Sunday Ramblings

Ahhh, the end of a wonderful weekend away. Now to catch up with my goal challenge for the month.

So how did I do?

1. Declutter the bookcase portion of the computer desk. Put all invoices and such in binders that have been decluttered full of recipes.  I still have a bit more to declutter on the desk itself but this goal has been completed as stated here.

2. One more month of decluttering recipes and then I am resting for awhile. I have completed this goal as well. Emptied two binders (and most of the third) and I am now using them in the completion of the first goal.

3. Sew the two cut out patterns from last month. Not completely done this one. I have one last pattern to sew of the two. Spent much more time in this lovely sunny weather working on my cross stitch project.

4. Cut out usable quilt blocks from scrap fabric. Done, but this is an ongoing goal. I seem to be able to cut up my scrap fabric all the time.

5. Make relish. Done, and I made enough for 2 years.

6. Make Bread and Butter Pickles. Done and pretty sure I have enough for 2 years here as well.

7. Go for zero waste if possible. Hmm, this one did not work out so well. We did have less waste, but not zero waste.

8. Package and freeze grated zucchini, I want at least twelve packages and I already have  4 done. There are 14 packages of grated zucchini in the freezer right now, plus lots more still coming in.

Over all not too bad. Stay tuned tomorrow for my new monthly goals and some pictures of our mini get away/reconnect weekend.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless. 

Thursday Tid Bits

Glad that we had many of these this month. Adding those no spend days to the fact that we have a gift card to the spa and that I managed to find deals for most of the attractions we want to see while on our mini vacation.... Well it isn't going to cost us much at all. Got to love an almost free vacation!!! This is what being frugal is all about.

The weather has gotten very warm once again (it is late summer so what else is new) and the past two days we have had to turn the air conditioning on. It still cools off nicely at night so at least with the windows open the house is cool in the mornings.

I have started to watch Downton Abbey on Netflix and am quite enjoying it. The costuming is wonderful and the story line seems to be one that will keep me engrossed.

Hope to have lots of pictures of our adventures to share with all of you when we get back.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Lazy Day

Because we are going to Moose Jaw on Friday, today I decided to work in the garden and around the house.

Picked lots of tomatoes, worked on my cross stitch and spent the rest of the day reading.

Thought I would share a picture of the spa in Moose Jaw with all of you.

Here is the outside of the spa.

This is a picture of the pool as it goes outside.

The water is supposed to be nice and warm and I can hardly wait for our little get away.

We will be visiting The Tunnels of Moose Jaw as well. Hopefully I will have pictures to share with you of that adventure.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

A Day Of Thrifting and Other Such Things

I woke up to this.

A fog filled the valley on quiet cat's paws. I sat and drank my coffee and watched it slowly disappear. Just awesome!!! Watching the fog weave its way down the valley was something I don't get to see very often.

Then my day started.

I needed to go and get some papers photocopied at the church offices in the afternoon and found out that Pro Life was having their garage sale.

I decided to go a bit early so that I could visit the sale and look for craft supplies. I did find a few things.

A bag of fuzzy pink yarn. There is enough here to make a cowl or even some slippers and mitts for the winter ahead. Four full balls and two half balls.... Just perfect.

A full cross stitch kit with the fabric and threads. It also contained an extra package of cross stitch material and hoop.

I also found these two stamped embroidery fabrics.

It is hard to see the stamps on the fabric, but I am going to be busy this winter. One is little kittens and the other is flowers and vines. The kittens I can use as part of a quilt later on (I think Kris would enjoy one with these as the middle blocks), and the other is vines and flowers that could be used as a dresser scarf.. or.... I have an idea and if it works I will share once it is done.

All of these for $7.00. Not too bad since the yarn would have cost that much in the store, and the cross stitch kit even more.

Supper was something very new.


There is enough sauce left to use as a marinade for another meal, and it is residing in the freezer as I type. I used some chicken legs from the freezer that I bought on deep discount. A very frugal meal for Harvey and I.



Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Menu Monday

Chilly weather has arrived, along with lots of wind and rain. In fact it has been raining for a few days now and I am hoping that today things will turn around. I am not ready for a rainy, wet fall, especially when we still have lots left to harvest in the garden.

I have already changed menus around this week. First I forgot we were going on a bit of a get away, second it seems until the rain leaves we can't grill.

Monday

Leftover chili on pasta. Tomato and cuke slices on the side.

Tuesday

Chicken Legs, rice and some sunburst mini squash.....just got to figure out how to cook them.

Wednesday

Salmon Patties, leftover rice, and corn on the cob. Probably more tomato and cucumber slices.

Thursday

Hopefully this is sunny as I want to do grilled Ribs, grilled sunburst squash mixed with sliced zucchini and onions.

