All shopped out

Maybe the reason we didn't shop this weekend is because I was tired of hunting for bargains after all the grocery shopping I did. In case you didn't know, the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving and Christmas are great for stocking up on groceries. There are usually more coupons in the paper and there are also lots of sales. Combine the two and you can save lots of money on staples. I didn't do as well as I did during the great pasta stockpile of 2010 when I got everything for free or 50 cents/lb or less. But I did get salsa for free and chicken broth for 25 to 50 cents a can, and some canned soup for emergency meals (free). About half of that savings was coupons and the other half was store club member savings. I really dislike having to join store clubs just to save $, but if I don't join, I feel like I'm getting ripped off. I'm pretty sure I'm skewing their statistics because I buy my fruits and vegetables at other stores where the selection is better and cheaper.

My second trip to the store I didn't save quite as much, but on the other hand, I was running out of room in the pantry.
I'm sure there will be more great sales before Christmas so keep an eye out for the ads.

How we spent Black Friday

We slept in and avoided the crowds, although there were a few things I was interested in. Guess that means I saved some money, although there is always cybermonday to tempt me. Instead, we trimmed the trees at Mom's. Well, actually, Mr. Fix-it did the tree trimming. I did the raking and hauling. Guess we have to do what we're best at. We ended up with a pile about 3 feet high and 9 feet long.
Mom really appreciated it and I was so happy Mr. Fix-it didn't mind helping because I'd much rather he do the tree trimming than Mom (and yes, she would attempt to do it herself). And I think the neighborhood hummingbirds liked the pile since they kept flying around and perching on the pile.

Thankful

As most of you know, it has been a tough year for us. My beloved FIL left us and we're still reeling from that. And there was my car accident. And three people in my department left so we've been short-handed most of the year (and we were short-handed before that). With all that, I'd rank this as one of my worse years. But in other ways, it has been one of my best years. While I knew that family and friends cared and I don't think I took it for granted, I was still overwhelmed by all of the love and support we received this year. Your support and the support of our friends, family, and coworkers have given me the strength to face each day of this difficult year. I read comments, cards, and e-mails when they arrived and reread them numerous times since. Thank you.

Wishing you a Thanksgiving full of love and hope.

My idea of snow

The photo was more effective before the rain and wind blew away most of the petals.

My scrapbook haul

I was asked about my scrapbook haul from a recent warehouse sale and although I'm a bit embarrassed to share, I will. Why embarrassed? Because when you see it all, you'll see that I have no will power, sigh. First, I'll blame
Jennifer McGuire for these Tim Holtz dies. I'm not a huge altered art fan, but I love Jennifer's cards. And she loves Tim Holtz so there you have it. I thought I was doing pretty good to just get three dies. They were $8-10 each.
Then I'll blame my nieces for these. I just learned they like Hello Kitty so I thought I'd make them a Hello Kitty memory game for Christmas. I don't know what I'm going to do with the large dies, but they were only $5 each (how's that for justification?).
And then there's all this...

and this...

Did you know that Sizzix makes stamps? And those small dies? Some were $1.50, but others were only 25 cents each! Despite these great prices, I've pretty much blown my scrapping budget for the rest of the year. I don't think I'll be taking advantage of any black Friday scrapbook sales.

But wait, there's more! Opps, I just realized I left an embossing folder set out of the photos. Really, just one more, lol.

Happy belated birthday FIL

Sorry I missed your birthday last month. Well, I really didn't miss it, but I couldn't join Mr. Fix-it when he brought flowers to the cemetery since I was still at work. We discussed bringing flowers from the garden, but Mr. Fix-it ended up getting flowers from Trader Joes, just like you did for Mom. It was fitting somehow.

I just wanted to let you know how much we miss you. We miss talking about family and playing cards. I miss the old groceries you'd bring over and the weird things you picked up from the trash and the coupons. I miss hearing about how much you got from the recyclers and how it paid for your groceries for the week. I miss seeing you with your grandkids. And with the upcoming holidays, I know we'll miss you even more.