Frugal Friday Wrap Up 6/21-6/27 2019

   It has been a week full of storms both weather wise and metaphorically.  I got hit with the flu right when the little boys, Bradley and Isaiah, were spending the night with us.  Then Jeff came down with it.  Rachel had to go down to help her mother for a few days who is having a setback after surgery and Jaysn took time off from work to take care of him since I was unable to help.  We had some storms roll through but luckily we were spared the damage that other's got from hail and high winds.  Even though we were slowed way down, we still managed to try to stay on the Frugality Train as much as possible with a few minor blips here and there.  

Beautiful sweater that I found at a yard sale.

Friday:
~It rained for awhile in the morning so I did not need to water the gardens.  We have had quite a bit of rain so the trees, gardens and fruit bushes are loving it.
~Jeff was able to get our rain barrel set up in the afternoon to store any future rainwater to help water our fruit trees when it gets hotter and drier this Summer.
~I was in a flare so Jeff made pastrami sandwiches with some pastrami I found at the Grocery Outlet  along with some of my homemade bread that I made last Saturday for our dinner.
~My throat was sore from drainage due to my allergies so I had some ice cream to sooth it (that's my story and I'm sticking to it 😉).
~I worked on my points programs.
~Youtube is a wonderful place to find all kinds of videos and movies and I took full advantage of that.
~I received more free magazines in the mail.
~It was a cold day so I cuddled up under a quilt my mother made and had a cat in my lap for the majority of the day.

Another yard sale score.  Brand new with tags Cotton On super soft scarf.  Retailed for $19.95

Saturday:
~Jeff and I ate at Jack in the Box for under $10
~We went to a plant sale and bought several tomato plants and 2 other plants for $1 each.
~We found marked down lunch meat, donuts and a few other items at Walmart.
~Bradley and Isaiah spent the night and helped me harvest strawberries from the garden.
~Jeff took them on a bike ride and then we had pizza while we watched Ice Age.
Jeff and I went to a yard sale and bought clothing,accessories, shoes and some household goods for $10.  A bunch of it was brand new with tags and were expensive brands to begin with.  Some will be used as gifts.
~Dollar Tree had some cute tablecloths on sale with flamingos and turtles.  I also picked up some hair bands and a few other things that we needed.

Another cute scarf found yard saling.

Sunday:
~The flu hit me full force so I slept away most of the day.

Monday:
~I was able to water the gardens and I picked some strawberries and cherries.
~Jeff fixed our dryer and picked up lunch for us at Panda Express when he was in town getting the part for the dryer.  I only ate half of my lunch so I had the rest on Tuesday.
~Jeff picked up more Kleenex on the way to work since I was going through them like mad.
~I watched some shows on YouTube.
~Most of the day was spent in bed for me again.
~Rachel called and is giving me a several bottles of white wine.

Cute cozy socks, yet another yard sale find!

Tuesday:
~More cherries, strawberries and rhubarb were harvested.
~I did manage to get some laundry done.  Since Jeff fixed the dryer it is working so much better and drying the clothing in one cycle.   I would have hung it out to dry but this flu is wiping me out!
~I cooked up 3 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts in the Instant Pot to use for the recipes for the rest of this week.  It beats getting take out and much healthier and cheaper.  Some of it I turned into a delicious chicken salad and the rest of it is cut into slices for other meals.
~Jeff and I moved all the pottong and hanging plants, along with the tomato plants that we bought on Saturday, into the hot tub area where they will be protected.  Our weather forecast predicted hail, rain and high winds (60-70 miles per hour) for Wednesday.
~I had Jeff drop off a movie that was due back at the library Wednesday on his way to work.
~I watched more TV shows online.

Slippers in my size to use when we go to and from the hot tub.

Wednesday:
~I harvested more strawberries from the garden.
~Dinner was some of the chicken slices that I had cooked yesterday, a big salad and some stuffing.  I put sweet chili sauce on my chicken and Jeff had his plain.
~More shows were watched online.
~I went up to the cemetery, which is on a high hill in our town, and took some pictures of the storm rolling in.
~I got in on a free magazine offer online.  It was for Field and Stream magazine.  I will give this to Chris since he and the little boys love it.
~I got some Brioche rolls and ham out of the freezer to thaw so I could  make baked ham and cheese sandwiches for dinner on Thursday night.  I am using this recipe and tweaking it a bit to fit our tastes better. https://www.kingshawaiian.com/recipes/hawaiian-ham--swiss-slider

These ham and cheese sliders were so good and so were the strawberries from our garden.

