We Need to Talk

"Hey Mom, We Need to Talk."

So Caesar and I had a long talk the other day.  We do have the best discussions and he comes up with some absolutely wonderful ideas!

He shared with me that this whole social distancing thing was getting to him too.  He can't play with the grandkids, no one is coming up and petting him when we go on walks like they used to and we have not taken a trip down to the river yet either.  Poor dog is going through social withdrawals. Even his kitty sisters are fighting more with each other and it is getting on his nerves because they want him to pick sides. Everybody is a bit on edge, including the humans.

So...we had the dreaded talk.  No, not the birds and the bees one, but how things in the world had changed and was going to be "different" for awhile to come.  Caesar was not pleased but he agreed that we needed to brainstorm some ideas together to make this all more bearable for us all and to keep us all as happy and healthy as possible.

Caesar was worried about grocery stores running out of things and if his kibble would be there for him.  I reassured him that we had bought extra bags for him and his kitty sisters and that I would be doing this on a monthy basis to get ahead...just in case.  I also share with him that Jeff and I would be trying to keep our shopping down to once a month if possible for all people food and supplies and that we were stocking our pantry with basics like flour, sugar, yeast, salt, oil, canned veggies, beans, and things of that nature.  We were also getting fresh produce that would last a long time.  We would be using Imperfect Foods for fresh produce, cheese, nuts and other things in between shopping trips when needed.  Another thing he was worried about was meat for Daddy.  Daddy loves his meat and Caesar overheard us talking about meat shortages.  I reassured him that I had been stocking up on those too and putting them in the freezer.  We were also going to eat less meat and we going to be sourcing some of it locally directly from farmers and ranchers here who have a deal with the local butcher.  That should keep his Daddy happy and the bills as low as humanly possible while helping keep our farmers, ranchers and local butcher in business.

Gardening...Caesar loves to watch us garden and wants to help us "dig" at times.  I told him the garden would be in full swing this year so it would provide him lots of entertainment.  He has been supervising me already getting seeds started in pots and in the garden (the cold weather crops have been directly sown into the garden soil).  We were given a huge amount of free mulch, so we are using some and are sharing it with friends and neighbors also.  Everyone needs to work together right now to get through this thing.  We were given permission to dig up some plum trees from a public right of way in our town and will be doing that this weekend and getting those planted.  We also have some volunteer prune plum trees in our yard which will be replanted in another location so that we can utilize the area they are in now for a compost pile.  One of those prune plum trees is being given to a friend who wants to start a mini orchard in her yard also.  We are sharing seeds and will be doing a lot of trading and bartering in the near future as things get even tougher.  The plan for now is to provide as much food as possible for our family and for friends and neighbors as will as preserve some for the future.  This will cut costs and provide us with healthy foods for us and others.

Speaking of cutting costs.  So many people are out of work and trying to get through to unemployment is nearly impossible here.  It is a mixed blessing that Jeff still has his job (for the moment at least) since it provides us with income and the ability to have health insurance.  He is doing everything he can to keep healthy, maintain social distancing and keeping things disinfected while he works.  Poor guy has been having a huge amount of anxiety about possibly bringing this virus home to me.  Anyway, we are preparing for the worst case scenario money wise (the future is not looking bright at the moment) so we took the following steps...
1.  We paid off our yearly property taxes in full with our stimulous check.
2.  Paid off a hospital bill with more of that check.
3.  Banked the rest of the check in an emergency fund.
4. Trying to use less electricity by hanging most of the laundry out to dry on the line when it is nice outside.
5.  Not turning on lights until they are definitely needed.
6.  Me not blow drying and styling my hair most days.
7. Being careful to try and not waste food.  If fruits or veggies go bad, they are added to the compost bin or buried directly in a corner of the garden to self compost over time.
8.  Doubling or tripling up on recipes so that I can freeze some for a future meal.  This cuts down on food waste, energy, time and money.  Let's face it, having a yummy lasagna in your freezer is reassuring and can also be given to someone who needs a meal for whatever reason.
9.  Reaching into the depths of the pantry to see what needs to be used up ASAP before you use the newer items.  I took inventory of our pantry and found a whole other 5 gallon bucket of rice in there.  SCORE!!!!
10.  Taking inventory of our HBA items to see what we do and don't have and trying to make sure that I don't overbuy or underbuy what we need and go through on a regular basis.

Now, more than ever, it is important to make your home a haven and a happy place to be.  Caesar saw that gleam in my eye when I started to talk about this.  He knows me well.  Some of the things that we are doing or plan to do are to grow a bunch of flowers from seed this year.  I was able to get the flower seeds for .25 a package.  I love flowers and Caesar loves to stop and smell them.  I also transplanted volunteer Columbines to other areas of the yard that needed more color and cheer.  Columbines are some of my favorites.  They and they sunflowers that come back year after year make me so happy and require little to no work on my part.  Jeff is also going to be rebuilding the deck with some free rough cut lumber that he has been collecting and planed down to make it smooth.  We bought the screws needed for the project and will be getting some deep charcoal grey deck paint to finish it off with once it is built.  The plan is to start the build next weekend.  I will then get to decorating it with pillows on the porch swing, a fun candle lamp and a few other items.  

Speaking of redecorating, I love to change things up by the season and have been pulling out framed pictures and switching out the Winter decor for Spring decor.  We have picked up several pieces of free furniture from the curbside here in town that people are getting rid of and they will be cleaned, painted and repurposed here at home.  One smaller freestanding cabinet is going to become my baking center to free up counter space.  It will also allow me to have most of my baking supplies within easy reach at all times.  Another is a old hutch which will go into our front bedroom turn pantry and craft room, to store things more efficiently and get things up off the floor.  I am excited about that also!  The fleece blankets will soon be going away and the more Spring/Summer like throws will be coming out.  The Fall /Winter cloth napkins will also be put away and out will come the Spring/Summer ones.  My mother made quite a few of them for me so they bring back wonder memories of her and of my brother who gave us a gift card that I used to buy all the material for them.  Some furniture will be rearranged and moved to new rooms giving everything a fresh look.  I am excited about these changes!

