"Jodie, where have you been?"

I've received some messages recently via email and myspace from friends who wonder if I've dropped off the face of the planet, as I haven't blogged in almost 2 months. WOW! Not even I had realized it had been that long.

Everyone can relate when I say, "Even the most well-intentioned sometimes stumble on the thing we refer to as LIFE!" Lemme tell ya, "LIFE" in our household has been turned on it's ear! With things coasting smoothly once again, you have my word I'll be more diligent with my postings and vow to keep all those I know and love informed and up-to-date on all things good and bad going on in my little world!

Where have I been? Why haven't I blogged and "myspaced"?

My comfort zone was dismantled and the events which followed were extraordinarily eye-opening regarding the way I look at life and those I love. Never again will I take another day for granted....never again will I ignore events which deserve fast and focused attention concerning the health of my family and friends. Toward the end of last month, I could have easily lost my husband to the evil beast known as "The Widow Maker". (Ohh, that makes me shudder to even type the words.)

BJ hadn't been feeling well for a few weeks. Tired, sluggish at work, sleeping the weekends away, constant "heartburn" or so we thought, cranky, not eating much.... but the heartburn was relentless. Our family doctor mentioned it was probably a side effect of one of the medications BJ was on and suggested buying some Prilosec OTC. We did. And we bought some more. And we bought the nasty chalky-stuff, and he gobbled antacids like candy and drank alka-seltzer several times a day. I started making "blah" foods for supper with hardly any spice. One night while in the middle of peaceful slumber, I awoke to BJ sitting straight up in bed and literally clutching his chest. He was having trouble breathing and was in severe pain. I turned on the lamp and asked what I could do, what did he need me to get for him, etc. While drinking alka-seltzer he happened to mention that the pain was radiating through his left arm, up his neck and into his jaw. This was alarming. I suggested (should have INSISTED) we go to the emergency room, but he began feeling better and said he just needed to go back to sleep- as the alarm would be going off in just a few short hours and it'd be time for him to go to work. He didn't like the idea of going to the ER and being told to go home and do what he'd already been doing- that it was just heartburn.

The next day, I called our doctor's office and scheduled an appointment. When I mentioned what had happened the night before, they worked him in quickly. At the doctor's appointment, after relaying the recent events, the nurse practioner who was seeing him that day ordered an immediate stress test. Ok-wow. This was taking a path that I wasn't expecting.

We went to McCune Brooks for the stress test. I was in the waiting room and was suddenly called back to where the test was being performed. They had my husband lying down, hooked up to all sorts of wires and machines, and they had to give him nitroglycerine. What? What's going on? The doctor told me there was a problem with BJ's heart and we'd have to get to Joplin immediately. After consulting with our family doctor and a cardiologist, we ended up at Freeman Heart Institute. After an angiogram and the discovery of severe blockage, a stint placement procedure was performed.

My head was spinning. I couldn't believe it was all happening. When the cardiologist came to talk to me after he was finished, he showed me the "footage" of the video from the catheter-cam that showed the blockage. Scary. And we thought it was heartburn. Later, we were told that the main area of blockage was known as The Widow Maker. Those words make me cry. I could have lost my husband. Four people could have lost their father. Seven people could have lost their brother. The world almost lost a great guy.

Everything is alright now. He has recovered and declares he feels like a new man! He says he sees things more clearly- like the world is prettier, brighter, more in focus. The difference is remarkable! Every day I wonder how I could have been so stupid. I dwell on the words "ticking time bomb" and get visible chill bumps when the meaning sinks in. A widow at the age of 37. We've become so much more appreciative of EVERYTHING. We've been given a second chance. I will not let my husband go that easily. Sometimes it takes an event that shakes you to your core to open your eyes, to realize what's important. Thankfully, our wake-up call resulted in a happy ending. We are so blessed!

This is the main reason I dropped off the radar. The second reason (among a few other things like a fractured previous root-canal and a cracked tail bone--yes, it was clumsy ol' me at my finest again!) is I have fallen head-first into a new hobby, of sorts. It's not your typical hobby, and at times I view it more as an addiction. It was born out of worry, uncertainty, the challenging economic situation we are all facing in this country. What is it, you ask?

Thriftiness, Saving Money, Building a Reserve, Shopping for Free (or pennies!)

Most of you, if not all, have been worrying just like me about the state of our economy, about our retirement plans, our investments, about our future and that of our children. Throughout this time of uncertainty- constantly listening to how our country could face another Great Depression, and is probably now already within the clutches of a recession- I felt like I needed to begin to take the steps necessary to "put a little back", "set some things aside", be less wasteful and stretch my dollars until they screamed in pain. One of my greatest fears is that the downward trend of our economy will result in budget cuts that will leave BJ (and the many, many others from Dyno) out of a job.

About 6 weeks ago, I was browsing the internet looking for a recipe to can homemade apple butter and stumbled upon a website that was absolutely fascinating to me. After accidentially finding this website, I realized there were many many things I could do to begin building a reserve, so to speak, for virtually nothing spent out-of-pocket. I could cut my grocery bill by at least 75% and have fun doing it at the same time! I decided I was up for the challenge and began immediately. (When I was re-reading this, I realized it sounds like I'm trying to SELL you something! I'm not! I just learned some new and surprisingly simple techniques by reading! So, no...this isn't a sales pitch!)

Because this has become such an addiction/obsession, I can see it's going to have a great impact on the "tone" of this blog. While still practicing domesticity- just in a much larger, much different capacity- I can already tell you that I'll be posting many blogs about the great deals I'm bringing home for free and adding to my "stockpile". Of course, I'll still blog about other events and life issues that are going on, but like I said....I definitely see this blog as going in a totally new direction.

BJ says I should teach a class...that there are others who share my concern for their own family's well-being and stability during this troubling time we are facing as a nation. If any of you are interested in learning the basics and trying this on your own- let me know! My only wish is that I would have known how to do this a LONG time ago- and I regret the fact that I could have saved an enormous amount of money if I'd just started sooner! But, the money I've saved in just 6 short weeks is already mind-boggling and I'm proud of what I've been able to do.

By taking advantage of sales and promos, sniffing out the deals, price matching, using coupons (buying several Sunday papers), and doing lots of shopping, I've turned a spare bedroom that was rarely used into literally a walk-in pantry- all for less than $100 out of pocket. And by that I mean less than $100 for all of the products I've brought home, not turning the spare room into a pantry. The photos you'll see (in the NEXT blog) aren't really even an accurate representation, as I have donated a LOT to the Carthage Crisis Center already. I'm finding I have the resources to bring home not only items we will use as a family, but plenty more that are considered valuable commodities when donated to a charity. It's time (as you'll see!) to make another trip to unload some excess that didn't cost me a thing. In fact, in many cases- the store ended up PAYING me to TAKE the stuff! Can you see how this is becomming addictive?!

Enjoy the photos...and watch for future blogs (I'm warning you now, they're gong to be WAY more frequent!) with details on $$ spent, $$ saved, etc.!!!

It's good to be back...and back in touch with all of my friends! I look forward to hearing from ya...