What I'm reading Wednesday...

I'm still plugging away on the challenge books.  In the past week, I've scratched off North Dakota, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

Dakota Dawn by Lauraine Snelling

I rate it 7/10

We Are All Welcome Here by Elizabeth Berg

I rate it 8/10

The Devil in Canaan Parish by Jackie Shemwell

I rate it 5/10

And now I'm reading:

Maud's Line by Margaret Verble

Frugal Friday File 2019, week 41...

Successes:
1.  I purchased one souvenir on the entire trip...for a total cost of $1.01...at Niagara Falls.  Yes, one dollar and one cent.  LOL  I put four quarters and a penny into one of those machines that press and elongate a penny while stamping an image into it.  It took up no space on journey, and I didn't have to worry about it breaking.  I think this will be my go-to souvenir in the future, and I can start a penny charm bracelet or necklace.  Since returning home, I have found a website that indicates machine locations, so that as I plan vacations, I can be sure to find a souvenir press.

2.  I also came home with other treasures gifted by friends and family along the way.  My friend, the other Kathleen, has been downsizing while moving to a smaller house.  We stopped by to see her new house, and she gifted me with quite a few silver-plated (?) trays, which I have been collecting to make a wall display.  And several months ago Carey's sister offered us a quilt that was made by their grandmother (circa 1930), so we stopped at her house on our way home for a visit and to pick up the quilt.  Coincidentally Carey's sister and her husband are heading to Niagara Falls next week.

3.  Looking at the charges, it seems we came in under our planned vacation budget.  We did decide to come home 2 to 3 days early, as I wanted to have some downtime for laundry, etc, before I had to work again, so that cut costs.  Leftover savings will stay in the account and be built on for next trip.

4.  Carey and Jared worked on our water-well storage tank today.  It has had a leak for awhile, and the patch they tried previously seems to not be doing the job.  How is this frugal?  They know enough, and are able, to try fixes before calling for repair or replacement.  Carey is at the point that he is going to have to call for professional help  (professional storage-tank help, not the kind of professional help you may have been thinking of, LOL), but he knows the right questions to ask when he calls without getting the runaround. 

5.  I'm working today...and for the rest of the month.

Saturday:  *road eats
Sunday:  *road eats
Monday:  *road eats
Tuesday:  *barbecue
Wednesday:  Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken w/ Broccoli
Thursday:  *Tex-Mex
Friday:  leftovers

Number of individual servings made and frozen for work lunches this week:  1
There are quite a few meals stockpiled for him to take to work, so Carey asked me to stop preparing freezer meals for awhile so he can use what is there and defrost the freezer he stores them in.

(*not-frugal takeout or dinner out)

Thankful, grateful, blessed #2...

So very thankful to have arrived back home safely from a low-stress ten days or so on the road.

We had a very nice trip.  We went to Niagara Falls.  We saw no change in the seasons, as it was unseasonably warm in New York when we arrived (though it did get cooler while we were there).  When we started home, a quick Google search let us know that there was a small pocket of two counties in Pennsylvania where the leaves were at near peak fall colors, so we made a slight detour to enjoy just a bit of fall foliage.  And heading further south in Pennsylvania, we found ourselves too close to Gettysburg to resist stopping for a bit.

I think in all we passed through 15 states, though we didn't stop to see sights in each one.  It was a very relaxing trip, with no formal planning or schedule.

What I'm reading Wednesday...

Boy, did I get a lot of reading done on vacation.  Since I have finished the first five, I also showed how I rate them.

To Live by C. G. Cooper

I rate it 8/10

The Good Sister by Leanne Davis

I rate it 5/10

The Resurrection of Tess Blessing by Lesley Kagen

I rate it 5/10

Perfect Peace by Daniel Black

I rate it 7/10

The Keepers of the House by Shirley Ann Grau

I rate it 6/10

The one I am now reading (so as yet it is unrated by me):

Dakota Dawn by Lauraine Snelling

Frugal Friday File 2019, week 40...

Successes:
1.  Carey wanted something to listen to on our road trip.  I perused the library website and downloaded a selection of books that I thought we both might like.

2.  Packed high protein snacks from home for when the hungries might strike in the car.

3.  I had considered renting an RV for this trip so we could bring Rudy with us, but decided the rental cost (plus pet deposit), plus the extra fuel it would require, and additional camping site fees would vastly outpace the cost of taking our car (with its good gas mileage) and staying in hotels.

4.  Jared is keeping Rudy for us.

5.  Though I'm not really a breakfast person, we are both taking advantage of free hotel breakfasts.  I'm making sure to choose healthy servings of fresh fruit and oatmeal to make up for less healthy choices later in the day.  The big breakfast is holding us through lunch and then we are just having an early supper, so one paid meal out per day. 

Saturday:  *road eats
Sunday:  *road eats
Monday:  *road eats
Tuesday:  *road eats
Wednesday:  *road eats
Thursday:  *road eats
Friday: *road eats

Number of individual servings made and frozen for work lunches this week:  0

(*not-frugal takeout or dinner out)

Road trip, NY journey...

Trying to blog from my phone, so will keep it short.

We are in New York.  It was unseasonably warm when we arrived yesterday, but rainy and cool today.  We got out this morning, and found our way to Niagara Falls.  Sadly, the lack of cool temperatures until now means that the leaves haven't turned yet.  The falls are still impressive.

As we have travelled north, the Sonics have gotten fewer and further between.  But we found one here near Buffalo so had to stop.

Y'all know how I love my magic Sonic ice.  :)

What I'm reading Wednesday...

Pioneer Women: Voices From the Kansas Frontier by Joanna L. Stratton

I keep reading letters and journal entries of female pioneers.  They absolutely amaze me.