6 months and counting......

I cannot believe that it has been over 6 months since that glorious Talk.  The absurdly ridiculous placement service has been calling less and less as time passes.  They still keep sending emails wondering how I am and asking if I have had any interviews.... but as with a lot of things these days I tend to take them more in stride with everything else and just don't respond.

A couple of notable things have gone on which I thought many would find amusing:

I fell in love with those extra creamy Nutter Butter cookies and am embarrassed to say I polished more than a few packages all by myself.  They are fabulous... if you are a connoisseur of Nutter Butters.  I found, however, that sitting on my butt eating those scrumptious little cookies lead to a few more pounds following me around.  In an effort to increase our (mostly mine) physical fitness we joined a local family gym.  The 5:30am workouts have been hell but the pounds are slowly coming off and I am now doing yoga by the pool on Wednesday nights.  Who would have thought that I would have ever had time to do yoga by the pool.... certainly not me.... at least not while I was working for that awful food company.

This summer has also seen the demise of 4 swimsuits... each of my daughters wore out 2 swimsuits.... to the point that the elastic didn't have any spring left in it and the bottoms were threadbare.  For once they got to play daily, sometimes several times/day, at the pool soaking up sun and getting tan lines that I would give my left and right arms for.

Did I mention that I do yoga by the pool?

My dogs have spent their days snoozing in the sun on our deck and when it got too hot they would saunter in and lie on the couches under the fan and AC.  It is truly a rough existence for them.

In an effort to decrease our spending I have tried many different ways to save money... some have worked some haven't... but the most memorable are:

• Mayonnaise- I admit I am a Hellman's girl, but I couldn't pass up the private-label mayo at Walmart for half the price.   OMG!  That was like opening the trash can and throwing my money right in.... 

• Milk- We go through so much milk each week sometimes I think it would be cheaper to own a cow.  I have been able to find milk for 30-50% cheaper at Costco than at the grocery store.  It tastes the same and it lasts a lot longer which means less trips to the store for me.

• Oats- This one thrills me to no end.... the private label at Target is much better than the branded.

• Oil of Olay face soap- I use the Oil of Olay Regenerist line of products and had a momentary lapse in judgement one day when I decided the store brand soap was the same.... not in the least.  While I did use up the store brand I find it odd that they called it a facial cleanser and it didn't even make soapy bubbles.

• Finally, while I was unhappily, gainfully employed we used to throw out tons of food but now we eat the same healthy food but buy less because we eat leftovers a little more often.

As we look toward fall I am reevaluating my wardrobe, and as you know I have a obsession with elastic-wasted pants during the cold months.   I am now a proud owner of a pink Snuggie that I got on clearance at Office Max for $4.99 and I have made a new discovery... Lands End sweatpants.  My oldest has them for her gym uniform, but I had not idea they made adults versions.  They are simply divine!  My first pair  arrived the other day.  As much as I hate cold weather a little part of me can't wait to try them out.

These past couple of months have been fantastic and I can only wonder what the next 6 months will hold......