Friday Phramblings- a weird/ different week

Phrambings- a mix of photo and ramblings.  I don’t have a lot of photos. But I do have some ramblings. I am combining them to commemorate this oddest of weeks. Not to be too melodramatic but this week is the last one before Alyssa goes to college. So, it’s a bit momentous. The last week of us not being empty nesters. Though Abby will not leave for college until the week after next. So our youngest will go away but our middle child will still be with us. I guess technically we won’t be empty nesters until they are all gone. But our youngest, the one who was NOT SUPPOSED TO GROW UP!!!!, is leaving in less than a week. 

So, one weird thing is that I have small rashes over a few spots on my body. Could be from stress, could be a sign of something wrong with my immune system- who knows, except a dermatologist and I just don’t have the time or mental energy to deal with it now. I will wait until after the girls are gone. Rashes aren’t fatal, right? I do have many pictures of the rashes as I am documenting how they are progressing.  Making a “skin rash" photo album wasn't on my bingo card, but it goes to show never say never! These photos best stay on my camera roll in their tidy, rather grody album rather than become part and parcel of the internet :).

Another weird thing is that we unexpectedly need to purchase a car! It will be for Donnie. A couple of things about us and cars- We almost always buy used vehicles. Let someone else take the initial (and biggest...) hit on depreciation. The other thing is that we like to pay cash for our vehicles. Since becoming debt free a few years ago, that is how we plan to remain. Buying used means that more decisions come into play. How old of a vehicle are you willing to buy? With how many miles? Paying cash means, well, there is more a finite amount you feel comfortable spending (also generally there IS a finite amount you can spend!) because the amount is coming straight out of your bank account. It’s sort of like what experts say about people spending with a credit card vs. cash. Those paying for items with a credit card tend to spend more money than those using cash. We think we have a car in mind to buy. We are paying to have it shipped out here where Donnie will test drive it. Just a weird change of events. Last week at this time, Donnie was not considering such a purchase. 

This week I also paid for Alyssa’s first semester tuition and room and board. Oh my! Abby hasn’t lived in the dorms since her sophomore year, so we have not had a big college bill in a couple of years. We have money to pay for the girls’ college expenses in a 529 college savings account. But the way it works is you pay the college bill out of your own account- checking or savings- and then get reimbursed from the funds in the 529. So, the initial financial hit- tuition/ room & board bill- comes out of our general checking account. 

Car, college, what else can we spend money on? Well, funny how that works- this week was the final week for Ohio’s sales tax-free event. This year, Ohio expanded the scope of what can be purchased tax free, the dollar amount of purchases that can be tax free, and the length of the sales tax time frame was extended. It made financial sense to anticipate some future purchase needs and make them during the tax-free time. Donnie and I were up late the evening that the tax-free event ended making online purchases (in addition to doing plenty of shopping during the other days of the event!). I may do a post on some of the purchases that we made in this time frame when they come in. I do not care too much for shopping whether in person or online but life on the grid requires “things” and things don’t buy themselves. I do care for saving money, so I sucked it up and shopped...

One of my brothers moved to Ohio this week! He moved for a work opportunity and to be closer to the rest of us siblings. We don’t now live super close by- he is still over two hours away, but it is better than six and a half hours away! I was hoping to go and see him and his new place, but we had to play musical chairs with the cars this week being down one. I am always the loser when the family has to play the musical chair/car game since I don’t work and everyone else does!! So, there was no car for me to use to go and see him, but I will have mine to use free and clear fairly soon.

That was about it different/ weird wise. Let life surprise you was the motto for the week!! 

I do have some pictures, but they are mainly of food... Alyssa requested the Korean beef bowls that I made earlier this summer. They turned out good again and everyone liked them. I asked Donnie if he wanted me to add this dish to the rotation when the girls are gone (since sky will be the limit when the girls are gone, I don’t feel like I need to add more dishes to the rotation but if he likes the dish, I want to include it). He said that he did like it quite a bit so... I will do that! And I was happy to make something that Alyssa really liked. There was only one serving leftover which worked well to bring to Alyssa the next day at work. That worked because she didn’t like what those of us at home were having. Navigating the Venn diagram of who will eat what is getting a little old- the end is in sight, though I will miss those fussy eaters something fierce...while appreciating only having to make dinner for one other person besides me and that person is not fussy at all!

Korean beef bowls- I added cooked eggs for a topping which tasted good but cooking them filled up all the burners on the stove. Next time that I make this, I won’t use two kinds of rice so that will free up a burner.

Here was my bowl- so good!

Alyssa made pico de gallo this week with garden veggies

I air fried zucchini and then added a honey balsamic glaze (glaze not pictured as it did not photograph well!) 

Getting ready to make...pickles!!!

I cut them up as spears and pieces

Can’t wait to try them- the vintage Tupperware in this picture is one of the few items of my mom’s that I have. I don’t use it very often but it was perfect to use for making the pickles. 

My brother sent me this picture of Mary Gracia watching the Olympics. Not sure for long she watched; whatever it was, it was more than I did. I did not watch one iota. It was not a turn on the TV kind of week. I saw some of the highlights/lowlights of the Olympics online.