Hurricane Irma

Due to Hurricane Irma, I will not be posting until further notice. The safety of my family is my priority.

Be safe everyone!

Focus on the Family

The non-profit organization, Focus on the Family, was founded in 1977 to put a focus on Christ being the center of individual lives and families. 

I had the great fortune of visiting the campus of this worldwide organization recently while in Colorado Springs. 

The large campus features a Welcome Center that shows films, has a bookstore, dishes up delicious treats, and more!

I was particularly taken with a hallway filled with flags from around the world. Nothing new for me. Still attracted to international items after all these years. 

Summer Sand

This time of year we spend a lot of time at the beach. 

We were fortunate enough to have family visit recently who wanted to spend time on the beach. It was fun watching them enjoy that beach for the first time. We saw it with new eyes. Sometimes in life we need to see things with new eyes. 

Florida Summer

Much like the winter up north, the summer in Florida is a good time to "hibernate" in the AC.

We spend much of our summer at the beach wave jumping or enjoying the scenery. 

Recently, there were a ton of shells on the beach. I am not one for shell collecting but I was inspired to get some shells. Who knows if we'll be in Florida forever. It would be a nice keepsake to remember our times here. 

Shells are refreshing to see and can transport your mind in a second. They are budget friendly for decor as well!

Such was the beach recently loaded with shells. 

Birthday Month: Birthday Gift

My parents gifted me with a Keurig coffee maker for my birthday! 

I've been wanting one for awhile. My greatest hesitation for buying one myself was the color. So many beautiful colors to choose!

My mom picked out this pretty blue color. I waffled between exchanging it for another color or keeping it. I ultimately decided to keep it. 

Mother knows best!

Dominos with Friends

Our small group has become our Florida family since we live far from our own families. We celebrate holidays and special occasions together. We study, discuss, pray, celebrate, encourage, play, eat as a group.  

The group gets together on Thursday evening to play a dominoes game called Mexican Train. We have had the fortune of going and always enjoy the evening when we do. 

It is a fun game that is easy to play even though there are some rules. You can play on your own train, the community train, or an opponent's train if it is marked as open for public play. 

It is easy enough that a group discussion can carry one along side the game.

Just when I thought games were lost to digital devices, this group still plays table games. 

Fun times!

How Far I'll Go

I love Disney movies, particularly the princess-animated variety. I enjoy them for the fairy tale and good versus evil plot. 

Recently, I watched Moana. What a fantastic story! I felt as though I was watching myself on screen. This young girl has a desire to leave the confines of her hometown and explore. 

I remember from an early age how I had this same desire. Most everyone in my family is from the same area. They marry someone from that very area. They build a house in that area. They live their whole lives in that area. 

I knew at 13 or 14 years old that I could not follow suit. I had to see what else was out there. As I watched Moana, I felt as though I knew exactly what this girl was all about. 

Here is the song that Moana sings about blazing her own trail: 

Village Bakery

While in Rochester, NY, I had the occasion to go to a new café / bakery with my mom. Village Bakery and Café has a wide variety of beverages, pastries, and dishes. They are set up to serve breakfast and lunch type food. 

The atmosphere is charming and industrial. Chalkboards display the menu and long farm tables invite a group experience. 

My mom and I ordered the croque monsieur for an early afternoon meal. We both had coffee. Mine was hot. Hers was iced. 

We enjoyed both the ambiance and the food. We will go back to this charming spot for a meal or a coffee break. 

Far & Away: Niagara Falls, Canada

This destination never feels far and away for me. I grew up about an hour away from Niagara Falls. I've frequented the falls since I was a small child. As a family, we would venture out with a picnic for the day. 

It is the pride of the region since visitors worldwide come to view the falls. I have been privileged to take a few visitors from other countries to experience the falls for themselves. Most recently, I took my husband to see them. 

We started by parking in Niagara Falls, New York and walking across the Rainbow Bridge. On the bridge you stand at the border of the 2 countries and then pass through border control. 

Once at the falls, you can take a boat ride up to the falls, view the gardens, walk the pathways along the falls, zipline, visit the floral clock, experience the butterfly conservatory, and more!

Clifton Hill is the tourist section descending to the falls. Here you'll find Hard Rock Café, Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, Ripley's Believe it or Not, Rainforest Café, museums, and gift shops. 

It is always a pleasure to visit Niagara Falls. Even for a few moments to take a look at the breath taking view. 