I am looking forward to revisting with some of my favorite books and reading new ones that I have here.  Our library is currently closed, but I have a huge library of my own.  Jeff and I are also enjoying watching movies we have on hand and Caesar is enjoying being able to share some old fashioned popped popcorn with us when we have a movie night.  Caessar definitely thinks we should do these more often.

The hardest thing for Caesar, and for us, is not being able to spend time with our family.  Caesar misses the family, especially the grandkids who are his buddies, as much as we do.  We try to do video chats with them and my parents on a regular basis.  We also have a running story that we send back and forth with the older grandkids with us each adding a small part to each time.  It has become a fun activity and the grandboys love getting mail so it is a win win.

Hopefully they will find a way to stop this thing and protect us all.  My prayers and thoughts are with all the front line workers, medical staff, and individuals, friends and families who are dealing with this illness and/or loss of loved ones.  I am hearing first hand how bad things are from a dear nurse friend who is working with FEMA at a hospital in the Bronx.  What she is sharing is absolutely devastating and breaks my heart.  Please keep her an all the other people working with patients in your prayers.

My Zipadedooda is Zapped...Getting Ready for Fall

  

   

Italian prune plums in my huge bowl waiting to be cut and then dehydrated.

Fall has come early this year and we are expecting a killing frost and possibly a bit of snow by this weekend.  Jeff and I have been frantically trying to get things done here so we are ready for the cold weather.  Not complaining about the cooler weather since Fall is my favorite time of the year and I do much better with cooler temperatures than I do the heat. 😉

   All the jobs, that we normally have another month to get done, have to be done by this Thursday.  Believe me, the list is long and the energy, on my part at least, is short.

   Jeff has been up on the garage roof replacing all of the screws and washers that hold the metal roofing on.  The roof has been leaking for years now and he is determined to get it done and waterproofed.  Now that all the screws are replaced, he only has the ridgecap to fix.  He was hoping to get that done today but between the high winds and the fact that he got home at 7:30 this morning from work, I don't thinki that is going to happen, at least I hope he does not get up there today.

   While Jeff has been up on the garage roof, he has been picking prune plums for me from the neighbor's huge trees that overhangs our garage.  Our neighbors are wonderful people told us to pick all we want.  We have!  Once they are picked though it is up to me to get them all cut up and on the dehydrator.  That takes lots of time and energy for me.  So far I have done one batch on my huge dehydrator and I have another batch to do today.

   I finally got all the applesauce done that we need and am now dealing with the last of the tomatoes, squash, beans and cucumbers from the garden along with the glut of blackberries.
I have been freezing and giving away tons of blackberries this year!  I am dealing with the cucumbers but sharing with friends and neighbors and making lots of quick pickles, which I eat on a daily basis.  The tomatoes have been finding their way into lots of my dinners and lunches lately and my middle grandson has discovered a love for them, so Grammie here is trying to feed that new obsession...literally.  The beans are finally done and we ate the last batch of them last night with dinner.  To be honest, I am relieved.  One less thing to deal with but oh, they were so good!  The squash is another matter all together.  Yes, I have shared lots but I still have a ton here.  I need to make a bunch of zucchini bread or muffins and I plan on freezing some and taking them over to Montana next month when we all descend on my parents in the days before Josh and Lauren's wedding.  My mother will be busy feeding a crowd and I want to be able to help here with that by providing some food that is already done and ready and that my brother Fritz will also enjoy.

   Within the next few days I need to pick the rest of the tomatoes before the frost and let them ripen slowly inside the house.  I also need to pick more blackberries before the killing frost gets them also.  I would like to pick more apples and some of the wild yellow plums that are growing alongside the road up the hill from us.  That is a lot of work, but as a wise farmer friend of mine has always said, you need to make hay while the sun is shining.

   Jeff and I have also been getting the inside of the house ready for the colder weather.  He got the wood pellet stove all cleaned out and ready to go and cleaned up and lubricated that fan we hang at the end of the hallway that pushes the warm are from the stove down the hall to the bedrooms.  He also got the swamp cooler all emptied, winterized and shut down for the cold weather to come.  Some of our warmer weather furniture, both indoor and out, is being put way and so are all the hoses from the gardens.

   I have been busy washing up and lighter weight blankets and getting those put away and swithching out for the warmer ones.  I have also decorated for Fall, got out the Fall themed cozy throws and blankets for the living room and still need to switch out the cloth napkins to the Fall and Winter themed ones.  The pictures on the walls that are Spring and Summer themed ones have come down and been replaced with my Fall and Winter ones also.  I love the warm glow they give to our living room at this time of year.  It makes it feel so cozy in there and is where I spend most of my time once I cannot be outdoors as much.

   All of this has left me very tired and zapped of my energy.  It is worth it though as we head into this season of being able to cozy up by the fire and know that we have put away lots of food from our gardens to be used throughout the Fall and Winter months.   Being able to pull some homemade applesauce out of our freezer to enjoy with pork chops or to use in baking in a real treat.  All those bags of raspberries, plums, blackberries and blueberries will find their way into muffins, cobblers, pancakes and possibly some jam.  They are like treasures that I will unearth from the freezer over the long months ahead and bring a taste of Summer to us.  I have been getting things ready for this time of year as energy allows and have spent many days in bed or on the couch as I have overdone it.  I know that time is short when it comes to getting everything in and out of the garden and this year, it is even shorter.  That reminds me...I have to get some more herbs and green onions in and dried.

   

   

   

   

Computer Issues, Cooking and Trying to Keep Up

   

My poor neglected blog...yes, I still love you but Grammie has been overwhelmed lately.  My computer has been slowly dying (and extremely slow running), I've been cooking up applesauce from our trees like a mad woman and I have been trying to keep up with the rest of the garden produce also.  I've also been busy enjoying my kids an grandkids.  All, except the dying computer, are good things but trying to do it all has left this old lady exhausted!

