Fun Things to Do with Little or No Money with the Family

When you have three children that are each 4 years apart sometimes it is difficult to find things to do that will entertain all of them at their respective ages and attention levels.  Sure, there are many things to do if you want to pay enormous admission prices for a family of 5, but when you want to find fun things to do but not break the bank, it is best to start thinking outside the box.

The first thing I would recommend for all ages is strawberry picking.  We went just this past week and literally had the time of our lives.  There are two weeks left approximately of the good part of the season so if you want to do this, you need to get it together quickly.  We went to Cooper Creek Farms in Gallatin.  Family owned, on their property, the owners were beyond nice.  It was an educational experience for the children and we all thoroughly enjoyed picking the berries.  They have a picnic table there so pack a lunch and have a picnic and eat your fresh strawberries while you are there.  Cost is $2 per pound and I assure you that their berries are better than any you buy in the store.  So for the low cost of $6(we picked three pounds), we made memories and all ages loved the experience.  Here is the link to the place we went to.
http://gallatinstrawberries.com/Home_Page.html

If you sign up online, you can go and bowl two games EVERY DAY for FREE.  This is at Holder Family Fun Center.  They send you your week's worth of tickets every Sunday for the upcoming week.  Print them out and you get to bowl free every day.  Can't beat that with a stick.  If you don't live in Hendersonville, this is a nationwide program so go find your participating center from this link as well.  Here is the link to get signed up to bowl for free.
http://www.kidsbowlfree.com/

Take a day and take the kids to Chuck E. Cheese's with their report cards and to Krispy Kreme.  Chuck E. Cheese's gives free tokens for good grades.  The thing I love about this is they don't give free stuff just for A's.  They give free tokens for passing grades.  So if you are like me and have children who are not straight A students then they get praise and adoration from Chuck E. and all ages have games they can play there.  I get a seat and let my kids go have fun.  Sometimes I order a pizza and sometimes I don't.  The tokens are free.  Then when they finish their play time there, take them across the street to Krispy Kreme Donuts and get a free donut for EVERY good grade they have.  We usually get out of Krispy Kreme with over a dozen donuts with three kids :)  When you pull to the drive thru just tell them you have report cards for donuts.  They will handle you from there :)

The Discovery Center in Murfreesboro is a MUST GO for all ages.  Yes, quite a few of the activities inside the building are for children 12 and younger, there is something for everyone and the part that we all loved the best was the outdoors part.  They have an entire outside part that had a creek that comes from fresh spring water so that the water is clear as a bell.  Take your shoes off and wade in the creek.  We saw a live beaver building a dam not 6 feet from us.  The beaver acted like he was not bothered by us whatsoever.  We saw salamanders and caught them then put them back where we found them.  There was creek mud that my children loved sinking their toes into.  There are animals outside and a long trail to walk on almost like a free zoo.  Inside is also fun for all ages including a long super slide.  Here is a link to the Discovery Center.  It takes an hour to get there but it is worth the drive.  Admission is $6 or if you go on Tuesday it is $2!
http://explorethedc.org/

The Gallatin Public Pool is another place that I take my kids several times during the summer.  They have a water slide there that is the old kind like what we all used to slide on when we were kids.  A lot of kids have not seen one like this one before and it proves to be more fun that all ages can stand on a hot day.  Sometimes I think we overdo stuff so much that something that is just simple fun is more fun that a day at Nashville Shores.  Now the slide they have here is small, but OH so fun.  All three of my children love to go to this pool.

Municipal Park Outdoor Pool 2013

The Outdoor Pool will open May 25th. The pool hours are 10:00 am -- 5:00 pm daily.  Outdoor Pool Phone # is 230-0726. Cost is $5.00 per person. Pool may close due to inclement weather. The Outdoor Pool can be rented.  Rental is $300. Rental time is from 6:00 - 10:00 pm. Pool rental time is strictly enforced.        **NO GLASS OR ALCOHOL**                  **GRILLS ARE ALLOWED** If interested, call the Civic Center at 451-5911 for more information.

