Mrs Roy's Way of Doing Things

A Perfect Evening's Musings

2012-01-24T21:34:00.004-05:00

Mrs. Roy spent this evening on the back porch reading. Yes, dear friends, it is January 24 and Mrs. Roy sat on the back porch all evening. In fact, the bedroom window is open as Mrs. Roy types this post. There is definitely something good about living in south Georgia!

As Mrs. Roy said, I have been enjoying coffee along with a good book this evening - decaf, of course, since Mr and Mrs. Roy aren't as young as they used to be and caffeine is no longer our friend. sigh Oh well. There is still something so relaxing and fulfilling about a cup of coffee and the peace and quiet and a good story. Mrs. Roy enjoys that much more than the surround sound big screen experience Mr. Roy loves so much.

Mrs. Roy also mused about the fact that Mrs. Roy is reading a .99 cent book from the book warehouse and Mrs. Roy's mom is reading a 9.99 digital book on her Kindle. Mom loves her Kindle but Mrs. Roy doesn't really feel a need to join in on that just yet.

Mrs. Roy did get a little tickled this evening as Mrs. Roy's mother got dressed to go out for the evening while Mrs. Roy put on her pj's and grabbed the coffee and book aforementioned. Mom is busy all the time, running here and there and doing this and that. Mrs. Roy just wants to come home from work and rest. It didn't used to be that way; seems there was always something to do a few years ago. But it is nice to come home and relax and slow down; Mrs. Roy enjoys not having something to do every minute. Just watching Mom go is entertainment enough. ha

All these musings have led to thoughts of contentment and yes, Mrs. Roy is content. It is a blessing to be able to find contentment in our home and simple pleasures. Thank you, Lord. Life is good.

Just A Little Bit At A Time

2012-01-07T22:35:00.000-05:00

Occasionally, Mrs. Roy can be a real pig. Like during the holidays with all those goodies sitting around and the perfect excuse to cook casseroles smothered in cheese and dinner rolls as a snack. Unfortunately, Mrs. Roy is now carrying around the remnants of that excess on various and sundry body parts better not mentioned. And thus begins what has become Mrs. Roy's January tradition - watching what Mrs. Roy eats.

Mrs. Roy has discovered that a little bit at a time is a good rule of thumb for eating. Small meals or snacks several times a day of the right kinds of foods really can make a big difference. And changing just a few little things along the way makes a difference, too. Mrs. Roy has given up her morning poptart in favor of whole wheat cinnamon toast. Sodas are replaced with water. The bread had to go. Baked potatoes only get butter instead of butter, sour cream, cheese and bacon bits. Less meat helps, too. Mrs. Roy might get real ambitious and add a little exercise but there's no need to go crazy just yet!

Mrs. Roy knows that just a little bit at a time works in other parts of life, too. If Mrs. Roy cleans just a little bit of the house each day, it never gets out of hand. Putting $1 a day in a savings jar results in a healthy stash by vacation time. A few minutes blogging or journaling every day keep writing from becoming a task. One load of laundry every now and then is much better than an all-day marathon of washing, drying, folding and putting away. And Mrs. Roy is toying with the idea of putting one item every day in a give-away box; that would mean 365 pieces of stuff out of the house by the end of the year! Mrs. Roy might even find at least one piece of garbage to throw away each day for 365 days. Wouldn't that be fun! Actually, Mrs. Roy has blogged about this before - with the 100 day challenge. You can check out the previous entries by clicking the label below.

Mrs. Roy even has some sewing and quilting projects that need to be handled a little bit at a time. Mrs. Roy got to do some hand quilting today and got batting cut out for a couple of other projects. Fifi over at her blog is working her way through some great projects just a little bit at a time.

So how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time, of course. And that Mrs. Roy's way of doing things, too.

Life is good.

My verse for 2012

2012-01-06T21:33:00.001-05:00

Every year for the past dozen or so, Mrs. Roy has chosen a Bible verse to live by for the year. It's not very scientific; Mrs. Roy prays about it and looks around for verses that speak to where I am at that point in my life and then Mrs. Roy tries to apply that verse for a whole year. Some years Mrs. Roy gets bored with it and has to go back and look up the verse in July just to remember what it is. Some year the verse takes hold and really changes Mrs. Roy in some way. It was like that last year, as Mrs. Roy tried to be more open to whatever God brought my way.

Anyway, this year's verse is about being a Godly example to the young women in Mrs. Roy's life. It is amazing, not to mention intimidating, that God has very intentional instructions for Mrs. Roy at this point in my life! Mrs. Roy is constantly amazed at how God is into the details of our lives!

The verses Mrs. Roy has chosen are Titus 2:3-5:

³ Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. ⁴ Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, ⁵ to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

Mrs. Roy can tell it's going to be a great year!

CHEAP SHELVING. REAL CHEAP SHELVING.

2012-01-01T15:47:00.002-05:00

See, Mrs. Roy had a need for some shelves in a corner of the walk-in attic. And there were two large stacks of old college textbooks and skateboard magazines (which have been abandoned by Mrs. Roy's favorite son) sitting in the way. So a quick check in Mr. Roy's shop revealed some sufficiently wide shelving boards and Mrs. Roy soon had a very servicable shelving unit AND got rid of the useless book and magazine stacks. Now those books and magazines are supporting Mrs. Roy's shelves and everyone is happier for it.

A couple of soda flats sitting around work very nicely as pull out drawers, making Mrs. Roy's t-shirts and shorts much more accessible.

Mrs. Roy's daughter gave me a wonderful set of lined baskets for Christmas and three of them are now part of the shelving unit, holding small items and miscellaneous. Aren't they beautiful?

Yes, those are old VCR tapes now creating a support pillar for the shelving unit. If you want to use this idea somewhere other than attic space (like somewhere where people would actually see it), you could wrap the VCR tapes (and books) in pretty wrapping paper to coordinate with your decorating theme.

If any of you have bought a college textbook lately, you know this may actually be the most expensive shelving unit in the universe! But since they were just collecting dust in the corner, Mrs. Roy is very happy to put them to use holding up shelves. Mrs. Roy did try to sell some of these textbooks online but after a couple of years, the schools update their book lists and these editions were not longer usable. And why didn't Mrs. Roy's son sell these back at the time? Don't know, maybe he did. End result is Mrs. Roy has very "smart" shelves in the attic.

Life is definitely good.

Mrs. Roy's Great Deals Day

2011-12-29T20:52:00.001-05:00

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?

2011-12-15T21:43:00.001-05:00

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

2011-12-12T22:34:00.001-05:00

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

2011-12-06T19:45:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-26T16:06:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-22T20:10:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-20T21:50:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-12T17:27:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-05T15:29:00.000-04:00

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

2011-07-30T22:19:00.000-04:00

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

2011-07-17T22:20:00.000-04:00

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

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

Weight challenge - well, Mrs. Roy’s doing okay withthat. Some days are better than othersbut Mrs. Roy should be able to reach my goal by September 13, the 100^thday. Mrs. Roy has been trying to add somecrunches to work on Mrs. Roy’s abs - definitely my weak spot - but Mrs. Roy needto get serious about that. Ha

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

So, Mrs. Roy is feeling pretty rosy about the 100 daychallenge right now. What aboutyou?

Mrs. Roy's Get Away

2011-07-15T20:55:00.000-04:00

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

2011-06-24T21:35:00.000-04:00

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

Mrs. Roy has gotten a couple of phone calls and emailsrecently asking if she wanted to come pick leftovers from folks’ gardens. Mrs. Roy is all about free food so the answeris 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 quartsof berries for the freezer and still have some to share. Life is good.

Mrs. Roy likes the concept of gleaning because it involveswork. Mrs. Roy gets really frustrated atfolks who want to sit at home and have people deliver charity to them when theyare capable of working. Mrs. Roy worriesabout what is going to happen to a society that encourages such behavior.

Gleaning is also a good byproduct of the fresh foodmovement. More and more of Mrs. Roy’sfriends are planting gardens and/or buying local produce and otherproducts. The downtown association inour town is sponsoring a farmer’s market on the courthouse square every otherSaturday. In addition to vegetables,there are vendors selling homemade soaps and goat cheese and milk and grass-fedbeef.

Mrs. Roy got tickled at the fellow selling grass-fedbeef. He was just bound and determined to tellMrs. Roy that she had never eaten beef like that. Mrs. Roy finally had to confess that she grewup on a farm with 60 head of grass-fed Charolais in the pasture. Poor fellow just didn’t know who he wastalking to! A friend of mine laughed andsaid 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 onlygarden attempt. If these do well, Mrs.Roy may add some peppers and squash next year. We’ll see. Mrs. Roy isn’t likelyto have enough produce to set up a booth at the farmer’s market but one thingis 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 away to do that while giving the receiver the dignity of knowing they worked (atleast a little) for the gift they receive. It’s a good thing.

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-20T20:34:00.000-04:00

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

2011-06-05T17:27:00.001-04:00

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 anelephant - one bite at a time. So oftenwe get sidetracked or discouraged when we set big goals for ourselves. Mrs. Roy’s battle of the bulge is a goodexample; sure, it would be nice to be 20 pounds thinner but Mrs. Roy likeschocolate 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 thingwould work. The first thing Mrs. Roy didwas start putting a $5 bill in a piggy bank at work every Monday morning. (Mrs. Roy decided not to stress aboutSaturday and Sunday.) This has been ahuge success - to date there is about $80 in the piggy and Mrs. Roy is tryingto decide how to spend it; vacation money has the top spot right now. And Mrs. Roy has allowed some fudging - piggyhas 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 theweight loss front. Sure enough, Mrs. Royhas dropped 10 pounds and counting. Watching fat grams and reducing snacks has had a big impact. And when we had a family get together lastweek, Mrs. Roy just went with the flow and didn’t stress. A few days of being extra diligent took careof those burgers and chips so thoroughly enjoyed over the weekend! Small victories definitely keep Mrs. Roymotivated.

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

Other 100 day challenges might be reading a chapter of theBible 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 cardevery day; doing five minutes of stomach exercises every day; you get thepicture.

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

2011-05-21T20:09:00.000-04:00

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

2011-05-19T18:53:00.002-04:00

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

2011-04-18T21:19:00.001-04:00

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

2011-04-02T16:40:00.000-04:00

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

2011-03-25T20:54:00.000-04:00

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

2011-03-24T21:25:00.000-04:00

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!

2011-03-16T21:13:00.000-04:00

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

2011-03-12T13:43:00.000-05:00

Azaleas

Yard Art

More Azaleas

More Yard Art

Life is good!

Shhh. It's a Secret

2011-03-02T20:24:00.000-05:00

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

2011-02-24T21:18:00.000-05:00

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

2011-02-19T11:29:00.000-05:00

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

2011-02-14T06:29:00.000-05:00

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

2011-02-12T14:32:00.000-05:00

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!

