SUPER BOWL TAX SUNDAY, PET WHIPPED, & SUNDAY SIESTA

I got up later than usual this Sunday morning in order to get my taxes done for free!  The State of Illinois has a grant that provides free tax service on a first come, first serve basis every year on Super Bowl Sunday.  I got in and out pretty quick once they got started.  Thats another checkmark off my to do list.  So, 2010 is officially over.  Gooooood riddance!

Sista had to go to Wal-mart, so I tagged along for the ride.  We got groceries, and we both got our hair cut while we were there. Very convenient that Wal-mart.

Ziggy and Caity are sprawled out in front on the heater as I type.  They are staring at the heat coils, together.  Who would have thunk, they would have become buds, when I first brought Caity home.  Caity hates cats,  she has grown to like Ziggy, but only because he lets her chase him.  The other day, Ziggy turn the tables on Caity.  He started chasing Caity though the house.  For a split second, Caity turned around to make sure she was really being chased by the cat (to her surprise.)  Then turned back around and ran for her life!  As if to say, "This is new, whats gotten in to you?  You'll never catch me!"

Sista does not have any pets.  She is amazed that the pets and I know what each other are  thinking.  My friends with pets are amazed that she is amazed.  They are like, "Duh, of course we do!"  And, I am like, "I know!"  "How can she not know this!"  Yesterday was Girlfriend's Day Out.  A group of church friends get together when we each can once a month for lunch.  As we started getting our coats on, we were saying how we had to rush off to let the dog(s) out, or feed the pets, while Sista just shook her head.  She thinks we are pet whipped.  I guess we are since my friend Suzanne and I took doggie bags home to share with our animals, Red Lobster, no less.

I've been invited to a Super Bowl party for non-super bowl fanatics, where instead of watching the game, we play cards and board games.  I should have left 30 minutes ago.  But all I want to do is enjoy a Sunday siesta and read some more of my book.

A good rest is what I've decided to have.  So sleepy.  COME TO THE PURPLE DOOR WITH FLOWERCHIC next time...and I have no idea what we'll talk about.

Viva La Siesta!  La Chicka FLOWERCHIC!

THE OTTER COVER IS PRETTY COOL, RUNNING AROUND, & FELLOW BLOGGERS

Yesterday was a full day.  Ran around Paducah and Metropolis taking care of business and buying my Otter cover to protect my IPhone.

This Otter cover is the coolest phone cover ever.  You cover you phone with a hard case cover, then enclose both in a silicone cover, which also protects your phone in case you drop it on a hard or wet surface. Then there is a semi hard plastic cover to cover  your screen. Then it has little doors on the silicone cover that cover all your phone buttons and jacks.  I must say, when I started looking at this my first thought was, "Oh boy, here I go back into my MacGyver mode, where I totally over prepare for life's mishaps."   But I got over it, and decided on the blue one.  Pretty neat.  Then I went to Big Wireless, just off Jordon Crossing road, to get my phone charger, half the regular price everywhere else. Yay bargain.  Then I found my bluetooth at Best Buy.  I've never had one of these, but figured with all the new cell phone laws out regarding driving and talking, it would be wise to get one.  So, I am officially accessorized, and just waiting for the phone to be delivered.

I tell you what, this saving up your nickel, dimes, and pennies, along with Christmas money, found money, and Birthday money sure makes life funner (I not sure if funner is a real word, but spell checks seems to like it. Hum...)  I have been planning and saving for this a full year.

I found another blog to follow for a total of three.  They are TAKE THE CANNOLI, THE JOURNEY CONTINUES, & THIS MORMON ARMY WIFE.

Take the Cannoli is by a pregnant blogger who is married to a guy, whose culture is Latin.  They have a cute little girl, and she has great unhealthy recipes.  The Journey Continues is blogged by a married college professor from New York who is also a grandparent with a farm outside of New York with a garden he and his wife are starting.  Lots of maintenance upkeep on this farm.  But it seems worth it, because it is the one place that accommodates all their kids and grandkids for the holidays.  Next, This Mormon Army Wife is just what the blog title says.  She has a small child, a boy, and is big on not eating sugar, and has neat cooking alternatives.

