Author Archives: Sheila

July in Review

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July was a very busy month that included lots of first for us.  We spent a week at Ocean Lakes Campground in Myrtle Beach, had the county swim championship, baseball camp, football practice and celebrated E’s birthday!  August is just as busy and adventurous  as I will be out of town for half the month and then start back to work on the 17th! This summer has been an adventure to say the least!  I have enjoyed most of it but as always it was too quick!  One big change this year is I will not be participating in the Every Bit counts challenge in August. I have however been working on getting our food storage up to the level that I needed for the school year. One small hiccup was that one of our deep freezers stopped working. It is now going to be a storage place for chicken food and bedding.

Groceries- Goal $800 per month.  We spent $1275.26 for the month of July. I am not surprised at this as we have been enjoying special treats aka lots of ice cream and working on getting food prepared ahead.

Gas- Goal is $400.  Total spent was $552.61 for gas  this month. This included taking both vehicles to the beach so I am not surprised.

Blogging-The goal will be 15 posts per month.  This is post 11 for me. This is always a struggle when we are out of town.

Debit-   The goal for 2026 will be to pay off the Home Depot Credit card without interest. The first large payment has been made!   The second large payment is due mid September!   I have been able to find some lost money this summer so that has been useful as we continue to focus on enjoying life and working on financial stability at the same time.

No Spend Days- Goal for 10 no spend days a month. Not even going to suggest that I have a clue about this. Nope not even on the clue on this one as we are in the summer and enjoying it! This will become more of a focus once we are back into a regular routine.

Health/Exercise-I am no hanging out between 171 and 175.  I was finally able to get a shot in my knee but am faced with the reality that I need to have a knee replacement in the future probably less than 5 years.  I was able to reduce my blood pressure medicine this summer.  Slow and steady is usually a good thing.

Foster Care- Matt and I completed everything needed for our application on March 31, the actual application was not submitted until May 5 or 6th as of last Wednesday May 27th, we have been approved as licensed foster parents in the state of North Carolina. We began receiving our stipend mid July. Unfortunately this will again be reduced to help cover after school care for the school year.  I am so frustrated but what can I do?  Our next court date is set for October 20th. This will be a very interesting court date as things should actually change officially during this time.

I am going to include my weekly update of Summer Goals here as well. It just makes sense. Opps as I read this I realized that I have not been keeping up with the weekly update. This is where we stand at the end of July.

1. Make and order 8 photo books. We have received 2 books. I have uploaded pictures on multiple occasions and had really intended on doing a third book today but I am exhausted so I doubt that happens.
2.  Read a total of 8 books. I have finished five books this summer!  Not perfect but better than 1.
3. Make and freeze 12 baked ziti’s- Goal Met! July 2026
4. Make and freeze 6 million dollar spaghetti pies  This has been very limited so far. I have added 10 jars of spaghetti sauce to the pantry. I doubt this is going to happen.
5. Make and freeze 6 pans of chicken enchiladas. Goal met 6/19/2026.
6. Either walk or exercise 3 times a week for at least 8 weeks. This has been significantly limited due to knee pain.
7. Make and freeze 6 taco pastas.   goal met 6/19/2026
8. Make and freeze 6 chicken, broccoli rice casseroles. 6/19/2026
9. Make at least 50 meatballs and freeze.  I did not get around to the meatball however I currently have 78 prepared meals in the freezer or canning pantry in addition to the 10 jars of spaghetti sauce that is canned!

Why?

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Why is everything breaking especially in the middle of summer when I don’t get a paycheck and especially right around vacation.

Here are more of the details… first up the insta pot. This was actually not a big deal for me. This was actually a hand me down from my daughter. I just have not had good success with using these. I did enjoy making boiled eggs and rice in the pot but the last straw was the second batch of rice that burned for no reason and the eggs that were cooked dry before it ended.  I threw it away with no thought.  This actually happened three days before our vacation.

The second hit was much harder and I will admit made me cry!  Zach was mowing the yard in a rush and called to tell me the lawn mower was smoking. I told him to let it sit in dry grass as this was not the first time it has acted this way. Unfortunately, when he went to crank it again, it would not even start. I told him to push it to the end of the year.  We were fortunate enough to borrow the neighbor.  Based on history and the age of the mower (more than 10 years) we decided to find and order a new lawn mower during our vacation. It arrived on Monday! And the bright spot is I sold the broken one for $100 on Facebook.

