February is 'No Spend Month'

Besides our scheduled monthly bills, can we get by spending only $25 a week? Can we be more mindful and disciplined about the money we spend?

After listening to a few of our friends embark on a NO SPEND MONTH, we thought we would give it a whirl during the month of February. What exactly does a NO SPEND MONTH mean? Well, here goes...

Besides paying for our scheduled monthly bills (ie: tithing, mortgage, student loans, auto loan, utility bills, doctors visits, and gas), we are going to try our hardest not to spend any other money this month. We have decided to give ourselves $25 each week to pay for milk, bread, and fruits/veggies for the week. We don't typically have a pantry chuck full of things, although Papa H seems to think that canned corn and canned peaches can somehow turn into a meal if we wanted to. I beg to differ. So before this challenge starts (tomorrow), I did go and buy some basic pantry needs just to make sure that we would be all set if we run into a jam. For example: rice, pasta, seasoning packets, ketchup, butter, extra flour, and sugar.

My plan is to post our temptations on a daily basis. In addition, I'm hoping to have a tally of the money that we've been able to save because of the no spend month. In essence, I want to see how much money we typically 'throw away' each month on all the extras.

Wish us luck...

Freezer Meals & Fellowship

Wow! What a day!!! I feel so blessed to have been able to share such a wonderful day with a bunch of girlfriends. I had a great time and I really hope that we can do it again sometime. As you know, the plan for the day was for each of us to cook six meals (one of each family). There were ingredients upon ingredients lined up along the tables. We were eager and ready to go!

Introducing my friend, Gigi!

Country Mouse was making Chicken Enchiladas while Glory did some dishes.

Country Mum took care of the baby-bits!

(Baby Sunshine is below and Minnie was hiding)

Mama Sunshine spent most of her time dealing with her spuds.

Auntie B tackled desserts for the group.

The rest of the Sunshine Family showed up for moral support.

Glory looks so natural, doesn't she?

*I made her pose for the picture.*

Thanks again for helping me wrap cookies, Gigi.

Even Beaner stopped by to say HELLO!

Is Titi on the phone with the Perdue Man?

(Her self titled 'famous meal' is Baked Chicken with plain noodles)

After the place cleared out, Mama Sunshine and I stayed behind to chat (and let her pans soak). We spent nearly 1.5 hours talking, catching up, and laughing. As mothers, we don't often take time to just 'be' with another friend without any interuptions. It was WONDERFUL hanging out with her this afternoon and I'm so glad that we had a chance to catch up over tea.

After a long day of cooking and fellowship, I'm happy to say that I have stocked our freezer with the following items:

*1 container of Ham & Corn Chowder (I did have 2...but we had 1 of them for dinner tonight and it was the best corn chowder that I've ever had in my life! Mama Sunshine is an amazing cook!)

*1 Spinach & Cheese Lasagna courtesy of GG.

*1 loaf of Gingerbread courtesy of Auntie B.

*1 batch of Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies courtesy of Auntie B.

*1 pan full of Chicken Enchiladas and refried beans courtesy of Country Mouse.

*1 Chicken Pot Pie courtesy of Glory.

*1 batch of Chocolate Chip Cookies courtesy of Mama Sunshine.

*1 batch of LARGE Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (for those 'rough days') courtesy of Me!

*2 quarts of Homemade Spaghetti Sauce courtesy of Me!

I can't wait to do it again!!!

Prepping for Freezer Meals

Tomorrow is a big day for me and five of my friends. We are getting together to prep freezer meals for our families. Each woman is responsible for buying and making 6 of the same meals tomorrow during the day. At the end of the day, we will each take home one of every single meal item that has been prepped. From there, it's our choice whether we want to freeze them or try them for dinner tomorrow night. *WINK*

I decided to mix it up a little. Instead of making a full freezer meal, I opted to make homemade spaghetti sauce. Due to the fact that my recipe takes HOURS to cook, I decided to get a jump start on it today. My plan for tomorrow is to make cookie dough balls for each of the girls to take home and freeze. There is nothing like throwing a cookie dough ball in the oven on a whim and having a warm treat just 8 minutes later! Plus, if you're in the mood for 10 cookies (I love cookies by the way), you can bake 10 dough balls and be happy. There is no need to make an entire batch of cookies when they're on hand in the freezer.

But wait...let's get to my project for today.

Spaghetti Sauce ala Mama H

(This post is for you, CT Mom!)

9lbs of hamburg + 4lbs of sweet sausage

(Remember, I'm making enough for six families)

Next on the list is celery...

...followed by sweet red peppers...

...and green peppers too.

