Murphy's Holiday Visit

Christmas is over, and we are looking forward to 2013 with hope and enthusiasm. Part of the reason we are so hopeful is because we had an unexpected and unwelcome guest for Christmas: Murphy!

Christmas morning started a little earlier than I had planned. Cub was wide awake and raring to go at 5 a.m. We started the coffee, let Cub and DD2 open their stockings while we tried to wake up. At this point I had only been asleep for a couple of hours, so it was really difficult for me to get into the spirit. We opened our gifts, gave Cub something to eat and drink to tide him over, then headed back to bed for a little nap before we headed to Grandma's for breakfast.

Everything was going according to plan, and were packing all the gifts into the van when Murphy reared his ugly little head. An open rear van lift gate, and an overhang in the underground parking are not a good combination. Hubby was trying to move the van forward a couple of feet with the back open, and the rear wiper just grazed the overhang. This of course caused the rear window to shatter into about 3 million pieces. With nothing open Christmas Day, there is no way to repair it immediately. We pile us and our stuff into the car and arrive at Grandma's late.

Because the window couldn't be replaced until the 27th, I had to turn away about $500 worth of work and pay the $325 bill for the repair. :(

I get it replaced and all is well with the world again. Or so I think. I start working again and feel relieved to have that over with. Fast forward to December 29th. A very busy work day for me. Hubby is helping me get some stuff done so we can spend time at home relaxing.

But Murphy was hiding in the back of my van, just waiting to pounce! With a very large and important package in the van, we arrive to the place of delivery. Turn van off, unlock doors, get out to remove package only to find the back lift gate seized shut. Not good. Not good at all.

With difficulty, we remove delivery package, and head to Dodge dealership to get vehicle fixed. (By the way, we already have an appointment on Dec.31st to have a piece at the rear of the van replaced where a decal has a bubble.) They are extremely busy. We wait for an hour to be told there is nothing they can do for us right away. They have to order a part. I ask for a loaner. I'm told that because the van still technically works, Chrysler will not authorize a loaner vehicle. I lose it.

After some tears and an explanation of why our work vehicle needs to have a working lift gate, they provide us with a loaner. It takes two hours of our day, but we're finally back to work.

We're on call January 1st, so can someone else please take Murphy off our hands? Holidays are stressful enough without his help. Thank goodness there was enough in our savings to cover the additional expenses.

I'm Done!

Well, the shopping portion of it anyway. I got the last of the stocking stuffers and a couple of things for hubby's birthday. I even got the birthday cards for both hubby and grandcub. It's finished!

Yesterday I sent out the Bloggy Secret Santa gift. I'm sorry you had to wait, but there was something specific I was waiting to find, and I finally did.

Tonight, Cub & I will be painting his gifts for gramma, big sis, daycare provider, little sis, and Bad Guy (that's what he calls Big Sis' bf).

Also, I will be making the gifties to give out to the charity board members. I just need to put them together and wrap them.

I gotta dig through my yarn stash because I finally figured out what to give Cub. If I have a big enough skein of blue or red yarn, I'm going to knit him a superhero cape! I figured out how I could do it without have to tie it and he could pull on and off by himself. He is constantly asking someone to tuck a t-shirt into the neckband of whatever shirt he is wearing to make a cape. Sometimes it's a dishtowel he uses. I figure, heck, he should have his very own superhero cape. Hopefully, I can get it done in the limited number of days I have left to knit!


I did take a special trip last night to hear Taylor and her Corps play in white Oaks Malls. They were very good, and I got a chance to meet Taylor. :)

I won't be going back to the mall anytime soon. I'm just thankful I got it all finished.
Now where did I put the tape I bought ??

The $100 Challenge, The Second Year

Last year, Hubby & I participated in the $100 Challenge. Don't know what that is? Read the Story that started it all here.  Basically, Andrew, a Londoner, gave a man in need $100. And felt good about it. It got him thinking about how such an amount could do some good for another human being.

I wrote about the $100 Challenge last year, found here. What I didn't tell anyone really was some of the follow-up to what happened that day.