Here is the link to the Gallatin Municipal Pool:

http://www.gallatinciviccenter.com/html/activities-aquatics.html

Another fun thing to do that is free is to take your children to tour Purity Dairies.  You get free ice cream at the end of the tour.  Educational and free.  Here is the link to that.

http://www.puritydairies.com/tasteofsummer/

Also fun for all ages is a tour of Nissan's assembly line of car building.  It is simply fascinating and the tour is on a golf cart type thing.  This one is by appointment only, and again, totally FREE!

http://www.tnvacation.com/vendors/nissan_north_america_inc/

One thing that you may think is not for older kids is the sprinklers in Metro Downtown.  Not the sprinklers at the Bicentennial Mall, they are more for younger children.  And by the way, the Bicentennial Mall is also a great free educational place to take your children and don't forget to walk up the steps to the Capital building and roll all the way down the hill with your children.  I assure you it will not be a day they will forget.  Now back to the Metro Sprinklers.  Take a lunch and get a spot and it will be a whole days worth of fun for all ages even teenagers.  Their sprinklers are bigger and more powerful so the big kids think they are pretty awesome.  The Metro Sprinklers are located at Cumberland Park.  Here is the link to it.

 http://www.nashvilledowntown.com/go/cumberland-park

Rolling down Capital Hill

I will have another post of fun things to do for little or no money very soon.  Get out and make memories with your children this summer!  Thank you so much for reading my blog.  Subscribe at the right so you will receive email updates when I have a new post! Have a fabulous day!!

Jennifer

More Crypt Flies, Tissue Vendors, and Funeral Home Follies

I was walking out of the hotel of the funeral director's convention and was met with a man who was a tissue vendor. Seemed appropriate to have a tissue vendor at a funeral convention but amusing still. Which leads me to today's topic. Let's go over some odd but true items that are available for purchase. You would have no way to know about said items if your trusty Barbara Walters was not reporting live from the funeral convention. I am glad to provide answers to questions you never asked :) or didn't realize they were there to BE asked. Lol

Even if you are not a wine drinker, this item is ALMOST worth becoming one just so you can own one of these:

Yes, it is indeed a little casket to hold your prized bottle of wine. And as if that is not enough, here is what it looks like with a little closed casket in case you don't want your wine to be viewed:

Folks, I don't have a piece of furniture in my home that looks as nice as this wine casket. 

When I was walking down the hallway of the hotel this is what it looked like:

See anything unusual here??  If you don't then let me help you by zooming in:

Yep, sitting right there in the hallway of the hotel with normal people staying here, not just funeral directors. If you brought your family for a vacation, what would you think if this was sitting in the hallway of the hotel as you pass to go to the pool??  

Next up we have a nice oil lamp:

Hmmm, nope!!  It is indeed an urn lamp so that you can display the ashes of Uncle Arthur on your end table illuminated with soft white light in the evening. 

Next we have a set of books:

Umm nope!  It is a nice mantle case for Grandma. 

Her remains can be stored in a Baggie then placed in a high quality felt bag then closed into a faux set of books and placed directly on your mantle. This option is more discreet than the urn lamp :)

Getting hungry?  Cook something on this mini antique oven:

Umm nope, guess again. Grandpa, who loved antiques,  can forever be stored in a replica oven urn in your kitchen. 

Did you know that you can purchase a nice wooden casket to be cremated in?  Not me, just put me on a pizza pan and light me up. I would't spend the money on this: 

If you are going to be cremated but still want to be viewed, you can also rent a casket for the viewing. Much more cost effective option in my opinion. 

Sadly, the 110th annual Funeral Directors Convention is over. So this concludes my educational infomercial for fun funeral facts and follies. Thanks so much for reading my blog. Please subscribe at the right to receive email updates when I write a new blog!  Have a fabulous day!

Jennifer

Crypt Flies, Tissue Vendors, and Funeral Home Follies

When your husband works in the funeral industry people are just dying to know the ins and outs of such a job. Luckily, I am here to educate you on these things. Tonight you will be able to sleep well because some of your strangest questions will now have an answer. 