We actually made it to vacation before the next thing broke.  We own our camper and there is a true statement that says  something breaks every single time you take it out. Fortunately it was only the clasp of the screen door for this trip but $15 is still an expense.

We arrived home on Sunday to discover that our oldest freezer had reached a temperature of 41*.  This meant that it had actually stopped working. It was a mad dash to try an save as much as possible. We ended up losing about 1/4 of what was in the freezer as it was completely unthaw.  A great benefit was that it was not full!  So the loss was minimal but still is a huge loss. We are still in the process of deciding if we want to replace this freezer.  It is a third freezer so I am not sure that is an necessary expense right now or even in the future.

Last but certainly not least on Monday, after the first batch of spaghetti sauce, my large crockpot died. It just literally stopped heating!  I had purchased one several years ago and just was using the liner from the new one so I was able to go out to the building and get the new crockpot to use.

 

This all are definitely first world problems but in reality it is frustrating and combined with all the changes we are going through with Lily moving and the tragic loss of two friends this past week. It feels like we just cant get a break!

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Who likes change?  Not many people can say the truly enjoy when things change.  As I have gotten older, I do realize that I tolerate change a little better than some but I still don’t like change.  Here is where the problem arises, over the next few weeks, the last few weeks of summer, lots of changes are happening!

  1. Lily is moving to Orlando Florida, where she is employed full time by Disney World to be a photographer. This is by no means a sudden change but it is a HUGE one. Both Lily and E are struggling with this change and all it means.  First here is the background. When Lily completed her DCP (Disney College Program) in January 2025, she wanted to stay and continue. However, it just was not possible with her financial expenses of school.  So she came home to finish college and began for searching for jobs that would allow her to return to Orlando either at Disney or as a para legal.  In September 2025, Lily completed an interview for a photo pass photographer and was “placed on the bench”. What this means is that for six months if someone quits then she can be offered a job. In March 2026, instead of being removed from the bench she was offered to remain on the bench for another six months. After prayer, she decided to stay on the bench. At the same time she was offered and accepted a summer internship with Egger. This is the same company Matt works for.  In mid June Lily was contacted and offered a full time position.  She accepted the position, raced to Orlando found an apartment and even managed to work out her schedule to be with us for Easton’s birthday. And completed the 10 week internship in good standing. Matt and I will be pulling a u haul trailer with her stuff to her the first of August. The biggest adjustment for everyone but E is that Paul is Lily’s dog and has moved with her.
  2. Lily was occupying the ‘old” master bedroom which has a walk in closet and a half bath attached. Kendall jumped at the chance to move in this bigger room. Zach originally did not want to move rooms because he thought was it would be less than five years before he was moving out on his own. BUT the bigger bed was calling his name. He will be painting and moving as well.
  3. This left us (Matt and I) to decide what to do with Zach’s (3rd) bedroom.  After some discussion, we decided to purchase a set of bunk beds and put in Zach’s old room. This will be for both Braxton and E to sleep in. E will be able to have his own room with space to build Lego’s as well as a closet for his clothes.
  4. Next question, what do we do with nursery/office that E is currently sleeping in? I actually like having my desk in the bedroom closer to the rest of the house as I am not isolated unless I want to be.  We have decided to make the nursery into an closet/ exercise room.

The bright side of all this change is that we are not forced to complete it all at once in just a couple of days. Kendall will move into Lily’s room first including moving her ears and tv.  Then Zach will have to paint and patch the walls of Kendall’s old bedroom. He also is request a new fan.  Finally we will need to purchase install and arrange the furniture  the final bedroom for E. This will also gain ALOT of our privacy back because we will have a master bedroom suite again!

 

My current plan is to show you as the changes happen!  But change will be slow as E and I will be out of town for 13 days in August!

