Menu Monday

As I had a few unexpected, but lovely changes in meals last week (in that I did not have to cook them) a few meals are carried over into this week.

Monday

Cabbage bread, with some rhubarb loaf for dessert.

Tuesday

Sausage, pasta, mixed veggies. Probably more of the rhubarb loaf for dessert.

Wednesday

Soup and sandwiches. I will probably pull the last container of pea soup from the freezer and serve it with some egg salad sandwiches. Harvey loves egg salad  and I have some eggs that need using.

Thursday

The leftover roast beef will be made into a casserole. Out come the recipe books once again as well as a search on line. Then again I could make beef pot pies using the pie maker, I could use up my one lone potato at that time.....

Friday

Salmon fillets in a maple syrup glaze. Serving this with rice and green beans.

Saturday

We are planning on our stock up shop in the big city. Picking up Kris, shopping and having dinner out. Guess one could call it a way of catching up on what has been happening in our son's life (he can't seem to use a phone to call and the oldest is getting just as bad).

Sunday

Roast chicken, mashed potatoes, carrots, and a salad (should have salad greens by this time).

There you have it dinner menus for a week. I must say I am so looking forward to not cooking for a couple of weeks. Perhaps it will rejuvenate me and my menus will be inspired for the spring and summer.

Tomorrow I will update everyone on my goals and the decluttering. I have some very good things to report and some very disappointed things as well.

Everybody have a wonderful day.

God bless.

Sunday Ramblings

Father Brian spoke today a bit more on the changing of a persons heart. That God needs a conversion of heart to work to His fullest in our life.

I stayed a bit longer after Mass in order to talk to him about my smiling when distributing Communion and how I had been approached that this was wrong. Father Brian set my mind at rest by saying "Who wouldn't be happy to share the Body of Christ with others." He also went on to say that I should pray for the person who approached me with this complaint, that the person involved needed a conversion of the heart. I feel so much better now that Father Brian has no concerns, and was indeed happy that I came to him with my concern. We had a lovely talk.

Harvey and I went to the surprise birthday celebration for his sister. Once again I felt very out of place and kind of left out. I was not included in the ladies conversations very much and when I did speak felt very much on the outside looking in. Almost as if I was being humored instead of listened to. I am slowly getting used to it, but doubt I will ever like it. Perhaps next time I will not speak at all.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Frugal Friday

This week saw the usual frugal practices.

The sun was shining brightly for most of the week and with our south facing windows we were able to use solar heat most days and keep the front of the house nice and warm. In fact it is now 8:30 at night and I closed the drapes as the sun went down to keep all that nice heat in, the furnace has not yet cut in and the inside temperature is still 20 C. Got to love free heating!!!

I have managed to get into the bedroom after Harvey has dressed and made the bed to turn down the electric heat every day.

Lights are being turned off and because it has been sunny we have not needed lights on in the main part of the house for much of the day.

Used up all the leftovers in the fridge either for lunches or as a new meal at dinner. Just a few tweaks can change something into a new meal.

We have been invited to attend a birthday party tomorrow night, and because it is for one of Harv's sisters we will go. It does mean a bit of spending for a meal, but as far as a gift goes I pulled items out of my stash and even managed to get a slouchy hat knit. I will be printing out a birthday card on the computer early tomorrow.

I ran out of raisins and Harvey wanted some Oatmeal Raisin cookies. I substituted dried cherries from our trees and we have found that we like these much better. The dried cherries (our trees are a semi sour) give the cookies a bit of a bite and taste just wonderful with the oatmeal.

Baked 3 loaves of whole wheat bread this week, and I made some Rhubarb bread today.

We managed a few no spend days this week and my total no spend days is growing. Keeping out of stores saves money.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thursday Tid Bits

I thought that today I would share my frugal living practices with you all.

All of these ideas did not come at once, it took the loss of a job, the living from pay cheque to pay cheque to wake both Harvey and I.

Since I have control of the cash and pay all the bills it was up to me to begin our change to a new and wonderful opportunity.

