyaki chicken with jasmine rice that I made yesterday. The rice really soaked up the flavors and tasted so good tonight!

In lieu of everything this past month or so, we put the big house repairs on hold. I am perfectly comfortable in the little house- DD3 and her friend are perfectly content in the big house as is...and this will give us time to decide what is most important. Honestly, the little house and the RV may end up being 'home'. However, this is a decision that I want to take time to make. There is no rush since everything is working for now. Each day I am finding my footing.

At work, I have been tackling a huge project. I am responsible for writing and maintaining the plan if a disaster hits- aka Disaster Recovery or Business Continuity. There is so much involved in a plan like that. After over a month of complete focus, I completed it today. THANK GOODNESS. So much work, time and brain drain into something you HOPE you never have to use. But if a Tsunami, Pandemic, Explosion, Terrorist attack, or major power failure, etc. occurs, we have a plan.

My next project is moving, documenting, storing or destroying several hundred boxes of old records. DO I know how to party or what?

Actually, I love my job. Never a dull moment if you like this kinda stuff. Which oddly, I do.

My DIL's dad was in a pretty bad accident yesterday. Totally not his fault. A lady and her son were waiting to turn left when a young man (18) rear ended them and knocked their car into the intersection directly in the path of DILs father, who was driving a big rig. The little boy, age 5, didn't make it. and the mom is critical. I feel so bad for everyone involved. All of their lives changed forever in an instant. I know DILs dad will never be the same. He is such a caring person, this will forever haunt him. But I cant imagine the impact on the kid that hit the car...and worse, the pain the mom will endure. Something like this always pulls your perspective back to whats important.

Took the hub to the airport today. Before I left home, I put three frozen boneless chicken breasts in the crock pot. Sprinkled each with a little garlic salt, seasoned salt and some teriyaki sauce. When I got home tonight, I made some jasmine rice in the rice cooker. Viola! Dinner was made in just 15 minutes! I love my crockpot and rice cooker for this very reason. I have plenty of leftovers for two more meals.

We bartered our old travel trailer for 4 loads of wood- which means about $7-8000 to us. The trailer was tired. We have had it almost 15 years. It had taken us on many adventures, been a home for DD1 and her family for a year, housed the hub for almost a year, and provided shelter for the guy who bought it whenever he needed a place to stay. It was time for us to retire it. We haven't camped in it for almost 2 years.

So...we replaced it with a new 5th wheel. My hope is that the new purchase will provide a hobby that we both enjoy while we fix what's broken. This is a purchase that we will use through retirement- hopefully. We both have missed the ability to hook up and go..and are excited to have the option again. We pick it up when the hub comes home next. It will also give us a small, but much needed tax deduction.

We shopped around, and ended up travelling several hours to buy it..and saved over $7000 off of the local dealers lowest price. It was not cheap, but I felt we got a good deal.

100,094.39!

As promised, have a seat and enjoy a slice of cake and some champagne! My 401k hit my first milestone today! Woot!

It took 6 years to get here...hopefully the next milestone will arrive a little quicker!



The hub heads back to Alaska tomorrow. I feel like we made progress on working through the issues.

$99972.27....

slow growth is still growth.

Maybe tomorrow will be the day.

DD3 sent me the happiest picture today. She is in Alaska on a mini vacation and they went fishing. Here she is with her catch:



The smile says it all!

I bought two Christmas gifts today. I was at the office supply store and they had fancy earbuds with mics.. on clearance (who couldn't use a new pair of earbuds!) One pair- normally $30 on clearance for $2.97. Another pair, normally $40 on clearance for $3.97. YES!!! They are pink, so any of the girls would like them.

I went to the library yesterday. Im such a library fan. Unfortunately, there is talk of budget cuts closing our local system. I sure hope it doesn't happen. Yesterday, the branch I visited was very busy. Young, old, teens, - all ages, enjoying this public service.

I found 7 books and 2 books on CD to check out.

A frugal cookbook
three books on frugality
one on organizing
and two novels

R heads back to Alaska on Wednesday, which will mean plenty of time for reading.

My 401k is still $293 away from the milestone.. my fingers are crossed that the rollover happens this week!

I feel like I am watching a pot, waiting for it to boil. My 401k has beenthisclose for a few months hovering just under 100K. Today, $98500. CMON!!!

I want to celebrate the benchmark already! When it happens we will celebrate with cyber cake and champagne!

