And Yet Another Long Overdue Post

 

   The picture above is of my paternal grandparents on their wedding day.  I absolutely love my grandmother's wedding dress and veil.  She died when I was very young and only had one time getting to know me when I was about 2 years old.  I have no memory whatsoever of her and that is something that really makes me sad.

   This leads me into some other thoughts.  I cherish my time with my grandchildren and get to spend lots of time with the 3 older boys who live close, Bradley 12, Isaiah 11, and Steven 7.  I so wish we lived closer to our two youngest grandchildren Tate and Peyton.  Jeff and I are trying to figure out when we can go and visit them that works for both us and for them.  Since we had to cancel our trip earlier this Summer, this is something that we really feel we need to do soon.  Praying we can find a way to make it work for all of us.

   Life has been beyond busy here and time seems to just fly by.  We have been determined to keep the gardens alive with this horrible heat.  We had one soaking rain come through is the past 3 months.  The thirsty ground took it all in and I could see that the plants were happier for a day or so before the heat again took its toll on them.  I frequently have to water twice a day.  The heat is also taking a toll on the hummingbirds who are drinking up all the nectar I put out for them.  I have to refill the hummingbird feeder every 3 days now.  It used to be once a week.

   I have been harvesting squash, potatoes, raspberries, strawberries and blueberries from the garden.  Our tomato plants are starting to set fruit, as are the cantaloupe plants.  The cucumber plants are starting to produce tiny little cucumbers.  The pole beans are struggling, and I don't know if we will get anything off them.  Our apple tree and pear tree seem to be struggling and producing little sized fruit.  I believe this is due to the heat and lack of water.  I need to get better at making sure they stay well-watered.

   Jeff and I spent about 2 weeks getting ready for our townwide yard sales.  We did sell a bunch of stuff and made about $100 for us, $38 for Jeff's aunt and Heather also made money selling her delicious homemade huckleberry cinnamon rolls.  We had lots of stuff left over so we took the sheets, blankets and bedspreads to the Red Cross Shelter that had been set up for victims of a big fire burning south of us.  We met a sweet mother and daughter there who had left with only the clothing on their backs and asked if we had any sweaters since it got cold in the shelter at night.  Jeff gave them a big bag full of sweaters from our yard sale and they were so grateful.  I really do pray they have a home to return to.  The rest of the items were donated to one of our local thrift stores that keeps the money in our community to help people get back on their feet again.

   We have made many trips up to see Jeff's aunt and will be going up to see her once again tomorrow.  We will deposit the money from the yard sale from the sale of some of her things into her account at the care center for her to use as she pleases.  I really do enjoy our visits with her and am so glad that we are in each other's lives again.  She is always pleased to hear how her cat Remmie is doing and this time I get to tell her how Remmie now cuddles with me at night and sometimes even during the day.

    While in town tomorrow to visit Jeff's aunt, we will also be going to an appointment with a Medicare broker since Jeff will be 65 next month.  Is it just me or is this whole Medicare thing confusing?  Hopefully I will understand more after tomorrow.  My reward for sitting through all of that is being able to go to a few thrift stores.  The Goodwill up there has been newly redone and the items there are really nice.  I have a few more things that I would like to pick up like some soft cotton lounge pants and I am hoping to find some either there or at another store.  The last time we were there I found some needed things and some nice artwork.

   Speaking of thrift stores, I found a really nice cuddly blanket that is perfect for this Winter and Christmas time.  I also found a knome, a decorative plate, a shirt, and a few other items.  The stores are putting out more Fall decor now and I am here for it!  Today I actually went through the Fall decor I have on hand here at home.  Most of it came from thrift stores.  Very few items were bought new, as I find great stuff at the thrift stores, and I can't stand to pay retail for anything if possible.

   I had better end this post here.  I need to get a few things done before Chris comes to pick me up.  We are having a birthday party for Isaiah at the skating rink (no, I will NOT be skating), followed by dinner at Panda Express.  Jeff is working today so he has my car and he will just meet us at the party.  This way I only have one car in town, and it gives me a chance to have some one on one time with Chris.  We rarely get that chance anymore and both and I enjoy our visits.

    Be blessed my friends and keep praying, staying strong and keeping your eyes and ears open.  So much is going on in this crazy world and we need to be able to separate the truth from the lies.  Make sure to also take time to relax, unplug and enjoy life to the fullest.  We all need that balance to keep us sane.

   

 

   

   

Clearing Out the Smoke, Rain and Other Blessings!

   I'm currently sitting out on my back screened in porch listening to the rain come down while soft piano jazz music is playing in the background. The rain is so welcomed as it scrubs the heavy smoke from wildfires out of the air.  I can breath again!  I am praying that the rain makes its way up to the Spokane area and beyond as they have had devastating fires up that way with many losing their homes and with 2 deaths between 3 different fires.   My neighbor's co-worker lost her home and I am waiting to hear how we can help her rebuild.

