Sunday, March 16, 2014

Spring Break....From the Home Front


It is 3:50am and I am awake, thinking of all the reasons that I cannot sleep until Catie is home and safe.  Yes, I have heard her tell me over and over that she is all of 19 years old, a virtual old lady  and quite able to navigate the world.   Let's just say that last phone call home when she told me she could not wait to be home safe in our arms did me in.

I read a recent article that said "Greetings from Panama City Beach, where it's not really spring break until a crowd big enough to fill any college football stadium shows up for a free Luke Bryan concert at the Spinnaker Beach Club. "  Catie was in the front row, making college memories that will surely last a lifetime.  That is good.  Of course, the other article was about the missing student that was never found.    Every friend I spoke to seemed to know all about Panama City Beach, "the new Spring Break Place to Be".  I most loved the people who told me just how wild it was.  Letting go is the hardest thing a mother or grandmother will ever do.  Push them out of the nest, teach them to fly on their own is great advice, but does not come without sleepless nights.  

She has learned that people really do steal, not everyone tells the truth and that driving outside of Eaton Rapids is a whole new world.  She experienced paying a hotel bill, learned how much it costs to eat out for a week and how expensive gas is.  She grew tired of being designated driver in the crush of Panama City Beach traffic at 2am.   I know she will want to go again and I also know she will spend less of her summer money on Itunes, Victoria Secret purchases and McDonalds, saving for the big week in Florida.  She had to do a lot of last minute babysitting to pull this off.  

A 1000 memories, lessons learned and at least that many minutes spent awake this week wondering if my little one is safe.  I just got the latest text saying she is in Olivet and will be home soon.   She will be eager to cuddle up with Frankie, safe in her own bed.  Maybe I should wake her for church in the morning, instead of letting her sleep all day!




Monday, March 10, 2014

Extreme Couponing or Extreme Madness?



A few weeks ago, I happened to glance up at the TV and a show called Extreme Couponing caught my attention.  At first, I thought it was silly reality TV, then I began to ask myself, why not?  I listened as one after another statement just made sense.  "If you see a quarter on the ground, don't you pick it up?   Why would you choose to pay $1 MORE for an item?  Coupons are actually currency...."   I went to my laptop and began to search, finding endless pages of advice and coupons.  Strangely, my brother was watching the same show and the next day he took the challenge.

 My brother and his 192 rolls of toilet paper for free is going to keep driving me until I come at least close to that kind of accomplishment.  I hauled out the Kroger savings card that I had kind of, halfway used in the past, clipped a bunch of coupons and headed to the store.  Yes, I was so exhausted with my heavy cart, that I had to call Mike and Joe, looking for help to get it all through the snow and into the car.   I had bought about $400 in groceries, but paid just under $300.  A 25% savings is nothing to laugh at, but I was not ready to star in the next episode on TV.

I had stuck to my plan and I did not purchase junk that I would not normally buy and did not stock up on anything in particular.    The next week, I left the coupons home and did an unplanned shopping trip, which I immediately regretted.  Every time I entered an aisle, I saw items that I knew had coupons waiting at home.  I was paying too much, so I left before too much damage was done (about $100).  Unfortunately, that created a need to make a foolish stop at the local Family Fare.  That trip made me realize I should never, ever do that again AND it also made me realize just how much money I have wasted there over the years.  I don't even want to think about that.

Week 3 began with a plan.  I loaded up my Meijer card with their MPerks sales, clipped the coupons and headed to the store.  I learned that Meijer does not double coupons and that they have their computers set to catch any attempt at using both a coupon and MPerks, which defeated half of my plan.  They were also smart enough to offer the EXACT discount that the coupon gave.  I saved the coupon for later use elsewhere and used the MPerks.

  I was able to buy 5 large boxes of cereal for $10 and felt satisfied that $2 per box was a good savings.  I got $20 off my groceries for filling a prescription at their store and also learned that I do not want to use them as my pharmacy.  Their poor customers service was just as bad as the last time I tried. The 3 men working at an empty pharmacy made the Rite Aid ladies look good on a bad day.  I really messed up their Sunday by filling a prescription.   Thanks, Meijer for paying me to learn NOT to buy my medicine at Meijer.    In the end, I saved about $50 on a $300 grocery trip.  Less savings than I had at Kroger or Walmart.

I have learned it is not productive to try to do a full week of grocery shopping at one store.  It will take a bit more time, but the payoff will be generous, if I use the double coupons at Kroger and take advantage of the card savings at all 3 stores.

  If I really want to work hard, Walmart will match all competitor's ads, so I could get all the ads, make a list and head into my worst nightmare....Walmart grocery shopping.  UGH!

Between the terrible meat at Walmart and their sad produce section, the only deals to take advantage of are on canned, boxed or other packaged items and general merchandise.  I am realizing this is going to require some more planning, but I will conquer it....after all, Walmart has razors this week that will only cost me about 50 cents a package!  I am ready to go again!

Saturday, March 8, 2014

You Know You Are From Michigan....



Still fighting off what is hopefully my last cold this winter, I put off leaving the house today until 2pm.  I hadn't looked at the temperature, but the sunshine tempted me to choose a lighter coat.  Backing out of the garage, I reached for my sunglasses and then decided to  just pull off that coat!  Last week, I had to warm up the car for 10 minutes before entering it.  It feels like Spring IS coming.

Never mind the fact that we have at least 2 feet of snow still on the ground, people are lined up today for a car wash.  It isn't snowing today.  The sun is shining.

As I drove through Charlotte, I noticed puddles.  You know it has been a rough winter when the sight of a muddy puddle of slush makes you feel pure joy.  I pulled up at the post office and hesitated to reach for the coat, just as I saw 2 more people walking up the steps, clad only in sweaters.  I took the plunge and called out to one of the other women, asking "Doesn't it feel great?"  She burst into a big smile and yelled out "I LOVE IT!!!"

