Laughing All The Way - Need to Recoup

I had a crazy week driving across three states and visiting with family from both sides and friends I haven't seen in 35 years. 

I got sick with food poisoning, and got strep or something. I had a great travel partner and laughed constantly! I got home and hosted Bunko at my house tonight! I am exhausted and just need to catch up on sleep and things that need to get done in the yard and house. 

I am going to bed! 

Have a blessed day!

Gold and Silver in $20 Thrift Jewelry Bag

I found another great jewelry bag at the local thrift store. I feel so blessed to be able to find these bags and am so thrilled that I have this opportunity. 

I think if I lived in a larger city, I wouldn't be able to visit the thrift stores daily within a few minutes. I also would be competing with so many other people in a large city. 

I ran into a lady who has been buying them and shared that she got a $150 men's 14 Karat wedding ring she sold to the local pawn shop. She ended up trading for three women's rings she liked. She has bought many while I have been there. 

She actually works there, so she has the advantage that way, but I still check regularly and have been blessed to get so many wonderful bags. 

Have a blessed day!

Gold and Silver in $25 Grab Bag and Sterling Salt and Pepper for $4

 

I have shared that things are great at the main thrift store in town! I am getting lots of silver and gold. 

Things have been great and I feel so blessed that I have been able to find a way to give myself some emergency preparedness items in a way I can afford. Silver and gold are natural antibiotics and can also be traded in an emergency.

So in this grab bag, there was a 14 karat gold necklace, and lots of silver again! It is so fun looking into bags when I know there is something in them, and then finding so much more than I thought was in them. 

It is wonderful! Have a blessed day!

Lots of Silver in a $20 Grab Bag

I am trying to catch up on some jewelry posts. I decided to do that this week so I can get some things done and actually post some videos that I have already made. I think even after doing that this week, I will still have lots of unpublished videos from a long time ago, but these videos this week are all recent and good finds.

With that, I am posting some jewelry videos and posts this week. I was going to try posting them a few weeks back but am going to post them for the next few days so I don't have to worry about sharing while we are visiting. 

This jewelry bag had lots of silver and some of the chains were quite thick and heavy so YEA for that! 

Well worth $20! 

Have a blessed day!

SUPER GREAT Jewelry Bag for $25 GOLD and Lots of SILVER

I have shared for the past few months that the jewelry in the thrift store in town is now being put out and I have gotten lots of fun items. 

Almost every bag I have gotten has had gold and silver in it. They have ranged from $10 to $25. They have had tons more bags, but I have only been buying the bags that I KNOW have gold or larger amounts of silver. 

I have also shared with so many people about it over the years that there are quite a few people buying the bags now. It is something you have to check daily to find the bags. 

This bag had lots of silver necklaces in it. It also had silver pins that are hilarious. They are weird looking deer pins. 

It had a large 14 Karat gold necklace. The necklace alone is worth more than the entire bag, but it is really amazing to have had so much silver as well. 

I feel blessed to have this way to get emergency prep items at a cost I can afford. 

Have a Blessed day!

Help With Prescription Drugs - Worth A Try

I shared last week how I had a horrible migraine and in the update video post last week as well about how I tried a new migraine  medication and it didn't work. 

The first sublingual medication I tried was Nurtec. It worked in about 45 minutes, didn't make me throw up, and took the edge off. I did have break through but it was minimal. You can only take one every 24 hours, but after four or five hours, it would come back a bit, but I could take a Tylenol as it didn't get bad and at least I wasn't throwing up. 

My Dr. Gave me a prescription for Nurtec and another medication and I went to pick up the medication and the pharmacy told me that the Nurtec was really expensive and wasn't approved for my insurance plan. The Dr.'s office sent in to requests for the medication to get pre-approval, and both were denied as it isn't an approved medication as I think it is a new medication. 

I asked the Dr. office if I should try and get a hearing to try and tell them why that medication works and the other doesn't, but they said they haven't had much luck with that with the insurance I have. 

They shared that there is an assistance program through each pharmaceutical company. They said you just need to google the medication you need, and the words "patient assistance" to find the application to maybe get help getting the medication you need. 

I came home and searched online for "Nertec patient assistance" and was able to click right on the link within seconds. 

The process wasn't hard. Basically, they want to do a financial check on your social security number or look at your taxes to really see if you need help. They look to see if you are on any help programs. 