Friday

On our mini get away

Saturday

Still gone

Sunday

Beef Roast, roast potatoes, peas and sliced tomato and cucumber.

Everyone have a wonderful day.

God bless.

Sunday Ramblings

Today is the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time and we learned that all the times Peter practiced his faith in Christ and failed was leading up to one important example of him getting it right. Peter was the first to proclaim Christ as the Messiah!!!

Each week we are sent forth to practice our faith, to practice that Jesus is in fact the Messiah, sent forth in fact to put this in action. I often wonder how well I manage to do this.... Guess I just have to keep practicing until I can live out the question, "Who do you think I am?"

Another cloudy, rainy day here on the old homestead. We reached just over two inches of rain a few hours ago and it is still coming down. Supposedly we have another day of this and then things will turn around. Hopefully for the better as I am just not ready for fall to arrive. After all we have only had summer for a few short months.

So, as it was such a wet day again I spent the time puttering around the house.

I made myself a lovely mug of hot chocolate and headed into the sewing/craft room when done.

I made good headway sewing my sleeveless top and then came to a point (seam finishing) that the machine was not doing what I needed done. Strange as it had always done a great job before. I took the throat plates off and to my surprise found lots and lots of dust bunnies. Cleaned them all out with the little brush and put it all together again. Hmmm, still not working correctly. In fact working even worse than when I started the cleaning process.

I ended up taking the bobbin case out and cleaning that out. Oh, my!!! The area that the bobbin case in enclosed in was full of dust bunnies. Got those cleaned out, put everything together again and now my machine is humming along nicely. So much better than before.

Love, love, love my BabyLock Quilter's Pro machine. At least I do when it is running properly. I am just thankful that I could get it cleaned up and back to sewing a straight or zigzag line.

I also did a tiny bit of baking. I have been craving chocolate over the last few days.

So I filled the cookie jar with some Unbaked Chocolate Cookies. That should end the cravings, don't you think?

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Wet, Wet, Wet

This is what today has been like here at the old homestead.

It started raining late this morning and has steadily been coming down since. Right now we are under a rainfall warning with much more of this wet weather heading our way.

I do love rain, but not as much as we are forecast to get. Also the temperature did not get above 12 C for the majority of the day.

All in all the perfect day to stay home, curl up with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate!!! Which of course I did after I got most of my to do list done.

With this cool weather I was glad I had chosen to make chili for our dinner tonight.I made an extra big pot and there is enough leftover for two meals for each of us. One portion is residing in the fridge for a meal later this upcoming week. The other portion is in the freezer for a meal one night when I don't feel like cooking, or one day next month. I love having a ready made meal for those days that I get involved with something else.

Still working on my goals for this month. Hopefully I will be able to complete most if not all of them before the end of the month. Wish me luck as I seem to have lost my sewing mojo somewhere this month.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Got To Love A Fresh Tomato

The tomato harvest has begun. Ripe, red, juicy, full of flavour!!!! I can see lots of toasted tomato sandwiches in our future. I can also see lots of tomatoes frozen to add the same type of end of summer taste in meals this winter.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thursday Tid Bits

I am surprised at how quickly this month is passing. Every day just seems to rush by on wings. I will be very sorry to see the end of the summer and the beginning of fall.

I was worried that today we would be spending lots of money to get the air conditioning in our

Buick Enclave repaired.

I got a lovely surprise when I went to pick it up after the repair was done (there was also a seat belt recall so that was repaired as well).

I pulled out my debit card to pay and was told I did not have to pay a cent. Seems that Harvey bought the extended warranty (now 5 years on everything instead of 3) and this air conditioning repair was under that warranty.

Whee, it seems as if my no spend will extend another day or two this week. I may actually end up having 6 no spend days!!!

I am finding it easier and easier to shop at home, repair, recycle and make do every month. Trying to cut the budget is getting to be loads of fun as I figure out ways to save money on everyday items.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Project Updates

I have been busy these past few days working on those pesky PHD's (projects half done). Slowly but surely I can see some progress.

First up the cross stitch project.

The arm of the gown is now done!! I have moved on to working on some more of the cloak. Hopefully when I post next week you will see even more of a change.

Next the rug for Kris's Christmas present.

I have made enough cord to start the solid gold brown colour off. I am hoping to even have more done (a couple of rounds anyway) next week as well. Things are moving along nicely and if I can keep up the pace I have set myself I will definitely be done by Christmas.

No progress on the sewing front however, which makes me a bit sad. Tomorrow I have to hem some drapery panels for a friend, so perhaps a bit of sewing for myself is in order.

Tonight I made Moussaka with eggplant from our garden. Nothing better than eggplant fresh from a garden!

Here it is before putting it in the oven.

And here it is waiting to be served.

