Grateful

This week has been so quiet. That is what I am most grateful for today. I have been able to focus more completely on these two who just light up my life everyday. They were both so excited to go outside and play. How can you not love winter when you see how much the people you love most enjoy it??? Because of the "blizzard" yesterday, my class last night was canceled. I was supposed to take a test and so all my time yesterday was allotted to studying. I was so grateful to have that time to play with my kids instead. We didn't even leave the house. We built castles, played chutes & ladders, played with animals and more. It was so nice. I am looking forward to the next four days. Jarom gets to spend it all with us. His job and church calling are so demanding that we haven't had a whole day with him to ourselves in months. We need it!!!

So Thankful

My heart is so full today. And breaking. Is that possible? Can I be so incredibly grateful for my little family and my big family while at the same time feeling so heartbroken for another little family and big family? Earlier this morning I heard sirens. That in and of itself is not so unusual, but they were a little too close to my house. I had the fleeting thought, "I hope that is not for someone I know." I went about the rest of my day only to receive a phone call a few hours later that my neighbor lost her husband this morning. So yes, the sirens were headed to someone I know. I am so heartbroken for her. They were high school sweethearts. Married at 18. Four children and 15 years of marriage later they were still madly in love. He had cancer and beat it. He was diagnosed with Khron's (spelling??) disease last year. And now he's gone. My friend has to face life alone and raise her 3 teenagers and young son alone. I can't even imagine. And that is why I am so grateful that I have my little family around me today. You just never know when that day will come. That day that you have to wake up without someone that you love. I hope that day doesn't come for a long, long time for me.

Q

I have a new obsession. I can't believe I have gone so many years without using these really great tools. Seriously!!!!! How come no one has clued me in? I have tried off and on for a few years to save money on groceries by couponing. I am just not good at it. I would spend an hour or more on cutting coupons and making my list only just to blow almost my entire grocery budget on random items that didn't really equal to meals. So I've gone back to planning a menu based on the sale ads alone and have been consistently under budget since. I buy tons of fresh produce, things for food storage, and a few extras all while staying under my budget just on sales alone. I still use coupons on a good sale on things like cereal, snack items, etc. So on to my new obsession. I've signed up for several deal a day sites like groupon, screamin' daily deals, and more. I also started following a couple of blogs that are great at telling you where the really great deals are to be found online. I don't have to spend hours on these. The updates for the daily deals come to my e-mail, and if I like it then I can buy it. The blogs I view through google reader (which I love) and just few the posts that catch my interest. Here are a couple of examples of things I have purchased recently for Christmas:
**Two pair of rainboots for my kids from Kidorable for $12 shipped (the boots alone retail for $50)
**Lucky brand lounge pants shipped for $9 and some change (retail for around $45 I think?)
**Jarom is getting a really awesome birthday present. Something he has wanted to do for a very long time, but it's pricey. Well I got the package for 50% off so there you go.
**8 pair of baby legs for $19 shipped (these retail for $8-$10 per pair) I love, love baby legs!
**Two wristbands to Jungle Jims for $3 ($8.95 each normally)

So I got rainboots to give to the kids for Christmas, pajama pants for me, birthday present for Jarom, stash of baby gifts, entertainment for the kids. I could keep going. The point is that I am saving money on entertainment, gifts, and other everyday things. I am so tempted to take advantage of every deal, but I am only doing the ones that would be a part of our everyday expenditures anyways.

yAHOO!