2011-02-05T20:38:00.000-05:00

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

2011-02-02T22:36:00.000-05:00

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

2011-01-27T21:51:00.000-05:00

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

2011-01-25T19:29:00.000-05:00

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

2011-01-23T13:41:00.000-05:00

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.

12 Things to Watch for in 2011 by Gary Foreman

2011-01-18T21:02:00.001-05:00

This is a guest blog from Mrs. Roy's friend Gary at The Dollar Stretcher.com. Mrs. Roy thinks Gary is right on and hopes you will consider following his advice.

I enjoy watching the old westerns on TV. One thing I've learned is that is that if you're going to be a gunfighter, you need to always know what's happening around you. Failure to do that could put you in the Boot Hill cemetery.

Right now our economy is a little like the Wild West. Sometimes it seems like there are no rules. Or that whoever has the most guns gets to make his/her own rules. So we might be wise to learn something from that old gunslinger and watch carefully what happens around us. We might keep our finances from an early burial. So here are 12 things to watch out for in 2011.

Watch for old pricing rules to become obsolete. You're going to have to pay attention to prices in the new year. Some prices will be trending up, while others slide down. And, some will change direction during the year. Now, more than ever, it's important to know your prices. Shop around for any major item. Use a grocery pricebook to keep track of food prices.

It's a good time to challenge your assumptions. Just because you always bought a specific brand or store doesn't mean that you should continue. Challenging times cause companies to do things they wouldn't normally do. Some may drop prices significantly. Others could lower quality. Just because you've known a product or company for years doesn't mean that they can't change. In fact, you should expect it to happen.

Watch for ways to save a few dollars. Even if it's only a dollar or two a day. With an increase in uncertainty, it's much more likely that you could need a few extra bucks in a pinch.

Watch out for inflation in 2011. As the government borrows more and more, some prices are bound to rise. It probably won't happen until people are comfortable that they can spend their money again. When they do, we'll all remember why government borrowing is dangerous.

Watch for opportunities to strengthen your position at work. Learn new skills. Be flexible. Do anything you can to make yourself valuable to your employer.

Watch for ways to help your friends and family. Even if you don't have money to spare, you can help. Volunteer to help with a plumbing problem. Or save them the expense of a trip to the store by offering to pick up a few items for them.

Watch out that you don't put your family in jeopardy helping others. It's nice to be generous, but things like co-signing a note could put your finances in a world of hurt.

Watch for opportunities. Even in the most challenging times, there are some opportunities. You'll need to think creatively, and it might take some work. But I bet that there's someone who owns an unoccupied "fixer-upper" home that would be willing to let a family live in it while repairs and upgrades were made in trade for rent.

Watch your stress levels. When finances are tight it's easy to get stressed-out. Letting that stress build up will only make things worse. Don't sacrifice your mental or physical health or marriage to stress. Watch a sunset, listen to music or find some other healthy stress reliever. By the way, shopping is not an acceptable stress reliever.

Watch for unusual bargains. You'll find more "liquidation pricing" on a variety of goods. Auctions will have fewer bidders and thus more bargains.

Watch your step. Now is a time to be careful in making big financial decisions, especially since some of your prior assumptions could be wrong. It's true that many mistakes are made when we're in a hurry. Those mistakes could be very damaging in this economy.

Watch your tongue. Saying too little or too much could be bad for your financial health. There's nothing wrong with letting a few close friends and family know that you're facing some financial challenges. In fact, it's wise to do so. But, you don't want to go to the other extreme where every conversation revolves around your problems. If you go there, you'll notice that people begin to stay away from you.

Watch your back. Is there some problem or debt that's sneaking up on you? Do you have a major appliance (think furnace, A/C unit, refrigerator) or car that's getting old and may need repair or replacement? Or maybe you're close to being unable to make a minimum payment that would trigger a slide in your credit score. Anticipating problems can allow you to fix them before they catch up with you.

Gary Foreman is the editor of The Dollar Stretcher.com website and enewsletters. Visit the site for more info on how to reduce credit card debt and live frugally.

Mrs. Roy Says Don't Text and Try to Drive

2011-01-07T21:10:00.000-05:00

Because you can't do both. Mrs. Roy wants you to know you are 23 times more likely to have an accident if you try to text and drive at the same time.

Baby Quilt - A Finished Quilt is Always a Good Thing

2011-01-01T19:22:00.000-05:00

Mrs. Roy finished a baby quilt I've been working on for a while now. And the baby isn't born yet, so Mrs. Roy is moving right along! This particular quilt is for a friend who gave Mrs. Roy a large stash of fabric after her mother-in-law passed away. All the fabric for this quilt was from that stash and is for Mrs. Roy's friend's first grandchild.

The bunnies were especially fun - they are actually cutouts intended to be sewn into stuffed dolls. Mrs. Roy appliqued the front of the bunnies onto the front of the pieced quilt, quilted them, then quilted the whole quilt, then appliqued the bunny backs to the backside of the quilt after it was quilted.

Here's praying for a healthy baby and lots of cuddles in this quilt for Mrs. Roy's friend and her family.

2011 Snail Mail Challenge

2010-12-30T17:29:00.000-05:00

Katy over at The Nonconsumer Advocate has issued a snail mail challenge. All you have to do is agree to send out at least one snail mail a week - note, postcard, package, whatever so long as it is delivered by the USPS. (Well, unless you live in another country, then your local postal service would do it - you get the point.)

Mrs. Roy and Fifi are both going to take up the challenge. Actually, it won't be much of a challenge for Fifi since she's pretty good about snail mailing anyway. But let's just say we are both getting into the spirit of the thing. If you look back at this previous blog post, you will see that Mrs. Roy has been a snail mail lover for a long time.

We also got good news from the postal service yesterday - all their stamps from now on will be forever stamps, so you can buy stamps now and use them, well, forever. Mrs. Roy doesn't know why they didn't think of that earlier. So go ahead and buy yourself 52 forever stamps and get ready to go postal with Fifi and Mrs. Roy and Katy! Maybe we will start a new snail mail revolution!

Christmas Snacks

2010-12-24T19:41:00.000-05:00

Grandmother's Step Stool

2010-12-24T19:39:00.000-05:00

Mrs. Roy's grandson sits on this stepstool whenever he visits. It puts him right at table level. Mrs. Roy herself sat on this stepstool in Grandmother's kitchen back in the 1960's. Mrs. Roy smiles whenever she sees this stepstool sitting in the kitchen because it is part of our family history. Mrs. Roy loves traditions and this stepstool is a great one.

Mrs. Roy supposes some folks would call this "vintage" and Mrs. Roy has seen reproductions that are pretty pricey. Mrs. Roy is so glad Grandmother never got rid of any of her stuff.

So this Christmas morning, Mrs. Roy's grandson will sit on a seat that has held the rears of at least five generations of Mrs. Roy's family. Life is good.

Christmas Mrs. Roy's Way

2010-12-11T22:18:00.000-05:00

This is Mrs. Roy's favorite Christmas ornament. We got it in 1996 to commemorate our trip to the Atlanta Olympics. It plugs into the tree lights so that every time you turn on the lights, it plays the Olympic theme song. Lots of folks have ornaments that play Christmas carols but not too many of us have the Olympic fanfare blaring through the house each December. Mrs. Roy's way may not be exactly normal but it sure makes me smile!

Merry Christmas!

Mrs. Roy's list of good things

2010-12-06T21:57:00.000-05:00

As a fire blazes in Mrs. Roy's fireplace insert, heating our house instead of using the electric heat, Mrs. Roy came across a list of 20 positive trends. Wow! That's a lot of good news!

1. We are safer. The number of violent crimes dropped 3.5% in 2008, burgleries are down 43% since 1989, property level crimes have dropped 25% since the early 1990's and auto theft is down 42% from 1991.

2. We use less energy. Like burning wood in our fireplaces instead of using electric heat. Per capita use of electricity in the US is down 9% from 1979. And from 1970 to 2008, the amount of energy needed to produce a dollar's worth of goods and services has dropped 53%.

3. We are generous. Americans gave $300 billion to charities in 2009. Wow!

4. Mass transit use has increased by 38% from 1995 through 2008.

5. We live longer and feel better. We will live an average of 10 years longer than our parents and people over 50 have less stress, anxiety and worry than those under 50.

6. Young people are smarter about taking care of themselves. Less smoking, less drug and alcohol use. Hooray!

7. Networking using technology - computer dating services, social networks, etc. - have been shown to increase our likelihood of being happy by 9%.

8. We are hooked up. Wifi is getting more common, even on airplanes, and is free more often.

9. Marriages are lasting longer and divorce rates are going down.

10. We recycle approximately 800 tons of stuff each and every day.

11. The total acreage of forested land in the US increased during the last thirty years and forest ecosystems are remaining intact.

12. Our air is a lot cleaner than it used to be - pollutants like sulfur dioide are down 59% and concentrations of carbon monoxide, lead and oxygen dioxide are below the federal standards.

13. 8.9% fewer people died in auto accidents in 2009 than the year before.

14. We grow more of our own food. Seed sales are increasing and canning equipment sales have gone up 30%.

15. Between 2002 and 2007, hospital admissions for heart attacks dropped 23%. Public policy laws restricting smoking in public places is thought to contribute to this decline.

16. We wear our seatbelts more.

17. Bees are making a comeback. This is huge since we don't know why they were dying off but we need them for farming and for honey.

18. Breast cancer declined by 2% per year from 1999 to 2006.

19. We are exercising more.

20. Being a positive thinker results in less heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure or diabetes among women in a 2009 Heart Association study and had a positive impact on grades, class performance and the immune system of students in a 2010 study.

Mrs. Roy read all this cool stuff in the goodneighbor magazine sent by our State Farm insurance agent. Thanks, Ralph!

McGladrey Classic

2010-12-03T21:33:00.000-05:00

Mrs. Roy would like to thank Davis Love, III, and his family and friends who hosted the first annual McGladrey Classic PGA tournament at Sea Island recently. Mr. Roy and I were able to attend with our son who lives over there. It was a great weekend and a great tournament.

For Mr. and Mrs. Roy, it was also frugal fun - Mr. Roy had enough hotel points for us to stay two nights free. Plus the tournament passes were free with a military ID and we were able to take a guest so our son got to join us for free. Then there was a military hospitality tent where they gave us free drinks, sandwiches and cookies with our military ID.

Mrs. Roy appreciates Davis Love, III and the McGladrey Classic honoring our veterans this way. And my thanks once again to Mr. Roy for serving our country and keeping us free. There aren't enough free tickets to make up for what you've done for us.

Mrs. Roy's Charity of the Month - December - Salvation Army

2010-12-01T20:12:00.000-05:00

As you may already know, Mrs. Roy focuses on a particular charity each month for the entire month. Mrs. Roy hopes you will join me in supporting these worthy causes. Mrs. Roy promises not to lead you astray but to only recommend charities that (1) Mrs. Roy knows do good work, (2) Mrs. Roy knows they are good stewards and (3) Mr. and Mrs. Roy put their money where their mouth is - in other words, we give to them.

