I'm Making a List and Checking it Thrice

 

                                                                               📝

   My living room and kitchen are awash in a sea of boxes and bags at the moment.  I've been reorganizing and inventorying our pantry, along with putting away new purchases.  As I am going along (slowly...so very slowly), I am also checking and making a list of things that I need to fill in the gaps that I am seeing.  I need to make this list for another reason...I am now the proud owner of two new bottles of paprika seasoning and it is something I don't use that often.  I do not need to be wasting money buying things that I already have enough of.  This muddled brain of mine needs to be reminded of what I already have on hand.

   Seeing as how I over bought in some areas and underbought in others, I headed to the medicine cabinet to see if there were any gaps there.  I get distracted easily and I honestly think I needed a break from trying to get the pantry done.  I'm honestly impressed that I have gotten this far without freaking out at the enormity (to me at least) of the task at hand.  Anyway, I found gaps in there and added a few more OTC items and some HBA items to my list.  One thing I do not need to add to my list for a few years at least is body wash...somehow I have a glut of those!

   I went back to my list and divided it by store.  Some other items, like solar lights, I will add to the Dollar Tree list.  These are great for lighting up our stairs from the driveway up to the house and also for having on hand if the power goes out and I need light in the house other than candles.  Just stick those puppies in a jar or glass to hold them upright.  I also like to pick up their packages of 2 and a 1/2 gallon zip lock type bags.  I used those for holding 2 loaves of homemade bread and they are also great for keeping emergency supplies dry and together in each of our cars.  Oh, another item on the list is a shovel to put in whatever car we are using at the moment in case we have to dig ourselves or someone else out of the snow.  Very useful tool and one that we have not had in the past but are going to add to our winter driving preps.  This we will have to pick up at another store.

   Hopefully I have not forgotten anything that I needed to add to my many lists.  Since I am still adjusting to the new meds and also hate to drive anywhere in the snowy and icy roads time of the year, even when my brain is not as muddled, I need to be as prepared as possible so I feel safe.  This is the time of year where I just want to be home, snuggle in, and cook hearty meals for Jeff and I.  My lists help me to be able to do this and not freak out (as much) 😉. 

  

One Thing Leads to Another (Puttering)

   

   My Grandma used to use the word "puttering" quite a bit to describe just doing little things around the house and garden.  I, like my Grandma, putter a lot. 😉  I do find that I actually am able to get lots done when I putter, you know, those little overlooked things that you suddenly discover when you go about things slowly and just follow the day's lead.  Today was one of those days.

   I woke up quite late in the day because I did not fall asleep until the early morning hours (it was after 4:30 a.m. when I finally fell asleep) due to my fibromyalgia and the pain that brings along with screwed up sleep patterns.  Once up, I had some coffee and spent about an hour with my hubby before he had to head back to bed to get some sleep before his overnight shift at work.  Before he actually feel asleep, I got 2 loaves of bread made in the Kitchenaid mixer and set those to rise in the oven.  I replied to some text messages and called in a refill on my medications and asked that those be sent to me.  By then the bread loaves had risen so I baked them for 30 minutes at 400F.  While they were baking I decided that I would get a jump on dinner, so I got out the last half of a bag of beef ravioli and made a casserole with that to pop in the oven once the bread came out.  After 45 minutes in there, I got the casserole out and added some shredded cheddar cheese and mixed that in, turn off the oven and then put the casserole back in to melt the cheese with the residual heat.  While adding the cheese, I also thought that I might need to use it up soon and made note to use it in some Red Lobster Cheddar Bay biscuits since I had some of that to use up as well.  Also, while looking for the biscuit mix, I found a package of corn bread mix that needs used up along with a can of enchilada sauce...onto the menu for this week is chicken tamale pie now!  It was about this time that I decided it might be a good idea to eat something since I had not eaten yet, so I sat down and had some of that wonderful ravioli casserole with a slice of freshly baked bread.

   Next on my list was to actually write down a menu plan for the week, so I got out my planner and did that along with listing some of the chores I had hoped to get done this week.  That reminded me that I needed to add 2 new mattress top protectors to my shopping list for both our bed and the guest bed.  I wondered if there was anything else we needed that I could just order online through Walmart.com so I went searching my HBA items.  I was stocked up well there but decided that I might as well just restock the bathrooms with extra toilet paper from my stash while I was at it.  I got online, checked my messages there, read some blog posts of friends and commented on them and then got my order ready through Walmart.com but did not place the order at that moment because I am waiting for my sweet hubby to get up from his nap so I can see if he needs me to add anything to the order for him.