But alas...I am waiting...waiting...eagerly waiting.

My new title and raise have taken effect...or is it affect...I never know.

Anyways, its official and I am so proud to have achieved a position I never thought Id achieve. I am now a VP.

We removed the old carpet from the country house and oh my goodness, the odor went with the carpet. THANK GOODNESS. With each small change I am more optimistic about the house.

R has been home for a week. We have had some really tough conversations...REALLY TOUGH. For now, we will work on making it work.

The goal of being debt free except for the mortgage is on track for the end of the year. If nothing else, this year has been a successful one for debt repayment.

Once debt is paid..the goal will become retirement saving and house payoff.

All else is good.

I learned this afternoon that I am getting a raise and that my title is changing! I am still responsible for the same things, but because the company has grown so much this year, the new title is more in-line with industry standards. This means that at the beginning of the year, when they redo the pay-scale, my pay will adjust to the higher title/scale. NICE!

Today was another HOT one. It was 103 when I got off work, which makes this little house so uncomfortable. I may get a second air conditioner to help. I actually dread coming home knowing the house will be hot until after 8pm each night. With DD3 and her friend renting the rooms, the electricity bill should be covered even with a second unit..or I may see about getting a bigger one and seeing if that does it. Im just ready to do whatever it takes at this point.

I am excited to pay off, what was, one of our largest cc debts next month. It started at $24k at the beginning of the year and is now down to $6k. After this bill is paid off, we have one final cc bill to pay that is at 0% interest through next April. We owe $8500 on it. I will probably just make minimum payments on it until next April and then pay it in a lump sum.

I owe just over $7k on my car, which will be the next focus and should be PIF by end of year.

And then, we are down to only house payments. AMAZING. This has definitely been a year of debt repayment. (among other things)

The repairs on the big house are on hold until. Right now, getting rid of all debt is more important and will allow decisions to be made without the extra worry.

Big smile tonight. I needed this boost to my confidence. Its been a tough month.

My 9 year old grandson spent the night last night. It was nice to spend one on one time with him and to have the outside space for him to run and play. Staying here is a much better solution than an apartment would have been.

We got up this morning and GS made us pancakes- not quite from scratch like we have in the past, but from a mix that I had on hand. Of course, he is an old pro at adding the 'secret' ingredients, since we have made pancakes and waffles together since he was first old enough to stand on a chair in my kitchen. Even mixes need the secret ingredients to make the pancakes/waffles taste right. (Vanilla and cinnamon, but don't tell!) Thankfully, he determines just the right amount of each- and every batch is his best ever.

He even got creative and surprised me with this one:


Then, we went outside before it got too hot and he played while I read. His mom picked him up about noon.

I am trying to read more with my free time. I use the library regularly again and also have several books on my kindle that I haven't read. So far, sticking with free reading options is working out. I love Amazons option of sampling books before you buy them. If one grabs my attention, I put it on reserve at the library.

I splurged tonight and took DD3 and her roommate out to dinner. (The girls are renting rooms in the big house). It was too darn hot in either house to want to cook, and Mexican sounded good to all of us. Dinner plus tip for 3 - $45.

This was a good weekend. I actually was able to relax and enjoy myself. Its been a while.

Today was a hot one, for sure. But it was also productive and fulfilling.

This morning I put ribs in the crockpot and let them slow cook all day- they turned out so tender and yummy! And I made enough so that I now have leftovers for several days!

I sat outside this morning reading my kindle, did all my laundry and line dried everything- including sheets!, DD2 stopped by with the kiddos and GS (9) stayed and is spending the night, cleaned the little house, took GS to the country store for a treat this afternoon (I still remember days with my grandma and how much the treats meant!!), sat outside with DD3 and GS at dusk and enjoyed the breeze- finally relief from the day's heat..and now GS and I are watching a movie together before bed.

R has continued to let his direct deposit go into my account, so I have paid all bills, set aside money for his gas and expenses when he is home, and put everything else towards debt. We are now down to just over $6000 on the debt that started at $24k at the beginning of the year. At this rate, that bill will be PIF in August.

I have one unsecured debt, that is zero interest through next April, that will be paid by then of $8000.

Then, the debts are down to my car and the houses.

YAY.

Zillow continues to show the values of the houses increasing nicely. (between both, about $15k in the past 4 months) And my 401k is bouncing back from last months dip- still waiting for it to surpass $100k.

