Windflowers poking their heads up in my front flower bed. During the day, they open up like daisies with bright yellow centres. They are an anemone.

          Saturday we enjoyed a lovely Easter dinner in Smith Falls with my brother, his wife and their two girls, home from Ottawa for the weekend. My brother is a much better cook than I am, and it is always a joy to get an  invite for dinner. But it is the company and the conversation that usually makes these dinners memorable, and Saturday was no exception. Then on Sunday, we headed to Charleston Lake for yet another Easter dinner with  friends of ours. My longtime girlfriend served an Easter ham with all the trimmings, including several different vegetables....scalloped potatoes, turnip, carrots, corn, coleslaw. I love it...I love it...I love it. As I  have mentioned before, we don't get to eat ham very often.                                                                                                                                                                                                           I am leaving this Thursday afternoon by train back to Smith Falls. My SIL (sister-in-law) and I will leave very early on Friday morning to drive up to Elliot Lake for the weekend to see my dad. It will be a whirlwind trip, and he is doing just fine (a little bit of bronchitis), but we made plans a while back to visit before it got too busy with planting, and summer activities, and life in general. He and his lovely wife just got back from a river cruise of the Danube, and I am sure they have stories and pictures to share. As I prepare for yet         another trip away from home, I have been doing laundry and hanging it outside as much as possible.             I cleaned all the bathrooms, watered all my plants, cooked a few freezer meals for the boys, and have taken the garbage and recycling out of the house for tomorrow's pickup.                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                                                    So what else have I been doing lately to save money? Well, to begin with, I bought my senior's train ticket with 550 VIA reward points, so it cost me nothing. I received a sheet of 15 free personalized vinyl  labels for one of my granddaughters to use on her belongings. I have been researching and printing out free Disney Planes printables for my grandson's third birthday next month. Very cute! I made another batch of homemade laundry detergent, and bought some peroxide and rubbing alcohol from the dollar store from which I can make household cleaners for my spring cleaning. I will provide recipes next week. I baked another batch of dog biscuits, using my favourite recipe from Kitchen Dreaming  and I still have not gone to buy groceries this week, as I continue to make meals from the freezer and the pantry. And the cards and hostess gifts that I gave this Easter were handmade items. Keep on thrifting.