Monthly Goal and Project Declutter Update

Well, I kind of fell by the wayside on getting my goals for the month accomplished.

1.     Sew those patterns I cut out last month.   Finished all but the coat. I hope to be finished this by the end of the coming week. I only have to cut out and sew the lining, then sew it to the coat.

2.     Finish knitting my sweater.  Finished.

3.     Finish the embroidered quilt.  Still working on this, and hope to complete it sometime this coming month.

4.     Work on more quilt blocks.   Not even looked at.

5.     Download more free books for our trip to Spain and Portugal (the trip over is going to be a long one).   Done.

6.     Work on my rug.   Not even looked at.

7.     Work on knitting some more Monster leggings for the little ones.   Gathered the yarn I want to use for these, but did not start them.

8.     I am hoping for twenty no spend days this month (actually would love to hit 22 no spend days).  I actually made it to 23 no spend days for the month. Pretty proud of this one.

Project Declutter is still happening here. This month 44 items either left my house or were recycled.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Saturday Roundup

I really have been working on projects today. Honest I have. Really, I promise.

No real sewing today, I just read the directions over and over and over ad nauseum until I could understand what they wanted. Whew, it finally clicked and perhaps tomorrow I will manage to get moving on the coat once more. I do have one question though. Why on earth do they make things so complicated and hard to understand????

I have been doing some embroidery work and can honestly say things are moving along.

The budget spread sheets were filled in today (procrastination at its best) and we are under budget almost $200.00. This even after the huge bill for Harvey's truck repair. This is mostly because we were under budget in every other category!! If we hadn't had such a big repair on his truck we would have been $1,100.00 under budget. Looks like whatever we are doing is working.

I also made up my new extra cleaning list, dinner menu plans, and new goals for next month (told you I was procrastinating big time). Should be an interesting month with what I have planned, plus getting ready for our vacation.

I will update my goals and declutter challenge tomorrow. While I am disappointed with the goal challenge, I am hopeful that I can get back on track next month.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Frugal Friday

Overall it has been a pretty frugal week.

1.   Shopped with a list and managed to get some very good deals. A ham for $10.00, some noodle mixes at 10 for $10 just to name a few.

2.   I had 4 no spend days.

3.   Used up many of the leftovers, making them into totally new meals and to make matters even better some of those new meals served us for two nights. That saved meat and veggies which can be used in other meals another week.

4.   Worked for a day this week and picked up another subbing gig. That will make three days work during the next pay period.

5.   It has been sunny this week which means fewer lights on and having the drapes open has allowed for frugal solar heat through those south facing windows.

Just have to show all of you a picture of how far along I am on the red coat.

Slowly but surely getting done. I hope to have the sleeves and the part of the collar done tomorrow as well as the lining pinned and cut out. I am reaching some complicated parts so things could be moving along even slower.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thursday Tid Bits

I spent some time in the sewing/craft room this afternoon and started the dreaded coat project. This is the last of my cut out patterns and something that has been sitting in the box for awhile.

The first two pieces of the back sewn together.

The left front is partially done (need to decide if I want pockets before continuing).

The right front is partially done as well. Just awaiting the same decision as the left front.

So many curves that need to be basted, clipped and then sewn. I am taking my time, but should manage to get it finished in time for our trip perhaps.

Harvey says of course I need pockets, but I am not sure I want to put them in. They are cut out though so if I decide to do them I can.

Slowly but surely we are making our way through the leftovers in the fridge. This is causing some menu changes each week, but saving time, money and food are important. Kind of like this cook once, eat twice regime we have been able to follow this last couple of weeks.

I also managed to pick up another full day of subbing. This time I will be the secretary at the school. Hope the real one leaves me something to do.

My embroidery project is coming along nicely. It is getting as close to complete as I can be. Until I know who will be getting it, the gender of the baby, the name and birth date the rest will have to wait. I will fold it nicely and place it in the box to be finished totally at a later date.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Trying To Stay Afloat

Canadians have been warned that grocery prices will be going up due to the falling dollar. I did not notice a great increase in prices until I went shopping today.

