Saturated Saturday: Can we say ouch?

Saturday was saturated with yard work from 10:15 A.M. to 6:45 P.M. -what a day? I woke up just before 8:00 A.M. and worked in the house before the outside fun began. We had our summer helpers come back to work on the banister and the deck and Hubby mowed the lawn and I tackled a backyard project. The yard is really improving and I hope to have it in some kind of order by summer's end!

Floral Friday: White to Pink?

My lilly bloomed this week and the blooms are pink! I have no clue how that happened. Last year it was white. Does anyone have any idea how this could happen?

THoughtful Thursday: Nice Things Your Husband Does For You

There are so many times when we complain or hear someone else complain about their spouse, child or any body who rubs them the wrong way. We blab, blab,blab and forget that we will be accountable for every word we say on our day of judgment. I know I tend to talk too much and many times it is filled with nasty remarks and/or complaints. Tonight, I would like to list nice things my spouse does for me and ask that you post something that someone (doesn't have to be your spouse) does for you.


Hubby fills up my gas tank for me.
Hubby brings me a bottle of water before bed.
Hubby hugs and kisses me when I come home from work (not always, but when he does- he doesn't leave me alone!)
Hubby always tells me he loves me each and every day

Wheelin' Wednesday: CVS and Harris Teeter

Cvs wasn't too exciting for me. I was out of town and not able to grab those Monday deals. I have to say I was able to purchase the following for $7.85AT with 2.00 in ECB's for another deal:


2 Olay Body Washes (I used this once and have been looking for a deal to purchase them again)
1 Coppertone sunscreen
1 Trial Size body scrub

It wasn't an amazing deal, but I was hoping to roll another one and it just didn't happen. The week isn't over and I do have one more CVS store to visit so it may be my lucky week anyway! If you include the 2.00 in ECB's and exclude the scrub, I paid $1.95 for each item.


Today was a Harris Teeter day with triple coupons. The only thing I absolutely needed was dish washing soap. Instead of perusing through the ads, I decided to meander up and down the aisles to find a good deal.

I had $21.97 in coupons and sales took off $29.63

My total after everything was $ 41.81

1.99 Skim Milk NO COUPON
3.99 Claussen Pickles .75 COUPON TRIPLED
.37 each for 6 Dannon Yogurts .60 COUPON TRIPLED (I don't think this one was completely tripled)
2.00 frozen broccoli .50 TRIPLED
10.00 3 RED BARON PIZZAS
3.59 DIGIORINO FLAT BREAD MELT .75 TRIPLED
5.59 FOR TWO ICE CREAM
4.99 CHICKEN (THIS INCLUDES THE 2.00 OFF)
2.50 SNYDERS PRTEZELS .75 TRIPLED
2.69 WET ONES WIPES .75 TRIPLED
1.19 TEXAS PETE 1.19 COUPON OFF
.99 TEXAS PETE
1.15 KNORR SIDE .75 TRIPLED
1.14 KNORR SIDE SAME
1.00 SNICKER BARS (2) B1G1 FREE
1.79 DOLE PINEAPPLE .75 TRIPLED
3.15 FRUIT LOOPS (2)1.00 OFF
3.29 FROSTED FLAKES (2)1.00 OFF
1.00 DAWN DETERGENT .50 TRIPLED
2.82 KRAFT DRESSING (2)2.00 OFF
.89 MAHATMA RICE.75 TRIPLED
.89 MAHATMA RICE SAME


What do you think?




I saved about 56% over my entire bill. This isn't what I want- I want better, but I guess that will come with time. Some of the items I purchased didn't have coupons (like milk) and I did treat hubby to ice cream.

I need assistance on making my deal even lower. Does anyone have any suggestions? What tips can you provide? Should I post the entire deal for someone to review?

Tasteful Tuesdays: Rolling a few days into one

I know I have missed a few days of posting. I am sorry about that! There were lots of activities going on in Hunieland and I am only now winding down from the weekend.



Saturday was a menagerie of the abortion clinic, dealership and household chores as well as packing for our weekend trip.