Summer Goal Update

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Today is Monday and I attempt to post a menu plan most Mondays. However this week we have VBS at church and are provided dinner every evening. A whole week of not having to decide what is for dinner is so heavenly! The focus for lunches this week will be to clean out the refrigerator. With the traveling I will be doing in the next couple of weeks, I like to not come home to science experiments.  I decided this would be a good time to update on my Summer goals.

1. Make and order 8 photo books. 2 have been printed and have arrived!  I have a third that I am working on. This is a long process. 
2.  Read a total of 8 books. I have read 1 book this summer but I have the other 7 in the camper for our beach trip.  
3. Make and freeze 12 baked ziti’s. Completed 7/9/2026
4. Make and freeze 6 million dollar spaghetti pies. This may actually not happen this summer due to we only have 1 jar of spaghetti sauce left after I made the baked zitis.  I am hopefully that we will have a giant tomato harvest if not I will start purchasing canner boxes of tomato and make both spaghetti and salsa after returning to work. 
5. Make and freeze 6 pans of chicken enchiladas. Goal met 6/19/2026.
6. Either walk or exercise 3 times a week for at least 8 weeks. I am struggling with this goal as my knee is really bothering me. I have walked at least 6 times this summer but not anywhere near my goal. 
7. Make and freeze 6 taco pastas. goal met 6/19/2026
8. Make and freeze 6 chicken, broccoli rice casseroles. goal met 6/19/2026
9. Changing this to make it fit the overall purpose.  Have 100 ready to heat meals in the freezer.   We currently have 75 prepared dinner meals with additional breakfasts already in the freezer so I am hopeful to complete this before September.

5 Things Friday

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  1. Found Money- I think that I am usually really good at keeping track of my money.  I usually try not to let anybody keep my money without interest.  However this week, I have discovered that two separate business, held my money for over a year. First is the dentist office.  All three kids had dentist appointments two weeks ago. They are all old enough to go without me. Zach did call me and say that he needed more fluoride toothpaste and then text to say that I did not need to pay because he had a credit on his account. When I got time I called and this week they called me back.  Not only does he have a credit but Lily also has a credit from 2024. In thirty days I am expecting a check for $681.99.  The second found money is from a car service plan.  We purchased several service plans when I bought my car.  When reviewing one we realized that I paid for a battery in November 2025 that was covered under a service plan. I made Several phone calls and should receive $299 back in a matter of weeks. $980 found this week.
  2. I am trying an experiment. Our clothes have gotten increasingly wrinkled to the point I really need to iron even the t-shirts.  I hate ironing!  So instead I am currently hanging our outer clothes on the line to dry. If this works, I will do the last several times we wash clothes this summer. It will be hard to do when I go back to work but I am hoping it works well enough to stop or eliminate the need to iron right now.
  3. This summer has been extremely hot and dry!  We have been struggling to keep up with the demand of water.  After seeing the dead and sun burnt plants, I made the decision to pull out all my squash and green beans and replant.   We have gotten very little from these plants and I had the extra seeds. I am hoping that this works if not then I really have only just wasted time!
  4. We are starting to get some cherry tomatoes from the garden!  They are small but good!
  5. I ended up going to Cherry hill farm to purchase a box of canning tomatoes to make Baked Ziti with. My summer break going so fast that I realized that if I did not get the ziti made this week it probably would not get done. $15 for the tomatoes was cheaper and better than buying jarred sauce.

Monday Menu Post

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I am officially half way finished with my summer break. I have 5 weeks left until I return to work full time. The exciting part is that I am actually going to be out of town for three of those five weeks. Another “change” is that next week, our church will provide dinner each night as part as VBS. I will likely cook some type of lunch but maybe night just depends on the mood I am in.  I really want to get at least half of my summer goals completed this week but I am not even sure if that is possible. I have to keep reminding myself that some progress is better than no progress.

Breakfast- Saturday- Matt and I worked on getting 12 batches of biscuits in the freezer. I also made some homemade gravy to go with our biscuits that morning. Sunday-I had cereal.  Monday- Tuesday, Wednesday,  Thursday   and Friday– find it (oatmeal, omelets, cereal and milk, sausage, pop-tarts ,cereal bars, pancakes and eggs). We also have some French toast and Dutch boy pancakes in the freezer.

