Saturday, Busy Day

I'm starting to think this nasal congestion is beyond allergies.  I can't feel this lousy just from pollen.  I must have caught something.  Ugh.

I went to sleep early last night thanks to Benadryl.  After having a sleepless night all I wanted was rest, but I couldn't fall asleep without breathing.  My nose was that stuffed up.  The Benadryl was wonderful - it unclogged me and got me sleeping, both of which I desperately wanted and needed.  I woke up at 7:00 but didn't get out of bed till 8:00.  I was checking my phone, then spent time praying for all of Grandma's family.  I feel for them.  This is a difficult adjustment.

As I made and ate breakfast I went over the menu plan and looked through my pantry to see what I needed to buy.  Today was grocery shopping day.  I usually like to do my grocery shopping on Friday, but since I had the little kids here with me, and I felt terrible with all the sneezing, I decided I'd do it today.  I didn't feel much better, and the stores were all packed.  I went to Winn-Dixie first since they had country style ribs on sale, and I went ahead and got a few other items from my list, specifically produce which is always better there than at Walmart.  I spent $39 out of my $300 budget.  I had been budgeting $175 per week, but since I'm shopping for 2 weeks worth of groceries I try to stay at or around $300 to save some money.  I headed to Wally World next.  I tried really hard to stick to my shopping list, and for the most part I did.  The total was $112.  My last stop was Costco.  I walked in and headed towards the back of the store to get eggs (by the way, what is up with the price of eggs?!  I used to get 3 dozen eggs for $3, now they cost $6!).  I saw a large, comfortable, beautiful sectional sofa for $999.  Now, I am not a fan of sectionals; never have been.  I like moving the furniture around, and sectionals limit the positions you can put furniture in.  This sectional, however, is designed so that the shorter end of the sofa can be changed from the right side to the left.  That's convenient!  My only issue with this piece of furniture is the color:  it's a cream color fabric.  I fear it getting filthy and full of dog hair.  Still, it was pretty.  I can't afford it, so I moved on.  I got the items I needed, and spent another $39.  So, all in all I spent $190 for 2 weeks worth of groceries.  Granted, the only meat I bought (other than a couple of bags of Tyson chicken) was the ribs.  I still had meat from my last shopping trip.  That's where a big chunk of my food budget goes.  I have to feed this family of carnivores, and right now beef is extraordinarily expensive.  I'm so glad I was able to stick to my menu and my budget.  I have more than enough money to spend from now till my next shopping trip if I run out of anything.

My cousin texted me while I was at Walmart.  She told the kids about their great-grandma.  The 8 year old cried.  She's old enough to understand that she won't be seeing grandma anymore.  The 5 year old also cried, but I suspect he was crying because everyone else was crying.  He's too young to fully understand the concept of death.  The 7 year old is the most troubling; he has not cried, and refuses to talk to anyone about his feelings or about anything.  He told his mother that he is sad, but he doesn't want to talk about it.  I think he's in shock.  He was very attached to his great-grandma, and I don't think he fully accepts that she's gone.  I told her everyone expresses their grief differently, and to give him time.  He may want to grieve privately, or he may not be ready to start grieving yet.  It's so hard trying to explain death to small children, but it has to be done.  It's a reality of life.

Lunch today was Tyson popcorn chicken and curly fries.  Yeah, I was tired when I got home.  I think I'm tired because I'm not breathing properly; this congestion has me blowing my nose constantly, only to end up more stuffed up than before.  Darn sinuses!

My son E had a friend over.  This was one of his few buddies from school.  E has invited his friend to youth group and he's enjoyed it.  I'm so proud of my son for reaching out to others as Jesus would.  I pray he will always be a faithful believer in Christ.

*Post Script:  I fully intended on finishing this blog post last night, but I was so congested and feeling so yucky that I took a Benadryl before doing my facial cleaning and exfoliation.  I fell asleep and remembered I hadn't finished my post at midnight, when I had the full effects of the medication and was pretty sure I wasn't getting up.  So here it is, a few hours late.