Mrs. Roy's Great Deals Day

Mrs. Roy went thrift store shopping today and snagged some GREAT deals.  Check this out!

Mrs. Roy picked up this Cappelli purse for $3.50 - it looks brand new and Mrs. Roy can only find one on EBay that is starting at $6.

And this gorgeous woven lined jacket for 50 cents.  Yep, 50 cents!

 

And these cute Thomas the Train plates and bowls for $4.00 total.  On Amazon, one plate, one bowl and a tippy cup sell as a set for $15!  Mrs. Roy's grandsons are going to love coming to Grandma's house and eating out of these!

And this great vest for 50 cents!

And these gorgeous shoes were $4 a pair.  The ones on the left are Coldwater Creek and the other ones are Via !Sola.  Both of them look brand new and Mrs. Roy has no problem wearing second-hand shoes as great as these!

And this Jansport Auburn sweatshirt was also a deal at 50 cents; Mrs. Roy's boy is a big Auburn fan and he will look really good in this sweatshirt that will keep him warm now that he's moved north for his new job.

Of course, the problem with thrift store shopping is that Mrs. Roy sometimes ends up buying things Mrs. Roy would have been perfectly happy not owning except that they were such a good price.  There must be some balance in there somewhere and so that is why Mrs. Roy has opened an account at a local consignment shop.  Mrs. Roy is presently selling four pairs of jeans bought for $1 each at yard sales that didn't fit Mrs. Roy or the granddaughters or daughter when they got home, a Tommy Hilfiger suede jacket bought for $3 at a yard sale that also didn't fit, a handpainted jacket bought for $3 at a thrift store that Mrs. Roy thought about keeping but decided to make a nickel or two instead, a name-brand jacket given to Mrs. Roy that didn't fit, a skirt bought for $1 that didn't fit and a suit that Mrs. Roy can't quite squeeze into anymore.  Notice that most of these items were sizing mistakes and/or related to Mrs. Roy's increasing width - something better not mentioned. 

So, Mrs. Roy's way to shop is to find a great bargain and then brag about it!  Thanks for coming along.  Seriously, though, buying used is good for Mrs. Roy's personal economy, good for the environment by eliminating packaging and the need to produce new goods and Mrs. Roy can bless her family with great bargains.  And the consignment store donates unsold items to charity after 90 days so it's all good. 

Life is so good.

How Much Stuff Do You Have?

How much stuff do you have?  Mrs. Roy means really - how much stuff do you have?  Are you one of those folks who just knows all the drawers and cabinets and tabletops are full or are you one of those folks who knows where everything is all the time?

A few years ago, Mrs. Roy ran across Flylady.net, a great organizational website.  Flylady really changed the way Mrs. Roy looks at things, especially the question about how much stuff we have.  Flylady challenged Mrs. Roy to go through the house and gather like items.  Mrs. Roy had cleaning supplies in every bathroom, the kitchen, the laundry room and the garage.  When it was all gathered, Mrs. Roy discovered she wasn't going to have to buy any cleaning supplies for a long, long time.

The same thing happened with scissors.  There were some in the kitchen, some in the bedroom, some in the living room end table drawer, some in the sewing box, some in the bathroom.  Once they were gathered and put in one place, finding a pair of scissors became a non-issue.

How many extra bars of soap do you have sitting around your house?  Are there some in each bathroom and maybe some in the laundry room cabinet or the linen closet?  What about shampoo and other personal products?  What about tape?  That stuff gets stuck everywhere - and Mrs. Roy's not talking about the adhesive, either. 

The benefits of this exercise are many.  First, if you designate one place for each item, you will always know where to find it.  Second, you will save money by not buying duplicates of things you already have.  Third, you will cut down on clutter all over the house.  Fourth, the peace of mind of not having to search every drawer in the house for the scissors or tape will be wonderful.  Fifth, you will save time by not having to hunt so you will be able to spend more time doing things you enjoy.

So, how much stuff do you have?  Start small; designate a place for the scissors and gather them from everywhere.  Next might be ink pens or cleaning supplies.  Just keep breaking it down and do one or two items at a time; soon you will know exactly how much stuff you have and that will save you time and money every time.

Life is good.

Goodwill Toward Men

Mrs. Roy has been reading a great blog recently that has shared a series of posts called Goodwill Toward Men.  Mrs. Roy loves her reminders of worthy causes and practical ways we can help those around us, not just during this Christmas season but all through the year. 

As Mrs. Roy tries to walk in His steps, it is a joy to find others following the same path.

Mrs. Roy's Holiday Treat Recipes

A month or so ago, Mrs. Roy promised to post some favorite holiday recipes, so here they are.  Fill up those cookie jars and Enjoy!