They ask for a denial letter if you do have insurance showing that you have tried to get the medication. They also ask for your medical card to see that your company won't pay for the medication. 

I printed out the application and made copies of the denial letter and my insurance card and then dropped off the filled out application to my Dr.'s office so they could fill in the prescription information and fax it to the company. 

I don't know that I will qualify for the assistance, but I figure it can't hurt to try. After my horrible day last week vomiting and dry heaving all day and not getting out of bed until nearly midnight, I am to the point I need to find some answer or way to not have those type of days anymore. It would be lovely to have something that would allow me to live a more "normal" life! 

Fingers crossed! Have a blessed day!

I Have My First Friend - Pokemon Friend

My daughter Princess Three got into the game Pokemon Go about five years ago. One fun day she asked if I would walk to the cemetery with her as there is a Poke Gym there that she wanted to go to and see if she could take it over. 

I didn't know what that was, but the fact that I could spend some time with her, I was all in. I usually walk at the cemetery when I go walking so I was just happy to have someone to walk with. 

She got her now husband into it, and then she got her sister into it, then she got her brother-in-law into it, and he got his wife Princess One into it. This process has taken years, but when we go anywhere, they all get excited to trade Pokemon and do battles etc. 

When we go to remote locations, they get excited to put them into the Gyms as they get to "Own" the gym and earn more points or powers or something like that. 

They get excited on holidays as they can get new Pokemon that are just out on holidays. Princess One got involved so that she can connect with her husband who has started using the app to walk to and from work everyday. He also has started riding his bike to and from work. 

When I am with them all together either on the phone or in person, now I feel like they are speaking a new language. They talked me into downloading the app and I called Princess Three and asked her some questions but she mentioned that I could "google" questions about it. 

I have been going to places on my way to and from errands so I can get Pokemon and get treats at the landmark spinners. I don't know what they are called officially, but you visit them and spin the center and you get some treats or prizes. 

I have NO clue what I am doing, but it did take me almost a week to figure out how to throw the Poke' balls, and there are center targets that disappear telling you when to throw, but it took me lots of days to figure that out. I also have no idea what ones to collect as I keep getting the same ones coming to me all the time and have fought the same ones over and over. 

I realized that I don't want to get the same ones, and waste the balls on ones that I already have. One thing I hadn't figured out was the sound. The song is really annoying. There is also a noise when the Pokemon show up. I got frustrated with the sound and asked a few people if they knew how to turn it off and hadn't had time to look it up. 

I was shopping at one of the thrift stores in town today and passed a guy I have never seen before. I noticed he was wearing a Pokemon shirt. I asked him if he plays Pokemon Go and he looked confused for a second, so I explained that I am new to the game to connect with my kids, but I am annoyed with the music and wondered if he could help me turn it off. He was with his two brothers and they were in town visiting their mother for Easter / spring break. They thought I was funny asking a stranger for help due to a shirt, but they agreed that the music is annoying.

He was SO kind that he would take 1/2 hour of his time to explain so much of the game to me. His brothers were so funny texting him from the car saying they were waiting, and then eventually came back in to get him and I thanked them for being patient while he helped me understand some things and that he was my first friend. 

Truth be told, he told me so many things in such a short time that I don't remember much, BUT I loved that he was so excited to share his knowledge with me. I joked that my girls are all adults but talked me into this. He then told me he plays it to connect with his 27 year old daughter. They left, and I checked out.

I headed to the other thrift store in town and laughed so much when I saw that he had entered the store about 20 feet ahead of me. He said that if I needed more help, he had dropped his brothers off as they had been to that store the day before but he wanted to check it out. I didn't ask him any more questions about the game, but I told him how I go to the stores most days looking for the jewelry bags just to get out of the house and maybe find some gold and silver. He thought that was interesting. I asked if I could take his photo for a blog post and he was willing. 

I know it is going to always be more than I will ever figure out as they have so many different foods, candy, power powders, stops, a thousand different Pokemon with different powers and traits, and there are gifts to give and stickers to collect and it amazes me that people spend so much time on this, but I am willing to put in a little effort into figuring it out to connect better with my girls and their husbands. 

I am not sure how into it I will get, but I can see how it could be addictive trying to collect them all etc. 

I am grateful to my new "Friend" who became my first "friend" on my Pokemon game! 

Have a blessed day!

Fun James Christensen Find - In God We Trust

I have a son-in-law who really appreciates the artist James Christensen. I found two large posters a few years back and he was really excited about them and they now hang in his home. 