I had kind of glanced at a few items that I knew I would need soon the last time I went shopping and saw what they were priced at. This week when I went to buy some of those products I was shocked and dismayed at how much they had risen in price.

I always buy good quality bread flour and last week the price was $6.99 for a 5 kg bag. This week that same bag of flour was $9.99.

My bread machine yeast was $5.99 a container last week, and this week it was $6.99.

One medium sized green pepper last week would have been about $0.79, this week the same green pepper cost me $1.25.

Don't even ask what a few cauliflower florets cost. I don't think I will be buying very much of that for awhile. I will wait until the farmer's market starts again before I purchase any.

A head of ice berg lettuce was $2.99 last week and this week it was $4.99.

Fresh veggies are sky rocketing in price and who knows where the price will land.

I didn't need to buy much in the way of fruit....just some bananas. Funny thing is those are the same price. I did notice that pears had gone up from $1.39 a pound to $1. 99 a pound.

Mushrooms are still the same price as well.

I see lots of stir fries and casseroles using frozen veggies in our future.

Harvey and I will do just fine. I am more worried about those who have lost their jobs due to the economic downturn, or young families. Eating healthy will not be an inexpensive proposition. Those who do not know how to cook from scratch or shop the sales will be in big trouble.

I think families here will have to learn the frugal habits of using up, making do, and doing without. This could be a hard idea for some to wrap their heads around as this city was one of the big oil boom places of the last few years. Going from making a wage that some people would give their right hand for, to unemployment is tough.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty Tuesdays

Kurt bought me a cupcake maker as a birthday present, and yesterday was the first day I got to try it out.

I, however, did not make cupcakes. Instead I decided to use up the two over ripe bananas on the counter and make some banana chocolate chip (cause things always taste a bit better with chocolate) muffins.

The great thing is that the muffins cook very quickly and since the cupcake maker is a plug in appliance uses much less electricity. Thus saving time and electric costs. Running an oven uses a great deal of power.

Here is the machine heated up and ready to go.

The baked muffins ready to be taken out of the maker. It makes 8 at a time.

They are a hit with both Harvey and I.

I hope to get some real cupcakes made by the end of the week. That nasty old sweet tooth is acting up something terrible. These are just about three bites so just a bit smaller than one made in my pans in the oven. Perfect to take the edge off.

This morning I was in a rush to get off to work and forgot to get something out for supper tonight. Well I actually forgot to get out the leftover roast pork..... So instead of the stir fry I planned on making I ended up pulling what we were going to have for dinner on Saturday. Nicely warmed cabbage rolls. They hit the spot and I did not use something that was not at least planned to be used up.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Menu Monday

Last full week of January meaning spring is 7 days closer!!

Monday

Some frozen leftover ham made into something other then scalloped potato and ham casserole. Yes it is the favorite of the man of the household, but I need something new and different. Sides will be chosen after the meat dish is.

Tuesday

Leftover frozen pork roast made into a stir fry I hope. Served with rice. Should be a quick and easy meal as I sub today.

Wednesday

Chili and toast. I hope to make enough to have some frozen for a meal later on down the road.

Thursday

Clean out the fridge.

Friday

This was supposed to be perogies, but I think I will make the Tuna Casserole I should have made last week.

Saturday

Cabbage rolls from the downstairs freezer.

Sunday

Hopefully ribs if I can find them on sale. If not perhaps some Chicken Breasts stuffed with ham and cheese. Served with rice and whatever inexpensive fresh veggies I can get along with some dip.

Everybody have a wonderful day.

God bless.

Saturday Roundup

Today started off just lovely. The sun was shining, the temperature above freezing and joy of joys, no wind. However by the afternoon that changed to overcast skies, falling temperatures and very gusty winds.

I thought I would update you all on how far along my unfinished projects have come over the last week.

First my sewing.