It looks a bit overdone here, but really the darker patches were a lovely golden brown. There is enough leftover for another meal. Probably on Friday which switches my menu around a little bit.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Baking Day

I got up fairly early this morning and managed to get all the household chores done in record time.

So what to do?????

I decided that nice large bag of shredded zucchini that was residing in the fridge needed to be used. I looked through my recipe books and found two recipes that I had either never made or hadn't made in a very long time.

First on the list were these Zucchini Muffins.

I kept these 6 out for breakfasts this week. They are so good and a recipe I have never made before.

Then came something I haven't made since the boys were much younger.

Chocolate Zucchini cake!!!

By the time I cleaned up the kitchen the temperature had risen and so the rest of the zucchini will have to wait until tomorrow.

Here is the recipe for the muffins, there is a surprise ingredient. I have a feeling this ingredient is what keeps them nice and moist.

Miracle Zucchini Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup Miracle Whip salad dressing
2 tbsp milk
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
1 egg
3/4 cup raisins

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, soda, cinnamon and salt. In a small bowl, combine salad dressing, milk and egg, beat well. Add to dry ingredients, stirring with fork, until all ingredients are moistened. Fold in remaining ingredients (mixture will be thick). Spoon into greased muffin cups. Bake at 375 for 25 to 30 minutes. Makes 12 large muffins.

Tomorrow morning I plan on using up the remaining zucchini in a couple of loaves for the freezer.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Menu Monday

Off and on this week I will be working on getting things done in preparation for the winter. Canning, drying, and just nesting are top of the list. This means menus could change depending on how busy I become.

Monday

Grilled Pork Chops, Creamed Potatoes, and the leftover sliced veggies from yesterday.

Tuesday

Moussaka.

Wednesday

Tuna Casserole.

Thursday

Grilled Smoked Sausage, rice, a salad, and corn.

Friday

What Mom called Glace and Eggs, I call German Noodles.

Saturday

Chili and toast.

Sunday

Roast Chicken (I ended up doing the roast beef yesterday instead of the chicken) potatoes, beets, and perhaps a salad.

Lunches will be the usual leftovers or toast or a sandwich.

Everybody have a wonderful day.

God bless.

Sunday Ramblings

After Mass today I quickly changed and headed out to the garden.

Harvest has begun in earnest on the old homestead. Today was getting together all those ingredients to make my MIL's relish recipe. The last jar of what I made two years ago is almost gone and Harvey just loves this. I enjoy making it as with some of the recipes I make that have been handed down from my Mother I feel an attachment to the older generation of family.


So I picked cucumbers...

Green tomatoes......

Green and red peppers (only got a picture of the green ones for some reason)....

 and some onions (which I did not get a picture of at all).

After a bit of time standing over the food processor (veggies washed and cut in chunks first), this is what I ended up with.

My large roaster full of the processed veggies. This was mixed with a bit of coarse salt and will sit overnight on my counter. Tomorrow morning I will drain off the liquid and start making this into lovely relish for the next few years.

We didn't stop at picking things there.

Harvey picked what remained of the kohlrabi.

Which after a bit of work became this.

Four packages of blanched kohlrabi which is residing in the freezer downstairs.

I also picked some zucchini and eggplant.

The oddly shaped zucchini was shredded and put in bags and in the freezer. The eggplant will be used this upcoming week to make a lovely meal.

This large zucchini was also shredded. I did not however put this one into the pot for freezing. Instead it resides in the fridge where it will hopefully over the next few days be made into loaves, cake and some muffins.

I think I may be fairly busy for the next little while!!!

I am a bit upset with blogger right now. The posts on my blog list are not always updating. I hope I don't miss any of your new posts, but if I do I will catch up with them. At least I hope so!!

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Well Organized Shelves

Today dawned with clouds, and with the clouds the rain finally came. We received 4/10ths of an inch, which really isn't much, but at least we finally got some rain and slightly cooler temperatures.

Since it rained until the middle of the afternoon I had lots of time to remove the clutter and organize things on the shelves of the computer desk.

This is what the shelves look like now.

I managed to rid us of all the old disks from computers we no longer have.... One set of discs were from the very first computer we ever had. That computer was gotten rid of long ago, probably 20 years ago.

The same can be said for all the manuals and such that went with programs we no longer use. So nice to have room for new software. There are a few CD's that I still need to check out before I know what to do with them.

Now this is the really messy side. I now have binders containing all those loose receipts, bank statements, paid bills and such. Lots of papers and out of date items have now been tossed. I still have a bit of work to do on this side. I need a couple more binders set up for maintenance on our vehicles, and my pay stubs as a sub. Perhaps another for a group of items that I really have no idea what to do with. Once that is done things will really begin to look organized.