   My garden and yard desperately needed this good soaking rain.  Everything has been so dry and despite our constant watering, it seems the plants can never get enough and have been struggling in the horrible heat.  I am so very thankful for a much cooler day and rain, as I can feel it refreshing my soul once again.  It is much needed before the heat comes back on later in the week, just in time for our Josh, Lauren, Tate and Peyton's visit.  They are used to the heat and kind of like it...I know...how can Josh be my kid and like the heat?  LOL!  Going to a little splash pad in in the plans for this coming Sunday and we will be celebrating the twins, Josh and Chris's birthday with that and a baseball game with friends and family.  I will happily be in the splash pad area with the little ones while the game is going on. 😉 I can't wait to have Josh and family home again.  They will be staying at a hotel with a pool due to the erratic sleep habits of my two youngest grandbabies.  The pool is a nice bonus and one that I plan on taking advantage of while enjoying it the grandkids.

   As you know, Jeff and I have been planning for him to be able to work part time and take early retirement.  Well part of that plan involves replacing things that need to be replaced and fixing other things, as well on stocking up on needed items.  It has also been learning new skills that will save us money, and/or enrich our lives.  I'm a firm believer that God will guide you to those needed or desired items, and He has once again come through for me in a big way.  My poor little immersion blender has seen lots of use and was one it's way out.  I had been wanting to replace it.  Well I found one at Goodwill for $5.99 and it had the blender and the milk frother attachments.  Now I needed a new immersion blender and I had been wanting a milk frother also.  Now I have both!  On that trip I also was blessed with a Home Dairy book on how to make cheese, yogurt, butter and more.  I already know how to do the yogurt, butter and a simple cheese, but I wanted to learn how to make other types of cheese as well.  My find of the day though has been something that I have wanted for a very long time.  I wanted a nice basket with handles that I can use in the garden to gather produce and I wanted it to have a washable and waterproof liner.  The only baskets that I knew about that had these attributes were Longaberger baskets, and those are way out of my price range.  Imagine my surprise and happiness when they wheeled out a new trolley of merchandise and there it was, the basket of my dreams (with the illusive liner) for $3.99!  I carefully flipped it over to see if there were any brand marks on the bottom because it was so well made and much to my delight, it was indeed and Longaberger basket.  Oh Happy Day!!!  On that trip I also found a hand blown wine glass from Italy (which is now being washed) and a movie.  Yes, it was indeed a great trip to the thrift for me!

  Our garden continues to bless us (even though the heat has definitely slowed things down) with Sungold cherry tomatoes, squash and apples.  The blackberries are just ripening and I ate the first 2 last night...I had forgotten how good they are.  I've been busy making applesauce and I need to freeze some of the tomatoes since I am getting more than I thought I would from just the 2 largest bushes and the other red cherry tomato buses are setting fruit, as are the Black Crim and Romas.  The green beans are just starting to get big enough to pick and I am sure we will have a lot of them once they really get going.  I have been sharing with my neighbor and she is anxiously awaiting for the pears to be ready to picked.  We are going to have a lot of them this year, and yes, I will be sharing them with her and with the rest of our family that lives nearby, as well as trying to put some up for Jeff.

   Well I suppose I should go and work on my "to do" list for a bit.  I have taken most of the day off to relax since Jeff and I did so much around and in the house over the weekend.  Between all that, the fires up north of us, as well as one just a few miles from us earlier last week, and just the general day to day trying to keep up on the gardens, it has left me exhausted and in lots of pain.  I have not been sleeping well, but last night, I was finally able to get into a deep sleep and slept until 9 a.m.  My body must have really needed it and I am not going to argue with that.  Be blessed my friends who are reading this and keep stocking up on those things that you need, and yes, even some nice "surprises" along the way.

   

   

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 8/20/21

   

   

   It's Saturday afternoon and I am finally able to sit out on my back porch again since the rain and wind knocked down the smoke from the wildfires, at least for the moment.  Patchy cat is desperately trying to get my attention and crawl unto my lap for lovies.  I give her some lovies and she finally settles into the chair next to me.  At the moment I feel like I am living in a scary and  hazy semi dream world as I mourn for the people of Afghanistan who are facing their worst nightmare with the Taliban back in power.  The images are absolutely horrifying and heartbreaking that I am seeing on TV.  My heart aches for them.  I cannot even imagine the desperation of the people there.  It makes everything else that is going on around me pale in comparison.  Please, I beg of you, say a prayer and/or send good thoughts to those who are still stuck in Afghanistan and for our military who are doing all they can to help those left behind.  I have friends and hanai kids who have people they love there right now.  Thank you.

Weekend:

~We  harvested more berries, tomatoes, squash and beans from the garden.

~As per SJ's wonderful ideas (thank you!) I cooked up a bunch of squash and onions from the garden, mashed them up and then froze them.  I got 9 cups total, so 3 bags worth for future squash casseroles.  Yay!

~Jeff and I watched some movies.  He was feeling under the weather this weekend.  It sounds like the same thing that hit the rest of our family here.  Our grandson was tested with the same symptoms Jeff has and came up negative for Covid-19 thank goodness since some of the kids at his daycare got the dreaded Covid  and two of them had to be airlifted to Spokane last week.  Please pray for them and their families.

