Still Picking up the Pennies

  Hello everyone, I wanted to do a quick post to wish everyone a blessed and Happy Thanksgiving. I got a blessing in disguise this past week. I am not ready to talk about the details yet, but I will have a lot more time on my hands. I will begin posting here more regularly. I will be getting back to my basic frugal lifestyle so be ready for that.  I made chicken enchiladas last night for dinner. I used this recipe  but I used can sauce and I tripled it. My oldest son is working the midnight shift and he likes to take leftovers from dinner with him. He works from 10pm to 6am and there is no place to get food at that time locally. And he is very frugal (this makes my mamma's heart smile). I will write again soon. 

   I  am not even sure what words to use:  Take Back Your Life.   The last 6 months have been so unforeseen. I am a person that prays every day and believes: those who follow in the Lord's example will be blessed with the afterlife. It has been a time of turmoil but also a load of blessings. I could focus on the fact that my college-age son did not get the satisfaction of a graduation ceremony. Truth be told, I am not sure he would have enjoyed anyhow. He received his degree. WOOHOO!! Joel has an associate's degree in Criminal Justice. The world is his oyster.  Now the school year is about to start for my youngest son, he is a junior in High School. After much debate, we have decided he will be a virtual learner. He has the opinion at any time to join on-campus classes seamlessly.  I love the Autumn season. I feel it is time to wrap up the fun-loving carefree time of summer. It is time to get back to the routines of life. We need to prepare for th...

Disclosure: We received a copy of this book to facilitate our honest and unbiased review. All thoughts and opinions stated are of those of the Still Picking Up the Pennies family. No financial compensations was received.    Hand Lettered Truth by Debbie Bratton is beautifully illustrated with quotes from the Bible. I used this book to enhance my daily devotional time.  I have enjoyed this book of daily encouragement so much I sent a copy to a family member who is experiencing a difficult time right now. The book is hardcover and is of great quality. One of my most favorite details is a gift-giving page with a space to write the person given to and from, along with the date. #HandLetteredTruth  @ellieclairegifts @handletteredtruth.

Yesterday morning we woke up to a dusting of new snow, May 8! New snow in May is beyond crazy. We have enjoyed a few warm spring days, so all hope of warm weather is not lost. I received a new camera for my birthday and I finally took it out of the package and started learning how to use it. This is a sure sign of spring in the Upper Pennisula of Michigan, the first spring visit by a Robin. Even if there is still a few snowbanks in the yard.  Most of the winter the chickens stayed inside the coop, so seeing them free-ranging the yard is also a sign of warmer weather. Also, we are thrilled to start getting eggs from our girls again. We have gotten spoiled by having fresh eggs.  My Grandmother has lived with us for the past two years, and she loves watching birds. I purchased this bird feeder . I look forward to taking more photos as birds migrate north. So far we have seen a Blue Jay, Startlings, and Chickadees.  I cannot believe tomorrow is Mot...

In Michigan, schools are closed until April 13, 2020, due to the Corona Viris pandemic.  Schools being closed has a huge impact on my family. My oldest son was living in an apartment 1 1/2 hours away from home going to college, my youngest son is a sophomore in our local school district. I work for an university that has sent all of the students home and all the employees are working remotely until May 15, 2020.  My Hubby works at a water plant which is an essential role, so he is still working outside the home. My Gram lives with us and now will have company all day every day, which makes her happy.  Our lives are turned up-side-down, but if it keeps us all healthy and alive, we will cope with it. It will take some effort on everyone's part. As I am working and go to school mostly online, I need to work at organization. Organizing my time and space. Working from home wasn't planned so I am working on organization while working.  I need to schedule my time so ...

Hello everyone, it has been a long time. Last Friday morning we woke up to a fresh foot of snow. Today it is 55 degrees and spring fever has hit everyone in the house. The snow is melting like crazy. We have helped it, by removing what we can from the roof and sidewalks. Both of my boys are outside enjoying the sunshine. The oldest is home from college for spring break. He will have his associate degree in Criminal Justice in May. Giveaway time!!! The Nutty Professor: The Nutty Professor stars Eddie Murphy, Eddie Murphy, and more Eddie Murphy. In this hysterical science-fiction comedy Eddie Murphy plays Professor Klump and most of the Klump family. Extremely over-weight Professor Sherman Klump is desperately wanting to lose weight, but nothing seems to work. All he really wants is someone to love him. So he goes to his laboratory at the university and develops a formula that causes massive weight loss and other side effects as well. With his special chemical compound h...

Sadly I have to report our winter break is over. Our 20-year-old was home from college for an entire month. Our 16-year-old was out of school for 2 weeks over the holiday break. I took 6 days of vacation so I was off the same time our 16-year old was. We had a lot of time to spend as a family, which does my momma heart good. We took time to rest and recuperate from the stresses of everyday life.  We enjoyed a few movie nights.     My hubby and I enjoyed sharing some of our favorite movies with our two boys. Many laughs were had. The Nutty Professor never fails. We have seen this before but forgot how funny it is. Our boys had ever seen Abbot and Costello before, but again many laughs. Our oldest son Joel is going to college for a degree in Law Enforcement and loves crime-fighting movies so he really enjoyed Big Trouble in Little China. Turtle Odyssey was a heartwarming story we all enjoyed also.