   So you see, puttering led me to all these great meal ideas, getting some smaller things done and being able to get an order ready for things that I need so that I will not have to make a shopping trip into town.  We will not run out of toilet paper while in the bathroom at a crucial moment (ahem), hubby has bread for his sandwiches this week all baked and ready to go and I can relax for the rest of the evening.  Winning!

   

I Realized I Need a Major Attitude Adjustment

      

Picture of the field fire when it had first started a few days ago.  It quickly spread and moved fast due to high winds.  Taken from up at our town graveyard.  Chris and other firefighters from all over our area were able to get it out despite the high winds and save a friend's home.

   Yesterday everything came to a head and I realized that something had to change.  Between my anxiety and yes, downright anger, at all that was going on in the world around me, I found myself becoming the worst part of me.  I was quickly becoming someone that I did not like, appreciate or even want to be around for any length of time.  I felt like I could either break into tears at any moment or snap at my husband who definitely did not deserve it.  It is not his fault that the world and our country is going down a very scary and dark path and it is not mine either.  Neither of us can control the wickedness of others who think it is perfectly fine and justified to hunt down and kill innocent people, burn and loot communities, and hold up rapists and people who commit horrible and violent crimes as "heros" while vilifying, shooting and otherwise attacking and trying to seal officers into a building with quick drying cement and burn them alive.  We also have no control over the selfishness of the college students who have returned to our area, and who's classes are all online, that are partying like crazy people, sharing covid-19 with each other and causing our infection rates to skyrocket.  Due to their behavior, businesses are having to go back to further restrictions once more and all the hard work that most of us have done for months and some businesses are having to shut their doors for good.  Yes, it makes me very angry, frustrated, sad, and depressed.  I had to come to a place where I realized that there is NOTHING that I can do to change any of this and all I can do is try to make my home as safe and calm as possible.  This is my haven and I have to create and see it as thus and not feel "trapped" here by forces outside of my control.

   I turned on YouTube and visited with some of my favorite vloggers to get inspiration and to help calm my troubled spirit and mind.  I find so many amazing people who are creating just what I long to...a peaceful and productive home.  I first visited The Elliott Homestaed. They actually live about 3 hours west of me and have created an amazing home life filled with gardens, farm animals, beautiful children, love, laughter, good food and have stripped their physical home back to the bones and returned it to a beautiful farmhouse once more after decades of remodeling which left if looking more cookie cutterish.  She inspired me to try making homemade herb salts and roasted cherry tomatoes preserved in olive oil this week.  I have everything I need here and was looking for ways to preserve our cherry tomatoes and herbs beyond just drying or freezing them.

   My next stops were to Girl in Calico and Fairland Cottage.  Both of these women focus on living a slower paced life and really taking in and appreciating every moment whether it be taking walks and gathering things from nature to decorate their home with, baking, working in their garden and preserving that harvest, or taking care of themselves by sitting down to a freshly brewed cup of tea and lighting a few candles and just "being still" for a while to rest and revive their souls.  Their videography is amazing and I find myself coming away from a "visit" with them much calmer and appreciative of all that I also have been blessed with and many ideas on how to implement some of the things they do to create their world that I can also do in mine.

   All of them inspired me to get out my beautiful planner that Heather got me for my birthday and start writing down recipes that I want to try, projects that I want to take on and also building in time for rest and relaxation.  I also made it a point to tell myself that due to my own limitations with age, health issues and such, that whatever I did not accomplish one day could wait until them next for the most part and not to let my lists and plans be so rigid that they could not be changed.  Life happens and I need to be able to roll with it and not be thrown by it if that makes any sense at all.

   This morning I got up way earlier than usual after very little sleep.  Midgy was sprinting up and down the halls and yowling at the top of her lungs.  She wanted attention and to be let out onto the screened in porch.  Instead of continuing to scold her in vain and hoping that she would finally calm down, I got up and let both cats out.  I made the decision to just stay up and start my day in hopes that I would be able to fall asleep earlier tonight.  Coffee was started and so was the first load of laundry.  I washed off the back porch table and chairs that were covered with dust and soot due to harvest and a big field fire we had a few hills over from us.  Once the coffee was done, I was able to sit down and enjoy the peacefulness and cool of the morning before the noise and heat of the day come on and start to take their toll on me.  I don't deal with either very well sadly.  I purposly did not look at my news feed on the computer, check in with facebook or anything like that.  I can do that later, but for now, I am going to finish my coffee while the second load of laundry is now in the washer and the first load is in the dryer and then get dressed for the day and head out into the gardens to do some harvesting before I start on my baking and some wonderful culinary projects.

   

   

Let's Make This Into A Game

   As you know, if you read my last post, that Jeff's last paycheck (that hopefully comes in the mail tomorrow) is way less than normal because he has used up all his sick leave and vacation time for his knee replacement surgery.  We have about 3 1/2 weeks before he goes back in to see the doctor and hopefully will be signed off to go back to work again.  Jeff is doing everything he can to get his strength back and is doing the exercises that they sent him home with to do.  They did not have him do physical therapy but are having him do things here at home.  I'm not sure if this is a Covid-19 thing or the fact that his surgeon knows Jeff well and that he also knows how determined he is to do everything he can here at home to be ready to go back to work.  Hopefully it is the latter part of that statement. 😉

   Be that as it may, and the fact that we will wipe out our savings to cover our bills, even after having made phone calls to cut some expenses, I am determined NOT to have to put much on the credit card. I would feel even better if we did not have to put anything on there if at all possible. It is not going to be easy, but instead of doing the whole damsel in distress, woe is me routine, I am going to challenge myself and make this into a game that I am determined to win!

   To this end, Jeff and I sat down and discussed how we were going to accomplish this. So here is our plan for your viewing pleasure.

    We took advantage of our food commodities giveaway in town today and we blessed with 2 HUGE boxes full of food including meats, breads, fresh fruits and potatoes, canned and packaged meals, juices and lots of canned goods along with some treats.  There is not room in the budget at this point for us to spend much on groceries at this point and I realize that even after Jeff returns to work that it may be another few weeks before he gets a paycheck.  We still have berries and apples coming in from the garden and the tomatoes are starting, so we are good there. I'm going to see if Jaysn and Rachel can pick me up a big bag of potting soil so that I can do some container gardening for lettuce and a few other things.  I will pay them for that and it should not be that expensive.  I have a bit of cash on hand at this point.

   The statements from the health insurance company are coming in now and can I just say how thankful I am for good insurance?  Oh my goodness, we would be sunk financially without it!  Our regular doctor's office is now part of the hospital and our surgeon is also connected to it.  Luckily they have all been more than willing to work with us in the past on payments.  Jeff will be calling again tomorrow to make sure that this is still the case.  When all is said and done we think we will be paying between around $6000 for everything.  When Jeff is able to return to work, we will be upping the payment amounts to get it paid off ASAP.

   The heat has cranked up here and we were over 100F today and will be there tomorrow also.  We have the swamp cooler going and we put a oscillating fan in our bedroom to move the cooler air around and bring the air temperature even further down.  I am spending most of my time in our bedroom now since it is the only room in the house where I am able to stay cool enough and not get sick during the day and most of the evening.  Fibromyalgia makes it impossible for me to regulate my body temperature on my own, so I have to rely on external factors to do that.  I am also taking lukewarm showers, followed by cool water at the end to help and am wearing the lightest and coolest clothing that I can find.

   The library is not open to walk ins, but they are doing curbside pick up.  I still have some books and movies here that are not due until mid August and I have a few more on order.  They will either mail them to me directly or to our library and I can pick them up.  I'm thinking tomorrow may be a good day to watch the movie "Abominable" since it is a "cool" movie. 😁  Just watching movies based in cold weather help cool me down.  It's a mind game I suppose, but hey, it works.

   I'm gathering up all my frugal living type books again and rereading them for inspiration along with going through my depression era and basic type cookbooks.  I find this helpful.  Some of my books are highlighted like mad and are reread over and over.  They are like trusted old friends who I know are there for me in my time of need.  I'm also watching movies and videos about back to basics skills and living.  I gain so much from them and find them totally enjoyable.

   The clothes line is going to be used almost exclusively for drying our laundry.  Our electric bill was way down, but our water bill was up due to me watering the garden so much.  I need to bring the electric bill down further to make up for the rise in the water bill.  I am praying for some rain to help fill my rain barrel that I am using for watering the pear trees, but I'm not seeing much of that in the weather forecast. I also want to take advantage of the heat and get all the screens washed, dried and back up on the windows soon.  They are in dire need of it.