Last year, Keeping Kids Warm collected gently used coats and clothing for those in need. After our giveaway of well over $100 worth of coffee and cookies, the clothing items were gathered and dropped off at various agencies so that folks who needed them could get access to them. At one of the places, a man asked one of the volunteers if we had any dress shirts as he had a job interview the following Monday.

With donated money, and some of her own, that volunteer drove the man to a thrift store, and let him pick out a dress shirt, pants and shoes so that he would look presentable for his interview. He was truly grateful, and it made the volunteer feel wonderful to help someone who truly needed a hand up.

Well, the man in this tale got the job he interviewed for. The agency has since told us that he is now doing well, has an apartment of his own, and has become a volunteer to help others who were once where he was. When he speaks of the events that helped him turn his life around, he always starts the story with a lady who was dropping off coats and how kind she was to him.

It doesn't take $100 to help another fellow Londoner, but imagine what we all could accomplish if we just try to make a little corner of the world a better place?

I urge you to join dozens of other Londoners and give a little something to someone else. You don't even have to be in London! The $100 Challenge has people registered as far away as Australia who will be taking part on Saturday, December 3, 2011.

If you have $100 to give, or only $10, use it to make soneone's day. Buy a coffee for the person in line behind you at Timmie's. Offer to pay for someone's groceries. Approach a stranger, and give them $20. It doesn't matter how you do something, just do it on that day. Please. It can make a world of difference.

Shopping and Dinner

I went shopping yesterday.

I had read all the flyers and made a careful list. I need to stretch every dollar I possibly can right now. I wish the budget wasn't so darn tight but it is what it is.

I got Palmolive Dish soap, 1.1L for $1.73 at Canadian Tire yesterday. I bought 4 of them. I love stocking up on things when I find a great deal. I also picked up some Christmas wrap that was on sale, and a few stocking stuffers there. Who would have thought that CT would have good prices on seasonal candy?

Next stop, No Frills. They are having another one of their $1, $2, $3 sales and some of the deals were hard to pass up. While there, I realized that lean ground beef was on sale as well, so I bought two of the family sized packs. I used one for dinner, and split the other one up for the freezer.

When I got home after picking up the kidlets, I put stuff away, and packed up two reusable grocery bags of foodstuffs for DD1's house. She has recently gone back to work full-time after mat leave, and they are struggling once again. Her BF is having trouble finding and staying employed, so they have opted for him to stay home and look after grandcub while DD1 works to provide for their little family. They have exhausted all of their resources, and are grateful for any help in the next month while they are adjusting to the new schedule.

I wish I could have run to the bank, and taken out money for them to survive, but I can't. I want to fix the problem for them, but I can't do that either. But I realized that having stocked up on all the sales I can, I am able to help them with pantry items that I have. Baby wipes, t.p., soups, jam and bread from the freezer, peanut butter, sugar, cereal, rice mixes, all gleaned from our cupboards. It made me feel better and they were very grateful for the help.

Anyway, for dinner I made homemade burgers, with all the fixings. Mine ended up being a mushroom bacon cheeseburger. With fries, pickles and olives on the side. :) For dinner we had 3 adults, 2 tweenagers (DD2's fave girl cousin of the same age is here for the weekend), 1 toddler, and a 10 month old. All fed and happy on under  $20 worth of groceries bought on sale over time.
I. Love. That.

I am still making (knitting) gifts for my family to reduce costs. This is likely going to be our most frugal holidays ever. But it will be ok. Everyone knows that we are struggling financially, and are not so worried about stuff. We watched "The Grinch That Stole Christmas" after dinner, and it led to a discussion about 'Christmas not coming from a store'. That it was about being together with the ones you love, and who love you. The tweens seemed to 'get' it, and that's all I can hope for.

Challenge Anyone?

Monday, I stepped out of my comfort zone a little bit and did something I have never done before. I volunteered at The Soup Kitchen. Together with customer service associates and other residents of Boardwalk Properties, we served breakfast and lunch to over 300 people.  I spent over four hours making and serving trays of hot food and beverages for people.

There are many programs that are in need of volunteers to help out. I'd like you all to consider giving some of your time and of yourself to those less fortunate. Call your local Soup Kitchen or Food Bank. They always need volunteers. The Salvation Army also needs volunteers to assist with their Christmas Hamper program, sorting and packing donated items and foodstuffs (although their volunteer program is a little tougher to get into).