~I found two frozen hamburger patties with cheese in them and cooked those up for dinner one night.

~The next night I made cheese tortellini with a pesto sauce and added some yellow and red peppers to it along with some freshly diced tomatoes from our garden.  So good!

Monday:

~A basket of mushrooms got sautéed and frozen.

~I picked some blackberries.

~Jeff is not feeling well so his work told him he needed to get a covid-19 test.  Thankfully we were able to get one for him tomorrow afternoon but that still means a day off work and I don't think he has much in sick leave available to use.

~We watched two of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.  I think it was "Deadman's Chest" and "At World's End".

~I pulled a homemade Mexican rice casserole out of the freezer and we had that for lunch.

Tuesday:

~Got Jeff tested for Covid and it was negative.  YAY!  He is also starting to feel a lot better.  They sent us home with a test kit we can send in IF either one of us feels like we may be getting it.  The testing is all free.

~We stopped at the Grocery Outlet on our way home from the testing and found some great deals there on pepperoni, chips, mashed potato mixes, dried minced onion (the one thing I had gone in for), cream cheese, fish oil (supplement), sourdough bread and a few other things.

~Jeff made us pastrami sandwiches for lunch.

~I picked more squash and found more growing cucumbers and cantaloupe while watering.

~Jeff picked his car up from the mechanic here in town and it was way less than we thought it would be.

~I trimmed my hair.

~Jeff and I both had a big bowl of cantaloupe and I added blackberries from the garden to mine.

Wednesday:

~Beans, squash, tomatoes, apples and blackberries were all harvested.

~I got my huge crockpot filled with apple slices from our tree and made applesauce.  This will taste so good in the colder months.

~Dinner was meatloaf, russet and sweet potato hash, green and yellow beans from the garden and rolls.

~I cut up and froze 4 yellow and orange sweet peppers.

~The squash plants got a good trimming back because it helps them produce more.

~I cashed in my rewards points earned on my debit and credit card for a $25 Marshall's gift card. I may end up putting this away for a Christmas gift for someone.

~I did do the watering of the garden earlier in the evening while Jeff picked more apples from our trees.  We then had an unexpected rain later in the night.  The sound of the rain was heavenly!  We have been in a serious drought so any rain is much appreciated.

Thursday:

~I did not get much done since I did not sleep at all during the previous night so I slept for most of the day instead.

~It had rained the night before so I did not need to do any watering of the garden.

~I washed my hair and then let it air dry.  Since I trimmed my bangs, I can once again do this without looking like a shaggy dog. 

~The living room fan was put into service later in the late afternoon/early evening.

Friday (the 3 hours of sleep edition):

~I got some laundry going.

~The blackberries were picked.  They are producing a bowl full a day now.  

~I did not need to water the gardens because we had a deep and drenching rain Friday night.

~Jeff and I had leftover meatloaf, potato hash and fruit for dinner.

~Chris took Jeff out to lunch while they were both on their lunch breaks.  I'm so glad they got to go and have some father/son time.

~Obviously, with a lack of sleep came very little energy for me so I caught up on the news, learned new skills via YouTube videos and had a nice visit online with my Aunt Susie and my cousin Tim D's daughter Ally and also with my friend Missy. 

~The hot tub somehow reset itself (must have been a minor power surge with the thunderstorms that came through) so I had to go out and reset it back to where I wanted it.

   Now to answer some questions:

~Yes, Covid-19 cases are on a steep trajectory upwards in my state (Washington) and the indoor mask mandate is back in place once more.  Schools, health care facilities and public employees are requiring that everyone be masked up and vaccinated.  This has led to huge protests and people being told to either comply or lose their jobs.  I really do not like the direction this is headed nor do I like seeing my community so divided.  Our small town has had a large uptick in cases and I have friends that have had it.  Luckily they were vaccinated and were able to get through it but others sadly were not. :(  I still support everyone's right to decide whether they get vaccinated or not but I have no problem with being asked to wear masks again, as uncomfortable as they may be, to try and protect others.  I remember being told that I needed to get a flu shot by my employer but the health department nurse told me NOT to get it due to my own health issues.  Luckily my employer did not push the issue upon learning this.  I have friends that are being told now that even though they have severe allergic reactions to things, that they still MUST have this vax or they will lose their job (this is happening in Texas).  What is a single mom supposed to do?  She has to take care of her family.  I hate seeing people put in that position.

~Hospitals are filling up fast and elective surgeries are being put on hold once more.  I am being told by a friend that works in a hospital in Spokane that this particular variant (Delta) is causing pneumonia in patients that lingers after the Covid-19 virus itself clears the body.  She is begging us all to be on the lookout for this.

~Yes, I have family and friends who have decided not to get the vax.  I have reached out to those that live close to us and offered to do their shopping for them if they need something and that particular establishment is NOT allowing anyone who is unvaccinated in.  This is becoming a growing issue in our area.  