Rolo candy

Place small pretzels on an aluminum-foil lined baking sheet. They can touch; it doesn’t matter. Put one rolo candy on each pretzel. Put the pan in the oven at 250 for about 4 minutes; just long enough for the candy to get soft but NOT melted. Remove from the oven and push a pecan half into each candy. Put the entire pan in the frig for about 30 minutes to speed up the cooling process; then they are completely hardened again, you are done!

Acorns

Use bite size Nutter Butter cookies and Hershey kisses. Melt a small amount of chocolate and dip the bottom of each kiss, then press onto a cookie. When they have cooled a little, put the rest of the melted chocolate in a zip lock bag and cut a small corner off the bottom. Squeeze small drops of the chocolate onto the other side of the cookie to resemble a stem.

 Magic Squares

Melt 1 stick butter in a 9 X 13 pan. Pour in 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs and stir together and press out to make a crust covering the whole bottom of the pan. Sprinkle 1 cup chopped pecans, 1 cup coconut and 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips over the crust. Then pour one can of sweetened condensed milk over the entire pan. (Or you can pour the milk in first and put the other stuff in afterwards; either way works). Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes until the edges and coconut are browned. Let it cool completely and cut into squares. You can make small squares because it is very rich!

Thanksgiving's over; Get ready for Christmas

Mrs. Roy and the rest of our household just watched the very disappointing season-ending football game between Tennessee and Kentucky.  Oh well, it was just that kind of season.  On a more local level, Mrs. Roy's Thanksgiving celebration was WONDERFUL!  Mr. Roy and his helpers cooked a huge dinner for 22 people, family from as far away as St. Louis and as near as just down the street and everywhere in between.  We had a very blessed couple of days and so even watching Tennessee lose to Kentucky for the first time since 1984 was really okay (sort of).

Now Mrs. Roy's heart is turning toward Christmas.  There are already a few gifts tucked away for friends and family and Mrs. Roy's SIL actually got her gifts wrapped and delivered to us at Thanksgiving!  Mrs. Roy was very impressed.  Mrs. Roy is looking at the calendar and it seems that next weekend will be put-up-the-tree weekend.  Mrs. Roy knows some folks do that on Thanksgiving weekend but it just isn't happening around here today. 

Then Mrs. Roy is going to need to get serious about gifts.  There are some folks who traditionally get some of Mrs. Roy's homemade treats and so the baking must begin.  In fact, there will likely be some pretzel dipping and candy making this week since Mrs. Roy is getting her hair cut on Thursday and Erika is one of those anticipating a treat box.  Mrs. Roy does hate to disappoint! 

Then there is wrapping and still some shopping.  It looks like Mrs. Roy is going to have a busy December!  Mrs. Roy is making a pledge right now to keep in mind the real reason for the season and not to get overwhelmed with all the other "stuff." 

Christmas is a birthday celebration for Jesus, complete with gifts and sharing time those we love.  And it all happens because God so loved the world, He gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 

PLAID FRIDAY

There is a great blog written by a brave young woman up in New York State that Mrs. Roy loves to read.  Today, Jenna is advocating buying local instead of the normal big box stuff; actually Jenna advocates just such a thing quite often and Mrs. Roy appreciates the nudge.  Plaid Friday is a ground swell effort to encourage local business on Black Friday, that typically horrible shopping day after Thanksgiving.  Here's the link to Jenna's blog on the subject:  http://coldantlerfarm.blogspot.com/2011/11/plaid-friday.html.  If you have to go shopping on Friday, Mrs. Roy encourages you to follow Jenna's suggestion and shop locally.

Mrs. Roy will tell you that I don't advocate going shopping AT ALL on Black Friday.  You can probably get a better deal and less hassle if you wait a week or so.  Trust me on this. 

And there is another movement that's been going on for many years by the Influenza crowd who encourage you to cut up your credit cards on Black Friday and declare independence from consumerism completely.  It's something to think about, for sure.  Can you really ignore all those newspaper inserts and commercials and junk mail and just buy from some Mom and Pop joint only what you really need only when you can actually pay for it?  Mrs. Roy thinks it could be a beautiful thing. 

THANKFUL

It's the beginning of Thanksgiving week and Mrs. Roy has so much to be thankful for.  For starters, Mrs. Roy got to go to Hawaii this year!  That was one of those lifetime bucket list things, you know what Mrs. Roy means?  And it lived up to all Mrs. Roy's expectations.  It was magnificent!

Even the ordinary in Mrs. Roy's life is pretty extraordinary and since Mrs. Roy started this blog as a way to explain my particular way of doing things, being thankful has to be included.  Mrs. Roy came across Philippians 2:14 on a desk calendar many years ago, along with the caption "It is impossible to be thankful and complain at the same time."  Wow!  That was a life-altering piece of paper and that's the truth.  Mrs. Roy discovered that Mrs. Roy complained a lot more than was thought humanly possible and the change brought about by Mrs. Roy's new attitude was probably long overdue and appreciated by everyone around me. 

