I spend my time - lavishly – on…
park trips
kiddie pool dips
holding a baby on my hip
answering “why?”
wiping eyes dry
long talks at night
lingering in the yellow sunlight
baking cookies and licking the spoon
reading MargaretWiseBrown’s goodnight moon
trying to avoid the status quo
but also just trying to go with the flow
holding small hands – so soft, so sweet
walking through grass in bare summer feet
getting open-mouthed kisses
as I wash the dishes
praying for wisdom, for grace, and for rest
striving to give my best of the best
I spend my heart – lavishly – on the people around me. And just when I feel I don’t have any more to give, I realize my heart is full again – all the way to the brim. (I’m pretty sure that’s how giving works).
—————————————————————————
Money? Eh, I don’t spend that stuff much.
Before Tim left on his 2-week trip, he gave me a $20 bill. When he got back, I still had $6 of it*.
I would have had all of it, but I took the girls to Dairy Queen** – TWICE. My 3-year-old knows how to place her own order: a swirl “kids cone” with sprinkles. My 1-year-old can eat an entire cone by herself! We also bought stickers & poster board from the local school supply store (There are so many fun products to be found there…but it’s a little pricey!) for our “Welcome Home, Daddy!” poster.
* I actually did buy groceries a couple of times w/ a card.
** Dairy Queen is definitely NOT my favorite ice cream place. It just happens to be the closest. :)
Where is the best place to buy ice cream in your city? What is the most affordable store that you have found for buying school/craft supplies?
We recently switched to a cash-only system (except for the gas pump, because who wants to take two kids out of the car to pay cash when you can swipe your debit card right there?) and it is really fascinating and liberating to only spend the cash you have. I spend a lot of time at the Salvation Army shopping for fun/interesting stuff and dress-up clothes and then checking out to a total of like $3.00!
Love your poem!! We have a couple great local ice cream shops I would love to frequent but at over $3 a scoop it just isn’t practical. I like to splurge on Ben & Jerry’s pints on sale and then scoop at home. It lasts a long time really, even in a home with a pregnant mommy! It isn’t the same without sprinkles though is it? :)
Ben and Jerry’s ice cream all the way, or Haagan dazs… in Buckeye, there are no ice cream shops except Sonic, and I’m not a big fan.
As far as teaching supplies go, I use the internet, Barnes and Noble or Teaching Stuff. As you noted, the teaching store is quite pricey.
We just buy ice cream buckets and cones and make our own ice cream parlour. Then I don’t have to worry about contamination AND I recently found gluten free ice cream cones which is wonderful! I currently have five different flavours icecream in the freezer, plus homemade popsicles (YUM!)
Elizabeth likes her own cone too… Babies and ice cream cones are kind of dangerous though :)
We prefer to have ice cream at home as well (it’s tastier, cheaper, and you can have tons of toppings!), but going to Dairy Queen was a nice treat when daddy was away.
We used to go to Bruster’s for ice cream whenever there was a coupon in our city’s monthly money saver magazine BUT not any more. We broke out our ice cream maker and bought the stuff to make our own ice cream and all the toppings for less than $6. We had so much fun doing it!
That sounds wonderful, Hannah! We haven’t invested in an ice cream maker yet, but I hope to buy one eventually. :)
As the joke goes, “you may be from [my area] if you know Whitey’s is an ice cream place and not a racial term”. I moved away for 5 years and it was quite possibly the thing I missed the most. There is no comparison.
This is my absolute favorite post!!! I love your poem! You are so creative. Your poem reminded me of a song my sister and I sang with our mom – The Magic Penny. Have you heard that one? The chorus said “Love is something that you give away and you end up having more.”
In Milwaukee, we mainly have local frozen custard stores instead of ice cream. Frozen custard is a little heavier than ice cream. I enjoy Dairy Queen a lot too though!
What a sweet, sweet poem! We like to buy our “big item” school supplies (like special paints or things) with a 40% off coupon at Micheal’s or Joann’s.