Today was the first day I felt almost normal and content in almost a month. It was nice to have my mind on fun stuff and not in constant stress mode.

DD3 and a friend of hers have asked to rent two of the bedrooms in the big house for a couple of months. They will also use the kitchen, bathroom and laundry- in return, they will pay $300 per month. Since the house project is on hold, I was ok with the idea, so long as they keep it tidy. It is nice to have company out here, and they have agreed to take care of the dogs. We will take it month to month and see how it goes.

R comes home next week. Clearly there is lots to think about and discuss when he gets here...but for now I plan on enjoying the time to myself.

One of my all-time favorites:

Caprese on toasted sourdough:


Add a little butter, margarine or olive oil to the bread and sprinkle with garlic salt.

Toast the bread (tonight I used the electric skillet)

flip toasted side up and add fresh mozzarella cheese- melt.

Pull bread from heat source, cut into desirable pieces and add fresh basil and tomato.

If desired, add a splash of olive oil.


After:


Enjoy!

Happy 4Th everyone!

DD3 arrived home from Alaska yesterday. She went from 38 degrees there, to 100+ here. Needless to say, she was not thrilled with the heat. Thankfully, today it only got to about 90. The little house has actually stayed cool today.

There wasn't much food in the house, so this morning we went out to breakfast. She wanted crepes and biscuits and gravy..I wanted biscuits and gravy and ham. So we ordered a crepe/ham meal and biscuits and gravy on the side- which was much less expensive than two meals and got us both what we wanted! We both just had water to drink. Meal and tip $14

Then, I stopped by DD1s with all my empty water jugs and filled them up. Since the time I saw a frog hanging out on the inside of the holding tank, I don't trust the well water for consumption, so this is my solution- which doesn't cost DD1 a noticeable difference and provides me free water that I trust.

DD3 and a friend of hers want to move into the big house for a couple of months. There are two bedrooms that would work. The bathroom is ready and the kitchen, while old, works. So, they are going to move into the house and pay the electricity bill (which includes the little house) as their rent. It also will give me company out here, and the girls will take care of the dogs. The amount they will pay is way less expensive than rent anywhere- so it is a win win for everyone for now. Especially since the home remodel is on permanent hold.

DD3 and I stopped by the store and bought some groceries- mainly fresh fruits and veggies. I finally remembered to use my reusable bags. $48 for some ribs, milk, bread, cheese veggies, and fruits. The store had my fav bbq sauce on sale for .99 per bottle, so I bought 3! Our pantry and fridge are stocked for the weekend!

I used my electric skillet for the first time tonight to cook dinner. I made red potatoes, corn on the cob and reheated the last of the leftover pork ribs. It was really tasty! Everything cooked in the one skillet so cleanup was a breeze and it didn't heat the house too much.

skillet- 325
appx 5 red potatoes cut into bite size pieces, olive oil and dry onion soup mix sprinkled on top, mix well.
about 10 minutes later, lay corn on top of potatoes cook for about 20 minutes, mixing potatoes occasionally. Adjust heat if needed.
Put leftover pork ribs and sauce in open foil 'dish' in the skillet and let heat for about 10 more mins..until meat is warmed. Easy as can be!

I have leftover red potatoes for other meals.

DD1 and her family are home and she called to go to lunch today. What a nice visit we had! I have missed her. They went to Yellowstone and it sounds like they had a wonderful time.

DD3 gets home on Wednesday morning. I am excited to see her!

The dr. called today and the results were no better with test #2 than they were with test #1, so I have a consultation tomorrow morning for the next procedure. Im ready to have a few stress free days. I had to push myself today to focus at work-

One bite at a time.

Today was one of the more productive days Ive had in several weeks.

I have spent the day at home weeding through the things I thought I needed to bring (which was more than I really needed) and organizing the things that I am keeping in the little house. I am learning that 390 sq ft is plenty of space for one, especially when you stick to the necessities and organize so that everything has a place. The stuff I am moving out, will go out into my dads workshed.

Here are a few of the closets that Im done with:

My closet:


Bathroom:


Above the stove:


Dishes:


This morning I put a pot of boneless ribs in the crockpot. I found a bbq sauce I really like and this will make good leftovers again this week. I also have half the split pea soup I made last weekend ready to defrost for meals this next week.