Still working on the sewing/craft room, but it is slowly but surely taking shape. I will share pictures once I have everything completed.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Hot, Hot, Hot

Another hot day today. I know August is usually one of our hottest months of the year, but day after day of temperatures reaching the mid 30's C is just crazy. In fact after a rainy start to the summer many of us are wishing for some rain to cool things off. We really haven't gotten much over the past two and a half weeks, everything is browning from grass to trees. Some of the poplars in the valley are already changing colour!!!

Today I worked in the sewing/craft room, and while steps have been made towards having a nice well organized room I am not ready to share pictures with all of you as of yet.

What I will share is another area that needs some decluttering and organizing. The shelves on my computer desk.

One side is full of disks and books for software we no longer have or use. Time to get it cleared out!!

This side.....

is full of receipts, phone books, note pads, note books, and paid bills. Time to get this organized so things are easier to find. Especially since I have our medical/optical/dental payments and reimbursements from the insurance company in an envelope in this mess.

So along with doing the usual household chores, working on my goals for the month and organizing the sewing/craft room, I am tackling this. Wish me luck.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thursday Tid Bits

Today was peaceful and relaxing, which was just what I needed to face the rest of the week.

My best friend and I went down in the valley to her sister's house and swam in their pool. Oh so very peaceful, I could gladly live in a place like that away from the noise of the city. Of course I forgot my camera so no pictures. Sorry.

After arriving home and getting the potatoes ready in their foil package Harvey BBQed them along with some smallish steaks. Our sides were fresh cucumber and cherry tomatoes. Yum!

I also worked on cleaning up the sewing room. Guess what I found. The other ball of yarn I was looking for yesterday!!! Doing the happy dance here.

I worked a bit on the rug project and thought I would share a picture with you.

Tomorrow I will sew on the remaining cord, finish off the variegated yarn and add in the medium goldy brown. Things are moving right along.

Harvey was working on the computer today and I was doing a bit of stitching when all of a sudden he looked at me and said, "Boy you have a lot of projects going on. Two rugs, and your needlework. Are you going to be able to get everything done?"

I looked up from my stitching and said, "I also have two clothing patterns cut out that I want to get done by the end of the month."

He shook his head and told me I was a bit crazy. I agree.

Lots of work to do still in organizing the sewing/craft room but at least I have made a start.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Organized Chaos????

This is something that I need to do in my sewing/craft room.

I don't know why but a few weeks (okay almost days) after I get it looking like a place where I can create it ends up looking like this:

My nicely set up bookcase and the floor around it messed up, patterns out of order, fabric and papers piled in front of it, and books piled up beside it.

The space in front of my serger piled with finished knitting projects, darned socks and cords. As well as my CD player.

The area underneath my nicely organized spool board is covered in cords, parts of my sewing machine, yarn and plastic project bags.

Fabric, quilting squares, and boxes that I have no idea what they contain. I even have another sweater laying over top of everything (I have a sweater hanging on the back of my sewing chair as well).

Lastly there is this.....

My fabric and yarn drawers covered with still more fabric, clothing, books, patterns, bias tape and lord only knows what else.

How did the room get in this bad of shape you may ask....

I haven't been spending much time organizing and putting things away since the summer started. Too busy working on unfinished projects (that I pulled out of what was a nicely organized room) to even look at the mess I was leaving behind.

What got me looking now was the necessity to find another ball of yarn that I wish to add on to Kris's Christmas rug. I know I should have two, but can only find one..... It must be somewhere in this mess, or perhaps in the mess by my chair (another place I have let get out of hand).

In order to be a smart and frugal shopper I need to be able to find my purchases when I need them!! It is not in the least a savvy shopper who loses items they buy because of a mess.

So I am making a promise to spend at least 30 minutes a day getting this room straightened out and then I will move on to the mess beside my chair. This is added on to my goals for this month.

Hopefully I will be able to post pictures of a nicely organized room when I am done.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

From Supermoon to Mending

We had another Supermoon a few nights ago, and once again I thought I would try to photograph it.

I had mixed results.

This is one without using the zoom feature on my digital camera. Not too bad, so I decided to try zooming in.....

Not what I call the best picture. Harvey says it looks like I broke the moon..... Still it is a cool picture over all.

Today I spent part of the day refashioning some long sleeved t-shirts for Harvey into short sleeves. First I measured and cut off the sleeve.

Giving me some more t-shirt material for the rug that I plan on making down the road.

I then put the rough cut sleeves through my Serger. I didn't get a picture of this I just plumb forgot.

Lastly a bit of a hem on the regular machine. And voila 3 new to him short sleeved t-shirts.

The afternoon was spent working on my cross stitch. Sharing with you all how far along this project has gotten over the last few weeks.

I hope to be even further along the next time I share a photo with you.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.