I harvested parsley, Meyer lemons, Swiss chard, garlic chives, oregano, and tomatoes from my garden.
I mended a young son’s tie that had come almost completely unstitched. I stitched up holes in two stuffed animals.
The weather turned colder. I made several soups this week, most of which were vegetable soups.
It rained and I collected rainwater to water my garden.
What did you do to save money last week?
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Looks like you had a good week. I do miss fresh tomatoes. I don’t buy tomatoes from the store, as they are not the same as a homegrown tomato.
I did my weekly volunteer work at the local food bank. I volunteer twice a week for three hours each time. I do enjoy it, but it also tires me, as I am in my 70’s. I am the one who greets individuals at the door and actually gives them their basket of food. I am so glad I am able to help and appreciate that I am able to do so.
My DH wanted some candy. I did not want to buy any, as it is so expensive. I had all the ingredie3nts needed to make Gardenpat’s Almond Joy cookies, and that is his favorite candy, so I made a batch for him. He loved it.
I also made a pork roast (those small pork tenderloins actually) with a dry rub. I just combined spices I though sounded good together, then roasted in the oven. My son, DIL and grandchildren were here, so I made two of them. Takes no more time to cook tow than one. Also made mashed potatoes and gravy (but not for the DIL – she’s allergic to potatoes) and corn. They are not giving the children potatoes yet and they are 3 and 1 1/2 so really can’t communicate if they don’t agree with them.
Other cooking was two kinds of soup (cheesy cauliflower and sausage, vegetable lentil), herb muffins, chow mein (using some of the leftover pork roast), and tostadas.
I shelled 7 pounds of kidney beans that we grew in our garden last year.
I made broth with the bones with a Costco chicken, utilizing carrots and onions from our last summer garden and celery from the fridge.
I picked up 12 packs of free seeds from the library. I got chard, cantaloupe, romaine, two kinds of cucumbers, sprouting beans, coleus, zinnias, marigolds and sweet william. I have a few seeds i still need to buy for the garden – primarily corn and other lettuce.
Hope everyone has a good week.
Nancy, Would you be willing to share your herb muffin recipe? I make a lot of soup and think the muffins sound perfect to have with soup. Thank you.
Hi Brandy and everyone
Your photos are beautiful, daffodils lift the spirits.
I am having trouble getting my comments through so hope this works.
I received some lovely unexpected gifts, flowers as a thank you from a daughter, handmade mittens from a friend and a pot of narcissi from a friend.
I made chocolate chip cookies to cheer up my sick husband and chicken bone broth became soup with ends of butternut squash, carrots and the end of a packet of yellow split peas.
We needed some insulation for a job in the house and my husband happily remembered we had a roll in the attic from 25 years ago which fitted the purpose.
I redeemed supermarket loyalty points for a pair of jeans.
I ended a voluntary role in my community and was kindly given a garden centre voucher as a thank you.
I bought a pretty brand new velvet clutch bag in a charity shop and gave it to a friend as a birthday present.
I used vouchers for free items including a lip balm, biscuits and a deodorant.
I’m a bit obsessed with all the velvet bags that have been showing up in my feed right now. What a lovely gift!
Oh how I cannot wait for tomato growing season. Looking at your food pictures has had a positive affect on me making better snack choices.
This past week, I cropped a sweater I wasn’t wearing and hand stitched the hem back on.
Canned 3 quarts of chicken stock from a roasted chicken we enjoyed all week.
Oatmeal was made with badly bruised fruit, and tasted just as good.
I worked on small projects that have been lingering around, like holiday cards I started and now finished later this year, mending that has been piling up, decluttering. I had a few small windows to go out but felt contentment of staying in.
Hope everyone has a calm and productive week!
My mother and I consolidated errands, saving time and gas for both of us. I took advantage of a Shutterfly offer for a deep discount on an item I’ve been wanting. I collected water from washing produce and used it to water plants in the container garden. I turned off the irrigation during the recent rainfall. I limited laundry and dishwashing to non-peak hours, and took advantage of several sunny afternoons between rainfalls to limit use of the dryer. I harvested (mandarin) oranges from the tree and picked several varieties of mint to use in cooking as well as to create refreshing bouquets around the house. My youngest brought another dozen fresh-laid eggs from his friends’ chickens. I took a few photos because they are so pretty – shades of brown and blue.
