tracy0504

I've been feeling a little nostalgic over the past couple of weeks and so that has led me to perusing the old BF ads... oh how I miss some of the stores that are no more...the sales from KMart were some of my favorites, it was the only time of year they had decent prices and they still had a layaway... BF has definitely changed over the past several years, but I still enjoy the actually BF ads when they come out and possibly venturing out to a store or two... they closed my favorite store last month, the Christmas Tree Shop, I loved shopping there from October to December, but especially on BF...it had become a BF tradition for me and although the store wasn't that big, it was big enough to spend at least two hours walking through and making decisions on what (if any) Christmas paper plates I would purchase that year... buying half price wrapping paper, tape and all the cute kitchen towels, pot holders and oven mitts was always part of the game plan... this year, I'm not sure what to expect so I'll just be going with the flow...

I won't be going out and doing much shopping this year as my kids are grown... I still have my grandson, who just turned 6, but I start shopping early for him... I will probably still try and make an early morning BF run to Lowe's and Home Depot for the coveted poinsettias and batteries... haven't really worked on an official plan as of yet...

And so it begins... woo hoo... this would be a great gift...

Yeahhhh, they went bankrupt... so sad, I always found good items in there and did a lot of weekly shopping there from October to December for decor, dishes, coffee, spices and seasonal items... It will be missed...

Aug. 12th our only Christmas Tree Shop closed It is always a favorite stop for me on BF... I can spend a couple hours in a store that is about a quarter of the size of Target, leave with more items, but spend less and now it's gone... not sure what my plans are going to be this BF as most things you can get online now and I'll really only be shopping for the grand now...there really is no need for me to leave the house... each year in-person shopping is really become more of a thing of the past and I miss it just a little bit more each year

Checking in for August at the tail end of my vacay in NC… flew in this past Saturday and me and mom are driving back to NY tomorrow

A little late this month, but I remembered!!!! Happy June!!!! And for those who celebrate, Happy Juneteenth!!!!

Happy May!!!! So far I’ve gone to Vegas (May 2-5) and celebrated a birthday (May 4)… next up is Mother’s Day cooking, baking and enjoying family!!!!

It’s also my son’s 30th birthday

The month is almost over already!!!!

One month down... Hope it warms up a little soon

My plans were to spend Christmas Eve with cousins, aunts and some of my kids at my cousin's home eating lots of potluck food (tacos, arroz con gondules y habichuelas guisadas, virgin coquito, ambrosia, cake and whatever else was brought) and Christmas was going to be just with my kids and grand with a nice dinner of ham, broccoli casserole, cornbread dressing, candied yams, collard greens, hot water cornbread... just food, family and fun... however, that was derailed by one of if not the worst snow storm in history... two and a half days of blowing, blinding snow (12-23 early morning -12/24 late night)... I was stuck in my house, literally, as the snow had blown up against both doors and I couldn't open them to get out... streets were not passable and stranded cars were all on the roads... a driving ban was in affect in the city from 12/23 - 12/28...and then we had Spring like weather by that weekend Christmas Eve I watched movies and finished wrapping gifts, Christmas morning I opened the only gift I had (from my GD Secret Santa), talked to all of my children and mom, made my Christmas Dinner and ate by myself and watched movies until I fell asleep... NYE was spent in church and the following day consisted of watching movies all day.

Due to the storm and mail not being delivered for several days, I received my last Christmas Card this past Thursday and I hung it up to enjoy with the rest of the cards!!!! Thank you, Bopeep for keeping this going ever year!!!! Some of us are presented with challenges around the holidays, but each year we manage to bring a smile to someone that we’ve never met and may never meet offline!!!! So thank you to everyone that participates each year!!!!

Yes!!!! Thank you so much!!!! I had to tell my daughter that same thing because she was so upset on Christmas Eve when she woke up and reality hit that we would not be spending Christmas Eve or day with each other, no exchanging gifts, no potluck and secret Santa with the family… sadly, lives were lost during this storm, but we were alive and could get together WHENEVER… and I forgot to add, your gift was the only gift I had to open on Christmas morning!!!! I was so excited and I love everything!!!! Thank you for being a part of this group and participating in Secret Santa!!!!

The snow is melting and it’s like 47 and raining today… we will definitely celebrate soon!!!!

Thank you so much jesusluvu!!!! This Christmas has definitely been different!!!! I live in WNY (yup, THAT city [emoji23]) and we were hit with that big storm!!!! I was literally stuck in my house by myself since the Friday before Christmas and not able to spend time with family or my kids… my daughter along with a neighbor’s son finally shoveled me out after the driving ban was lifted yesterday!!!! Annnnd this weekend is supposed to be Spring like weather [emoji19] (snow already melting)… It’s never about the gifts under the tree for me… But I’m grateful for the gift of life! I’m safe, my children/family were safe, I never lost power and had heat and plenty of food so I made my Christmas dinner and ate it while watching movies (I froze some for my son and his wife until they can get to me)…my daughter’s power went out, but she was safe in a house with power, heat and food… my boys were safe as well… I still have a ton of gifts under my tree, but I can celebrate Christmas anytime!!!!

Holiday themed Lottery/scratch off tickets, cold and flu themed gift (tissue, NyQuil, thermometer, cough drops, etc…), Christmas is finally over themed gift (Acetaminophen, orange juice, ginger ale…or a bottle of wine), a book of stamps and holiday cards for those last minute card senders… pancake mix and a spatula for a Christmas morning breakfast starter…

SS package received today!!!! I’ll be waiting until Christmas to open!!!! Thank you SS!!!!

My scratch off was not a winner either, but it’s always fun… I’m loving the cards I’ve received so far!!!!