Frugal Friday—Week of June 20-26, 2021

 

Good Morning Frugal Friends!

How has your week gone? I hope you are doing well!

Our week was a blur of activity!  I did manage to squeeze in just a few frugal activities, however. . . 

If you remember, I talked last week about the two music camps my daughter was able to attend—one for adults, and then one for children.  This week was the camp for children, with just a day and a half in between the adults camp ending and the one for children beginning. I tried to use this time wisely, and ran to Aldi’s for stocking up on fresh things. I already had plenty of veggies in the house plus the freezer, so this was just for some fruit.

 

Then, my daughter and hubby checked out our blueberry bush.  I have three bushes, all three different varieties, but only one really produces.  A second one gives a few berries, literally, and the third nothing.  But at least the one that bears fruit does a nice job! 

I checked out the garden and found our first two zucchini.  I know people joke about how they can’t get rid of zucchini, and how the plants produce so abundantly, but I have never had over production of zucchini so if anyone wants to leave extras on my door step I would be happy for them! I was thrilled for these, and we ate them up! 

I paused to enjoy some beauty for my soul.

Then music camp began.  As we walked up the stairs to the second floor of the music building where check in was happening, I saw this sign taped in the stairwell.  I want to remember it always.  There were thought provoking quotes all around, if you looked for them.

One day during camp, my hubby showed one of the music teachers a limber jack that he made.  A limber jack is an Appalachian percussion instrument.  There is a paddle that you sit on one end of, then you hold the limber jack so he is standing on the paddle.  As the music is played, you tap the paddle and it makes the limber jack’s feet dance and gives kind of a rapping sound.  The teacher was delighted when she saw it, and asked him to show it to her orchestra children.  She teaches the youngest children in the camp.  So my husband agreed to bring it in, and while the children played a song called “Flying Fiddlesticks,” the limber jack danced along with them.

It was an intense, very packed three and a half days.  The last day of camp, the children all split up in groups and do community service by going to play at nursing homes.  With COVID, different nursing homes had some of the children play outside, under a porch.  Some were fine with the children coming inside to play.  Other years a group has also gone to play at the local public library. Then in the afternoon, they come back together and play two concerts where they can share with each other the music they have been learning, and parents are invited as well as others.  This year, this event was held at a community building our town has.  It is a large building, and has garage style doors all around it, so every other garage door was opened up so there would be plenty of fresh air and ventilation.  Sometimes a little TOO much ventilation, as a nice breeze kept music pages turning a bit unexpectedly, or even jumping off the music stands!  But the director produced some nice long clothes pin type devices that helped solve that problem. One little friend of my daughter’s gifted my daughter with a matching bow to wear, that would match that year’s camp shirts.  It doesn’t show in the picture, but the bow fabric even has music notes on it!  This was SUCH a sweet gift of love, and touched my daughter deeply!

Another camper, a middle school aged girl, thanked my daughter later for being her stand partner in one of the pieces.  She is not as skilled of a player at this point as my daughter is, and she told my daughter that it meant a lot to her that my daughter would be her stand partner and that having her as her stand partner really helped her to play better.  This filled my heart.  This is the entire attitude of this music camp.  It is not competition, and stepping on someone else to get to the “top.” It is everyone belongs.  THIS is why I love my daughter being involved with this camp, this teacher, who “happens” to be my daughter’s regular violin teacher.  Except that I don’t believe there is anything by chance.  I am convinced God planned for this teacher to be a mentor for my daughter.

Other frugal activities—today we cleaned some of the college apartments that the teachers stayed in, this part of our working off part of my daughter’s camp tuition.  In a few days we will clean the rest when the other teachers leave.  Some fly in from long distances, so leave when their flight was best booked. 

I also dried some spearmint and catnip from my back porch pots.  The spearmint I will use in tea.  The catnip goes to the pussy cat.  I have a cat toy for him that has a Velcro opening, where you can insert more catnip.  Of course, he has made a couple extra “holes” in it as well, but it has a double layer and is so far holding up well to his abuse!

It was a wonderful week.  I am exhausted. I am also filled.  I cried. I deepened friendships with other moms. I listened.  They listened to me. 

And at the end of the week, God sent us these—from that same one blueberry bush.

God is good.

How was your week? What did you do to save and bless your family and others?  I would love to hear about it!

~Susan