Wedding Anniversary

We celebrated our wedding anniversary recently. We're still young and in love!

I checked our mailbox that week and found this lovely card from my mom. She's so creative and crafty. The card is homemade by her. She even made the envelope! She can see the potential in so many things and will repurpose it for her works of art. The envelope this time is a page from a wall calendar. 

I have a box of cards that she's made for me from the last few years. My only regret is that I did not start saving them sooner. 

Must Love Dogs

If this was the requirement, my 3 year old niece would pass the test! She loves dogs and all animals, as a matter of fact. 

She's about to join the prestigious "big sister" club (just like her favorite aunt). Our newest addition will be arriving in the springtime. 

Although the family lives far away, we plan to visit soon after the new baby girl is born. We must come bearing gifts and must not forget the big sister. I've given the gifts some consideration, but have not decided exactly what to give quite yet. I keep telling myself that I'll know it when I see it. 

On a recent bargain hunt to CVS and Walgreens, there was a lot of Valentine's merchandise marked 75% off still there. I wandered over and saw stuffed animals of all kinds with lovey messages. I love my niece and am already enamored with my unborn niece so this seemed very fitting. They even had dogs! I know my eldest niece will approve.

They were originally $4.99 and $6.99 and then marked down to $1.25 and $1.75 respectively. That is $3 total for gifts for both of my girls. It's a 3 way win: 1 for bargains, 1 for my eldest niece, 1 for my unborn niece. 

Money Earning Apps: Cash Back From ibotta

Getting money back on something you're going to buy anyway is such a bonus! All the apps I use to save money that give me money back have really accumulated since I started 18 months ago.

I already mentioned the fruit of my shopping with SavingStar. Ibotta is another app that has yielded the biggest results for me. l featured the ibotta app in this post. To date, I have earned $87.50. I cashed out in the form of an Amazon gift card which was added to my Amazon account for safe keeping. 

Some time after, my husband expressed a need for new soccer cleats. He knew the specifics of the Puma cleats he wanted which gave me an idea. We could order them through Amazon.com.

Here are the cleats (after much use).

Couponing With My Mom

My mom has a great sense of humor. She can see something funny in most situations which makes everyone around her laugh. She's known in many circles as the comedian of the group. 

My mom has been gracious enough to support my couponing endeavors by sending me her coupons in the mail. The first envelope I received, I was so excited to add to my coupon stash. 

As I looked closer to the coupons she sent, I noticed her handwriting on it. It caught be off guard, frankly. At a closer inspection, it was a coupon for pads for those who are incontinent. The back story is that we were shopping one time and both laughing hysterically to the point it was questionable if we could make it to the restroom. 

I have since received several packages from my mom with other coupon commentaries. 

I save them because they make me laugh and think about how many funny times I have had and continue to have with my mom. 

Superbowl Sunday

As the US gathered to watch the culmination of the football season to see the game and commercials of the Superbowl, we were watching a final game, also. The Africa Cup of Nations championship game was on Sunday afternoon in hosting country Gabon.  

Since we have Sling International Sports on our Roku (read more about the tv saga here), my husband can watch as much worldwide soccer to his heart's delight. 

Our team is obviously Togo who only went as far as the original group games (Group C). My husband is happy with anyone in Western Africa winning which leaves a lot of choices. Ivory Coast, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Ghana were all playing. 

Indiana Jones

My inspiration of global adventure turned aspiration for my life has many roots. Once can be traced to my childhood neighbors who traveled the world and whose home was filled with objects from every trip (read more here). 

Another root can be traced to Indiana Jones. These movies that we saw in the theater as children and at home periodically were a whirlwind of adventure that stretched from China to the US touching down in India, Nepal, Egypt, Italy, Germany, Italy, and Peru throughout the 4 film series. 

Viewing cultural traditions, religions, clothing, music, and more captured my imagination. 

Obviously, renewing my love for these films and where they've taken me is how I spent my time while I was sick. It's nice going back to the basics. 

Sick Day(s)

It is not often that I get sick with a cold. When I do, there are certain comforts I like such as orange juice, a box of tissues, cough drops, tea, toast, frozen pizza, and a decongestant. 

This time around I am using Theraflu and Advil Allergy & Congestion for pain relievers. Thanks to couponing, I have a stash already. 

That is what will be happening in my home in the next couple days. Hopefully, my husband does not come down with it, too. 