The Salvation Army is one of my favorite charities. We probably all recognize the red kettles that appear outside stores during December and Mrs. Roy hopes you will keep an extra dollar bill in your pocket to slip in the kettle each time you go by.

The Salvation Army is one of the oldest charities in the United States and has a fascinating HISTORY.

One of the best things about the Salvation Army is that they don't pay their people much. They use the money we give them to help the people they are supposed to help. The national leader of the Salvation Army makes less than $50K annually - contrast that to the Red Cross Chairman who makes several million each year in salary!

Locally, the Salvation Army is in charge of the Empty Stocking Fund in conjunction with our local newspaper. Each Christmas, they allow parents in need to register their children to receive toy gifts. A lot of those toys are donated by motorcycle riders who have a HUGE charity toy run in December. Last year the Salvation Army was worried because they had nearly twice as many requests for help as the year before. But you know what? The bikers donated twice as many toys as the year before! God is so good to take care of our needs.

Mrs. Roy encourages you to be a part of the wonderful work of the Salvation Army folks as they help others this Christmas season.

Altered Life Forms

2010-11-20T21:16:00.001-05:00

Mrs. Roy accepted a challenge by Jo in the quilt group to take a piece of clothing from my closet and repurpose it. This lovely (if I do say so myself) scarf was formerly known as Mrs. Roy's stretched out linen crop pants. In fact, they had already been deposited into the "waiting to go to the Salvation Army" box. However, by cutting the longest and widest pieces possible from the front and back of both legs and then sewing them together to make two long pieces and then sewing the two long pieces together and then adding some fringe to the already hemmed bottoms, Mrs. Roy now has a scarf.

Mrs. Roy got tickled when I cut the pieces out and found a tag that said "dry clean only." If Mrs. Roy had known about that little tag, these crop pants might not have gotten so stretched out and shabby looking, seeing as how they were thrown in the washer and dryer on multiple occasions. Fifi says that just proves you can't trust those little "dry clean only" tags.

And here's the kicker - Mrs. Roy bought these crop pants at a consignment store in the first place so they are now on their 3rd life. Life is good.

Shoebox Party 2010

2010-11-14T22:33:00.002-05:00

Samaritan's Purse is a Christian organization that does mission work all over the world. One of their most successful projects is Operation Christmas Child, where folks like you and Mrs. Roy take an empty shoebox and fill it with toys and clothes and toothbrushes and school supplies. Samaritan's Purse takes those shoebox gifts and gives them to children in need all over the world, telling them that Jesus loves them and the people who packed the shoebox love them. Mrs. Roy loves getting to be a part of that.

Several years ago, Mrs. Roy and a couple of her friends started getting together in November each year and collecting shoeboxes. The first year we collected about 25 boxes and thought we had done great! This year, we collected 93 shoeboxes! We had lots of friends come join us in putting together the shoeboxes, enjoying fellowship with each other and eating Christmas cookies and punch. What started out as a little get together at Mrs. Roy's house has grown to the point we have to use the church fellowship hall to hold everyone. It's a glorious thing.

If you would like to contribute to Operation Christmas Child or if you would just like to know more about the things Samaritan's Purse can do and maybe hear about some of the children who have received shoeboxes, just click here. Or watch a video by clicking here.

Life is definitely good.

Economics by Mrs. Roy

2010-11-08T21:34:00.000-05:00

The following commentary appeared in the Knoxville News Sentinel on Saturday November 6, 2010. First of all, it shows how big a nerd Mrs. Roy is that I actually read this. Second, Mrs. Roy has read several articles and heard commentators recently who are saying the same thing.

Dr. Black makes a valid point – with the uncertainty in Congress re taxes, health care and other unfunded mandates on top of knowing the interest rates are articificially low, businesses don’t know what decisions to make so everyone just stays in a holding pattern. They (the Fed) are going to have to loosen their control of the money and let the economy have free reign in order to get any long term correction. That’s scary, of course, because it means interest rates are going to go up – good news for savers but bad news for borrowers and bad news for consumers because prices will go up again. But it has to happen sooner or later to break this pattern we are in. Seems no matter what happens, consumer prices go up, doesn’t it?

It’s going to get worse before it gets better no matter what. People sure don’t want to hear that and politicians don’t want to say it.

Mrs. Roy thinks the next two things we are going to see are an end to extended unemployment funds which is going to trigger an avalanche of foreclosures, which is going to cause more squatters and is going to cripple the mortgage industry but Congress will extend the Bush tax cuts for at least a couple of years which will help small business owners - if the Fed will quit artificially manipulating the system. Confidence by small business will lead to a creation of jobs which is going to have to happen before the economy turns around.

Mrs. Roy just felt like going on the record about this. Mrs. Roy hopes she and Dr. Black are wrong. We'll see.

Dr. Harold Black: Fed policy 'startling incompetence'

Dr. Harold Black, University of Tennessee

Saturday, November 6, 2010

John Maynard Keynes, commenting on the Federal Reserve after World War I, is reported to have called it a body of "startling incompetence."

Well, the current Fed carries on that tradition. After embarking on a policy of remarkable monetary ease, the Fed seems determined to continue that policy despite no indications it has done any good. What that policy has done is to accomplish little. It has pushed short-term interest rates close to zero and has punished savers and those who depend on their savings as a source of income, such as retirees.

It has resulted in dollars being borrowed at low rates and then shifted into countries such as Brazil to earn higher returns. It has relentlessly driven down the value of the dollar.

The low rates are a result of the Fed buying short-term Treasurys to support the dramatic increase in government spending over the past four years. In buying Treasurys from the banks, the Fed has created excess reserves of more than $1 trillion. These excess reserves basically have sat on the banks' balance sheets because of low loan demand by businesses and consumers. As long as the excess reserves are not lent, then no money is created and inflation stays low.

However, when the Fed buys Treasurys directly from the U.S. Treasury - monetizing the national debt - the result is an increase in the money supply and sets the stage for an inflationary recession. At its Open Market Committee meeting last week, the Fed announced it will start buying long-term Treasury bonds directly from the Treasury. The result will be to lower long-term rates to stimulate investment spending by businesses.

The immediate result, however, will be a further drop in the value of the dollar as more dollars are created by the Fed's purchases and an increase in inflation. There is no guarantee that businesses will invest unless the uncertainty about the future is resolved - something that is up to the Obama administration and Congress. Moreover, when the government is interfering in the market, the private sector knows that rates are being actively manipulated and less risks are taken because of increased uncertainty about the future. What rational person or business will make important decisions not knowing about future taxes, costs related to health care and energy policies as well as the ever-increasing costs of regulation?

What is intriguing about the Fed's new policy of buying long-term Treasurys is that I know of no monetary economist that supports this action. Indeed, after having created much of the economic problems through monetary ease in the first place, it now only compounds the problem. The blame lies not just with Chairman Ben Bernanke but with the entire Fed. Bernanke only has one vote on the Open Market Committee along with the other Fed governors and the presidents of the New York Fed and three other reserve banks.

However, to be fair, the presidents of Fed banks in Kansas City, Mo., Dallas, Minneapolis and Philadelphia have expressed opposition, with the Kansas City president calling the new Fed policy a "bargain with the devil."

Maybe the "startling incompetence" just radiates from Washington.

Dr. Harold Black is the James F. Smith Jr. Professor of Finance at the University of Tennessee. He may be reached at hblack@utk.edu.

Mrs. Roy Mails Empty Envelopes

2010-11-04T19:05:00.000-04:00

Mrs. Roy hates getting junk mail. Mrs. Roy is also not a big fan of credit card companies. Regardless of my lack of affection, these folks continue to send junk mail to Mrs. Roy. (Yes, I've opted out on lists again and again so don't tell me about that.) However, Mrs. Roy has found a way to get a small amount of satisfaction, thanks to Dave Ramsey.

Years ago, Mr. Ramsey suggested that you mail these unsolicited solicitations back to their owners with a snazzy letter he had composed telling them something along the lines of they should be ashamed of themselves for charging huge interest rates and taking advantage of people. Eventually Mr. Ramsey removed that fine letter from his publications and website but Mrs. Roy thinks a good idea is a good idea so I just keep sending the envelopes back - empty. It costs the company 44 cents to get their junk mail back and Mrs. Roy has a smile on her face.

Life is good.

A Penny Saved

2010-11-01T06:41:00.000-04:00

Last night Mrs. Roy was walking home from church when my flashlight caught something shiny in the grass on the side of the road. When Mrs. Roy looked closer, I saw it was a penny, so I picked it up and put it in my pocket. Mrs. Roy's lucky day!

When Mrs. Roy was a little girl, Grandma would always say it was my lucky day if I found a penny on the ground. It always made Grandma genuinely happy to find a penny and she expected me to be happy about it, too. When Mrs. Roy got older, I asked Grandma what she thought was going to happen good because of the penny and she said it had already been her lucky day because she had found the penny.

Mrs. Roy has thought about that a million times over the years - the magic of the penny wasn't its monetary value; it was the smile it created when it was found. A blessing is a blessing, no matter how small; the secret may be in recognizing it.

Mrs. Roy hopes you will stop and pick up the pennies that come your way today and smile. Life is good.

Nob Hill Notions

2010-10-21T07:02:00.001-04:00

Aren't they beautiful? The rows are all so distinctive and yet each one is beautiful in its own way. And see those hands? Aren't they beautiful, too? They are the hands that make the quilts that make the smiles that last for generations and generations.

Life is good.

Mrs. Roy Gets to Help

2010-10-17T16:29:00.000-04:00

Mrs. Roy's sister, Fifi, is part of a really nice quilt group. For the past couple of years, they have donated a quilt they made to charity. One year they gave a quilt to the Children's Hospital for sale in a silent auction fundraiser. Last year they donated their quilt to a women's shelter. Mrs. Roy doesn't know who will receive this year's quilt but I get to help make it so Mrs. Roy is very happy.

Even though Mrs. Roy doesn't get to go to meetings (they are in another state!), these kind ladies allowed Mrs. Roy to contribute to last year's quilt. So when it came time for this year's donation quilt, Mrs. Roy was all about adding my row when they so generously offered. This is a liberated basket design that Mrs. Roy read about in a quilting magazine. Most of the time, Mrs. Roy knows she's sorely lacking when it comes to published quilt patterns, but this one looked doable. The end result is - not bad!

Mrs. Roy will share a picture of the whole quilt once it's put together. Actually, Mrs. Roy can't wait to see what the others are going to come up with! What fun!

Life is good.

Welcome Dollar Stretcher Friends

2010-10-10T14:57:00.001-04:00

Welcome to those of you who have come to check us out after reading the guest blog on The Dollar Stretcher. Many thanks to Gary and his staff for allowing Mrs. Roy to be their guest. And keep your eyes posted for an upcoming guest blog on this website by Gary Foreman.

