We had a near disaster this weekend. No, it wasn't the four-foot long serpent in the backyard that hubby dispatched to eternity. And it wasn't the fact that we were REALLY low on diapers and formula.  My nearly useless cell-phone that keeps dropping calls wasn't it either. [Sorry Cheryl--I don't think we ever did finish our conversation!]

No, Mama was out of tea!

All I had in the cabinet was a big old Lipton family size bag---not a drop of Earl Grey, English Breakfast, or Yorkshire to be seen.  I can go without a lot of things--and have--even to the point of wearing long hair because it's cheaper than going for haircuts all the time, to the point of wearing REALLY old clothes [blouses and shirts my Grandma wore], to the point of glueing the heels on my church shoes with rubber cement rather than buy  new ones.  I had a little Grandma who lived through the Depression and was a frugal woman. She taught me all her secrets of "Make-Do and Get By".

But I have to have my tea.  I only mentioned it once on Saturday.  By Sunday evening, my sweet hubby was so thoughtful and kind to bring me a box of English Breakfast tea! Or maybe it was merely self-preservation...:-)

Anyhoo, last night at church my pal Gail hands me a gift card to Walmart. "What's this for?" I asked.

"We gave gift cards to mothers with the most children here on Mother's Day. I didn't get yours to you till now. "   Isn't that great?

So today I added to my stash of the good stuff--boxes of Earl Grey and Vanilla Caramel teas. The sirens and DEFCON 4 signs can be turned off now--the disaster has been averted.