Sunday we went to Mass, but my choir did not sing. All of the girls were late for one reason or another to choir practice and only one had practiced any hymns during the week. I have informed the girls that the choir may dissolve during the summer months so as to give us time to really learn the music. I do, though, feel rather sad with regard to those girls who really put in the effort. Of course, if they have the hymn down- we will sing with just those girls.



After Mass, Hubby and I drove straight to Georgia to see his family. The drive is two hours from our home and about two and a half hours from church, but we took longer… why? Well, Hubby and I ended up in a crazy conversation regarding the demise of the Roman Empire and completely missed the exit and didn’t realize it for another twenty minutes! His parents had a good laugh with that one! Do most couples have funky conversations like this? Hubby loves to talk about theology during our drive to Mass. He makes it a point to ready himself for the debate. It always ends with me stating he is wrong, I don’t like him, and we are broken up! Of course, that is all in jest.



Sunday and Monday we spent time with his parents, sister, and the nieces and nephew. It was a short trip, but lovely. I hope to have at least one of the kids spend a week with us during the summer.



Menu of the Week:



Sunday: dinner with in laws

Monday: dinner with in laws

Tuesday: chicken strips on salad

Wednesday: up in the air depending on the deals at the Harris Teeter

Thursday: spaghetti

Friday: macaroni and cheese

Saturday: chicken stir fry







Stay tuned for Wheelin’ Wednesday and the deals I may or may not have found J

Thoughtful Thursday: Ascension Thursday

Today is the feast of the Ascension of Our Lord into heaven. Let us honor this day with attendance of the most holy sacrifice of the Mass as well as time spent meditating on this glorious day.

Wheelin' Wednesday: Bi-Lo, Target, Harris Teeter

I found a few deals worth my time this week!

It started with a Monday afternoon trip to the CVS down the street from my place of employment. I have never seen a CVS store that big and with so many products!

Unfortunately, it only had two Dry Idea deodorants for my “deals of the week”, but I went ahead with the transaction. The deodorants were on sale for $1.12 and the cashier only accepted one coupon for $2.00 off for both of them. I paid $.24 BT for the two items and received two ECB’s for the next transaction.



After work, Hubby and I headed to Sam’s Club to load up on quite a number of needed items.



We purchased the following:



5lbs of shredded cheese (same price as block) for $9.32

Spring Mix salad $3.98

Minced Garlic (this is a huge canister) $4.08

Dry Roasted Peanuts (another large canister) $6.32

Bacon Bits (Hubby’s wants) $7.06

Unsalted Butter $6.38



The total with tax was $63.90, but we received a $10.00 gift card for renewing our membership so in ended up being $53.90. Which do you think is a good deal? Bad deal? I am looking for feedback-thanks!



I then did another CVS transaction with the Dry Idea deodorant. I purchase four, used my coupons for $2.00 off and paid $2.00 OOP BT. I now have 4.00 in ECB’s which will work on the body wash I need to purchase next week.





Bi-Lo’s ad today showed the following items on sale:



Kraft Cheese 3/$5.00

I used three $1.00 coupons and paid $3/2.00 which is $.66 per package

http://bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?tqnm=qerlcou92105121&bt=vi&o=56602&c=KR&p=BuUJGY8p





Coca Cola

4/$9.88

I used 4 1/$1.00 coupons and paid $5.88 for 4 packs which is $1.47 per 12 pack



Harris Teeter ad showed Split Chicken Breasts on sale for $.99 per pound. I, of course, stocked up on that!


I have been attempting a photo for you, but my camera isn't working. Hubby will try to add one tonight!

Tasteful Tuesdays: Dinner Menu

Monday: We ended up eating out (not in the budget argh!)
Tuesday: Taco Salad
Wednesday: Tacos
Thursday: Stir Fry
Friday: No meat pasta
Saturday: Not sure
Sunday: heading to Georgia so nothing is planned.


We are low on chicken breasts and I am hoping that today's grocery deals will have deals.

Budget wise I am not doing very well. I have already raised my budget by $50.00 and can only strive to meet THAT budget! This would still be lower than our lowest grocery budget, but not as low as I should like. The problem? We were out of a number of items and we splurged twice and picked up things at Chic Fil A!!!!