I have been able to find a few other pieces of art from him in the form of figurines etc. Today, I was able to find a cute little Christmas tree ornament at a thrift store still in the box wrapped in bubble wrap.

When I tried to open the sealed box, there was a quarter that had slipped down into the box!  I chuckled as I normally don't look at Christmas decorations, but feel like God has been sending so many reminders recently to trust in HIM. Here is a link to my first post about finding money and trusting in God. If you search in the search box for "In God We Trust" up will come many posts how I have found coins just when I needed a reminder to trust in Him.

So, I found that quarter today. I found five pennies yesterday in a jacket I was checking the pockets on. I have found at least one coin a week for a month or so. 

I was going through clothes in my closet to get rid of and while pulling them out and holding them up last week, a dime fell out of something. 

It really has been happening so much and I really don't post about it much anymore. I figured it was time for a post about it. 

I feel blessed to have that constant reminder to trust in HIM. 

Have a blessed day!

Great Thrift Find 14 K Wedding Band $30

I went to one of the local thrift stores, and have been checking recently every day at that thrift store as they have the new jewelry people and they are putting out so much jewelry. 

I met a woman there the other day who I have seen buying bags regularly while there. I was looking at bags, and she said she got a men's wedding ring in the bag that the local pawn shop paid her $150 for. The bag was $25. That is a good find. 

I then noticed after she said that, there was a ring in a bag to the side by itself. I usually don't pay much notice to the side bags as they haven't put gold in those usually. I decided to pull it out of the locked case and look at it with the help of a worker and he allowed me to pull it out of the bag so I could look at it with my jewelers loop. 

I was thrilled to see it was 14 karat gold and is a men's ring so is a bit larger. It was $30 and I had the thought that for $5 more than a jewelry bag, I get a nice 14 K gold ring, and not have to sort through a jewelry bag. 

I bought the ring and came home and weighed it. I was .29 ounce. 

When you look up the gold calculator for 14 karat and that ounce weight, the ring is over $300 of gold! I LOVE that the new people at the thrift store are putting out the gold and silver! It is like a treasure hunt every day dropping there as I run my errands. 

I feel blessed. Have a blessed day!

HAPPY EASTER - New Beginnings

I got some wonderful new recently and it revolved around Easter, so I wanted to share a post about this for Easter. 

There was a family that moved in to our area that the mother was marrying a neighbor. Some of the kids struggled with the move and some thrived. 

The middle son got into some struggles halfway through high school and got into drugs. After school, he got really deep into hard core drugs to the point of stealing anything of value in their home and selling it for drugs. 

A few years back, I felt strongly that I needed to spend some time helping his mom organize her home. Coincidentally, at that time, he just happened to get out of jail on probation, and as I spent everyday working in the home, I would talk to him about life and how God sees him. I had one specific day that I felt impressed by God before going to share with him that he is like Jean ValJean from Les Mis. 

That day, we had a really good discussion about how when you accept Christ as your Savior, there can be a huge change in your life. You can let go of the bad, sad, and anything you are willing to let go of if you can just open yourself to accepting that you are worthy to start fresh. 

He relapsed right after that and that relapse was the bottom for him. After that, he moved and started a program and cut people out of his life that were not good influences. It has been a long process but I have checked in regularly with him as he was friends with one of my daughters and I care about him and his family. 

As I have texted him since he has started on that path to "healthy" he has shared that he had a girlfriend who is super positive. He told me he had to cut a friend out of his life, and told me that he was going to church. This last month, when I texted him asking how he was doing, he told me that he was going to get his priesthood back! In our church, this is a big thing. You have to live a wholesome life for a long amount of time before you can hold the priesthood. You also have to live a good life to keep it. 

I could tell how happy and proud he was to share that. I was helping his mother recently and she told me that the entire family was going to be together over Easter and he was going to get ordained to the priesthood while everyone was together!

I have been reflecting over how amazing GOD is as a loving Father. Of course a father would accept a son back who was lost! What keeps us from his is our belief that we can't be forgiven or we can't forgive ourselves for the things that WE have done in the past. 

Easter is representative of new beginnings, the egg. Fresh starts. Christs atonement. Hope. I can't think of a better day or time for him to renew himself! Surrounded by family and recommitting himself to Christ. It is such a wonderful thing. 