I also tossed an enchilada casserole together using leftover flour tortillas, some black beans, green salsa, cheese and olives, which will take care of a couple of meals.

Looking forward to a 4 day work week ahead. DD1 is home from their vacation and DD3 comes back from Alaska in a few days- DD3 is going to stay in the big country house for a while- so I will have someone to visit with in the evenings.
And a final picture...of my cat. Sometimes, you just want to sit in a paper grocery bag:

My internet hasn't been working the past two days. I semi-embraced the forced 'unplug' but missed reading the blogs.

I used part of the time to reorganize my tiny bathroom and it is now much more functional.

There is very little on TV that I want to watch. Even with the "free premium channels" that the provider tossed in to the move deal. Those will definitely go away when the trial period is over. Since I would not subscribe to it, but R wants it, I am budgeting the expense to come out of his account.

Yesterday WAS payday THANK GOODNESS. I paid my bills and have some left over that I will allocate this weekend to different save/spend buckets. Working two budgets, with both paychecks hitting the same checking account, then splitting some of the bills and directing others to "his or mine" makes for a tricky spreadsheet. I haven't got it perfected yet. I am using two checking accounts, but the bills are all allocated to come out of one of those. I will have to work on simplifying this process.

Today is a girls day with DD2. She is kid free for the morning, so we are going to take advantage of the opportunity.

Update on Z:
The case worker says that he will be moving to N Dakota with bio-gramma in 30-45 days. Neither bio gramma or bio mom have taken advantage of phone visits and haven't spoken/skyped with Z in a few months now.

Time will tell. He had a major success this week, he went potty in is little training toilet. He was so proud of himself.

Only two days until payday. I am ready for Friday.

I bought two citronella candles today, which was my only spending. I am averse to mosquitos. They spread disease and make you itch, neither quality appealing at all. Sitting outside at dusk, here in the country, is always a slap-fest this time of year- so I am hoping the candles will help. $11

Lunch was split pea soup (from the crockpot batch I made over the weekend) and dinner was a tamale from Costco.

With DD1 off on vacation with her family, DD2 working lots of OT, DD3 in Alaska, and DS living in Cali...life has been uncharacteristically....QUIET. I am ready for grandkids to come visit again.


Totally OT...

I had a 6 month recheck on my annual exam yesterday. Fingers crossed that it comes back with different (better) result from the initial exam. There are just some things us women should only have to endure every 12 months at most. The good news, I have lost 10 lbs since my last visit.

Today was a no spend day. Left over bbq pork for lunch and chili verde tacos for dinner. And tomorrow I have soup ready for lunch and will have chili verde enchiladas.

Love love love the slow cooker. I took a pack of boneless pork ribs and browned them right in the slow cooker..then seasoned them with garlic salt, seasoned salt and pepper and let them slow cook for a few hours. When they were done, I halved the meat into ziplock bags and one bag got bbq sause, the other green salsa.

Tonight I had guests...three of these little guys were passing through:

I made split pea soup in the crockpot yesterday. The pot full of soup cost under $5 and there is enough soup for many meals, plus some to freeze.

To break it up a little, today I am cooking boneles pork ribs, again in the crock pot. (Love my crockpot! Even cooking for one is so easy!) Part of the pork will be used in chili verde tacocs and enchiladas, the rest will be pulled pork sandwiches. I have everything necessary except sandwich bread, which I will get later in the week.

I spent $60 at the gocery store yesderday- which, except for the bread, is all that I need for the week. I still have some of the black bean soup that I made last week, that I am going to refreeze for later in the week or next weekend.

I splurged on my hair today. I had it cut and colored again. Cost plus tip = $100. (ouch)..my rationalization is that if it helps my very bruised heart a little, it is money well spent. I LOVE my new look. I also gave myself a pedi today. I honestly feel 51 instead of 52. kidding.

Other than gas for the car and $4 to get into the community kids club with my grandkids yesterday, that is all I have spent. Starting with my payday next Friday, there will be extra money to pay back for today's haircut and my "extras" account will start to rebuild. I will be budgeting for hair care from now on..I just feel better with a nice cut.

My girls have suggested that we take a girls trip down to southern Calif to visit my friend. I have been looking into airfare and it has really gone up. However I have a companion ticket credit and about $250 in credit that I can use on Alaska Air, so I am seriously considering it. My friends birthday is the beginning of August, which would be a good time for all of us.

