In The Refiner's Fire

Heirloom zinnias in my garden this summer - so pretty! After two weeks away, I spent much of my free time this week catching up on yard work - our yard was a jungle (or at least it felt like it!).  I have weeded and weeded and weeded and dug out four volunteer trees from the flowerbeds that seem to have sprouted overnight.  The yard looks so much better now and I am feeling like I might actually be caught up - or at least almost. Here are some of the frugal things we did this week * We ate all meals at home this week, except one that was at a church event. * John brought home leftover apple pie and ice cream after the last day of Vacation Bible School at church - the pie would have been thrown away, as would the ice cream.  We enjoyed both! * We were able to bring home unused, uncooked pasta, some chips, two packages of dried plums, and 4 cans of soda pop after another church event. * We picked tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers from the garden this week. * ...

Flowers from my garden - I picked these as an "Anniversary Bouquet" for us.  We celebrated 21 years this week! It is August already.  Summer just flew by here this year - we were busy, busy and did a lot of different things this week.  We had a lovely beginning to August - we spent two weeks Camping at Minnesota State Parks.  We ended July at one park and then switched to another park for the first full week in August.  We love hiking and find the State Parks to be a great place to both hike and get away from everything going on in our every day life and just relax.  They make for quite an affordable vacation and we enjoy it very much.  We "cheat" and stay in a camper cabin - a rustic cabin with walls, roof, windows, door, bunks and a table and benches.  Some have electricity and some do not.  They do not have indoor plumbing.  We love it and rain is no big deal - we just hunker down and play cards, read, put puzzles together and ...