The Crocheting Mom

     I have done my share of fundraising in my lifetime.  I used to be a girl scout and I fundraised like the best of them.  I was a cookie pusher, every single year.  I had to get the top number of boxes sold, or I was a disappointment to myself!  It didn't stop at cookies either.  There were many more fundraisers for this group throughout the year, nothing as big as cookie time though!  I was in other activities growing up as well that had many fundraisers; choir, basketball, school.  It's a skill, a skill that can be learned!

     When I think of summertime food, I always think of the macaroni salad that my mom made.  I mostly remember it as a teenager.  I would claim it as mine, or eat all I could before it was gone.  It was my favorite breakfast, lunch, and dinner food, well, maybe not breakfast!  I didn't do a lot of cooking when I was younger, so I never asked my mom how she made it.  When I went home recently, I requested her to make it, so I could finally learn.  It's actually really easy!

     Everyone has been through hard times before.  It tends to be a really taboo topic, talking about money, and how 'comfortable' you are.  I wanted to put a list together of things we had done in the past that seemed to really help us out.  We actually still use some of these strategies because they have just become good habits.  There are ways to save money, that some people don't even think about.            

     While on vacation, Ashley noticed her tooth was loose.  Daddy and I were out at the movies at the time, but when we came home, she was so excited to tell us.  For the next week she couldn't contain herself.  She felt like such a big girl and was so excited for it to fall out.  I was happy because usually she's worried about anything and everything hurting, but not this time.  This time, all she cared about was the significance of the tooth, and that it meant she was growing up!

     After 4 long years, my family finally got to take a trip back to my home town.  I grew up and lived in the same house in Rhode Island, my whole life, until I got married.  The last time we went, Ashley was still a baby, just learning how to walk.  There was no way she was going to be able to remember that trip, so everything and everyone was new to her this time.  We've had a few family members come visit us here and there, and my mom usually comes out twice a year, but there was a lot of family who have never met Lilly, and have not seen Ashley in a long time.      We were really dreading the 15 and a half hour car ride it would take to get there.  It turned out, it actually wasn't that bad.  We left at 830 at night so we could get the most sleep out of the girls while driving.  The drive on the way back was broken up, which made it a lot easier to handle during the day. We visited family in New York, and then got a hotel after 8 hours the next day.  Mix all the ho