Ohhhh, wouldn't it be nice if we did have a day between Saturday and Sunday?  My weeks are so jam packed anymore!  Weekends just seem to fly by!

Chrysalis Camp is next weekend.  Our last team meeting was today and it turned out great!  I am so proud of the ladies, adult and youth, on my team!  They have more than stepped up and I can just feel how God is using them and the talks they have prepared!  Will let you know how the weekend turns out!

Just this last week dance started, I held my first official practice as Dance Coach for the high school team.  It went well I think.  I sat them all down and let them know the rules.  I told them, this is not a group, a club, this is a SPORT!  That means I'm treating it as a sport, give 100% at each practice, go full out, no laziness.  I can see I may have one or two butt heads with me but that's ok, I'm a lot more hard headed than they are.  I would love to see these girls qualify for State this year!  That would make me so happy, and I know it would make the girls happy, especially the seniors!  Dance practices are 3 nights a week after I get off of work until about 7:30.  When it comes closer to competition time it will go to 4 nights and every other Saturday.  

I talked to Megan tonight, she and Rachel seem to have butted heads once too often (that seems to be the theme of this blog, butting heads).  She may end up moving back in here at the end of the week.  I'm good with that.  There's been a lot of drama and frankly I'm tired of it.  I think she'll be better off here until she graduates with her associates.  She should graduate in May with that.  After she gets her associates she's planning on moving to Chicago.  That's alright, we'll manage.  She'll pay some towards rent here, it'll be good for her to do.

I've been watching my pennies as best as I can.  Having to pay for Megan's tow and two new tires put me on precarious ground again but I'll build back up.  Didn't do a lot of shopping this past week.  I think I spent a whole $60.  Have been making meals from home.  Friday my boss bought us lunch so didn't really even eat for supper, was pretty full actually.  Mexican food does that to me, fills me for the evening!

I've got my coupons all sorted, expireds pulled out.  I wish I had someone in the military to send my expireds to.  I know they can use them up to 6 months expired at the commissary.  Ideally I would like to build up a small stockpile, nothing like the extreme couponers on the show but something to fall back on during tough times when I have to come up with cash for an auto repair or a weather related high utility bill.  Next month I plan to start doing just that.  I have shelving downstairs that came with this house that I can use.  

I'm also looking into possibly making my own laundry detergent.  I know it's much cheaper than buying, even with a coupon.  Although, I really do like the Tide Free and they're giving some pretty good coupons.  I need to get a paper tomorrow so I can see if they have any sales that I can match coupons up with.  I get the sales ads, write down what we use in a notebook, put the sale price and then write down if I have a coupon.  That's how I know the way to plan my trip, I go in a loop.  One thing I have to buy that of course I have no coupons for are two headlights for my vehicle.  One is completely out, the other one only runs on the low beam, not the high beam.  Not good when you're driving in the country and dodging deer!

Today's temp was 100 F when I passed the bank here in town, that was not the heat index, that was the temperature!  I have no idea what it was with the heat index factored in but once I finally got home from the camp I just lay on the couch for about 45 minutes.  I made myself get up, start laundry, wash dishes, switch out laundry.  I have a quiet house, just me and the cats.  Alyssa is spending the night at her friend's house.  

I don't do alone well but I'm getting better at it.  I know God has plans for me, I know He does.  I just have to stop being so antsy. All in His timing, not mine.  I have had to force myself to not go to the ex boyfriend's house.  He has one of my movies that I want to get but I believe his son is bringing it to me tomorrow along with a Chrysalis folder from someone that had to drop out of the weekend.  It's probably best, I'd feel awful all over again.  Although I know it's best, it's just my loneliness creeping in trying to mess with my head.  

My plans for frugality this week. 
*  Making meals from what we have on hand.
*  Couponing when I DO go to the store this weekend.
*  Trying to see if there's anything I can sell on one of the FB
    pages.  I don't have much luck with Craigslist and frankly,
    not a huge fan of Craigslist anyway.

Unfrugal will probably be spending extra gas money to go get Megan's things from Rachel's apartment since the bottom seems to have fallen thru on that arrangement.  I'll be happier with her back here tho.  We can manage it for awhile longer.  Just want to give the kid the chance to spread her wings but slowly.  

So that's what's brewing in my head tonight.  I need to wrap this up and hopefully get some sleep.  I missed church last Sunday, don't want to miss it this Sunday.