I am always excited to be invited to my husband's events. I would be able to attend more of them if we didn't have children at home that want to be fed. I thought I fed them yesterday but they are wanting to eat again. Anyway, yesterday I was able to go to the Funeral Directors Convention as arm candy for my husband. I try to play my role well and clean up real nice. Last night was no exception. However, for a middle aged woman who is expected to play the role of the "life of the party", a late night event will be full of yawns and wonderings of just when I will get to bed. To remedy this  I decided to take an evening nap so I would be fresh for the gathering. I dozed off around 5:30 and woke up right at 8:30 which was the time I was told to meet my husband at the party. I jumped up, freshened up my makeup, zipped my little black dress then noticed I had sheet marks on my arms. Apparently I had a really nice nap. As luck would have it,  I had thrown a black sweater in my truck so was able to wear that to cover the sheet marks on my arms. Ready, set, GO!  I am off to play the role of arm candy which I LOVE to play. I got downstairs to the lobby of the hotel where the convention is being held and took my position on the arm of the most handsome man I know and begin to socialize with the Funeral Directors. 10 minutes into the social hour, my husband leans over to me and says, "You have sheet marks on your face."  I reply with, " I had a really good nap apparently.  I will keep my head turned this way until the sheet marks subside."

Contrary to what you might think, being around funeral directors is very fun and entertaining. I love it actually. They are a jovial bunch. The persona you see when you are at need in their facility is a 360 compared to how they are in real life. I guess they are around so much sadness at work that they really ham it up around each other in social settings. One musing  I heard was a group laughing about a horrible incident where a body kept leaking through the mouth and they had to keep wiping the body's mouth hoping the family would not notice. Another was a director talking about a mouth not being stitched tight enough and it came open during the night and the subsequent scrambling to get the mouth sewn back shut before the family arrived and saw the situation.

 Being a funeral director and embalmer is actually artistry.  They take their work seriously and want to please the family to have a good remembrance of their loved one. However, as with any job, there are times when things just happen. Like crypt flies. Did you know there was such a thing as crypt flies?  They only breed in dead bodies. They resemble knats. Funeral homes can buy a "crypt fly bug zapper" which resembles an air conditioner. So the next time you are at a funeral home look around for an air conditioner type thing. It may not really be an air conditioner but a crypt fly zapper that keeps the pesky pests under control. 

Also available for purchase is a computer program that will prevent you from accidentally digging up another body while making a spot for a new arrival. It's a pricy piece of software but I can see the need there. I would hate to disturb Aunt Edna while making room for Uncle George. This piece of equipment is extremely useful when you own an older cemetery where some markers may be so old and unreadable and possibly dislodged. This piece will get you back in line without dislodging a decayed relative. 

My favorite quote of the night was from a funeral home owner talking amongst the group we were sitting with. He said, "I have GOT to get my sales up."  I just scratched my head thinking how he could do that aside from going out and murdering a few or digging a hole and leading a herd of folks out on a senior citizens event where they accidentally fall into the hole. Seriously, how would he increase his sales?!  He also stated that he doesn't sell many markers since he is 80% cremation. These are all normal conversations amongst funeral directors. 

I will leave you today with a photo. I knew I was in the right place when I parked next to this:

Have a fabulous day and be sure not to travel by a funeral home who needs to increase their sales. It may not be safe. 

Thanks for reading my blog!  Subscribe to the right and you will receive email when I update with a new post!

Jennifer

  

More Lessons Learned from a Day at Camp

Honestly I never thought that my post would have such an outpouring of love from the community.  I am becoming more and more convinced that one person really can make a difference.  We can't impact everyone, but we can impact someone.  We may not can feed the world every day, but we can feed a family for a night.  One day at a time, Sweet Jesus.

This morning when I pulled up to pick up the children for camp, a very eager boy stood at the door of my bus and talked a mile a minute.  I thought my youngest daughter had the record for the most talking EVER, but no.  This boy beats her any day of the week and twice on Sunday.  The most important thing he said was this, "Guess what I have in this bag I am bringing today?  I found a Bible and I brought it today.  I have decided that I want to be a preacher because I started learning about Jesus yesterday and since I am learning early, I will be ready to be a preacher when I grow up.  When I get on the bus I am going to sit right behind you and if I stop talking to you for a minute on the bus ride, then you know I am reading my Bible a little bit."

Then there were the two girls who stood arm in arm at the door of the bus and literally refused to get on.  I told them to come on up for another fun day at camp, and they just said simply, "We were told we would get a breakfast and drink and not to get on yet."  The other kids pleaded for them to get on, but they wouldn't.  I said, "I will make sure you get your breakfast."  They reluctantly got on and then the miracle happened.  Seemingly from nowhere, literally, a woman showed up with a box of food, breakfast for each and every one of the little ones.  It must have been just like when Jesus fed the 5.000 that day.  There was plenty of breakfast for everyone including drinks.  Extra snacks were available in the afternoon and plenty of lunch, even more if you wanted an extra sandwich.  Ironically, I discovered the woman with the box of food knew my Aunt.  My Aunt passed away on Thanksgiving a few years ago and she was just the type woman who would have given her last loaf of bread to these children.  I was touched that this lady knew my precious Aunt.