Bonus fun: I found a fig tree I didn’t know I had, and it has tiny figs on it! It was against the fence, hiding behind several trees I had cut back. I actually squeaked out loud with excitement when I saw it! The lovely potted fig tree my son brought (a cutting from the same friends who keep the chickens) has put out lush healthy greenery for two years now but no fruit yet (I have hope…).
I don’t know where you live. I’m in NY. We have to wrap our fig tree every winter to be able to get figs. Otherwise we would just get new shoots every year. You could put the potted one inside too. Good luck. We get so many figs from our 4 plants. I give offshoots away every year.
*I am cleaning out my closets and drawers selling what I dont need. I sold a dress and 4 tops for $45, and two pieces of fabric i didnt like for $2. I set a goal to make $200 this month and I am at $163.00
*I have been eating from the pantry and freezer. Meals have been home canned Rustic Tuscan soup. chicken with a quarter jar of peach preserves mixed with the remaining of bottle of teriyaki sauce, green beans, and roasted potatos. I had two frozen bags of leftover spaghetti sauce so we had spaghetti one night. A frozen pizza. We had a gift card to a local BBQ place so we used it one night.
*I made banana muffins with 3 frozen bananas, and eggs I had fozen.
* I am making a quilt using scraps of fabric from my scrap bin. I wrap fabric on comic boards to put on a bookshelf, so when they are too small to wrap they go in the tote. I have spent a week cutting block pieces for the quilt and 2.5″ squares and strips from the scrap bin. I went from 2 Rubbermaid totes to one, but it is still full to the top, even after cutting for a week. It is nice to have squares and strips ready for future quilts. I pulled all the whiyr backing fabric strips away from the batting strips I cut off when I square a quilt and cut those for “lights” in the quilt I am doing. The batting will be cobbled together for mug rugs.
*I watered all the bathroom plants with bath water. They seem to love the water with soap and shampoo in it! The kitchen plants with water left in drinking cups.
* I cut my husband’s hair.
I just finished up tonight the large container of mixed salad greens I got on clearance from the grocery store for a $1. I used a simple oil and vinegar dressing I made for the salad. I made a simple soup from carrots, peeled potatoes, chicken bullion, and a coleslaw mix that needed to be used. I baked the rest of the carrots with chicken legs. I made rice and added an egg to the leftover chicken and carrots, and had a stir fry. I still don’t understand why I can’t eat raw carrots anymore without a violet reaction, but I can eat them with no trouble if they are cooked. Oh well. Other than simple burnt bologna sandwiches, sliced ham sandwiches, pbj sandwiches (which I took to work), and scrambled eggs sandwiches, etc. that is what I basically ate. As usual, I have not eaten out this month. I walked at the river park once,
and in my neighborhood the rest of the days. It was 82 a couple of days but is a cold 49 today! It is supposed to warm back up into the 70’s by Wednesday, so I see more walking outside in my future.
Hi Cindy, I am the same way with carrots. Also a lot of raw fruits, but not cooked. My youngest daughter has the same thing, as does my oldest son. My daughter went to an allergist and it’s actually an allergic reaction to beech nut tree pollen. Here’s a link that explains it https://www.thermofisher.com/allergy/us/en/allergen-fact-sheets/beech-tree.html😊
What is a violet reaction to carrots? Your skin flushes purple??
Since it snowed yesterday and today, I am so green with envy over your fresh tomatoes!
Our chickens are now laying an average of 5 eggs a day. We get 3 dozen a week now! I’m sure it’s not cheaper than buying eggs from the store, but I love the convenience of always having eggs at home and knowing how fresh they are!
I quilted up 2 quilts for my oldest daughter. She is a high school math teacher. Her daughter got married this summer and so she turned that bedroom in their house into a little sewing room. I gave her fabrics/quilting supplies, etc. to start stocking her sewing room and she has been making quilts from her stash! https://pin.it/1L1affjLP and https://pin.it/3fNPWrwk5 and https://pin.it/2WaLoNzh7 and https://pin.it/7DCKfObH1.
I also quilted another client’s quilt and got paid- https://pin.it/1kJNOwHD0.
We have been eating from our pantry, fridge and freezer this week, as usual and so our grocery budget has been limited to milk and Flashfood, if something really good comes up! On Friday, I found 8 five pound packages of chicken drumsticks for 40 cents a pound. 3 of my friends took 6 of the packages (30 pounds) and I kept 2 packages for ourselves. I also bought a 1-1/2 pound pack of boneless stew beef for $1.42/pound, instead of its original $12.99/ pound.