Here's the link to Mrs. Roy's guest blog or you can just scroll down to the next blog post and read it here. You can also find other Dollar Stretcher articles by Mrs. Roy at these links:

Contentment
reverse-menu-planning
Frugal at Fifty

Calendars - What's Right for You?

2010-10-10T14:55:00.001-04:00

This essay appears as a guest blog on The Dollar Stretcher

My boss and my husband have the world’s simplest calendars. They have folks write down their appointments on little appointment cards which they have been dutifully trained to tuck into their pocket and bring to me. I then compare it to their schedules. If the appointment doesn’t work for some reason, I call and reschedule. However, since not everyone has a secretary or wife to keep up with this stuff for them, here are some of my tricks and suggestions for doing it yourself.

I use an electronic calendar on my computer at home and at work. These are especially useful for keeping up with repetitive events like birthdays or monthly meetings because you can just enter them once and tell the computer to repeat them at a designated frequency. If you have one of those fancy new smart phones, you can synch your computer calendar to your phone so that you always have the information available.

A big kitchen calendar was a great idea when I had kids in the house. That’s how we kept up with special project due dates, soccer games, doctor appointments, birthdays and just about anything else you can think of. Sometimes we would even slow down enough to actually LOOK at the calendar and see where we were supposed to be next. HA Seriously, this calendar was a sort of control central – in addition to telling us where we needed to be and when, it was helpful in planning menus and grocery lists. Early evening events meant it was time to pull out the crock pot. Nothing on the calendar meant sitting down together at the table for a real meal. You get the picture.

For several years, as my other commitments expanded, I carried a small notebook-type calendar in my purse so that I could keep up with where I was supposed to be even when I wasn’t at home looking at the big calendar. I still use a scaled down version of this calendar. In addition to keeping up with my schedule, these calendars give you space for short shopping lists, to-do lists and are a great place to jot down telephone numbers you don’t want to lose or the model number of the special light bulb you have to buy or the measurements you need to remember when you are at the hardware store.

In recent years, school planners have become an alternative to the regular January to December calendar. These school planners are nothing more than calendars that run from August to July. These calendars usually have plenty of room to write notes and are a handy size to keep on your desk or in your purse or backpack. Using a calendar that starts in August takes a little mental exercise since we are conditioned to start our calendars in January – but as long as it lasts a year, what difference does it make?

Occasionally someone will give me a daily calendar – usually something with a snappy saying or funny cartoon for each day. These calendars are fine for using on your desk but they are bulky and I’ve usually got plenty of other stuff on my desk so I don’t need the clutter. I also find that I usually need to view my life at least a week at the time, so daily calendars aren’t really my favorites. On the other hand, my sister has a daily “sunshine” calendar that she’s enjoyed every day this past year so if you like it, go for it.

Some folks like to use desk blotter calendars that cover the writing area of their desk. These are usually really big and show one month at a time. The down side for me is that I write things on my desk blotter and then forget I’ve written it there.

No matter what kind of calendar you decide to use, here are some calendar “habits” you might want to consider:

At one point in my life, I divided up my household chores and listed a couple each day on my calendar. That way I didn’t have too many things to do any one day. That was a great way for me to get organized and to learn a routine. I don’t do that anymore and I have the dust bunnies to prove it. Maybe it’s time to take up that particular calendar habit again!

Calendar stickers are great fun and can be useful, especially if you have kids who are “helping” you keep your calendar updated. I sort of got over-the-top about using the stickers so I had to give them up but it might work for you.

When the kids were at home, I tried color coding our calendar a couple of times but it never really worked out for us. I’d lose one of the markers or I’d forget which color went with which kid or I’d just get lazy and stop doing it. However, I still color code our office calendars and I’ve carried that over to my personal calendar so I’ll know what I’m doing on a particular work day. If you want to color code your calendar, just keep it simple.

My husband writes on his work calendars in pencil so he can erase as things change. I, on the other hand, use ink because it makes me feel committed. Consequently, my calendars tend to be a little on the messy side but my whole life is a little messy so it’s okay. Whatever works for you is fine.

One thing I have found that does NOT work is to have too many calendars. Beware having too many places to look for the same information.

Also be careful not to put too much information on your calendar. If it becomes a chore to try to decipher it, you won’t use it.

If you try to do too many things in too little time, you will get stressed and discouraged if you can’t fit it all in. That reminds me – I’ve heard you should schedule time for your spouse or children on your calendar so that you don’t overextend yourself with other commitments. If you have to schedule your family, you already have too many other commitments. Period.

The great thing about calendars is that you don’t have to spend a lot of money on a calendar; in fact, you don’t have to spend any money. You can print one for free off the internet. Just do a search of “calendars” and find one you like. There are also free web-based electronic calendars you can use. We get several free calendars in the mail every year from charitable organizations or merchants. The pizza company calendar with coupons at the bottom of every page is always a big hit around our house. Of course, if you want to spend money on a calendar, the selection is huge and so is the price range. I just bought next year’s calendar at the office supply store because I needed a particular size so I could continue using a fancy cover I bought a couple of years ago but for years I bought my calendars at the dollar store and they worked just fine.

One last idea – those extra free calendars you get in the mail make great gifts for young adults or elderly relatives. Just sit down and label the calendar with birthdays and anniversaries of family and friends so these folks have the information easily at hand. Trust me – they will love you for it!

We all have places we need to be and things we need to do. Some of us are just naturally organized and some of us struggle to keep up with keeping up. There are many different types of calendars available to us today and lots of ways to make them work for you. Whatever style of calendar works is what you should use but you should definitely use something so that you can get the most out of every day because life is good.

RUSTY

2010-10-05T21:38:00.000-04:00

Well, the Lord provides. Mrs. Roy was wanting to write a new post but couldn't think of anything blog-worthy to say when Rusty showed up in an email.

Rusty is a Rustic Sphinx caterpillar, according to my friend Duck, who is presently hosting Rusty in her honeysuckle bush. However, Rusty is about to advance to the halls of learning by becoming a living science project at the local elementary school. Hopefully Rusty will build a cocoon and then emerge as a beautiful moth sometime before school's out next spring.

If I'd only had some way to get one of the gnomes in the picture! Life is good.

Mrs. Roy's Favorite Charity - October - Operation Christmas Child

2010-09-30T21:18:00.000-04:00

Mrs. Roy will focus on a particular charity each month for the entire month. Mrs. Roy hopes you will join me in supporting these worthy causes. I promise not to lead you astray but to only recommend charities that (1) Mrs. Roy knows do good work, (2) Mrs. Roy knows they are good stewards and (3) Mr. and Mrs. Roy put their money where their mouth is - in other words, we give to them.

Mrs. Roy’s favorite charity for October is Operation Christmas Child, a division of Samaritan’s Purse. These are the shoebox people – they get folks like you and me to pack a shoebox with small gifts and they deliver them all over the world to children who need to know that Jesus loves them. Mrs. Roy and some of her friends get together each fall and throw a party where everyone comes together to pack the shoeboxes. It’s a wonderful charity and Mrs. Roy hopes you will join us in packing a shoebox and sending it to child to make them smile.

There is a link at the top of this page that will send you to the website for Operation Christmas Child. If you don’t want to pack a shoebox yourself, you can still support this charity by making a donation and praying that God will lead them in this work. Mrs. Roy hopes you will follow this link at least once this month and make a donation to this worthy organization.

MRS. ROY'S PICKLE KEEPER

2010-09-25T21:24:00.000-04:00

Mrs. Roy read about some folks out on the west coast who have sold, given away and donated all their stuff until they only own 100 items. Mrs. Roy's been thinking about that and Mrs. Roy's not going there - for lots of reasons. One reason is that Mrs. Roy loves her pickle keeper.

There are some things in this world that just do what they are supposed to do so perfectly, it can't be improved. This Tupperware pickle keeper is one of those things. Mrs. Roy bought hers many, many years ago and it has been in constant use ever since. How does it work, you ask? Well, when you take off the lid, there is a handle underneath that is connected to a perforated bottom so that when you pull up on the handle, the pickles come up out of the brine without you having to dig for them. When you let go, everything settles back to the bottom so the pickles stay nice and moist. Mrs. Roy thinks it's more sanitary than a plain old pickle jar and it's certainly more interesting.

Mrs. Roy has bought a couple of these beauties in second-hand shops over the years, always giving them away to interested friends or family. Mrs. Roy checked the Tupperware website and you can buy a new one for $17.00. Mrs. Roy is not trying to sell Tupperware but was glad to know they still make them.

Mrs. Roy knows there are probably a lot of things we could do without around here and be perfectly happy, but my pickle keeper makes me smile and that's worth more than some extreme political / ecology / frugality statement in Mrs. Roy's book. So, rest assured there are probably always going to be lots more than 100 items in Mrs. Roy's house and, if you are interested, the pickles are in the frig.

Mrs. Roy's Way of Spending Time

2010-09-21T21:17:00.000-04:00

Mrs. Roy's way of relaxing sometimes means sitting down at the sewing machine and making something from nothing. Mrs. Roy has a relatively large stash of fabric pieces given to me by a friend and I'm having a great time working my way through the stash. It has become a challenge to see what Mrs. Roy can make without having to go to the store and supplement my stash. When the baby quilt pictured above is finished, it will have come completely from the stash. It's a perfect blending of Mrs. Roy's favorite ways of doing things - frugal, charitable (the quilt is a gift), eco-friendly by using what I have instead of buying new, and fun for me to work on.

Life is good.

ALL OR NOTHING

2010-09-20T21:37:00.000-04:00

Mrs. Roy had a Sunday School student who came up to me years ago and said he had been arguing with his grandmother about creationism vs other ideas and his grandmother told him to just go ask Mrs. Roy, as his Sunday School teacher, and Mrs. Roy would tell him the truth. So, he asked me, did God create the world in six days like it says in the Bible or over millions of years like some scientists say? Mrs. Roy knew right then and there, with that young boy looking me straight in the eye and expecting me to know the absolute right answer, that God was telling me to put up or shut up - Mrs. Roy had to decide on the spot whether I was going to believe that every word of the Bible was the inspired Word of God or not. And that young boy's soul might be the cost of my lack of faith.

So, yes, God did create the world in six days just like the Bible says. Mrs. Roy is not going to start picking and choosing which part of the Bible to believe. For Mrs. Roy, it's all or nothing. I know God is real and that Jesus is real and that He died on the cross for my sins so the rest is real, too. Mrs. Roy can't explain all of it but I believe it. And I'm thanking the Lord once again for sending that boy and his grandmother into Mrs. Roy's life with that lesson.

CONTENTMENT

2010-09-16T22:42:00.000-04:00

Gary over at The Dollar Stretcher recently asked: Has anyone found a way to program themselves to be happy with what they have? Mrs. Roy definitely believes contentment is a learned behavior and Mrs. Roy has found some tricks to help me along the way. Maybe one of these will help you, too.

