Big Time Savings!

Today I am using another one of Mama Kat's writing prompts. 
Describe a time when you saved BIG. 



In reality, there are so many options, because I tend to do a lot of research before I make a purchase, which can net me some really great deals. There is one deal which was both recent and exciting, though. 
A couple of weeks ago I decided to bite the bullet and buy some Philosophy brand face wash called Purity. I have a small 2 ounce bottle of it  which has been fantastic. I was headed towards a mall so I stopped and bought the 8 ounce bottle.  It was $24. When I think about the price per gallon it makes me cringe. It's a lot of money. Then again, it's my face, you know? I bought it, feeling moderately guilty. 
The very next day I got an email from Philosophy for $25 off $50. Woo hoo! Jackpot!  A 32 ounce bottle is $52, so I don't have to add anything else to the cart, I get four times as much for  $3 more - SCORE! 
It's such an unimportant thing in the grand scheme of things, but it felt like an amazing victory to me. 

Who Was At The Front Door?

I was over at Mama Kat's writers workshop because, let's face it, I'm as much of a slacker blogger as I am a housekeeper, DIYer, etc. Which is to say I am a bad, bad slacker blogger. We all have stories to share, though. It's just that when you sit down to blog you are not face to face with someone in a conversation. So sometimes you just don't think about certain stories. Mama Kat's prompts help you think of your stories.

The one I chose today is:

Who was at your front door? 

I'll start the day before the door. I was sitting outside with a friend. She was one of those friends who wasn't really a friend - she didn't like me, I could tell. But she sort of tolerated me because our husbands were good friends. But on this day she was really my friend. Sometimes that happens, you know? Someone just has a true change of heart. I think when people get to know you, they love you. 

Anyway this day we were sitting out together and I was at the lowest point. My heart was shattered and I was truly lost. I didn't know what I would do. I always felt like I was broken, but on this day? I was at a whole new depth of despair. I wasn't ready for it. I was young - 21 years old. I had two little daughters. And I did not know what tomorrow was going to be for me. My life was suddenly a swamp and I was in quicksand up to my neck. The particulars of why I was at such a low no longer really matter. What is relevant is the pain, confusion, and fear I was feeling. They were all I was feeling. As we sat talking I said to her "I just wish someone I don't know who doesn't know me would walk up to me and say 'This is what you need to do'. Because I really do not know what to do."

I cried, I washed my face, I fed my kids, I bathed them and played with them and changed diapers and did all the mom stuff you have to do in any given day. Finally the relief of darkness came and I put them to bed. I put myself to bed. I woke up in the morning to a knock at the door. 

Two young women, standing in my door in the bright sunshine. Two young women from a church, standing there early on a weekday morning. Two young women who did not know anything about me. Two young women I did not know. They were there to help me find my way because I was lost. They were there to tell me what to do.

I told them about the conversation I had with my friend the day before. The three of us stood in the door and wept. 

*One of them, whose name I still remember, was Leah Stratton. The other name I can  not remember right now but I can still see her face. Should out to Leah if you ever google yourself! Hi! I miss you! Her husband was named Willis Stratton. She had three lovely children. 

How Highly Imaginative People Use Their Ingenuity!

Pull up your chair, I want to show you what happens when you really use what is on hand. 

Contractor in Question, Uncle P. 

When my uncle was visiting from Texas last year he realized his sister and her husband needed stairs from the garage to the house. Maybe there was just one big step here before? I can't recall. Anyway, he built them some nice little stairs.

He was here this week and noticed they still did not have a handrail. He fixed this for them.

Are you impressed? This isn't your average DIY blog! 

Uncle S., clearly thrilled by his new handrail

Admit it, you wish you had this in your family - and in your garage! 

Total cost for this DIY:  Zero dollars. 

What To Watch Now That Downton Abbey Is Done For The Season

Now that Downton Abbey has gone away again, we have to entertain ourselves some other way. If you enjoyed it, you might enjoy a few of these shows:

We have seen everything on this list plus others!

Larkrise to Candleford (Amazon Prime, I think. 3 or 4 seasons of it!)

Daniel Deronda (Basically anything George Eliot, but this is a gorgeous show)

Bleak House 

Mr Selfridge

Little Dorrit

Doc Martin

Upstairs Downstairs (I think the old version is way better)

Hemingway and Gelhorn (doesn't exactly fit, but I loved it!)

House of Eliott ***** we really loved this one!

Forsyte Saga

The Grand

Great Expectations

Monarch of the Glen

The Tudors

Rome

Death Comes to Pemberly

The Duchess of Duke Street

Wives and Daughters

David Copperfield

He Knew He Was Right

The Way We Live Now

The Chamomile Lawn

I know I omitted some of the most obvious ones. I do not think you need me to bring 'Pride and Prejudice' to your attention. This should keep you busy for a while. If you have any other suggestions I'd love to hear them. I need new stuff to watch, too!