Musically Manic Monday: Work, Home, and what's to come

This week shouldn't be too crazy, but you never know. Lots of changes are in my future. My department at work is slowly winding down. Two more people have been laid off and the next two will include me. I have been expecting this which is why Hubby and I have been working on lowering our monthly expenses. I pray that I have a new job within one or two months of losing this job, but I am not sure that will occur. Last time it took me eight months to become employed. With that being said, we stocked up on some items from Sam's Club and then will probably stock up on some canned vegetables tomorrow.
I have set up a large cabinet in our kitchen to start stocking up on food essentials (beans, rice, etc.).

Tuesday and Wednesday will have a few more trips to different stores for deals and stock ups. I will let you know about everything on Wheelin' Wednesday.


Ascension Thursday is this week and Hubby and I both have the time off for the feast day.
The abortion clinic is on the agenda this week, followed by a trip to the dealership for an oil change, and then off to Saturday Mass.

Pentecost Sunday is this weekend and is, of course, the most important day of the Catholic liturgical year. The sung propers on this feast day are my favorite!


My little choir is running into problems and the only remedy is to work even harder on it. We have to go back to the beginning and just work, work, work!


This Sunday we will be heading to Georgia to visit the in-laws! This should be a fun and busy week!

Spiritual Sunday: 5th Sunday after Easter

Declare the voice of joy, and let it be heard, alleluia: declare it even unto the ends of the earth; the Lord hath delivered His people, alleluia, alleluia. Shout with joy to God all the earth:sing ye a psalm to His name, give glory to His praise. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost.




I have to tell you that the weather is absolutely beautiful. We came home from Mass, turned off the air conditioner, and opened a number of windows. The house quickly lowered to 71 degrees and the lovely breeze is whispering loving praises to Our Lord as it passes through. Maybe the whisperings of the wind are the prayers of our lovely guardian angels.


It has now been raining for a good two hours or so..... a very quiet rain. One could (as I am doing now) look out the window and just gaze at the steady flow of those raindrops. Quite lovely.


Ascension Thursday is this week as well as Rogation Days- be sure to have your garden and seeds blessed!

Saturated Saturday: Mass, Abortion Clinic, Eat out, Target, home

Mass was at 6:45 A.M this Saturday and directly after that Hubby and I headed to the abortion clinic. We prayed 15 decades of the Rosary and did a little sidewalk counseling. The journalist parishioner followed us to take pictures for an upcoming article.
I treated Hubby to breakfast at Chic Fil A (which is totally out of our budget) and then headed to Target. I wanted to make this a leisure trip where I could hunt out deals, but Hubby started to get crazy. Of course, the cashier had to make a comment about the coupons (test two of this new Target is a fail).... It gets old-doesn't it?
We headed home and stayed indoors to clean.
Hubby cleaned up his side of the bedroom while I cleaned my side, handled laundry, washed dishes, mopped, sorted through paperwork, dusted, cleaned two bathrooms, and vacuumed. There is much more to be done, but that put me all the way to 5pm.
As Hubby broke the budget even more, I mean, as Hubby headed to the grocery store for frozen pizza, I decided to watch a documentary on Iranian polygamy. Very interesting, I must say!

The rest of the day wound down until bedroom with little things going on here and there.

Tell me about your Saturday!

Thoughtful Thursday: Toilet Trouble

I have a problem. Well, I never knew I had a problem until I married my husband. He made me aware of my problem...... Apparently I use an abundance of toilet paper when I sprinkle tinkle (I am sure it is not lady like to speak of this). He claims I used one-third of the toilet paper roll. We all know that is absurd (or is it?), but we must humor the Hubby.
There have been times when he has orchestrated what I call a "TP Raid", entered the bathroom, grabbed the paper in my hand and literally torn it into two.... yes, sick, I know.
Well, last night had me giggling my brains out.... I was in the shower (I shower at night. Why? Do you know how much hair I have? It would be another hour in the morning to shower and blow dry all this hair before I even set the rollers-sheesh!) when my husband made his way to the toilet area. This is what I hear; " Hunie! What have you done? You have used a third of the toilet paper roll just to go potty (he doesn't use that word, but I do)! I want you to come over here and stand in front of the toilet bowl and just stare! I want you to stare at all the toilet paper you have used and learn not to use that much! Here we are trying to cut corners and you are using toilet paper like nobody's business!"