I LOVE that he is doing well and I could tell how happy his mother is with where he is after having to go through so much with his past. I am so happy for both of them. I know how much joy I find for both of them, so I can't understand how much joy God must have with where he is. 

I love that each day can be a new beginning and fresh start but especially at this Easter time. 

Have a beautiful and blessed day!

Let The Yardwork Begin

I have been trying for days to get out and start working on the yard. I think I may have shared how I went out and started working on pruning the last few front trees that I didn't get finished. 

I was having such a hard time getting either of my hedge trimmers working that I used to quickly flatten the top of my trees, that I ended up using clippers and was so tired after 1/5 of the tree that I gave up. 

I wanted to edge the yard as I didn't do it last year and when the neighbor kid uses the weed whacker, he is still new to it so I wanted to get a good edge on the front yard before he starts so that maybe it will be easier for him to keep up on it. 

It has been cold and I have been busy that past few days so with a bit of snow and cold winds, I wasn't able to get back to the pruning but did buy another hedge trimmer so I can get back to it as soon as the cold weather is over and won't freeze the newly cut tips. 

Even though it was super chilly out today, I decided to go out and work on something, so I pulled out the edger and edged the front yard. I want to get the back done as well, and then mow and poison the yard, but I hope I can get the trees done in the next few days as well. 

It felt really good to be out in the yard doing something and with the cool weather, it didn't make me overheat. Sweeping the cuttings up was the worst part as I finally finished after dark. It was really nice to have it done as even though the grass needs a mow, the edging makes it look better. 

Have a blessed day!

Happy 12th Birthday Today To The Secret Is Gratitude

I can't believe that the blog is turning 12! Today is the twelfth birthday of my blog! If someone would have told me that I would write a blog every week day for 12 years, I NEVER would have believed that I would be able to do that, especially with my crazy life. 

I know over the years that my posts have helped people. I could not have imagined the path that the blog would take or the impact it would have on my family. At times, they like the blog as it is like a journal, recipe book, history, craft file, and at other times, they hate it. They don't like me taking pictures of events saying I should just "Enjoy" the event. 

I wonder at times if I should stop writing the blog, but when I pray on that, I still feel that there are reasons why I keep it going. I believe that in time, I will be able to figure out a cure for the parasites, and I also think it is a great family history resource. Not many people have such a detailed history of their life and can tell you what they did 12 years ago today!!! 

I feel blessed to live in a time where I can have a computer that makes it so easy to search for certain posts, and find things I am looking for easily. I love that I can put photos to the entries and find those photos in seconds. What an amazing world we live in! 

Have a blessed day and enjoy our 12th birthday party~

Fun Wine Bottle Crafts - Round Glass Cutter

I went to my sisters house the other day to take one of her daughters out to dinner, and when there, she asked me to come in and visit for a minute.

They were using a round glass cutter she had purchased on Amazon and they were cutting glass wine bottles into drinking glasses. 

The made a set of six. Then, they started cutting salsa bowls out of the bottoms, and then, they were using the tops of the jars for plant holders. 

I told her I thought they would be a cute mobile if you used different color jars cut to different lengths, and hung them at different lengths and use a spoon or something hanging in the middle to catch the wind. I think that would be really cute! 

When I took my niece to lunch the other day, we walked into the restaurant, and they had lights over each table. The lights were bottles with the bottom cut off and the bulbs were inside. 

I showed my niece as she was the one that wanted the glasses made out of the bottoms of the green wine bottles. 

I thought they were really nice and my sister is so creative. Once you cut them, you sand down the edges and you have free glasses! 

I just wanted to share the craft as I thought it was fun and a great way to recycle jars! 

Have a blessed day!

Lunch With Another Niece - The Artist

I was supposed to go to lunch with another niece two weeks ago. Here is a post about that. I took her twin sisters out individually a few nights and planned on taking their older sister on the next Monday when she was in town. She was really sick on the Monday we were supposed to go, so she asked if we could do it on the next Monday. 

Last Monday, I was REALLY sick with a migraine and vomited all day so violently that I was sore for days. I called her and asked if we could postpone it for another week. Here is a link to that post.

I texted her last night to make sure she was in town. She lives in a different city and comes home for the weekends and leaves Monday afternoon. She told me she was up to meeting for lunch.

