2025 My Annus Horribilis

 Well, last year was quite a horrible one for my family.  In the Spring my husband had surgery on his foot, followed by a few months of healing.

In the summer I was at home reading while he was out riding his bicycle.  I received a phone call from his phone, when I answered a woman informed me that he had an accident, she had been in an Uber with her friends and saw him lying on the side of the road.  They made the Uber stop, checked on him, and called 911.

Apparently, all of them were trauma center nurses and knew how to care for him.  When I arrived the paramedics were evaluating him and transported him to our, very good, local hospital.

Another woman had stopped and offered to take his bike to our house and left it on our front porch.

After hugging and thanking everyone I followed the ambulance to the emergency room.  Husband’s CAT scan indicated that he had a brain bleed.  He had a craniotomy the next day and was hospitalized for a week.

His recovery was miraculous.  Within four months he was walking normally, allowed to drive and basically resume normal activities.

As soon as he had fully recovered I had to have surgery on my right foot.  I was blessed to have a good orthopedic surgeon and was back to normal by mid December.

God bless the nurses, doctors and physical therapists that helped us recover.

Now we are helping our daughter get ready to move to South Korea.  This has been her dream for several years and she has worked hard to get to this point.  It’s bittersweet for us; we are proud of her, but we will miss her terribly.

I’m looking forward to starting posting new blog posts and YouTube videos.  This year is going to be our year of change.  We hope to move to a rural setting after selling our house in Florida.  

God bless,

Pam

Sorry!

 I had a list of new topics to blog, but life took a turn.  In July my husband was in a severe bicycle accident resulting in him developing a brain bleed and requiring a craniotomy.  He is recovering well, but requires a lot of help and attention.

God bless,

Pam

Knitting Like Crazy

 After two severe hurricanes, with massive flooding in my county, a damaged car that took forever to get repaired because over 100,000 vehicles were damaged in my county, and two illnesses, plus a torn rotator cuff; I am finally in a place to return to blogging and vlogging.

To stay sane during all of this I have been knitting like crazy or maybe knitting to not be crazy.  I find knitting, crocheting and quilting very relaxing and meditative.  But like most hobbies, it’s not cheap, especially if you prefer yarn made of natural fibers.

Through trial and error I have found two knitting websites that carry quality yarn, made in Europe and with reasonable prices.  I still spend some time and money at my local yarn shop, but when you do a lot of needlework it’s nice to find a place that isn’t overpriced.  Plus both of them have a decent selection of free patterns.

One of the shops is Hobbi which is very user friendly for English speakers and when you pull up one of their patterns they include a list of suggested yarns, amounts and notions for that pattern.  They do have a longer processing and mailing time.

The next shop is Linde Hobby .  They have a quicker delivery time, but you need to be sure to pick the English version of the pattern when you download it.

Sorry for my long absence, but at least I have a nice selection of knitwear to show for it.

God bless,

Pam

A Frugal Merry Christmas #2

 Another group of my favorite stores for gifts:

1.  True Leaf Market carries a variety of seeds and propagation supplies, including one of my go to Asian seeds from Kitazawa Seeds.  Use coupon code Holiday24 for 15% off items from their holiday gift guide.

2.  King Arthur Baking has something for everyone, but if you are shopping for someone with a gluten allergy they have some of the best gluten free baking mixes.

3.  Calamity Ware carries calamity themed ceramics.  I sent my brother the coffee mugs one year and he loved them.

4.  Burpee Seeds is offering 25% off plus free shipping on orders over $50.  I love their collapsible tomato cages.

5.  Warmies are stuffed animals, slippers and scarfs filled with heating beads and lavender.  Heat them in the microwave and climb into bed for a peaceful sleep.  My daughter loves her sloth and my husband loves the slippers.  They are offering a BOGO for the weekend.

6.  Voluspa is a candle company that sells candles made of coconut oil.  Their Noble Fir scented candles smell so authentic that you will think there’s a Christmas tree in the room.  They are 20% off for Black Friday.

I hope you get some inspiration from this list of my frequently used and favorite stores.

God bless,

Pam

A Merry Frugal Christmas #1

 Here are a few of my favorite brands that I use for gift giving:

1. North Spore mushrooms - from mushroom growing kits to Christmas ornaments North Spore has proven to be a reliable source of all things mushroom related.  They are featuring 30% off some items for Black Friday and you can use my coupon code, FRUGALMENNONITE for 10% off.

2.  If you don’t want to spend $90 for an Apple watch band, then I suggest buying your watch bands from Solace Bands.  They are offering buy two bands, get two free for Black Friday.

3.  Every year I gift my husband two sun protection shirts from Coolibar.  They last for years and they are offering 50% off everything for Black Friday.

4.  I use Bombas socks and underwear for stocking stuffers.  Long lasting, high quality and they donate an equal amount of product to charity for each purchase.  For Black Friday they are offering 25% off.

More Frugal Christmas ideas will be coming your way tomorrow.

God bless,

Pam

Happy Thanksgiving

 Bless you, your family and friends!

Two Hurricanes in Two Weeks

 Hurricane Helene hit my county with tides higher than I have ever seen.  The beaches were devastated, but we also had inland flooding caused by the tides backing water up into creeks and bayous.  Two hospitals were closed down due to flash flooding and have not reopened.  People living on those tiny bodies of water had three to four feet of water in their homes.

Some of my neighbors have an extra family living with them and expect them to stay with them for at least a year.

And everyone has heard and seen the damage Helene did in the Carolinas.

When it became possible that Hurricane Milton might hit my county as a category 5 hurricane we decided to evacuate.  It took us 9 1/2 hours to travel to a city that is normally 3 1/2 hours away.  And a distracted driver back ended my car in the process.

Fortunately, our home was not damaged and my car has been somewhat repaired.  Debris (so much debris) is being removed from roadways.  We had lost our frozen and refrigerated food, so I applied to be reimbursed by FEMA and they approved my application.

Life is returning to normal and I will be writing my Frugal Christmas posts this weekend and will begin filming our work in the house and garden.

God bless,

Pam