Today I met some children who had never had potato chips before.  I met a boy who said he had his shoes for 5 years(I can't imagine that could be possible, but I wouldn't question anything after what I have seen this week).  I have to admit that my idea of what inner city kids look like was a mistake.  I stereotyped what that looked like.  The face of inner city looks just like my children.  They have hopes and dreams like my children.  They have feelings like my children.  Only they don't sit in the seat of privilege like my children.  I was told that the majority of these children will never graduate high school.  The drop out rate is tremendous in this area.

When I found out that Senior Camp this year was going to be different and we were going to offer a free summer camp for inner city kids and use our high school campers as counselors for the kids, I thought to myself, "Our kids won't sign up for camp this year if they don't get to boat, swim, and do the normal camp things they do each year."  I could not be more wrong.  Our high school kids have risen to the occasion and they have had a life altering experience at camp this year.  Our kids look happier when I see them.  They are making a difference.  Jesus came on this earth not to serve himself or to be entertained, He came to seek and save the lost and to serve others.  Our kids have had the chance to be Jesus to someone this week.  To make a difference one child at a time.

We can't feed everyone, but we can feed someone.  We can't feed someone every day, but we can feed them one day.  We can't impact everyone but we can impact someone.  Jesus made a difference one person at a time.  He didn't raise everyone from the dead, but he raised someone from the dead.  May we all be Jesus to someone each day.

The children were happier today when I delivered them back to their place than even yesterday.  They all seem more relaxed and comfortable.  A safe environment with a safe place to be yourself and let your hair down and experience new things is just what the doctor ordered for these children and Jesus is the great physician.

Thank you so much for reading my blog.  Please subscribe to it at the right and updates will be emailed to you!  Have a great night and be Jesus to someone tomorrow.

Jennifer

Lessons Learned from a Day at Camp

I got my commercial drivers license for the sole purpose of driving on days like today. I picked up a bus load of inner city kids and drove them to our church camp that was over an hour away from where these kids lived. Then I took them back. I wanted to be a blessing to them but they were a blessing to me. Everyone should have a chance to ride the party bus driven by a rockstar...or maybe everyone should have the opportunity to drive the party bus filled with children who had never been to camp before. Several of the moms tearfully thanked us for providing this opportunity. 

Upon arrival at camp the kids were ooing and ahhing over the woods. I scratched my head and finally accepted that they had never seen woods before.  I rapidly discovered that most of them had never been swimming, never been in a canoe, never been to camp. 

 Then we went canoeing. An adorable child reluctantly got in the canoe with me. He had never been in one or even on the lake before so was apprehensive. I couldn't convince him to turn around and face forward so he rode facing me. I also couldn't convince him to paddle the correct way so he was paddling backwards and I was paddling forward trying to get somewhere like that :) We had some great conversation in that canoe when one of the counselors decided we would canoe race. My little date thought that sounded good. I thought to myself well we won't be getting anywhere fast with him paddling backwards. Ready set GO!  I paddled as hard as I could to his squeals of delight. Rapidly I realized I was in the canoe with a slow leak and my end was taking on water but it didn't matter. My little friend was having too much fun!  When we got back to the dock, my son said, "Mom!  Your phone is ruined!"  It was swimming in the water that was in the canoe. I grabbed it and knew it wouldn't work. But God was there. I already decided it didn't matter if I had to spend money for a new phone because it was worth the happiness of the little friend. Guess what?!  I am blogging on my phone right now. How did my phone survive?  Because God was there. Apparently I was paddling so hard that my phone worked out of my pocket. God protected my phone because I was doing His work.

The counselors were having as much fun as the children. I saw them talking to the children individually and the children were captivated by the attention they were being given. I overheard a conversation. 

Counselor: What is your favorite thing to do?

Camper:  I watch tv and eat. I am not allowed to go outside and my mom works so I just sit on the couch and watch tv and eat.

This photo was made AFTER my phone went for a swim ;)

And then there were the ones who looked at the ground most of the time even when spoken to. Maybe abused. Maybe never talked to or listened to. 