Did I mention 2 vats going at the same time?

(Thanks to Grammy for letting me borrow her roasting pan.)

Next, it was time for mushrooms...

...and then crushed tomatoes.

Give it a good mix.

Lastly, I added tomato sauce and lots of seasoning.

While the sauce was cooking, the dogs were playing...

...while PQ snuggled on the couch.

(PQ was out sick from school today.)

7 hours later...look what we have!

And look what my friends will have tomorrow!

(12 quarts total...2 quarts each)

I can't wait to post tomorrow's post! Stay tuned!!

Special Delivery from Family Life

'From Maine Life to Family Life' is our friends saying. Today I got an unexpected package in the mail. Miss Family Life left me a voicemail earlier this week just letting me know that she was thinking of me and praying for me. Hearing her voice on the other end of the phone (even though we are hundreds of miles away) made me smile. She's however many miles away from me but yet I was on her mind. What a blessing.

Hannah's Hope arrived today for me.

(It's a book written to offer insight and encouragement for couples dealing with infertility, miscarriage, or failed adoption.)

I'm counting down the minutes until I can lay in bed and start reading. It's just what the doctor ordered! *WINK*

I laughed today when...

*We realized that Little Miss Weenie isn't a morning girl...she likes to stay in her crate until she is ready to come out.

*PQ was PSYCHED to be picked up from school at 10am because Papa H had a doctors appointment in Boston.

*PQ asked to have his window rolled down because something smelled like poop. (We think it was Mooch.)

*Papa H pretended to be Cher and sang 'if I could turn back time'. Oh my word...no husband should ever pretend to be Cher. His voice was hysterical.

*We couldn't find Bonkers Funhouse. We could see it from the road but we had NO IDEA how to get there!

*Papa H kept putting his quarters in the slots at Bonkers and none of the games would work.

*We had to get the clerk so Papa H could get his Skeeball tickets that were lost in the machine.

*Papa H continued to put quarters in other machines and something cooky would happen. (IE: no balls for the basketball game)

*Little Miss Weenie climbed up Papa H's chest while we were driving in the car and fell asleep behind his neck.

*I sat at dinner listening to Papa H describe his 'low for the day'. His low was having such bad luck at Bonkers. Imagining it all over again was hilarious for some reason.

Soooo...what made YOU laugh today???

Raccoon Corner

Talk about timing! Today on my way home from work, I got thinking about Papa H's post last night regarding Childhood Memories. I couldn't help but think of my brother, Uncle L. As I drove home from work I passed a very special location from my childhood. It's funny how things get you thinking, eh?

Uncle L and I are eight years apart. We spent a lot of time arguing when we were younger, much like any other siblings. But our relationship 'changed' one afternoon while we were out driving. I'm not sure where we were going but I do remember what we saw.

As we drove along a sharp turn in the road, we both saw something. On the side of the road, we saw a mother raccoon who had been hit by a car. She was dead. Within a few feet of the mother raccoon was a tiny, baby raccoon who was still alive. Uncle L and I turned the car around after we passed the scene and we headed back to the exact location.

When we got out of the car, we saw the smallest baby raccoon that we had ever seen in our life. It was adorable. It was sweet. It was scared. Knowing full well that it's mother was deceased within a few feet of us was gut wrenching. We couldn't help but wonder if the little raccoon saw it's mother get hit. Uncle L and I spent the next hour sitting with this tiny raccoon. We talked to it and we fed it. (We just happened to have a bag of salt & vinegar chips in the car so the little tike got to try them. Just for the record, the baby raccoon loved them!)

We talked about taking it home with us but we knew that this wasn't the best choice for the animal....or for us. Grammy would have FLIPPED OUT! Saying good-bye to the little raccoon was hard for both of us. I remember crying and I remember Uncle L crying too. I know it wouldn't have been so bad if the Mama hadn't been lying near by. We felt so helpless. Leaving this tiny raccoon to venture out on it's own, all alone without it's mother. I'll never forget the heartache. But for what it's worth, this little raccoon on Raccoon Corner changed my relationship with my big brother. I love you, Uncle L.

PS...We will always have Raccoon Corner! *WINK*

GUEST BLOGGER: Papa H

Hellooooooooooooo everyone! This is Papa H!!! (That Hellooooo is for Country Mouse because I know you love it!!!!) My fondest childhood memory is when I got a stuffed Curious George and a football for Christmas. Another favorite memory is spending time playing with my brother and sister. (Mostly my brother...) One of the funniest stories that I've ever heard about my childhood was when my Aunt told me about the time I was laying in the sun with my shirt off. She asked me what I was doing and I said 'taking a tan'. I was thinking about PQ and how awesome he is and also reading Glory's blog post made me think about when I was a kid. So let's have it. What's your memory?

