Sunday Ramblings

 

I have had another fairly quiet day here on the old homestead. One in which for the first time ever I am trying to cook a beef brisket in my electric roaster. We have always smoked them before. I hope it is tender enough to eat.

The loom is once again set up for the next half of the rug. I really hope there is enough warp left to actually complete it and if not I may be doing the rug in three pieces. Not that Kris would mind either way, he will just be happy to have a rug in front of his door. I will be happy just to get it completed and a new project warped. 

Bob is getting a bit better in the behaviour portion. He is no longer scratching at things he shouldn't, and as far as jumping onto things he shouldn't all we now have to do is say "No" in a rather loud voice and he quickly gets down. 

Next up will be working on trying to get him not to move his water bowl around causing it to run into the mat, and under said mat which affects our flooring (not in a nice way as it is laminate).

As far as his night time behaviour, it is getting very much better. I have some toys that are keeping him awake during the day for longer periods and that is enabling us to get much better sleep. Okay, me much better sleep, as Harvey can sleep pretty much through anything less than an explosion right by his ear (could be a bit of an exaggeration, but not much).

I said I would not be going shopping earlier this week, but we have some nasty weather coming in and I am kind of on the fence right now. Especially since I will need to purchase some onions in order to make a few meals and some of the soups. I could use my allowance to purchase the onions and leave my credit card at home. I could also purchase some milk and that would probably do us for at least another week or week and a half. I will probably do that and hold off on the bigger shop until early the next week. 

There is a gentle rhythm to my days which I am really enjoying. Mornings are spent getting those tasks completed necessary for the smooth running of our small homestead, afternoons are spent working on projects, extra cleaning (things I do monthly and perhaps twice a year), baking and enjoying the changing weather (well at least the nice weather). 

Computer work is fitted in where I can, and the same could be said about watching Youtubers. 

One thing I have noticed with catsitting Bob is that my to do lists have gotten a bit longer.....

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Weekly Round-up

 I actually have a few pictures of projects either finished, just started, or on the way to being completed soon I hope.

Ten pairs of small mitts finished and put away.

I have started number 9 block for the first quilt. Hopefully I can get this up to a flimsy by next month.

The first half of the rug waiting to be wet blocked, and threads worked in.

Loom almost ready to start the second half of the rug.

The leftover tomato paste ready to be frozen and then popped into a bag in the fridge freezer.

Nothing really spectacular finished, but I am happy with what I have managed. 

I am hoping next week to get the embroidery almost finished, the rug moving along, and perhaps a tote or two sewn up. I will also be making some batches of soup for the freezer downstairs and trying to use up more of the various broths I have frozen. I think I will be able to get more done as the weather is supposed to go back to being snowy and a bit cooler overall. 

As far as soups to be made, I plan on Cream of Mushroom,  Hamburger/cabbage/veggie soup, Potato soup and perhaps even some Cream of Celery Soup. Probably made over a couple of days so as to be able to freeze in the molds.

I will need to do some baking as well. Bread is getting low, and we will need some cookies or cake for desserts. I may also make some muffins for breakfasts and snacking.

I do have to go out on Tuesday to pay our insurance off. Thought about shopping but opened the fridge and thought no darn way. I might run out of a few things before Friday, but I am sure I can find some substitutions for anything I need. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Towards A Simpler Life

 

 It seems as if all the various books, blogs, and vloggers that I have been checking out, that say they are Simple Living adherents seem to say the same thing. One must spend loads of time decluttering and organizing the remainder. 

Now I can see the decluttering, but when I watch many of them begin the organizing portion, I see them out purchasing items to organize with. In many cases these people have gotten rid of organizing items to begin with. In other cases I noticed that they just wanted a more "matching" way to organize. 

Isn't that just adding more "stuff" in your home? Wouldn't it have been simpler to just keep what you used in the first place? If you wanted matches organizers, perhaps covering them with wrapping paper would have made a much better choice?

I have had the same storage and organizers for years. Some are getting pretty worn, but until they no longer serve the purpose I purchased them for, they will continue to be used. I have patterns stored in binders of all different colours, but I covered them with wrapping paper and put a homemade label on them as to what is inside the covers. 

I had bought some boxes made of heavy cardboard years ago and those hold my embroidery threads, machine embroidery threads, serger/overlocker threads, small triangle patches, 2 1/2 inch fabric strips, some yarn, some transfer patterns, projects I inherited from my Mom, zippers, bias binding, sewing needles, pins, and items that are used on each of my sewing machines. All have a homemade label and I can see at a glance what needs to be used and where to locate the item. 

I want to leave a smaller footprint on the earth, to me that is simplicity. Time to sit on the deck and listen to the birds. Watch the garden as I hang clothes out on the lines. Plant food or flowers and herbs that can give us joy. 

To me living simply is using what you have, learning to look after what you have, and not accumulating more just to organize what you already have.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Thrifty And Frugal Thursdays

 Thrifty and Frugal

Once again the sun is shining and heating the front half of the house. No furnace coming on and going off. Got to love that.

What frugal and thrifty things have been happening here on the old homestead?

1.  Leftovers are being used for lunches, new meals this week, and some is even being frozen for a meal later on.

2.  Clearing out items in the fridge freezer. I am hoping to clear out a few items from this area over the next while. 

3.  Got some free veggies, milk and cream from Bob's parents. Free is good, and lots will be used making soups, casseroles and desserts. In fact lots have been used already.

4.  Removed the buttons from some well worn shirts and cut what fabric that could be used from those same shirts.

5.  Found $6 plus in coins in the bottom of my purse. I added that to the various coin jars.

6.  Walking for free exercise.

7. Number 10 no spend day so far this month. 

8.  Pulling yarn from my stash for the next size mittens, and other weaving projects.

10.  Turning off lights, watching water usage, making sure the dishwasher is full, and washing full loads of laundry.

11.  Finally Harvey is using the cloth napkins I made instead of pulling off some paper towel. Money saved!!!

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Midweek

 It has been sunny and very warm here today. I am hoping that most of the ice will disappear from around our home. I would love to be able to get around a bit before the snow comes back the middle of next week. Quite a bit is forecast to fall so we will be back to seeing a white covering over everything.

I have not gone out today as I have once again been trying to get things done around the house and online. There were a couple of contracts I needed to renew if I wanted the early discount. Still even though I renewed my costs will be higher for the next two years, but lower than if I had not went into a contract. Canada has the highest internet and wireless costs in the world. I so wish our phones only cost $60.00 a month for the two of them, or that our internet was half the cost like so many. Oh well we do what we have to do. 

Bob wants outside, and there is no way we can allow him out. He is not very happy with us at this point in time. I am going to see if I can find all of Shania and Eiko's toys and see if I can get his mind off of "outside". Hopefully tire him out a little bit as well. 

With costs rising I am going to be going over our budget and see where costs can be cut. Of course there are lots of costs not coming in as of yet, which means I won't have a good idea of totals for a bit yet. The things I can begin to control right now are groceries, cleaning supplies, water costs, electrical costs, and heating costs. Days as sunny as today are wonderful as the drapes are open and I am taking advantage of the solar heat through our south facing windows. No furnace cutting in as of yet. 

Water wise I will need to see if there are ways of saving on that as well. 

Working on having more no spend days in the month as well. The longer I stay out of stores the better for our chequing account, I also want to cut down on the number of cheques we write as the cost of those is eyewatering. 

Right now I feel that the main way to save on rising costs is groceries. Isn't that the usual way us frugal people try first. We shop the sales, look for markdowns, and begin to purchase store brand items. However some store brand items just do not taste very good at all.

We have all become great at stretching meals out from very little and making our own breads as well as growing what veggies we can to add to our menus. 