It's really some of that glass half full / glass half empty mentality that we all seem to be pre-programmed to and Mrs. Roy will admit to being a pretty strong optimist.  But doing everything without arguing or complaining (Phil. 2:14) really reinforced that natural inclination. 

This week as we prepare for Thanksgiving, Mrs. Roy challenges you to try to be radically thankful.  If you get a flat tire, can you be thankful you have a car?  If your boss is grumpy, can you be thankful you have a job?  If the kids drive you crazy, can you be thankful they are healthy? 

So, Mrs. Roy is going to be thanking the Lord again for a wonderful family, church family and friends, good health, a great job and a life full of abundance, even without the totally awesome trip to Hawaii.  Mostly, though, Mrs. Roy is thanking the Lord for giving us Jesus to die on the cross so that my sins could be forgiven.  Mrs. Roy lives every day in the grace of Jesus' sacrifice and for that Mrs. Roy is literally eternally grateful. 

Life is good.  Thanks.

Taking Care, Part I

Mrs. Roy had a pretty simple life a few months ago, just me and Mr. Roy tooling around enjoying ourselves and the peace and quiet.  That's all gone now, replaced with four grandchildren just down the road, Mrs. Roy's mother and Mr. Roy's father.  And Mrs. Roy couldn't be happier but things can be confusing sometimes in this new life of ours.

You see, Mr. Roy's father has Alzheimer's and can't really live alone anymore.  In the few months since he has joined our household, we have managed to get his medication straightened out and started some Alzheimer's medication and he's doing better.  Mrs. Roy still worries if Dad is left alone for more than an hour or two but so far, so good.  It's a tough balance between respecting the wisdom of his 80 years and making sure he doesn't accidentally harm himself. 

The medication was one of our first ventures into this confusing land.  Dad insisted he was taking his medication but Mrs. Roy had her doubts.  Mrs. Roy finally convinced Dad to let me put his daily doses in marked pill boxes but he took them out and mixed them up and then got mad at Mrs. Roy when I tried to help him straighten it out.  He was taking twice his daily dosage of blood pressure medication!  So Mrs. Roy confiscated the medications and one of the other adults in the house gives him his medicine morning and evening. 

More recently, Mr. Roy found Dad headed out the front door and asked where he was going.  Dad intended to walk up to the barber shop to get a haircut - 2 miles away on a four lane road!  He got upset when Mr. Roy insisted on driving him up there but when Mr. Roy asked Dad if he had his cell phone so he could call Mr. Roy to pick him up, Dad had forgotten the phone at home.  Just imagine if he had wandered away without the phone and gotten lost!  The barber called Mr. Roy when Dad's haircut was finished and Mr. Roy picked him up and brought him home.  Like I said, it's a difficult balance.

Mrs. Roy would welcome comments from others traveling this caregiver path.  How do you manage to work and be a caregiver at the same time?  How do you and your spouse make time for each other?  How do you provide food your parent likes and still eat the foods you like?  What limits have you set and how did you go about it?  Have you found any insider tricks to getting proper healthcare or answering Medicare or insurance questions?

In other words, HELP!

YARD SALES FOR GIFT SHOPPING

Mrs. Roy went yard saling this morning with my daughter and son-in-law.  They are expert yard salers; they can walk up to a place, take one look around and head back to the truck.  It takes Mrs.Roy a little longer but they were kind and patience, so it worked out.  It turned out to be a very profitable morning.  We were looking for toddler and baby clothes for Mrs. Roy's grandsons and we found plenty, some with the tags still on them.  Mrs. Roy found a new Christmas ornament in a box that I can use at an office ornament swap.  SIL found a box of gameboys and games and accessories that he got for a steal! 

It is getting closer and closer to Christmas and we probably should have put some of our purchases away for Christmas gifts but we were so proud of ourselves, we shared with the kids when we got home.  What were we thinking! 

Do you give used gifts?  Mrs. Roy used to be hesitant but it is getting to be more common.  My co-worker and I pledged to only give used gifts or something we already owned last Christmas and it was wonderful.  Mrs. Roy is becoming a regular shopper on www.etsy.com, especially for the vintage stuff.  Mrs. Roy's sister loves poking around in junk shops and "antique" stores so a gift find for her is a guaranteed winner.

Mrs. Roy will be giving some homemade gifts this year, too.  Mostly food and snacks for friends and co-workers.  Mrs. Roy has a few folks already asking when the goodies are going to start appearing.  I'll try to post a couple of easy snacking recipes here in the next few days so you can share, too. 