Yesterday was actually a fun day for work. I got to go to the coast and work on small, miscellaneous projects. Nothing intense or taxing...just minor and fulfilling. A very welcomed change to the normal pace.

Since I was on the road all day, lunch was on the job. The weather was sunny and gorgeous, so we sat outside and enjoyed the warm sushine while we ate. Sitting in the sun always makes ice tea taste so much better!

When I got home, I took a bag of frozen soup out to thaw for the weekend. There is nothing better than 'free' leftovers when you are stretching a budget. This weekend should be low key-

This weekend I plan to scale back on the things I have in the house. There is simply too much for 390 sq ft.

But right now, I am simply enjoying a nice cup of coffee, listening to the birds enjoying their world.

Tough week. I have been hurting inside and out- bruised body and a bruised heart. Hard to focus on finances like this, but its been a fairly frugal week. When you dont eat, you dont spend a lot on food. ugh. Enough of that.

I am keeping my finances separate. I think that is best. Unfortunately, there were lots of joint expenses and I have little to live on until next Friday. He said take what I need, but I am determined to make it on my own salary. All bills are paid, and I have enough for food and gas.

Tomorrow is a big day at work. A huge project is finished and I will finally start to slow down to a semi-normal pace, the first since the beginning of the year...after June 30, work life will get fully back to normal- (which is still busy, but not nearly as ridiculous as the last 6 months)

I wish I had a crystal ball. You would think by my age I would have an idea of what the future looked like.

I needed to return a couple of books to the library today, but the one I usually go to would have been a nightmare to get into because of a community event that was going on downtown. So, I went to one of the smaller ones that was closer to home anyway. Not as much selection, but it was close, there was plenty of parking and I found a book to check out. (the Christmas Fix It and Forget It, a slow cooker cookbook). Even though it is a "Christmas" themed book, it has several recipes I want to try.

When we moved our satellite service, they gave us "premium" channels for no charge for six months. I have yet to find anything on them, so I am glad they are free. I watched DD1s kids for a while today so she and SIL could go on a date for Father's Day. They have given up TV service and instead use Netflix and Hulu. Their cost is about $20. Quite a savings over what satellite and cable cost. I will definitely keep that in mind for future decisions.

I spent $4.25 today. I stopped and bought a ice coffee and a water on my way to DD1's. I found a small insulated lunch box in my dad's shed the other day, and I plan to start using that to cart cold water when I go to town. The coffee was because I didnt sleep too good last night because of the bangs and bruises and I wanted a perk me up to watch the kiddos.

I have an appt for my hair tomorrow, but I am going to call and postpone it until next weekend. I think it still looks ok from the last cut/color...and I am a little too sore to go through the process...although, the black eye would probably look nice with a new do.

R has called every day (at least twice a day) and really wants to work through the problem. I get six free counseling sessions through my job, so I will call next week and make an appointment to help sort out what is best. In the meantime, I am using this month to sort through feelings and heal my heart.

Tomorrow is Father's Day. I miss my dad so much this year. I wouldnt have shared the events of the past couple of weeks with him, but I sure would have enjoyed his stories and hugs. If you still have your dad- I am envious. I know every father/daughter relationship is unique and not all are good ones- but I would truly give anything for a day, an hour..a hug with my dad.

Happy Father's Day to all of our daddy bloggers and visitors! Enjoy YOUR day tomorrow!

OUCH.

I was asked to help out at an event today. All I had to do was ride one of two segways, that were decked out with marketing for my job, around town for a couple of hours. I was nervous, cause I am NOT an adrenaline junkie...AT ALL. But I decided to do it. Everyone else was having fun taking turns..

I made it an hour. Then, I got bumped off, which was no big deal...but when I went to step back on, the darn thing shot towards me and knocked my feel right out from under me and I face planted on the metal bar. My cheek hurts really bad- its swelling and discoloring ...my arm is scraped and bruising, as is my shin...my back is starting to ache and boy, do I feel abused! Thankfully, nothing feels broke. NOT a good start to the weekend.

Plus, my ego is bruised. Dumb segway.

Hopefully, tonight is the worst of it. I have a long to do list this weekend and have no time for any more pity parties.

Today was my payday- I repaid the money that I had borrowed from savings to pay for the hotel last week. ($370) I also repaid savings, put money into the basic checking account, which will cover gas and food and was able to put $300 towards debt.