It's been a very long winter.  Bring on the flip flops!


Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Lasagna, Brownies....and Memories



When Catie and I went shopping on Saturday, it was the last errand of the day and it seemed as if Walmart would be the death of me.  I pushed the heavy cart back and forth 3 times between the front and back as I tried to remember everything I needed, cursing the layout that makes you walk every inch of the store.  I was picking up groceries for "Chin Sunday Dinner" as the kids have named our weekly family meal.  Then I remembered a friend who had surgery and decided to double the meal and drop it off.

 I had a Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie recipe in mind for dessert and would bake 2 batches of those too.  Then Catie corrected my numbers, reminding me that she HAD to take sweets back to school to share with her friends.  She advised me that treats from Grandma Chin were now expected on Sunday nights.  
As I cursed the recipe that called for nearly a full pound of butter per batch, I loaded the cart with tons of sugar, butter, cocoa and peanut butter.  Adding in a new calculator to replace the one that was stolen in class when Catie went to the bathroom,  the ingredients for lasagna, the weekly supply of juice and some fresh fruits for her to take back to the dorm, I was grateful for her help pushing the heavy cart,  as we made our way to the register to pay. 

Sunday, I began making the sauce for lasagna and Joe asked if I was feeding the neighborhood.  Andy walked by and remarked that he would eat it all week.  I've never seen sauce or lasagna go to waste in the Chin house.  Catie watched and declared that she now knew how to make Chin Sauce.  (I'll remember that the next time and she is welcome to try her hand at it).  However, she was hanging in the kitchen with baking in mind.  Catie loves to bake, so I offered to allow her to make the Peanut Butter & Fudge concoction.  No deal!  She wanted to do it together.  

It turned out to be quite a process to bake 3 pans of these brownies.  Neither one of us could resist tasting each of the 3 layers and by the end, we got creative, adding to the recipe for "taste".  Then we found out our friend already had a meal planned for the day, so we would and drop off one another day.  No problem...until Mike and Courtney cancelled.  Now we were staring at a HUGE pan of lasagna and 3 pans of the richest brownies on earth.  One bite was so rich, it was hard to take a second until the sugar rush subsided.  I knew I could force myself through the pan before the week was out.

Catie quickly grabbed her pan and began to slice and get it ready for her dorm buddies.  She was debating if she should take total credit for the baking or admit that Grandma "helped".  The best part of the day was her Facebook posting:  

Had a good weekend at home, I made homemade peanut butter brownies and lasagna with grandma today (: 

I guess it was the memories we made that were far more lasting than the food.  


Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Pleasant Dreams



Yes, it is 4:10am and as I lay in that land of barely asleep, Andy came down for the 31st time and although he was attempting to be quiet.  I am awake.  I was in the midst of the most lovely dream.  I am more angry about leaving my dream than being awake at 4am.  In my dream, I was with so many people that I have loved and lost.  Some are still alive and yet we have lost the people that brought us together....namely our parents and grandparents.  My cousins are wonderful people and I do miss them.  In this day where very few live people in the same little towns as their parents before them, we are scattered throughout the country  Somehow, when a phone call or even a Facebook chat brings us together for a few moments, we always share those memories of Nana and Pop and the wonder and joy of being children in a close family.

We reminisce of warm days at the cottage, as our parents played pinochle and drank beer.  We were running freely in and out, jumping in the lake with a bar of soap to bathe, since there was no bathtub.  We were playing Chinese Checkers on the screened porch, when the lake was too rough to swim.  The only game in the cottage was stored behind the couch and I still have it in my closet.  I need to pull it out and play it with a grandchild soon.  Someone has to tell the story of my father and Uncle Bill almost getting into a fist fight after too many beers, but Nana was handy with a mop to break it up.

The cottage never seemed small.  The Detroit house on Northlawn seemed to grow as did our family.  I realize, looking at the photos, that we were packed in like sardines.

There are still old photos with little girls,  all in dresses and MaryJane shoes.  Summer's bathing suits gave way to holiday gatherings when all our mother's brought pies and favorite dishes to Nana's house and children gathered upstairs in bedrooms, according to age.  You always knew the cousins closest to your age the best. Only the youngest grandchildren missed out on this life that was truly reminiscent of a "Waltons" episode and I wish they had these memories.  They are something to build on.

Many of us are in our 60's now, which is older than our grandparents were when the memories were made.  When you are a child, age is kind of simple.  You are a kid, you are a parent or you are a grandparent.  That is "old".  It wasn't too old to laugh with us, tease us and love us.  It was old enough to teach us and so many of us are still making the old recipes.  Just the other day, my cousin's daughter posted something on Facebook about making Christmas cookies.  She was using Nana's (her great-grandmother) recipes.  Technology enabled me to ask for a copy of one of these precious memories and I will make them and remember.  I keep a photo of Nana teaching my own children to bake Christmas cookies in my kitchen.

In my dream, I was hosting a party with grandchilden and everyone was there.  We were near a lake, in a cottage that was unknown to me.  As I walked through the crowd of cousins, Aunts and Uncles, I was teaching my grandchildren to always speak to everyone.  There was so much laughter and love as I moved through the crowded rooms and soon I was in a screened pavilion out by the lake, filled with relatives.  Suddenly we were talking about what a good job Uncle Frank had done in building it.  I have to smile because it is something he might have done in is life, if he owned lake property.

Why do we have dreams like this?  Maybe I just needed some time with all of those wonderful relatives of mine.  Every so often they seem to stop by and I wake up knowing how important those memories are.  It was good to see them all tonight.