The corduroy dress that Harvey keeps thinking is a nightgown.

A simple, light weight dress. This is more a wear around the house or to run out shopping dress.

A medium weight jumper/sleeveless dress.

A light blue knit split skirt.

All these have some hand hemming to do, so that will be done tomorrow afternoon while I am watching Little House on the Prairie episodes. The corduroy dress needs some snaps and buttons as well. I see a relaxing day ahead of me.

The only pattern I have left to sew is the dreaded coat/jacket. So many new techniques to master in doing this one. I am thinking that I should be able to get a really good start on it the beginning of next week. Don't know if it will be finished by the end of the week, but I will at least give it a try.

Now I will show all of you how far along the embroidery is.

I work on this for an hour or so each night and every day I see more and more of it being completed.

Slowly but surely some of those unfinished projects are being completed. It does mean, however, that not all of my goals will be met this month. But there is always next month!

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

I Am In Shock

For the first time in my time of living here in Saskatchewan there has been a school shooting.

We are a small province in population, just over a million people.

Today there was a school shooting in a town about 8 hours away from me. Five dead, 2 in serious condition and the shooter in custody.

My thoughts and prayers are with the community of La Loche, Saskatchewan at this horrible time.


God bless.

Frugal Friday

The end of the third full week of the month. I have definitely tried to be as frugal as I possibly can. Finding things buried in our large chest freezer that I have been trying to use up. Today for instance supper was supposed to be a tuna casserole... However as I gazed in the chest freezer I found 2 packages of trout that have been in there for awhile (probably 3 months if not more). I decided it was time to use them up. Thus clearing out some food that might go to waste (I did have it vacuum sealed however) and make a bit of room for some baking or batch cooking.

I have been spending time sewing and replacing a few items in my wardrobe for a fraction of what it would cost to buy them and having fun doing so. However I am almost up to the dreaded red coat ......

I have been going for my early morning walk every day. Free exercise is always good.

I am getting a bit more daring at substituting ingredients in recipes. So far my subs have worked out just fine.

I have been using up bags of frozen meat from our bigger Sunday dinners. Then once a week I have a clean out the fridge night when the leftovers start to pile up (usually two or three days of casseroles or soup give me enough leftovers for another meal). Anything left after that is packaged up and frozen for Kris to use as a TV dinner.

I have been watching free TV and wondering if we can get rid of some of our satellite packages. Cut down on that bill a bit so we can get faster internet for streaming.

The largest frugal past time this week has been staying out of the stores. I did a very small shop near the beginning of the week and probably will not have to go again until the middle of next week.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thursday Tid Bits

It has been awhile since I posted a new recipe. Mainly because it has been so cold that I have stuck to the tried and true. Tonight, however, I wanted something new for the leftover chicken (thought I had some leftover turkey, but didn't).

So, after an afternoon of working on those pesky sewing projects and completing one, I decided to search on line for something new (or at least new to me and mine).

I found Chicken Hash. While it looks kind of bland the spices and herbs really made this dish.

Chicken Hash

1 1/2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes cut into 1" pieces (I used regular red skin potatoes)
9 tbsp of olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat oven to 400 F. Place potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with 3 tbsp of the oil, Kosher salt, and pepper. Bake until tender, browned and slightly crisp, about 40 minutes. Set aside to cool.

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I used about 1 1/2 cups shredded leftover chicken)
8 oz mushrooms, cleaned and quartered (I used two cans of sliced mushrooms, drained)
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp crushed red chili peppers (I used crushed red pepper)
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley (I used 1 1/2 tsp dried parsley)
Poached eggs for serving (optional, I didn't use them)

In Dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat 3 tbsp of oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper, working in batches add to pot and cook turning once, until browned and cooked through (omit this step if you are using leftover chicken). Transfer cooked meat to plate and set aside. Add mushrooms to pot and cook, stirring until browned. Since I was using canned mushrooms I added them to the 3 tbsp oil along with the thinly sliced onion and cooked until the onion was tender, stirring. Add the thyme, crushed red chili pepper, and garlic. Cook, stirring until soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Shred the chicken and return to pot along with the chicken stock and potatoes. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until all ingredients are warmed through. About 6 minutes. Transfer to serving platter and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with poached eggs if you want.