   I knew that my computer was slowly dying.  It took 15 minutes just to load up today.  UGH!  Jeff and I did buy me a new one while they were on sale at Walmart about a week ago.  We even got an additional discount on it since we drove in to get one after checking online to make sure they had it in stock, only to find out once we got there that they were out of stock.  They had more coming in and set one aside for us so we drove back in 3 days later and they gave us a $25 discount for our trouble.  I need to get the new computer all updated, configured, protected and transfer some of my files to it, but I have not had a whole day or the attention span needed to do so.  The fibro fog has been thick lately and I really need to be able to concentrate fully to do it.

   My two huge crockpots have been getting a workout as they cook up batches and batches of homemade applesauce from our summer apple tree's abundance this year.  Luckily these apples have a very thin skin that breaks down as they cook so I do not need to peel them.  Jeff and I have harvested huge amounts of these apples and have had Heather and the boys come and harvest some too.  My guest bathroom's bathtub is full of apples at the moment (it is the coolest place in the house) that still need to be processed into either applesauce or dehydrated.  I already have about 24 2 cup containers of applesauce in the freezer so far and will be adding to that.  In addition to that, I have been cutting up and wild freezing plums that I foraged along with trying to take care of a glut of tomatoes, squash, cucumbers and beans from our garden.  The blackberries are starting to ripen, so I have also been harvesting them every other day.

   Jeff and I have been busy trying to get other things done around here also.  He has been really busy trying to keep up with the yard along with doing a few projects.  I have been busy purging years of things that we no longer need and getting things donated to thrift stores.  We still need Jaysn and Rachel to come and get Jaysn's twin bed from his old bedroom for Steven and then I can rearrange things in there and have that as a combination pantry/storage and sewing/crafting room.  I would like to get back into using my sewing machine again for mending and to make some simple things like cobbler style aprons since those are so hard to find and I love them.  The colder weather will be here soon so I will need indoor projects to keep me busy and also keep me from going stir crazy.

   In addition to all the home processing we have been doing, I have been slowly adding to my pantry and freezer.  Winco has amazing prices on canned veggies so I have been picking up a case at a time of corn, green beans and tomato products.  I am also adding canned tuna, cream of mushroom soup, calm chowder, and other things as I find them on sale.  Chicken has been on sale, so I am stocking our freezer full of that too. These are all products that we, our kids and our neighbors use and I like to have them on hand in abundance so that I/they don't need to run to the store to get them or, if money is tight, can make a meal from.  I'm back to cooking in bulk so that I can stock our freezer with ready made meals or components of meals. This week I cooked up a bunch of venison burger and seasoned it with taco seasoning.  We made taco salad with some and I am using the rest of it to make two pans of enchiladas.  One will go into the freezer and the other will be eaten this week.  Yesterday I made a huge pot full of potato and corn chowder using some hashbrowns that had been lingering in my freezer.  Some of that will be frozen for at least 2 future meals.  I really find that having these on hand is very frugal and gives me huge peace of mind, especially on days where I cannot manage to cook a meal from scratch.

   Trying to "do it all" had left me exhausted.  I push myself to get things done that need to be done and then find myself collapsing.  I have spent more time in bed and napping and/or unable to walk unless I hold onto the walls for support or Jeff helps me, than I care to admit to.  There have been many nights when my pain levels were so high (I always have pain, but these are above and beyond my "normal") that I cannot sleep and fight back the tears.  There have also been moments when I have considered going to the hospital just to be able to get some pain meds that will cut the pain levels so I can sleep.  I have a super high pain tolerance level so even considering that tells you how bad it has been.  Life with Fibromyalgia in NOT fun and it takes everything I have just to make it through the really tough days when my body has totally broken down.  Yes, I know I need to pace myself, but fresh produce will not wait and needs to be processed before it goes bad.  Jeff does help as much as possible, but he has his own health issues and is in pain also.  What a pair we make. 😜  At least we can understand how the other one is feeling, so that is a plus.

   I'd better end this here.  I am out on the back porch and it is heating up quickly.  I can feel a flare coming on due to the heat and the changing barometric pressure.  We have a high weather front moving in and I can feel it in every fiber of my body, even my hair follicles on top of my head.  I need to get a few more things done this morning before my body will not allow me to do any more.  Be blessed!  

   

   

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 8/2-8/8 2019

Friday:
~We had Steven here with us so Jeff got up early so he could spend time with him too.
~We took Steven to get milkshakes at Ferdinand's, which is the creamery at WSU where they make fresh ice cream and cheese.  After that, we stopped at the bear research center, also at WSU, to see the bears.  He loved going to both places. 😊
~From there we headed to Goodwill and found him a stuffed animal that converts back and forth from a dolphin to a walrus.  We also got 2 shirts for Jeff (some of the ones he has now have got to be tossed out because they are so stained) and a glass kitchen container.  Jaysn met us there after he got off work and took Steven home with him.
~Jeff asked if we wanted to just go out for dinner and I said no.  We stopped at Winco to pick up some groceries and got a footlong sandwich and some salads from the deli instead...much cheaper.  We also picked up 3 kinds of lettuces for me to make huge salads with since this coming week is going to be a scorcher and I don't plan of cooking much.  We found huge pork roasts marked down so I also bought a double pack of those and froze them for future meals.  BLueberries were super cheap so I got a package of those and will be freezing at least half of them.
~I picked more raspberries in the evening from our bushes.  They are finally slowing down.
~I froze more overripe bananas for breads and muffins and threw the peels on the roses.
~Steven helped me harvest more squash and tomatoes while he was here.  He is a good little helper and loves to be in the garden.
~Jeff broke his glasses the other day so we took them into our eye glass place and they found some discontinued style frames that fit his lenses.  They gave him a wonderful deal and only charged him $50 for the frames and putting his lenses into them.  That saved us about $400 since he has bifocals with special coatings on them.

Saturday:
~Jeff and I both slept in because we were exhausted!  We have been going, going, going way too much and had another busy day ahead of us. I did get up earlier in the morning to have Caesar go pee though and let the cats out on the back porch and then headed myself back to bed.
~We met the family at the bowling alley and Jeff was able to bowl for free.  It was Steven's first time bowling with the help of a ramp and his cousins Bradley and Isaiah cheered him on and were huge helps in keeping him semin corraled.  Jeremy also bought me a cider from the bar.
~We all went to Pizza Hut for dinner and Jaysn found a deal where the large pizzas were just $12.99 each so each family bought one and we all shared.
~I was given a bottle of wine by my cousin Jeremy and some Lularoe leggings and a tops by Feather, Chris, Bradley and Isaiah for my birthday gift.  I then recycled the gift bag and tissue paper and added it to my stash.