We have a local ice cream shop near our home (Perry’s Joint in Pasadena). The owner remembers your name from the first time you visit, works along side his wife, and they sell coffee drinks too! So I get to have a mocha while the kids enjoy their ice cream. They play jazz music and have a big comfy couch to sit on inside. I love that personal attention you get from shopping local.
I don’t carry credit cards (only cash). I am really impressed with $20 lasting you two weeks. You must be a really good grocery shopper and know how to stock up….I need help with this ( :
Local places w/ great customer service are the BEST.
I actually did go grocery shopping when Tim was gone (and used our card – but no other spending). Several times, actually. I prefer to grocery shop every couple of days or once a week to ensure that we eat fresh foods. It’s a pain, but food just tastes better fresh, no? :)
what a great post! There is just so much money can’t buy right?!
And yes…I found some beautiful robes in Vietnam! We didn’t end up buying other clothes though…I just couldn’t spend the money!
I think it’s time S had his own ice cream cone. Haven’t tried it yet. Maybe I will this weekend while Daddy is away. Or maybe not. That sounds messy.
My favorite memory as a kid is going to Thrifty, a local drugstore, and getting 25 cent ice cream cones. I always picked rainbow sherbet. Gross. Now I would get raspberry sorbet. Or cookies ‘n cream.
Thrifty! We used to go there all of the time when I was a kid! Great prices…BIG cones. :)
I would choose Butter Pecan. Or, perhaps, raspberry sorbet…now that you mention it. Yum.
Dairy Queen or Baskin Robbins on Tuesdays for $1 scoop!
As a teacher I go to the local dollar store often and can find great supplies for little money!
This post was so cute. :) Right now we’ve been losing our marbles for Foster’s Freeze… the chocolate/vanilla swirl cones. Especially on the dollar night…it’s an offer you can’t refuse. At least that’s what we convince ourselves. haha ;)
We have a lot of specialty ice cream stores here in Minneapolis, but I love Sebastian Joe’s. They make new flavors every day so you never know what you’re going to be getting!!
I like to go to Target (Minneapolis-based!) to stock up on back to school items. For more craft items, I’m a Hobby Lobby kind of girl. It’s a giant warehouse, which can be overwhelming, but the clearance sales are awesome!!
I just looked it up and the nearest Hobby Lobby is about 2.5 hours away. No wonder I’ve never been (it sounds great though).
I have to ask, what about groceries & all during that 2 week period? How can you only spend $14 in two weeks?! Share your secret. :)
I like Dairy Queen, too. I am a sucker for soft serve.
We used to have a shop in town that sold the Marianne’s famous Santa Cruz ice cream. The closed & are now Baskin Robbins. Uck!
I actually did buy groceries (using a card…but no other spending besides that). :)
Do you live in Santa Cruz? I’ve heard it’s beautiful there.
We live in the county of Santa Cruz. But Marianne’s ice cream parlor is at least 20 minutes from us.
We are in Watsonville. The whole area here is beautiful!
Do you read Nini’s blog? She’s from Santa Cruz too (and she is a beautiful, encouraging, and fun-loving mom of two): http://lettners.blogspot.com/.
I’ve never met her in-person, but that’s definitely how she comes across in the blogosphere. :)
I know Nini! We met when my family first moved to this area about 10 years ago.
She’s the one who said I should read your blog. :)
I’m so glad you know her! Do the Santa Cruz bloggers ever have meet-ups of any kind? I keep thinking I should organize something like that in Southern Arizona (there are quite a few of us here). :)
Awwww…shucks! You gals are too kind! Stephanie…as Erin said, I have known her since she and her whole family moved here. 10 years ago! Erin is quite amazing herself and comes from an AMAZING family of 10 kids with two amazing parents. Her parents have done an a phenomenal job raising 10 kids that LOVE Jesus and are so fun, down to earth, real, and fun to be around. Erin, I really don’t see you guys enough!
The closest ice cream spots are Bruster’s and Sonic. Our favorite though is to buy Ben and Jerry’s from the grocery store. Yum! I wish we had a Ben and Jerry’s shop around here. Oh, wait. Maybe I shouldn’t wish that. It would be too hard to resist.
