I have a very busy but blessed week ahead. My youngest daughter spent the night last night. Instead of sitting closed up in the office, I sat next to her on the couch. She played a game on her laptop while I did Pinterest (I don't work on Sundays), but we both were glued to the television when Cedar Cove came on.

I can say that we bonded more then than in the office. Since the children were foster children (biological nieces and nephew), they were adopted out, then came back to family when they turned eighteen. The baby girl is nineteen, but to me, she is younger.

She was always closer to Mother than me. I am enjoying bonding with her. She asked if I could bake her butterscotch cookies, so I whipped up a batch of butterscotch shortbread. YUM!!

I brushed her hair and blow-dried it, and she was wondering why I was so excited to do it. Well, when I was foster momma, I was going back to college and working a ton of hours as a deli manager at a very busy convenient store, so I would sometimes have the girls wash their own hair (they were able to do it, but liked for me to do it.)

I never forgot that and have been riddled with guilt, waiting to see them again when they turned eighteen. I know, I wasn't a bad momma for having them do things they were capable to do, but after they were adopted out, all I wanted to do was to be able to wash their hair and get them ready for school another day.

It's hard being a foster mother because they could get adopted out at any time. When Judge Rhorer gave me custody, it was joint custody with Mother. When she couldn't look after the children anymore, they were adopted out. It devastated me, but God knew best. The children are back now, and I know I hover over them too much now.

I almost cried when I told Ashlee why I would gladly brush her hair and blow dry it anytime, no matter how much pain I was in (I did have shoulder pain, but didn't tell her.)

She will be spending Sunday-Tuesday nights with me after she gets off work, and my oldest son, who usually camps out at my place after he gets off work at his security job, will go home those nights (he lives with Mother.)

My middle daughter is expecting her first son, Jordon, in about a week. We are very happy. Please pray for my youngest son because he still has an addiction to overcome. I love him so much, but am not too embarrassed to ask for prayers. He is a hard worker, has served his country in the military, and is very smart. He just needs to overcome alcohol. He competes in rodeos, so alcohol is all around him.
Although I don't post often, I am "lurking" on here to see what everyone else is up to.

I plan to be on here more, mainly, because I feel like there is great strength in numbers, and I need motivation to stay on track.

I hope to do better on the grocery budget when I get my royalties on the 31st. I have $158 coming from Kobo on the 15th. I am going to start menu-planning again.

I'm still on the Dave Ramsey plan. I am working on my third debt snowball, and I will have it paid off in December. I am listening to him on the radio right now and simmering a pot of chicken noodle soup on the stove. I've spent a ton on groceries over the past week. I never stay within budget, although I budget $800 a month for food and gas, and I work from home, so use very little gasoline.
I coupon and get deals, so I don't understand why I am going over budget. Any suggestions?