Sunday:
~Jeff went over to help Chris caulk the seams on the siding of their house so that they could get it painted.  I was supposed to go over also and go to church with Heather and the boys, but I was totally out of it and slept right through Jeff leaving.  Luckily Heather knew that I may not make it ahead of time.
~I got up and harvested tomatoes and squash.
~The sheets were washed and hung out on the laundry line to dry.
~I marinated some thinly sliced top round steaks in homemade teriyaki sauce.
~I made a cold iced vanilla latte instead of having hot coffee when I got up.
~The neighbor's dog was barking like crazy and driving me nuts.  I needed something to help calm my jangled nerves so I pulled up my friend Gary Haleamau's playlist on YouTube and streamed it on my TV. Gary Haleamau Music   Gary and I grew up together and he is considered one of Hawaii's Living Legends in music.  He now lives in Las Vegas and we were able to get together with him and some of his beautiful family when we were down visiting Josh and Lauren last Fall.
~Jeff gave Bradley and Isaiah the Cornhole game that he made for Isaiah's birthday and they were thrilled.  Some of their friends were there and now they have asked Jeff to make one for their family also.  They are going to pay him for it.  I think Jeff has just found himself a side job!
~Heather sent a huge bag of tortilla chips from Costco and a bag of huckleberries that she picked home with Jeff for us.
~I did some bulk cooking and made a huge batch of pancakes and portuguese sausage.  We had some for dinner and the rest will be used for meals later this week. 3/4 of the pancakes were plain and 1/4 were blueberry.  Jeff is not a fan of blueberry pancakes.
~I also cooked a big batch of rice and saved some for eating with the teriyaki later in the week and made a big batch of sushi rice with the rest.
~Jeff brought in a tall comfy stool from the garage for me to sit on while I cooked up all the pancakes and sausage since my back was going out on me.

Monday:
~Jeff closed the house up in the morning to keep the cooler air in and try to drown out the noise of the barking dog and screeching dog owner.  UGH!
~I worked on my points programs.
~I had some green onions that were huge in the garden so I harvested them, cut them up and put them in a container in the fridge to use this week.
~More tomatoes were harvested from the garden.
~Jeff and I had our main meal of the day for lunch.  I fried up the teriyaki thinly sliced steaks and we had 4 of them (they were little) and saved two (along with some of the sauce) to make a stir fry later in the week.  I served those with some of the rice I made yesterday and a pad thai veggie stir fry with peanut sauce.
~Cold coffee drinks are some of my favorite summer treats so I brewed an extra strong pot and put that coffee in the fridge so it is ready to use.
~We have lots of fires surrounding us once again which means we could get some heavy smoke moving in tomorrow and Wednesday.  We are also under a high heat warning.  We are being told to keep our pets inside and severely limit our activities. Since we use a swamp cooler to chill our home down during the hotter months, this may mean we cannot use it since it will draw in the smoke.  With that in mind, I got all my cooking for the next few days done late into the night.
~I made a bacon ranch with ham and cheese noodle salad and my squash casserole that I love so much.
~I also refilled the Berkey water filter because it was getting low.
~I gave all the gardens and trees a deep watering and moved some of the more heat sensitive plants under a flowering plum and a willow bush so they would stay cooler.
~I also picked some more raspberries.
~More shows were watched online.
~Caesar and I took a walk when it cooled down in the evening and saw that some of the wild plums are about ready to pick.

Tuesday:
~I slept in until noon...apparently my body needed it.
~Jeff and I had the salad I made last night for lunch when he got up.
~Jeff headed into town to pick up Caesar's prescription and another gallon of milk.  He took his little car, that does not have AC even though it is 100F outside.
~I harvested some tomatoes and squash from the garden. I was out there for about a minute and thought I would melt from the heat.
~I kept the fur babies inside for the most part during the day since it was so hot.
~When it finally cooled down to 90F, Jeff and I took a walk down the hill to forage for some of the wild plums.  We got quite a few and left a lot to further ripen and/or for other people.  The heat just about killed me and I found it hard to breathe,  Such is life with Fibromyalgia.
~Jeff and I worked on watering the gardens once the sun started to go down.
~Dinner was whatever we had in the fridge or sandwiches.  There was no way I was going to cook in this heat.

Wednesday:
~Another scorcher of a day so I slept the morning away since I could not fall asleep until after 4 a.m. yet again.
~I'm attempting to grow some more basil starts in water from the trimmings I took off my basil plants outside.  I am hoping to overwinter the new plants inside so I have fresh basil year round.
~Jeff and I did sit down and make a new budget and plan for paying off debt while still getting more money into our savings account.
~Leftovers for lunch.
~I called our vet about Caesar's stomach ulcers caused by the steroids.  We are trying something new to get the bleeding to stop.  Poor baby.  I feel so bad for him.
~Jeff and I used our hot tub (unheated) to cool off. It felt so good!
~Jeff had leftover teriyaki and rice and I had a crab sushi all made here at home.
~I watered the gardens at night since it has been so hot and I wanted to make sure that nothing got burned from the sun.
~Jeff had his DOT physical today for his job so her took the paperwork and the receipt in to work so he will get reimbursed for the cost of it since he had to pay up front.
~Beautiful piano music calms me so I had that playing for part of the day via YouTube.

Thursday:
~I got some tamales out of the freezer for dinner and served those with a big salad.
~Harvested raspberries, blueberries, cucumbers, squash and tomatoes from the garden.
~I worked my points programs.
~The Hawaii girl came out in me so since I could not sleep, I watched surfing competitions on YouTube.  I loved watching surfing in person growing up and found it really relaxing.  I'm a water girl at heart.