So I am getting healthy recipes, and no where near healthy recipes, and farm, and garden ideas.  Smile.

That's it for now, COME TO THE PURPLE DOOR again, and next time we'll either talk a little or a lot about nothing, or maybe...something truly profound.

Catch ya later gators, FLOWERCHIC is signing out!

SORTING IT ALL OUT FOR SPRING

I have finally gotten all my clothes organized by seasons.  I have one bag ready to go to the salvation army, two tubs stored away, one for summer/spring and one for winter.  Then there is the pile we all have and cannot bear to part with.  Clothes we love for sentimental reasons, for the sake of comfort, but are way past wearing outside the house, and those clothes we can no longer fit in due to our love of DQ and McDonald french fries.  For instance, I have this gorgeous red dress and long coat to go with it that if I could refrain from pulling into DQ or Micky D's, I could actually fit into by spring.  In case you have not noticed by reading my blog, red is one of my favorite colors.  Except for red roses.  I don't know if I un-consciencely have an issue with life long commitment or if I just like pink and tropicana orange roses best.  For what ever reason, red roses are not my favorite.

So the salvation army bag is off the the front entryway.  Yay me!  The two tubs are stacked in the corner and other than Caity the dog, nothing at all exists under my bed.  Boy, that has been on my bucket list forever.

Next up, the dreaded bedroom closet.  Ugh.

Back from Verizon after ordering my iPhone, so I won't have to wait in line at the Verizon store on the 10th.  Buying an iPhone is like buying a car.  I had to buy a special car charger for Apple products only, a hard case cover, then if you bought a bluetooth you got 30% off.  So the bargain guru that I am, I bought all three.  Then to order the phone you have to remember your Verizon password, which I just changed yesterday that did not work tonight, so I had to change in while at the store.  Plus I road around with Linda while she got her phone activated and set up with a special cover to protect her screen and a nifty cover.  Whew, I'm worn out!

Hopefully I am smart enough to activate and download my applications I want.  And, I cannot wait till I get to take pictures and upload them for my blog and facebook.

COME TO THE PURPLE DOOR again, because who knows whats going on in FLOWERCHIC's world to talk about.  Ciao for now!

IT MAY BE HARD TO WRAP YOUR MIND AROUND & THE DECISION IS MADE

O.K, this is quirky, so I warn you that I felt the same way the first time I saw this!  Rachel Ray, Cooking with Lydia, and The Test Kitchen have all cooked this recipe and each time I thought, "Yuck."

Cook spaghetti till al dente, then drain leaving in a small amount of water.  Add grated Parmesan cheese and set aside. You take a garlic clove and saute it in olive oil in a skillet.  Remove the slightly toasted garlic from the oil, and add two eggs.  Do not scramble, fold in noodles on top of egg mixture continuing till cooked the way you like your eggs.  Add fresh grated peppercorns. Serve for breakfast or any meal.  Delish!

I substituted drained Romain noodles and added half the seasoning packet (shrimp) along with Parmesan cheese and a little water. Stir together before adding to the egg mixture.

I have made the above original recipe without the egg and it is delish too.

My dad fixed this for years separately and never knew he was a Top Chef, until I told him I saw it fixed on the Today Show.  He would eat fried eggs and a bowl of Romain noodles.

I was so surprised that I liked this.  If you are adventurous, give it a try.  I warn you, it is bland to look at, so add a sprig of parsley or green onion blade to jazz it up.

The decision has been made.  I feel as though a drum roll is necessary, because it took me till now to make my final decision.  I'm going with Sista to pre-order my iPhone at the Verizon store today.  I would like to have a white one, but black may be the only color available.  Either way, I am definitely going to buy some sort of case to cover it.  Way too many friends have dropped their phones, and this puppy is an investment for me.  I'll take a pic of something and upload it for my blog.

