What I'm reading Wednesday...

Pearl: Lost Girl of White Oak Mountain, A True Story by Bill Yates

This was short and sad.  A three year old went missing from her home in Arkansas in 1923.  Her parents were sharecroppers.  The story got picked up by the Associated Press and became known across the country.  Spoiler alert: the little girl on the book cover isn't even the missing child, but one of the false leads that lifted the hopes of lawmen and family members.

I'm about to start... 

In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette by Hampton Sides

In the late 1800s the public became excited by the notion of reaching the uncharted North Pole.  A naval expedition was funded by the a wealthy newspaperman.  The wooden ship became trapped in ice and was eventually crushed; the crew escaped with minimal supplies and started walking.

The Frugal Friday File 2021, week 20...

 

Successes:
1.  PAYDAY!  I immediately moved percentages into our 'savings for...' categories; emergency fund, vacation, next vehicle, insurance premiums, etc.  This falls under the pay-yourself-first rule of saving.  I will pay the bills this weekend.

2.  I distinctly remember saying something here about suspecting April's electric bill would likely be the lowest of the year.  I was wrong; May's bill was nearly $50 less than April's!  How did we pull that off?  Though we have already seen some days in the nineties, this month has brought us some unseasonably mild temperatures.  We are enjoying it while we can; we will be at 100𝆩 F soon enough.

3.  Carey picked up two extra days of work filling in for a coworker who had a family emergency. 

4.  I skipped supper one night when 'too tired to cook' coincided with 'not hungry enough to bother.'

5.  Took advantage of free curbside grocery order.  I mean the groceries weren't free, but the regular curbside fee was waived.  Needed to restock the pantry, as I have to bake pies this weekend for Chandler's college graduation celebration.  So proud of him.

What I'm reading Wednesday...

My weekend read:

The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier

I had ordered a used copy of this recently.  I picked it up to read on Saturday, and read straight through Sunday.  Couldn't put it down.

Now I've started:

Fled by Meg Keneally

The main character is a fisherman's daughter turned highwayman after the death of her father to relieve the family's destitution.  Arrested, she is transported to the Australian penal colony.

The novel is based on the story of Mary Bryant, an iconic figure in that part of Australia's history.

Saturday snail mail...

 Time for another catch up.

Boy, this does not look like many cards considering how long it has been since I've posted any.  Actually, I think I have mailed some without taking photos of them.

This blue one I sent to someone after surgery.  It's hard to see in the photo, but the leaves in the vase are stamped in gold metallic ink to go along with the other gold metallic accents.

I actually made several of ones similar to this one; one for work and two for friends.

This one I just used an acrylic stamp block (without any stamp) to apply pastel colors to the card.

The rest are all made with April 2021 Paper Pumpkin kit, but as usual, I didn't follow the instructions and went my own way.  This was a birthday card with the sentiment and another popsicle on the inside.  Now that I look at the photo, the exterior kind of looks like just a jumble of greens and blues.  It was prettier in person.

This one is easier to see that the images are actually popsicles.

Summer is almost upon us.  I saw watermelons in the grocery store the other day.  This was one of two cards I made like this for watermelon lovers.

And this was a 'thinking of you' card for a friend who I thought could use a reminder about rainbows and silver linings.

The Frugal Friday file 2021, week 19...

 

Successes:
1.  Umm...I managed to work 40 hours this week?  I really wanted to go home one day with a headache, but I persevered.  I took short lunches on a couple of other days, because I needed to leave a bit early for a haircut one day and picking up the girls after school on another.  

2.  We have received lots of nice rains recently, then nice sunny days, repeat.  Our potted tomato plants are going gangbusters!  I harvested a container full of them earlier today.  I think I will try making a Tomato Pie using the halved cherry toms instead of sliced larger tomatoes.

3.  I went to Hobby Lobby for cardstock last weekend; just white and ivory for card bases.  I like their extra heavy weight.  I was delighted to find it was on special at 50% off.  It had been such a long time since I've been to Hobby Lobby, I'd forgotten to look at what was on sale before going, so I was extremely lucky to find exactly what I went to purchase marked down.

4.  I had a need to phone HR this week to ask a question about branch expenses.  While I had them on the phone, I killed two birds with one stone and asked some questions about the timing of switching over our health insurance when Carey retires later this year.  Didn't particularly save me any money this week, but it is frugal to forearm oneself with information before making life changes.

I'm late getting this posted, and I can't think of anything else that falls under the heading of 'frugal,' so I will cut it a bit short. 

What I'm reading Wednesday...

 

Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy

I love Maeve Binchy.  So sad she is not with us anymore.  So happy I found this book of hers that I'd never read.

The Frugal Friday File 2021, week 18...

Successes:
1.  Our water softener bit the dust (or choked on all the minerals in our water).  Carey ordered a new one and installed it himself.  After a month or so of cloudy dishes, white coating inside my icemaker, and build up on toilets, sinks, and shower, we are back in business.  It really is a necessity here, as the minerals will shorten the life of things like dishwasher, water heater, fridge ice maker, etc, and make it harder to keep the toilets, sinks, and shower clean.

2.  This week I did buy a couple of ebooks, but not without checking the library website first, as well as looking for used hard copies online.  The ones I bought are ones I have been thinking about for quite awhile, and ones that I think Carey and I will both read and enjoy.  While doing the library search I found others by the same authors that also sounded good, so those I checked out.

3.   I have everything I need in the pantry to make dessert to take with us for Sunday family  supper...our first with the kids in over a year!  And it will be for Mothers Day...YAY!  Carey and I are fully vaccinated.  Kasey is too.  Not sure about Jared or Beau, and pretty sure the kids aren't.  But I will wear a mask when we aren't eating and keep my distance. 

4.  I made and sent cards. 

5.  Had to make an appointment for a new doctor in the city, but found that he comes to our community twice a month.  Yay...less work missed and less gasoline expended.  I also called my friend the RN whose husband is also an RN in this field, and found out that he has good opinion of this doctor.