~Yes, I am seeing food shortages in our area on certain items.  I am also seeing huge price increases on things like meat.  We have relied on venison as our "red meat" that our son and DIL have hunted, but the deer wasting disease has hit the areas surrounding us so I am thinking that we may not be able to get venison this year.  So many families depend on hunting to provide meat for their families and this is going to be a huge blow to them (some of my own kids and grandkids included).

 I think that was it for the questions...if I missed something that you wanted to know, please remind me or ask in the comments section.  My brain has been mush lately...Fibro is kicking my behind big time memory wise, emotionally and physically.  Such is life and things could be worse.

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 8/13/21

 

   It has been another week of smoke filled skies here with just a few short and welcomed breaks.  My heart goes out to all the firefighters and those who have lost their homes and livestock, along with some of their pets.  The fires continue to burn all around the Pacific Northwest and with the winds whipping up again, I fear they will spread even more.  Family friends have been out making fire lines hoping to save their towns, homes and crops.  Please join me in sending prayers and good thoughts to them all.

 

   Jeff and I have continued to try to fill our pantry and freezers with food and also stock up on HBA items.  We wanted to try to get ahead of the crowds with all the college students returning and the Covid-19 cases once again rising very quickly in our area.  Each day I have been tracking the number of new cases and we are once again seeing more deaths from it in our area.  We are also trying to get some other things taken care of before prices go up on things like tires.  Yes, I will admit, I am "that person" who tracks things like this.  I want to make sure that we are as prepared as we can be and get the best prices in the process.  Now onto the frugal doings for the week:

   

Weekend:

~Jeff and I stocked up on things at Walmart and the Grocery Outlet.  We got reduced priced meats, Asian noodles, cheesecake (yes a very welcomed treat), fruit, jeans for me at $4 a pair, and some HBA items.

~I packaged up the boneless skinless chicken breasts that I got on sale into individual packages.

~Jeff and I had some cheesecake once we got home from shopping.  I topped mine with berries from our garden and Jeff topped his with some caramel sauce.

~Instead of eating in town on Saturday, I made taco meat and cheese quesadillas for a late lunch.

~Our kitchen sink drain was continuing to give us problems, so Jeff borrowed a 25 foot drain snake from our neighbors.  It is not perfect but it is draining more quickly now.

~I harvested berries, tomatoes, our first cucumber and squash from the garden.

~Jeff was given a Cabela's gift card years ago for Christmas and never used it.  I asked him if I could use it to buy some cast iron skillets.  He said yes.  I got free shipping on my order and after the gift card and taxes my total order came out to $6.02 out of pocket.

~We are selling our large couch to one of Jeff's bosses who is in desperate need of one.  He is paying us $50 for it so I told Jeff to keep the money to use as he wanted since I used his $50 gift card from Cabela's.

~We were able to watch our hanai daughter get married as they streamed the ceremony and the reception on YouTube.  Our twin boys were able to make it down to be with her on her special day and she was thrilled to have her "brothers" there with her.

~I got really stressed out when Jeff tried to fix his car and instead made it undrivable so we are going to now have to tow it and have it fixed.  UGH!  I put on the Hawaiian Slack Guitar Festival on Youtube and listened to that to help calm me down...

(1) 39th Annual Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Festival "Waikiki Style" - YouTube

~Jeff and I hot tubbed on Sunday night.  It felt so good to finally be able to sit out there without smoke filled skies.

~I made a big pot of broccoli/potato cheese soup.  I had broccoli and some potatoes that needed to be used up ASAP.  I topped mine with homemade croutons...Yum!

~Jeff  watched a Star Wars movie on Sunday night on Disney Plus.

Monday:

~Two more loaves of bread were made.

~I froze some raspberries and some taco meat.

~Seeing a huge pile of yellow squash, I made another squash casserole.

~More tomatoes, squash and another cucumber were harvested, along with some blackberries.

~Jeff and I found several cantaloupes forming on our cantaloupe plants.  YAY!

~Jeff was finally able to go golfing and got a senior discount when he did.  I have been encouraging him to get out and do it for some time now since he really enjoys it and he works so hard for our family.

~Jeff picked a big bucket full of apples off our tree.

~Jeff grilled some bratwurst for us for dinner.

~Jeff also stopped at Winco on his way home to pick up some hot dog buns and said it was a madhouse in there with people filling up their carts like crazy.  I asked him if they were students and he did not think they were.  Panic buying?

Tuesday:

~I harvested squash, swiss chard, tomatoes, beans and blackberries from the garden.

~I had squash casserole for lunch.

~Leftovers were on the menu for dinner.

~We watched some HGTV shows in the evening.

~I was looking for a way to corral all our rice and potato mix packages and found a box that was just the right size to do so.  Free!!!!

Wednesday:

~I found that my Safeway "Just 4 U" app had a $50 off a purchase of $50 or more coupon.  It also had a $4 off a $40 or more coupon.  Apparently they are changing the name of the stores or something and are rewarding their loyal customers.  I downloaded the coupon and am making a list of groceries that are on sale so that I can stretch the $50 as far as it can go!