Thursday:
~The 6 other tomato plants that I bought for $1 each over the weekend were all finally planted.
~I also planted the 2 ornamental plants in a large planter that needed a bit more filling in.
~I've been working my points programs all week long.
~Jeff and I did some weeding in the garden even though neither of us was feeling really well.
~More TV watched online.
~Visited with my neighbor/hanai sister over the fence.  I just love her and it was nice to visit without risking getting her sick with this crud.

Two hats found at, you guessed it, yard sale!

   Jeff and I are both starting to feel better but our energy levels are very low.  I think we are both going to take this weekend to relax for the most part and try to heal more.  The only things we must do are going to the bank, some shopping and giving me a much needed haircut.

Frugal Meals Lately

Grilled burgers, coleslaw and watermelon.

Pizza with fresh basil and strawberries from our garden.

Homemade chicken noodle soup.

Avocado toast with tomato slices.

Tuna pasta salad with green onions from our garden and other veggies on the side.

Marked down veggie and dip party tray that we used for snacking and meals.

Marked down fried chicken from the deli (cheaper than I could buy the chicken and make myself) and cheesy hot dog buns.

Romaine salad with grapes, feta cheese and a homemade dressing.

Homemade pulled bbqed pork and carrot sticks.

Floods and Food Prices

 

   I read an article that talks about how the floods in the midwest have decimated the corn and other crops.  I have also seen photographic evidence of it and our Lauren has seen it first hand when she went home for a visit.  The article stated that we are going to see prices on wheat, corn and other products at least double, if not triple.  This does not just affect food prices, but anything that has these grains, including corn in it.  Here is an older article that lists some of the items that we may not associate with having corn  in them. https://www.cheatsheet.com/life/18-surprising-everyday-items-made-with-corn.html/

   Jeff and I, having seen the writing on the wall so to speak, decided to stock up now on things that we use before the prices go up.  To this end, we bought a 50 pound bag of unbleached wheat flour for $12 since we bake a lot of our own bread, pancakes, muffins, biscuits, etc.  I will be buying more cornmeal (I store it in the refrigerator and freezer) and more canned and frozen corn since this is something that we use a lot of in the colder months.  I have also been told that other veggie prices will be going up so we will stock up on frozen broccoli, canned beans, etc.  Lots of hops have been destroyed by fires in central Washington state, so beer prices are expected to go up here also.  Some of the orchards also were burned so we expect to see local produce prices go up too.

   Luckily for us, our fruit trees and bushes are doing well (despite having lost half of our cherry tree when a huge branch came crashing down here about 1 1/2 weeks ago) and it looks like our squash and cucumber plants are going to do well this year also.  I am going to freezer, dehydrate, and can as much of this as my energy will allow.  I already have rhubarb cut and in the freezer and will do another batch of that.

   I have already seen prices starting to climb, so the "stock up" window is getting smaller and smaller.  I am going to do so while I can still afford to and that will save us a bundle in the long run.

   

   



   

Catching Up

   

Bradley, Auntie Lauren, Uncle Josh, Steven and Isaiah

   I want to thank everyone that was praying for our Caesar.  We got him into the vet last Wednesday and they did a biopsy on his lump.  It was just a fatty tumor praise God!  They did put him on some medication to help with pain and some antibiotics which cleared up his bad breath and helped with his gas problem.  He is back to his old energetic self but cannot understand why the treats (peanut butter on hot dog buns with his pills inside) have stopped. 😊  Silly boy!  We were so busy getting ready for our son Josh and his fiance Lauren to come for a quick visit that I did not get on to update...sorry.

   Speaking of Josh and Lauren, we drove over to St. Regis on Father's Day morning to meet them and my parents there. I got to hug my Daddy and give him his Father's Day card in person while we all had a nice lunch together. It was a nice bonus for a full day of 6 hours round trip to get the kids before we had another big family BBQ later that night out at Chris and Heather's place.  Everyone had a wonderful time together playing cornhole, football, eating, visiting and just being together.  Monday we spent the day with Josh and Lauren.  We all got to visit with Uncle Bob and Aunt Norma, who were thrilled to see Josh and meet Lauren,and then went bowling. They spent Monday night out at Chris and Heather's.  Tuesday they spent the morning with Chris, Heather, Bradley, Isaiah, Jaysn, Rachel and Steven before getting in a visit with Jeff's parents (Josh is the only one Jeff's mother will have anything to do with).  They then came home here for a quick dinner before we headed up to Spokane so they could catch their flight home.
It was a quick trip but we all felt so blessed to have them here and it really perked Aunt Norma up to see Josh.  I have to say, it really was the best Father's Day gift that Jeff could have ever hoped for to have all his kids and grandkids together!