How about spending some time with an elder person to assist with household tasks or running errands for them? With winter coming shortly, there will be lots of older folks who will need someone to shovel and salt their sidewalks for them.

Here's my challenge to you.

Give some of your time to give a hand up to someone else. Even for a couple of hours. It will help you keep your life in perspective, I promise.

What other great ideas can you all come up with to give of yourself to those who are in need?



http://www.info.london.on.ca/docs/HardTimes.pdf

Happy Friday

" Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." - Will Rogers

There has been lots going on in my head, and with me in general.

I cleaned out the freezers and took some time to do some stocking up on items that we will use for the next few months. Here are my purchases over the last couple of days:

1x Sirloin Tip Roast, $ 11.66
1x Package Ground Beef, $11.06
8x 1 lb Unsalted Butter, $23.04
2x McCain Frozen Cream Pies, $2.58
1x 10 lb bag potatoes, $1.88
3x 1L Oasis 100% juice, $2.97
3x Pillsbury Apple Turnovers, $6.00
8x Dr. Oetker Frozen Pizzas, $24.00
4x Knorr Rice/Pasta Mixes, 4.00
1 each chicken & beef bullion cubes, $3.00
3x Glad Cling Wrap, $3.00
3x Oatmeal Crisp Triple Berry Cereal, $9.00
2x Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, $3.74
2 lb bag Macintosh Apples, $2.00
3x 90-100 count bagged frozen cooked shrimp, $9.00


There was a lot more, but I don't want to bore you with the details. However, I'm not done with the shopping just yet.

Tomorrow and Sunday, Shopper's Drug Mart is having a 'Spend Your Points Event' , where you get additional dollar amounts in free purchase if you redeem your points over 50,000.
I've combined their sales items from the flyer, along with redeeming 50,000 of my accumulated points. If I've done my math correctly, I will get $100.99 (before taxes) of products for $14.12.
I like to think of it as my version of Extreme Couponing, without the actual coupons, lol!

Products purchased will be:
4 x 2kg bags of sugar @ $1.99 each
4 x Life Brand 2-roll paper towels @ $0.49 each
4 x 24 roll Royale Toilet Tissue @ $5.99 each
2 x Oral B Children's Toothpaste @ $1.88 each
2 x Herbal Essences hair care @ 2/$5.00 each
4 x Vim Cream Cleanser @ $0.99 each
1 x Aleve Tablets @ 9.99
1 x 4 pk Tic Tacs @ $3.49
1 x 320 count Pampers Baby Wipes @ $9.99
2 x Sunsilk shampoo (with free 355 ml conditioner) @ 3.99 each
2 x Balea 2-in-1 Kids Shampoo/Bodywash @ 3.99 each
1 x Trident gum, 4 pack $2.99
2 x Pringles Chips @ 1.99 each

This will give me a head start on some of the stocking stuffers that I typically buy for Christmas, along with a few things to stock up on.

I'm hoping that this weeks shopping excursions will help to lower our costs overall for grocery spending and planned holiday spending.

Have you been shopping this week?

Some Great Christmas Gift Ideas

I check out lots of links to thing I find interesting. I'd like to share some of them with you, perhaps maybe to inspire you to have a homemade Christmas this year or maybe to give new life to those things with which would otherwise end up in the landfill.

This Oven Rack Jewellery Organizer is a perfect example of re purposing stuff we no longer use.

For those who want indoor herbs over the winter, why not have a Mason Jar Wall Planter ? this would also be a great gift for a foodie or plant lover.

Here is a game that you could make for the kiddies on your list, using some recycled materials. Come Together Kids tells you how to make the game, and to play it.

Why not bake a batch of Emoticon Cookies for your favourite tweenager?

Need different sized boxes for your gifts this year? Why not make you own out of diaper boxes ?

You can use those leftover bits of wrapping paper to make Wrapping paper Baskets to put all the things in that you make for Christmas.

For that person who has everything, and when you ask what they want and say nothing, this craft idea could be the perfect match!

Have you seen any great crafty gift ideas that you would like to share?

129 Days Until Christmas

Did reading the title of this post make you want to throw up a little?