This dish had a bit of a bite to it and smelled wonderfully.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

A Bit Of A Rant

No, not about the meeting last night. That actually went rather well, except for it running way too long (should be used to that happening by now).

No my rant is about something else, and really only partially a rant. More about worry for a friend.

You see my friend Deb is having lots of trouble with her knees, and can barely move her leg by the end of her work shift at one of our 7-11 stores.

Her husband retired in the middle of last year, and collects both Canada Pension and a pension from the company he works for.

The problem is that when her boys were young they took out a second mortgage on their home to pay for one of them to play AAA hockey and AAA baseball! Over the past little while they added the remaining owing on the mortgage to their line of credit. This never seems to get paid down as they are always borrowing from it making the total owed even more.

I, have over the years, given her a few frugal tips (don't want to overwhelm her) and some have been implemented (but not enough).

The problem she has now run into is that because of the constant pain she is in work is beginning to be something to be dreaded, rather than enjoyed as she used to. Also her boss is talking about laying her off so that a person she hired to take anothers place can have the hours promised. Deb's husband will not allow her to retire because they can't afford to. Their bills are too high, they owe too much money, they need her medical plan, the list goes on and on.

I have gotten to the point where I am so worried that once Deb does retire she will have no quality of life. As it is she walks like a very old woman, and every day it seems to be getting worse.

I am hoping that they idea I gave her today about seeing if she can go on long term disability is an answer. I do know that the whole thing is depressing her and as she is looking after an aging father as well is beginning to run her ragged.

I will continue to drop frugal tips and perhaps eventually her husband will take them to heart. It is more him not wanting to economize than Deb. He won't even eat leftovers!!!

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty Tuesdays

The weeks of January are passing so very quickly, I really do think time is just flying by faster and faster every year.

While today could have been thriftier, I tried my best and that is all that really matters.

Harvey ran out of meds (or had one pill in each script left) and I always want to have enough on hand if we end up storm stayed or unable to leave the house for any reason. I went out and got his prescriptions refilled and because I was out and the car was warm I ended up doing a bit of a grocery shop. I doubt if I will be leaving the house to buy anything else for at least a week (I hope). It is better in my mind and much thriftier to only have to heat the car up once, saves gas, saves time and saves money.

Tonight I have a meeting to attend at the church. I really am not looking forward to it. Lately the meetings seem to stretch on and on with discussions that lead to us doing absolutely nothing. I am tired of the in fighting, of getting spoken down to and just plain not liking what is happening. I know change is inevitable and most times a good thing, but sometimes the "if it isn't broken, don't fix it" stands. I am hoping that things are a bit more peaceful tonight and the meeting goes by quickly.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Menu Monday

Made a few changes to the menu for the week in order to use some items up before they spoil.

Monday

Cream of Mushroom soup (using up the mushrooms) and grilled ham and cheese sandwiches (the sandwich meat may change depending on what kind of sliced meat I have in the fridge).

Tuesday

Leftover roast beef made into a casserole of sorts using up the bits and bobs of cooked veggies in the fridge (and probably some cheese). I will be serving a salad along side this.

Wednesday

Some Cabbage Bread from the freezer downstairs.

Thursday

Pulling out that package of leftover turkey and making a turkey/pasta casserole (need to find something new to try online). Serving this with salad.

Friday

Tuna casserole served with salad.

Saturday

Clean out the fridge smorg.

Sunday

Pork roast, mashed potatoes, and veggies.

Hopefully since I have already changed things around this supper menu will be followed.

Lunches will be leftover soup for a bit and then whatever sandwiches or such we have the makings for.

Everybody have a wonderful day.

God bless.