I had to drive my car this week when I travelled for work. I will turn in a check request next week which will result in about $40.

Last night I stopped by Kohls and asked if I could use my expired 30% off, since I hadnt gotten to use it yet. Thankfully, they said sure..and I bought myself a belated birthday gift...a cute sundress..it was normally was $56, but after the sales price and 30% off, it was only 26. It is cute, comfy and just what I wanted for summer!

Next week, when R's paycheck hits, the state taxes will be paid as well as several bills.

I dont anticipate any extra expenses this week. This weekend I am just sticking close to home. I have the fixins for some soup, which should provide dinner for 3-4 nights and I have several things in the freezer. My treats were coffee creamer and a seedless watermelon.

Aside from being pretty sore, swollen and bruised...life is good!

After the craziness of the past couple of weeks, it is blissfully quiet in the little house tonight. I can hear birds, crickets, a few dogs barking in the far off distance, but other than that, it is peaceful.

R really wants to keep his deposits coming to the joint account and asked me to keep taking care of finances jointly. Since he makes much more than the bills, this isn’t an issue. Everything is set up to auto pay anyway. I will continue to track everything so that it can be easily divided- and put all extra towards the last of the unsecured debt. Any big house repairs are on hold for now.

I am looking forward to life in the little house for the next month. I have my black lab and my cat to keep me company. They love country living. My cat, who was Mr. GQ in the city house, always groomed and proper, has comfortably and happily slipped into the role of redneck kitty. He is now a dirty little guy who looks like pigpen from Charlie Brown when he lies down, with a big puff of dust settling around him- but he clearly enjoys the new life style. Both he and the dog love going for walks with me when I get home from work.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the value of my home went up significantly on Zillow this week. If the zestimate is anywhere near accurate, I am now just about back to what I owe on it. A nice feeling, after watching it nosedive about $40k into the red the past two years and then climb painfully slow back up to black. I will take whatever good financial news I can get.

Tonight I definitely feel like coming back to the little house was the right decision. I love knowing the grandkids have plenty of room to play here- (I plan to resume date nights next week!) plus I am going to save about $1500-1800 month on rent and utilities- and I have my pets.

For tonight, life is good!

I am humbled by everyone's support. This has been a very tiring experience. Thank you.

I was not as successful as Id originally hoped on finding another place. Apartments dont really leave room for the grandkids to play outside and houses I realistically can afford are either very run down or in a questionable area. Neither of which are desireable. I miss my house. What is frustrating is that no matter what angle I approach it, I will be paying very close to what my house payment is for these places.

My moms little place is free. So, I am going to stay in the little house for now. He goes back to Alaska tomorrow, so I have the next month to figure things out and save some money. My pride takes one for the financial team.

It is easy when you are in the throes of anger to know exactly what you will do. Then reality sets in. I am extremely confused, disappointed, hurt, and sad. I dont think it was as bad as I originally thought, but the lie is still there. He is extremely remorseful. Counseling may be the short term answer, at least for me.

But enough of that. I have a month to determine what to do.

Pull up a chair and have a slice of birthday pie with me...I am 52 years old today!

DD3 landed on the Slope this afternoon for her summer job. She is such a great daughter- she had one of her friends deliver a fresh strawberry pie out here today. HOW SWEET! My mom used to make sure I had one every year on my birthday..and since she has been gone, DD3 makes sure to get mom one. (Even when she is thousands of miles away in Alaska!!) I am so blessed!

I am wrapping up a busy four day weekend. The hub and I spent most of it working on the big house and squeezing in some RnR.

Yesterday I decided to really deep clean the bathroom in the big house. There is just something yucky about scrubbing (someone else's) grime that has been accumulating for probably a year. Uh, beyond YUCK actually. But, I used several pairs of gloves and LOTS of those mechanic-strength blue paper towels. It took almost two hours, but when I was done the bathroom was completely disinfected and it sparkled. Today I stopped by the dollar store and bought a new shower curtain liner. We will need to move electrical switches and outlets and hang a new mirror, but otherwise, now that it is cleaned, I dont think we need to redo anything major. I had budgeted $3000 for the bathroom, but I think it will end up costing under $500 for electrical and drywall repairs and new mirrors.

Let me take a step back and talk a little about the home repair budget. When we first decided to move back to the country, I made a list of all the things I thought I needed. The budget was a minimum of $40,000 but could have easily gone way above that amount.

