In The Refiner's Fire

This week has gone by in a flash!  I can't believe that we're already into summer session and only have a couple of weeks of school remaining for the children.  We finally have real "spring" weather - warm evenings and breezy days with sunshine or light rain.  I'm loving it!  I'm hoping we'll be able to get the fire pit out soon and have a bonfire. Saturday looks promising for that.  Out daughter asked if we could get marshmallows and we may just have to! This week has been a tough week with my shingles and I headed in to the doctor and I get to start trying a new medication at bedtime.  I'm hoping it works - I'm really tired of being in severe pain all the time and not being able to do the things I need to do.  That's also why I don't have any photos this week.  No energy to take any! Here's some of the things that we did this week that are in the "frugal" realm: * We planted our flowers/plants that we bought from the f

Our week started with Mother's Day and we've had dance four nights this week - two rehearsals and two recitals.  I feel like I've spent a LOT of time at a theater this week.  I did get a lot of grading done while I waited though, which was good because that's basically all I have left from spring semester at this point! Our unexpected "guests" this week were "empty shells" my daughter brought home from a pond near a friend's house that turned out to be live snails.  Don't worry though, they have been returned to their home. We have a quiet weekend here and I'm hoping to get some yard work done and my seedlings planted.  We'll see if the weather holds for that! Either way, I am planning a nap both Saturday and Sunday either way.  Frugal things this week have been: * We made ginger cookies, rhubarb crisp, chicken wild rice soup, pancakes, and taco soup from scratch this week.  * I picked up a free loaf of bread using a punch

So, these are "Birthday Gifts", but not the kind you usually think of.     Our daughter had a dance competition on her birthday and she desperately wanted to bring treats for her dance line.  The dance studio doesn't allow food treats at competitions due to the mess and the possibility of someone getting an upset stomach.  She was really upset since she really wanted to bring cupcakes.  So we had to look for something else.   Well, they're dancers.    They spend a lot of time on their feet.    They don't wear socks with their tap shoes (they wear tights with their jazz shoes) so their shoes stink.    They have achy and tired feet many days.   Every night our daughter has dance lessons, she comes home and soaks her feet in a basin of hot water with either foot or bath salts.  Two years ago we made peppermint foot soak for her teachers.    She decided we needed to make some of her "No Stinky Feet" (as she calls it) foot powder

 So it's the twin's birthday this week - they turn 11 today (Saturday).  These years have flown so fast and I'm really enjoying being their Mom.   They are at an age right now where they are growing and learning so much and are so much more independent than even a year ago - it's really fun to watch those proverbial wings sprout! It's been pretty frugal week all things considered.  I was hoping to get a frugal flops post done this week but I think we'll have to save that for next week instead.  My parents are visiting and we're so happy to have them here!  We've had a really good first week of their visit and we're looking forward to several more weeks filled with dance events, school concerts and the like.  I'm hoping to get to the Farmer's Market in Downtown St. Paul (my favorite!) next weekend and finish purchasing seedlings for our garden.  We're planning a few more things in the garden than in the past - more beans and strawb

I feel like I'm sort of starting to get a handle on things again - my health has been pretty good this week, we have company right now (which means Mom does my ironing - thanks SO MUCH Mom!) and we're almost done with the semester! YAY!  Plus, the weather has been beautiful this week - perfect for gardening, softball games and eating dinner on the patio!  Bring it on, spring!  We love it! We've been doing a lot of homemade gifts around here and today I'm sharing two gifts my daughter made and one that I made.  Without further ado, here we go! PART 10: PROJECT A: FLEECE BLANKET This one was made by my Missy.  She actually made two - this is the one that she made for my mother-in-law.  My mother-in-law LOVES purple and bright pink - she's a very girly-girl - and we were going to put "Grammie" on it in silver sparkly letters.  Then my daughter realized how difficult it is to work with the silver sparkly embroidery thread and decided that pink and purple

Tulips!  Red ones - we have these growing in our yard right now.  They're so pretty! Our children turn 11 this week!  It's so strange to me that my children are this old!  My son has been doing his own laundry and my daughter has been helping make dinner often.  I'm feeling really blessed.  My parents are arriving this week to stay for a month.  I'm really excited!  My parents are in their 80's now and I realize that many people in their 80's are not as healthy and mobile as my parents are.  We truly treasure this time with them.  Here's what we're eating - feeding 4 adults and two very tall tweens. Sunday, May 1:     Breakfast; Smoothies     Lunch: Cinnamon Biscuit Twists, Pineapple-Strawberry-Pear Salad     Lunch: Soft Pretzels     Dinner: Breakfast Tacos: Eggs, Bacon, Potatoes; Sliced Strawberries Monday, May 2:    Breakfast: Eggs and Toast    Lunch: Leftover Chili (from last week)    Snack: Cookies    Dinner: Hamburger Gravy, R