Sunday Ramblings

This week the Archbishop of Regina went to meet our Heavenly Father.

He had been fighting cancer for a very long time and finally succumbed to this terrible disease late this past week.

During my tenure as Parish Council Chairperson, I had the honour to meet him on a personal level (well as personal as it can be) on various occasions. I found him to be a kind and gentle man. One who was always willing to put himself forward for those of us who make up the various parishes in the Archdiocese.

When Harvey and I were heading to Great Britain, Scotland, Wales and Ireland for a holiday, His Grace and I had a lovely discussion about Ireland (his roots are there).

We will miss his guidance and knowledge as we move forward.

May he rest in the peace that he so rightfully deserves.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Saturday Round Up

With wind chills being in the -52 C range today it was a perfect day to curl up and work on my embroidery. Tomorrow is supposed to be just as cold as today so it will be another great work on project day!

Now I have finished the bear and the duck and have started on the rabbit. I know that I will only be working on this project for another day, but I do hope to have a good start on the rabbit before I lay it aside to work on my sewing projects. Perhaps I will have time after to finish it as well as the frames surrounding the toys before the end of the month.... Just have to wait and see how things go.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Mid Month Update

1.     Sew those patterns I cut out last month.  Managed to get two patterns sewn so far this month.

2.     Finish knitting my sweater.  Done.

3.     Finish the embroidered quilt.  Working on this.

4.     Work on more quilt blocks.  Not even thought about yet. Perhaps once I am in the sewing room next week and finished those easy patterns I have cut out.

5.     Download more free books for our trip to Spain and Portugal (the trip over is going to be a long one).  Done, but I think I may even get a few more downloaded.

6.     Work on my rug.  Not started as of yet.

7.     Work on knitting some more Monster leggings for the little ones.  Yarn gathered but not started.

8.     I am hoping for twenty no spend days this month (actually would love to hit 22 no spend days).  I have reached just over the halfway mark for this one.

Slowly but surely adding items to the donate pile. Right now I have 22 items ready to either be donated or sold on a garage sale site. I am hoping to add to this total by the end of the month.

Probably the most frugal things I have done this week is shop with a list (which is usual) but stuck to said list for the most part. I did buy a few items that were on deep discount to build up my stock.

I also have been staying out of the shops as much as possible this week.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

 

Thursday Tid Bits

The day was warm and towards the end of the afternoon sunny, actually quite nice once again. However the temperatures will be colder for the remainder of the week, and there is also some more snow in the forecast. I just keep remembering that we are at least half way through winter, the days are getting longer, and I have a nice warm house to curl up in as well as lots of unfinished projects.

I really did mean to post yesterday, but I am not feeling tip top. My sinus' are bothering me and my head was pounding. Today the pounding is down to a dull throb and the sinus problem seems to be clearing up a little bit. Hopefully tomorrow I will be back to feeling like my normal self.

While I did get all the household chores done yesterday, it was a struggle. I just wanted to curl up on my chair and work on the embroidery I inherited from my mother. By the afternoon, that is exactly where I could be found.

Slowly but surely I can see changes in the quilt top. I plan on continuing working on it until Sunday and then switch to finishing the sewing projects during the next week. My goal list might not get totally finished by the end of the month, but I will try my hardest.

Today, Harvey took his truck in for an oil change and battery check (he has been having lots of trouble starting the truck this winter). Turns out he needed a new battery and they found a leak in one of the front struts (whatever that is). So we are now over budget for truck and car maintenance and fuel. Hopefully we will be under budget for the foreseeable future. Need to make the cash expended on repairs back.

I did the weekly shop and paid all the bills today. Trying very hard to have those 22 no spend days this month. I think with any luck we should be under budget for groceries, pet supplies, and household goods this month. I do hope for some good pork sales over the next few weeks as our pork supply is getting very low.