Thankfully, the semi-frugal part of my brain (and my desire to retire eventually) has kicked into gear and I have re-examined wants vs needs vs goals.

Because the one of the load bearing walls in the living room is not sealed well, and therefore neither weather or pest resistent- plus the brick work on the fireplace (same wall) is crumbling...AND the wood stove is too small for the house and doesnt heat properly, repairing this wall is a NEED. The estimated cost for this wall, plus new brick work and a new wood stove =$12,000-15,000. This is our first and main priority.

New kitchen cupboards would be really nice...but they are not a need, they are a want. As are updated appliances. However, the budget jury is still out on whether or not this will make the budget cut.

New flooring is a need, since what is currently in the house has been damaged by pets...and given the state of that bathroom, for my peace of mind, new flooring is a must for me.

New paint falls into the need category, in my opinion. Patch jobs, half painted walls, kids allowed to use markers, have all factored into this. I will probably hire my sons mother in law (who owns a painting company) to do the painting. having someone else paint, is a want. I could paint on my own, but the house will need to be painted in July or August. The heat and the fumes dont sound AT ALL fun to an asthmatic-menopausal gramma.

Laundry was all washed and line dried. I have missed my clothesline. I love the smell of line dried sheets!

We went to lunch today with SIL who just started six months of chemo. He has been through round one and has lost some weight. It was good to visit with him. He has such an amazing outlook.

The hub is going to bbq some steaks and corn on the cob tonight- which will be followed up by the pie!

And tomorrow, its back to work.

The hub was up early this morning to work on a log truck for a friend. The friend will bring the hub a truck load of logs as payment, which we will cut and process for firewood this winter for the country house, and to sell. The hub has regular customers each year of about 15-20 cords.

The hubs nephew moved about 70% of his stuff out today. We will start working on cleaning the house out tomorrow. The carpet in the two small bedrooms does not appear to be too bad. I may try a good cleaning on those to see if they are salvagable. One of the rooms will become the grandkids play/sleepover room.

The other bedroom will be a craft room for me.

This afternoon we needed to run to town. A couple of weeks ago, I had bought a tri-tip dinner from a door-to-door sale for our local high school cheerleaders. $25 for a bbqd tri tip, salad, bread and cookies What a deal! Today, we picked it up and then stopped by the city house to pick up our broom and kitchen trash can- two things we forgot to grab. DD1 is working diligently to get unpacked and settled, but they have a ways to go.

On our way back out to the little house, we stopped and bought some agave nector for my tea, wet dog food, coffee creamers and milk.

Our grandson asked to come and stay the night. He is NINE already. So he came over this afternoon and played hard. He is sound asleep.

The hub is really enjoying the TV- I am in the bedroom with no tv and enjoying the peace and quiet.

Today was a vacation day.

The hub made an appointment (and paid!) for a side by side massage for us! What a treat! A foot soak and neck wrap, followed by an hour of stop-it-some-more massage, followed by a sauna and shower..uh, yessss!

Then, I had to get my driver's license renewed ($40). The DMV always takes so long- but an hour and a half later, we were done with that chore. While we were there, we got the paperwork ($4)to dispose of an old vehicle that no longer runs- I cant find the title, so this is the alternate option. The hub will be selling it for scrap.

Then, we went to lunch and enjoyed a lunch of mexican food.

Today was also payday for both the hub and I. Because it was the third payday this month, my paycheck had a little over $100 extra because the extra deductions dont come out when there are three paydays in a month. That extra was easily gobbled up when we went to Costco this afternoon and bought a memory foam topper for our bed. We are sleeping on a smaller bed, that is not the quality of our king sized bed, so we are hoping this topper will help. We also got a tri-tip, dog food, and some food for the week and supplies. We spent $270. (OUCH) When does this simple living plan start equating to spending LESS? Honestly, I think we are done getting everything we needed for the little house, with the exception of fixing the AC.

Tonight the hub is working on his friends log truck up near the hubs wood yard- it is so nice to be out here and not in town. While they are working, I have been reading one of the books I checked out from the library. "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed. It is interesting. I can relate with the author, who lost her mother and then struggled with dealing with her grief. I am enjoying the read...and having the TV off while the hub is occupied outside.

Tomorrow should be a stay at home, no spend day, which I am really looking forward to.