I mainly wanted an iPhone for picture taking and video, music and going online.  I really don't talk on the cell phone that much at all.  I have the basic, basic, minimal plan as it is.

I should be able to download the Bible application, which will make room in the teeny, tiny, red purse I carry.  Also ditch the address book.  Then I'll have more room in my purse for more necessary, uh...ummm, "stuff".

Part of being my own best friend is making conscience decisions that will simplify my life.  This is one more quality decision made in the right direction.

My blog allotted time is up, so I must get back to sorting spring, summer and winter clothes, and getting a bag ready to take to the salvation army.  I am still doing my spring cleaning early a little bit at a time.  Just think, when spring actually does get here I can do fun stuff instead with my organized and deeply cleaned home.

That is all for today.  COME TO THE PURPLE DOOR again and we'll see what creative things have happened since the last time.  Oh yeah, I found two other blogs to follow yesterday and I am having fun reading whats happening in their blogs too.  If you want to join me as a follower, just hit the "follow" button on my blog and sign up, if you don't have a Google account already, you can register for an account on there too.  I obviously like my blog, and there are other blogs to enjoy as well.  Bye till next time!

FLOWERCHIC

  

SISTA & I SHOP FOR CELL PHONES & WHOOSE UP AT 3 O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING?

Sista and I went shopping for cell phones yesterday!  It is time for us to upgrade our cell phones if we choose to.  I can't decide just yet what I want, but we are trying to shop around.  By trying, I mean to not outright buy the phone we are leaning towards.  That is why she and I are going shopping as a team.  We both have our money ready to spend.  She has more money than I do, so she is more free Willy to spend first time out of the boat. I had to hold the girl back.  Since we are sisters, and I am the youngest, I try and return the favor over the years and watch her back for her.  She was lamenting about not buying her phone last night.  So I kept telling her, "You do what you want, but I think you should wait and shop around a little more."  We usually buy the same identical phone, but I am leaning towards a iPhone and she is leaning toward a Droid Incredible.  I am very fugal with my money and so is she.  The Droid Incredible is very reasonable priced, but obviously does not have the amenities that the iPhone offers.

I am at the stage, where I am willing, in some cases, to pay a little more in order to get more conveniences.  Sista says all she cares about is that the phone be able to ring when a call comes through, and she be able to communicate with the person on the other end.  Which is not true, she talking "smack," she likes to text, likes ring tones (I don't even use those), like to go online with her phone (once again, I don't even pay for that).  The only thing is, she hates to spend the money.  Like I said before, we both fugal AKA cheapskates.

The Apple iPhones don't come out until the 10th of this month. That's nine days from today.  So I go online this morning at 3 a.m. at apple.com to check the specs out on the iPhone.  I just e-mailed them to Sista so we would be on the same page.  I will post this most monumental information of which phone we end up buying later.

I will digress here.  Did anybody wonder why Flowerchic woke up at 3 a.m.?  Well Flowerchic has wondered about this herself.  I took an intercessory class that was taught at my church.  And the intercessor who taught the class had us to do a homework assignment, which was to ask God what time He would like to converse with us.  She says God will choose a time in your day when he will be most be able to have your undivided attention.  Well Flowerchic's time is 3 a.m.  When it is time to write a poem or story, the ideas usually come around 3 a.m.  I need to pray about something I can't decipher on my own, I'm up at 3 a.m.  I make a lot of decisions at 3 a.m.  That does not mean you can call me on the phone at 3 a.m. just to chat (smile.)

Most of my friends are Christians and a lot of them are in ministry and have been for many years, actually all Christians are, except they carry the administrative duties that are apart of ministry, and some of them attended this same class.  So I know when a few of their prayer times are. Plus as you make new friends the topic comes up in conversation and you find out that way too.  Sometimes I'm just curious and I'll ask out right when their time is.  It comes in handy.