~Update on what I got for $8.68 after the discounts, coupons, sales and the rest of my gift card at Safeway. And yes, the manager had to manually enter in the $50 off coupon because it was not showing on my card but I could describe what it said Many people are reporting that it disappeared on their cards too after downloading it.  12 pack of cranberry/raspberry sparkling water, 6 pack of paper towels, huge package of TP, 8  pounds of cheese, half gallon of milk, 2 packages of dinner rolls, 2 packages of sausages to grill, 11 large bottles of PowerAde, a package of tortellini, 2 bags of coleslaw mix, 4 pounds of baby peeled carrots, and 3.24 pounds of bananas.

Thursday:

~I made a large tuna pasta salad and added a bag of the coleslaw mix to it...really good!  I love the added crunch and nutrition.  I also added some tomato to mine right before eating it.  Jeff is not a fan of tomatoes, so I add these to my own bowl.

~I froze the remainder of the broccoli/potato cheese soup to use as another meal for both Jeff and I.

~I worked on my points programs.

~It was horribly smoky outside because of all the wildfires so I stayed inside as much as possible until I had to go out and water the gardens in the evening.

Friday:

~Tire prices are reported to be going way up in price soon so Jeff took my car in to get some new tires on it.  We were going to wait a few months more until we read about the continuing price increases.  These increases are due to flooding issues in China, rubber shortages, oil prices rising, increase in shipping rates, etc.. Jeff was able to find a deal on the tires too!  Thank goodness because tires for my car are really expensive. 

Goodyear and Cooper Consumer Tire Prices Are Going Up | Modern Tire Dealer (ratchetandwrench.com)

~One of Jeff's co-workers had their last day at work so they were sending her off with a celebratory and "thank you" lunch.  Jeff did not have to take lunch with him.

~We have been greatly enjoying all the videos that Josh and Lauren are taking of Tate.  He is now crawling and can stand on his own without holding on to anything.  Slow down baby!

~The squash is going nuts!  I harvested 5 more today.  I also got more cherry tomatoes and some blackberries.  I was outside for about 10 minutes and that was all I could handle between the heat and the dangerous air quality.

~I took a bag of squash and tomatoes from our garden over to our hanai sister Shannon.

~Jeff and I had leftovers for dinner and ice cream for dessert.

   Be blessed my friends and I hope you all have a wonderful upcoming week!

A Smokey Frugal Friday Wrap Up 7/16/21

 

  Fire season is continuing around here and the smoke filled air has made it hard to breath at times.  We have been taking advantage of the few moments where the wind has blown the smoke away from our home and given us moments of clearer air.  We are under a Hazardous Air Quality Warning and have been for the past week.  The only "upside" to this has been that the children who moved into our neighborhood were inside for the most part so I did not hear their constant screeching all day.  Now I understand that children can be loud and all, but these kids honestly screech at the top of their lungs all day and their mother does not appear to do anything to stop them or try to quiet them down a bit.  UGH!  

   I was not good about keeping a running list again this week.  I was busy getting a lot done and by the time the evening came around, I was honestly just too worn out to do a whole lot.  I really should learn to just copy down my daily list that I put up on the white board each day before I erase it at night and get the next day's list up.  I arranged a surprise for Jeff this week and had Isaiah come and spend the night with us on Wednesday. 😁  It was one of those last minute ideas and I do love having each of the grandkids come over for special one on one time with us.  Isaiah was a HUGE help in the garden and in the house the next day when Jeff  was at work.  He and I work really well as a team and we decided that he needed to be my helper again soon and every year from now on when we process cherries. 😉  Now onto the savings and the pictures that follow at then end of the post:

~Jeff and I had some really easy and great meals this week.  Everything was from the garden and/or freezer and pantry.

~We did do some shopping earlier in the week and found some free items and even some money maker deals combining sales and coupons.  

~We made a donation at Goodwill and I ran in to see what they had while Jeff went out to his place of work to get the right part to fix our kitchen sink drain (yes, it is now finally fixed).  I found 2 brand new dresses there and since it was a Monday, we got 20% off everything we bought since we are "old".  LOL!  I am saving the 20% off coupon we got for donating for another time when it is not a Monday.

~Over the weekend, we made a trip up to CouerD'Alene, Idaho and had lunch at Olive Garden.  We did their soup, salad and bread stick special.  So good!

~We also did some shopping up there and found a really nice soft fleece throw for Isaiah for his upcoming birthday (it was on his list), a olive oil dispenser jar, and a planner for me at TJ MAXX and Ross.

~We harvested more raspberries, cherries, blueberries, and squash from the garden.  Most of the raspberries were frozen.

~Isaiah helped me pit the second bag full of cherries (I had already done the first bag earlier in the week) and we now have 40 cups of frozen sweet cherries all from our tree.

~Isaiah and I picked a little over 2 quarts of raspberries on Thursday morning and sent them home with him so Heather could make a raspberry pie.