A special GIFT For Country Mouse. (Click the word 'GIFT')

Just for Mama Sunshine...

*You know you love it...*

For those of you who don't know, Mama Sunshine CAN'T STAND tuna. Just the mere thought of the words 'canned tuna' grosses her out. On Friday I couldn't help but follow this car around to get a shot of their plates. I thought of Mama Sunshine immediately! I love you, Mama Sunshine! *wink*

Taking a Chance

This morning I drove to the big city to see my doctor. Today's appointment was a 6 week follow up to the procedure following my last miscarriage in December. Up until today I've had my moments of secret sadness. While I do understand that God has a plan for me, my heart does hurt from time to time.

While driving up to the appointment, my stomach twisted and turned with anticipation. What would be discussed? Where would we go from here? Are there options? Round and round my mind went until I could see the office building. As soon as I could see the facility, my heart began to race even faster. I couldn't put my finger on it. I just knew that I was nervous for some reason.

As soon as I sat down in the waiting room, I watched woman after woman come in with their beautiful pregnant bellies. I couldn't help but stare and smile in delight. As I sat there smiling, the ultrasound technician (who had given us the bad news on the past two miscarriages) walked into the waiting room and asked for her next patient. My palms got sweaty as I looked at her and I hoped that her patient would have a joyful appointment.

When I finally saw my obstetrician, I felt relieved. We caught up on my current condition and discussed options. I told her that I was scared. I explained that I was feeling nervous about giving it another try. Deep in my heart of hearts I know that we want another child but at the same time, I'm anxious at the thought of losing another baby. We talked in great length about my feelings and she reassured me that I wasn't alone in these feelings. I know that other women must have the same types of thoughts but sometimes we need to be reminded that we're not alone.

The next few months could get interesting. I know the will of God will not take me anywhere that His grace will not protect me. I know this. For the past 2 years I've had a Bible verse over my computer screen. I taped it up when Papa H was considering a move to NBL. At the time, we didn't know what God had planned for us. Papa H took a step of faith and he is very happy with his choice. Up until now, this verse has always reminded me of Papa H and his courage to take a chance. Today, however, I can't help but read this verse and feel comforted that I can also take a chance that may or may not have the results that we desire. We don't always know how things will turn out but we can delight in the fact that He will protect us no matter where we go.

Genesis 28:15 "I am with you, and will protect you wherever you go."

Silly Times with the Sunshine Family!

Something funny was DEFINITELY in the air last night. While having dinner with the Sunshine Family, it was pretty obvious that we were all a bit silly. By the end of the evening, Mama Sunshine and I were laughing hysterically. The evening was a blast, that's for sure...

Introducing Little Miss Weenie!

(Mama Sunshine requested her presence...)

A parade came to town to introduce...

...Queen Izzy Sunshine!

"WEENIE", as Izzy likes to call her.

After dinner, Mama Sunshine and I got silly...

(Yes, that IS a ziploc bag that she put Little Miss Weenie into...)

*HILARIOUS*

She can't even keep it together...she was laughing HYSTERICALLY!

Even Baby Sunshine got a kick out of it!

SO MUCH FUN!

Thanks for the silly evening of laughs, Sunshine Family!

Matchy, Matchy...

What happens when Papa H goes out of town for a lumber show??

PQ & MOM HAVE A DATE NIGHT!!!

WILD & CRAZY TIMES...

ADVENTUROUS ATTITUDES...

...and a little MATCHY MATCHY TOO!

We love MATCHY MATCHY PJ NIGHT!!!

(Tonight's matchy matchy was PQ's idea.)

Free 'Toy'

BUBBLE WRAP + PQ = A GOOD TIME!!!

Don't you just love free 'toys' that make them smile??!!??

3lbs VS 75lbs

Guess who went to the vet today?

Guess who's weighing in at a whopping 3lbs, 2oz??!!!??

Oh yes...it's Little Miss Weenie!

Things have been going quite well with the dogs. Mooch loves the little weenie girl. He loves playing with her and she loves playing with him. They've finally learned HOW to play with each other (due to the obvious size differences). Mooch is now using his floppy ears to knock Little Miss Weenie down...and Little Miss Weenie is now using her little bark to get what she wants from Mooch. Who knew that a mini bark from a little weenie girl would intimidate him so much!!??

3lbs VS 75lbs

The 3 pound weenie girl wins EVERY time.