Want an easy container for your goodies, more than just a baggie or a paper plate?  Pick up a few of those really cheap wicker baskets at yard sales and spray paint them holiday colors.  Wrap your goodies in plastic wrap and tie with ribbon and put it in the basket and you are DONE!

More ideas later but Mrs. Roy hopes you will consider sharing some pre-owned and homemade gifts this year.  Times are tough; folks really don't mind.

Mrs. Roy's New Grandson

Mrs. Roy recently got to visit the home of the Cabbage Patch dolls in Cleveland, Georgia.  It was a great time and included getting to witness an actual Cabbage Patch birth, complete with a mother cabbage and fertilizing bees. 

But that was nothing compared to becoming a real live Grandma again today!  Mrs. Roy's second grandson was born today - 8 lb, 5 oz, 21 inches long and wonderful from top to bottom! 

Thank you, Lord, for a safe arrival and that mom and baby are both well and healthy.  You tell us, Lord, that you know us before we are knit together in our mother's womb and that you have plans for each of us, plans to give us hope and a future.  Mrs. Roy is so excited to see what God will do with this newest addition to our family.

100 Day Challenge Update #1

Okay, did anyone decide to take part in the 100 day challenge?  We are 2about half way through the challenge - and Mrs. Roy is doing pretty good so far.

Mrs. Roy has been consistent with feeding my piggy $5 per week - our vacation is a week after the 100 days ends, so Mrs. Roy will have some spending money in my pocket!  Hooray.

Weight challenge - well, Mrs. Roy’s doing okay with that.  Some days are better than others but Mrs. Roy should be able to reach my goal by September 13, the 100^th day.  Mrs. Roy has been trying to add some crunches to work on Mrs. Roy’s abs - definitely my weak spot - but Mrs. Roy need to get serious about that.  Ha

Clutter challenge - Just this morning, Mrs. Roy pulled an older white polo out of the closet and noticed a faint stain across the front.  Into the trash it went - one more item decluttered.  Several items have gone into the charity box and Mrs. Roy and her mom are thinking about having a yard sale - although Mrs. Roy isn’t a large fan of yard sales.  Mrs. Roy is more likely to follow FlyLady’s advice and just give it to charity, since the whole point is to get the clutter out of the house, right?

So, Mrs. Roy is feeling pretty rosy about the 100 day challenge right now.  What about you? 

Mrs. Roy's Get Away

Mrs. Roy got away from the regular routine recently by making a trip up to the mountains of north Georgia - specifically, to Helen.  It's a Bavarian-themed town with a wonderful creek running through it where you can float by in a neon-colored tube and just relax.  Mrs. Roy met her sister up there for a cousin's wedding.  It was wonderful to share that special time with all the people Mrs. Roy loves.  Mrs. Roy was reminded that the best things in life aren't really things - the very best things are the people we love and enjoying the natural beauty the Lord has created all around us. 

Life is good.

GLEANING

Gleaning is an Old Testament form of charity.  The Bible tells us that we should leave food in our fields so that those less fortunate can pick the leftovers to feed themselves.  Ruth took advantage of this form of charity to feed herself and her mother-in-law in the Book of Ruth.  Modern gleaning is a little different but it is still a wonderful concept.

Mrs. Roy has gotten a couple of phone calls and emails recently asking if she wanted to come pick leftovers from folks’ gardens.  Mrs. Roy is all about free food so the answer is always yes!  Mrs. Roy picked corn, enough to put 5 quarts of creamed corn in the freezer.  Then Mrs. Roy and her mother picked peas - enough to put 4 quarts in the freezer.  Then Mrs. Roy and a friend picked blueberries - enough to make several quarts of berries for the freezer and still have some to share.  Life is good.

Mrs. Roy likes the concept of gleaning because it involves work.  Mrs. Roy gets really frustrated at folks who want to sit at home and have people deliver charity to them when they are capable of working.  Mrs. Roy worries about what is going to happen to a society that encourages such behavior.

Gleaning is also a good byproduct of the fresh food movement.  More and more of Mrs. Roy’s friends are planting gardens and/or buying local produce and other products.  The downtown association in our town is sponsoring a farmer’s market on the courthouse square every other Saturday.  In addition to vegetables, there are vendors selling homemade soaps and goat cheese and milk and grass-fed beef.

Mrs. Roy got tickled at the fellow selling grass-fed beef.  He was just bound and determined to tell Mrs. Roy that she had never eaten beef like that.  Mrs. Roy finally had to confess that she grew up on a farm with 60 head of grass-fed Charolais in the pasture.  Poor fellow just didn’t know who he was talking to!  A friend of mine laughed and said all his meat was grass-fed when he was growing up and now it’s fancy.  Ain’t it the truth.  Ha

Mrs. Roy's First Tomato of 2011

Mrs. Roy has some tomato plants in the backyard, our only garden attempt.  If these do well, Mrs. Roy may add some peppers and squash next year.  We’ll see.  Mrs. Roy isn’t likely to have enough produce to set up a booth at the farmer’s market but one thing is for sure; Mrs. Roy will be sharing the bounty as often as possible.  And if folks want to come glean their own, that’s even better.

