Life is all about balance and the little things. This ancient Chinese proverb perfectly illustrates how I've always tried to live my life ...
"WHEN YOU ONLY HAVE TWO PENNIES LEFT IN THE WORLD, BUY A LOAF OF BREAD WITH ONE AND A LILY WITH THE OTHER."
You might call it an attitude of gratitude with the understanding that mankind does not live on bread alone. I've found that every society has a saying which reflects this universal truth.
OK, so I'm not the coupon queen!:) But, I like saving money as much as the next person - because - if you think about it, every cent that you save, is really a penny that you earned.
Richard came home with the cutest little bottle .....
... wrapped in a little velvety pouch ...
- hello Jewelry gift and travel bag -
... inside was a $4 to $10 rebate on a bottle of our favorite Pravda vodka.
Of course, I really like the bottle too, because it has a purple/lavender crystal on the bottle, makes a nice garden decoration:) We like a glass of fruit juice with a shot of vodka on the weekends, when we have brunch in our garden gazebo.
Hey, you only live once - I think:)
Inserting today's pretty hibiscus bloom for no reason, just because I can:)
live
By the way ladies - those little bottles are great for your dried spices, they are not as wide as the McCormick or Spice Island bottles. A slender bottle means you use less of that premium kitchen counter space and frequent refills keep the herbs fresh.
In fact,
I think I may revert to my hippie days and place a purple Mexican petunia bloom into the little bottle to show off it's sparkly decoration.
Hello tacky or fun - depending on your view.
Well - one thing always leads to another, since I had to go outside to photograph the flower, I noticed these two green beetles eating the leaves of my tree.
Doesn't matter, the tree will grow new leaves, the birds and the lizards like to eat the bugs, an endless cycle. No reason to interfere with mother nature, but maybe it is a photo opportunity waiting to happen.
Green bugs can be art and tree hugging inspirational.
Since I mentioned tree hugging .....
I noticed the light of the setting sun on our paper bark tree
last night .....
Next coupon - FREE package of any Oscar Mayer Beef Franks (up to $4.50)
I couldn't believe the coupon arrived so fast. It seems I just saw this freebie alert posted here on gather. Thank you April H. - seems Oscar was being generous - for one whole day they gave away coupons for a free package. I saw the post like at 11:30 that evening, just made it - story of my life:)
Great for our next BBQ! Add a package of Mac-n-Cheese I received for free at a recent store opening, a garden salad from my own garden and there you have it - free dinner!
Life is Good!
Sorry about the fuzzies, we were in the car behind and I was trying to take a pic before they rounded the corner.
Then I received two coupons in the mail from gather. Max value $4.10 each, for one free package of those new Oscar Mayer Deli creations.
Free dinner for the two of us! That means no cooking tonight, yay!
I'll fix a salad from the last fresh tomatoes from our garden, add fresh basil and a couple of slices of Later today, I'll pick up two different packages of the Deli creations from Oscar Mayer for us to try.
Thank you GATHER!
Still waiting for my coupon for a free chocolate bar, it should arrive within another two weeks - I think Connie C. posted that tasty morsel of information.
My garden is a joy this time of year and it looks like we will have comfortable temperatures for a few more days, before the relentless heat of summer sets in.
My red hibiscus - in the process of opening it's flower for today
Here is a shot showing the outside of the bloom .....
... just as pretty, isn't it?
Let me sneak in one more photo .....
Frangipani close-up - it has a lovely scent, especially in the evening. 
But, actually - this one is way more interesting with the little anole lizard hanging out on the frangipani leaf. Not a picture I would normally post, since it has our clothesline in the back and didn't turn out picture perfect, but since we've gotten to know each other here on gather .....
Last year someone actually gave me that look of 'you poor thing'. What she said was, "How quaint, I didn't know anyone still hung their laundry out to dry, I thought everyone had a clothes dryer."
I just smiled. It saves us a lot of money on the energy bill and the clothes smell nice without me having to buy any dryer sheets. This is Florida, the sunshine dries our clothes and bedding in no time and I know it's environmentally friendly.
Enough of my rambling .....
THANK YOU for visiting, enjoy your day!
So what is happening in your world?
Written and photographed by Rose H. - copyright 2009
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Comments: 55
I love that little lizard in the last shot! And I agree, clothes always smell better when they dry outside.
Beautiful photos... I'm waiting on some of those coupons to show up in my mailbox, too.
Thanks for sharing. I knew you where from Fl. by the pictures of the plants and lizard
That is indeed a nice bottle!
I love the tree hugging beetles!
I love the photos and the rambling Rose - they make for a beautiful pick me up in the middle of my day!
This was wonderful! I loved it! I hope you do more like this.
Nice crystal on the bottle - nice lizard on the leaf - and your flowers - and of course: line dry! Saves energy and smells much better!
Good article!
Beautiful flowers and some great deals, I'm having Turkey sandwich today thanks to Gather coupons.
great images ... thanks for sharing. clear, crisp, interesting, lively, provocative, enchanting, soforific, quaint, elegant, superb, photos .... whew!
You have fresh tomatos? And the "last of" them no less? Wow, I barely have blooms on mine. As to your question on the "vase": "Hello tacky or fun - depending on your view." Ohhh, so fun. Great post and pics, just because you can.
