Last week, next week

Last week

continue work on Tori's sweater - this needs to be done by the end of January!
schedule class on mid arm system - they were closed for the holiday

Tomorrow's my birthday, and in typical fashion, I'm making my own dinner. Not because no one else will, or because I haven't been offered dinner out, but because I WANT to. I'll pick up a nice piece of local grain fed beef and roast it perfectly rare. I look forward to it all year. I haven't decided on a birthday cake yet, but I think it won't be chocolate. Maybe lemon, or something with raspberries.

I went for a little walk a bit ago - it's a beautiful day, but cold. I went into the woods, it looks different at this time of year with the underbrush leafless. The sun is so low in the sky during this part of the year there are places it won't reach again for a month. The snow's a little deeper in those spots, and the animal tracks a little fewer. Even the little creatures appreciate a cleared path and thinner snow cover it seems. Walking back there is a little tricky too. I could hear the creek gurgling under the ice, and I could plainly make out the stream bed, but there are fallen trees and hollows covered and filled with snow, and I'm not so familiar with the trail (that's not really much of a trail anyway) that I know what's where. But it was nice to be outside, I'm going to try to make the effort to go out there at least once a week.

In my quest to save an extra $1000 this year I've decided to strat using coupons. Manufacturers and stores make it so with a little effort I rarely have to pay full price for anything. Awesome! When I was a kid, I remember my mom shopping the sales and using coupons, and my dad being TOTALLY against the idea of going into a store and only buying items on sale. I don't have that kind of hang up, in fact I'll do exactly that and giggle like a little kid if I can use a coupon as well. Then I haul out my cloth bags and get an EXTRA 3¢ or 5¢ back for every plastic bag I don't need. I can see the sales flyers for all 3 local-ish grocery stores online, they all give me the opportunity to create a shopping list, and several of them offer extra online only coupons. Score! I think I'll keep track of just what I save with coupons and transfer that $10 or so right into the savings account. Painless.

This week

Dinner Menu
Sunday - pulled pork
Monday - prime rib, garlic mashed potatoes, green beans
Tuesday - turkey rice soup
Wednesday - grilled chicken breasts, egg noodles
Thursday - fried rice
Friday - Pizza
Saturday - pancakes
Sunday - pork loin

Needlework
finish second arm of Tori's sweater
schedule class on mid arm system

Other
Work: baking only Tuesday, Thursday, full shift Friday.
Happy Birthday to me!
Book club Thursday