An attitude of gratitude. One of the best ways to be happy with what you have is to be intentionally grateful. Make a list every morning of ten things you are grateful for, even if you don’t feel very grateful. You may have a flat tire, but at least you have a car. You may not have a steak for dinner, but be thankful you have a can of soup. This exercise becomes easier as you go along so stick with it.

Take an inventory. When Mrs. Roy was going through a rough patch, I would take a mental inventory every time the panic started to swell up - kids are okay, husband is okay, house payment is made, electricity is still on, gas in the car, food to eat today. Mrs. Roy was boiling our life down to the least common denominator but knowing the basics were taken care of made the “uncontrollables” in Mrs. Roy's life less daunting.

Look outside yourself. Most of us are so blessed. How can Mrs. Roy fuss about not having the latest greatest cell phone when other folks don’t have food?

Stop watching television and reading magazines. Advertisers spend millions making their products tempting. Manufacturers are constantly creating newer, better versions of their products specifically so we will become discontented with the perfectly fine product we already bought. Just don’t subject yourself to the ads and you will be much more content.

Set a goal. If Mrs. Roy is saving toward a specific goal, I am less likely to spend money on things Mrs. Roy doesn't really need. In other words, Mrs. Roy is more content with what I have and less likely to feel deprived if Mrs. Roy is focusing on the goal.

Take Your Adventures Where You Find Them

2010-09-14T19:03:00.000-04:00

Mrs. Roy recently had an adventure in the Japan Air Club Room restroom. Mrs. Roy is really, really sorry she didn't take her camera into the restroom so there would be photographic proof of this story but who knew???

Here's the story. Mr. and Mrs. Roy were on a journey and had the privilege of stopping off in the Japan Air Club Room in a foreign airport. When Mrs. Roy went to the potty, I was greeted by a large, square contraption instead of the usual oval model. Plus it had a lid. Now, if you've ever been out of the USA, you know that restroom facilities differ from place to place so Mrs. Roy was immediately wary of this square thing, thinking it might be something other than what Mrs. Roy thought it was, perhaps a bidet or something. This is one of those situations where it could be really embarrassing if you made a mistake so caution is a good thing.

That's when Mrs. Roy noticed the control panel on the wall. There were two (two!!) rows of buttons on this control panel and, fortunately, some English along with the symbols. Mrs. Roy saw that there were options for flush, tornado flush, wash front, wash back, even powder! Obviously, this was no ordinary toilet!

Mrs. Roy proceeded gingerly but relaxed when skin met warm porcelain. That's right - the seat was heated. Now Mrs. Roy was wishing I had brought my book in with me. Soon enough, the time came for Mrs. Roy to decide which buttons to push. Mrs. Roy's exact choices might be a little too much information but Mrs. Roy will tell you that I stayed clear of the tornado flush. And Mrs. Roy decided to forgo the powder; you just never know.

Mrs. Roy came out of the restroom grinning from ear to ear and Mr. Roy enjoyed hearing all about the Japanese toilet so much, he asked me to share with the rest of you. All I can say is take your adventures where you find them because life is good!

Charity of the Month - September - Modest Needs.org - part two

2010-09-13T22:21:00.001-04:00

Here is one of the testimonials from someone who was helped by Modest Needs. What Mrs. Roy liked about this one was that the money was sent straight to the tire store so you know it got used for tires! That's one of the things Mrs. Roy likes about Modest Needs!

From the bottom of my heart I thank all of you for helping at this time. I don't know how much longer my tires were going to last, but now I can soon get them replaced and it's due to your wonderful generosity. I don't know what I would have done without your help. My car is my only transportation to work. Again, thank you so very much for your kindness in my time of need. I will certainly try to help someone myself when my financial situation improves. May God bless all of you!
benben1112 Lincoln (AR) | 2010-09-09 17:22 | Read original request

If you would like to be part of the good work at Modest Needs, just click on the icon on the right of this page and you can start helping make this world a better place today! They even have their requests broken down by categories so you can find just the right person to help - animal lovers, military folks, domestic violence situations, elder care, and more. You can find folks in a particular state or who need a particular amount of money. Modest Needs makes it easy to be a good neighbor.

WHAT'S RIGHT WITH THIS WORLD - ICE CREAM

2010-09-12T13:53:00.000-04:00

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream. Mrs. Roy loves ice cream. And Mrs. Roy loves her brother. One reason Mrs. Roy loves her brother is because he gave me this super easy chocolate ice cream recipe. It tastes like a Wendy's Frostie. There are only three ingredients. You don't have to cook anything. Mrs. Roy knows you are going to love it, too.

Mrs. Roy's Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream

1/2 gallon chocolate milk
1 regular size container of Cool Whip, thawed
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Dump it all in your ice cream freezer, put the paddle in and put the lid on, turn it on and when it stops - enjoy!

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE WORLD

2010-09-10T22:03:00.000-04:00

Mrs. Roy was reading "Our Daily Bread" this evening and came across these words:
"Glance at any newspaper and the headlines tell you what’s wrong with the world. Watch television, listen to the radio, talk to friends, and you will find no shortage of opinions as to what is wrong on planet Earth. That’s because pointing out what’s wrong is easy."

Mrs. Roy promised when I started this blog that I would try to explain the way I do things. This is one of those things Mrs. Roy has learned along the way. We have to pay back evil with good if we are going to succeed in life. What's wrong with the world isn't all the mean, bad stuff other people do - the problem is our reaction to all the mean, bad stuff. Why would we want to allow the hatred and meanness of this world to grow and get larger? Mrs. Roy says stop adding to the bad vibes.

Look in the mirror. If you want to make the world a better place, Mrs. Roy strongly suggests you start by trying to fix the person staring back at you. Don't worry; God will help you if you ask Him.

The "Our Daily Bread" folks also gave us some scripture to check out that Mrs. Roy is happy to pass along. "If in your personal life you’re facing the effects of someone’s evil actions, these Scriptures may be helpful: Prov. 20:22; Matt. 5:38-48; 1 Thess. 5:15; 1 Peter 3:8-17."

VOTE FOR SMOKEY

2010-09-08T21:42:00.000-04:00

Okay, this is really important. Mrs. Roy loves Tennessee football and Smokey is the Tennessee mascot. Go to vote for Smokey and, well, vote for Smokey. Do it often. The gnomes and I thank you.

Mrs. Roy - Retro

2010-09-05T21:26:00.000-04:00

Mrs. Roy has inherited this cool blue retro luggage. There are two suitcases that complete the set but Mrs. Roy didn't have room to put it all in the car this trip. This is a world-class example of taking care of the stuff you have and it will last forever. Most of these pieces of luggage are in the bottom of the landfill tonight but thanks to Mrs. Roy's mother-in-law, this one and its sisters were saved and can now be enjoyed by a new generation. Mrs. Roy is going to be smiling every time I pull these out and pack in them!

Charity of the Month - Modest Needs.org

2010-09-01T19:21:00.000-04:00

modestneeds.org was started by a professor at the college Mr. and Mrs. Roy attended. Here is an article that appeared in an Arizona newspaper a while back explaining what they do and how they do it. Just so you'll know, they do what they do better than just about anybody else! You can click on the link to the right to help - PLEASE.

In an economic downturn, more people may find themselves robbing Peter to pay Paul.

When people have neither a Peter nor a Paul in their life, they may turn to Modest Needs (modestneeds.org), a Web-based charity dedicated to the financial needs of the working poor.

Six-year-old Modest Needs typically cuts checks for a few hundred dollars at a time to people facing unplanned expenses or as high as $1,000 for such one-time needs as getting the car fixed.

Site founder Keith Taylor said that though many people have enough money to cover basic needs, their savings can be meager. So when an emergency crops up - long-term illness, malfunctioning air-conditioner, a broken pipe - they can be thrown into a cycle of poverty.

"A single mother making $27,000 a year - which is nothing - who would not qualify for any state or federal help because she makes too much money is our ideal applicant," Taylor said.

Taylor said the idea stemmed from his college days and how family and friends helped him out financially when an unexpected expense cropped up. If he were wealthy one day, he recalled thinking, he would help those in similar need.

"Then it occurred to me that the people who helped me those two or three times I needed it weren't wealthy, they were just kind," he said.

People in difficult financial circumstances may post their hard-luck stories on Modest Needs, where visitors may choose to contribute (donations start at $1 and can range into the hundreds). When enough money is donated to meet an applicant's need, Modest Needs sends a check to the individual, organization or business that posted the plea.

Anna Schaefer, 54, sought the generosity of strangers in May when she found herself and her two sons, ages 19 and 14, facing eviction. Months before, she had moved to Phoenix from St. Paul, Minn., because doctors thought the warm, dry weather would help her recover from car-accident injuries. Just before the move, Schaefer was faced with a $1,000-plus car-repair bill.

"That set us back," Schaefer said. "Then we get down here and I thought I'd get a job real easy, and my 19-year-old, too. We haven't. We didn't know the economy was going to do what it did. I started to panic, and I couldn't pay the May rent."

She posted her story on Modest Needs and read other stories. There was a Colorado mother of two small children who had lost her job and was about to be evicted. "So I sent her $10," Schaefer said. "I thought, what am I doing? You need to put food on your own table, but I hoped to pay it forward and that it would come back to me."

Schaefer watched as the online contributions to her request grew. Within a week or two, strangers had donated more than $1,000, covering her late rent.

"I continue to give," she said, although she still doesn't have a job and lives on disability checks. "You have to when you read the stories."

Four years ago, the organization was receiving about 300 requests for aid a month. Now the organization receives about 250 requests a day. Taylor said the economic downturn has resulted in an increase in applications, but also donor support.

The organization gave out about $1.48 million last year, up from $370,000 in 2005. This year, Modest Needs expects to give away more than $2 million. About half of all applicant requests that meet the qualifying criteria are funded.

Income of applicants must be above the poverty line, making them unable to get other assistance. Applicants must prove their financial needs and situation by e-mailing such documents as pay stubs and bills.

First-time mom Christina Tonelli, 40, of Tucson, was overstressed and financially strapped with a sick newborn. Within 20 days of applying to cover a $574 hospital bill for her daughter, Sofia Tonelli-Pepe, Modest Needs sent a check to the hospital.

"It was such a quick turnaround," Tonelli said. "It's an amazing organization, and to think it's just a couple people here and there donating a few dollars."

Donors are able to read the applicants' stories and later can receive follow-up testimonials from the people they helped. Tonelli wrote to her donors: "You have made a big difference in our monthly budget and have lightened our load so we can concentrate more on getting our daughter healthy and strong."

Although many of the requests on Modest Needs are to cover bills and repairs, some are for acquisitions, such as a breathing apparatus or glasses - or in the case of 20-year-old Tucson resident Nicholas Jansen, a bicycle.

