Frugal Friday Wrap Up 7/22/22

 

  Oh Smoothies!  Our Smoothie obsession has continued since this picture was taken in late June.  It is wonderful to see Steven really enjoying fruit.  Last year it was hard to find things that he would eat.  Now he is eating raspberries, cherries and strawberries from the garden and eagerly awaiting the ripening of the apples so he can help me make applesauce.  He also has been on a bagel with cream cheese kick, so I try to keep them on hand for him.

Onto the frugal doings for the week:

~Steven and I had a water fight and used some of the water from the rain barrels for it.  It watered the lawn and we both got nicely cooled off.  I have not been in a water gun fight since I was a child.  It was so much fun for both of us and I laughed so much that I triggered my costochondritis symptoms.  Was it worth it?  Totally! 😆

~We have been harvesting cherries, strawberries, raspberries, peas and a few tomatoes from the garden.

~Steven and I gave the Walla Walla Sweet Onions a "haircut" of their green tops.  We dehydrated them and turned them into onion powder.

~Our squash plants are putting on some squash that should be ready within the next few days.  YUM!

~I've continued to shop sale items to stock my pantry and made yet another trip on Thursday to the store that is going out of business.  I got some grocery items for 75% off, so I stocked up on baking supplies like 1 pound bags of yeast for $1.25 each, crystalized dried fruit for cake toppings and muffins, and also got more gravy mixes and Chinese Duck seasonings.  I almost forgot to include the malt vinegar that I love to use on fried fish.

~I pulled out the lettuce that went to bolt and will be using that area to plant Swiss Chard that can handle the colder Fall weather along with the heat of the Summer.

~Jeff and I bought more bags of garden soil and stored it in the greenhouse.

~Jeff and I had a "lunch date" on Thursday and went to our favorite Irish Pub.  I noticed considerably less people there for lunch than I have seen on previous weekdays during the Summer months.  Our waitress was handing all the serving, clean up and the bar by herself and doing a great job at it.  We left her a generous tip hoping that it would really bless her.

~We went to my favorite used book store and found a book that I have been looking for on the sale shelves.  I got it for $2!

~When it is hot, dinner sometimes is not something that I have put much effort into.  However, I have tried to keep things to make sandwiches, Greek yogurt and fresh fruit, and have been using the Air Fryer and the slow cooker more often.  

~Jeff has been wonderful about picking up groceries at the store for me.

~Last weekend we had a birthday party for Rachel and myself at Heather and Chris's place.  Heather made the best cake for me and a lemon meringue  pie for Rachel and a dozen mocha cinnamon rolls as a gift.  We had homemade pizzas and people brought toppings and salads to share.  It was a small family party with Heather's parents and grandma joining us as I had asked for. It was so much fun and low key, just the way I like it.

~I am loving the cotton dresses that I got at Walmart for $3 each and picked up another in a soft green color while they still had them.

~Steven and I are trying to take long walks in the mornings when he is here if I am feeling up to it.  We usually end up at the park at some point, which is a real treat for him. 😊

~I used diatomaceous earth to treat some plants that were being eaten by something or other.

   There are many other things that we are continuing to do like hang laundry out on the line, watering at night, and trying to limit trips in my car.  We are going to have to try to buckle down even more because Josh and Lauren want us to come down to Vegas in November to meet our new granddaughter Peyton shortly after she is born and spend time with both her and Tate.  They have offered to pay for half of our airfare, which is an amazing and generous gift.  I am thinking if we are able to do this, that we will have an early Christmas while we are there.  Our Lauren is Christmas Crazy, so she will be more than happy to be able to celebrate early!

   Be blessed my friends!

   

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 7/15/22

 

~We went to the Farmer's Market over the weekend and bought some gifts for Christmas there.  Amazing handmade and beautiful items abounded and it was so hard to choose.  We are trying to support the local farmers and artists in our area.

~Lots of laundry was hung out to dry over the week.

~Steven and I went swimming several times and worked on his swimming skills.

~Walmart is having some amazing Summer clearance sales.  I was able to get some underwear for Jeff at half price, along with some shirts for him for $3 each.  I also found a shirt for Steven for $1, shirts for me for $1 and two dresses for $3 each.  Our little granddaughter, Payton (who will be making her grand entrance into the world in late November), will have some very adorable outfits too!  While there, we picked up 12 bags of topsoil to use early next Spring.  The price was under $3 a bag, so we got what we needed now.

~Steven and I spent last Friday shopping in the morning.  One of the grocery stores in a town that we shop in is going out of business, so we got many items for 40% off to add to the pantry.

