Monday, Easter weekend happenings and money saving madness

 Happy belated Easter everyone!  He is Risen!  I love Easter, new life, new goals, forgiveness, Atonement.  We have so much to be grateful for and we always forget how really blessed we are.  Easter helps us remember these things.

     Here is a picture of the wonderful Birthday cake D#2 made me.  It was chocolate with a raspberry filling and butter cream icing.  So good.  It was our desert for our Easter dinner.  The rest will goes to Hub's old office.  We had of course way too much food.

Here are the cookies that mom and I made and frosted Friday night.  We got home late and did not start the cookies until 9:30.  Mom went down at midnight and I stayed up and frosted and decorated until 2a.m.  I left the kitchen a terrible mess and my Sissie is still mad at me.:)

 Sis and I worked cleaning up the garden for Hub's to till.  I even trimmed the ivy.  We cannot plant yet as the water is not on and I have to replant many of my seedlings as I drowned them leaving them outside in a rain storm.  I am a bad seedling mother.

 Hubs really cut back the Wisteria this year but I am not worried as this things grows so fast.  It cannot be killed.









 I cleaned up to this point in the pond area and I still have to clean the pond and cut back all the bamboo.  Bamboo also takes over.  It must have taken a page out of the Wisteria's book. Because the pond is a natural environment eco system all the plantings around it were purchased to shade the area.  The Stag Horn Sumac grows at an odd angle and has been force pruned by me to add color and shade.  The same with the weeping pine over the skimmer.  I also have a weeping sterile crab apple with a really bent stem that leans over to shade the other side.  I bought it purposely from a nursery for very little because of the bent stem, but it is perfect for my purposes.  I will take a picture of it when it blooms.
It is so pretty.





 See the cat drinking out of the bird bath?  Such a smart cat.  The area looks so bare and clean. We still have the pond to clean and that area around it to clean.  I also have to trim all the ivy along the rock wall and clean out one more bed.  Then it is just plant the garden and all the boxes.  Now onto the front yard!


     Money saving madness March 24-31st 2018

1. ate all but one meal at home using pantry and freezer
2.  made cookies for churches for Easter rather than buying.
3. Used my clothes line for heavy items
4. Bought steaks for Easter dinner with a 50% off coupon.
5. Used a ham bought 6 weeks ago for .79 a lb for Easter weekend and have plenty left over for soup and sandwiches.
6. ordered two gifts on Amazon and then added a new pair of overalls for me and took them back off.  I have the material and a pattern so I will make some.
7. finished my new bath rug and continue to work on one for in front of toilet.
8. started a new crocheting project with disposable bread bags.  I need to collect more. Does anyone want to save and mail me there bread bags?  I will gladly reimburse you postage or mail you a cute gifty.
9.Stocked up on soda as it was $2.00 a twelve pack.
10.  Really cut back on Easter baskets made.  Only did them for nephews( even cut back there on candy) Also one for B and her significant other.
11.  Made a large order of sewing supplies from U-line saving me hundreds of dollars on trips to Joanns plus 1/4 the prices.
12. paid several bills on line saving postage.
13. stayed home much of the week to save gas.
14. Panted all my birthday flowers that could be planted to add color and new growth next year.
15. Used coupons at Joanns, for things needed.

Well I have so much to do in the shop I had better get busy.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim