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!