   We are going to cut back on our running around in our car too.  I know that we will need to take Jeff's check to the bank, but I am hoping we can put that off until Monday.  I really would like to be able to go down to the river that day and take Caesar with us so he can go swimming.  He loves to swim and it will help him cool off too.  Since it will be a Monday, there should not be too many people down there so social distancing should not be a problem.  I'll pack a picnic lunch or dinner to take with us.  I made Jeff promise we could go down this summer as we have not gone for the last two summers and I miss it.   That will be our outing for the week.

   Other than that, I am just going to try and carry on as usual and find more ways to save around here.  I know I can do it.  We have lived on very little before, so it is not a new concept to me.  It's time to use all those skills I have learned in the past and maybe even learn a few new ones.  Wish me luck!

   

   

   


      

   

I'm Proud of Us

   

   Jeff and I have been working really hard at trying to save money and build up our savings account once more.  We cut drastically in some areas, one of those being eating out.  I'm proud to say that we have not eaten out in over a month and the money that normally would have been spent there is going straight into our savings.  Yay!!!!  Has it been easy?  No, but I have a goal in mind and to be honest, most of the time, I really do like my own cooking better anyway.

   That really motivated me to find even more areas to save in and the one other area that I know I can cut is the grocery budget.  So, after fixing us a nice meal of meatloaf, saffron rice and a romaine salad, I approached Jeff with my idea of going to cash only for groceries.  Having to part with cold hard cash is much harder for me to do than just whipping out the debit card.  We agreed that any money saved from the $200 a month that I am going to be working with would go to fund either a big stock up and/or a fun trip for the two of us or with our family.  It will help Jeff and I both to think through impulse buys because we both really really want to be able to get away for a weekend and this will help keep us both on track with that goal in mind.  If I used the debit card on a food purchase (like my Imperfect Foods order), that will be deducted from the cash and put back into our account or shifted to the pet food and supply budget since we buy huge bags of dog and cat food along with big buckets of kitty litter every one and a half to two months.

   Once the warmer weather hits, we will be able to cut our electric bill down by drying our laundry outside for the most part and that should cut that down by at least $20 per month.  Plus, who does not like the smell of freshly line dried clothes...that is one of my favorite fragrances in the world!

   I have great plans for this new year to help us not only save money, but also enjoy our lives to the fullest and not feel like we are missing out on anything important.  I want to make our home even more inviting for friends and family and to also make it a safe haven for my husband and I to retreat to and recharge when needed.

   Be blessed my friends!

   

   

   
  

   

   

   

   

   

Homemaking Goals for 2020

   Jeff and I have been talking about our goals for this coming new year as it pertains to our home.  There are things that need to be done to make sure our home is safe and easier to function in as we get older.  We also have some gardening goals to get done to help us as we reach retirement years for Jeff and will need to grow more of our own food to help offset the drastic reduction in income that we will be dealing with.  Jeff is also worried about his possible knee replacement and having to take time off for that within the coming months.  He is really starting to stress about things and I really need him to calm down a bit so we came up with a plan.

Outside:
~Jeff will continue to take advantage of free lumber that is offered to him and bring it home for either our use or for our kids to use for projects that they may need to do.
~Jeff needed to replace the decking on our back porch and will also be adding a ramp to replace the stairs down into the back yard.  The ramp will make it possible for him to just use his hand truck to haul the wood pellets for our pellet stove up onto the deck from the area by the garage where we store them.  In the future, it will also make our home wheelchair accessible if that ever becomes a need.
~He is also going to replace the front stairs coming into our home.
~He will enlist the help of our kids to do the two major projects above.
~We will be moving 2 plum trees from the back yard into the front yard.
~We are making 2 compost pile bins with free pallets and scrap wood so that we can make our own free compost that we know will be free of chemicals.
~If time and money allows, we will also be building a small greenhouse to start seeds in and to extend the gardening season.
~Jeff is going to continue to pick up free wood pallets.

Inside:
~We are converting the front bedroom into a combo pantry and craft room for me.  We already have the pantry in there, but will be taking the bed out and giving that to Jaysn and Rachel for Steven.  We'll add shelves and cabinets for storage and keep my big crafting table in there.
~I will continue to add to my pantry with shelf stable items.
~I'll be making homemade vanilla for Christmas gifts next year.
~If I can find one at a great price, we will be replacing one of the couches in our living room with a hide a bed couch.  We will then sell the larger of the two couches we have now.  This gives us another larger bed so that we can have 5 guests stay with us at the same time.  It also makes it possible for me to be able to use it when I am not feeling well and still want to be able to watch TV while Jeff is in our bedroom sleeping.
~I'm going to recover the seat cushions on the dining room chairs.
~My hope is to do more canning and dehydrating of garden produce this coming year.
~Jeff wants to get my kitchen cabinets rebuilt for me with slide out shelving.  He did this to one set of cabinets already and it has made a huge difference since our cabinets are really deep and it is hard to reach things in the back.

How we are going to finance things:
~Jeff will be building benches out of pallet wood that he will be selling.  The ones he has made for our family have been a huge success and people love them.
~He may be building more cornhole games to sell since that is another thing that people seem to really love.
~I will be listing more things on consignment at one of the consignment stores that I do business with.
~I'll be selling more raspberry plant starts in the spring and possibly some iris and columbine plants too.
~Jeff is going to go through the garage and try to sell some of the things out there that are just taking up space and that we do not use anymore.

Savings by the Numbers

 

   This morning, while I was making 2 loaves of Whole Wheat and Oatmeal Bread, I thought about how much money it was saving me, not to mention the health benefits of not having all those nasty preservatives, to make it here at home as opposed to buying it from the grocery store.  Conservatively speaking, it would cost me $7 or more for 2 loaves of bread of this kind if I went out and bought it. Making it here at home costs me about $1 tops to make 2 loaves.  We buy our flour in bulk, I buy the large bags of yeast at Winco or Costco, the quick oats is free since we get it as part of our volunteer work and the rest of the ingredients cost pennies.  That got me to thinking about some of the other things that I have made or done recently that save us money.

~Cutting the fabric softener sheet in half may only save me $1 since I buy them at the Dollar Tree, but every penny counts.
~I made Lo Mein for dinner the other night.  If I had bought it at one of our favorite Chinese places it would have cost me $12.95.  Making it at home cost me about $2 since the meat for it was free from our son Chris.
~Banana Bread is a favorite around here.  It cost me about $3 to make 3 loaves.  Each loaf at the grocery store costs about $4 or more.  Minimum savings here is $9.
~English Muffin Bread costs about $3 a loaf at the store, I can make it here at home for about .50 a loaf.   Savings $2.50.
~During the warmer months I hang our laundry out to dry.  This reduces our electric bill by $13.00 a month.
~I make our own laundry detergent for the most part.  It cost me just $6 to make a 3 month supply.
~Going to see a movie in the theater is a special treat.  When we do go, we hit the matinee but that still costs us $17.75 in tickets alone and if we want popcorn and a drink, add another $12.00 to that.  We can watch movies for free here at home by streaming them through Netflix or borrowing them from the library.  I pop a big bowl of popcorn and I can even have a glass of wine with it.  Bonus! Cost for watching at home is about $1.40 including the popcorn, a glass of wine and some Mountain Dew for my hubby! 
~Each month we do some volunteer work and are given a large box of grocery items for free.  The retail value of those boxes ranges from $40-$80 depending on what is available that month.  Last month we were given 4 meat choices.  The meat ranged from chicken to steaks, to roasts and even Portuguese Sausage.  Jeff and I picked the Portuguese Sausages and got 4 of them.  This is a rare item to find and one that is really expensive in the stores.  It is also one of the treat items that we seldom buy due to cost.  Portuguese Sausage is something that takes me back to my childhood growing up in Hawaii. 😊
~We keep a running grocery list and combine errands whenever possible.  Since we live out in a small farming community with no grocery store, doctor or pharmacy every time we need to go to one of these places it costs us in gas and time.  Since it is a 60 mile round trip to go to any of these place, that is a lot of gas money.  I figured that I save at least 2 trips per week by combining errands, having my lists so I don't have to make multiple trips for things that I have forgotten, etc..
~I don't buy a weekend newspaper.  I instead get them from the recycling bin at the post office.  Since I get an average of 2 newspapers that cost $2.50 and $1.75 each, that saves me $4.25.  I get further savings buy using the coupons in the newspaper to bring down the costs of my groceries when I use them.
~I will be doing our taxes here at home next week.  Our taxes are pretty straight forward so they are easy to do since we do not itemize and just take the standard deduction. I am able to use the free e-file and go through Tax Act.  Last year they charged my son $69 to do a simple filing.  I refuse to pay that!  That is money that I can use.


   Those are just a few examples of how quickly your savings can add up.  Most of the things I do take very little time.  If I had to drive to town to purchase breads and things it would take me 1 1/2 hours, the cost of the gas and the price above what I can make it for here at home.  I'd much rather save the time and money.

ReDoing the Underwear Drawer

    Ok ladies, I want to talk to you about something that most of us don't tend to think of very often, especially if we are of a certain age where we are not all "rocking" the latest Victoria's Secret matching bra and panties sets. ;)  When was the last time you actually went through and sorted out "that drawer" in your dresser?  I could not sleep last night, so I decided to take on the challenge.

   I could not believe what all I found in there.  My grandmother's hand embroidered hankie that I carried when I got married was a delightful surprise but there were others that were not.  I sorted through and tossed out pairs that had seen better days, and also found some in there that I had never even worn since they had got shoved way to the back.  I have gone up a size so some of them fit and some, well...we won't go there. ;)  I also found some that were brand new in a style that I had bought by accident that does not fit well with my body type.  I had recently bought a bunch of new undies in my current size so those were nicely folded and put in the drawer along with the other new pairs that fit that I had found while sorting through everything.  There were only a few other pairs that I have had for awhile and that fit that were kept.

   Now that I have tackled that drawer, I am thinking the sock drawer is next.  I am one of those people that switches out their socks by the season.  I have my warmer weather socks and my cooler weather socks.  This past year, I have not worn many of my warmer weather socks since menopause has caused my internal thermostat to go into overdrive and if my feet get hot then I am miserable.  I have been a cute sandals kind of gal for the most part during the months that I can get away with it. ;)

Be blessed and go sort your socks, or undies, or shirts, or.....

Five Minute "Fixes"

Have you ever looked at your "to do" list an been overwhelmed by it?  I tend to be paralyzed when faced with a long list and shut down mentally.  To combat that, I have started doing what I call my Five Minute Fixes.  I will work for 5 minutes on a project and have found that lots of the things on my To Do list take even less time than that. :)  This and physically checking those items off my list really help to keep me on track, get things done and not be as overwhelmed by it all.

Here are a few things that I have found I can do in 5 minutes or less:

~pick peas from the garden
~cut lettuce from the garden
~get the cut lettuce washed and put away to use later
~start a load of laundry
~fold a load of laundry
~service our hot tub
~get something out of the freezer and started thawing for dinner
~get a batch of bread going in the breadmaker
~cut and file my nails
~paint my nails
~dust a room
~do a quick cleaning on the guest bathroom
~sweep the front outside walkway
~water all the potted plants
~make a nice green or fruit salad
~get potatoes all washed and put in the oven to bake
~sweep the floors
~put away a load of laundry
~get a pot of rice washed and cooking
~scoop out the cat box
~purge the refrigerator of things that got shoved to the back and went bad
~work for 5 minutes on my points programs
~check my account activity at my bank online
~check a store ad online to see who has the best deals for things that I have on my grocery and household list
~load or unload the dishwasher
~shave my legs in the shower
~trim my bangs
~do some facial maintenance ;)
~clean off the dining room table that seems to be the dumping ground for everything
~edit some photos
~pull a few weeds
~play fetch with the dog (he is usually bored with the game within 5 minutes)
~play tag with the cat (yes, my cat and I actually play tag...he is strange)  :)
~clean cat and dog fur off the furniture
~wash a few windows
~wash the sliding glass door
~get something going in the slow cooker for dinner
~start some meat marinating
~make a run down to the post office and back (I live a few blocks away from our post office...this is a tiny little town)
~mend an article of clothing
~call and make those appointments we all dread (dentist, doctor, mammogram)
~write a quick note of encouragement
~cut some herbs and get them washed and hung up to dry
~gather up and take out all the trash

    So those are a few things that I have found take me 5 minutes of less and help me cross things off my list throughout the day.  How about you?  What are some things that take you 5 minutes or less that you can cross off your list?