Mrs. Roy thinks the Bible is right - again.  We should share our bounty and gleaning is a way to do that while giving the receiver the dignity of knowing they worked (at least a little) for the gift they receive.  It’s a good thing.

Happy Father's Day

What could possibly be a better Father's Day gift for Mr. Roy than an Army gnome?

Two Army gnomes, of course!

Mrs. Roy bought this Army gnome for Mr. Roy a few months ago and put it away for a future gift.  Mrs. Roy's mother was going through some boxes from her last move and discovered a gift she had bought for Mr. Roy a year or more ago.  You guessed it, an Army gnome!  Mrs. Roy and her mother have had several good chuckles about buying the same gift.  And yes, it is sort of scary that we think so much alike!

Fortunately, Mr. Roy is a good sport and he immediately saw the humor in the situation.  So we now have not one but TWO Army gnomes to add to our ever-growing collection.  Mr. Roy is considering making them bookends - or .....  Stay tuned.  ha



100 DAY CHALLENGE

This picture doesn't have anything to do with the 100 day challenge but if you ever want anything from Mrs. Roy, it helps to be 3 years old and wearing this shirt!

Gary over at The Dollar Stretcher sends Mrs. Roy a "Financial Independence" e-newsletter every day.  A while back, he included this message:


September 22nd marked the last 100 days of the year, so I took the opportunity to set a couple of goals that I could meet within that time. I also broke the 100 days into 10 sets of 10. One of my goals was to lose 10 lbs by the end of the year. To lose one pound, I would have to burn 3500 calories. Instead of having to burn 500 calories a day over 7 days (a week), I found it’s a lot easier to burn 350 calories a day over 10 days. Another goal was to save money for a little weekend trip that I plan on taking in January. I set aside a dollar a day to help pay for it. With some other money I have set aside, I will be able to pay cash for the entire trip!!


I challenged a couple of other people to join me. One person wanted to pay off her credit card, so she decided to save $5.00 a day and make her lunch every day, setting the money she would have used to buy lunch, aside. She had her card paid off by the 70th day of the challenge. Another one wanted to finish a scrapbooking project, and decided on doing one page every 10 days. She’s almost done. I’ve already lost my 10 lbs and am working on a couple more for good measure.


I’ve challenged a bigger group for the First 100 Days Challenge which starts on January 1st. This helps to reinforce how important short-term goals are and how they can contribute to the larger, medium and long term goals. Set some goals (not resolutions) for yourself for the first 100 days, and have fun. Make sure that you can realistically achieve them by April 10th. It’s amazing what you can do!!!


Michelle S.

This whole thing reminded Mrs. Roy of the way you eat an elephant - one bite at a time.  So often we get sidetracked or discouraged when we set big goals for ourselves.  Mrs. Roy’s battle of the bulge is a good example; sure, it would be nice to be 20 pounds thinner but Mrs. Roy likes chocolate a little too much.  However, being good for just a few days - Mrs. Roy can handle that!

So Mrs. Roy decided to see if this 100 day challenge thing would work.  The first thing Mrs. Roy did was start putting a $5 bill in a piggy bank at work every Monday morning.  (Mrs. Roy decided not to stress about Saturday and Sunday.)  This has been a huge success - to date there is about $80 in the piggy and Mrs. Roy is trying to decide how to spend it; vacation money has the top spot right now.  And Mrs. Roy has allowed some fudging - piggy has paid for lunch a time or two when there was no cash in Mrs. Roy’s wallet.

So Mrs. Roy decided to see if the concept would work on the weight loss front.  Sure enough, Mrs. Roy has dropped 10 pounds and counting.  Watching fat grams and reducing snacks has had a big impact.  And when we had a family get together last week, Mrs. Roy just went with the flow and didn’t stress.  A few days of being extra diligent took care of those burgers and chips so thoroughly enjoyed over the weekend!  Small victories definitely keep Mrs. Roy motivated.

So what else can Mrs. Roy apply this 100 day challenge to?  Clutter is the next challenge - if Mrs. Roy put one item per day in the charity box, recycling bin or trash can, that would be 100 items decluttered!   Everything counts - ink pens that don’t write, magazines already read, clothes that don’t fit.  This morning, it was a pair of socks with a hole in the heel.  Mrs. Roy does not have to wear holey socks - and neither do you!