We went to a restaurant and ate lunch and as we were visiting about her job, the wind picked up outside the building on the side we were seated to eat. The wind hit the Awning swoop shaped plastic that covered the outside window and funneled the wind up into the attic / eaves of the building and it started raining foam and insulation into the restaurant. It was between 3 and 4 p.m. when we finished as we sat visiting, but I was glad that others weren't eating in that section anymore as it was like rain and the tables were covered with dust from the metal beams above us and from the insulation. 

We both started coughing and decided we had better leave as it was now fine dust and insulation in the air. My guess is that they had to close that section to people eating as the wind didn't stop until late in the evening. 

We had a great visit and it was worth the wait. She is my artist niece who I have shared her artwork in the past. 

Here is a link that has all her art linked in it. 

I am blessed with a great and talented family! I am glad that they will spend time with their Aunt! 

Have a blessed day!

Health Update - Liver, Parasite, Thyroid, Lungs and Migraines

I have blogged updates over the past few weeks on my health. Specifically, about my liver, lungs, migraines, and thyroid medication. 

I had a comment on a video recently that was probably the longest comment I have ever gotten on YouTube, but it started with, "I'm Sorry, But..." When I got the notification, I laughed out loud because when someone starts a sentence with I'm Sorry but... you know a rude comment is coming next. 

I read about three sentences and decided there was no point in going on. It was a ramble of someone trying to be nice enough to get me to continue reading, but then telling my why I would be dead if I had a parasite etc. 

I have to scroll down to the bottom to delete the post and my mouth dropped when I had to scroll down, down, and more down. Someone has NO life to have time to write a novel like that. I love that YouTube allows me to moderate the comments on my channel and that I can delete them as soon as they come in, and just by the first few words that show up on the notification, I can tell if I need to delete and block the writer or post. 

I have blocked so many "haters" that I don't get many anymore. After ten years on YouTube and blocking all those types of people, I have been blessed to not have many over the past few years. I think that once the haters start reading the comments, they can tell I block and delete them. 

I have so many kind comments and followers that I think they realized that it isn't worth taking the time to comment. It is a blessing to not have to deal with it. Also, I have so many "Block" words, that if someone using any of those types of words, the comment doesn't even show up for me to see. I keep adding offensive words to the "Block" list as they come through and now after all that time, there aren't many posts that come through. 

I am so glad I am moving forward to try and figure out my health stuff. I hope I find out some answers soon! 

Have a blessed day!

Blessed with Good Friends

I woke up to a wonderful email about a gift that someone is having made for me and it is near completion. It started my day off helping me realize I am blessed with good friends. 

Later in the day, I got a compliment on my hair and I was once again reminded how blessed I am with good friends as my friend Emma cut my hair for free and I have gotten so many compliments on it. You can link to that post here.

I was at the grocery store a bit later, and I looked up from the bananas I was bagging in the produce section and I saw one of my good friends and neighbors who was shopping with her daughter. As I saw them, I had a weird "life review" of my experiences with this friend. How we were in the leadership of our women's organization at church for years and the daughter that was with her was a toddler. I thought of the long conversations we have had over children and family. About how she was planning on moving a few years ago, and the conversation I had with her daughter recently about singing in church together. I was so moved that I took a photo of them shopping and when they came near me, I shared that I took their photo and was going to post it on Facebook about how much I love her and admire her. She then reminded me she isn't on Facebook. We both laughed. 

After arriving home, I had the thought to write my good friend Julie who made my girls wedding cake toppers. She and I were great friends when she lived near me, and since she moved far away, we visit regularly on the phone. I texted her and asked how she was doing, and what was going on in her world, and we texted back and forth. 

I then changed into my P.J's and immediately got a text from another friend who also moved out of town, but still has her son living in town in her home. I guess he had a kitchen fire and she was in town to get things working towards repairs in the kitchen. She texted to ask me for help in designing her new kitchen. She just arrived at a hotel in town and wondered if I could come to her hotel and help her design and get ideas for her kitchen. 

I got dressed and went over and I was so tired from my long day before, but was happy to visit with her and help in any way that I could. I had just been thinking of her recently and wondered how she was doing as her husband died recently. I was able to catch up with her and we drew out some design options and color options for her kitchen. She seemed really happy with the ideas we came up with, and I was glad to be able to see her. She has lost 100 lbs and seems much happier than the last few times I have seen her with all the stress she has had with losing her husband and moving. 

I came home and was amazed at how many friends I am blessed with in my life! So many willing to serve me, do kind things for me, say kind and loving words to me, and as I drifted off to sleep, I felt very loved pondering on how blessed I am with good friends!