One day I woke up in a panic, totally stressed to the max and I no sooner had opened my eyes.  It was so bad that felt my prayers were not enough, and the scriptures I needed I could not remember or find in my bible, and the ones I did find didn't fit in my mind.  I knew I needed help and someone to pray for and with me.  So one of my fb friends, who is in ministry starts posting scripture on her wall about this time.  So I get on fb, get on Chat and she is online.  So I am crying, in a bad way, and trying to type what is going on.  She types back, Lets pray/type The Lord's prayer.  I'll start out typing and then you'll type."  I was in such a state, she ended up typing  the whole thing out and proceeded to minister to me online.

It had been many years since I have woke in such a state as that. But, I had let my situation build up against me with only a minimum amount of Word going into my mind, and that was the result. I had let my guard down, and opened the door, by not digging in the Word.  Thankfully I had a Christian friend who I knew, that was able to help me when under attack.

You never know what you'll read when you COME TO THE PURPLE DOOR WITH FLOWERCHIC.  Sometimes neither does FLOWERCHIC!  Well come on back next time and we'll ponder life's subject matter of the day once again.  Maybe Sista and I will have made up our minds on which phone to buy!

Peace out, FLOWERCHC!  Tee-hee!

EVERY DAY IS A GREAT DOGGIE DAY & STAY AWAY FROM THE TINY SQUARE BOX!

I tell you what, that Caity is something special!  I learn life lesson from Caity the dog quite often.  You're thinking, "What new feat has Caity the Wonder dog done now in her biased owner sight?"  I know, I think quite a bit of my little dog and hardly cease to tell any and all about her many extraordinary qualities.  For example, every morning I take Caity out of her crate to go outside, she is so excited.  She's got her doggie smile on, she dances, she lavishes everyone and everything in sight with doggie kisses, and she tears through the house as if to say, "This is going to be a great doggie day!  I have often thought Caity would make a wonderful addition to our praise and worship team at church. She'd tell the audience, "Everybody stand to your feet, hug and kiss you neighbor, greet them with a smile, get excited for the Lord, then run around the  sanctuary and express the joy of the Lord in you!

We have a great praise and worship team already.  Of course, after adding Caity, it could be said, "That HHC worship team sure has gone to the dogs!"  But that would be a true compliment!  Well, I'm not so sure how they would take that, so maybe we'll think on it more before putting it in the suggestion box that Caity be allowed to join!

I'm not much on doom and gloom, there is enough of that going around and my life decision is to not dwell too much on it.  I am learning to pray about things going on in my world and then turn things over to God more and more.  Sometimes I slip up and have to back track myself and correct my thoughts and words, but that's O.K. I'm a work in progress.  I once read a book about Nelson Mandela where he says  he always leaves himself the option to change his mind.  He was criticized for changing his position in his own life and as South Africa's first black President.  But he never let that deter him from changing his mind about something. Its not about approval, its about the personal journey and not letting yourself be confined to a tiny  square box created for you by others.

That's all so far today, but the day is far from over.  I'll add more as the day goes on and re-post if something unique or funny happens.

COME TO THE PURPLE DOOR again and we'll see what's shaking in world at that time.  Until then, FLOWERCHIC.

Sunsets

I love rainbows, sunset and sunrises. They are God's kisses from above. Many years ago I worked the 11-7 shift at Best Inns. I had a couple from Waterloo, IL that used to come downstairs for coffee and donuts to watch the sunrise with me. We would look out the hotel windows, sip coffee and when the sun would rise, we would be like, "Awww, we get another day!" I forget what their names were. He would always get a kick out waiting for the mailman to drive up to the mailbox to deliver the mail. Then he would go get it and bring it in to me, or leave it on the counter! Sometimes its the little stuff makes you smile when you look back!

They also taught me a secret on how to save money! But that is another story for another day!