~Isaiah also helped me prune the leaves on the squash plants so the bees could find the flowers more easily.  He is such a huge help and loves being able to be out in the garden.

~More bread and croutons were made.

~I made my favorite squash casserole with some of the first squash from the garden.

~We watched some movies on Disney Plus and some HGTV shows.

~I have been having trouble with my eyes and spent 3 hours finding an eye doctor that could get me in within 2 months.  Luckily it will only be a $10 co-pay.  My old eye doctor's office does not take my new health insurance unfortunately.

~When Heather, Chris and Bradley came over to pick up Isaiah, I sent them home with 4 pounds of butter (I have a ton in my freezer and she uses lots of butter in her side business of making cinnamon rolls), 2 quarts of raspberries, some frozen pitted cherries, a big bag full of fresh cherries, a new shirt for Heather, and some of my favorite summer sandals that I can no longer wear.  Heather and I wear the same size shoes.  In the Fall we will go through my shoes again and she can have any of the colder weather shoes that don't work for me anymore that she wants.  My arthritis is getting so much worse in one of my feet and is making is super painful to wear many of my shoes now.

~I made a detailed shopping list that will net me free items with sales and coupons combined when we go shopping on Monday.  Please, if you are reading this, stock up on things that are made from grains (cereals, flour, pastas, etc.) while you can.  With the severe drought in my area coupled with the wildfires, the wheat harvest, along with other grains and legumes is being hit hard. It is 1/3 of what it normally is at the moment and could go lower than that according to our local farmers. Then there is the flooding in the Midwest which is greatly affecting crops there.  Produce is also being wiped out in California due to water shortages and the drought.  If you find fresh produce on sale that you can freeze or dehydrate, do it now!

~My garden is doing really well and we have been enjoying fresh greens and the first of the tomatoes.

~I picked up a free body mist from Bath and Body Works.  Into the gift stash it goes!

Now for some of the pictures:

   So that's it for for now.  Praying for everyone in the lines of these fires and bad weather hitting us all.  Please keep the firefighters and other first responders and their families in your prayers...they are literally laying their lives on the lines for all of us every single day and every day I hear about the tragic loss of at least one of them it seems.

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 7/2/21

 

    Here it is the end of another week already and we are into July!  I can't believe how the days just seems to whiz by.  With the heatwave we have been having, it already feels like the end of Summer.  I have a huge fear of what it is going to be like if the temperatures continue to stay really high.  

  An update of that tumble I took...Well I apparently did more damage to myself than I first thought.  I really screwed up my back, hip, foot and my abdominal muscles are hurting as well.  No hernia thank God.  I'm spending lots of time in my recliner and can tell that gardening is going to be much harder for awhile.  To that end, Jeff has stepped in to take over the watering duties for the most part.  He rigged up the sprinkler on a platform between some of the raised garden beds to just be able to turn on and let run..  I am still sneaking out there and finding the places the sprinkler missed in the morning and hand watering those. 😉  I know it will just take some time to heal and I will have to be super careful about not overdoing it.  I learned that the hard way today when I almost passed out from pain in the garden while harvesting some things.  Yes, I am extremely stubborn and I too wonder about my common sense at times.

   So this frugal wrap up is going to be a list and not broken down by days because I again forgot to keep track over the week.  There was just too much going on between Patchy's surgery and now recovery, the heatwave that left me sick, my tumble down the stairs and now being in  Fibro flare.  Such is life though and we just keep chugging on:

~ I have been doing my best to try and come up with different and fun meals and making sure I have leftovers for Jeff to take to work with him.  I had some fully cooked and grill chicken breasts slices that I added some mozzarella cheese and smoked ham slices to for quick and easy version of chicken cordon blue sandwiches (see top picture at beginning of this post).  I made enough so Jeff could take some to work the next day also.

~Chris and Heather also had us over for dinner earlier in the week and it was delicious as usual.  Chris grilled some chicken and we made sliders with the cut up chicken and some cheese on Heather's homemade rolls.  YUMMO!

~Shannon brought over her extra AC unit for us to use, along with a huge fan since I got heat exhaustion earlier in the week.  That was super scary and I am so thankful that she realized what was going on with me and took immediate action.  We have had people and their pets dying from heat related illnesses due to the 100+ temperatures we had earlier in the week.  When the temperatures are cooler we use the swamp cooler but use the AC at the hottest part of the day when the swamp cooler can't keep up.

~I've been harvesting lettuce, strawberries, raspberries, cherries and even a yellow squash from the garden this week.

~The laundry line went back into service at the end of the week when the temperatures dropped down into the 80's in the morning.  Until then I just could not even be out in the heat.

~We have been eating lots of salads with lettuce from the garden.  I have been adding fruit to mine also.

~I did some back to back baking making 2 loaves of bread, some chocolate chip muffins and baking some potatoes.

~I will be using some of the potatoes to make corned beef hash for dinner tonight...it just sounded really good and I have everything I need to make it on hand.  We will have this with a salad of course.

~Jeff and I have been enjoying watching old seasons of "Design Star" on the Roku.  It is so fun to see how creative people can be and why they make the choices they do.

~I was able to SKYPE with Josh, Lauren and Tate today and got a HUGE smile out of that little guy!  He is six months old and is already learning how to feed himself with a spoon.  Food is a huge motivator for that kid...he loves to eat! 😄

~Jeff had been taking my car during the hottest times earlier this week since it has AC but switched back to his little car now that temps are in the 90's when he gets off work and because the price of gas jumped 20 cents in one day earlier this week.  It is expected to continue to go up and up and we already have pretty high gas prices.

~ Costco has the microfiber sheets that I love on sale right now for about $14.98 (I think) a set for queen sized sheets.  Heather picked me up two sets when she went there a few days ago.  I have been looking for those sheets at a good price for about 2 years now.

~ Lauren told me how quickly the prices of bread are going up in their area which got me to thinking that I should have Jeff pick up 2 more 1 pound bags of yeast on his way home from work, along with a gallon of milk (we needed more).  Last time bread prices went up yeast was really hard to find since more people started making their own bread.  I had just opened my last bag of what I had stocked up on previously earlier in the week.

~Jeff got the HUGE 50 pound bag of flour divided up into the food safe buckets.  I'm curious to see what the prices on flour are now since I have not had to buy any for awhile.  The bag he divided up had been bought a few months ago.

~Goodwill has been a very lucky place for us lately.  We found canning jars and lids, small glass jars and cannisters (perfect for homemade spice mixes and for giving those mixes as gifts), lots of things Jeff needed for the car, the Beverly Hills Cop trilogy on DVD (some of our favorites), a few more clothing items and a cast iron skillet.  Of course we used coupons, other discounts and such to get the best prices possible.

~We also stumbled upon some vintage comic books that were in pristine condition with cardboard and plastic bags around them at another thrift store.  I quickly called my cousin Jeremy because he is making a living selling things on Ebay and some comic books are very collectible and go for outrageous prices.  He looked them up online and had me buy them for him.  He will be paying us back for them and hopefully they will make him a good amount of cash!  In this family we all keep an eye out for things that the rest of the family needs for personal or business use.

   Well I guess that about wraps things up from here.  I know there are more things but as per usual, I cannot remember them at the moment.  Plus, I still have time to sneak in a nap before Jeff gets home later and after a very restless night, I am in desperate need of one.  Stay safe, pray for all those that have been affected by the horrible fires and for our firefighters also.

Ick, ICK, Ick

   🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉

   Ok, anybody else feel like some kind of owl that has been blown off course into some thick smoky haze and lost it's  way while living in some freaky parallel universe?  No, just me?  My goodness, between the whole Covid-19 cases going up and up here thanks to partying college students at WSU and now smoke filled skies from all the wildfires that make my throat hurt, gives me headaches and has me coughing (yes, from the smoke, not the virus), I have been locked in my home for days on end.  If I go outside at all, it is for a quick dash to go to the garage to pull something out of the freezer or tonight, going outside in my bathrobe to pick the ripe cherry tomatoes (took me all of 2 minutes to do so and I am paying for it now).  I was desperate to get outside and that was my excuse to do so. 😜 In retrospect, it probably was not the best idea I have ever had.

   I have lost track of what day it is and even time has been flipped upside down for me.  I am now up all night long and don't even get to sleep until around 6 a.m. (when Jeff usually gets home from work).  I had worked so hard to get myself back to going to sleep by 3 a.m., but that has all been blow right out the door with all this.  My fibromyalgia is flaring big time so I also find myself in bed for most of the afternoon and evening.  I need to stretch out on the bed a lot.  When Jeff is home on the weekends and we try to go to sleep at a normal time at night I find myself retreating to the guest bedroom to sleep in there for the first part of the night because any time he moves or turns in his sleep sends pains shooting through my ribcage.  I eventually find my way back to our bed in the morning and it is not long until he gets up and I sleep for the next 4-6 hours.  At least I am able to sleep for longer stretches of time once I actually fall asleep.  For while there I could not even do that.  Yep, my sleep is all screwed up again.  Oh how I hate fibro affects sleep and the pain that comes with it.

   My mind has turned to mush and I cannot concentrate on anything for long.  I find myself literally getting up and down out of my chair or bed constantly.  Jeff keeps asking me if I want to watch a movie, but I can't concentrate long enough to do so.  YouTube is my friend because I stop the videos when I want to even if they are just a few minutes long. I have a big stack of books that I want to read...nope, can't read more than a page at a time before I have to put it aside.  Genealogy projects have been put on hold for this very reason event though I really really want to get them done and find them interesting.  It is just too much information for my foggy and discombobulated brain to sort through at the moment.