Other 100 day challenges might be reading a chapter of the Bible every day (or just one verse); walking a little every day for 100 days; cleaning one thing every day (say, washing one window or cleaning one tub); drinking one cup of water or milk every day; writing one letter or note card every day; doing five minutes of stomach exercises every day; you get the picture.

Let Mrs. Roy know if you accept the 100 day challenge; Mrs. Roy will check back with you in 100 days to see how you’ve done.

Life is good!

DOLLYWOOD SOUVENIRS AND SUCH

This is Mrs. Roy's newest purchase from etsy.com.  Don't you just love it?  Mrs. Roy has a special attachment to the Great Smoky Mountains so this napkin holder, currently being used as a desk caddy, was right up Mrs. Roy's alley. 

Many years ago, Mr. and Mrs. Roy were invited to the home of some friends for dinner.  We had a great evening and on the way home Mr. Roy commented on how lovely the house was.  These folks had a place for everything and everything in its place - and it all matched, if you know what I mean.  Mrs. Roy agreed but all that kept going through Mrs. Roy's mind was - where did they keep the Dollywood souvenirs?  Everybody has them, don't they?  Those mementos that the kids brought back from a field trip or that remind you of a fun family vacation or even an incredibly cute Great Smoky Mountain napkin holder? 

It was then and there that Mrs. Roy figured out that Southern Living nor Better Homes and Gardens were ever coming to our house for a photo shoot.  Oh well, such is life.  Mrs. Roy can live with it, smiling very time I look over at my new Great Smoky Mountain desk caddy.

Oh, and it was bought used so it was ecologically friendly and frugal, too.

Life is good.

Yard Art

Pretty much right after Mrs. Roy wrote a post about our life being such a wonderful balance, things went to heck in a handbasket, as Mrs. Roy's grandma used to say.  But things are better now and Mrs. Roy and her mom have been out in the yard creating some art.

We took several old empty pots sitting around (the remains of previous gardening efforts by Mrs. Roy) and made a grouping of them.  Mom has a greener thumb than Mrs. Roy so maybe these will do well.  The trick here in south Georgia is water, water and more water. 

Oh and Mom gets all the credit for the new mulch, too. 

Enjoy!  Life is good.

Balance

Sunday morning Mrs. Roy was busy getting ready for church and thinking about what needed to be done that day when I happened to look out on the back porch and see this!  Mrs. Roy has several feral cats roaming around and this one started out perched on the porch railing, obviously stalking a squirrel.  What caught Mrs. Roy's eye first was that another squirrel was up above the cat, occasionally dropping a nut in the cat's direction and wreaking havoc on its concentration.  Finally, the cat decided to get a little closer to its prey and climbed onto this limb stump for further stalking.  And yes, it is a very large tree.

Mrs. and Mrs. Roy used to live in the city and things just always seemed to be happening - busy, busy, busy.  Then we moved here to south Georgia and life slowed down - a lot.  Mrs. Roy is so thankful for the peaceful moments that allow me to stop and watch a cat spend time stalking a squirrel he is NEVER going to catch.  Mrs. Roy is so thankful for a slower lifestyle that helps us appreciate all of God's blessings.  From feral cats to mischievious squirrels to quiet evenings on the porch, Mrs. Roy's way of doing things is just right!

Saturday

Saturdays with Mrs. Roy usually involve household chores like cleaning the bathrooms, running the vacuum (Mrs. Roy's personal LEAST favorite thing), dusting, cleaning windows and doing laundry.  Mr. and Mrs. Roy don't really make a lot of mess but things have to be cleaned occasionally anyway for some reason.  So Mrs. Roy has spent another Saturday wiping, swiping and sweeping.  Mrs. Roy also went to the dollar store and resupplied with paper products - using a coupon, of course, and swung by the recycling center to drop off a stack of flattened cardboard boxes from my recent online shopping spree (what was I thinking!) and a full container of other recyclables.  Meanwhile, Mr. Roy mowed and used the weedeater and blew off the driveway and cleaned out the flower bed - outside stuff.  It's called balance of power.

Now it's time to enjoy a cup of coffee on the back porch.  Life is good.

2011 Snail Mail Challenge Update

Mrs. Roy can see that a few folks are visiting this site looking for Mrs. Roy's take on the Snail Mail challenge.  We are doing great.  Mrs. Roy has only missed one week and actually had an envelope sealed and ready to go last week - sending coupons to Mrs. Roy's daughter - but life got in the way and Mrs. Roy didn't get to the post office.  So more coupons from last Sunday's paper went in the envelope and off it went via snail mail earlier this week.  And Mrs. Roy saw a friend' picture in the paper (you got to love small towns) so it was cut out and mailed along with a short note this week. 

