by Hope
I’m writing this on the twins’ birthday. And I’m super proud of up-leveling their birthday cupcakes that were a last minute idea. I found a bunch of “muffin” mixes for $0.99 at our local Ingles. (Sidenote: I rarely grocery shop anymore in person. I have a list, I order from Walmart and I get it delivered. I just have no desire to leave the house.) But I stocked up on a variety of muffin mixes a few weeks ago, and I use them for quick breakfasts or treats when I am going to eat carbs.
I took one of those muffin mixes and created “birthday” muffins. I added milk (the only thing they call for), an egg, some homemade vanilla extract, and some sprinkles. And voila, birthday muffins. They were a hit! So birthday cupcakes for $0.99, this definitely adds to our new celebration on a budget.
Lately, I’ve been cooking almost every other day. And that schedule works really well for me. In order to to help the twins’ recover from some financial hardships, I’m feeding them on their workdays…I make them a lunch essentially. And it means I get to see them more often. So I cook, make enough to have left overs and create their lunches from those left overs. Win-win! On the days I don’t cook, I eat my previously prepared items like chicken salad or make a sandwich or just eat cheese, meat and crackers.
I like this routine. And I really enjoy feeding people who appreciate it.
My mom is on my mind a lot and all the questions I wish I could ask her now. She always HATED cooking. But now I’m wondering if it wasn’t a hatred of cooking, but a lack of appreciation on our (my siblings and I) part. Don’t get me wrong, feeding a family of 7, 3 meals a day is a CHORE. But it makes it much worse when those you are feeding do not appreciate the thought and effort behind those homemade meals. Or even worse actively complain about what they are being fed. So I’m hoping that once my mom gets to heaven, she can read this blog and know that now, now I really appreciate all those years of work she did for me (even when I didn’t like the food.) Tell whomever is feeding you “thank you”, like sincere thank you and show them how excited you are to have a meal with them that they took time to plan, prepare and serve to you.
Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.
But life has a way of rewriting your plans.
A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.
Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.
Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.
She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.
So, what do you think ?