Thursday Thirteen - Blessings

Thirteen blessings over the past few weeks... 1. Let's just start with last night...I received a phone call telling me to look outside on my porch. There was a gift there from my secret sister. It was an apple pie with cheese slices!! It was soooo good!! I have the best secret sister! 2. I went shopping for new clothes for me, which does not happen very often. I was going to go to a cheaper store, but I think my hubby didn't want to deal with the 'emotions' of clothes not fitting right, so he insisted that I go to Penningtons (which is my favourite store because the clothes fit me just right). They were having a sale...YAY...50%off already reduced prices. So for $100 I got a pair of shorts, a skort, 2 capris, 3 shirts, and 2 panties!! That was not a bad haul at all!! 3. A friend who knows good deals (Sharon) had told me about Old Navy having a clearance sale on girls jeans, regular $30 jeans for $3. So, we headed over there looking for Princess, she desperately needed jeans. They had nothing her size, but instead we bought 2 pair for Cutie Pie to wear to school. So, 2 pairs of pants down!! 4. We then headed over to Wal-Mart (because Princess really does need new jeans where we can't see her knees) and they were having a big clearance there too! She got to pick 2 pairs of jeans and they were only $9 each! 5. Princess told me, while trying on her jeans in the store, that now she understands why we wanted to throw out her old jeans. THese new ones looked a whole lot better!! She said that we were right (that is a HUGE blessing coming from a 9 year old girl who knows more then her parents!!) 6. Pete's friend from work was getting rid of a pool that they couldn't have at their townhouse complex. He asked if we wanted it or not, so we took it, thinking it would be a kiddie sized pool...well, it is a nice pool, only 18 inches deep, but I can still get in there and cool off during the day. We were looking for a pool but didn't want to spend too much! Instead we got it free!! 7. We've been able to go camping this year. In the past we have been able to go for a week or two and have really missed that over the past 2 years. But, with Pete's new job (which has almost lasted a year) and all the changes in the 2 years before this job, he has not been able to come with us on holidays. So, even if we get a weekend in here and there, we are getting out more then in the past! 8. Pete has been a huge blessing to me too. This pregnancy has me in all sorts of odd moods, which he is not used to. I have been extremely emotional and the slightest things will set me off. I feel like I am losing my mind most days and I just feel like staying in bed...he has stuck it through with me and never left my side. He has listened to me cry and complain and yell and scream...and has comforted me and reassured me that everything is fine. I love him so much!! 9. We have redone our budget and tried to find ways to have a bit more money every month. It was an eye opening experience. We overspend in way too many areas (especially food) and we are continuing to learn how to handle our money better. So far, we are doing great...we have been having more money left at the end of the month, which wasn't happening before! So, we have been blessed in our finances as well!! 10. We have been enjoying having friends over for bbq's lately. I have gone through spurts of energy and cleaned the backyard, so we can entertain people and also in the house. We can have people over and not have to worry about spending hours cleaning ahead of time. My mom and sister have been great helps with the decluttering and it is lasting. I think it was important for me to be a big part of the process of cleaning out, I saw how bad it had become and I know that I never want to get back to that point again... 11. I was able to sell some of my homeschool curriculum and make a little bit of money on the side. Also, with some other items around the house that I have been able to sell. I have a nice little chunk of money to go towards Christmas shopping online in the next few months. It will feel nice to buy things for people and see that it is not coming out of our bank account! 12. The pregnancy is going great so far. We hear the heartbeat all the time and the baby doesn't stop moving (especially at nighttime!). I am coming up to an emotional time, 32 weeks, when I lost Angel, so I am preparing myself now for that. Maybe we will plan a getaway again (we have in the past and it is a nice way to just remember... 13. I have a great family, who loves me and that I love just as much. My kids get along great (for the most part) and they enjoy life and living. We have been able to do so much this summer, moreso then other summers. We have cut back on programs and stresses and such and have just been enjoying each other. I am looking forward to the rest of the summer and then watching them all go to school and seeing how they all do in the new setting...I am just enjoying the summer with them, because soon it will be over... Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Full of Favour Friday...

I am having a grumpy, cranky, mood swingy kind of day (for the last few days, actually) and thought this may be a good way to get out of the rut...

Father's day was last Sunday. I didn't post about how it was celebrated here, so now I will...

On Saturday we were juggling Cutie Pie's soccer at 8, and Mr. Hockey's hockey at 9. We had decided to take the kids to Burger King for breakfast after hockey, since we really didn't have time for that before we left the house at 7:45...

This time, we were actually going to eat in the restaurant, which we don't do often...So, there I was, sitting down with the kids, while Pete placed his order...then he came over and said we had to leave...we had no money in the bank, it was so embarassing, the guy at the counter had said loudly into the microphone, "please cancel that last order, please cancel that last order...This has never happened to us before.

We got home and Pete made a really nice breakfast for us, while I updated the books and the kids cleaned up a bit.

We had talked about possibly going to chinese food for Father's Day, since it is Pete's favourite, but realized that wasn't going to happen. We would just bbq at home and spend the day together here...

Then less then an hour later, Pete's brother called and asked if we are busy on Sunday...he had 4 extra tickets to the local water park, and would we like them...

So Pete took the 3 older kids and I stayed home with Pooky...

The kids got to enjoy the wave pool, slides, water playground, go karts, bumper boats...all with their dad. A total blessing to our family!!

Oh yeah, and on Monday night, he took Pooky out for a donut to Tim's for her celebration with him....

Recovering...ugh...

Yesterday I woke up sooooo sick. It sucked, cause I was watching my sisters kids too. My big kids looked after all the little ones while I rested on the couch and ran to the bathroom..yuck. I was really upset on Wednesday about the mortgage thing amongst other things that were going on in the house, and I binged on junk food.

I have been doing SparkPeople for just over 2 weeks now and have been very careful about what has gone in my mouth, so when I ate 4 cheese slices and 3 pieces of bologna and a cup of root beer...my system was not used to that anymore and I think that is why I was so sick yesterday. I am never going to do that to myself again.

Hubby and I talked about the mortgage and what we would like to do, I think our best course of action is to stay put. We know what we want and we need to be patient and believe that it will be provided to us, in the right timing. We are going to work, little by little on fixing up the house (I have set a goal to finish the bathroom by next Saturday, Feb. 3) and get ourselves out of debt. Then we want to start some kind of high interest savings, not sure yet what kind, and work on saving enough money that with the sale of our house and our savings, we have a 25% down payment for the house that we really want. It means we are going to have to smarten up even more with our money, stick closer to the budget and decide whether some things are worth doing or not. If we have 25%, Shash said that we won't need to deal with CMHC which is even better.

In the money area this year, we have been doing awesome already. We now have jars on our fridge, one is for tithes and offering, one is for spending and one is for groceries. We no longer pay for stuff with our bank card (except gas for the van), and once the jar is empty that is it, until the next pay. So, the other night, when I didn't feel like cooking, I told hubby that we had coupons for subs and why don't we just have that for supper instead. He looked at how much money was in the jar and said that he didn't want to spend that money on subs. So, we cooked supper instead...but last night, I was so sick and couldn't cook anything, so he went out and bought pizza for supper. I didn't get to eat any of it...that was the first time in 2.5 weeks that we have eaten out. So, we have been working hard on the money thing.

At work yesterday hubby was rewarded for no accidents and no unexcused absences with a $75 gift certificate to a new chinese restaurant in town. He was so excited, because he wanted to check out this place but heard it was fairly expensive, so now we get to go, and it costs nothing!!

Anyhow, I am going to try to eat some breakfast. Gonna run.