Current events:Everyone burns out. Even me. I'm taking a sabbatical. I promise in October there will be new material and a new articles. Something big is coming up at the end of September that I can't wait to share with all of you!
Lemons, Life, and Lemonade and New Babies
Posted February 10, 2015
One of my best friends recently had another baby. He is absolutely adorable, and she is doing great. But she is kind of a pro at this. She came from a fairly large family and they have a fairly large family. This got me thinking about new mamas out there, young mamas, older mamas, and all the other mamas who got thrown into the deep end. You, my dear, should know by now that I love checklists. So here are the top five pieces of advice that I wish I had gotten, and the little tokens of love that I... Continue reading Lemons, Life, and Lemonade and The Computer SNAFUPosted October 10, 2014
It has come to my attention recently that the website hasn't been updated. Well, I thought I had, but unfortunately there was a....hmmm...disconnect between my 9 year old laptop and the world wide web. Yes, I said 9 years old. It was a very sad situation. My computer took forever to shut down, and not the OH MY GOSH ITS FOREVER, 2 minutes kind of forever. It literally took a day and a half to shut down and restart. Every time I typed a letter, there was a 5 second delay before it showed up on the screen... Continue reading Lemons, Life and Lemonade and Favorite Frugal Fixes
Posted September 10, 2014
Some of my favorite money saving techniques don’t seem that money saving. I don’t shop around every week and “save up to $400” on my auto insurance. I’m not a serious coupon clipper. Since we are two disabled veterans on a fixed income, money does get tight around here though. Our savings ends up being a few bucks here and a few bucks there, but those bucks add up and we don’t feel like we are suffering in the process... Continue reading |
Eat Fresh In February
This produce is IN SEASON! It should
cost less and be fresher than any other time of the year. The "local" shows what you can expect to find at a farmer's market in the Southwest and "national" shows what I can find at a large supermarket. February Vegetables
Fruit
Clean This In February
Clean dishwasher.
Clean washing machine. Clean tea maker. Buy This in February
Look for a Deal: Avoid for now:
Electronics Valentines Day Items HDTV's Outerwear |
Love It, Leave It and Mr. DeSoto Photography
Posted August 25, 2014
Photographers are a dime a dozen around here. Heck there are 551 listed photographers within 20 square miles of my house. I personally know 4, no wait, 5, and our kids have semi regular playdates together. But you should know me by now, and for me to sit down and write a review means I either loved it or hated it. Mr. DeSoto Photography is in a different class all together. I’m really having a tough time calling him a photographer, because he creates art.
Sergio DeSoto focuses on street photography and that created a totally different picture taking experience... Continue reading
Photographers are a dime a dozen around here. Heck there are 551 listed photographers within 20 square miles of my house. I personally know 4, no wait, 5, and our kids have semi regular playdates together. But you should know me by now, and for me to sit down and write a review means I either loved it or hated it. Mr. DeSoto Photography is in a different class all together. I’m really having a tough time calling him a photographer, because he creates art.
Sergio DeSoto focuses on street photography and that created a totally different picture taking experience... Continue reading
Me and Norman Talk About Feeding 5000
Posted August 10, 2014
The other day when presented with an opportunity to visit some friends, I responded with “Maybe. We will have to see.” I was met with “That always means No. Why can’t you just say No instead of Maybe?” And my husband turned and walked out of the room. Friendships and relationships require time. They require attention. I need to be deliberate and present in the time I do give. Even small investments can have huge payoffs.
Some call it coincidence, but I don't believe in coincidence anymore. Others refer to them as Divine Appointments. All I know is that I... Continue reading
The other day when presented with an opportunity to visit some friends, I responded with “Maybe. We will have to see.” I was met with “That always means No. Why can’t you just say No instead of Maybe?” And my husband turned and walked out of the room. Friendships and relationships require time. They require attention. I need to be deliberate and present in the time I do give. Even small investments can have huge payoffs.
Some call it coincidence, but I don't believe in coincidence anymore. Others refer to them as Divine Appointments. All I know is that I... Continue reading
Lemons, Life, and Lemonade and the Camping Box
Posted July 25, 2014
So as I promised in a previous post called Lemons, Life, and Lemonade Goes Camping, this post is solely devoted to the Camping Box concept. If you haven’t read it already, please do. It contains some really helpful ideas for family camping. Camping Boxes are also known as mobile kitchens or kamp kitchen. For me, it’s not just kitchen stuff though. It is everything camping that is not edible or wearable. It also excludes things like sleeping bags and our tent. Those have their own duffle bags. I am a follower of the “Grab it and Go” mindset.
As you... Continue reading
So as I promised in a previous post called Lemons, Life, and Lemonade Goes Camping, this post is solely devoted to the Camping Box concept. If you haven’t read it already, please do. It contains some really helpful ideas for family camping. Camping Boxes are also known as mobile kitchens or kamp kitchen. For me, it’s not just kitchen stuff though. It is everything camping that is not edible or wearable. It also excludes things like sleeping bags and our tent. Those have their own duffle bags. I am a follower of the “Grab it and Go” mindset.