Oh my heck! I had the giggles as soon as he told me that I would have to stand and stare at the toilet bowl (which I didn't)!


That's my story! Does your husband have any weirdness about him?

Wheelin' Wednesday: Under Construction

There really wasn't any spectacular deals for me this week. I was looking to purchase chicken, but the ads had other ideas.

This week's CVS ads look promising so we will see what that brings me!

Tasteful Tuesdays: Dinner Menu

Sunday: Left over turkey pot pie and pizza with sausage
Monday: Turkey stir fry and hot dog cornbread
Tuesday: No clue*** Update *** I had leftovers and made Hubby two sausage sandwiches
Wednesday: No clue*** Update *** Slow cooked Pork and pinto beans (maybe a salad on the side)
Thursday: No clue *** Update*** Pork tacos
Friday:Tilapia over pasta, olives, bell peppers, and onions.
Saturday: Left overs

On the flip side, I think Hubby will have all the cereal I purchased consumed by the end of the week :-)

MUsically Manic Monday: WORK, MUSIC, HOME

Sunday was a low Mass and the schola opted to not sing any hymns for the Mass. The ladies choir was blessed with singing the Offertory hymn and two Communion hymns. We would have sung more, but I did tense up a little bit. I have to say they sang lovely and I was at ease with those three songs. My girls have all promised to practice this wee and I think they will do just that.
This week we have Mass every day which is such a blessing for our parish! On another note, one of the members of our parish is writing an article on abortion and will be using my husband and I for the article and pictures (he's a journalist).


Hubby and I went for a walk tonight- it was quite lovely. I hope we partake in a few more walks.

This week is fairly normal...
Work, groceries, housework, bookstore, choir, abortion clinic, house projects, Mass. I also need to look for another voice teacher.....

How about you? What is your schedule for the week?

Spiritual Sunday: 4th Sunday After Easter

" Sing ye to the Lord a new canticle, alleluia; for the Lord hath done wonderful things, alleluia; He hath revealed His justice in the sight of the gentiles, alleluia, alleluia. His right hand hath wrought for Him salvation:and His arm is holy. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be. Amen.

Saturated Saturday: Abortion Clinic, Yard, Pot Pie, Mass

Saturday was busy as usual and I am only now winding down for the night. I started my morning at the abortion clinic. A car of four drove into the abortion clinic's parking lot. As they were driving in, the passenger in the front seat took one of our handouts. God be blessed! I prayed for those souls and asked that their hearts be open to the Holy Ghost. The four of them changed their decisions! With tears in their eyes, they turned their car around! The young woman who would have murdered her child will now celebrate Mother's Day tomorrow! Pray for those men and women always-there are so many!

I ran a quick trip to the store and then came home to make lunch for the boys and make our Sunday dinner (turkey pot pie).
Picking up the house followed, but I never seem to get as much as I want done!

I ended my evening at Mass and now I am home getting ready for bed (have to be up tomorrow at 5:30AM).

The grass is coming in, the deck is almost done, and then we move on to the banister!

That's all for now! Tell me about your day.


http://www.instantteleseminar.com/?eventid=7320189
Please visit this website for the pro life movement

Floral Friday: Better Late!

Sorry! Last night was a CVS fiasco and so I came home a bit grumpy!
On the flip side, our front yard grass is coming in beautifully and my lily may bloom by the end of next week!

Thoughtful Thursday: The Man in the Car

So, everyday I walk across the same parking lot as I make my way to work. There is a car parked in the same row every day. No biggie-right? Well, there is this man sitting in the front seat of the car reading the paper, drinking coffee and shaving his face with an electric razor. Sometimes he is working on a computer, but it's usually the coffee/ newspaper combination. Today I noticed his backseat was filled with all sorts of stuff.