We recently got a Yogurt Jungle near us, and its one of our favorite stops now- you pick your yogurt flavor, then there’s rows and rows of toppings you can load on and you pay by the ounce. I love seeing what my three year old comes up with- the last time we went she had pistachio ice cream with marshmallows, strawberries, granola, a cherry, and three gummy bears. She very specifically asked for three! The tables spin there too, so when she gets bored with her bowl she gets a mischievious smile and spins the table to grab one of our bowls.
I’ve heard great things about that place! Next time I’m in the Queen Creek area, I’d like to stop in. I just looked at the menu. I think I’d get NY Cheesecake yogurt w/ NY Cheesecake bits (and Reeses). Hmmm. Maybe I should just make a NY Cheesecake! :)
We were VERY excited to get something so cool in Queen Creek! They didn’t have the cheesecake flavor the last time I was there, must be time for a return visit!
We have a local old fashioned ice cream/soda shop that is so much fun to visit. They do old fashioned milkshakes that are just too yummy. It’s located inside a “toy/crafts” store. I say “toy” because they are all creative high quality non-electronic toys like train sets and puzzles and puppets. There’s also a book corner and an area with scrapbooking supplies. Such a wonderful place!! I’m not a big $$ spender but I always bring my husband with me to this particular store as my conscience. Otherwise, I might purchase the whole store before our son even arrives. :)
What a wonderful shop, Katelyn! Where is it located?
We are in a small town in Southwest Texas.
This is lovely. I need to work more on remembering that what other people think isn’t important, but what is important is fleeting and I need to take advantage of it.
As for ice cream. I’ve had Cold Stone cremaery a couple of times and loved it. Usually I will just buy something yummy from the Dryer’s section at the grocery store. But let me tell you that my favorite all time ice cream is my mother in law’s homemade chocolate amaretto. it is the best!
Nice post. I am like you with how I spend money. A twenty dollar bill lasts forever in my wallet.
We like ice cream at home mainly. Breyers mainly and sometimes Haagen Daz or Ben & Jerry’s. When we go out it is usually to a local place called Colonial Cafe. My little boy wins free ice cream certificates to Colonial often through the library’s read-to-me program. And we can ride our bikes or walk, another plus. Oberweiss or Baskin Robbins or occasionally Dairy Queen for an Oreo Blizzard are others we visit, but not too often.
School and craft supplies: the Scholarship, Meijer, Hobby Lobby
I absolutely love your perspective on parenting and on life! This was wonderful!
Best place to buy ice cream in my town…used to be my husband’s family’s ice cream stand, but they sold it about 5 years ago. ::sigh:: I still miss my father-in-law’s black raspberry truffle ice cream.
Now we go to a place that opened last year. It strives for sustainable business practices — they have homemade organic ice cream, the spoons and cups they use are compostable, and purchase their ingredients & supplies as locally as possible. So, not only is their ice cream yummy, but you feel like you’re doing something good by going there!
Most affordable store for buying craft supplies…the dollar store at the mall! It can be hit-or-miss — I’ve found I can’t go there with a set list in mind — but some of the deals & items I’ve found have been pretty awesome. I got artist canvases for $1 each! I picked up three of the same size, and let my son paint one this spring. I’m holding the other two aside for next spring, and then the year after that, and I’ll hang them all together.
So many people have listed the dollar store as their favorite place to buy craft supplies! I may need to stop in at a local one and see if I can find any treasures. :)
Yes, I love the dollar store for craft supplies, a bag a googly eyes at wal mart can run from $3-$5 depending on size and a bag a varying sizes at the dollar store is $1 and I think you get more in them. They have wooden slabs for painting and hanging and the foam hats to decorate and stickers and paints! I love going there! I still like to comparison shop at A.C. Moore as well though, JoAnn Fabrics usually has nice crafts on clearance and also you can get fabric remnants there cheap for crafts.