As you... Continue reading
Lemons, Life, and Lemonade Cleans up Vomit
Posted July 10,2014
Once upon a time, there was a girl whose life dream was to be an adrenaline junkie. Her greatest ambition involved a hot air balloon, a bungee cord, and scuba gear. She was an only child and she liked it that way. She didn't babysit for extra money. She didn't volunteer in the children's library. If, and that was a BIG IF, she ever got married, it would have to be to a guy only slightly crazier than she was. Fast forward a few years and from way out in left field entered a teeny tiny baby girl who had... Continue reading
Once upon a time, there was a girl whose life dream was to be an adrenaline junkie. Her greatest ambition involved a hot air balloon, a bungee cord, and scuba gear. She was an only child and she liked it that way. She didn't babysit for extra money. She didn't volunteer in the children's library. If, and that was a BIG IF, she ever got married, it would have to be to a guy only slightly crazier than she was. Fast forward a few years and from way out in left field entered a teeny tiny baby girl who had... Continue reading
Captain Stud Talks About Car Maintenance
Posted June 25, 2014
I have noticed in my local news, there have been several stories about untrustworthy mechanics lately. It seems about every 6 months or so, there are several news stories in a row about an auto body shop committing fraud, the police closing down a chop shop, and then *surprise!* a list of approved mechanic shops and NewsGuyOnYourSide interviews someone trustworthy.
After listening to Captain Stud rant about how bad mechanics were making good technicians look disreputable, I thought, “Well, how do you avoid bad ones?” So, I sat down and interviewed him. This turned out to be much more difficult... Continue reading
I have noticed in my local news, there have been several stories about untrustworthy mechanics lately. It seems about every 6 months or so, there are several news stories in a row about an auto body shop committing fraud, the police closing down a chop shop, and then *surprise!* a list of approved mechanic shops and NewsGuyOnYourSide interviews someone trustworthy.
After listening to Captain Stud rant about how bad mechanics were making good technicians look disreputable, I thought, “Well, how do you avoid bad ones?” So, I sat down and interviewed him. This turned out to be much more difficult... Continue reading
Lemons, Life, and Lemonade goes Camping
Posted June 10, 2014
Big told me the other day, "Mom, we go camping A LOT." (Insert hair flip and eye roll here.)
I grew up going to school during the week, so I could recover from last weekend’s adventure and prepare for my next weekend of camping, fishing, and hunting. Captain Stud grew up outside, literally. Something about a horse ranch, some gardens, orchards, a river running down the middle of it all. But my eyes turned green with envy and I stopped listening. So we go camping...AND we drag them along with us.
On our last trip, it occurred to me camping... Continue reading
Big told me the other day, "Mom, we go camping A LOT." (Insert hair flip and eye roll here.)
I grew up going to school during the week, so I could recover from last weekend’s adventure and prepare for my next weekend of camping, fishing, and hunting. Captain Stud grew up outside, literally. Something about a horse ranch, some gardens, orchards, a river running down the middle of it all. But my eyes turned green with envy and I stopped listening. So we go camping...AND we drag them along with us.
On our last trip, it occurred to me camping... Continue reading
Love It, Leave It and Zenni Optical
Posted May 25, 2014
I am reviewing a website this post. This is a product Captain Stud uses and this is the website that I use. Without further fanfare, here is my totally unsponsored product review of Zenni Optical.
Captain Stud doesn't have 20/20 vision and chooses to wear glasses, not contacts. My hubby is also a studly guy and works a lot with his hands and tools. A majority of them are air powered and heavy or electrical with sharp sides. After maxing out our vision insurance a few years ago, I knew we needed a better (read: cheaper) way to get his... Continue reading
I am reviewing a website this post. This is a product Captain Stud uses and this is the website that I use. Without further fanfare, here is my totally unsponsored product review of Zenni Optical.
Captain Stud doesn't have 20/20 vision and chooses to wear glasses, not contacts. My hubby is also a studly guy and works a lot with his hands and tools. A majority of them are air powered and heavy or electrical with sharp sides. After maxing out our vision insurance a few years ago, I knew we needed a better (read: cheaper) way to get his... Continue reading
Your Money or Your Marriage
Posted May 10, 2014
This is a transcript from a Dave Ramsey radio broadcast. If you have never heard of Dave Ramsey, get to know him and his advice RIGHT NOW.
So was that too harsh of Dave? I don't think so. I wish I could say that because I have an interest in saving money and I do my homework, Captain Stud listens to my amazing wisdom. And due to my fount of financial knowledge, my marriage is money problem free. The fact is I blamed our past marriage problems on money. That is the entire reason I became interested in getting debt... Continue reading
This is a transcript from a Dave Ramsey radio broadcast. If you have never heard of Dave Ramsey, get to know him and his advice RIGHT NOW.
So was that too harsh of Dave? I don't think so. I wish I could say that because I have an interest in saving money and I do my homework, Captain Stud listens to my amazing wisdom. And due to my fount of financial knowledge, my marriage is money problem free. The fact is I blamed our past marriage problems on money. That is the entire reason I became interested in getting debt... Continue reading