We’ve been doing more organizing/decluttering and took 6 more big boxes to Goodwill. Feels so good to have more easily managed possessions!
It is gray and drizzly here, but I am looking out at my tiny patio with my planter filled with colorful primroses and a few daffodils just about to bloom. So cheerful!
This covers the last couple of weeks.
I too made a bunch of soup. My mom was sick so I made her some chicken soup like she used to make for us. Then I made a big batch of asparagus soup for me. Fred Meyer had asparagus for $1.99 a pound, and I made broth from a marked down rotisserie chicken I bought elsewhere. The week before, I also made lentil vegetable soup. My freezer is full of soup!
Did some baking as well: granola and peanut butter bars. After Christmas, I bought a set of marked down seasonal mini silicone spatulas. I have wanted some mini spatulas for a long time, and they have come in so handy.
On days I was at home, used my instant pot to make herbal tea, and left it on the Keep Warm setting so I could have hot tea all day.
Bought some clearance diced ham, and have been using that for ham and eggs for breakfast. My sister shared some croissants with me.
Had some kitchen linens that smelled sour, so I boiled them with dish detergent and baking soda, then put them through the wash. Now they smell better.
Looking forward to reading everyone’s comments.
Brilliant to make hot tea in the Instapot!!!!! I am trying it tomorrow.
I made lentil sloppy Joe’s
Batched errands
Cooked a turkey we’d been given
Made granola bars
And accidentally grew an onion
Longer version here: https://practicalwalk.com/2026/02/19/frugal-five-20/
Hi,
Do you have a recipe for the lentil sloppy joes?
Thanks!
We had some worrying news. Upper management at my husband’s work has said that everyone at his level will have to take a pay cut of 10-20%. He got in touch with his immediate boss (who hadn’t been informed by upper management about this at all!) and he is going to go to bat for his employees as much as he can. Still, we likely won’t get a resolution to this for several weeks, and in the meantime the pay cut will take effect.
We have been going through the numbers and we think we can make it work, but obviously we are thinking about my husband changing jobs. It will, however, mean a house move, as no one else in the area does this kind of work. And moving house would eat up a lot of money, plus mean starting over again with a garden that’s only just going to start being productive. As well as leaving our friends and church here.
I am thankful, even in the midst of all this, that we don’t live an extravagant life and have experience in saving money. Not just the actual money saved, but also the ability to be frugal and cut back and flex our lifestyle – and to focus on what’s important, spending time together as a family.
What I hope for most is just clarity – that these weeks of uncertainty won’t drag on too long.
On a side note, I planted spring garlic. It made me very happy to work int he garden!
Suzie, that is very difficult! Wishing you and your husband all the best with everything to come.
Suzie, praying you get clarification soon. I, too, find peace working in the garden.
Susie – My husband has been laid off once and experienced a pay cut in the ranges you mention once in his career and it’s not fun. But, you have the skills in place to adjust and we’re rooting for you! Hang in there!
We will be thinking of you Suzie, once you know what you are facing you can plan and take action.
You clearly have the skills and mindset to deal with this. Unsettling though at the moment.
I did two food rescues and filled a community fridge with loads of produce such as citrus fruits and two blessings boxes with shelf-stable items. With what didn’t fit or what wasn’t appropriate to leave, I had plenty to keep for my household. The rescued food I kept included lots of romaine, some mini bell peppers, some tomatoes, 6 cucumbers, organic zucchini and celery, red onions, cooked sausage patties, a package of crepes, a package of donuts, a juice pouch, several packs of strawberries and raspberries, two loaves of bread, a small pack of deli meat and cheese, clementines, a bag of white potatoes and 2 bags of sweet potatoes. I read more library books and finished a personal project with supplies I was given.
We went to two estate sales. One had prices so high we could overhear people commenting. It was the third day when prices should have dropped but they were still higher than retail. All we bought were two new cans of rustoleum spray paint. The second sale was fantastic. I found a pack of new dish towels ($1.00) and fabric ($2.50) for my youngest son so he can try and recover his office chair. He watched a youtube video and wants to give it a go. The best score was a wrought iron shelf that I have been searching for now for two years. It had to be a certain size to fit on my porch, heavy enough to not blow off in storms, and fit in the car. This one was perfect and only cost $20!!! It proves if you wait long enough, the good deals will come your way.