From Sears Guy to the Electrician

The Sears guy came today (between the hours of 8am-5pm-*wink*) and discovered that we have an electrical issue going on. Oh yes...an electrical issue which does not pertain to the actual appliance. According to his tests, there is only 120 volts of electricity available through the outlet. (It should be registering at least 240 volts.) We had our electrician check this out several months back when we were remodeling the kitchen. At the time, we were told that everything was fine with that plug. Who knows what's going on with it now...??

After thanking the tech for his time, I called our electrician and left a VM. I'm feeling rather tired from all of this stove drama. I'll be glad when we get the stove back up and running the way that it is intended, that's for sure...

Sears Update-AGAIN

I decided to contact Sears again yesterday to express my disappointment. I spoke with a representative that said he could 'do me a favor' and get my appointment bumped up to Tuesday. After inquiring a little further, I found out that this 'favor' included the same all-day wait time from 8am-5pm. I immediately asked to speak to a supervisor. His 'favor' was not going to work with me.

The supervisor (Jose) came to the line and expressed his apologies for the disconnect-AGAIN. After explaining to him my situation, he said that I would need to call them back on Monday morning. He said that their dispatch unit was not available on the weekends. He said that due to the fire hazard, I could call back and tell customer service that I needed an emergency appointment.

After receiving Jose's advice, I called back first thing this morning to set up the emergency appointment. The rep that I spoke with put me on hold and called the dispatch unit to see if they had any availability today. After sitting on hold for a few minutes, she came back to the line to tell me that they did not have any available time slots today and that they would need to come out tomorrow instead. I asked the rep what time they would be coming by to fix the stove and she gave me the infamous 8am-5pm timeslot AGAIN.

At this point, I became less than pleasant with the rep on the phone. I told her that this was unacceptable. I told her that it was not my fault that their product is faulty and that it was not okay for me to have to put my schedule on hold AGAIN for them. She apologized for the situation (what every customer service rep is trained to do) and then repeated that they would be at our house between the hours of 8am and 5pm tomorrow.

I demanded a timeframe to work with (rather than the 8-5 routine) and she said that the technician will be calling me with an estimated time of arrival. I asked her if he would be calling me this evening with this estimated time of arrival and she said no. She said that the tech would be calling me tomorrow between 8-5 with their estimated time of arrival. Upon closing my conversation with her, I reminded her that Sears would be to blame if our house catches on fire. With that, I slammed the phone down.

RAH!!! So it continues...AGAIN.

Whatever.

Apparently 'all good things do come to an end'...

After having our stove 'fixed' yesterday we were extremely disappointed to see that it 'died' again last night. This time it didn't come back. The unit still doesn't have power.

When are they coming back to fix the problem, you ask?

NEXT SATURDAY!!!!

Oh yes. Next Saturday between the hours of 8am and 5pm. That's the only day that we could have them come by due to our schedules. They don't give exact appointments. Instead, they require you to stay home ALL DAY and wait for them anytime between 8am and 5pm. Tomorrow was out of the question for them, even though this is the 2nd service call to the same place. They were too busy to come by tomorrow.

So I had to opt for a Saturday appointment next weekend to ensure that someone would be here all day. They couldn't give me an exact time of service (of course)...but they did offer me a $10 coupon as an apology for the inconvenience.

Are you kidding me? 10 bucks at Sears is supposed to make me feel better about having a junk stove? or make me feel better about the 8 day delay in getting someone to fix it? Or feel better about not cooking my family a meal for the next 8 days!!!???

Whatever, Sears!!! You won't be getting our business again in the future!!!

Stove Repairs!

Well, the Sear's repair man just left our house and I'm happy to report that our stove is back up and running. Let me explain...

For the past several weeks our stove has been shutting off while I am cooking. After checking the main braker for the house, we learned that the power failure was not being caused by a tripped braker. (Please pardon the 'girly' explanations on all of this...I never said I was a professional electrician who knew all the words/terms to use.) Paph H experimented a few weeks back and switched the burner on to see if that would make the stove come back on...and it did! After a few clicks within the unit, the stove would eventually come back on.

The stove would usually get tempermental while company was over and a hot meal was being cooked in the oven. Typical, isn't it??

After a few weeks of experimenting on our own, we decided to call Sear's to come out and repair the unit that we bought from them. We had a choice between a $139 plan that covered labor (and no parts) or a $239 plan that covers the labor and any parts that would be needed. In addition, the $239 plan would allow us to receive a check for $500 if the unit was not fixable. Considering the fact that we had no idea what kind of work needed to be done, we opted for the more expensive plan just in case.