These questions run through my mind as I past by:

1. Is this guy homeless and readying himself for work in his car every morning?
2. Is he some kind of bachelor perpetually running late so he has decided to complete his morning routine just outside his office to ensure a timely arrival?
3. Does he have a wife and/or household that just drives him so absolutely mad that he finds more peace in that parking lot?

What is it?? Will I never know the answer? I am so tempted to ask him, but what right do I have to pierce that little world of his? I don't think I do and I do think it is much more entertaining to play with these little stories......

*************

Email from my husband:
Whether it be a weekly thing (due to freshness issues), I essentially want my dinner diet to consist of a salad/veggies and quality protein (maybe a little bit of carbs). Also, since you have banned me from eating out for lunch, then I am going back to limiting my eating during the day. So, I’ll stick with eggs (as usual), but let’s add some H2O bottles, a piece of fruit, and maybe some beef sticks/jerky to the bag. Or some nuts. I’ll space it out and be ready to eat a larger meal after work
My Response:
1. You never brought the water in and I really don’t feel like lugging that box up after work. Otherwise, I would have put water in your lunch bag

2. I don’t buy salad every week, because I have come to the conclusion that you don’t eat salad every week.

3. You weren’t eating the pieces of fruit I had been placing in your lunch bag AND fruit hasn’t been on sale

4. You told me not to buy nuts until you were over the salmonella scare (based on this email- I think you are over it)

5. I just picked up a Slim Jim coupon

6. I try to incorporate vegetables whenever I can (we had salad on Tuesday at the restaurant and we will have vegetables tonight. I also plan to whip up a turkey pot pie which will be loaded with veggies).

7. I don’t have any plans of going to the store (I might check out another BILO for cereal) until next week (well, I am stopping at Food Lion Saturday night for chicken breasts).

8. What do you want from the store

9. Do you love me?
His Response:
I’ll bring in the water tonight.

I will eat salad every week --- just make sure I have my bacon and cheese.

I ate some of the fruit. The apples were usually unwashed and/or kind of crappy. But I definitely ate some of ‘em. I don’t want a lot of fruit bought in the first place, but if you can get it on sale, then a piece or two during the week will be sufficient for me (not daily).

I prefer almonds.

I like Slim Jims. I like beef sticks, period. So whatever we can get.

So, I want some nuts, some cheese sticks, some beef sticks, and maybe a piece of fruit for lunches. I want salad greens with my dinner. And I want MEAT served as well. So, we can eat chicken or turkey most of those days --- I don’t have to have ground beef or something. I do prefer, though, that the dinner be cooked a little differently from the preceding one.

Yes.

My Repsonse:

1. Thanks

2. I hope so, because salad went bad last time

3. I washed all the apples and you can wash them yourself too. I will pick up fruits when they are on sale. Ideally, I would love for you to grow vegetables that I can cook with (zucchini, New Mexico chiles, tomatoes) and then I wouldn’t have to pick through the produce in the stores.

4. I will check around for almonds at Sam’s or Bi Lo ( I have a coupon)

5. I can’t always purchase this stuff because it gets expensive so you will have to eat yogurt, cereal, or some other filler I have on hand.

6. Which meal are you referring to- the tacos? What?

7. Lastly, maybe I should pack your bag at night with you picking and choosing what you want….. what do you think?

His Response:
I have a crookneck squash transplant. We can pick up some more --- s/b some regular zucchini ones, too. I am also going to try and grow from seed. I don’t know what your #6 has to do with anything.



***************

I thought our emails back and forth was quite humorous and wonder if other couples email/converse in such a manner.

Hunie over and out

Wheelin' Wednesday: Target, Harris Teeter, Bi Lo

Whew! What a week! I didn't even get to my last store for chicken breasts (.99 per pound). I will attempt this Saturday night :-)

My deals for this week are as follows:

Harris Teeter

It was triple coupon week and I have to admit that the store was pretty wiped out. The women were out with their binders overflowing with coupons! Grrrr!!! Stand back!

Hubby and I were able to save about 66% off our total bill.