The Canadian dollar took another dive today which means things will be getting even more expensive. Looking at the price of vegetables and fruit we may be using more canned this winter than I really like. A person no longer knows prices and my price book is constantly changing. I may have to start another one, the cross offs and teeny tiny printing are getting to me.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty Tuesday

Today we got our power and gas bill and my questions on whether we are doing enough to lower our consumption have been answered.

After the over payments from November and December bills were added up and our consumption for the past little while actually read, our bill was only $12.38. I was expecting that they would owe us some money, but considering the boys were home and more heat used I am quite satisfied with the result. Seems making sure lights are off, line drying as much as possible, turning down the heat in our room during the day (when it is warm enough to do so) and all the timed thermostats we installed are working. Now just hoping we can keep this up.

Gas was low as well only $94.86. I think this is because of the warm December and the fact that when we have the front drapery open the heat coming from the sun into the south facing living room radiates through the older portion of the house keeping it nice and warm.

It has turned much colder now so I expect that the cost of heating the house will go up a bit, but as winter is slowly drawing to a close I am hopeful that we will be well under budget for the year.

I have also been having fun looking up recipes on the internet to use up our leftovers in wonderful new meals. Some of which will definitely be going into the menu rotation, others will need a bit of tweaking.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Menu Monday

We are already 1/4 the way through the month!! Pretty soon spring will be here and our trip to Portugal and Spain. Really looking forward to seeing those countries and trying their cuisine.

Monday

Meatballs in Mushroom Soup, mashed potatoes, green beans, and salad.

Tuesday

Leftover Chicken made into a casserole, served with the leftover salad.

Wednesday

Clean out the fridge Smorg.

Thursday

Honey Garlic Sausage, boiled potatoes, and carrots.

Friday

German noodles, fried onions and eggs (fattening, but easy to make and comfort food for the beginning of a very cold weekend).

Saturday

Hot dogs, baked beans and pasta.

Sunday

Beef Roast, roasted potatoes, roasted carrots, and mini cherry pies for dessert.

All lunches will be leftovers or sandwiches. I see some changes will need to be made in next weeks menu. I have some leftover pea soup which needs to be gotten out of the fridge freezer, and lots of packaged frozen bits and pieces. I will be reworking the menus this week. Harvey and I are really trying for a no waste year to see if the grocery budget really is affected by doing so. Costs are going up once again and we really do not want to up our budget line on groceries.

Everybody have a wonderful day.

God bless.

40 Years

Today Harvey and I celebrated our 40th Wedding Anniversary.

He usually buys me yellow roses because that is what I carried the day we were married. This year there was not a yellow rose to be found in the city. To make up for the pink roses (something he really did not need to do), I got one rose for every year we have been married. My house is filled with beautiful colour and loving thoughts.

We have grown together over the years. Gotten grey hair, raised two wonderful boys into young men to be proud of, worked through the loss of our daughter and just plain lived life, and lived it well.

Here is hoping for many more years of love, laughter and joy for the two of us.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Saturday Roundup

The cold weather has settled in enabling me to work on projects and not want to head outdoors for a walk, or visit friends. Probably the only good thing about having this kind of weather.

You all know I finished two sewing projects this past week. I have left those alone for a bit (I have another 6 patterns cut out to sew this month) and have concentrated on finishing some of those bothersome unfinished projects.

My sweater is finished.

It needs another bit of pressing and then it will be put to good use. It drapes wonderfully and will hide those fluffy parts that I want hidden.

I am working on the embroidered quilt once again.

There is a great deal more stitching than I thought there was, but I will plug away on it for the next week or so. I am really hoping to get this done within this month. Well all except the blank square as I have to wait for a baby in the family so I can fill in the name. Wish me luck.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Frugal Friday

Ahhh, the end of what used to be our work week. The days are whizzing by at an astonishing rate once again.

This week has been a very frugal one.

Using up those leftovers from the freezer and fridge kept our weekly grocery bill down. I only spent $128.41 and at the end of my receipt it says, "Today you saved....$15.22". That was without coupons as I had none for what I needed. For those of you in the UK I spent  £62.36. This should last awhile except for the fresh food and dairy, I will have to pick up more next week. However I did make a list and stick to it!!!