Lunch- Saturday- Gyros.  Sunday Olive Garden for Kendall’s birthday. Monday-  Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday- I want to keep on top of the left-overs but sandwiches are always a choice as well. We also have some left-over pizza that needs to be eaten as well.

Dinner- Saturday- left-over pizza   Sunday- left-over pizza  Monday-French Dip sandwiches  Tuesday- Pasta Salad Wednesday- Honey Garlic Chicken  Thursday- Hot Dogs at the member appreciation day at the pool.  Friday- Spaghetti and meatballs.

Saving on Sunday

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Yes this is definitely a day late post. I had planned to write this yesterday but now I want to include my clothes saving today so it is just a saving on Saturday post a day late!

Groceries remain our highest expenses next to out mortgage.  One of my summer goals is to prepare easy meals to use during the school year. It is one of the ways that i am able to maintain our grocery bill.  We typically only eat out once a week.  However between school and sports this puts a strain on my abilities. By having at least 100 meals in the freezer that can be heated and served this prevents lots of pizza and drive thru runs. This year I am also trying to make a comprehensive list of all the meats/ingredients in the freezers as well. My family LOVES baked ziti’s. I would like to make 8-10 of these and have one a month for the entire school year.  But  Italian sausage is expensive and each one requires a pound.  I was excited  to find  it on sale at $2 off a package. I ended up buying 10 packs so I hope to make these in the next couple of week. I am currently waiting on tomatoes in order to make more sauce as we are down to 5 jars.  We are currently working on the end of the whole cow we purchased two years ago.  I was glad to find some meat on sale as well. But to be honest spending $229.00 at Food Lion was a shock to my system.  However that is meat for 12 meals so at 19.50 a meal to feed 6 people is not horribly bad.  I also purchased alot of ice cream as treats.  I continue to monitor the cost of soda and when I saw that Dollar General was not only placing soda’s on sale but giving two $5 off 25 this week, I had to take advantage of that. I ended up spending $59 for sodas this week but that should last us a while and can were around 37 cent a piece and bottles were 65 cent each.

I took advantage of half price offer on Walmart + this week. This included a peacock tv subscription as well as 10 cent off a gallon for gas at Walmart. I am going to keep up with what I spend this year to see if it is actually worth it.  So far we have saved $9 in delivery fees and I am not going to include the cost of Peacock as we did not need it but it was a nice extra that the kids and Matt have already taken advantage of.

Kendall had requested Olive Garden for lunch today and we ended up shopping at a couple of stores in the same shopping center after eating. My family has discovered that they can eat “lighter fare” which is less than $15 a plate and includes soup, salad and breadsticks as well! Total cost for 7 for lunch today which included 3 additional meals of leftovers weas $120!  Belk’s had a good sale going on as well. We were able to purchase t-shirts for $10 each ! Matt also found  shirt on clearance for $18!  Our final stop of the day was a shoe store where I was able to purchase new tennis shoes for B and E and a new pair of dress shoes for Matt. I count spending $60 for shoes a win as well!

I have said several times today that I buy things on sale so we don’t have to pay full price when we need items!

5 Things Friday

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  1. We are currently experiencing a heat wave with temperatures between 95-100 and feel like temperatures between 105 and 110 degrees. We are also continuing  to experience extreme drought conditions. We have a watering system for most of our square foot gardens but it really cant keep up with the heat and drought conditions. I am not sure how much produce we will be getting.
  2. Matt was able to find a couple of small cherry tomatoes and we have gotten a couple of cucumbers and several squash. I am disappointed but we continue to try and definitely use what we get1
  3. Because of the holiday (fourth of July) occurring on Saturday, Matt and Lily both were off today! Kendall worked today but is off the weekend and so is Zach. We enjoyed a rare treat of pizza for dinner since we were all home for dinner.
  4. Matt and I spent a large part of the day cleaning the house. With all the kids working just about every day, I am struggling to keep up with the daily chores and have not been able to keep the house to a clean level that I wanted. It feels awesome to have the whole house clean!
  5. I am continuing to work on adding food to the freezer!  I was able to make two additional meals of stuffed shells this week.  I have also added several options for breakfast will continuing to use up the eggs!

Another busy but productive week.