Today was our big day. The service repair guy showed up at 8am sharp and began to work on the unit. Within 15 minutes, he discovered the problem. A bad terminal block was to blame. (If you're like me, you're wondering what a bad terminal block is. Don't worry my friends, I have pictures to explain...)

Presenting the BAD TERMINAL BLOCK

(Please notice the MELTED portion on the left side.)

In case you didn't catch the MELTED piece that was mentioned...

One thing is for sure, I definitely understand that parts should not be MELTED on our stove. The repair man nicely explained to me that the terminal block was responsible for transmitting power from the SUPER VOLT plug on the wall to the actual stove. The terminal block had been shutting down recently because the parts were starting to melt, which is an obvious fire danger. Luckily, he was able to fix the problem and head on out to his next repair call.

For me, I'm excited to think about all of the dinners that I can cook ON TIME from now on. There will be no shutting down and reconfiguring cook times anymore. Wahoo!

Soooooo, who's coming over for dinner?

Blogging Ideas??

I typically like to post pictures and memories on the blog. I want PQ to be able to scan his childhood when he gets older and this seems to be the perfect venue to do it. Pictures and stories tend to be my focus. Sometimes, however, I like to spice things up and give product reviews or share recipes. I feel like I'm pulling at strings tonight. So instead of writing about something dull and boring, I thought I would open it up to all of you.

What types of things do you look forward to in a post?

Do you enjoy pictures?

Do you like answering questions?

Do you like random jokes?

Talk to me...what would tickle your fancy?

Little Miss Weenie's Run-and-Jump Routine

After coming home from PQ's swimming lesson this evening (which he's not a big fan of, by the way), I decided to take a nice, relaxing bath. After getting comfortable in the tub, I heard the door crack open. Papa H asked me if it would be okay if Little Miss Weenie came and hung out in the bathroom while he played with PQ and Mooch. I agreed without hesitation because I know that the little lady loves to romp around in the bathroom. Afterall, it's a large area to play and it's also tiled (which is Mama H approved when potty training). *WINK*

Within seconds, our little weenie girl was running full speed at the tub. She jumped as high as she could but that wasn't enough. She slammed her body against the side of the tub. I have to be honest, I wasn't alarmed by this at all this evening. Earlier this week, she pulled the same stunt which made me panic as soon as she started in on her run-and-dive routine.

Why was she running and attempting to jump, you ask? Well my friends, Little Miss Weenie LOVES the water! After her scary run-and-jump routine earlier in the week, I let her swim around in the tub once my bath was over. This evening was much of the same.

It looks like a little kiddie pool is in order for the summer months. Our little weenie girl will be one hot sausage without one....hahaha.

*WINK*

One of my favorite Christmas Presents!

Who knew this little jar could bring so much joy to my life?

Mimi recently gave me a travel size 'jar of gold' as part of my Christmas present. I've been using it daily since I got it and I am IN LOVE with it! It's a product called MMPi.20 Skin Regenerating Serum by Patricia Wexler, M.D from Bath & Body Works. I can't say enough about this 'cashmere-like' serum. It makes my skin feel like I'm 20 again.

Life is good.

New Year's Eve 2009

In the H Family House we don't really have a 'sparkly' New Year's Eve tradition. Instead, we spend a lot of time at home eating and playing games. It's 'sparkly' in our eyes because it's a lot of family fun but it's not the typical 'out-all-night' type of tradition. Our night started off with some canine playtime. The dogs are getting to know each other and really starting to love one another. Mooch lets Little Miss Weenie get on his bed, which is HUGE. Mooch LOVES his bed and for him to let this little weenie girl get on it to play is a big deal.

After the canine playtime, we ordered Chinese Food. (That's another New Year's Eve tradition of ours.) Considering the wait time on the food was 2.5 hours (yes-that's real), we decided to snack on fruit and play some games. The wait time ended up being 3.5 hours because they were running an hour behind schedule. Apparently EVERYONE in our town has the same Chinese food tradition!!??!!! (It's worth it though.)

The evening was fun...just me and my boys. We went to bed at 11pm and we never saw the ball drop in Time Square. It's been YEARS since I stayed up to ring in the New Year. Papa H usually stays up late to ring it in solo...but quickly comes in to kiss me at midnight. Even though I'm passed out and don't usually recall the midnight smooch, it's still pretty sweet when I think about it the next morning. (I love you, Papa H. *WINK*)

Canine Playtime on Mooch's bed.

GOOD BOY!!!!!!

Our gentle giant.

Our fiesty female.

Dinner at 9pm, anyone???

It was SOOOO worth it!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!!!