The ones who mindlessly chattered all the time. Or talked really loud, almost in a shout. Maybe their home is so loud they must shout to try to be heard. 

Things I heard the children say:

"I want to play soccer but my mom doesn't have enough money."

"I don't know what I am going to eat tonight because my mom lost her job."

"I have to take care of my younger brothers and sisters while my mom works."

And then there was the boy with the lunchbox. He never put it down. He had it in the canoe with him, he had it in the craft house, he had it in the woods, he had it on the sports field. I wondered why he had it because lunch was provided. I finally asked him and his reply brought me to my knees. He said, "I thought if there was anything leftover from lunch I could bring it home for my dinner."

See the lunchbox sitting in front of the boy?

By the end of the day you couldn't have wiped the smiles off their faces with a washcloth. They were excited, they were happy, they were grateful. Some came down the hill on the backs of counselors and I am not sure who grinned bigger, the camper or the counselor. When we try to give we almost always end up receiving. 

My bus was much quieter on the trip home. Many fell asleep. I wanted to keep driving them around until they woke up because they may not have a peaceful place to sleep at night. The little friend that was in my canoe with me fell asleep and we almost never woke him when we got him back to his place. Peaceful dreams, sweet friend, I pray that God bless you and every one of your little friends. I will see you all in the morning :)

Thank you so much for reading my blog! Please share and subscribe to the right so you can receive email updates when I write a new post. 

Surviving a Holiday without Gaining Weight OR Surviving ANY Day Without Gaining Weight

This past weekend was, of course, a holiday weekend.  I had the BEST weekend ever.  Our closest friends came over and played cards with us, we had hamburgers, our family came over, I volunteered at a race, I exercised, spent some time at the pool, just an all around great time.  We all know that holiday weekends, holiday days, and holiday months are difficult when there is food 'o plenty laying out to be grazed on and it all looks SO good.  My fat cells get happy when I pass by food because they are licking their chops hoping to expand a bit.  Well, I am totally against my fat cells expanding.  I work too hard to let them expand again.  So the question is "How do we survive events when the food is plenty and looks amazingly good and everyone around us is stuffing themselves like Thanksgiving turkeys?"  Well I wish I had all the answers, but I can tell you how I survive and don't gain weight.

First and foremost, always plan ahead.  Never leave home without a package of peanut butter and crackers or a protein bar in your car or your purse.  Being unprepared will add approximately 7-10 pounds per year. It leads to a quick run through the drive thru.  If you do go to a fast food joint, then always order a kids meal.  1/3 of the calories of an adult meal and you still get the feeling of not being deprived.

Let me give you the example of my day yesterday.  I knew my mom was making chocolate chip cookies and we were making homemade ice cream for the Memorial Day festivities.  I knew I wanted to eat a hamburger, potato salad, baked beans, and of course chocolate chip cookies and homemade ice cream.  I planned my breakfast and lunch accordingly.  For breakfast I had some strawberries and blueberries.  For lunch I had a protein bar.  For dinner I had a hamburger, some potato salad, baked beans, 3 cookies and two bowls of homemade ice cream.  The homemade ice cream I dipped less than I normally would have in a bowl so that I could feel like I had two bowls of ice cream.  So in essence, it was one bowl of ice cream but I divided it into two bowls so I felt really indulged.  I enjoyed my dinner so much and all day when I wanted to eat or have a sweet, I told myself, "remember the cookies and the ice cream you are going to get later."

Here is another scenario:  You eat lunch at Chuy's.   By the way, did you know that a Chuy's taco salad only has 389 calories?  Yep, go guiltless there but don't load up on the chips or you will not be guiltless.  Back to the subject, you eat lunch at Chuy's which is great, but don't plan to eat a big dinner.  Eat a smoothie for dinner made up of a cup of orange juice, a half a banana, and some frozen berries.  Or, eat a protein bar for dinner.

Surviving life without gaining weight is all about balance.  If you splurge, then cut back at the next meal. Skip the vicious cycle of guilt.  When you mess up and eat too much, start over right that moment.  Each bite you leave on the plate is calories you skipped.  I have even been known to want a cookie so bad that I put it in my mouth, chewed it up and enjoyed it, then spit it in the trash.  It never made it to my stomach, and all I wanted was the taste anyway, so chew it then spit it out.  May sound gross, but I am totally anti diet.  They don't work so we have to go with what does work. :)

If I eat too much or decide to indulge in an ice cream then I figure up before I eat it how long I have to run to work it off.  If I eat a 400 calorie dessert then I know I have to run 4 miles to run it off.  Then I ask myself if it is worth the 4 miles to eat it.  Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't.  It is all about planning ahead.