Continued but haven’t finished processing the winter squash. This next batch was shredded and oh, the mess it made in the kitchen! Some of it was frozen in one cup portions and the rest was put in the dehydrator to be ground into flour.
We went to two grocery stores Kroger and Aldi. At Kroger I got ten dozen eggs for $1.79 each. Hubby loves them for breakfast. Kroger was out of the other sale items I wanted…which is a common occurrence in my area. At Aldis we got milk, cream, cheese, apples, bananas, a few bags of nuts and the bill was $60!!! Seriously! That was all we bought! I even checked the receipt for mistakes. We will be eating squash and sticking to pantry items this week.
In the garden I harvested Spinach, lettuce, and kale. It was more than enough to make all the salads we wanted.
The biggest chore was to completely reorganize the upright freezer. The chest freezer holds the meat and is rarely opened for better preservation. The upright is opened often because it holds the garden produce. It is supposed to be self defrosting but the drain in the bottom has frozen closed. It requires a few days for the pipes to completely thaw. My goal is to defrost it before the garden comes in. It is organized with labeled rectangle cardboard boxes that sit on the shelves and holds flat quart bags stacked in a row. A massive amount can be squeezed in even though it isn’t that big. We say it is like playing tetras at harvest time. There is still much needing to be used. That is a good thing.
Jeannie@GetMeToTheCountry
Jeannie, thank you for the information on the compost! Definitely will follow it!
You pictures are beautiful. My husband surprised me with a bread maker. I have been wanting one, but would not buy one. I could not make bread that had to be kneaded by hand due to my arthritis. I have already made several loaves and I am going to experiment making yogurt in the machine. He also picked me some buttercups and they give me hope that spring is not far off even though it is 18 degrees here this morning. I have been cooking items from the pantry and have worked thru the odd items that I had. I have cleaned out my pantry and organized it better. My flower seeds have arrived and I have been planning where to put what. I have started cleaning out drawers and realized how blessed I am to have a variety of clothing for the different temperatures. I am trying to count blessings instead of worries of things that may or may not happen.
I am looking longingly at your produce photos as snow falls outside my window. But, I do love the snow, too, so it is a good thing to enjoy the season you are in and make the most of it. Before long, I will be tackling so many outdoor projects that those indoors will be put aside so trying to tackle them now – continued clearing out of things we no longer need and can sell or donate being the primary priority.
Last week was dress rehearsal week for the play my youngest son and I are in so we traveled to that town (about 25 minutes away) every day. I tired to make the most of it by filling up with gas there (about 20 cents cheaper than town on this side of the border.) I enjoyed one day thrift shopping with my mother (the best treasure hunting partner) while my boys were at the recreation center in that town and found a wonderful vintage trench coat for $10 but, since that store was having a Winter sale, it was 50% off. I have a bit of a vintage coat addiction (who am I kidding? I love and collect many categories of vintage clothes 😊) but I find them very practical and useful. I like that I can wear something very simple and basic but put a great coat on top and feel really put together. Kind of a winter style uniform for me which prevents decision fatigue and owning too many things that don’t feel right together and might go unworn. Even if 99% of my wardrobe is secondhand, it is still a waste if I don’t actually wear it often. That is, unless it gets used as a costume in a play such as has happened lately. Fun to have a wardrobe that doubles as a costume shop!
I also found a few things to sell in my antique shop booths and will restock with Spring in mind the end of this week.
Since my youngest son and I were out each evening, we all ate a big late lunch/early supper around 3 pm to resist the urge to get something while out. Homemade chili, roasted chicken with rice, beans, etc. are easy and filling and keep well for leftovers. I try to make leftovers into other things to keep meals interesting but am glad my family is pretty good about eating them. My father-in-law has been known to say he doesn’t like to eat food that has been blessed more than twice! Funny since he grew up as one of 13 children and would eat whatever there was if he got there fast enough. In his family, if you were late to the table, you didn’t eat as there were no leftovers. He didn’t know the term until he was an adult. As we look forward to Spring and all the changes that involves, I am reminded that the little everyday things add up and make a difference and pretty soon my laundry will be consistently out on the line rather than on a drying rack (which the cats think is their personal jungle gym) in front of the wood stove. Never a dull moment around here! Have a lovely week, all!