I despise feeling rushed through buying things for Christmas for my family, so this year I plan on taking a different approach.

First, I will make a list of who all I need to buy get things for. Then I will make a supplementary list of those I would like to get something for, but not necessary. For my kids and grand-cub, I will be using this guideline:

Something they want,

something they need,

something to wear, and

something to read.

Plus one, just one, thingy-ma-jigger from the fat, jolly man in Red.

Stockings are pretty much the same around here...every year, they can expect a new toothbrush, a package of chocolate something, and some Dollar store thingies, both personal care related and fun stuff.

I am making it my personal mission to keep the holidays this year to be less about stuff, and more about experiences. Spending time with family and friends, and doing something together.

Seeing as my kids who are old enough to read don't give a hoot about my blog, I'm going to start a separate page to keep track of the who, what, and how much of Christmas.

My personal goal this year will be to attend a Mass at a Roman Catholic church. I am not Catholic, but my husband was raised Catholic. None of our children have been baptised, because I would prefer them to choose to follow a religion of their own choosing because God speaks to them, not because of my influence. Having said that, I have been in attendance at funeral Masses on several occasions, and would like just once to see how Mass is run when the reason is celebratory.



Unique Christmas Gifts Ideas

Here are some ideas that a general internet search has brought to me. Some of these ideas I can use right away this year. Others will be archived for future years' use.

1. Write a Christmas letter. You can make it look like a newsletter, or a vintage letter. However you you decide, you can update your extended family on the big news of the year in your family. There is even somewhere to send your addressed letters, that will ensure that the postmark will be from the North Pole! How cool is that?

The North Pole, Alaska post office will stamp all of your envelopes with their special holiday cancellation for no additional charge (you still need to put regular postage on your envelopes). All you have to do is adress and stamp your envelopes as you normally would. Then stick them all in a larger envelope and send them to:

North Pole Christmas Cancellation
c/o Postmaster
5400 Mail Trail
Fairbanks, AK 99709-9999

The North Pole elves (ok, postal employees) will then make sure your letters get sent to the appropriate addresses, just as if you'd dropped them at your local post office. To ensure delivery in time for Christmas, be sure to get your letters to the North Pole by December 15 at the very latest.

2. Make a wreath out of construction paper cut outs of your childrens hands. Let them pick colours, or have younger ones colour the hands. Cut a piece of cardboard into a ring the size you think you may use. Glue the paper hands to the ring, and attach a bow.

3. Refrigerator magnet that grows! Use a clean, transparent old prescription bottle. Attach a piece of magnetic to the back with glue. Add a small amount of soil, and a fast sprouting seed (think bean).

4. Write a children's story with your family members names as the characters. You can make up a fictional story or retell a favourite family event. You could hand print the story in a plain journal book. You could add photos, draw pictures or even use images cut from magazines to add the pictures to your story.

5. Make a button wreath ornament, or use buttons to make christmas themed ornaments.

6. Cookies in the shape of your childrens hands. Use some sturdy paper to trace your kids hands, cut out and use as a template for your cookies. use a sugar cookie recipe for the cookies.

7. Create a secret hollow book for someone. Find an old thick hardcover volume with an attractive title from the thrift shop. Glue the pages together and to the back cover but not to the front cover. Use an exacto knife to hollow out the pages, leaving at least half an inch of paper on all four sides. Put a handwritten message inside for the recipient.

8. Buy a photo frame from a thrift store and decorate it. Put a pic inside of your family, or your kids. Wrap and give.

9. Get small glass jars from the thrift store. Be sure to clean them completely. Fill with homemade spice mixes like taco seasonings or seasoning salt. Tie an attractive bow to the jar, or decorate another way. Be sure to label the jar with its contents.

10. Give a family tree photo album to a child. Find and reprint pictures of all the people in your family. Go as far as you can (or want to) in the family. Print the name of each person and their relationship to your child, (ie. aunt, cousin, great-grandfather) to put in the sleeve with each photo. You can get good used and sometimes new photo albums from a thrift store.

These are just a few of the great ideas I have found, or have come up with on my own. Frugal and unique, just like the gift giver. Please comment with some of your ideas below.