This was a short post this morning, but that's how it works out, sometimes there is a lot going on and other times not so much.

COME TO THE PURPLE DOOR again and we'll see what we can ponder together next!  Never miss an opportunity to enjoy a sunset, or a sunrise.  Next time you see a rainbow blow a kiss to God, and tell Him thank you for keeping His promise.

See ya!

FLOWERCHIC

STOCKING THE PANTRY FOR WINTER AND BARGAINS GALLORE

I am determined to blog today in one setting. Lets see what has been going on in my vast world. Sister, Mom, and I went bargain shopping Saturday morning and then grocery shopping. By the time we left Aldi, Sister's car was packed to the gills. All three of us had the same idea of stocking our pantry for the winter. This time I bought a case of crushed tomatoes instead of a few cans here and there, because I always run out when in the mood to make a good pot of soup or a large bowl of pasta. Aldi's has the best crushed tomatoes for cooking and whole tomatoes too. All I do is add chopped onion, garlic, sea salt, fresh ground pepper, basil, fresh parsley is best, and oregano, then add pasta, and it is the bomb. I watched an Italian cooking show that advised, "the simpler the sauce the better." They are correct. I bought a case for 99 cents each of the large can. I also stocked up on pinto beans by buying a case of the large cans. Can you believe it, 99 cents a can. What a barg. I love chili in the winter. I bought a pound of jalapeno pepper and I'll need to core and chop them and then put in a plastic bag in the freezer. This is time consuming from the get go, but well worth it in the long run. Just open the bag from the freezor and add to my base, with no additional labor on a need be basis. My favorite thing to do is to stock up on different pasta varieties. I love cooking with different shaped pasta for mac and cheese, and spaghetti.

The best barg at Aldi was the stuffed clam shells at $2.99 for a package of 12. I love stuffed clams, calamari, and just about any seafood.

Yesterday Sister, Mom, and I went to our bargain shops and I found a gem of a sweater cardigan, hand knitted for $3 dollars! I wore it out when taking Caity out last night and was toasty warm. Not only that, it is one of my favorite colors, burgundy. I'll wear it around the house on days I decide to be energy conscience, which will be most days this winter!

Oh, for 50 cents I also found a old charm bracelet with nursery rhyme characters. When I was a kid, every year for my birthday my mom would give me a unique charm bracelet. Charm bracelets are an arm and a leg to collect now days, so I was quite delighted to find it. I showed it to my mom and we deemed it the find of the day! It's nice sharing memories with your mother.

The other gem I found was an old wooden and metal sled. It is rusted and you can just read the name of the sled, of course I can't remember the name right now. It is missing the strings to turn the sled, but I'll come up with something. I am going to tie a wreath around the top and lay it across my Christmas table that I usually place my small tree on, the one that I can't find the legs for. I put them up somewhere, but for the life of me I can't remember where. So, I will use my decorated sled this year, and stack my presents on top. I thought that would be a cool idea.

 O.K. the only draw back of stocking my pantry for the winter and barg shopping on the same day is unloading the car. Caity and I both have taken a tumble this week. As I was unloading my 2 cases of can goods, I had a novel idea of using my new girlie dolly to load them on, and then wheel them into the house in one trip. Only there was a snafu in that the lip at the bottom was too short. So, I scoot the dolly out from under it, and set it aside. Then I decided to take a few cans in my arms, but I forgot where I placed the ones on the ground, and turned around and tripped over them. I fell flat on my tummy. I mean we are talking dead man float face down and cans everywhere. The thing is though, it all happened in slo-mo and I didn't feel any pain. So I laying there behind Linda's car with the trunk lid up, and she doesn't see a thing, nor has she any idea what has happened.  She is probably listening to one of her new CD, she found as her barg of the day. Meanwhile, I'm down and I'm dazed, but I hear a car coming from the opposite directions and think it would be a good idea get up. And I do so, with the driver none the wiser.  Not to be outdid, I trudge onward and get everything loaded in the house, and even take Caity out. But last night, my knees were quite tender and still are.