He doesn't have a driver's license, and even if he could afford a car, the part-time custodian at a non-profit agency said he couldn't afford the gas.

"I've been using public transportation, but the bus system is just not as reliable as I need it to be," Jansen said. "If I need to get somewhere at a certain time, the bus would make me late. With a bicycle, I could improve my on-time ability."

Jansen said he watched for a week, but no one chose to fulfill his request even though he submitted the documentation showing that his mother, his brother and he were disabled and living on a fixed income in the same house.

"Then one anonymous donor completely funded the entire application," Jansen said. "I nearly fell out of my chair. The bike is in great shape. And I got it from a place that will do free service on it for a lifetime. It's inexpressible how grateful I am. I would love to help someone else out this way someday."

Taylor said that's the idea.

"It's not about helping people with these short-term expenses," he said. "It's about inspiring people to be the philanthropists we all have it in us to be."

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/articles/2008/08/28/20080828modest0828.html#ixzz0yK30Apyy

Two Great New Books

2010-08-27T20:10:00.000-04:00

These two books were written by the daughter of a very good friend of Mrs. Roy - about Mrs. Roy's friend and her husband when they were children. Besides being a wonderful way to honor her parents, Missy has captured true stories from the 1930's American south. These books aren't available on Amazon.com (yet) but Mrs. Roy is sure you could purchase copies through Providence House Publishers - www.providencehouse.com if you were so inclined.

Just so you will know the rest of the story, John Hart grew up to be a decorated Air Force pilot who flew combat missions in Vietnam. He married Peggy Sue, who followed him all over the world during their Air Force days and who still makes pickles to this day. They very graciously took Mr. and Mrs. Roy under their wing many years ago and they hold a special place in our hearts.

Charity of the Month - Wounded Warrior Project

2010-08-25T21:28:00.000-04:00

Support WWP August 30 – September 5 with eBay’s Give at Checkout

If you’re purchasing an item on eBay between August 30 and September 5, don’t miss out on an easy opportunity to support WWP. During this seven day period, WWP will be one of the nonprofits featured in eBay’s Give at Checkout, which enables buyers to add a $1 donation or more to any eBay purchase when using PayPal. The option to give at checkout will appear on the right side of the final checkout window. Want to donate to WWP year-round? Visit WWP’s eBay Giving Works page, click Save As Favorite and you will always be prompted to make a contribution at checkout. You can even choose to Sell to Support Our Cause or Donate Now without making a purchase.

SNAGGED ANOTHER $5 AMAZON GIFT CARD

2010-08-19T22:36:00.000-04:00

If you look over to the right, you will see that my Swagbucks total has gone back to zero. That's because it hit 450 and I used those Swagbucks to buy another $5 Amazon.com gift card. If you haven't signed up for this awesome search engine that pays you for surfing the net, just click on the "sign up" icon on the bottom right corner of the Swagbucks square to get started earning for yourself!

Reverse Menu Planning

2010-08-16T23:00:00.000-04:00

Reverse Menu Planning

Follow the link above to an article by Mrs. Roy featured in this week's Dollar Stretcher. Thanks to Gary and the other kind folks at The Dollar Stretcher.com for letting Mrs. Roy explain my way of doing things.

MRS. ROY'S GERMANY ADVENTURE

2010-08-16T22:21:00.000-04:00

Mr. and Mrs. Roy recently traveled to Germany; Mr. Roy was working but Mrs. Roy was just being a camp follower and tourist. We had a great time and Mrs. Roy learned a few things I would like to pass along to future travelers because, as Dorothy so aptly put it, we weren't in Kansas anymore! Mrs. Roy encourages you to put aside your prejudices and normal way of thinking and embrace all the little things that make foreign travel such a great adventure.

1. Mrs. Roy had to buy a washcloth. The hotel only had face towels and bath towels - big, nice, fluffy towels but no washcloths. Mrs. Roy tried to do without but was glad to spend one Euro for a washcloth that Mrs. Roy just wrung out and let air dry every night after my bath. Now Mrs. Roy has a nice orange souvenir that will make me smile for years to come.

2. Europeans are very garbage-conscious because they have a lot of people living on a relatively small plot of earth and they are running out of room for trash dumps. Consequently, trash is very expensive - you won't find public trash cans anywhere (plus trash cans make handy terrorist bomb holders) and Mrs. Roy didn't find a lot of amenity type stuff in our hotel room, like paper-wrapped soap or plastic bottles of shampoo to stick in your luggage. What Mrs. Roy did find are wall-mounted dispensers for soap which often doubles as shampoo. Mrs. Roy has seen this in a few ecology-conscious American places, too. It certainly makes you stop and think about all the stuff we throw away.

3. Germans don't do ice. Mr. and Mrs. Roy only had ice in our drinks at one restaurant the entire trip but we had been there before so we knew what to expect. After a couple of days, you don't even notice it anymore.

4. When Mrs. Roy orders a salad in the USA, I get a long list of salad dressing options. In Germany, they bring you a salad and it is dressed however they think is proper. This trip, most of Mrs. Roy's salads had yogurt dressing. At other times, we've had mostly oil and vinegar. Never fear; it's always good and one less decision is something Mrs. Roy can live with!

5. Euros consist of paper bills and various coins, sort of like American money except more coins. Mrs. Roy always ends up with a bunch of one cent, two cent, five cent and ten cent coins that are nearly impossible to use. Even when Mrs. Roy tries to use them, the cashiers don't really want them. Mrs. Roy got the hotel clerk to take some of my small coins in exchange for a larger coin but she said they couldn't really use them, either. Mrs. Roy's grandchildren will probably get some in their Christmas stocking to take to school for show and tell.

6. It costs about 20 cents to use the bathroom in Germany - pay toilets are alive and well there - and one of the few places you can use those little coins (see #5). On previous trips, Mrs. Roy was obliged to "tip" the human attendant but we only saw mechanized WC's on this trip.

7. Kindereggs!

8. Castles!

9. American soldiers, airmen and dependents. Mr. and Mrs. Roy had the distinct honor and privilege to visit several military bases while in Germany. I am amazed and humbled by these Americans who pack up their entire families and move to a foreign country to protect Mrs. Roy's very American way of life. May God bless each and every one of them.

10. Mrs. Roy is rounding out her top ten list with the very friendly, kind, patient people of Germany who made her feel welcome. Many Germans speak English, at least enough to help Mrs. Roy order food or make a purchase, and they are always so kind in response to my pathetic attempts at speaking German. The Germans are unerringly polite while driving and even out walking on the streets.

Mrs. Roy hopes you will hop on a plane the next chance you get and explore our wonderful world for yourself. It is always interesting to see how other folks live and to realize that Mrs. Roy's way may not always be the best way - but I'm learning!

Proud of Son

2010-08-15T21:31:00.001-04:00

Mrs. Roy's son ran in the Tour de Pain in Jacksonville this weekend. The medal around his neck means he completed all three races - a 5 mile beach run, a 5K and a 1 mile road run. Mrs. Roy gets tired just thinking about it. Mrs. Roy also wishes I could say that either of those flat stomachs belongs to me but, alas, my stomach quit looking like that about 30 years ago. HA Congratulations, Son, we are proud of you for the race and the good company you keep.

STUFF

2010-08-15T06:47:00.001-04:00

Katy over at the Non Consumer Advocate has posted a book review that triggered some thought. While Katy is pretty good at living the Compact and while Mrs. Roy tries to be a conscientious consumer, we all bring home more stuff than we need. Mr. Roy and I joke that we have become the "keepers of the stuff" since his mother passed away a few years ago and since my mom sold her house and went to live with her sister. We've given "things" to our children and my siblings, we've sorted out junk, we've stored things, we've donated, rearranged and prioritized. In the end, Mrs. Roy still can't park in the garage.

From the glass is half full perspective, we've been able to bless young friends with furniture, we are now surrounded by furniture and belongings that make us smile because of the memories attached to them and we are honored that we are the keepers of those memories. By the way, if you start inheriting stuff, make sure you write the names of the people in the pictures on the back so future generations will know who they are. And label stuff - take pictures and label the picture or make labels for the quilts and blankets and sew them onto them or whatever it takes. We have some photos we can't identify at this point and that is so sad.

Mrs. Roy does ponder sometimes whether our home still reflects us or has it become a museum to the past? Maybe a little of both and that's okay. Mrs. Roy is grateful for the influences of family in our lives.

Charity of the Month - More about Wounded Warrior Project

2010-08-14T06:52:00.001-04:00

Wounded Warrior Project believes in the power of nature and recreation to help warriors dealing with combat stress. Project Odyssey, an outdoor rehabilitative retreat that combines adventure challenges with opportunities for peer support and group processing, was created to support warriors in their recovery from combat stress.

Recreational experiences ranging from rock climbing in the Black Hills of South Dakota to herding cattle on Wildcatter Ranch, encourage personal growth among participants and team building within the warrior community.

In conjunction with the National Park Service, Project Odyssey takes place on a variety of geographical locations over the course of five days. Past event sites include Wildcatter Resort & Ranch in Graham, Texas; Marriott Cocoa Beach in Miami, Florida; National Ability Center, Park City, Utah; Acadia National Park in Maine. Each location offers a unique experience that is different from the last and varies based on geographical resources.

Partnering with the Vet Centers across the country, Wounded Warrior Project recruits combat warriors from across the country who are currently enrolled in counseling services. Odyssey allows participants to continue their therapeutic journey in a novel, dynamic setting with peers and support from Wounded Warrior Project and Vet Center professionals.

To read more about projects funded by the Wounded Warrior Project, just click on the link on the right side of this page. Thanks.

LIFE IS GOOD

2010-08-12T18:56:00.000-04:00

Mrs. Roy recently read a quote from Agatha Christie that very properly describes Mrs. Roy's life as well. "I am thinking," she would often say, "that it's a very happy way to live." More details to follow.

Mrs. Roy's Favorite Charity - August - Wounded Warrior Project

2010-08-02T19:30:00.000-04:00

Beginning this month, Mrs. Roy will focus on a particular charity each month for the entire month. Mrs. Roy hopes you will join me in supporting these worthy causes. I promise not to lead you astray but to only recommend charities that (1) Mrs. Roy knows do good work, (2) Mrs. Roy knows they are good stewards and (3) Mr. and Mrs. Roy put their money where their mouth is - in other words, we give to them.

There is a link to the right of this page that will send you to the website for the Wounded Warrior Project. This group supports soldiers who have returned from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I hope you will follow this link at least once this month and make a donation to this worthy organization. Our soldiers deserve our support for their sacrifices.

I LOVE MY GRANDKIDS BECAUSE ....