Thanks so much for reading my blog!  Go to the right and subscribe to it so you receive emails when I update and you will never miss a post!  Have a fabulous night!

Jennifer

Party Decorations on a Budget

I definitely love a party.  I love the frosting the best but what is a party without a few decorations?  The graduation party I just threw for my daughter for graduation was no exception and I was very concerned about being on a budget.  I wanted the perfect party with the perfect food and perfect decorations with a perfect pricetag.  Mission accomplished!  My last post had the party foods and recipes.  I hope you enjoyed that one.  Today we are going to talk about decorating on a dime. And here are a few things I picked up at the Dollar Tree that I used to decorate.

I got most of my decorations at the Dollar Tree.  Everything there is a dollar.  And if you don't know it already, so are their mylar balloons.  Anywhere else they are triple the price.  Seriously, mylar balloons with an anchor weight and everything for a dollar.  You can't beat that with a stick.  They have them for every occasion from birthday to Valentines Day to Mother's Day.  No excuse to not pick up a festive balloon or 12 anymore.

At the Dollar Tree, I bought two packages of balloons and made a cute balloon decoration.  I threaded a long needle with quilting thread and did not cut the end of the thread off.  I just left it on the spool so I could judge the length after I threaded the balloons.  I threaded one color then the other color and back and forth until I had used all the balloons I had.  You could make this longer or shorter.  It would even be cute to hang from a chandelier in short version.  These things at the party store are super expensive.  I have always admired them but never willing to pay the price for them.  SO, I created my own.  For the low cost of $2.  Two packages of balloons at $1 each and used thread I had at home to string them.  After I strung the balloons I decided how long I wanted them to dangle then tied the thread off at the bottom.  Then I hung them after I spread the balloons in a pleasing appearance.  It really made a nice decoration and a nice backdrop for pictures in her school colors.

Also at the Dollar Tree they had school colored small star shaped balloons.  I picked up some silver icicle things in the giftwrap aisle and stuffed it into a crystal vase I had at home.  Then I stuck the balloons down in it after I snipped the ends at varying lengths to add interest.  The Class of 2013 things in the arrangement came from the dollar aisle at Joann Fabrics.  I always like to look in the dollar aisle at Target, Joann Fabrics or definitely Dollar Tree.  For around $7 I had a nice table arrangement and I can save the balloons and icicles for when my son graduates.  Those balloons on a stick last forever.  Although this is not a picture of JUST the arrangement, you can get an idea of what it looked like :)

I made a memory board to display some old and new pictures of my guest of honor.  I bought one of those tri fold display boards at Walmart.  Then I covered it with dollar fabric at Walmart.  If they didn't have something in the dollar fabric I wanted then I didn't need fabric.  That was what I said to myself when I started looking.  Bingo!  Found some animal print I liked and got 2 yards to cover the board.  Covering it was easier than I thought.  I just stapled the fabric neatly around the edge and trimmed the excess.  I used E-6000 glue to stick the letters on that I cut out on a press.  If you don't have a press, then you could use purchased letters they have at Walmart.  The pictures I was a bit more picky about.  I wanted them back not damaged and not attached to the huge board.  So I used double sided tape, again purchased at the Dollar Tree.  The tape stuck the pictures very well but not permanently.  I printed some little captions explaining a few major life events and E-6000 them to the board.

I framed a few special items with frames I had around the house, like her scholarship award, a few special photos, her letter she got in band, and her acceptance certificate to college.  I also bought a small box from the Dollar Tree that I put index cards and a pen beside so that folks could write a piece of advice or a well wish on.   You could also use this idea for a wedding or even a birthday party.

Lastly, I got some streamer, you guessed it, at the Dollar Tree and twisted it up and taped a few balloons to the chandelier just to be festive.  Then I stuck a yard sign in the front yard that also cost a dollar and called the whole thing a party!

I hope you got some party decorating ideas from my blog today.  I am a girl who loves a bargain.  Thank you so much for reading my blog and please subscribe on the right.  Share me with all your friends!  Have a great day!

Jennifer