Mrs. Roy had a slow week of receiving snail mail.  Best Mrs. Roy can recall, the only mail other than a few catalogs and a bill from the dentist who glued Mrs. Roy's crown back in place (which bill I will GLADLY pay) was a thank you note from Mrs. Roy's new locally owned pharmacy for having a prescription filled there recently.  Mrs. Roy is betting the big box stores don't send you thank you cards! 

Snail mail is definitely good!

Mrs. Roy's Favorite Things

Mr. Roy

UT gnomes

handmade ceramic coffee cups

afghans and quilts made by people I love

pretty much anything chocolate (except chocolate covered insects or raisins)

my blue laptop

a thunderstorm, a blanket and a good book

cats who cuddle

family

my Bible with all the margin notes

a fire in the fireplace

Happy Birthday to Me!

Happy Birthday to Mrs. Roy!  I've had a great birthday and lots of bounty!  Mrs. Roy got phone calls and emails and good wishes in person all day plus my boss and co-worker took me to lunch.  Becky got Mrs. Roy those two wonderful Walter Hobbs pottery mugs; my daughter and family sent me the gnomes - one big one and three pot sitters who hang on the edge of flowerpots or bowls or cups; Mr. Roy got me a bag of Milano cookies and a gift card; Nancy made me a beautiful birthday cake; son got me a subscription to a favorite magazine and I've been getting cards in the mail all week! 

Life is good!

Reasons to Love March in South Georgia

Azaleas

Yard Art

More Azaleas

More Yard Art

Life is good!

Shhh. It's a Secret

Mrs. Roy had to run in the local J.C. Penney the other day to get a birthday present and Mr. Roy tagged along.  Mr. Roy suggested Mrs. Roy share a secret with all of you but if Mrs. Roy does that, it won't be a secret anymore!  Oh, what the heck; here goes.

There are usually lines at the checkout kiosks in front of the mall entrance and by the exterior door we always enter BUT there is a little-known checkout counter in the bra department.  Tucked right there between the racks of 42DDD's is the perfect place to check out and beat the wait at the more obvious customer service kiosks. 

If there is a line in the bra department next time Mrs. Roy goes shopping, this is the last time Mrs. Roy is sharing her way of doing things!

A Place to Rest

This is where Mrs. Roy goes to rest.  This back porch piece of heaven is where Mrs. Roy entertains friends and family and sips coffee in the evening.  Mrs. Roy can prop her feet up and read a good book or work on a quilt or just enjoy the frogs croaking and the birds chirping.  And since we live in south Georgia, Mrs. Roy can enjoy this spot about 10 months out of the year!

Life is definitely good.

MRS. ROY'S WAY NOT TO DO THINGS

This is Mrs. Roy's finger with a big bandaid on it because Mrs. Roy busted her knuckle trying to be being cheap.  See, there was just a tiny bit of makeup left in the bottom of Mrs. Roy's container and I was trying to pry the lid off to get to it.  Unfortunately, Mrs. Roy's hand slipped and an injury resulted.

Mrs. Roy is really mad because (1) I had more make-up in the drawer since I bought two bottles on sale with a coupon a couple of weeks ago; (2) I've tried to get those containers apart before I know how hard it is; and (3) it was make-up!  Purely a vanity item; it's not like I was trying to get the last drop of gold or medicine out of that silly container.

Sometimes being frugal is a good thing.  Most of the time it's a good thing.  But Mrs. Roy crossed the line today and I ended up hurting myself.  Hurting myself to save a nickel is just plain wrong. 

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Mrs. Roy made these chocolate heart cupcakes for some friends for Valentine's Day.  Mrs. Roy wishes you were here to enjoy one, too!

NEW TOYS FOR MRS. ROY

Mrs. Roy recently was given a wonderful gift - this great Brother sewing machine and the two boxes behind it.  What's in the two boxes, you ask?

TWO MORE SEWING MACHINES!  Mrs. Roy is so excited to have received these gifts from a dear friend who likes to encourage my quilting.  The Brother (in the middle) is a much newer model and, like most sewing machines today, is mostly made of plastic parts.  But the other two?  Whoa!  They are so heavy because they are both made of almost completely metal parts.  Even the body is metal. 

This one is a Wizard, model 3Kc 8846.  Best Mrs. Roy can figure out, it was made about 50 years ago and was probably bought at the local Western Auto.  Mrs. Roy hasn't been able to find out a lot about the machine itself but parts are apparently hard to come by so Mrs. Roy will be extra gentle with this wonderful treasure.  This one even has the owner's manual with it with loads of really interesting information about using the machine with different types of cloth, making different stitches, etc.

This is a Dressmaker model, probably made by the same company as the Wizard.   Mrs. Roy loves that the previous owner wrote "FRONT" on the front of the case. 

Both of the older machines are mounted in the boxes you see.  They were designed so that you could unscrew them from the boxes and put them in console sewing tables.  Both of these machines are hinged so that there is a storage area under the sewing machine.  Is that cool or what!