2010-08-01T14:47:00.000-04:00

Mrs. Roy loves her grandkids because they turn her world upside down. Who knows which of them decided that the gnomes needed to face the wall instead of the room - and why didn't Mrs. Roy ever think to turn them that way! Mrs. Roy had fun this afternoon watching the nearly 13 year old try on some of her mother's old prom dresses in preparation for a middle school formal - whoever heard of such a thing! Mrs. Roy has made oatmeal cookies - twice - magic squares, rice krispie treats and brownies as well as quesadillas (twice) and hot wings and we have washed more clothes than Mrs. Roy thought possible. Mrs. Roy went school clothes shopping and was ever so thankful that I don't have to do that every year anymore! Mr. Roy wanted to know why everything we bought looked like gothic wear and I tried to explain that pretty much everything we saw looked like that. It was sort of frightening. We've drunk gallons of tea and Yahoo and cola and red cream soda. Mrs. Roy's mother made two double batches of our secret recipe chip dip. [Notice there's been A LOT of food around here this week.] Mrs. Roy has had to share her laptop and her bathtub and Mr. Roy had to watch some stuff on tv he doesn't usually have to watch. The granddaughters sang in the choir with Mrs. Roy at church today and the two year old danced in the pew while we sang hymns.

We've had a glorious week with our grandkids. Thank you, Lord!

Gators

2010-07-24T22:13:00.000-04:00

Mrs. Roy's grandchildren are coming to visit which is a wonderful thing. They had big plans to swim in the lake and jump off the dock and generally just goof off while Mrs. Roy was at work each day. Unfortunately, Mr. Roy spotted a gator under our dock this afternoon so all swimming is hereby canceled until further notice!

If you have ever lived in the deep south, especially swampy areas like where we live, you know that basically any body of water is going to have a fresh water gator in it. That's just the way it works. Most of the time they stay away from populated areas and prefer the quiet and solitude like that found on the far side of our lake, far away from Mrs. Roy's grandchildren. However, it has been literally over 100 here every day for about the past month and not too many of us human types have been stirring down by the lake. So Mrs. Roy is assuming the poor gator, having a small brain and big teeth, decided it was safe to venture out.

You should know that it is against the law to exterminate one of these gators - someone thinks they are endangered. So if you want to get rid of one, you have to call the game wardens and they have to send a gator catcher out to catch and relocate your gator into someone else's water. However, when you live on a body of water that has several houses on it, like where Mrs. Roy lives, you have to have written permission from everyone who lives there before the game wardens can remove the gator. Supposedly that's so you don't remove a gator one of your neighbors thinks is a pet or something but Mrs. Roy suspects it also keeps the game warden from getting nothing done except gator relocating since collecting all those signatures is too much effort for most of us to bother with.

So, Mrs. Roy has gone to plan B - call the neighbor and ask if the grandkids can go swimming in their nice, safe swimming pool while they are here. If that doesn't work, well, Mrs. Roy will think of something.

Life is good.

CHANGE

2010-07-21T22:15:00.000-04:00

Do you like change or do you try real hard to avoid it at all costs? Mrs. Roy is pretty good with change about some things - like new responsibilities at work - but personal change can be hard for me sometimes. Right now Mrs. Roy's sister is having a hard time with some of the changes in her life as her daughter goes to college. Mrs. Roy keeps trying to tell her that empty nest syndrome is a wonderful thing but she's having trouble grasping it all. And Mrs. Roy works with a lady who just retired from her job rather than have to move to a new office and figure out new ways of doing things. Mrs. Roy's son went through a period of change a year or so ago that sent him off in an entirely new direction in his life. He's been very successful in following this new path and Mrs. Roy is very proud of him.

Change is good for us because it makes us think and it lets us appreciate the old and the new. But change can be difficult to accept and really inconvenient, too. Mrs. Roy has found that, like most things, praying is very helpful when I'm faced with intimidating changes. Mrs. Roy has also found that God most likely will answer my prayers one day at a time - so don't expect to know how the whole thing is going to turn out before you ever get started!

That's really the key to embracing change - just trust in the Lord, take things one day at a time (Matthew 6:34) and try to enjoy what each day brings. That's Mrs. Roy's way of doing things.

Life is good.

SNAGGED ANOTHER $5

2010-07-17T17:41:00.000-04:00

Mrs. Roy just snagged ANOTHER $5 amazon.com gift card by using swagbucks.com's toolbar and search engine. Every time I earn 450 swagbucks, I get to buy another gift card. If you haven't joined yet, what are you waiting for? The widget over to the right will get you started earning your own swagbucks today - and I'll get credit for referring you.

I know I sound like a commercial but this is a really good deal and it costs absolutely nothing.

Life is good.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

2010-07-11T21:40:00.000-04:00

I just started reading this book and came across a great quote at the end of the first chapter. I hope it is indicative of more good things to come.

"For all the rational explanations I used to account for choices in my life, for all the intellectual reasons I used to justify this particular endeavor, I now realized it was possible - maybe even likely - that I had been motivated by some internal longing that I hadn't even identified. Some journeys we choose to go on, I realized; some journeys choose us."

GNOMES AND CATS - PART TWO

2010-07-03T11:57:00.000-04:00

Mrs. Roy looked out the window this morning and there was something stuck in the tree by the back porch! Well, it at least looked like it was stuck but when Mr. Roy got a long pole and prodded it, the neighbor's cat jumped on down and ran off. We think it just got up there and got semi-stuck and was too scared to jump down until it got a little encouragement. HA

If you are wondering why Mrs. Roy has posted a picture of cat's rear instead of our usual gnome, go to gnomes and cats.

Happy 4th!

ARIZONA

2010-07-01T21:54:00.000-04:00

Mrs. Roy has had enough of these protests and boycotts. I hope everyone who reads this post will plan a vacation to Arizona in the very near future. Those folks are trying to enforce federal law that the feds won't or can't enforce and Mrs. Roy believes the federal government is out of line criticizing them instead of helping them. And those folks who want the baseball games to stop being played in Arizona and school trips to stop being made to Arizona, you should be ashamed of yourself. You should be supporting the rights of American citizens and not people who are here illegally. As Sonny Bono said, when asked his opinion of legislation extending benefits to illegal aliens: "Illegal. Enough said."

Generosity

2010-06-29T18:09:00.000-04:00

Mr. Roy and I were sitting in front of a bank of pay phones in the Atlanta airport recently. We had just had a discussion about whether or not those phones ever got used anymore when a man came up to the phones and read the instructions, then turned and asked if we had a quarter he could borrow to make a phone call. I, sadly, shook my head and told him I didn’t have any change, which was a lie and I knew it. Mr. Roy, however, immediately bent down and started digging in his briefcase for change but could only come up with a couple of foreign coins. So then he offered to let the man use his cell phone to make the call! By this time, Mrs. Roy was totally ashamed of myself and knew it was time to fess up. I reached in my backpack and gave the man a quarter, and he was so grateful. He made his call and left but his memory has stayed with me. All Mrs. Roy can say is that if I ever find myself in a strange place needing the kindness of a stranger, I hope I run into someone like Mr. Roy and not someone like me.

Jesus says we should love the Lord our God with all our heart and all our soul and all our minds and our neighbor as ourselves. Mrs. Roy failed at that and I’m going to do better.

Food Stamp Challenge Update Six

2010-06-28T07:00:00.000-04:00

We are coming to the end of the Food Stamp Challenge and Mrs. Roy has to admit it's been more difficult than I thought. We are down to $5 to get us through Wednesday evening. We have enough stock to get us through but I have a pretty extensive grocery list, a lot of it staples like olive oil and Goya and milk and bread. Mr. Roy drank the last of the milk last night so most of our remaining $5 will go toward a gallon of milk today.

We made spaghetti sauce last night using some italian sausage we knew we didn't really like (Mrs. Roy had bought two packages on sale and we cooked the other package with some cabbage and onion but didn't really care for it). It was much better in the sauce. Without the Food Stamp Challenge, it might have languished in the freezer so thank you, Katy.

Life is good.

I'M RICH(ER)

2010-06-27T13:03:00.000-04:00

You may not have noticed, but my Swagbucks total just went from 450 to zero a few minutes ago. That's because a $5 gift card to Amazon.com costs 450 swagbucks and so I bought (another) one. I had grand plans to save my Swagbucks gift cards and buy Christmas presents or something with them but so far they have been funding my never-ending thirst for used reading material. I can live with that. Free gift cards, used books that I can then resell or pass along; life is good.

WANT SOME CORN?

2010-06-23T21:31:00.000-04:00

Mrs. Roy's kind neighbor brought us a bag of corn yesterday, which Mrs. Roy shucked and cut off the cob tonight. Tomorrow night some of it will be in a cast iron skillet with some butter and sugar and the rest will be in the freezer for some future delights. Want some corn?

cookbook giveaways

2010-06-22T19:29:00.000-04:00

The good folks at livingonadime.com are giving away some of their cookbooks this week. Check it out for your chance to win. This is a great cookbook!

Food Stamp Challenge Update 5

2010-06-21T23:00:00.000-04:00

Mrs. Roy stopped by Sam's and bought a few things a couple of days ago. Then our son came home for Father's Day and brought two hungry friends so Mrs. Roy made a quick trip through the Winn-Dixie. Here's how it went:

baked lay's (30 lunch size bags) - $10.88
18 eggs - 1.38
regular coffee - 6.98
decaf coffee - 9.57
splenda - 11.87
8 cans tuna - 8.88
3 bottles ketchup - 5.78
20 skinny cow ice cream sandwiches - 9.88

2 boxes of cereal - $5 (bogof)
mini marshmallows (to combine with the cereal for rice crispy treats) - 1.29

Then Mr. Roy forgot about the food stamp challenge and stopped at Winn-Dixie and picked up a few things - ground beef, texas toast and milk, spending $17.58

The bottom line is we have about $10 left to get us through the rest of the month. Obviously, if we really were on food stamps, Mrs. Roy wouldn't have bought skinny cows or the rice crispy treat stuff or stocked up on ketchup and Mr. Roy wouldn't have stopped and just picked up whatever we wanted that day. I don't know if we'll be able to make the $10 last until the end of the month but Mrs. Roy has learned it isn't as easy as it sounds and I'm enjoying the mental exercise and reading about the other folks doing the Challenge so it's all good. And just for the record, I'm not blaming Mr. Roy for anything; the poor man does have to put up with all my wacky ideas up close and personal. He's a jewel; trust me. (Katy over at the Non-Consumer Advocate had pretty much the same thing to say about her husband which made me smile and nod in agreement.)

The good news is that our neighbor came to the door this weekend with a bag of squash, a green pepper and a huge tomato from his garden. Thank you, Lord, for good neighbors. Mrs. Roy offered to give my son and his friends some of the squash and one of the friends told me, "We wouldn't even know what to do with fresh produce." Mrs. Roy thought that was an interesting commentary on how these young folks are eating and spending their food dollar, especially in light of our Challenge. Mrs. Roy and Mr. Roy may have to open a cooking school for upwardly mobile 20-somethings to teach them about what real food looks like but that discussion is for another post.