We have been making our way through all those leftovers. They are so yummy when you make a new meal out of them. I find myself planning for leftovers, so perhaps a better name would be "Planned overs".

Today while glancing over the sale fliers from our various grocery stores I came across an ad for meat pies being on sale.... Two meat pies for $7.99. I know for a fact that I made 11 meat pies using my machine for that price. Two versus eleven. I think I won in the savings category. Insert fist pump here.

I have been taking my walk every morning for exercise, however the weather is taking a turn for the colder and I have a feeling I will be using the treadmill downstairs for the next little while.

I have been watching free tv by using the android box that Kris got me for my birthday. I finished one series and have now started to watch those episodes of Little House on the Prairie that I do not have the DVD's for. My were they frugal back then.

A friend gave me a bag full of buttons that were in her father's apartment. As she said he will never sew and so I got them. I do not think I will need to buy buttons for a good long time.

Reading free books on my ereader and I plan on downloading a few more today. I like to have a great deal of reading material available. Lots of choice and free is wonderful.

Up until the last couple of days we have had loads of sunshine. That means solar heating for the front of the house!! This helps keep our electrical bill and our gas bill lower.

Today I started listing our camping items on our city's many garage sale sites. I am hoping to make a bit of extra cash, but even better things will be out of our home making me feel better about how much "stuff" we actually have. I am hoping by the end of this year to remove at least as much as last year from the house.

Harvey had wanted me to buy some new frying pans, not a chance as the ones we have can be used for a bit longer. Lo and behold, while cleaning up and getting the camping items cleaned I came across two lovely and heavy frying pans. I remember buying them as the one in the cheapo set we were using was just not cooking properly. Now we have heavy new frying pans and I won't be asked to please get new ones. The old ones will be scoured and I have an idea of what I would like to do with them...... It will be a surprise.

I have even started a free course on Spanish to sort of get a bit of understanding and some speech for our trip in a few months. I am surprised at how much my limited ability in the French language is helping.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Using My New Mini Pie Maker

Tonight for supper I used my new mini pie maker.

Kurt bought me this for Christmas because I really wanted one and just could not find one here in Estevan. Believe me it isn't too often that I actually want an appliance for a gift and I was over joyed to receive this.

I followed the recipe to make mini turkey (chicken) pot pies to use up some of the leftover turkey from Christmas. I always package up the leftovers and freeze them immediately once the meal is over.

The filling for the pot pies was made first.

The pie crust was made, rolled out and cut with the special cutters included with the machine. The bottom crust was placed in each mold and pressed down carefully with the special tool also included. Then the filling was added, the tops placed, some air vents added to the top and the lid of the machine closed.

In 8 minutes the bell went off and I could remove them. This is one still in its little mold.

Three of the pies on a plate waiting to head to the table for our meal.

I think I am really going to like playing around with this. It will be less costly than the oven to run, and because of the size of each pie there should be no more waste of food. I will still have to make a few pies in the oven, but tart shells, and two crust pies can easily be handled with the pie maker.

Tomorrow morning will see me making more pie crust and using up the filling that is left. Who knows this weekend could see me making mini apple and cherry pies for the freezer as well.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty Tuesday

Very thrifty day today.

Money coming in and no money going out. The best of all possible worlds right now after the excesses of last month.

Today I subbed the afternoon at one of the schools in our Catholic School Division.

This is our dual track school, meaning both English and French Immersion. I was on the English side, and had an enjoyable time. I got to stay in one class for the entire afternoon which was a pleasant change from running class to class.

I even celebrated a birthday for one of the children. Got a free doughnut..... Not that I really needed it considering the fluffiness I need to get rid of somehow.

My healthy snack for the afternoon was some cheese that had been cut for our Christmas celebration. One more leftover gone from the fridge.