Caity's tumble came as I was getting ready to take her out. When I take her out of her crate, she is super wild. Remember, she is a Silkie terrior. I mean spas-mic, all over the place, jumping up and down, running in circles, every thing. Some times I put her collar on in the kitchen, and other times I put it on her in the entry way. This time I put it on her in the kitchen. So out we go to the entry way where she gets caught up into our routine of putting her paws on the top shelf of a rack, I have there while I place her leash on her collar, even though I have already placed it on her in the kitchen. She still does it anyways. So I'm putting my coat on, and telling her, "Down Caity, you already have your leash on." Then she is like, "Oh yeah, I do don't I." Her next ditti is she jumps up and down at the door. Well, I inadvertently step on her leash, which throws her down to the ground as she is jumping up in the air. I'm like, "Oh Caity, I'm so sorry," but like her owner, is down for only a second or two, and back to doing her spas-mic routine. Lots of crazy, funny stuff happens in this household. And it's all good. That's all there is to smile and laugh about this time. I try to keep it light and airy when I post because there's enough crazy stuff going on just walking out your front door. So, COME TO THE PURPLE DOOR WITH THE FLOWER CHIC again so we can ponder life, and giggle a little about the small stuff. FLOWERCHIC

A REPRIEVE FROM THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER

OMg (oh my gosh) yesterday was such a wonderful day! Weather wise, and goal wise. Me and the furry friends were up early. Caity and I extended our route and she found all kinds of things to ponder and sniff at along the way. She found a dried up worm on the side walk and thought she was going to get to keep it. She was carrying it in her mouth. It was then that I remembered her last vet bill from eating unmentionables, that I made her drop it dead on the spot. I think we remembered at the same time, because she very easily abandoned it. That was a rough spot of upsets tummy aches for days, and white colored medicine smeared all over her face fur from her refusing to take her medicine. Neither one of us want to repeat that experience.

After feeding them, I went and got gas down the road to mow the yard with. Funny thing, I could not for the life of me get the cap off the gas can to fill it up. I don't know, I guess I have not been eating my spinach like I should. I ended up having to ask this guy for his help. He was like, "Boy this is on tight." He got it off for me though. I love small towns with great people in them. He was dressed up with a cup of coffee in his hand, and he didn't hesitate a bit to help me out.

One of my traits in my personality is that I like to give to people. I guess I get that from my dad. My mom too. But with my dad, he gives outside of most people's comfort zone. I was talking to one of his old friends from back in his day and he said, "For as long as I have known your dad, he has always been blessed. He's been that way from childhood on up. He never seemed to lack like the rest of us." My dad is retired, but he still loves to witness about the Lord to people. Everybody that knows him knows, if you need something prayed about, he will pray with you. There used to be a group of bikers that came into town, and would go up to Hardees to eat. Now my dad does not look like a biker at all, but this group and he just hit it off. They were wary of him at first, but as usual daddy warmed up to them. Then, everywhere they saw him in town, they would all wave real big and start kidding around. Everybody else, they'd give the, 'Don't even look in the same direction as me look." But back in the day he used to ride an Indian Harley Davidson. Mom used to try to get him to go to church with us on Sundays, but he just didn't have time for the Lord. He had "guy" things to do, he and his buddies. Mostly ride up and down the highway on their bikes. Long story short, he was witness to tenaciously by our neighbor, whose name was Mr. Otis Skaggs. He was such kind and funny man, Mr Skaggs. Daddy later rededicated his life to the Lord and afterward, became a minister. Had Mr. Skaggs not taken the assignment of witnessing to my dad, my childhood would have been totally different than what God had in mind. Dad was called to preach, which is why he didn't want to go to church with my mom and us. How he was pursued by the Lord via our neighbor is a sweet and humorous story that will have you laughing at all the trouble God goes though to put us in a blessed place, despite ourselves. If you want to hear his story, just ask him. He'll smile real big and begin to tell you about his journey.