Caesar Tried to Make Friends with a Baby Skunk

Poor Caesar.  He loves to make friends with other animals and I'm sure he thought the little black and white baby skunk that wandered into our yard was a kitten.   Jeff and I heard a small bark and then a another.  This is not normal for Caesar to bark, even at "friends", we both rushed to see what happened.  There was the little skunk, tail raised, spraying.  Caesar took a direct hit to the face. :(


I quickly got online to see what we could do to offer the poor guy some relief and get rid of that awful stench.   This is what I found and it worked wonders!  I would recommend following this link and printing the information out so you have it handy if you ever need it.
   http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/tips/de-skunking_dog.html

It's Going to be a Hot Summer!

 


   

   The long range weather forecast came out the other day and it looks like we are in for a long and scorching Summer.  Last year we had one too and with it came awful and destructive forest fires that destroyed towns and lives.  I am praying that does not happen again this year.

  With all this facing us, Jeff and I are already making plans and trying to be proactive.  We realized after last year that the heat really took a huge toll on some of our plants so we will be moving a few of them to different locations.  Our Arctic Kiwi will be the first to be moved here within the next few days while the weather is still cool and wet.  It will find a new home in a more shaded part of our garden next to the hot tub enclosure.  We will put the trellis up on the outside wall of the hot tub enclosure for additional support.  This will help the plant since it will not get fried by the intense sun and it will also help provide some additional shade from the plant for us while we are using the hot tub. :)  We also will be going back to watering the gardens at night so that the water has a chance to sink in and get down to the roots without evaporating off.

   Our hot tub will be used a lot this Summer but not heated up.  We have found that the sun does a great job of heating it up for us all on it's own.  We use it more to actually cool off in.  There is something so wonderful about sitting in it on a hot day with the bubbles going and it helping to cool you off.  I know the grandboys are going to love doing this with us.  I swear those little guys are part fish!

   Another thing we are planning on doing is having me make some curtains to go on the back screened in porch out of shade cloth.  The sun can get quite intense and in the past we have used blinds that have rolled down to help cut the sun and heat.  Unfortunately those blinds got ruined in a windstorm so my hubby suggested making curtains.  If I find that the shade cloth is too expensive, then I will either use sheets or cheap muslin to make the curtains from.

   Speaking of shade cloth, we are planning on putting some of this up over parts of one of our garden beds.  Some of our gardens will have the heat loving plants in them but there are other plants that we like to grow that still need to have some partial shade to keep them from frying.  I am currently researching and trying to find the best deals on shade cloth as possible.  My talented hubby will build a structure to keep the shade cloth over the more tender plants.

   I plan on doing lots of canning this Summer and I know how unbearable the heat can get in the house from that.  Luckily for me I found a NuWave 2 induction burner at the thrift store recently and I will be using that out on the back screened in porch to do my canning on.  I will also be using my dehydrator out there.  I am thinking that I may also use my slow cookers and big roasting oven out there as well and try not to use the stove and oven in the house as much.  When I do need to use them, I will try to make big batches of things so we can just reheat them in the microwave.  We are also planning on using our BBQ grill a lot!

   Speaking of Summer meals, we do a lot of salads and I drink lots of iced tea and iced coffee.  I try to prep our meals when it is cooler.  I'll make up big bowls of various kinds of pasta salads and get our salad greens all washed and torn so they are ready for us to use.  We grill extra chicken and venison steaks so that they can be cut up and used in salads also.  I'll cut up fruit and have it ready to go and also cut up carrot and celery sticks, make quick cucumber pickles and cucumber and tomato salads.  I also enjoy flavored cream cheese on bagels and have found that I can mix up some of my own cream cheese spreads at a fraction of the cost of the premade ones.  I save the leftover morning coffee and make iced coffee drinks with it in the afternoon.  I also am a huge fan of sun tea and I have some going most of the time.  The grandkids love homemade slushies made with Koolaid just as much as their daddy and uncles did at their age so I try to make those as a treat when they come over. :)

  Our dryer will be getting a vacation for the most part during the hot Summer months.  I dry most of our clothing and bedding on the laundry lines.  There are only a few things that I put in the dryer and some of those can be dried outside and then just "fluffed" in the dryer for about 10 minutes to get any wrinkles out.

   I make it a practice to draw the curtains closed on the sunny side of the house in the heat.  I am amazed at how much it really does help to keep things cooler.  One of the other things that we have found really helps is putting big sheets of cardboard in the windows of the rooms that we do not use on a regular basis.  Our pantry is actually located in the big closet of the front guest bedroom.  Using the cardboard in the window has helped keep things much cooler in there and the heat does not build up as quickly.  When it does get too warm in there, I simply open the door to that room at night and let the cool air from the swamp cooler flow into it and cool it back down.