   I have to say, I did better than I thought I would with everything going on around here.  It was a mad rush to get ready, then Caesar's health scare, getting the kids in Montana, spending time with the family, etc..  Then came the crash.  It hit hard!  

   The couch and my bed have been my constant companions.  Even taking a shower has worn me out.  I'm sitting here with crazy hair right now because I went to sleep with wet hair last night and did not have the energy to even rinse and style it again today.  Of course someone came over today and saw me in all my scariness.  YIKES!  The weather has not been helping either.  It has been raining the past few days and that always messes with me too.  I am hoping it clears up here for this weekend because we have Bradley and Isaiah spending the night tomorrow for a long overdue and much anticipate sleepover. 😉  They really do understand that Grammie has health issues and are perfectly fine with cuddling up on the couch and watching a movie with me and then hot tubbing with G-pa.  This coming week Steven will come out for a visit while his Mommy goes and picks strawberries out at one of our friend's farms.

   Hopefully I can get back on a regular blogging schedule here soon.  Life has just gotten away from me yet again!  Be blessed~

   

   

Prayers Needed....

   Caesar needs prayers.  Our big white happy go lucky boy is not doing well.  He has been having some health issues and slowing down more and more.  Then I found a lump on his side.  We called and made an appointment with the vet for this Thursday.  

   For the past few days he has not been eating or drinking much at all and yesterday we could not stop shaking.  We called the vet last night when this was happening and were told that we would have to call the vet school and they would just observe him overnight and then do something in the morning.  We kept him home with us so that he would be comfortable and feel safe (and not be locked in a cage where he would freak out) and got an appointment for later today (Wednesday).

   It was a rough night for him, myself and for Jeff who had to go to work and was worried about him all night long.  This morning Caesar seems better and asked to go outside to lay in the sun.  This is a huge improvement over last night when he could barely move his hind end.  He is out there now enjoying the outdoors and will be checked out later today by the vet.

   Not going to lie...I am just barely holding it together at this point.  We lost a beloved dog, Brandi, in the past to cancer and I am so afraid that Caesar may have it too.  We also just lost our Doofy cat suddenly and I am still mourning his death.  Aunt Norma next door is not doing well at all and her family is all coming to see her before it is too late.  My own Josh and Lauren are making the trip home Sunday to see her too and Jaysn and Rachel are coming over Saturday to see her. Chris has been coming over as much as he can.  One of her sons shared with me that he would be surprised if she made it to the end of this month.  So heartbreaking.  I'm spending a lot of time with her and Uncle Bob trying to be a support to them and help them out as much as I can.

   Please keep everyone in your prayers...this is a rough time for us all.  Thank you.

Slow Day

    

   It is a slow and cold day here.  We went from high temperatures and dropped down into the low 50 F range today after some rather impressive thunderstorms last night.  I love to watch them but oh my goodness, the change in the barometric pressure just wrecks my body.  I had felt it coming yesterday morning and did not get much done early that day and even ended up in bed for awhile before we headed out to watch Bradley and Isaiah's T-ball game.

   When we got home from their game, our internet was down and yes, that is a problem for me.  I was in so much pain and one of the ways I cope is to watch YouTube videos out in the living room to distract me.  I tried watching shows on PBS in our bedroom (it is the only TV that is hooked up to the antena and we do not have cable), but I needed my recliner.  Not much sleep happened last night due to the pain so today became another slow day.

   This morning I laid in bed until shortly after 10 a.m. and then finally crawled out and got dressed in soft and warm leggings and a soft long sleeved shirt.  I got the coffee going and then saw that my internet was back up and running.  Since I had planned on making homemade chicken noodle soup with part of a cooked chicken that I had frozen, I got the water boiling for that and plopped that chicken down in it.  I sat out on the porch, had some of my coffee and then came back in to get the veggies all chopped and into the pot.  In went carrots, onions and celery along with some seasoning.  Within half an hour, the chicken was ready to come out and the meat to be picked off the bone.  While I was doing that, I put some broken spaghetti noodles into the boiling broth with the veggies to cook through.  Within a short amount of time I had thick and delicious homemade chicken noodle soup, which is perfect for a cold day like today.  Oh my, did it ever taste good!

   It is now mid afternoon and I have a load of laundry going and am taking another break.  Jeff brewed up some decaf coffee for me (I don't have caffeine in the afternoon) and I am cuddled under one of the quilts that my mother made while I type this out and sip that rich brown nectar of the gods. ;)  I'm thinking that some YouTube or a movie may be on my list to entertain me for the rest of the afternoon and evening.  I have been needed a slow day like this for awhile now and I am going to enjoy every moment of it.