Also, we finished off the potatoes and squash Mrs. Roy bought at the farmer's market by cutting them into small chunks and roasting them with some onion and olive oil. Yummy! And no waste.

Finally, Mrs. Roy has a confession - we ordered pizza Saturday night (Mr. Roy said it was for Father's Day - knowing Mrs. Roy would refuse him nothing). We got in the car a few minutes later and headed to the pizza parlor about a mile from our house. As we approached, we noticed that the traffic lights weren't working and, sure enough, when we got to the drive up window, they confirmed they had no electricity, it had gone out just minutes after we placed our order, and our pizza was a gooey mess of warm dough and half melted toppings stuck somewhere on the conveyor belt inside their oven. So Mr. Roy and I returned home, opened the freezer and pantry and prepared ourselves an alternate meal with items already bought and paid for. Yes, we were weak and sad about maintaining the Food Stamp Challenge but the Good Lord took care of it for us and helped us stay on track. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T08:56:00.000-04:00

Mr. Roy was very happy to receive this nifty license plate photo album for Father's Day. It was custom made for Mr. Roy by Laura Tagliatela through her online shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/tagliatela. Mrs. Roy heartily recommends Laura; she was so nice and did a great job and kept me posted on the progress of my order and the turn around time was really fast. I feel like I have a new friend up in CT now. Thanks, Laura! Please take the time to check out Laura's shop and buy something. Tell her Mrs. Roy sent you.

A NEW WARDROBE

2010-06-19T22:23:00.000-04:00

Mrs. Roy stopped at a new consignment store the other day and made off with a whole new wardrobe! Two dresses and three tops - all for $60. Mrs. Roy is still smiling about it.

Mrs. Roy has been shopping in consignment stores for nearly twenty years and loving the bargains. Then, a few years ago, Mrs. Roy and her sister read about The Compact, a group of folks out in California who decided not to buy anything new for an entire year. We decided to try to incorporate that theory into our lives - which is sometimes easier to do than other times. Buying used fits in well with most of Mrs. Roy's guiding principles - buying used means less packaging and no energy to produce a new product so it's good for our environment and buying used costs less which helps me be a good steward of what God has given me.

Life is good.

FIDO

2010-06-16T21:33:00.000-04:00

Forget
It and
Drive
On

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Mrs. Roy heard a preacher a few years ago who told us to FIDO - Forget It and Drive On. As a Christian, I believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and that if we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, all our sins are washed away, separated from us as far as the east is from the west.

So it is Biblical to FIDO. If God has already forgiven my sins, it can only be the devil himself who wants me to keep being hurt by my memories of them. God has so many blessings waiting for me; Mrs. Roy is not going to let my past keep me from living the abundant life God has promised.

You, too, can have an abundant life and be freed from your past so that you can FIDO. If you would like to know more about God's promises, just send me a message in the comments below.

Others Who Have Walked This Way Before

2010-06-15T21:08:00.000-04:00

Mrs. Roy came across a previous post today that references a food challenge taken by some folks last year. Since we are halfway through our Food Stamp Challenge, Mrs. Roy thought you might like to hear from someone who has walked this way before. I was surprised to read her perception of the challenge; it was very similar to what Mrs. Roy has gleaned so far from our challenge.

stop spending time report to go to my previous post

Eat on $30 to go directly to the Knoxville News Sentinel article

By the way, Mrs. Roy had fried squash, boiled potatoes and refrigerator pickles for supper tonight - all bounty from my trip to the farmer's market late last week. I'll be having some watermelon for dessert in just a few minutes. Mrs. Roy hasn't bought any food since the last update so I still have $101.20 left for the month. That comes out to 6.75 per day for the rest of the month.

Big Ben

2010-06-14T22:15:00.001-04:00

Mrs. Roy's alarm clock is a Big Ben. It is my small effort to use less electricity. Mrs. Roy has to wind it every day to keep it working. Big Ben does not plug in nor does it have batteries. Big Ben is a wonderful thing.

Big Ben does not glow in the dark with an eerie green or red glow. The little hands do glow for a while after you turn out the lights but it is very unobtrusive. Mrs. Roy has found that it really is not necessary to know what time it is in the middle of the night most of the time and, if it is necessary, I just turn on the light.

Big Ben makes a big racket when the alarm goes off. It has a wonderful metal bell and clacker that beat together to make a really loud noise but just for a few seconds then it stops. Mrs. Roy doesn't have to hit the snooze button because there is not one. Amazingly, Mrs. Roy rarely oversleeps now that I know there is not going to be a second alarm. Big Ben expects me to be a grown-up about getting up and starting my day.

Big Ben is also a blessing to Mrs. Roy because I have some hearing loss that makes it difficult to hear the electronic beeps and tweets of electric clocks. Big Ben's metal bell rings loud and clear!

If we look at our busy lives, we can all find ways to make small changes that use less electricity or less gas or less natural resources. Do you really need an electric toothbrush or an electric blanket? Would an old-fashioned razor work as well as your electric razor? Can you chop those veggies yourself instead of using a food processor? Isn't there some way to get the wrinkles out of your clothes rather than tossing them in the dryer for a few minutes? If we all made just a couple of little changes, the world would be a nicer place for us now and for Mrs. Roy's grandchildren and their children when they grow up.

As mentioned earlier, Mrs. Roy has to wind Big Ben every evening. While some people may think this is just one more thing to keep up with in an already busy day, there is something very satisfying about the ritual of winding a clock daily. It gives me that Little House on the Prairie feeling; it's a small piece of self-sufficiency in a hectic, tech-driven world. It helps Mrs. Roy slow down and remember how things used to be - and could be still, if only we remembered how.

Life is good.

Food Stamp Challenge Update Three

2010-06-12T10:51:00.001-04:00

Well, Mrs. Roy hit the farmer's market a couple of days ago and got some great food at a low price (13.50) - and I had to stop at Save-A-Lot on the way home from work yesterday and pick up milk (2.69), peanut butter (2.49) and garlic salt (1.39). Here's what I got at the farmer's market:

Watermelon - $5.99
20 bell peppers @ 10 for $1
5 cucumbers @ 10 for $1
2 tomatoes - .89 per pound
5 yellow squash – 3 lb for $1
1 Vidalia onion - .89

The bell peppers were an exceptional deal - they had packaged them in bags of 10 for $1 because they each had a bad spot on them or were starting to get too old. Mr. Roy cut them all up and we put 4 gallon bags of chopped peppers in the freezer. That will keep us for a long time. Mrs. Roy will be making refrigerator pickles with some of the cucumbers today, one of the squash got sauteed with some onion last night for dinner. Mrs. Roy asked the lady at the farmer's market for a "sweet" watermelon and this one is wonderful! We've already eaten nearly half of it.

Remaining food stamp funds for the rest of the month - $101.20. That's 5.62 per day for the next 18 days.

This morning, Mrs. Roy asked herself why she was doing this whole exercise. Mrs. Roy can't really say it will make me more sympathetic because I deal with folks who call themselves indigent at my job. I don't recall anyone only getting $101 per person; it's usually closer to double that amount or more. And 99.9% of those folks have cellphones, wear lots of nice jewelry, are chronically unemployed (as in NEVER had a job) and live with an older family member who pays all the other household expenses. There's a lot of abuse of our social welfare system in this country.

Mrs. Roy is continuing this challenge because I started it and I'm going to see it through. It is good for Mrs. Roy to have to stop and think before running up to the Winn-Dixie for this or that. We are eating well and eating plenty with what we had on hand and what we are purchasing. Mr. Roy is an exceptional cook and he's taught Mrs. Roy a trick or two so I don't think we'll have any trouble staying within this budget but I don't think we will have proven anything by doing it.

You might want to visit Katy over at The Non-Consumer Advocate - she's having some interesting discussions about food waste and habit shopping and being judgmental of other folks' food purchases. http://thenonconsumeradvocate.com/june-food-stamp-challenge/

Food Stamp Challenge Update Two

2010-06-09T21:52:00.000-04:00

Mr. Roy made an unscheduled run to the Winn Dixie a couple of days ago but he saved his receipt so we can publish it. Here it is:

2 boxes elbow macaroni - 1.25 each
Ketchup - 1.99 - the real reason for the unscheduled visit to Winn Dixie; we HAVE to have ketchup
butter - 2.50
canned tuna - 2.50
rice cakes - 2.59
salad dressing mix - 4.99
2 lemons - 1.33
milk - 3.39
2 bags of spring mix lettuce - 3.79 - bogof
red cabbage - 1.90
bananas - 2.17
green pepper - .67

total 31.23 - remaining food stamp money for June - 121.47, which comes out to 5.78 per day for the rest of the month. I'm hoping this will even out as I don't think we'll be going back to the store for at least a few days.

Food Stamp Challenge Update One

2010-06-05T16:30:00.000-04:00

Mrs. Roy just got back from the grocery store since we had to have a few things - like bread and butter. Mrs. Roy also needed some zipper storage bags which is something I usually buy and lump into my "grocery" budget. Since we are working the Food Stamp Challenge, I need to have separate money for the things that real food stamps would not pay for. So Mrs. Roy is wondering - when I say I can feed our family well on about $300 a month (it's just me and Mr. Roy), is that really a false number? I don't buy a lot of non-food items but there is usually something we need - aluminum foil, etc. Mrs. Roy even includes cleaning supplies and laundry detergent in her normal food budget so how much do we actually spend on food? Hmmmm.

By the way, it is Mrs. Roy's experience that the best way not to spend money at the grocery store is not to go to the grocery store. Mrs. Roy has found the key to living on any budget, food stamps or otherwise, is to only buy what you need. Perhaps you have more willpower than Mrs. Roy but I can always find something to buy if I go in a store. So if you want to save money, stay home.

Here's what I bought today.
2 bags frozen french fries - store brand 2.99 each
1 box Wheat Thins - on sale for 2.49 plus I used a $1.00 coupon = $1.49
jar of pimento - 2.49
tub of margarine - $2.50
paprika - $1.49 - always buy spices in the international foods aisle = much cheaper
Coffee - 5.99 - on sale
Ground Beef - 13.14 - this was a big pack that had a used by date of today so I got $1.47 off
Wyler's Beef stew starter - 1.99 - in the clearance buggy
Sourdough bread from the bakery - 2.99 - okay, I splurged; I love it
Kraft American singles - 2.99
2 packages of Sandwich rolls - 2.99 - bogof
2 loaves sandwich bread - 1.00 each
bananas - .61
1 roma tomato - .48

total food purchases with tax = 49.30

I also bought 14.86 worth of non-food items which I would normally include in my food budget.

remaining food stamp money for June = 152.70 which comes out to $6.36 per day for the rest of the month (down from $6.73 per day before I went shopping). However, I did get an extra loaf of bread and an extra package of sandwich rolls that went in the freezer. We also put six large burger patties in the freezer after preparing some for our dinner tonight so that is at least two more meals. I think we are doing okay so far.