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 6/30-7/6 2018

   


   

Another Frugal Friday post!  I've been busy with the garden, the youngest grandson, and trying to deal with the drastic weather changes.  The fur babies seem to be confused by the weather changes also so sleep has been more challenging lately (it's always a challenge but this is getting beyond ridiculous) because they have been restless as well at night.  All this has left me drained and a bit "raw" emotionally.  I tend to withdraw from being social when this is going on and that is what has happened and therefor the lack of posting, replying to comments and even reading emails.  Sorry and please forgive me. Onto the subject that you are here for....frugality!

~Saturday Jeff and I ran into town to deposit his check and get the shopping done.  I only had enough energy to go to 2 grocery stores...Walmart and Safeway.  I had planned my trips carefully and made a list, downloaded coupons and prayed for other bargains.  Well we hit the jackpot!  I was able to get a whole ham for $5, shrimp and cod for 50% off, 2 pound blocks of cheese for $3.99 each, barbeque sauce for .49 each, mayo at half off, Hefty freezer bags for .99 a package, Gatorade for .58 each, and many other deals as well.  We got home and Jeff had me sit down while he unloaded all the groceries and got them put away.
~At Walmart I found 2 shirt on clearance for $1 each.
~That night we watched 2 movies.  I had borrowed "Ferdinand" from the library and we watched the newest Star Wars movie on Netflix.  Jeff baked a pizza for our dinner that night also.

~Sunday I was feeling better so I tried to get more done.  I did laundry, cut up celery and peppers and froze some and set some aside to use in our dinner that night, harvested lettuce from the garden and got that all washed and torn up for salads and picked a bunch of raspberries.
~I gave some of the raspberries to my neighbor who loves them and they are her "comfort food".
~Dinner on Sunday night was homemade Lo Mein using lots of veggies, leftover steaks and whole wheat noodles.

~We watched a Kevin James comedy show on Netflix.
~I cut up a bunch of strawberries from our garden.
~I continued to read a library book when I retired to bed early because I had once again overdone it with my activity level.
~We got more rain and the rain barrel is filling up.
~Monday found me really sore but there were things that needed to get done.  Rachel met us at our house and we headed up to Uncle Bob's farm to pick cherries.  His trees were loaded and did not get hit by the frost like our's did.  Between what Jeff was able to get from way up high in  our trees and in the short time we were picking at Uncle Bob's we got 3 gallons plus 1 quart of cherries.
~I gave the quart bag of cherries to a dear friend for her to have with her dinner while she worked the overnight shift.

~I cut up the big ham I got for $5 into 3 meals of 4 ham steaks per meal and bag of cubed ham for soups and salads.  Jeff usually eats 2 ham steaks and I have one and use the other for yet another meal.  These were smaller ham steaks, not those huge ones you see packaged up separately in the grocery stores.
~Dinner that night was fried ham steaks and mashed red potatoes with parsley from our garden.
~My dessert was fresh raspberries from the garden sprinkled with a little sugar.  So Yummy!
~I listened to sleep and relaxation music later that night to help me unwind and to hopefully help bring down the pain levels I was having.

~Chris and Heather brought back a solar charger to use to plug in Jeff's CPAP machine when we go camping.  My parents gave it to us since they bought it for a camping trip to use for my dad and now they no longer use it.  Chris, Heather and the boys spent the weekend with my parents in Montana.
~I borrowed two more movies from the library.
~Tuesday I watched Steven for awhile.  He was a happy little bug.  We played, watched Baby Einstein on TV and then he fell asleep in my arms. Happy Grammie.

~Jeff and I ran into town in the afternoon to finish our grocery shopping.
~Dinner was leftovers.
~Wednesday was the 4th of July.  Rachel came over to do laundry and we both picked a lot of raspberries.
~I made two loaves of whole wheat bread.
~Jeff, Rachel, Jaysn and Steven went down to a community wide BBQ and potluck.  I was not able to make it because the change in weather (getting way hotter) sent me into a flare.  I turned on the swamp cooler and spent the afternoon in my recliner.
~I planted more pole bean seeds in an area where the ground cherry plants never came up.
~Jeff pulled out all the lupine plants since they were attracting aphids that were trying to destroy my garden.

~Thursday was a hot day so we took advantage of it to hang Jeff's laundry out to dry on the laundry line.
~I used the enclosed hot tub area to dry some of our house slippers that I had washed.
~The Instant Pot is a life saver when it is hot.  I cooked up 2 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts and used them to make chicken salad with.
~Lunch was chicken salad wraps with lettuce from our garden.  I added sliced grapes to mine since I love that combination.
~Jeff picked the remaining cherries from our tree and packaged them up to give to some of his coworkers.  We still have a few large bags of them in the refrigerator for our own use.
~I cut a box of fabric softener sheets in half.  I only use 1 half sheet per dryer load.
~The gardens were watered in the morning.  I will be switching to evening watering now that the nights will be hotter again.

~By keeping the house pretty much closed up during the day after running the swamp cooler on vent until about 3 a.m., I was able to keep it in the lower 70's even when it hit 90F outside for most of the day but had to finally turn the swamp cooler on around 4 p.m. when the house started to heat up.
~I did not feel like cooking so frozen burritos were heated up and eaten with a garden salad.
~Friday I harvested strawberries and lettuce,and Rachel and I harvest raspberries from the garden.  I shared them all with Rachel.
~Lunch was leftover chicken salad, crackers and grapes.  Quick, easy and yummy!

~I spent a lot of time reading books from the library.
~Dinner was baked lemon dill cod that I had previously bought at half price and frozen, cornbread with a can of drained corn mixed in (both the mix and the canned corn was previously bought on sale), applesauce, and a green salad from our garden. 
~The garden was watered in the evening when it got cooler.
~I watched a show on YouTube about America's Princess marrying into British aristocracy.  It was was really interesting.

  Blessings to all!

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 7/15-7/21 2017

   

   In reading over my list here it seems like longer than a week since we met up with my baby brother and his sweet family for breakfast on Saturday.  I'm not sure what to make of that.  I think we just packed so much into one week, so it made it seem longer.  Onto the saving!

~My baby brother insisted on paying for Jeff and I when we met them for brunch on Saturday.
~Time spent with my baby brother Eric, sweet SIL Christie and our nephews Cade and Eli...priceless!  I just wish we had remembered to get some pictures together.
~We filled up my car with gas since we were down to half a tank while we were up in Coeur D'Alene, ID.  Gas is a full .30 a gallon cheaper there than it is down where we live.
~We did not make it to the wedding since it would be a huge rush to get there from CDA and a 3 hour drive, so instead we did some shopping.  Of course we went to the thrift stores and found some things there that we needed. Goodwill was having a 50% off all linens and I found a beautiful and large fleece blanket/throw to use in the cooler months ahead while cuddling on the couch. We also hit Grocery Outlet and picked up a few grocery items as well.
~I knew I was worn out Saturday afternoon so we picked up a frozen pizza while we were at Grocery Outlet to have for dinner that night at home.

~Sunday I harvested peas, peppers, tomatoes, strawberries, blueberries and tons of raspberries from the garden.
~One of our soaker hoses that winds it's way through the raspberries, prune plum trees and blackberries sprung a horrible leak that just kept getting worse and worse.  Jeff was not able to fix it.  Luckily we had some spare soaker hoses that I picked up at a yard sale several years ago (knowing that we would have to replace the others at some point).  Jeff got the old one taken out and the new one put in.
~The laundry line was used to dry lots of clothes, towels and blankets.
~Sunday we had a surprise 80th birthday party to go to for our Heather's grandfather.  I took cherries and raspberries to contribute to the early dinner.  It was so much fun to be with some of the people that I love most in the world and I did well despite being in the middle of a Fibro flare.
~After the party we went into Moscow, Idaho to Winco to pick up a few grocery items that were needed and then came home.  This saved me a trip into town and lots of gas.
~I finally got the rest of the pepper plants put in the garden.
~We used a voucher for a free night at a hotel in Spokane to book a room for 2 nights.  We are paying for one of those night, but the other is free.  Our breakfast is included in the price and we get free coffee and a free latte each day too.  There are no coffee makers in the rooms anymore, so I will be taking our small coffee maker that I got last weekend for $2 with us.  Jeff and I are looking forward to this getaway...they even have a fun water slide at their outdoor pool. :)
~Jeff helped me menu plan for the week.  We tried to make a menu based on the weather, how busy we are each day and what we have on hand and needs to be used up.

~Monday night I made "Malibu Chicken" for dinner with a multigrain side dish, carrot sticks and steamed broccoli.  It tasted so good and was fairly easy and quick to put together.  I also used only one boneless skinless chicken breast and just cut it in half down the middle and also sliced it horizontally to cut down on cooking time.  We had some delicious carrot cake that our Heather made and sent home with us after her grandpa's birthday party.
~Our post office has been shut down since Saturday and will be closed for 8-9 days or more.  They are doing asbestos abatement since the flooring is being replaced and it contained asbestos.   We now have to drive to another town to get our mail.  I refuse to drive over there daily so I will be picking up the mail when I drive through that town on Thursday on my way to Heather's.  I am worried that it is going to take more time to get this thing done because there was no one there even working on it today when I went down to the library and to try and mail something off.  They even shut down the outside mail box.
~I got in on the free samples at PinchMe on Tuesday. :)
~My husband requested Tuna Pasta Salad for dinner on Tuesday so I got that made Tuesday morning and used some green onions from our garden in it.  It's super easy to make and something that he really enjoys.  Since I was in crash mode on Tuesday, I was thankful for something that took very little effort to make on my part and that my hubby loves.
~Wednesday I took advantage of a free offer for a subscription to "This Old House" magazine via PinchMe.

~Wednesday also found me picking raspberries, blueberries and strawberries once again from the garden.
~I've been working my points programs.
~Thursday I went huckleberry picking with Heather, Chris, Bradley and Isaiah.  We had a wonderful time and I was able to pick 1 1/2 quarts of berries.  Chris and Heather picked about 2 gallons and sold those for $100.  Huckleberries are selling  for anywhere between $15-$25 a quart depending on where you buy them. I kept my huckleberries and am hoping to go back up again this coming week to get more. We took a short drive up to the old fire lookout tower and some people we know had rented it so they gave us a tour.  It can be rented out for $39 a night and the view cannot be beat.  You can see over a hundred miles in all directions!  I would love to be up there during a thunderstorm. 

~Friday 3 loaves of banana bread were made with 5 overripe bananas. I had one very happy hubby when he got up in the afternoon after a really rough night at work.
~I used a black Sharpie marker to fill in some areas on a black picture frame that had gotten scuffed and nicked.

    I'm going to try and make this an early night and see if I can fall asleep and stay asleep.  I have not been getting much sleep all week long and it is starting to take it's toll on me.  We have Jaysn and Rachel coming over tomorrow to pick raspberries and have lunch with us and I am so looking forward to that.  I want to be awake and thinking clearly while they are here.😉  Oh, the picture at the top is my Doofy cat...boy has he got attitude!  LOL!



 

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 9/10-9/16/16

 

     It has been another interesting week.  I tried for the most part to stay home to save money on gas and do things around here.  We are now down to one car.  I've been working on either making or finding Christmas gifts at great prices so that I am ready ahead of time and not stressed out.  Sadly, after a very hurtful phone call on Friday night that left me shaking and in tears (yes, still that same horrible mess but certain parties just escalated it even though I thought it could not possible get any worse), we may have less gifts to make or buy.  :(  Onto the savings:

~Early morning phone calls rarely bring good news.  Saturday, at 3 a.m., my hubby called me and told me that his car had broken down right outside of the town he works out of.  I got dressed and drove over there to meet him.  We then towed the car, very slowly, into that town and left it at our trusted mechanic's shop.  I did learn one thing...I do not like towing at all.  Scared me to death to have to do it.
~We had my cousin Jeremy over for brunch on Saturday and I fixed a simple meal of an oven pancake, breakfast sausages and eggs.  This was served with some good Kona coffee.  I had bought the sausages and eggs on sale previously, made my own pancake mix and the Kona coffee was a gift.
~Our local apple orchard is open and in full production.  They have expanded over the last 5 years adding more varieties of apples, along with prune plums and pears.  We took my cousin up after our brunch and picked pears, Cortlands, McIntosh and Honeycrisp apples.  They still only charge .50 per pound.  Jeff and I picked 23 pounds worth of fruit and will be sharing with our kids.  I'll be going up again to pick more for our trip to Montana for my parents, brother and their neighborhood friends. :)

