Never Say Never

I am parked in a place I said I would never be…the pick-up lane at HyVee waiting for my online grocery order. Yes, I caved 3 weeks ago and tried shopping for our groceries with HyVee Aisles Online.  I normally don’t shop at HyVee because their prices tend to be higher than Wal-Mart, but I was at an all-time low in the energy/motivation department so I figured what the heck?  I just picked up my weekly groceries for the third time today.

One of my struggles with grocery shopping was getting the right kind of snacks/food for Audrey. It was torture for her to come to the store with me and I hated listening to her complain that I never brought home the right snacks for her. Now she shops online (something she loves to do) and picks out what she wants and everyone is happy!

To qualify for HyVee’s free pick-up or delivery service you need to spend a minimum of $100. I usually spend at LEAST that every week at Wal-Mart so I figured it’d be no sweat for my total at HyVee! The first time it wasn’t a problem. The last 2 weeks, however, my total has been less so I’ve had to pay a whopping $2.95 service fee. I still have groceries for 5 meals during the week but I’m thinking shopping online helps me stay more focused and throw less crap in the cart. On the fence about getting groceries online? Try it! You might like it!

Stitch Fix #7

I subscribed to Stitch Fix last October looking for a little help in the fashion department. I can never decide on what to buy when I’m at the store and parting with my money is a little difficult sometimes, to say the least. With Stitch Fix, the clothes come to me every 6 weeks or so (based on the style profile I created with my account), I pick what I like, and send back the rest! Even though sometimes the prices are more than what I would pay at the store, once it’s actually in my house, it doesn’t seem like so much! Here are some of the things I received this month:

Winona Crystal Medallion Necklace by Romolo – KEEPING IT!

 

Forster Henley Top by Market & Spruce – KEEPING IT!

 

Landy Airy Knit Sweater Tank by RD Style – KEEPING IT!

 

Whitnee Button Neck Striped Shift Dress by Loveappella – Made me look like 10 lbs of potatoes in a 5 lb bag…sending it back

I also got a pair of cropped black pants. I would have kept them but since I was sending back the dress I decided to send the pants back, too.

 

Murphy’s Law at the Bunten’s

Yesterday was a day proving Murphy’s Law is alive and well at our house!

Last Thursday, garbage day, our trash can and recycling bin both blew away. Where we live, you have to have purchase special stickers to put on your bag or can in order for it to be picked up. We had purchased stickers on our can which last the entire year. They were gone along with the can. With nowhere to put our garbage and no hope that our bins would be returned, Mike went out and bought a new can. Of course, when he got home, he found both across the street and down a few doors.

And last night, we didn’t have anything to make for dinner so Mike went out and bought a pizza to make. I had worked at the quilt shop all and didn’t feel like cooking. So…when he got home from the store (after rounding up our garbage/recycling bins) we had 2 pizza delivers that he had purchased from a local church’s fundraiser. Of course!

Basement Finishing Begins!

When we moved into our new home last May, the basement wasn’t finished. The walls were framed and toilet stubbed in but that’s about it. We had a contractor start the finishing project a couple of weeks ago. First, though, we had to move all of our extra stuff into the small storage room through the doorway on the left of the picture! It SHOULD be done by the end of the month. Stay tuned for more pics…and maybe an invitation to our Super Bowl party!

Channeling our Inner MacGyver

We went to visit Mike’s dad & stepmom last weekend. As usual, there was a short “Someone-to-do” list ready when we got there. Most of it was usual stuff: help with some computer/internet issues and things like dusting & changing light bulbs. Except this time, the remote to their Sleep Number bed wasn’t working. When the buttons were pressed you could hear the mattress inflating and/or deflating but the display was completely blank so we have no idea what the actual setting was. Thanks to Google and YouTube we were able to fit it with a hair dryer and rubber spatula! Here’s the link to the video in case you have a Sleep Number bed and remote with a non-working display! You’re welcome.

A Fun Time with the Class of ’89

I drove up to Merrill this weekend for my 25th High School reunion. I pulled into town just in time for the ceremonial Friday Fish Fry & old fashioned. Saturday morning my grandpa drove us out to Council Grounds State Park. The fall colors on the trees were amazing!

Fall colors on the Wisconsin River at Council Grounds State Park

About 30 people came to the reunion (out of the 300 in our class). I was able to recognize some right away. Others, however, I couldn’t place until I saw their name tag. It HAS been 25 years, after all! We all showed pictures of our kids and talked about doing the “pull away” when we’re trying to read!

Merrill Senior High Class of ’89!

On Sunday before driving home, my sister and I went to church service at the church we went to growing up. It was funny how I recognized some of our friend’s parents right away! Of course we were greeted with “Oh look! It’s the twins!” It’s been a long time since I heard that but it was a little comforting. The service was nice and afterwards, Andrea and I surprised the pastor who didn’t recognize us at first!

We’re Home!

We moved into our new house on May 29th and have been unpacking and organizing our little hearts out! The change of address postcards have been sent out but here is a little slideshow of some pictures for those of you who haven’t stopped by to see our new place yet. It’s still a work in progress. By the time you get here, we’ll be done!

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The Price of Nostalgia

Did you ever see something that reminded you of your childhood that you needed to have really bad? Even though it probably didn’t look that special to anyone else but you but knew you wouldn’t be able to have the original item because your mom is probably still using it? That’s how I felt when I saw this bowl at a resale shop in town last week. I carried it around while we were browsing then put it back on the shelf because we’re moving and I should be getting RID of stuff, not bringing more IN. Well, I couldn’t stop thinking about it and went back today and bought it for a whopping $3.99. All is now right with the world.

 

Treasure Hunt

Audrey and I made the drive to Milwaukee last weekend for a mini Christmas celebration with some of my family. The day after we got there 8″ of snow fell leaving us with a little extra time to spend indoors at my mom’s. THAT meant hunting through the basement to see what goodies were still stored away there from my childhood. I was able to come away with a few goodies: a Battleship game (before they made it with noises and lights), a couple of puzzles (not pictured is my coveted Duran Duran puzzle), some Snoopy comic books, my Spirograph drawing kit and my still-unsolved Rubiks cube (also not pictured)! Thanks for saving all my crap, Mom!

‘Tis the Season

In the past, to count down the days until Christmas I had a small wall hanging that looked like Santa with a long beard. It had a little wooden star that moved from pocket to pocket. Cute, but boring. This year, thanks to Pinterest, I made an advent calendar with small bags that held a little goody or activity card inside for each day. I found a free printable for the number stickers on Pinterest and the little bags were made with a Stampin’ Up trick I learned from my sister more than 15 years ago when she was a demonstrator. Why buy small paper bags when you can make them from envelopes you already have? Here’s what I came up with:

Small paper bags in the red & green bushel basket that once held pine cones from Milwaukee…with love.

The 1st bag contained a card that said “Hug Mom and Dad.” Audrey was good and did what the card said and then exclaimed that it was the “worse card ever!” I think I would have to disagree with her!