Frugal Friday Wrap Up 3/27/20 Pandemic Edition

 

   It has been an interesting week to say the least.  So many mixed emotions with being thankful that my hubby does still have a steady paycheck and work, but at the same time being terrified he is going to get the virus and both of us will get sick.  I'm trying to stay as calm as I can, but that underlying fear has taken a toll on my sleep patterns once more and the most sleep I am able to get is a 4 hour stretch with lots of 1 hour, wake up, 1 hour wake up, get up for a bit, back to bed, 2 hour kind of sleep days.  Some days I can't sleep at all and others find in in bed resting for most of the day.  In an attempt to brig some sort of normalcy and even some variety to our even further restricted lives, I am stepping up my menu game and trying to keep it interesting around here.  Here is a list of my frugal doings for the week, along with some pictures of some of the meals we had. 

Saturday:
~I made 2 loaves of bread.
~Right after taking the bread out of the oven, I put in a double batch of biscuits to bake.
~Jeff got the side garden ready for me to get the cold crops direct seeded into the ground.
~We used our laundry line to dry Jeff's laundry.
~Leftover soup along with some of the freshly baked biscuits for dinner.
~I reused a tea bag to make another cup of tea.
~Jeff and I used the hot tub.  It sure felt good after both of us had been working so hard all day.
~We had to windows and the sliding glass door open during the day to air the house out.

Sunday:
~I made another batch of the honey/lemon, ginger syrup.
~Used the leftover honey in the pyrex measuring cup (after I melted the honey) to put on my homemade biscuits for breakfast.
~We washed the sheets and hung them out to dry on the laundry line.  I love the smell of line dried sheets.  Nothing better!
~Jeff and I took Caesar for a walk.
~Jeff cleaned out the raspberry patch.
~Jeff also mixed up some potting mix for me.
~I tried and experiment where I laid 2 slices of Roma tomatoes on some soil in a pot and put a layer of soil over the top and watered it.  We will see if it grows. :)
~Dinner tonight was cheese raviolis with pesto sauce served with carrots ticks on the side.
~Caesar got the carrot peeling and ends.  He loves them!
~I listened to a livestream backyard concert by one of my favorite Hawaiian artists.

Monday:
~I baked a double batch of mixed berry muffins using some of the berries I grew in my garden last season and froze for just this purpose.
~I froze 4 packages of those muffins for future treats.
~I also froze 5 avocados to use for guacamole later.
~Jeff and I Skyped with my parents for nearly an hour.  It was so good to see them and be able to share concerns as well as laughter. :)
~I was able to chat online with one of my hanai daughters who is also a teacher.  She is just an amazing person and misses her students terribly.
~I know this might sound strange, but I was feeling a bit scared and wanted to "shut the world out" for awhile so I drew my front curtains in the living room closed.  It really did help me feel more secure.
~Our state ordered a lock down order for 15 days...this could get interesting but we are prepared and stocked up.  Hopefully I will know by tomorrow morning if Jeff's job is considered "essential" by our state and if he can stay home with me.
~I made a big pot of stew and served it over rice for dinner.

Tuesday and Wednesday (because somehow I lost a day in there somewhere)
~Jeff's job is considered essential.  The paycheck is nice but the fear of him picking up this virus is real.
~We got our order from Imperfect Foods and are once again stocked on produce. This time we got pears, avocados, parsley, tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, watermelon radishes, a bag of mini peppers, squash, cucumbers and a bag of Arborio rice.
~Dinner was leftover rice, Portuguese sausage, dice up pears, kim chee (for me) and 2 fried eggs (for Jeff).
~I wrote a letter to my oldest two grandsons with a story starter in it. :)  Jeff mailed it off on his way to work.
~I received a small check in the mail for something that sold at my cousin's store before he closed it down.
~I chatted with one of my girls today since Idaho just went on a lockdown too. (Wednesday)
~Leftovers were for dinner on Tuesday night.

Thursday:
~I made two loaves of bread and a double batch of garlic croutons.
~I shared my recipe for the bread and croutons on Facebook for my friends to use.
~Jeff made us grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner since I was really out of it by the afternoon/evening and had to take a nap.
~I looked up recipes on how to use the watermelon radishes...I'm going to pickle them Asian style...yum!
~I talked to my mom and she is making fabric masks for Jeff and I.  She is also making some for Chris and for the local EMS and hospital in her area.

Friday:
~I had a rough night's sleep waking up every hour.  I got up early, had coffee and enjoyed the silence.
~I finally managed to shower and just let my hair dry naturally.
~Reading some books on the great depression.
~Jeff pulled some deli ham out of the freezer to thaw.
~I'm drinking my lemon/ginger/honey syrup in hot water.  Loaded with Vitamin C and other antioxidants.
~Made a double batch of Lemon Pasta Chicken using only half of a huge chicken breast (saved the rest for another meal, a whole yellow pepper, some fresh lemon juice, pasta from the pantry, and some fresh parsley and garlic.

   Praying you are all staying safe and healthy!







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