The Weekend in Review

On Saturday, the kids played outside in the snow for a long time.

When they got too cold, they came in to get cozy on the couch, and I made them popcorn while they watched a movie.

DJ was annoyed because he didn't want his picture taken.

My husband did some plumbing work on our bathroom, which is still coming along….very, very slowly.

The next step is the shower surround, which will cover the unpainted areas, and the ugly glue residue where the pink tile was removed.

I did some reading, because I was lucky enough to find Dover Thrift Editions of Jane Austen’s Emma, Pride and Prejudice, and Sense and Sensibility for 44 cents each at Goodwill last week.

I also worked on bills and filing, and organized some photos for scrapbooking. I was excited to unearth this rather poor quality – yet completely awesome – photo of my husband, which was taken back in 2000.

Wow.

So then I wasted a lot of time admiring it (because, you know….holy cow), but it was totally worth it.

On Saturday night, we went to church, and Bee, who had a headache and was feeling a bit under the weather, fell asleep in my lap. I can’t remember the last time that happened, so I really enjoyed it.  Never mind that she comes up to my shoulder now, and someday she’ll probably be taller than me – I’ll find a way to hold her on my lap, no matter what.

After church, we stopped at three grocery stores, which are all near our church, and each other, to take advantage of some great sales, and get our produce haul for the week:

3 romaine hearts – $1.99
Celery – 68 cents
2 lbs asparagus @ $1.69 ea – $3.38
2 half pints of blueberries @ $1.49 ea – $2.98
1 fresh pineapple – $1.69
6 lbs of strawberries @ $1.29 ea – $7.74
Half pint of blackberries – $1.49
2 lbs Anjou pears @ .79 ea – $1.58
3 lbs clementines – $2.69
3 lbs tangerines – $2.69
2.38 lbs bananas @ 44 cents ea – $1.05
4 Haas avocadoes @ 49 cents ea – $1.96
Total – $29.92

We also bought a gallon of milk, (4) 23-ounce cans of coffee (on sale for $3.99!), and 6 boxes of Eggo waffles (on sale 3 for $4). We have a good supply of beef, chicken, rice, and other staples right now, so we didn’t need anything else.

Now begins my weekly anxiety about making sure that all the fresh fruits and veggies get used up. This is rarely a problem – last week we had only a few kiwi fruit leftover – but I still worry about it because I hate wasting food. I used a pound of strawberries and the blackberries right away for Sunday breakfast.

Delicious!

After breakfast, I had a date with my favorite 5-year-old. I try to have a “girls’ day,” alone with each of my girls at least once a month, and this weekend it was Cakie’s turn. I took her out for lunch,

See the red marks above and below her eye? She smashed her sled into the neighbor's fence.

and for a carousel ride.

We also played in the mall play area,

I love this photo!

and had fun trying on enormous sunglasses.

My sweatshirt does say, "Be Naughty - Save Santa the Trip." In my defense, I got it at a garage sale for only 25 cents, and it's very warm and comfy. This is how I justify being a walking billboard for misbehavior.

Before we came home, we got ice cream cones, and watched a local hockey team practice at the ice arena.

The natural light in the arena really amplifies the white streaks in my hair. After nearly a year of growing it out, there are only a couple inches of dye remaining on the ends. I get lots of compliments on it! Even so, I recently told my husband "You have no idea how much confidence it takes to walk around with this hair. I'm not sure I have enough yet."

I always say, it’s the little things that really make up a life, and they’re worth documenting just as much as the vacations and special events. Sometimes the small things become some of our favorite memories, and this weekend was a good example.

“It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.” ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

Tagged as: Cakes, Children, Daily Life, Economical Eats, My Aging with Grace Project