Finer Things: Kindred Spirits



Photo from Outdoor Gulf Coast

We had a great picnic at Dickson Park near the backgate of NAS Pensacola to celebrate the end of this year's co-op. Lots of happy moms and children. The director and her honorary assistant made thoughtful presents not just for the teachers but all the moms. They used coupons and bought for-mom-only items like Bic Soleil razor, bodywashes and notecards (from the hardware store!) We had door prizes of fresh picked summer veggies that I just had to cook and enjoy that same day.

Teacher gifts they'll appreciate!

When I talked to the director, it turns out that she started couponing for her family. She was even sharing some deals I didn't know about. I already really like and look up to her. My heart felt light as I realized she is a kindred spirit! That's up there in my list of finer things.

This post is linked to Amy's Finer Things Friday.

Sushi from Publix

I love Amy's Finer Things Friday. It reminds me to constantly look out for the marvelous in the mundane. This is especially helpful for Date-Night-In. Grandparents live far away and babysitting can be costly. So we hangout at home when the children sleep and we watch movies from the Redbox. Or the Blockbuster Express found inside Publix. With all the savings, we do splurge on the snacks. Sushi is my favorite date food. I look forward to it like I do Starbucks Ice Cream.

Sushi from Publix is borderline expensive to me, but it is so yummy. One catch though, I only recommend getting it from Mobile Hwy. Mike and Sharon, owners of the Sushi franchise, are artists. They even change the menu to suit the seasons. For example, this summer, we had sushi with mango salsa. Mike used to work fulltime at a restaurant making sushi before starting on his own. I like getting the spicy sampler because it's so pretty with all the sauces and different trimmings. I hope you get to try it. You can probably ask for a sample if they are there working. They are such a pleasant couple.

Finer Things: Bartering

It's not so much what you barter, but who you barter with. I feel like when you barter, you offer your best and it's reciprocal. I'm getting more than lettuce and rosemary. But more importantly, a fine friendship. And you can't trade that for anything!

Harkening the good old days when friends helped each other out is a fine thing! Visit Amy and share your Fine Thing.

Finer Things: Happy Memories

Link-up with Amy at Finer Things Friday and feel a smile overtake you! The images below are Steve Edson's.

My Fine Thing this week is fond memories. That could be anything right? But for a young mom submerged in the overwhelming day-to-day struggles of motherhood, it’s hard to even remember anything past yesterday. My mind is filled to the brim with to-dos and I-didn’ts that only this week did I find myself smiling and remembering good things about myself.

On Thursday, I was reminiscing with my husband about the one time in my life I played sports. Well, most won’t even consider Crew a sport. But that’s what I did for 4 months in high school. Before then, I grew up in Manila and it was either you did well in academics or sports. Both was not an option since most of the intramural games were during school hours.Somehow, my newly immigrated mom allowed me to sign-up for crew my junior year in high school. We ran 3 miles to and from the lake everyday after school and spent a couple hours rowing. It was late winter when the season started and ice floated along the banks of the lake. The water was freezing cold and we would dip our bruised knuckles to numb the pain. We would row to the middle of the lake and lay on our backs, looking up at the sky. What peace I felt then. And as we rowed, the stillness of the water ahead reflected the houses and trees perfectly like a painting.
It didn’t matter that I couldn’t tell right from left, which was vital for that sport. I must have been the worse one in the bunch! But the camaraderie I felt healed a lot of the wounds I felt being the new kid in town. Here I was part of a team on a boat in a country I never thought I would live in. All these good memories have been a balm to my soul:

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” - Philippians 4:8

Finer Things: Surprise Daffodils

A couple of weeks ago, we went to Orange Beach to visit their Publix. As we walked to the car, my husband told me he needed to go back inside to use the bathroom. So the kids and I pushed the cart off to a very nice parking spot he found. One thing wrong, though. I forgot my keys! The kids and I stood next to the car with our groceries. Good thing it was nice and sunny. I wondered what was keeping hubby so long.

Then he came out with a pot of daffodils! A thank you for doing such a great job shopping, he said. Aww. Inside the store, he asked an older lady if he should get me flowers he wanted (a bouquet) or what he knows I would want (a potted plant). Of course she told him to get me what I want. And I'm so glad he did. Five bulbs were getting a bit crowded in the pot. I repotted them as soon as we got home. Now, I don't need to wait for spring. I have three pots of it greeting me outside! Sprintime flowers, what a fine thing! See more Finer Things to lift your spirits.

Suprise Flowers from Broccoli

I love that Target sells vegetable starters. My foray into gardening has only yielded minimal results from seed planting. So I am heavily dependant on these seed starters. Plus at $1.25 a pot, it's worth it for me. They have lots of interesting plants like lettuce and rosemary. The variety is unpredictable. When they had broccoli starters, I got one. That thing stayed looking the same for months. I had no idea where to look for the florets when they popped out. One day, when all hope was lost (I had stopped watering all the plants when winter started because I got lazy), I walked by it and saw the florets. Instead of picking it, we left them on the plant because, hey, it was amazing! I've never seen broccoli grow before. A week or so later, it bloomed into these tiny yellow flowers. So adorable! Who knew broccoli could be a flower arrangement. Now I'm letting them all grow instead of eating it. I'm hoping we get seeds out of this too.

Surprises in nature is truly a fine thing! Join Amy every Friday and revel in the Fine Things life offers.

California Dreamin'

Welcome Company Girls! While it's evening here now, I still put on a pot of coffee. The gentle pitter-patter of rain outside just calls for it!

Today I did laundry and got reacquainted with the lint remover. Some black socks came out spotted with white fuzz. Does that happen to you? Hubby was sick and left some tissue in his jean pockets. As I rolled the lint remover over 12 socks back and forth, I was surprised with calm that came over me. I got these lint removers free a while back and thinking of freebies makes me happy. BTW, that's my Frugal Friday tip: be on the look-out for freebies. Every week I get something for free. This week it was toilet paper, paper towels and post-it notes. Pair a few coupons with a sale, voila! Instant frugal. It's easy to find freebies at Target, Publix, and Wal-Mart, too.

Now you know how easily amused I get. On a more serious note, flu season hit my laptop. Not too long ago, I cleaned out a virus. And this week it got two at the same time! Thankfully, all my docs and pics were saved from the last incident. I had to reboot the whole system. But what I forgot to copy was all the addresses of my bookmarked favorites! Oh well. At least I got to spend more time with family. Just this Tuesday, hubby and I stayed up til the wee hours of the night talking while he worked out and I clipped coupons. Just like college days when no sleep was routine.

We've only had one overnight trip away from the kids when we went to Monterey, CA. Since living in the Gulf Coast, I've forgotten how wonderful it is being engulfed by mountains. The crisp air and cool nights was a relief that summer. Except for when I thought we'd fall off the mountain and die driving Big Sur, it was a perfect trip! Even though I can't wait to get away there again, being able to reconnect with my husband when the kids are asleep this week has filled up my emotional tank. Having no agenda except to share and dream together is truly a Fine Thing.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! Enjoy the link love. I hope you will visit other sites I've listed here. The fellowship is unsurpassed at Company Girl Coffee. Frugal Fridays is filled with inspiringly economical tips. Finer Things Friday keeps me motivated to stay positive.