I received my Oscar Meyer hotdog coupon yesterday, and my M&M chocolate coupon today. Consequently, I just spent $5 at the store picking up two 12 oz containers of Planter's Peanuts with Sea Salt ($1 off display coupon, sale priced $1.99 each, store double); six candy bars, from Twix to Snickers (buy one, get one free at Safeway, with one of the "buy one" paid for with the M&M coupon); a package of eight all beef hotdogs; a package of eight hotdog buns (on sale at Safeway for 88 cents a bag); and four filled/gourmet doughnuts in a just-the-right-sizel bakery pie box the bakery guy threw in just for me (25 cents each through today).
Lots of sugar and salt for sure, so use of these purchases will be spaced out over the next month or so.
Two gourmet breakfasts for two, three movie nights, four beef hot dog lunches or dinners for two (I'll heat the leftover chili in the freezer for two of those dogs, and serve it up with potato or lettuce salads from the garden), and sea-salt peanuts to snack on for the month. Not bad for $5. Coupon shopping does indeed rock Rose! ; )
Ms. Meacham - yup, you picked up on it. The last of the tomatoes. Coupons are great as long as they are for things you want and if not you can always swap them - we do.
Rose, did you submit this post to Gather Money Essentials? I think it's just great, and maybe they'll feature it. I just love how you weave in so many stories of ways to stay frugal and still live life to the fullest in this day and age.
I didn't know about this group. I'll check on it. THANK YOU!
Love the bottle, that's an item definitely worth keeping and recycling for whatever suits your fancy.
My OM Beef Franks coupon came also and so did my free chocolate. Friends on Gather are priceless, free food, pretty photos, great tips and they always give me an excuse to sit down and relax a while. I had an OM Deli Creation for lunch thanks to a free coupon from Gather.
Ramblings are my second favorite kind of post to read, second to Photo Essays and you are the first to combined both and give me a new favorite!
Enjoy your evening!
RE: Ramblings are my second favorite kind of post to read, second to Photo Essays and you are the first to combined both and give me a new favorite!
Great point Nana. Soooo juicy AND tantelizing. We really can't ask for much more.... lol
Nana - you said it all:) I don't ramble too often, it sort of puts you out there, if you know what I mean. Thank you, I'm glad you liked it. Isn't it amazing how addictive gather becomes and how much it becomes part of our every day lives?
P.S. Meanwhile, thank you so much for posting this to my Frugal Living group. I'll for sure feature it there!
Actually, I thought you had but when I went to feature it, it was no where to be found. As soon as I see it I'll feature it for sure.
Ms. Meacham - I'll double check right now, but I know I sent it to Frugal Living.
I'm going to look for your vodka, I love the bottle! Besides with a bit of grapefruit juice..yummy! Lovely photos as always!
Kat - it is indeed good vodka and an unexpected bennie. Grapefruit juice is an excellent choice.
Rose, thanks for the nice visit to your world.
Marie - thanks for dropping by to read my ramblings:)
Very nice post. I love free stuff!
Enjoyed looking at all of your photographs and listening to all of your ramblings. Lucky lady!
Esther - Lucky indeed, who else has a guy like Richard who will bring home a mini bottle with a sparkly on it, becaue he thinks you'd like it:)
Beautiful photos
You had me hooked on free vodka! Where's the party at?
Rob - in my Secret Garden of course.:) Later you can amble over to the "man table" dubbed so because it is bar height and attracts the guys and the young ones:) - in the Party Central part of the garden.
May I submit my leopard lounge in the event of rain?
Rose, what a wonderful post this is~
Diane - THANK YOU how sweet of you:)
Meanwhile Rose, thought I'd share with you a pic of mine that your "Life Is Good" shot reminded me of: http://www.gather.com/viewImage.action?fileId=3096224744263328. Can you see the resemblence?
Ms. Meacham - I had to smile, becaue I just can't envision you and road rage, but hey, we've all been there. Yup, I saw the resemblence:)
I Like hanging my clothes out to dry, rose. as usual, your pics are cool........
Penni - thanks, it's all good and I'm always happy if you like my pics.:)
I have Lizards in the yard too, I love them! Nothing wrong with a little Vodka on the weekend!! Great shots!!
Donna - thanks for dropping by. Lizards and vodka on the weekend is a cool combination:)
Rose, the combo of flowers and coupons savings is way too cool! Loved it!
Stacey - it sort of happened, I wasn't my original plan, but sometimes you just gotta go with the flow:)
Brunch sounds lovely, I'm on the way LOL
Stacey - Anytime - that you are down my way.
thank you Rose... i always look forward to your ramblings and beautiful photos...
congrats on your free dinner...LOL... love and hugs... see ya soon...
necee - my friend - so good to see ya.:)
Is this about your daily life? I was just curious of course.
If this is nonfiction, I have a group rule, that says if it is nonfiction, then you must place the tag, Journal entry on your posts. Please do so for any further nonfiction posts. Thanks so much..
When you are finished placing the tag,"Journal entry" on this post, then re-submit it to my group, Anythingwriting
Angela - thank you, I will keep that mind for my future posts too. I noticed you mentioned "journal entry" in the group blip so I thought my post fit, I just didn't realize that I needed to tag it as well.
Absolutely beautiful photos. And I like the way your mind works.
Great coupons & pictures as well! I love the hibiscus....but where is Jimbo?
Priscilla - I thought you might ask, he was hiding from the camera.:) I'm about to post just a pic of the annoyed look I got a couple nights ago:)
**going to view all the pic! (the free vodka got me here!)
Robyn - free vodka will get you lots of places:)
Here are a few of my favorite things: alcohol, bugs and flowers! Woo hoo!
Lovely photos, and posting. I didn't get my Oscar Mayer coupon. :(
lovely photos - and I got my "free hot dogs" coupon just as fast as you got yours - it was amazing!!