As you can tell, I'm a daddy's girl, and as you may have already found out, I am also a momma's girl. I am blessed everyday to have them both in my life. I'm pretty big on my sister Linda too. I would not trade that ole girl for nothin' either. I'm blessed coming and going.

Now I digress, so I must get back to my day yesterday. I got my gas and filled up the beastmaster and conquered the yard. Then I weeded. Did a couple of loads of laundry, and speaking of laundry (get ready, for I shall digress again)...is there nothing like bleached whites? My mother is from Brownfield Il, hoorah. She was raised by my greatgrandmother, Carrie Sydes Dabbs and my greatgrandfather, Louis Dabbs. My great grandmother who passed this down to my mother, who passed it down to my sister and I, believed in bleaching whites. The same color brightness that it comes out of the package when you buy a white colored item is the same color brightness that you will see from week to week at the end on laundry day. I put my freshly dried bed clothes on my bed and my heart swelled with pride. I love a freshly made bed with bright white sheets and pillow cases. I believe I sleep better because of that bleaching routine that has been passed done from generations of the Dabbs family. Now if your nostrils have not been toughened up, you don't want to be at any of our homes on bleach day. My dad leaves the house on bleach day, he thinks its dangerous to be in close contact with that much bleach. We love it. Its a process of love.

By the time I got done with my day yesterday, I was stoved up as my granny would say. All my muscles ached. But this morning I'm as limber as a noodle, and ready to go. Well speaking of go, I got to get going. I got a full day ahead of me.

COME TO THE PURPLE DOOR WITH FLOWERCHIC again and we'll see what we can come up with to discuss about the good life God gave us.

FLOWERCHIC

FARMER'S MARKET

Linda called out, "All aboard!" That's when mom and I boarded the "Linda mobile" in route to the farmer's market. We went to the farmer' market in town first, and then to the one in Paducah. The Crossland's girls day out on Saturdays is such a joy. We load up in the car, and we laugh, kid each other, sing, and talk about our favorite commercials on T.V. Mom loves acting out the different actor's part, and she knows the commercials word for word. It a crazy family thing she has always loved to do, when she wants to make us laugh. Linda always drives and provides us with bottled water. Course if you go anywhere with Linda Crossland expect to leave early, on time, and don't ask to go by the bank for funds. The going by the bank is viewed to be done on your own time. Once we're all in the car, she whisks us away to a morning of fun.

Linda likes homemade jam. None of us are into jam making. So she always focuses on the jam table. I like homemade bread, but don't like heating my kitchen up in the summer, so I head for the bread table first. Mom, loves to can veggies, so she heads to the tomatoes, green beans, and cucumbers and such table. We're in and out of the car for our favorites, then off we go to the next market.

At the Paducah market, we found purple hull peas. Mom is kinda picky, so she was asking questions of the lady at the stand selling peas. She only had 3 bags left to sell. While she was talking, I bought a bag, another lady bought a bag, and the lady's friend called out she only had a bag and a half left. Mom got over asking her 20 questions and barely got the last bag. I got so tickled. Those shelled purple hull peas go fast every time. Last week, a woman ahead of me bought 4 lbs already shelled peas, and 2 lbs of already shelled Lima beans. The woman behind me was asking the farmer if she was going to sell out. So this week, I knew to hand over my money, take my bag, and be happy. The two key words are, "Already shelled."

We went bargain shopping and I found with the help of Linda, 2 cookbooks for $2 each, and I found 2 magazines for 10 cents each. The magazines had articles I was interested in. Not too shabby for girls day out.

I am so blessed to have the family that God hooked me up with. We love each other so, warts and all.

Well that's all the excitement for me today. COME TO THE PURPLE DOOR WITH FLOWERCHIC again, and we'll talk more about the what, the who, and the how to of bargain shopping for the frugal girls.

FLOWERCHIC