:::: MENU ::::

Dec 25, 2009    |       12 comments

Be Thankful This Christmas…

by

For the past few weeks, my family has lamented that we haven’t had a ‘good’ Christmas in a several years. Job loss and financial hardship have seemed to plague our family around the holidays. We have been wading in a giant pool of self pity for a while.

Monday, I was tossed violently from the pool.

I was sitting at my desk typing a report when a co-worker came up and admired the photo of my family – all 26 of us (my parents, siblings, nieces, and nephews). The photo looked normal to me. It was all the people I love, a sea of heads, each of us connected to each other. She counted each family member and carefully looked at each smiling face. She continued to stare for a long time and finally said to me, ‘You have no idea how lucky you are.’ (She lost her mother when she was young and her father passed on over the summer).

She walked away, visibly saddened at reminder of her loss.

I picked up the picture, looked at my family… and felt like the most ungrateful person in the world. How dare we complain about our finances and lack of gifts for each other when we are beyond blessed with something far more valuable than money?

I have an unbreakable bond 25 people who love me, who never judge me, who will laugh at me (um, I mean WITH me), and will fight any battle to protect me. I am more confident, more centered, and happier because of their presence in my life.

We were right in saying we hadn’t had a ‘good’ Christmas in years. We’ve had an amazing, great, unbelievable, wonderful, blessed Christmas every year.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Dec 18, 2009    |       22 comments

A New Twist on Home Shopping…

by

We had a new set of roommates (my brother and his wife) move in and they requested space in half the freezer and half the pantry.

Let me make something clear, I am a very tidy person. Bleach and Windex are more pleasing to my nose than fine perfume. I actually get physically uncomfortable in disorderly places but…

The back of my pantry hasn’t seen the light of day since about 2007.

I figured I’d throw it all away… until I discovered loads of canned goods and boxed foods that weren’t set to expire for a few more years. In my bottom of my box freezer, I discovered frozen chicken and ground beef only a few months old.

I created a spreadsheet of foods and categorized them by meal type and location. Want to know how many meals we have stashed in the backs of cabinets and the bottom of the freezer?

37.

Yes, some of them are a stretch to be called a meal (example: the combination of boxed noodles and canned black beans I pretend to be soup or the egg flower soup with no eggs – which I guess is just technically broth) but we can survive the next 37 meals for free.

I know what you’re thinking – ‘I can’t possibly have 37 meals stashed around my house’. Clean out that pantry and freezer before you laugh at me. See if you can beat our 37 meal score. You’ll save some money this season by shopping in your pantry.

1 … 1,369 1,370 1,371 1,372 1,373 … 1,950