Welcome Back!
We pray you all had a beautiful and blessed Christmas week celebrating the birth of our Savior.
Here is how we saved money/spent money wisely/made extra money the past two weeks:
- Mark went to the scout Christmas party and brought home 2 (8 packs) of nice bakery hamburger buns as well as cut up apples. We found lots of ways to use up the buns and it saved us from using our own bread.
- We took extra buns, bread, and cookie to my parents' house we went to Christmas. We were able to use up some of what we took instead of letting it go bad while we were out of town.
- Due to unseasonably warm weather, we have not had our heat running for over a week and a half! We are looking forward to lower than usual gas and electric bills. Our gas bill was half what it was last December!
- I made homemade chil-mac-and-cheese and yellow cake mix cornbread both for the first time. Both were pretty good and we all liked at least one of the items. It's nice to add some new meals into the rotation especially ones that last for two or three meals because of leftovers.
- A few days before Christmas we FINALLY got Owen's crib built. Yes, he is nearly 7 months old and still sleeping in the rock-and-play. We had left him in the rock-and-play because he was spitting up all the time and because he has had a couple of colds but we are finally to the point where we think he can lay flat. We are reusing Annabeth's crib and just had to purchase the new mattress and mattress cover which we were able to cover 75% of the cost with gift cards!
- We were able to NOT go to the grocery for 2 weeks. Thanks to careful meal planning and traveling/eating with family we were able to save on our grocery budget for the end of December.
- Mark took two pounds of homemade fudge (made by my Momaw) to the work to share with his co-workers. We were glad to share and happy and it removed the temptation of eating it all.
- We were gifted with hand-me-down clothes for the kids from a friend and cousins. I sorted all of the clothes and we will keep the ones the kids will wear. Other items were donated or kept to sell for profit for my sister-in-law.
- I saved bags and tissue paper from Christmas to reuse in the future.
- A co-worker offered a neat log-cabin style twin bed to us. Mark picked it up and we will save it for Owen for when he is done with his crib. His bedroom has an outdoorsy theme so the bed is a perfect fit! Since it was free we certainly don't mind to store it for a few years!
We had a wonderful trip to Evansville and Owensboro to celebrate Christmas with my family and then enjoyed coming home to celebrate with Mark's family. Annabeth especially enjoyed playing with her cousins in Kentucky as well as her visiting cousins from South Dakota. Owen enjoyed playing with his great aunts and uncles as well as his grandparents.
Prayers for Mr. O as he is sick once again - a double ear infection and the flu. We are really looking forward to having him well again and are so thankful that despite being so sick he has still been a lovely, happy boy!
Sweet Owen, opening presents on his first Christmas afternoon
So sick and still so happy and smiley!
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