The best deal (for me) would be the smoked sausage. I was able to get two packages (14 ounces) for $3.33 which breaks down to $1.67 each (check my math). We purchased 4 packages so that should handle at least 3 meals.

Bi Lo had lots of deals on cereal which started today.
I made it to the store after work and could only purchase two out of the four I planned on purchasing because they were already out of stock! I ended up purchasing two boxes of Frosted Flakes for .88 each. I would have purchased Raisin Bran for the same price and Honey Nut Cheerios for .99, but it didn't happen!

Target was a royal mess when it comes to being assisted by a particular cashier. This was my second (or third) dealing with her and I dreaded it from start to finish. I really envy the ladies who can utilize coupons with Target and not be hassled. I politely told the cashier that if the coupon did not specifically exclude trial size and/or did not indicate a size-then I could use it for a smaller size item. Many of these coupon ladies have called corporate to verify this and I explained this to her. She asked if I called corporate about all these coupons and then proceeded to say I must not have a lot to do if I am bothering with all of these coupons. She also told me she hated coupons. With that, I asked for a manager and she immediately started to change her tune. I apologized to the customer behind me (who heard all of this) and waited for the manager. Just so you know, I had all of my purchases reversed except for the Fiber One bars (more later). I proceeded to tell the manager about the policy and then also relayed that I had no problem with not having my coupons accepted, but I did have problems with the comments of the cashier. She then denied saying what she said. The manager took me to the side as we went over everything. While this was going on, the customer who had been behind me came to my defense and let the manager know that the cashier was out of line with regard to her comments to me. The manager relayed to both of us that there had been previous complaints against this cashier. I was given a $3.00 coupon (wonder if the cashier will have a problem with that.....) and then processed my items as follows:


Banana Boat sun screen .99 coupon -.99=0.00
Quattro Woman 6.99 coupon -4.00 ( I wasn't able to use my 2.00 coupon but I figure my $3.00 coupon took care of that)
Ziploc 2.99 and B1G1 free (I bought 4 total)
Bliss chocolate bars .99 coupon -.99 = 0.00
4 boxes of Fiber One at 2.39 each coupons 4 at 1.35 each and received a $5.00 gift card.
I also purchased mascara (desperately needed) two for $6.98

So, in total with tax I spent $19.88 and saved $25.22 which was about 56%.

So, that is my crazy story.

**Update**
I went to Target today and found one of those 3M hooks (remember the CVS deal?) for $1.18 and still had a few coupons for $2.50 off. Well, I ventured up to the cashier with trembling hands.... gave her the hook and politely asked if she would accept the coupon. She looked at it, scanned it (it beeped) and then....let it go through! I stood back in shock! I paid $ 1.18 and she accepted the full $2.50!
I was able to purchase that, two packages of cheese, and a case of soda (forgot my coke coupon argh!) all on my gift card, coupon (I am sorry coupon) and credit from the 3M hook coupon! I may venture to that particular Target in the future.

Tell me this, do any of you scan the cashiers before determining your line of action? As posted in the comments, Smiling Mama and I look for the young gentlemen manning the registers!

Tasteful Tuesdays: Dinner Menu

Tuesdays are set to write about recipes, menus and anything along those lines.


Sunday: ordered pizza
Monday: quick tacos so we could head to the grocery store
Tuesday: went out to dinner. I actually chose veal and it was quite nice
Wednesday: this week will be leftovers
Thursday: turkey...but with what? I need ideas
Friday pasta with cheese
Saturday: grilled chicken using my KFC coupons (let me know if you need a link)


FYI: We were hit with a horrendous storm that really backed up traffic. Yes, yet again, I did not have a music lesson.... dang!

Musically Manic Monday: Music and Mayhem

Well it is the start of the work week and we all know how crazy Mondays can be! I will give you a quick summary of this week's events.

Monday: Work, Harris Teeter triple coupon night
Tuesday: Doctor appointment, work, voice lessons ( I hope to learn a new Palestrina piece), dinner for our anniversary
Wednesday: Work, possible Bi-Lo/Target trip, laundry
Thursday: Work
Friday: Work
Saturday: Abortion Clinic, Mass, yard work, house work

I am sure I will be adding lots more to this, but this is my quick clip of the week!