~I found a Bacon Lovers pizza on clearance in the deli at Walmart for $3.99 and picked that up for dinner on Saturday.  We enjoyed that and watched a movie we had here for a nice quiet night at home.
~We used the $25 Walmart gift card to buy a air filter for my car and some avocados.
~I baked a pumpkin pie and some cookies to take with us to Heather and Chris' for dinner on Sunday.  We headed over there earlier in the day so Chris, Jeremy and Jeff could go sight in their guns.  Jeremy had to leave after that but we stuck around for a fun baseball game with friends and family and then had dinner.  Heather made Cheddar Bay Biscuits and a delicious garlic cheese and potato soup.
~My oldest grandson Bradley and I did some shopping on Sunday.  We used coupons at Bath and Body Works to get a free lotion and a $10 large 3 wick candle.
~Bradley and I also hit Goodwill and spent under $7.29 for a really cool Spider Man Mask that he fell in love with and 2 shirts, one for him and one for his little brother.

~Monday I picked a big basketful of blackberries from our blackberry bushes.  I also harvested cucumbers, beans, squash and tomatoes.
~We had an old quilt in the garage that needed to be washed.  It was too big for my washer and it was kind of delicate so I hand washed it in our big bathtub.  Jeff hung it out to dry on the laundry line for me the next morning.
~Monday I also baked 2 loaves of bread for sandwiches for my hubby.
~I hung Jeff's laundry out to dry on the line.
~We watched more shows online.
~I bought a beautiful pork loin roast over the weekend at a fantastic price.  Monday, when I took it out of the package, I realized that there were actually 3 pork loin roasts in there.  I had spent a little over $3 on the package.  I roasted them all up with some apples and onions.  We had the 2 smaller roasts for dinner  (there were leftovers) and I put the larger cooked roast away for another meal or 2 later this week.

~The temperatures outside really dropped Monday night so I closed up the house (I usually sleep with the bedroom window open until we hit the freezing mark) and threw an extra blanket on our bed.  I did not want to have to use the pellet stove yet.
~Tuesday my mom called and we had a lovely visit over the phone.  I cannot express in words just how thankful I am for the close relationship that she and I share.
~Another batch of prune plums were cut up and dehydrated.  I want to take some over to my mom when we go visit on Sunday.
~My husband got a $10 credit put on his customer loyalty card as a birthday gift from the bowling alley.
~Completed 2 surveys for Pinecone Research which I will be credited for.
~I  have made good use of the leftovers this week to reduce food waste.
~Our mornings have been really chilly here.  I've been throwing open the curtains and the front door (leaving the storm door closed) on the sunny side of the house first thing in the mornings to help heat up the house.  It was 50F in the house this morning when I got up.  This helps heat up the house fairly quickly.

~Our mechanic called and sadly, our little car is dead.  The whole engine needs to be replaced and given how old the car is and the miles on it, the cost to replace the engine is more than the entire car is worth.  We are going to sell the wheels and snow tires and scrap the rest.  I am now trying to convince my husband that we can get by with just one car since I am not working outside the home and, if need be, I can borrow my neighbor's extra car if I need to.
~Frost hit one of our gardens so I salvaged what I could from there.  So far the other gardens are doing ok but I know it won't be long now until they too take a hit.
~I took part of the larger third pork loin that I cooked earlier in the week and used it to make homemade pork lo mein.  I threw in carrots, celery, cabbage, some red bell pepper and some green onions from our garden along with the pork that I cut into slivers.  I made a sauce with oyster sauce, water and some agave syrup and combined the goodies above and some cooked noodles with it.  Yum!  We have leftovers for another meal plus part of the 3rd pork loin left.  This will make yet another meal for both my hubby and I.
~My hubby winterized our swamp cooler so it is all drained, wrapped up and ready for the cold weather to come.
~I have been missing teaching but know that I cannot handle the stress of working at our local schools right now with all that is going on.  A wonderful opportunity came my way this Wednesday to be able to once again do what I love in a much less stressful environment.  I will be helping out with a local MOPs group (Mothers of Preschoolers) 3 times a month for a little over 2 hours at a time.  They will pay me $25 for each time I work and the best part...I will be working one on one with a little boys with Down's Syndrome and helping him transition into a group of children his own age.  It is a total God thing because the beautiful young woman who reached out to me for help in finding people to work at the program had no idea how much I was missing working with children and that I have always had a special place in my heart for precious little ones with Down's Syndrome. I love how God works!
~I received a box in the mail from PinchMe that had a few samples in it.
~Thursday night I hot tubbed which did help me get some sleep. :)
~I shared some cucumbers and tomatoes from our garden with our neighbors.
~We dug out some small blackberry bushes to take to my mom who wanted some for her garden.  These are thornless blackberry bushes that produce an abundance of fruit. :)
~I have stayed home for the most part this week.  We did have to run over and borrow our son Chris' truck earlier in the week and we ran errands on Friday, but other than that, I have been happy to just be home.
~Friday I picked 2 quarts of blackberries to take to my parents.
~I packed up a bag full of assorted apples and pears to take to my parents.  We had picked them up at our local orchard.
~My gift closet came in handy yet again!  I had a new Circulon stock pot that I had gotten free with the purchase of my cooking pans years back.  I packed that up in a beautiful recycled gift bag and wrote a nice note on some blank notecards that I had bought at the thrift store.  This was a wedding gift for a very special young couple who I had the pleasure of watching grow up and teaching. :)
~We stopped at Salvation Army and I picked up some more Junie B Jones books, a sign that I feel in love with and a brand new black crossbody purse that came with an umbrella and coin purse.  I looked it up on QVC and it retails for $79.  I paid $4.97. Oh I found a really nice book for the grandboys to add to their Christmas presents.
~The Dollar Tree got a new batch of movies in.  By the time we got there they were pretty well picked over but I did find 4 for us.  One dollar for a movie and some homemade popcorn makes for a very cheap date night. ;)
~I had a custom photo mug made for one of my sons for Christmas.  I had found a deal on it and only had to pay shipping.