Life is definitely good! 

More Snail Mail!

Mrs. Roy got this message from a homeschooling mom:

Hi.I found your blog under the 52 letters project and was hoping you could help us in our 2,011 letter project.We are trying to collect 2,011 letters from all around the world...it's not just about getting the letters,but learning about other people and other countries,states,etc. We hope you can join to help us reach our goal...we are getting sign ups everyday,but have a long way to go. :) Please also help us spread the word if you can.Thanks!


http://2011letters.blogspot.com/

HERITAGE

Mrs. Roy found this box of carpenter's pencils online at etsy.com.  Mrs. Roy bought them for Mr. Roy to be passed down to our children.  The reason these pencils caught Mrs. Roy's eye is because Mr. Roy's mother retired from Empire Pencil Company in Shelbyville, Tennessee.  She may have helped make this box of pencils.  In fact, chances are pretty good she did.  Mrs. Roy would ask her but Mrs. Roy's mother-in-law joined the angels in heaven a few years ago. 

So now we have a box of pencils to make us smile as we remember the wonderful lady who worked so hard every day making things like this so that we could have a better life.  Her pencil-making bought food and blue jeans and boy scout uniforms and bicycles and cars and paid for college and contributed to the down payment for our first home.  Mrs. Roy is sure making pencils was a difficult way to make a living but Mr. Roy's mom did it with grace and skill.  Mrs. Roy is proud of the work she did.  It's a good thing.

Snail Mail Challenge Update

Mrs. Roy is happy to report that the snail mail challenge is going well.  Mrs. Roy has mailed at least one piece of snail mail every week since the first of the year.  The SIL pillow is headed to the post office in the morning.  There have been a few thank you cards and a couple of "just thinking of you" cards winging their way across America this month.  Mrs. Roy even have a list of cards that need to be mailed.  Mrs. Roy hopes the rest of you are keeping your postman busy, too.

Another Finished Project - SIL Pillow

Mrs. Roy's favorite son-in-law is a former Marine.  This t-shirt was a fond reminder of his time in the service but, quite frankly, it was about done for.  Besides the intentional cut in the neckline, both arms had been cut off and there were tears and holes all over this raggedy treasured tee.  So Mrs. Roy's daughter shipped the t-shirt to Mrs. Roy and asked that it be preserved as a pillow.  After much fusing, mending, trimming and clipping - Ta-Da!  And yes, that's camo peeking out from the top of the neckline. 

As Mrs. Roy reviewed the tags for this post, it became apparent that this project was fun just because it involved sewing and it was frugal and ecologically sound because we reused something we already had.  Mrs. Roy does confess to buying the pillow form but everything else was already on hand. 

Another project finished and another happy relative.  Life is good!

Goodbye, Angel

One of Mrs. Roy's cats died yesterday.  Her name was Angel, short for Angelica, the bratty kid on the Rug Rats.  She was 11 years old. 

Mrs. Roy's daughter brought her home tucked down in her shirt while riding a bicycle.  Angel loved to cuddle and loved to play.  Sometimes she would hide around the corner and jump out at you in surprise.  She would arch her back and hop around stiff-legged, which caused Mrs. Roy's son to nickname her Beartrap.  Angel loved to be the center of attention and would greet everyone who came in the door, not like other cats who run and hide under the couch when company comes.  Angel loved to chase lizards and would then toy with them until they died.  Sometimes she ate them; sometimes she just enjoyed the chase. 

Angel wasn't allowed to go outside because she had a nasty habit of climbing trees - chasing squirrels, we think - and then couldn't get down.  One time we were able to get a ladder and rescue her but another time she stayed up in the tree for nearly a week.  Actually, it was the neighbor's tree and she and Mrs. Roy would each get out on their decks and talk to poor Angel, who really wanted to come down but didn't know how.  Mrs. Roy finally got the pressure washer out and squirted water up there, hoping to chase her down but at least giving her a drink of water.  She did come down a little bit and then a friend climbed up and grabbed her, then dropped her to Mrs. Roy.  She was really glad to be home after that. 

Angel would jump up in the air and catch cat treats with her front paws.  She would find nuts and roll them around on the hardwood floors until she lost it under a closet door or the refrigerator.  She loved to ride in the car but she made it hard to drive because she wanted to see everything that was going on.  Angel came running whenever she heard the can opener because she insisted Mrs. Roy share the tuna with her.  Angel had her own crystal water bowl on the bathroom sink and she sat in Mrs. Roy's lap every morning while Mrs. Roy got ready for work.

Angel is resting in the back yard next to Blondie, our beloved dog.  It's going to be sad around here for a while but that just means God gave us a creature to love who loved us back even when we didn't deserve it.  And that's a good thing. 

We love you, Angel.