   Since I get overheated easily, I try to get all my errands run in the mornings when it is cooler and combine things so that I only have to go and spend 1 or 2 days a week outside the home. This saves time as well as gas.  I keep 2 insulated bags in the back of my car to put all the refrigerated and frozen things in that I buy at the grocery store.  I also keep a cardboard box and  blanket back there year round.  If I have too many items to fit into the bag, I put it in the box and then throw the blanket over it.  It really does help to keep it cooler.  I also try to remember to throw some of the blue ice packs into each of the insulated cooler bags before I leave the house and will also throw a bottle of water or 2 in there for me to drink while I am out and about.

   On the days that I will be home, I try to get out into the garden early in the morning to pick things and do my weeding or I will do it later in early evening when the sun is not as intense.  I also try to get my walks in when it is cooler, for my sake and for our Caesar so that there is no chance of him burning his paws on the hot pavement.  I spend the hottest part of the day inside doing chores or even just sitting and reading or working on my points programs and getting caught up on blog reading.

   The town that is half way between us and both sets of our kids that live in the area has a pool that is free to use.  We will meet our kids there and go swimming with them and the grandkids. We sometimes will pack a picnic lunch or dinner to eat in the shaded park there as well and the grandboys can play on the playground equipment or play basketball with the G-pa and uncles. ;) Sometimes we will make a trip down to the river and spend the morning or late afternoon there as well.  I pack food for that as well.

   I'm always looking for more ways to stay cool, protect my gardens and have frugal fun while staying close to home during the Summer.  I really am hoping and praying that we will not have the fires to contend with again this year.  It was awful last year for everyone, but especially for those that lost their homes and for those who were trapped inside their homes due to breathing issues.  It's ironic that I am writing this right now, curled up in my robe and under a blanket with the pellet stove running to keep me warm.  I know it will be all too soon and I will be wishing and longing for a day like this. ;)

   


 

Three Homemaking Tips

   I want to share 3 homemaking tips that save me time, money and energy.  They also make my life a lot easier. ;)

   Tip #1:  I hand wash my sweaters in the bathtub.  I start with the lightest colored one and then proceed with the next lightest, and so on.  I do wash a new sweater last because you never know if the color may bleed.  That is precisely what happened today to the new lacy maroon colored sweater I washed.  After I am done washing and rinsing them, I put them in the washing machine on the spin cycle (I did the new sweater on it's own, just in case) and it gets way more water out that I could by rolling the sweaters up in a towel and then trying to get the water out that way.  I then hang the sweaters on my drying rack that I have placed in the bathtub so that any drips will go down the drain.  The newest sweater, that had some color bleeding issues, is on the bottom so that there is no chance of the color running onto another sweater.  During the warmer months I will either set this drying rack up on my screened in porch or I set it up on top of the hot tub cover in our hot tub enclosure that my husband built.

   Tip #2  When I make homemade soup, I make it in big quantities so that I can freeze some for future meals or to take to someone who is not feeling well.  I like to refrigerate my soups first, before I try to get them ready to freeze.  I find they thicken up this way and it makes it much easier to handle.  I then put a quart sized ziplock type freezer bag in a large clean and empty yogurt container, with the top of the bag sticking out or folded over the edges of the container.  I insert a wide mouthed funnel into the top of the bag and start filling the bag with soup.  I only fill each bag about 1/2 ro 3/4 of the way full so that I can seal the bag and the freeze it flat on it's side.  This allows me to then but the frozen bags standing up into my "soup basket" in my freezer.  I also label my bags before filling them with the kind of soup it is and when I froze it.  This makes it really easy to see what kinds of soups I have on hand.

   Tip #3  Have you ever bought those big bags of chips from Costco?  We find that they will go stale if you keep them in the original bag after opening it.  I repackage the chips into ziplock type gallon bags and that way they stay fresh as we only open 1 of the smaller bags at a time.  I get about 4 gallon sized bags out of each of the huge Mission brand tortilla chips bags from Costco.  And no, we no longer have a membership there, but our children do and they pick them up for us. ;)

   I love hearing tips from other people too about how they save time, money, energy and effort.  It inspires me!  I hope these tips will help inspire someone else.