The choir continues to learn a new medieval Marian piece. Please pray for our choir, we have half the girls who are committed and half who are not.

Wheelin' Wednesday will touch on my deals of the week so stay tuned!
I do have to tell you that Hubby was quite adorable during this shopping excursion. He became quite flustered with some of the coupons (poor man had to handle 19 coupons) and was quite upset when confessed that he had "botched" a deal. Poor thing!

Spiritual Sunday: 3rd Sunday After Easter

" Shout with joy to God, all the earth alleluia: sing ye a psalm to His name, alleluia: give glory to His praise. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. Say unto God, how terrible are thy works, O Lord! in the multitude of Thy strength Thy enemies shall lie to Thee. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be world without end. Amen"



We were blessed with a sermon concerning how one's prayer life can be monotonous and how we can't expect things to change overnight. We must stop looking for quick fixes in all that we do-including our spiritual life.
Our spiritual life must not be be stagnant, but must move ahead-even at a very slow pace. We must build our self discipline with regard to our spiritual life. A strong and perfect prayer life will bring so much order in every aspect of our life. Take it one day at a time and as we improve in this most important area- will we see improvements in all aspects of our life.

Saturated Saturday: Busy in the Yard

What a day! I ended going to the church twice to take down all the Easter lilies and do a bit of clean up before I could place my arrangements on the sides of the altar.

As I was busy with that and cleaning the house, Hubby and the gang worked in the yard. We ended up with three gentlemen to start the transformation of my yard! The tiller was put together, the front yard was tilled, raked, manured through and through, seeded, straw was strewn and water ended the whole thing (we also ended the day with a huge rain storm)!
Then it was onto the backyard to work on repairing my deck and, eventually, staining the whole thing. I am very excited about all of this! Some of you know that our neighbors have been less than kind when it comes to our house and yard. We purchased a home (regrettably) that needs work inside and out. Some of you also know that my husband has a compromised immune system (cancer survivor) and is often ill with one thing or another. This past month he was plagued with bronchitis. Oddly enough, the neighbor at the rear of the house made sure to remark to one of the guys that we needed to mow our lawn! We know, and we know that you know that we need to mow our lawn. I am sure the neighbors to the left of us and diagonally were most likely in complete shock! "Oh my heck! They are actually working on their yard! Will wonders never cease? Can this be the end of the world?"

We will see how it goes, but I do intend to employ the gentlemen throughout the summer to help us make the yard a lovely yard. Hurrah! I did take a before pic of the deck and I will have to remember to take one of the front yard.

Hubby is worn out and is upstairs on the couch. I have opted to enjoy the peacefulness of my downstairs. It is fairly put together (I washed dishes, laundry, made lunch, mopped floors, cleaned wood floors, and vacuumed), but I didn't dust. I should probably get on to that. I also put away loads of laundry, but I have two more loads to wash and four to put away. That is one of the tasks I dislike; putting away laundry. Anyway, all the sheets are washed on the beds, the upstairs is vacuumed, and the bathrooms are fairly put together.

I am going to change purses. I have a tote-ish sort of purse that just isn't getting the job done. All of my things are floating about with no sense of direction and place. It is a royal mess!

After that I will need to mail in a rebate for some conditioner I purchased and then ready myself for Mass tomorrow.

Tell me about how your Saturday was saturated!

Floral Friday: Altar flowers and Basil

Hubby and I have been working a bit in the yard now that he has healed from an almost four week ordeal with bronchitis.


The little side garden is prepped for a few transplants.
I was able to add pine needles to our side trees.
I planted and have watered my herb garden and, as of yesterday, there are a few basil sprouts!
Tomorrow we have a couple of young men from our parish coming over to handle some repairs. I would like the banister replaced in our front yard. I also (eventually) want the deck repaired.
We will be attempting to finally get grass in the front yard if we can get the tiller put together!

I handle the flowers for the altar the first Sunday of the month and so I headed to the store tonight. I picked out deep red roses for the altar :-)