Joy in the Ordinary

Look around, really look around and you will find joy... joy in the everyday... joy in the ordinary things.

Silly girl practicing safety first as she was helping me.

We are spending at least a couple of hours here most days. It is nice to have parents with a pool!

She said "Hey Mama, I have a mustache and eyebrows like Daddy." Ha! Ha!

While cleaning out a chest to use for photo storage I ran across a quilt that Chuck's grandmother made for us when we were first married. 

I found a spot for it spot for it so it isn't tucked away out of sight. 

We took an afternoon hike. 

When we were done we took the long way home. 

First we stopped something cool to drink. 

The start of laundry detergent. 

May your day be filled with joy and contentment!

Two Became One

Last Saturday my niece, Alison, was married! The fun started on Friday with the wedding party getting their nails done. This was a first for Megan!

I keep forgetting how tall Megan is getting and how short I am! If I don't start to remember I might not be seen at all soon. :)

It was an outside wedding. It just happened to be on a day with a forecast high of 95*! We might have been a little worried. Everyone stayed inside the church until just before the wedding. We took our seats and were pleasantly surprised by a nice breeze. 

Alison made a beautiful bride. She and Josh are high school sweethearts and have been patiently waiting for this day. Before Josh proposed he spoke with my brother-in-law and agreed not to be married until Alison graduated from college. She graduated in May with her RN. She has had a very exciting couple of months!

I might have tagged behind the photographer to capture these shots. 

Megan was super excited to be in the wedding. 

The photographer snapped a few shots off of her camera with her phone and sent them to Alison. A sneak preview of sort. This is a shot she captured of Megan. 

I can't wait to see the pictures once she works her magic.

It was a simple, beautiful day for a wonderful couple. We love Josh and Alison so much and are looking forward to seeing what the Lord has in store for their new life together.

May your day be filled with joy and contentment!

Frugal Friday #5

I entered Coke points. Chuck's co-workers save their caps for him. He usually brings home a bag each month. We aren't big soda drinkers so this helps us to reach our goal faster. I trade the points in for free soda coupons.

I shortened a skirt that I wore to a wedding. It had an elastic waist and instead of messing with the professional hem I shortened it from the top and re-attached the elastic. 

I went to the grocery store. You might wonder how that can be frugal since a trip to the store can about break the bank! Well, first off I used funds that we made from a garage sale a few weeks ago. Secondly, having things on hand mean we won't run out to pick up a few things and leave with a cart full. I keep a well stocked pantry and hope to make this last until mid July. 

Saved electricity by letting mother nature do the drying. I don't usually dry bath towels on the line, but this load had a sour smell. A little sunshine and fresh air took care of it. 

It pays to be on the clean up crew at events. There were tons of leftover at Alison's wedding. I came home with all of these goodies. 

2 gallons of Chick-fil-A sweet tea
2 gallons of Chick-fil-A lemonade
1 pan City BBQ pulled pork
1 pan City BBQ pulled chicken
1 pan City BBQ mac & cheese
1 container City BBQ dill pickles
1 City BBQ veggie tray
2 containers of BBQ sauce (1 from City BBQ & 1 from Chick-fil-A)
24 buns
6 large cupcakes
2 gallon size bags of napkins
half a gallon size bag each of spoons, knives and forks
pint sized jar of straws
all of the plates left over (dinner size and appetizer size)
2 pint jars of mini bubbles
2 quart bags of mini containers of tissues
3 table center pieces (1 not pictured)

There were tons of leftovers. Everyone who stayed to clean up had plenty to take home. The pulled chicken, BBQ sauce and one package of buns was sent with Chuck to work the next day. Every thing else has been divided up and stored for later. I don't list all of this to tout how great I am, but to express how grateful I am for the provisions!

So there you go. I hope this encourages you to do things to save money. The old adage that every penny counts seems to apply more and more as I see prices of just about everything increase. I find it encouraging to hear about other frugal adventures.

May your day be filled with joy and contentment!

Joy in the Ordinary

Look around, really look around and you will find joy... joy in the everyday... joy in the ordinary things.

I didn't mean to be absent this week. My niece was married on Saturday. It made a few really long days with set up and such. On Sunday I was exhauted!  I have run a few errands and have been catching up on some things.

We received much needed rain. The garden is very thankful. Chuck mentioned how glad he was to have run the tiller through the rows before the rain came.

So far we are having a good growing season. Megan is excited to have cherry tomatoes. 

I walked out one evening and went to sit on the swing. I saw something crawling down the trunk of a tree. I keep watching and then realized it was baby raccoons! They were nice enough to hang out on a branch so we could get a good look at them. 

Sorry Megan, I am not ready for this. 

Today I will be away from home. VBS in the morning and then swimming at my parents in the afternoon. I am enjoying summer with my girl!

May your day be filled with joy and contentment!

Joy in the Ordinary

Look around, really look around and you will find joy... joy in the everyday... joy in the ordinary things.

One evening after dinner Megan announces she is going to clean the sink. Who is going to say no to that! She did a bang up job and left the kitchen sink looking brand new. Thanks Megan!

Megan loves tools! She is always taking scrap wood and creating or helping Chuck with his projects.

Pool season is upon us. I haven't been in yet as the water needs to warm up for this girl.

Picked fresh from the garden.

I love stepping out my door to pick flowers for my home.

An amazing sunset. 

May your day be filled with joy and contentment!