I'm half way to crazy, and not far from sane

Winter is depressing. 

Growing up my dad always got sad during the winter months.  From about December to March he was a little more cranky and much less talkative.  I learned early on that that was Daddy's "quiet time".

Like father like daughter.  I am not a happy camper during winter.  I am cranky, moody and spiteful. 
And that is all before I get out of bed.   I have not worked a full week since Christmas.  There has been over a foot of snow per week every week since Christmas. We are sitting at 57 inches.  There is no where for it to go.  So it just sits there.  They scrap it into big ugly brown piles.  We now have so much that they are loading it into dump trucks and exporting the snow.  Yes.  We are sending it to places with less snow. 
Snow is not beautiful.  It is not magical.  It is ugly.

There is no way it will melt before August.  I will be laying by the pool next to huge piles of snow.  Fact.

You may think, Jessa you are just wining.  That is not true. I have taken action. I am purposely trying to make the snow feel unwelcome until it runs home crying.  This is an attack on many levels.

1. I had a long hard talk with the snow as I shoveled my car out of the snow for the 567243059872345 th time this month.  But it did not come around to my way of thinking so I kicked it.  Unfortunately snow is a wimp and does fight like a man.  It moved and my foot hit my car.  But it was scared.  I could feel its fear. 
2. I stand outside and scream profanity at the sky as the snow comes down. 
3. I talk very loudly about how the sun is a much better friend. I constantly compare it to the sun.  I say things like "The sun never would make me go to such efforts to get to my car".

And if that little ground hog sees his shadow, it is going to be ground hog stew for dinner at my house because that little guy is not gonna make it through the night.   6 more weeks of winter is UNACCEPTABLE!

This is a story about a shirt...

There is a shirt that hangs in my closet.  It doesn't belong to me, but it has hung there everyday for the last 15 years.  It has lived in 3 houses, 4 dorm rooms, and 2 apartments. It graduated high school with me, it went to college with me, it was there when I started my first job.  It has been through more boyfriends than I care to remember. It was there when I got married.  It will still be there when I have babies. It will probably even be there when they go to college.

It's a 1980s western style brown stripped pearl snapped shirt. You will never catch me wearing it in public.  It wouldn't match and its much to big.  But sometimes when I'm home alone, I take it out and slip it on. The shirt is magic. Somehow I can breath a little easier and walk a little taller.  I become a little girl again, eating popcorn and watching Animal Shows. 

Someday when I am very old, I will see the owner of the shirt. I know that when I walk up to those big pearly gates he's gonna be sitting in a lawn chair with his whittling stick. 

But until then, I will just wear the shirt and remember.

Normal is broke. So I think weird is a compliment!

As it turns out I am in fact my grandmothers child.  Growing up my mother was concerned as it seemed I adopted none of the homemaker genes.  I had no interest in cooking, cleaning, sewing, gardening.  To me that stuff was stuff I did when I was forced.  It seems that living on my own and then getting married has flipped a switch.  Maybe you don't adopt those skills until they are needed.

Hubs and I are working the Dave Ramsey plan to pay off our debts.  But in order to have more money to throw at the debt snowball we have started trying to save in other areas. My focus has been the grocery budget I can tell he thinks I am taking it to an extreme but it has become a sport to me.  Each weekend I sit down with the weekly circular for 3 different grocery store looking for the best deals.  I plan my meals around what is on sale.  And what isn't on sale I shop around to find the best possible price.  I realize this is weird.  But I can't explain the thrill I get from walking out of stop & shop having spent less than $20 and having gotten $50 worth of groceries.  It feels like I am getting away with something!   It's a rush.  You should try it.  I haven't really even gotten into coupons yet.  That is my next step.  

I think if I make it back to a place I can grow food to lower my food bill even more, my husband won't even know what hit him.  Poor kid! 

Cutting down our expenses also means we don't get to go out to eat as much.  I actually love this! 

It gives me more opportunities to cook.  

My crock pot has become my new best friend.  I use it probably 3 times a week.  Taco soup, Chili, Beans,  Stew, and Chicken.  Yum Yum!

This week I discovered how to cook a whole chicken in the crock pot  on this blog.   This is my new favorite thing.  I have always used frozen Tyson's chicken breasts.  But I was paying nearly $11 for a 2 lb bag!   The cost per unit on that was horrible!  I discovered I could get a 7 lb chicken for $ 0.99 a lb.  

It lasted for 3 meals.   The first day we had chicken with veggies.  The next day we had chicken sandwiches , then on the third day I baked the rest into a chicken and rice casserole.  It also let me make my own chicken broth that I will be making chicken noodle soup with later.  

Before I sign off I want to give you a link to the  Simple Dollar.  This blog has inspired me!

Oh and I think you need some pictures!

My grandmother.  I hope someday to be as thrifty as she is.  

 My crock pot chicken. So yummy!

Did I mention I am now making my own bread?