sigh....

(not my photo...found it on google images but I can't remember where - sorry!!)

God and Butterflies....

My Granny loved both.

I love my Granny.

After 101 (January would have been 102) years my Granny's earthly body (I like how my Mother referred to her body as her 'earthly costume') finally decided yesterday it was ready for her to move on to the eternal one! I'm SO happy for her. She wanted this. When we celebrated her 101st b'day with her she said with a chuckle "I've been trying to stop having these" and at Christmas with a mention of Santa Claus she said "well, I thought he died years ago!"

My Granny was quiet and humble. Hysterical and sarcastic. She held on to her humor til just the last few weeks. My sister reminds me of her sometimes....

it makes me smile since they have the same name.

But my Granny could make me laugh....hard! (so can my sister)

My Granny loved my Grandpa. IMMENSELY!

He's been gone since I was in 6th grade.

(Is it odd that I still tear up thinking about that dreaded phone call?)

A large part of the pain of losing him was knowing they would be apart.

Her love for him serves as a precious example to me even still.

she LOVED him. Truly and wholly and absolutely LOVED him!

My Granny (and us) lost my Aunt the first year I was married.... I lived the closest at the time so I was the first to 'get to her' when we got the news my Aunt had completed her time on this earth. I got a ticket trying to get there to be with Granny.

My Granny used to always have a bag of Creme Drops waiting on her kitchen table when we arrived. I never ate them anywhere else or hardly ever have seen them but if ever I see a bag of them anywhere I think so fondly of my times at Granny and Grandpa's (but shhh...I don't really like them)!

She always had chocolate milk in the fridge too (What a TREAT!)...and the coolest water pitcher ever. I loved drinking water at her house!

I was with my Granny the morning of Sept 11, 2001. John Mark and I spent the night with her the night before....we had a wonderful night, popping popcorn and chatting about the past. It was truly a great night!

My Granny adored her son, (my Daddy).

Truly adored him.

Peace was brought to her by just his voice...sometimes just the mention of his name.

He has been an incredible son...INCREDIBLE.

My Granny. Made Me Smile. Loved her Family.

Loved God, and Loved butterflies.

I LOVE MY GRANNY!

I love that my Granny is happy!

Traditions....

Old school meets modern day....our freezer let's us crank til we are tired and then turn on the electric!! PERFECT!!

Homemade Banana Ice Cream in the summertime is tradition....well at least it's a MUST or it's not summer...does that make it a 'tradition'?
I don't know but it's YUMMMMMYY!!! My Mother and Daddy make it - had some last weekend made by them for my b'day. Tonight we are going to an "Ice Cream Social" (is that a southern thing?) and of course....it just must be banana!!

So yummy!! Want to make some too (you know you want to...you really just must!)? Well now you can join in the tradition....here's the recipe:

Vanderpool's World Famous Banana Ice Cream

(okay so I made up the name and perhaps it's a stretch, but I was an Army brat and we did live outside the US....and we did make it every summer wherever we were....and people always wanted the recipe)

2 cups sugar

6 eggs (can use egg beaters)
1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 Tbsp vanilla
3 small very ripe bananas, mushed
(as in you want them mushy and brown no mold, but the riper they are the sweeter they are)

Put all in your ice cream freezer cannister.
Finish filling freezer container to fill-line with milk (mine doesn't have a line...if yours doesn't just do it til it's about 2/3rds full as it will expand as it freezes)

and send that freezer spinning....!! YUMMMY!!! I guarantee satisfaction....if not completely satisfied...
well just give it to me!!

Proud

(my beautiful niece)

Today I was proud.

Proud to be an American.

I wonder who started the tradition of pulling over when funeral processions pass?

I just love seeing it occur.

Today

Cars on both sides of the median pulled over.

Someone in one of the cars was running late for an appt.

Someone was trying to get their kids to stop arguing.

Someone had a screaming baby ready for a bottle and a nap.

Someone was rushing between piano lessons and baseball practice.

most were in a hurry...aren't 99.9% of Americans in a hurry?

 But for just a moment they pulled over, slowed down their lives

 and showed respect.

and perhaps said a prayer for the people in the cars with their lights beaming letting us know that their hearts are heavy!

Mountain Tackled...tear free!

Total SPENT: $117.65
Total SAVED: $150.74
Not great, but not bad for the return trip with a bare pantry and no coupons from all the weeks we were gone.

(Publix purchase only)

So here are my stats:

KROGER
Spent: $70.96
SAVED: $81.33
and got $5 to use on my next purchase

PUBLIX:
Spent: $46.69
SAVED: $69.41

I won't bore you with what all I got, but here is the Publix list:

2 lbs Snow Crab legs
2 half gallons S Smart Milk
4Uncle Beans long grain and wild rice
1 dozen eggs
2.57 lbs plums
2 packages Edwards pie singles
2 6 pack double roll Cottonelle Ultra
6 4 pk packages YoPlait YoPlus Light Probiotic Yogurt
2 Plaintains
3 packages Mott's Natural no sugar Apple Sauce
4.42 lbs bananas
2 Organic Valley Butter
2 Large Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil

tackling a mountain

nope not the laundry from the trip.....the grocery shopping.

I've been up tonight working on my grocery lists. For some reason I'm dreaded it horribly. I think it's just overwhelming. So many choices, bright clean stores, so many choices, well lit stores, so many choices, no animals in the stores, etc etc....

I don't know what it is, but the thought of stepping foot in a grocery store overwhelms me. But I've been asked to teach another coupon class in a couple weeks, so I really need to do it. Well and then there is that little issue of my family is ready to have food in the house. Although thanks to my handy dandy stockpile we've not starved. However...I don't stockpile snack foods generally (we'd eat as much as there was on hand so I try to limit how much is onhand) and there's been very little offerings for lunch foods.

Yep...they'd like to eat, and I'd like to feed them...but I'd prefer to do it without going to the grocery store. Think it's possible to grow a garden overnight??? Oh and buy and slaughter my own meat and catch some good fish???

didn't think so....here goes nothing. The list is ready. Coupons are beside it.

Pressure is on...

That's right I on top of the overwhelmingness (wow spell check didn't catch that...who knew that was really a word!!) of it all I have all the pressure to 'SAVE BIG' - people expect it from me now...we'll see...I've let us get so bare I doubt it will be a giant save...I'll be happy if I'm upside down with my savings more than my spending but not sure if thats even possible this trip. UGH! But once I start I'll get back in the swing of things and get cranking on the coupons once again....addictions do that to you.......