   Jeff can see the toll this is taking on me.  Yesterday he suggested that as soon as some of the smoke lifts that we go do some shopping and pick up some more fresh produce and dairy products.  He knows that at this point, even a ride in the car would be helpful but the smoke is just too thick and takes too big a toll on me.  I feel bad for him because he has to work in this stuff and has been putting in long days since the other driver he delivers to and splits the route with down in Walla Walla's truck is in the shop.  They are having to run the route together making it longer for both of them.  Yesterday was a 10 1/2 hour day for him. 😟  He is also trying to pick all the blackberries for me at home (which are loaded) and still trying to get the hot tub fixed so we can use it once the air clears out.  While he worries about me, I worry about him.  

   At this point there is nothing either he, nor I, can do to change any of the circumstances that we find ourselves in.  All we can do is out best to try and get through this together.  I am just so grateful that we do have each other or I would be completely lost.

   

   

   

   

   

   

This is what we woke up to...Smoke filled air.  It got progressively worse throughout the day.

   

 

      This is what we woke up to this morning and it just got worse as the day went on.  Our air particulate count was beyond the hazard range from the smoke coming in from all the wildfires in Oregon and right here in Washington State.  There are still fires burning within about 30 miles from us and firefighters from other states are coming in to help put them out.  California, Oregon, Washington and Idaho seem to all be on fire right now.  I have never in my life seen it this bad.  

   Our Chris has been out fighting some of the fires on his days off from his regular police job.  He is the fire chief for his small all volunteer community fire department.  Most of the small towns around here have all volunteer fire departments and EMTs.  Chris does that too and Heather is also back to being an EMT.  

   Sadly, we have had 2 entire towns near us burn up.  The city of Malden, WA made the national news and the town next to it, Pine City, also burned.  That fire is now threatening several other towns where we have friends living.  So many people lost everything there, as did so many all across the West Coast Region.   Tragically, people have not only lost their homes and businesses, but some have also lost their pets and their own lives.  My heart aches for all of them.

   We are being told to stay inside our homes due to the thick and acrid smoke.  I made the mistake of going out twice today to the garage to pull some things out of the freezer.  I was out there for about a minute each time and am now paying royally for it.  I got the worst headache and my throat and sinuses are now a mess.  It also threw me into a Fibro flare.  I had no idea that smoke would send me into a flare, but now I know it does.  I ended up in bed for a good 3 hours after that.

   Our grandkids were supposed to come over with the older two spending Saturday night.  The plan was for us, along with Jaysn, Rachel, Steven and my cousin Jeremy to have lunch together on Sunday.  We were then going to go up and pick apples at the orchard just over the hill from us.  That is not happening now.  Chris and Heather were supposed to go hiking up a mountain Sunday in Northern Idaho.  That is not happening either with the smoke reaching it's insidious fingers everywhere and choking any living thing that dares to venture out.

   I had planned on doing a Frugal Friday Wrap Up post, but I got so busy this week following all the fires around us, trying to get everything I could harvested from the gardens, keeping things watered and getting ready for this influx of smoke.    I was able to harvest some plums from our neighbor's tree that hangs over into our yard, get most of the tomatoes in and pick all the ripe blackberries.  Now I wait until the smoke clears out to harvest anything more.  I can't do much cooking either because we are being advised not to fry anything, vacuum, etc. to try to keep the air quality in the house as good as we possibly can.  I can't dehydrate anything either because it will heat up the house, which we have to keep sealed up and I can't do it in the garage either, because it will smell like smoke.

   We  are using our toaster oven instead of our big oven, to bake things.  Luckily I had a homemade frozen lasagna in the freezer that will fit in there.  The microwave is also in use quite a bit.  We don't dare heat the house up since we have no way of cooling it down quickly since we cannot open windows or use the swamp cooler.

   I feel like we are living in the Twilight Zone here.  Covid-19 cases exploding, hospitals putting restrictions back in place for visitors, fires burning around us, and now smoke filled skies.  Jeff came home from working Friday night and told me how eerie it is at night driving with so much smoke in the air.  He had to wear his mask the entire time, even in the truck, so he could breathe. Our world is now literally within the walls of our home.  No more going outside until the smoke starts to clear out or until Jeff has to return to work on Monday night.  It is not worth the risk to our health or to our fur babies health either.

  

   

   

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.

   

   



   

Smoke Filled Skies and We are Burning Up

We are surrounded by wildfires burning all around us.

There are currently 74 wildfires in our state, Montana and Idaho that are all seriously affecting our air quality.

The smoke has made our air quality in the hazardous for you health range.

It seeps into our home at night and we wake up coughing.

My throat is raw and sore and we can't use the swamp cooler when the air quality is like this.

Our son Chris had been been coordinating the firefighting efforts at one of the fires that is near his brother in laws house and is now the official police liaison with the press.  The State of Idaho has finally taken over command of coordinating the fire fighting efforts themselves. He is not only a police officer, but a volunteer firefighter as well and knows the area that is burning better than most people since he does the forest patrol there in the Summer.

Our son Chris who has already put in 60 hours at work as a sheriff's deputy on this fire and who is heading out tonight as a volunteer firefighter to try to keep it from spreading any further.

Please pray for all the firefighters, people affected and the animals too.  While Texas is drowning and getting lots of attention, we up here have one of the hottest and driest Summers in history and are literally burning up.