Oh, I forgot about clearance at JoAnn’s and A.C. Moore! I picked up a bunch of remnants at JoAnn’s last week…not sure yet what we’ll do with them, but it was too good of a deal to pass up!
I’ve been working hard on cutting back all of my extraneous spending, and focusing on doing fun stuff like what you mentioned. I talked about this on my blog recently, but my favorite art supply is online: Discount School Supply. I get a little giddy when I browse all the art supplies….so many possibilities!
Okay, I am seriously printing out your poem and framing it- I adore it! You need to write poetry more often!
{blushing}
Thank you!
We have a little local shop next to the post office (everyone has a po box here since there’s no door-to-door mail service). This shop sells regular scoops and tiny scoops. Tiny scoops are a mini-cone with one half scoop for .30. It’s the perfect size for not gorging, but savoring. And the price comfortably reminds me of when I was a kid with our local Thriftys too. I wish we had a Thriftys nearby. A scoop was a quarter. And good ice cream too…for store-bought.
That ice cream shop sounds exactly my style! And those prices are DEFINITELY my style. ;)
Beautiful!
Mmmm…ice cream. I love ice cream…so does Markus! We rarely ever get ice cream at a shop. We typically buy it at the grocery store. We are Dreyer’s (or Edy’s on the East Coast) snobs. We love it. Their Slow Churned ice cream is SO good…especially the French Silk flavor…you have to try it! As far as craft supplies go…we don’t have a Micheal’s here, but we do have a little store called Beverly’s that we go to…in fact, I bought glow-in-the-dark paint there today!
AND…I am ridiculous for not commenting on your poem! I LOVE IT! You are so gifted and talented and your love just oozes out of you (a good kind of ooze of course)! I sure wish we could just get together and hang out!
Nobody’s mentioned Cold Stone Creamery? Do you not have those out your way? They take their yummy ice cream, and whatever toppings you request, and mix/chop it all together on an ice cold marble slab, then plop it in a cup/cone to enjoy! sooo delicious!
Also – LOVE the poem! So fun!
I agree about Cold Stone. Delicious ice cream w/ fun toppings. That said, it’s also pricey so we typically opt to have ice cream at home. :)
Oh yeah, it’s way pricey – we wait until the 2 for $5 coupons come in the Sunday paper! :)
The BYU Creamery has the best and creamiest as well as the cheapest ice cream in the whole county. next is Thanksgiving Point where they do 25 cent cones or bowls for kids with BYU Creamery ice cream.
For school and art supplies I just watch for specials and stock up when things are on sale. Last week, Walgreens had #2 pencils in boxes of 10 for 10 cents each.
I’m not aware of anywhere in Tucson that sells cones for under $1. Even “kids cones” tend to be $1 and up! #anotherreasontomove
I like our local mini golf place that has ice cream, there is a Cold Stone Creamery in our town but it is super expensive, we went there once, for a small it was about $5 and for the two kiddie ice creams, with sprinkles it cost around $7, I thought this was over the top!
I love your poem. Beautiful. I am so thankful for a friend who knows what REALLY matters- and lives it.
I have to tell you that I have just-a day ago- found your blog. I’m not usually a blog reader, but your devotion to God and your family has drawn me to yours. We have some things in common. I also have 2 little girls (ages 3 1/2 and 16 months). Anyway, your poem truly touched me. And, today, you inspired me to turn off the television, bring out the play-doh and crayons, and sing songs with my girls for HOURS! I’ve enjoyed it with all of my heart! Thankyou!
Oh-and as for icecream-my favorite on this earth is homemade peach icecream in a waffle cone(of course) from The Peach Park in Clanton, AL. But, since I live 2 hours from there now, I like to go to Maggie Moo’s and indulge in the red velvet icecream….YUM! That’s rare, though, because it is ridiculous to spend that much on icecream!:)
Anyway, I am your newest follower. Thanks again!
Hello, Rachel! It’s so nice to “meet” you (and how fun that our girls are the same ages!)! Thank you so much for your kind words. I look forward to getting to know you in the coming months.
P.S. Homemade peach ice cream sounds so good. The perfect treat for summer!
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