Mountain Mama Dawn, if you don’t mind sharing, what play will you be in and the venue? I’m certain it is close to me and I am looking for things to do. Thanks!
https://heritagehalltheatre.org/
The Old Man and The Old Moon
Last 2 shows are this weekend.
Thank you!
It is so nice to see garden fresh tomatoes. We miss them. We won’t see any for many months.
1. I received a $10 Starbucks gift card for filling out a heath care survey. It took me about 20 minutes. We are going away in a few weeks for a long anniversary weekend. I will surprise Hubby with it.
2. We got hit with the blizzard of ’26. We got 29 inches. It is the most ever recorded. We were fine thankfully. We were given a used snowblower many years ago from Hubby’s boss. He is known as a MR Fix it. It cost us about $30 to fix it. Hubby did our driveway and 2 neighbors. He also widened the street by the mailboxes because the plow didn’t do a great job. The mailman thanked us last storm.
3. Since we were home I made some Matzo ball chicken noodle soup and homemade bread. Nothing better then warm bread and butter.
4. Laundry got hung on clothes racks and that helps with the humidity. I have been working on a stain from a golf shirt and it finally all came out. Lots of soaking and scrubbing.
5. I received $27.50 for surveys.
Really not a whole lot on my end last week
Received a free chicken biscuit on my app from Chik fila
Earned a free soda from the gas station
Brought home 2 bags of mini sweet peppers and 3 zuchinnis. Did use some of each on two nights. I have one bag of peppers and one zucchini left to use quickly or freeze. (Ill probably end up chopping everything up and freezing)
Ate or froze leftovers. We have a payment issue from a job so we are making due with what we have at home.
Got whatever viral crud was going around. I did but some cough drops, but I have been treating myself with what I have at home.
I am going to try and ignore the $2500 emergency room incident. We are healthy, fine and have and emergency fund. Sheesh!!!!!!! a few xrays and stitches cost a bunch.
Staying positive.
1. I sold a book on Ebay and a storage container on Facebook. I used some of the cash to take mom out to dinner at Panda Express. She lives an hour away and is 90. It was a treat.
2. I switched beds. My old mattress is killing me. So now I am going to try and sleep in my son’s old room. I desperately wanted to buy a bed ruffle but found a You tube on how to DIY one with glue gun and an old sheet for 0 out of pocket. It will work until we move the the River House Renovation. I don’t want to buy anything new until I know what works and doesn’t.
3. I substituted 2 days at a Music Academy.
4. I made a promise to myself to see the Oakland A’s play at our AAA field in Sacramento. I didn’t last year. I found two day midweek games. Each ticket was $16. A total steal seeing big names up close and personal.
5. I big batched and froze 22 high protein burritos for DH lunch for .50 cents a piece and 14 grams of protein.
In a quest to use up what we have, I have been baking a lot. We somehow have an overabundance of organic figs from Costco, so I made a copycat recipe of Lord & Taylor’s date nut bread (how many remember this?). It is delicious! My sister reminded me of the cream cheese spread they served it with, and I have cream cheese but decided not to go that route as it is a harder food for me to digest. I also made my first batch of granola! Inspired by posts last week. I added cashews and dates (of course). I chopped the dates in the food processor which was so much easier. Made a turkey last week and we used up the meat in a turkey pot pie (no crust but same innards) topped with my grandmother’s dumpling recipe. I also made homemade ice cream, one with coconut milk and one with the rest of the heavy whipping cream. I’ll use strawberries I froze in the latter one. My whiteboards for the sides of the freezers arrived, so that is a task ahead. I switched to Nellie’s washing soda but we miss the scent. We have tried adding essential oil to a washcloth when washing clothes, but it didn’t make a difference. Does anyone have any ideas? I did buy an electric citrus juicer as juicing by hand for any amount over one lemon is painful with my carpal tunnel. We buy in bulk from our local Mennonite store and just bought a large box of chemical free lemons. We are going to juice them and freeze the juice to use throughout the year. I will probably buy a box of organic oranges, if they still have them, as well. We have been keeping the temperature low and wearing sweaters, and using the wood fire insert (really warms up the entire floor). Our electric bill shot up $100 when the cold hit, which surprised me because we use the air quite a bit. I sold something on eBay that had been sitting for quite sometime, but it was one of those things that needed a specific buyer. I need to start listing again as I have realized I have a LOT to list. With the move, all that has been put to the wayside. Trying to give myself grace to get back to the energy level and interest I had prior to the move. This blog has been both a lifesaver and a kick in the pants for me.😊
When it was SO cold here I’d been wanting a small indoor thermometer to know the difference in temperature between the living room with pocket doors closed and space heater on, and the rest of the unheated house. We went to an antiques fair and the only ones were beautiful, but large and really, too much for what I wanted. I was looking on ebay and saw some nice ones but didn’t want to spend $40 plus. We were at an “estate” sale (more like an indoor garage sale) last Friday and I asked about any small thermometers (they, too, had large wall-mounted ones and a barometer w/thermometer) and was told that he didn’t think so. After wandering around for a while, I spotted a nice vintage brass one and it was $5. I am thrilled and I now know it’s 65 degrees in my unheated house. Way too cold, but the weather is warming up, thank heavens!