Hugs and blessings!
Lisa

My Blogging Vacation

Hello my friends....I know, it's been awhile.  I've been healing, emotionally, spiritually, wish I could say physically, lol.

When I last left you I was dealing with a lot, and that has lingered for most of the summer.  It's hard to find a new routine, a new schedule when you're used to something for several years.  But I've finally done it, and I'm a much more content woman.  It has taken me a few months but my heart and head are finally at peace about the break up of my relationship.  I realized how much I let myself be consumed with thoughts of him and our "relationship" and how much I neglected things for myself, even for my kids.  My prayer is whenever I do begin to date again that I realize that and not let it take precedence over the truly important things.

I've been in prayer numerous times a day, reading quite a few books, inspirational, devotional, not self help, no, but from trusted authors that have swam in the same waters I have been in.  God has got me through all of this.  I have found a new church home with some old friends from my Emmaus and Crysalis Community and I feel loved and accepted, welcomed.  I desperately needed to find a new church, and am so happy for my friend, Patty, who kept on inviting me each week.  Gentle persistence, that is Patty.

Now that I've had my little hiatus let's play catch up, again.  Here is my Megan.....graduation night, just before we left for the high school.

I am so proud of this young woman!  She graduated with dual credit classes that should allow her to get her associates degree at the junior college she starts tomorrow in one year instead of two!  My son was down here for a personal matter he's tending to and I made sure he knew we wanted him at the graduation.  Megan was thrilled to have all of her siblings, as well as my daughter's fiance' who wasn't a fiance' at that time, with us to celebrate her day!  And my son, goofy clown that he is, when Megan's name was called we, the family, were to stand and remain standing until after she received her diploma.  She told the school she wanted them to announce her as her name, daughter of Lisa......   I asked her if she was sure she didn't want her dad's name there, she said absolutely sure.  When they called her name my son bellows out, YOU GO GIRL in a feminine voice, lol!  Megan whipped her head around to us and the entire auditorium lost it!  Her graduation picture has her pretty red faced but still grinning as the superintendent shook her hand and handed her the diploma.  The principal shook her hand at the other end before she went to sit down and asked, "So, alphabet (their name has 10 letters in it, a polish last name, yeah, alphabet), family or friend?"  She told him, oh, just my brother.  The principal said, "Well as your brother said, 'You go girl."  We had cake after, just us.  It was nice.  Dan's performance at the graduation had her friends and mine talking for a few days!  

All of the girls have had their birthdays, Rachel is now 22, Megan is 18 and Alyssa is 15.  Dan turned 27 in May.  Rachel got engaged June 4th so we have a wedding scheduled for June 6th of next year.  The dress is bought, venue found and deposit on it. I wish I could say I've had a hand in that but I didn't.  Actually her soon to be in-laws have given them a $5000 budget.  They have 2 boys and said they want to do this for them.  I am paying for the photographer and her veil.  She is having 8 girls as attendants, I don't know why so many as she wants the affair to be low key, low budget but, well, she had to have certain people she thought.  Her fiance' is cringing but she's adamant.  Her dress is stunning, can't post a pic till after the big day but she is going to be so beautiful, it's just her.

Meg moved in with Rachel 3 weeks ago.  She is attending the junior college close to Rachel's apartment and they were down an apartment mate.  She's on the job hunt so prayers she finds something soon?  

I'm down to one child left in the house.  It seems surreal actually.  The up side, I have my own room again!  I love my room, will post pics at the end of this post.  It's truly my refuge, a huge prayer closet, lol, but it gives me peace to just look in my room.

Chrysalis weekend is soon upon me.  In less than 2 weeks it will be here and all of the prayer, hard work, more prayer, more hard work will be put in motion.  I have some last minute spots to fill.  Prayers are welcomed.  

My newest adventure is going to be Dance Coach for the high school dance team. I put in my letter of intent a few months ago and at the last board meeting the school board voted me in as the coach.  I've received everything from the former dance coach.  She has a 2 year old and is ready for a break from coaching.  She's offered assistance if I ever need it, the former team captain who graduated this year wants to help.  I welcome any help.  So once Chrysalis is over, all of my energies will be to working with the girls on the team, well almost all of my energies.

Time to get off of here and check on my tomatoes in my crockpot.  I'm making spaghetti sauce to can.  Oh boy!  

Blessings friends, 

Lisa