My menu already changed this week. I had thought Harvey would eat the salmon patties for his lunch (he usually loves these heated, mashed and in a sandwich). Not this time, so we had them with the leftover mashed potatoes for supper last night. Guess the turkey pot pies will be made tomorrow and those leftovers consumed a couple of days later.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Menu Monday

Another week of menus coming right up.

Monday

Leftover turkey made into some pot pies. I am going to give my mini pie maker a go today. Hope everything works out.

Tuesday

Since I will be working the afternoon (or I hope to be working) I plan on pulling out some frozen stew.

Wednesday

Leftover Turkey pot pies, should be a few left, but if not I will use up some leftover ham from Sunday in a meal.

Thursday

Either clean out the fridge smorg, or Hot Dogs and baked beans.

Friday

Fish Fillets, homemade fries, and a salad.

Saturday

Cabbage bread from the freezer.

Sunday

Roast Chicken, roast potatoes, and green beans.

Hopefully there will be no changes, but it all depends on leftovers, no waste, and keeping the fridge cleaned out.

Everybody have a wonderful day.

God bless.

Sunday Roundup

I finally finished knitting all the pieces of my sweater. It is being blocked and hopefully I will be able to finish it tomorrow. I will post a picture when it is completed.

I did complete two simple sewing projects this week.

First was this plaid, rear kick pleat skirt. An easy sew.

An even easier sew was this.

A knit skirt. I messed up on the waistband but since said waist band will be covered by a shirt I am not going to worry too much about it.

I am hoping to spend some more time next week in the sewing room and continue getting those cut out patterns done. I plan on working on them until they are done and then moving on to another unfinished project or another of my goals for the month. Perhaps concentrating on one item at a time will enable me to clear more projects than the constant jumping between them.

Evenings will be spent doing other projects when I can't sew. Knitting and embroidery seem perfect for sitting and watching the television at night.

Other then a couple of extra cleaning jobs things have been very quiet. I haven't gone shopping this past week. This means I have three no spend days under my belt....Only a few more to go.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Feeling A Bit Lost

After all the hub bub of the holidays the quietness is getting to me.

Back to cooking for two instead of four is taking a bit of getting used to again. I find myself wanting to pull out more meat than we need. Take last night for instance. I pulled two cans of salmon out of the pantry

and proceeded to make 4 rather large salmon patties. Now the extra patties will not go to waste. We will either have then for another supper or perhaps lunch, but I do regret using more than was necessary.

I no longer have to fight for time with the computer.

I can play on it any time I want to, and the funny thing is it is working perfectly once again without Kris having to do anything to it. Mind you it did start once all on it's own in the middle of the night. Kind of spooky when a person goes into the bathroom to a dark computer and comes out to it flickering back to life. Almost thought we had a ghostly visitor.

I don't even have to fight for the television remote or search for it in the morning!! I found it in the oddest places when the boys were home. Harvey sometimes loses it in the couch cushions, never on the counter beside the door.

I am sure I will get used to our normal life again, but I sure miss having the give and take of more than two people in the house.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

The Start Of A New Year

It has been quiet around here today. I find myself looking out the front window for Kurt and Kris. They are gone now and won't be home for awhile. Kris will probably be home for some ice fishing later this month. Kurt.....perhaps not until the summer. I am not sure if he plans on traveling this summer or not.

Thought I would share my monthly goals with all of you.

1.     Sew those patterns I cut out last month.

2.     Finish knitting my sweater.

3.     Finish the embroidered quilt.

4.     Work on more quilt blocks.

5.     Download more free books for our trip to Spain and Portugal (the trip over is going to be a long one).

6.     Work on my rug.

7.     Work on knitting some more Monster leggings for the little ones.

8.     I am hoping for twenty no spend days this month (actually would love to hit 22 no spend days).

So there you have it my months goals. I am already working on the first one, and knitting my sweater is the way I spend most of my evenings. I am hoping to finish my sweater very soon.

Everyone have a wonderful evening.

God bless.