This year because we are going away in the middle of the summer, Harvey says he is not going to plant as big a garden. I do believe there will be potatoes, carrots, corn, some pumpkins, tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers. I am not too sure if there will be any peppers and probably no eggplant this year. We will make do with whatever we can harvest and grow.

What ways are you going to use or have been using to keep your costs down?

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Tuesday Tidbits and Stuff

 

We really need to figure out a way to cut Bob's claws. He likes to dig them into whatever portion of one's anatomy he comes in contact with. He has also now ripped the tablecloth as he stumbled when trying to get on the table. I hope we can manage to do that very soon. I know it will take the two of us as Bob is a very large cat.

At least Bob has allowed me to work on my weaving, and get a bit of knitting done as well (that is when he decided he just had to climb on my knees and proceed to grab the yarn or dig his mighty claws into my leg and arm). Still it is nice to have a cat in the house for a bit. However Harvey and I wonder if Bob's escapades are the reason his brother wished us good luck as Nancy and he left for their trip to the airport.

I found a new casserole recipe for the leftover chicken to try tonight. We have every single ingredient which is awesome. No substitutions this time at all. I am hopeful that this recipe will give us enough for two meals. I plan on cooking it in the toaster oven as well. There isn't many veggies in it other than onions, green pepper and tomatoes so I plan on adding some celery and mushrooms to the mix. Got to get those veggies in the diet. This will also use up some to the things Nancy brought to clear out their fridge. 

This week the weather is going to be just lovely, but as I knew what would happen, by the middle of next week the temperature drops slightly from above freezing temperatures to temperatures slightly lower and lots of snow. In fact 5 days of snow is forecasted to appear. Winter is coming back and probably coming back for until at least mid March or even later. I do doubt we will get the -40C temperatures, but I have a feeling more snow and ice will be arriving.

Decluttering has taken a back seat for awhile. I want to clear out my stashes right now. There are items in those stashes that have probably been there for years and it is time to use them or give them away. 

I am also thinking that some batch cooking could be a great idea for those snowy days that are coming. I have started a list and will be adding to it as time goes by. Pretty sure I could use up some pork as well as the beef.

I have some black beans that need using as well as some ham broth. There are dried beans that could and should be cooked up and frozen as well. I really need to get some baked beans made as well (adding that to the list). When the weather gets nasty it is good to have things to do so you don't miss going out and about. I also need to use those molds I purchased a bit more as well. I want more pull meals out of the freezer as spring approaches so that we can work in the yard without having to stop and cook.

Harvey had to repair a picture frame today. Bob decided to lick my barefoot as I was dusting them. Startled me so much I jumped and dropped the photo. Fixed and back on the wall.

Off to get together all the necessary ingredients for the casserole and set the table. I will visit you all a bit later.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God Bless.

Menu Monday

 

A new week has arrived, and with this new week new challenges. Like a stuck spacebar. Not to happy about this as it is Bob's fault. I was having a drink and he jumped up and knocked said drink over. I am hoping that the spacebar starts working correctly very soon.

Monday

Chicken Soup and egg salad sandwiches. Or rather buns.

Tuesday

Leftover chicken made into a casserole.

Wednesday

Homemade pizza using up some various meats in the fridge.

Thursday

Leftover Chicken casserole.

Friday

Fish sticks, onion rings, coleslaw.

Saturday

Leftover Pizza  and probably a salad.

Sunday

Beef brisket, mashed potatoes, mixed veggies and the remains of the salad from the night before.

Bob is here visiting and is quite a bit more needy than we were told. He has already dumped a drink on my desk and caused a few problems there. He has not had his claws clipped and managed to give me a lovely scratch. Tried to bite me numerous times when I have been petting him. He has also taken over my chair.... 

Here is Bob, enjoying my chair.

While he is the same colour as Shania, he definitely does not have her lovely temperament. It could be a rough 15 or so days.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.