~Dollar Tree was a great place to stop by for my favorite toothpaste (charcoal whitening stuff that really works) and a few other items.

~I found a new roll up blind for the kitchen on clearance.

~Goodwill had 2 movies I wanted and a whole bag of kitchen items for $5.98.  In that bag was a canning lid lifter, mesh coffee filter that will fit my coffee maker, many hand carved and gorgeous salad servers and butter paddles, can openers, a collapsible cup (boy did that bring back memories for Jeff and I of our childhood scouting years), an old fashioned whisk like the ones I grew up using, and a mystery item that I have no idea what it is and can't find an answer even with a google picture search.

~Strawberries, peas, raspberries and our first tomatoes are starting to come out of the garden.  We are still getting lettuce and kale too.

~I've been really hunting out the deals grocery wise and building my menus around that and what we have on hand that needs to be used up and/or what we have coming out of the garden.  I just made a broccoli slaw using a package of marked down broccoli slaw mix, and items that I had here at home.  Dried cranberries, green onions from the garden and crumbled turkey bacon, along with sunflower kernels and a homemade dressing all went into it and made for a wonderful lunch with lots left over to enjoy over the next few days.

~Jeff and I are making a conscious effort to cut back on our meat portions so that we are not eating more than our bodies need.  He eats peanut butter almost daily too, so I am not worried that he is not going to get enough protein. 

~I know that I do not drink enough water during the day so I made myself a daily chart to check off 6 glasses of water each day as I drink them.  This helps me a lot because I tend to forget to drink water and I know I need to.

~Uncle Bob blessed Jeff with $60 for helping him put together an outdoor swing and told Jeff to take me out to dinner with it. That was so very sweet of him because Jeff and I do not go out to dinner much anymore.  We chose to go out to lunch at one of our favorite Mexican places that holds special memories for us. Neither of us could finish our meals so we brought the leftovers home and had them for lunch the next day.

~I remade leftovers into new meals several times over.

~A dear friend let me borrow a book from her that I wanted to read.

~We are being wiser with our money and where we keep it.  If you see what is happening with banking, not only in the USA and Canada,  you will understand what I am saying. 😉 

~I used a Walla Walla sweet onion from the garden in one of our dinners. I also cut up and froze the green tops to use in other meals.

~It got super hot quickly this week.  I got the house cooled way down at night and then closed it up during the day to keep the cool air in for most of the day before I had to turn the swamp cooler on again.

~Steven and I headed back into town this Wednesday.  The grocery store that is going out of business is now 50% off groceries.  We picked up some more shelf stable items like coffee, boxed potato mixes, and a few other items.  We also went back to Walmart and got another Summer dress for me at $3 and a shirt for Isaiah for $3 for his upcoming birthday.  Safeway was our next stop for sale priced items like cheese and plums.

~Steven and I also went next door to see Auntie Shannon and took her a Walla Walla sweet onion from our garden.  Steven had a great time playing with her cats and dogs and even got to see that some of the tadpoles in her pond are now getting their legs!

~Thursday was my "at home and alone day" so I slept in and then had coffee on the porch in the cool hours of morning before the temperature started to climb.  I love being able to sit out there and just relax, listen to the birds and have my cats join me while the world around me is still peaceful.

Sometimes the Truth is Hard to Swallow

 

   I have been holding out hope that someone I love had escaped from a certain personality trait that is hurtful not only to others, but to themselves as well.  I have prayed for them for years as they grew up, but sadly they too are now showing this whole trait in full color.  😔  It honestly breaks my heart because I know what is ahead for them.  It makes me wonder too if we had been allowed to be an active part of their lives, if we could have made a difference in the direction that their lives have taken.  

   Do I still love them?  Of course I do.  Will they be an active part of our lives?  No...but that is by their choice and all the love in the world that we have for them is not going to change anything for them, or for us.

   It does make me sad though.  I had hoped that the outcome would have been different but sadly that was not to be.

And He's Out Mowing Again!

 Men are Crazy!  😜

 Yes, you got that right, men are crazy!  Jeff is out mowing the lawn once again.  He is finally feeling a bit better, but I worry that he is pushing himself too much.  He tested positive for covid yet again yesterday and he is still coughing and congested.  However, he is returning to work tomorrow, with his boss's blessing (and relief if I am to be completely honest since one of his coworkers is also out with this).  He will be wearing a mask.

  I am still not having symptoms and I did test negative for it.  Hallelujah!  Heather's grandmother also did not get it, even though many of the family did get it at the funeral.  I am so glad...that would be the last thing that Sandra needs right now as she tries to sort out things.