Went into Kroger to buy the sale priced eggs and found sugar free gelatin and pudding for $1/box. Picked up a bag of lemons (Free with best customer coupon), and asparagus on sale (we’ll get six servings off that bunch, enough for three meals for the two of us for just 50c each). Went to BJ’s wholesale where I picked up toilet paper, cream cheese, fancy olives that cost three times as much at Kroger.
Meals this week: Chicken Enchiladas (two meals worth), Beef Pot Pie (pastry and filling went into freezer for a second one later on), steak (found an older steak buried in my beef basket in the freezer) and one night we had the Donner beef gyros. My son made that and gave me the leftovers along with pitas and sauce for our supper.
We had our wills made and at the same time got power of attorney and living wills. We received a discount for getting all of the paperwork done together that was very substantial and made it worthwhile. We are a blended family, and we felt it was necessary to ensure that we each have a home and property until we both are gone.
I made a very substantial payment on the two remaining credit card balances for our car repairs in November/December.
This week winds up my second month of eating from my pantry and freezer (save eggs, dairy, fresh produce). It was very beneficial and has allowed me to determine what I need to make more effort to use and where to restock a little more heavily. I also found it encouraged me to use foods I tend to ‘save’ rather than use, like my home canned items.
We lived in 3 countries in West Africa and fell in love with roselle hibiscus (bissap there). I’d love to grow some, where do you get your seeds? I’d love to grow some heirloom, so I can keep enjoying them.
I just did a search online and bought some that way; I don’t recall the place. I have collected seeds from them to grow from the ones in my garden for the last couple of years.
ok, thanks! I actually saw some on ebay, I think I might buy.
I have a lot (LOT) of #10 cans of food storage that I have collected over the last 25 years. Most is long term storage, but even if it lasts for 30 years, it’s getting close to that! So I spent the last three days prepping beans and wheat to use in my everyday cooking. I utilized my Instapot, to cooked up white, black, and pinto beans. I froze them in 2 cup portions. Just using about a third of each can, I have the equivalent of 25 cans of beans in the freezer now! I also cooked some wheat kernels and froze them in 1 cup portions. I like to add this to stretch ground beef, add to muffins, or eat like cream of wheat (just chunkier). I feel really good about doing this as we will eat down our storage (we are empty nesters now) and save us some money. * A friend and I have the same favorite book (To Kill a Mockingbird), so I asked if she wanted to re-read it this month and then come over for an afternoon to talk about it and watch the movie. She agreed, so I’m looking forward to that. Entertaining and free!* Stayed out of the stores this week and stayed within my grocery budget for grocery pick up. Whoever filled our order doubled up on some things that we didn’t pay for. We were told to just keep it. We didn’t need two bags of mandarins or two bunches of bananas so we shared with our daughter who lives nearby. *We are coming into birthday season for our family, so I’m putting my mind to that. Planning ahead helps a lot.* My fourth daughter is expecting her first baby (our sixth grandchild)! We are every excited. Her three sisters are having a baby shower for her this weekend. She and one of her sisters are flying in for it. It’s nice when they are grown up enough to pay their own airfare. I’m proud to watch the girls plan this. It will be elegant, yet frugal, just like you Brandy! My daughter who is hosting is coming over tomorrow to borrow serving trays, tongs and things. She calls it “shopping at Mom’s house.” Smart girl! Between me and my two girls who live here, we have a number of things we loan back and forth to each other. If one of us needs something we always call and check if someone has it already before buying, so we don’t double up. It’s a great system. I don’t have a sister, so it bursts my heart to watch these lovely, grown up ladies live their lives together. Hope everyone can find peace in their lives this week. It is heavy out there; home can be a haven.