   I hope you all have a great and frugal weekend!

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 9/3-9/9 2016

   

   I am so sorry that I am getting this posted so late.  I usually try to either post late Friday night or early Saturday morning.  We have had a busy few days and both posting and reading other blogs has had to take a back seat while life happened.  ;)  All in all it has been a really frugal week, for which I am thankful since early, we are talking 3 a.m. (yesterday morning as of the time I posted this), I got a phone call from my sweet hubby telling me his car died on him on his way home from work and could I come and get him. So we now have a car repair bill to look forward to.  Such is life.  Onto where I did save this week though...


~Saturday was my hubby's birthday and we had a BBQ here at the house.  Everyone brought something food wise to add to the feast and what a feast we had.  The dining room table was filled with burgers, brats, buns, a wonderful mixed green salad, a taste pasta salad, chips. 2 homemade chocolate cream pies, cheese, homegrown tomatoes, homegrown cucumbers, sliced thinly, watermelon, corn on the cob and all the fixings.  There were so many leftovers...I will not have to cook for a few days at least.
~My hubby was blessed with wonderful gifts!  He was given precious framed pictures that the grandboys had drawn, a gift card for the movie theater and a shotgun.  He will also be getting a gift card for a round of golf at his favorite golf course and our son Josh will also be taking him golfing when he is home on leave.
~Our son Chris and our grandsons enjoyed using our hot tub as did we.  I was hurting really badly all over and 2 soaks in the hot tub helped to ease it enough so that I could sleep.

~Sunday we had leftovers for lunch and dinner.
~We watched a movie on Sunday afternoon from our vast collection of dvds.
~Jeff changed the oil and filter on his car.

~Monday we had a family brunch at my cousin's house.  My Uncle Mo was in town and I had not seen him since I was a toddler.  We all had a great time getting caught up on each other's lives and learned a lot about each other. :)  My uncle also gave us copies of his CD.  He is a musician who does mostly folk type music.  What a sweet and very appreciated gift!

~I used coupons at the grocery store to bring down costs.  The young checker at Walmart was not happy with me at all when I made him aware that he had not used the coupons I gave him and asked him to please make things right.  He was not trained well at all and made things much harder than they should have been and took a long time to straighten it all out.  He also copped an attitude with me...not a good thing for him to do because I don't deal with that well and let him know that he was out of line with his comments.
~Tuesday it rained so I did not have to water the gardens.
~We had leftovers for lunch and dinner Tuesday night.
~My husband and I shared a .50 Frosty from Wendy's.
~We watched several shows online.
~I cashed in my points at Swagbucks for a $25 Walmart gift card and since it was my first gift card redeemed for the month I got it on sale and saved 300 points.

~I foraged a bunch of Italian Prune Plums and dehydrated them.
~I also foraged a perfect apple.
~Beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and lots of blackberries were harvested this week from the garden.

~More blackberries were frozen and a large cottage cheese container full (I reuse my containers) was taken to a picnic to share with my grandsons and our Heather on Friday.
~I finally got around to freezing all that corn I picked last week.  I filled up 4 large ziplock bags full. We also gave Heather a big bag full over the weekend. I already had 2 bags in the freezer.   We are set for corn on the cob for a very long time.

~I signed up for several free samples.  I love getting free samples in the mail, don't you?
~Leftovers were on the menu once more for dinner on Wednesday night.  I am finally beginning to be able to see the actual shelves in my refrigerator again.
~Youtube was again my "go to" to learn some new skills.  I am amazed at the sheer amount of wonderful people out there who share their knowledge so freely with others.
~Thursday I cut up and froze lots and lots of green onions from our garden.  These onions were planted from the bottom ends of onions that I had bought in the grocery section of the store last year.  They overwintered and spread.  I am hoping they will overwinter once again.  Fifty nine cents for 2 years worth of green onions is an great deal! ;)

~The mail brought some samples and a coupon from Emergen-C and a $5 gift card from the local building supply place as a nice birthday surprise for my hubby. :)
~With us trying to save for our upcoming short but sweet vacation, I printed off the $25 Walmart gift card that I redeemed my points at Swagbucks for.  I will use it to stock up on a few needed items.

~Pasta salad sounded really good for my picnic with Heather and the grandsons so I boiled up a small package of cheese tortellini and chopped up some veggies, seasoned those and added some Italian Salad dressing to the whole thing.  Cheap, quick, easy and I had everything I needed on hand.

~My hanai son Lee (affectionately known as son #4) and I had a nice chat online.  It was good to get caught up with him and hear 2 pieces of wonderful news!  Love that boy!
~Friday morning, while having coffee, I checked my Mypoints account and saw that I had enough points to cash in for a gift card there.  I ordered a $10 Texas Road House gift card to surprise my hubby with since that is his new favorite place to go out to eat. :)
~I foraged more of the Italian Prune Plums and some pears while on a walk Friday afternoon.

~The thrift stores that I went to yielded some great finds!  I love the Yellow Ware ceramic mixing bowls and found one for $4.72.  I also found some cookbooks by Katie Lee Joel (did you all know she is married to Billy Joel?  News to me.), along with a few others, a shirt for half price, a Starbucks mug and the first season of Fame on DVD.  My husband and I both loved that show as kids so it will be fun to rewatch it again.
~Friday's harvest from the garden was tomatoes, squash and 2 acorn squash...one of which looked like it was on steroids!

~I was really good about consistently working my points programs this week.
~There was a 2 day cereal sale at one of the local grocery stores.  My hubby stopped by and got cereal really cheap, a gallon of milk for $1.79 and bananas at .39 a pound.


   I hope your week was frugal and that you all are enjoying the weekend!  Be blessed!