Stone Steps

While visiting my family in Rochester, NY, we took a road trip to Letchworth State Park. I have been there countless times but this was a first for my husband. 

Letchworth is a park with over 14,000 acres full of picturesque scenes. A combination of waterfalls, paths, and manmade houses, bridges, and picnic areas. 

We spent time visiting the Letchworth Museum, a stone structure that houses a mastodon skeleton. Off to the side is a stone stair case that winds and climbs the sloped area. What a beautifully inspiring site. So much so that I could not narrow down how to display this stair case.

For your viewing pleasure: 

Carabba's

I love food. 

Food tastes better when I don't cook it. If money were no object, I'd have a cook, especially after a long day or long week. 

Instead, eating out or take out is an ideal option even though our budget would disagree. Fortunately, I can be creative in order to satisfy both dining and budget needs. 

This past Christmas season, in the hustle of choosing gifts, we purchased a gift card to Carrabba's and received in return a gift card of smaller value.  

One such Friday, we decided to use this gift card and make it stretch farther. Rather than the usual table for 2, we decided to place an online order for take out with the intention of rounding out the dinner at home. My husband and I decided to divide and conquer: one would cook the pasta at home, the other would pick up the order. 

We placed an order for 1 salmon entrée topped with tomato, cucumber, and dill with a lemon white wine sauce. The entrée comes with a side along with soup or salad. We chose the garlic mashed potatoes, Caesar salad, and their signature olive oil and herbs for the bread. We made our own pasta to add to the dinner. 

 Dividing the ordered entrée between us and the home made pasta, there was more than enough. 

The total for one entrée was $21.39, less a $10 gift card, we paid $11.39.

We enjoyed a gourmet meal and lack of effort without paying for the atmosphere. It was the perfect solution for a fatigued week, lack of desire to cook, and the need to be budget conscious. 

Cloud Formations

One of my favorite childhood activities involved the swimming pool in our backyard. I would spend hours in the pool by myself, with my sister, with friends, with the whole family. Swimming laps, splashing, underwater summersaults, handstands, making whirlpools, floating. Day or evening, it mattered very little to me. 

Some sunny afternoons, my mother would come outside and swim with me. We had a variety of tubes and floating lounges to relax and enjoy which is what she need after toiling all day. We would grab ahold of each other's rafts to stay in close proximity to talk. 

Talking about various subjects and laughing together (which is what we do best) while drifting with no goal in mind but to unwind. Gazing at the sky or closing our eyes, we lingered together. 

One such afternoon, we were taken in by the clouds and how they were ever rolling, morphing into various shapes. We remarked that one cloud looked like a dog. Later, the dog-like cloud seemed to transform in a way that looked like the long ears were horizontal. One of us shared with the other that it now looked like the same dog but ears flapping in the wind like he was in a car. 

Serious reflection of clouds lessened as hilarity ensued. Every cloud after that was another animal in a car or other humorous images. We laughed all afternoon at what the clouds appeared to be in our own little world. 

Walking on the beach recently, I was gazing at the clouds feeling nostalgic about those precious moments with my mom. 

This cloud caught my attention in particular because it appeared to be a giraffe, my mom's favorite animal. I no sooner took my phone and snapped a shot to send to her, reminding her of one of our mutually favorite moments together. 

If I had stayed long enough, I wonder if the giraffe would look like he was in a car. Neck out the window, straining to stay upward in vain as the momentum of the car overcomes him. I should have stayed instead of rushing off to do some adulting somewhere else. 

Homecoming

When my husband was coming from Togo, Western Africa to the US, I wanted to make sure he felt at home. Well, as much as one can leaving home and family behind for an unknown land. 

I thought for a long time about how to make his homecoming special and welcoming. It wasn't easy. 

After awhile, I thought of having a clock of his hometown, Lomé, on the wall always on local time. I decided to add my own hometown to the wall. 

Once inspired, I went to Ikea to buy clocks for $1.99 each. I hung them on the wall and printed then laminated signs of our hometowns. 

The day my husband arrived, he came bearing gifts of his African country for our home. He offered a clock with the shape of Togo (like minds). 

He brought with him wooden keychains. I chose the one in the shape of Togo. 

In addition to all of this, he brought paintings on canvas to decorate our home. Being a smart man, he brought jewelry and purses for me. 

Such lovely additions to our home that I enjoy. I think, in a way, they provide the comforts of home in a foreign land.