   I do want to thank all of you who have commented and have been praying and sending good thoughts.  They are so appreciated!   (((((HUGS)))))

   Since we were stuck here at home, Jeff and I both worked on some projects indoors for the most part since we also had rain for 3 days and he was feeling pretty crappy for a good amount of the time.  I tried to get him to rest as much as possible though and I think he enjoyed his naps. 😉  I took advantage of the time also to take some naps myself.  We did sleep in separate rooms so as not to disturb one another's sleep and to try to keep me from getting it.

   Our cold weather clothing was all finally put away and the warmer weather clothing gotten out.  We got some donate, rag and sell bags ready as we sorted through our clothing. Bread was made, as well as some comfort foods and we watched movies here at home.  Laundry was done on the days when it was nice and hung out on the line to dry.  I worked on fertilizing the tomato plants and did some weeding.  Jeff also did some weeding and totally wore himself out and set himself back early on.

   Today is the first day since he got this that I actually blew dry my hair and did not just let it air dry.  I feel like myself again.  I took care with how I dressed and did not just put on comfy old t-shirts.  I have earrings on too!  I think I may go and pick some roses from the garden and make a bouquet for the house.  Steven will be able to come over again on Friday to spend the day with Grammie...that is the absolute best part!  I have missed having my bubby with me.

  I am not trying to push myself too hard today either.  I've got a pork casserole thingy going in the crockpot and will serve that over mashed potatoes, and serve a salad from the garden on the side.  Yes, our lettuce is still good for the most part and has not gone bitter yet.  We would have some strawberries to go with it, but I ate those fresh out of the garden this morning.  Jeff is not a fan and Steven was not here to get them first.  LOL!  I will make sure to save the ones that are ripening now for him to find on Friday.

   Again, thank you all so much!

Covid has Struck YUCK!

 

   Well it finally happened.  Covid has struck on the home front.  Apparently the funeral for Heather's grandfather Carl was a super spreader event.  Everyone there seemed healthy, but by Tuesday, several people started feeling ill, followed by others the following days.  My guess is that someone was asymptomatic at the time of the funeral and had no idea they were sick.

   Jaysn, Rachel and Jeff all tested positive.  Steven's test was not considered accurate since they could not get a good sample from him.  I have not tested, as have others that were there, but some of them have symptoms also and are just assuming they have it.  I'm not feeling all that great today, but I do not know if I am getting it or if it is just my fibro flaring up yet again.  Some of the people who have it have been vaccinated, and some have not.  The three in our family that I know for sure have it all have been vaccinated.  We know though that the newer variants in this area are not respecting the vaccine. 😖

   Jeff had already taken today, Friday, off for a vacation day, but had to take yesterday off also.  So much for a vacation right?  He does not have "sick time" at his work, so he has to use his paid time off that he has accrued to cover this.  I am hoping that by Tuesday he will be over this and test negative so he can go back to work.  This leads me to why we all need to be prepared to the best of our ability for just about anything life throws our way.

   Because we have been diligent in trying to have our bills paid ahead of time, if at all possible, we are not in panic mode about that.  We are waiting for the credit card bill to come in, but luckily, that is being paid down quickly also.  I need to remind Jeff that since it is through our credit union, that I can just pay it straight out of our checking account online.  Our property taxes were also just paid off for the year and our expenses are not high right at the moment.

   We have a fully stocked medicine cabinet with all the things you need to combat covid at home.  We also have all the medications that I need for daily use here and have built up a bit of a surplus of them too over the past 2 years.  That is a huge blessing!

   Food wise, we are just fine.  Our pantry is well stocked, as are the freezers.  The garden is producing strawberries, herbs, spinach and lettuce at the moment, so we are good there too.  I make our bread, and have everything on hand to continue to do that for months on end.  I'm going to make a casserole or something today that we can eat on for a few days in case I get sick too.  

   Entertainment is not a problem with all the movies, books and streaming services (all free) that we have here.  My friend Ami had also lent me a book that I wanted to read, so this is the perfect time to do that.  I think the harder part is keeping Jeff from going stir crazy since he is looking outside at the grass that needs to be mowed and really wants to be out there doing it right this moment.  We are expecting rain in a few days so he is feeling the pressure.  I wish he would just relax a bit more, but he is a stubborn man. 😉 I do love him with all my heart though.

   I am praying that none of you end up with this new round of covid.  I just wish it would go away.  Be blessed all, stay healthy, cool, look for the silver linings in life.