1.    Stay out of stores.

At one point of our married life it seemed like the only fun we had was heading out to the stores. Spending money on credit and buying things that we would never use. Now we find that it is easier to stay out of stores than go shopping. The crowded aisles, the noise and the never ending line ups seem to get on our nerves. We just want to get in and out as fast as we possibly can.

2.    Make a list.

Make your shopping list and stick to it. The only time I deviate from my list is if there is an unadvertised item that I know would be a good addition to my pantry stock up. Sticking to my list saves me time and money.

3.    Be honest about needs vs wants.

This took us a very long time to understand. When a couple is first starting out there always seems to be more needs then wants, but looking back most of them were things we could have done without (at least for awhile). Really all a person needs is a roof over their head, food on the table, a way of cooking the food, and clothing on their backs.

4.    Go cash only for a month.

This one was pretty easy for us. When we were first married we lived in a small village about 30 miles from this city. The city was also where our bank was. I only came into the city once a month or so (sometimes twice) so cash was taken out at that time and used to buy everything from clothing to food. It is very hard to watch your money slowly disappear as the month advances.

5.    Keep track of your spending.

Watching your money disappear on coffee or snacks makes a person sit up and take notice quickly. Back when I first started doing this coffee was only twenty-five cents a cup, I can't imagine paying well over a dollar a cup now. Just think that would be $30.00 a month on coffee. I bring mine from home, or do without. The same goes for bottled water, I just fill my water bottle at home and save all that cash (bottled water here is almost $2.00).

6.    Become addicted to saving rather than spending.

Spending is a habit that can be replaced by a better habit. As I watched our savings grow it made me realize a dollar here and a dollar there really adds up. Pay yourself first, even if it is only a couple of dollars going into a savings account to begin with. Empty your purse and wallets of change, it is amazing how fast it adds up.

7.    Shop at home first.

Whenever I think I might need something I shop at home first. It is amazing how the simplest things can result in saving. I use toilet and paper towel rolls to start seeds in. This idea came to me as I was heading out the door to buy some starter pots thinking that it was an expenditure I did not want. Now I either reuse pots I bought years ago or the cardboard tubes cut and filled with soil. Heck they are even biodegradable.

I have also substituted ingredients in recipes with great results by shopping at home first.

8.    Eat your meals at home and pack your lunches.

Can't stress this enough. Buying fast food or eating out just eats up your cash. Making a person save even less.

9.    Cook from scratch more often.

While packaged foods are quicker to use, nothing beats the taste of scratch cooking. Over the past couple of years I have started baking my own bread a bit more often. The loaves of bread we buy are usually $2.00 each (and never seem to go on sale) so by baking three loaves of bread I save about $4.00 every week and I know what is in my bread.

10.   Buy good quality, classic clothing and mend your clothing.

By buying good quality classic clothing your wardrobe will always look good. You can buy one or two items to freshen it up each season, but your basic wardrobe will last a very long time. I have pants and skirts that are 10 years old and still look as good as the day I bought them. They are still in style as well.

Sewing on a button or fixing a hem takes no time at all (well very little time really) and keeps your clothes in tip top condition. Keeping clothing in good condition makes them last longer and you can perhaps refrain from having to replace items as often.

The best bit of advice I can give everyone is to be content with what you have. Really once a person is content they no longer want to keep up with the neighbour, or family members.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Complicated

This is my new stove and it is causing me a few problems. I am having a hard time regulating the heat to the burners so at times supper is not really fully cooked before I serve it. Worst culprit....potatoes.

Then today I needed to boil something for 7 minutes and then let it sit for 5 minutes. Guess what the timer only works when the oven is on and I am baking. Hmmm, guess I will have to buy a separate wind up timer or some such thing for times like this.

Still haven't tried the convection mode of the oven. I hope to do so tomorrow as I would like to bake some cookies.

Have I mentioned I would like my old coil stove back?

Think I will go back to working on my embroidery project as that is causing me much less grief.

Everyone have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty Tuesday

I was in our Salvation Army Thrift store and noticed some brand new socks today. Considering how darned my socks are getting (a few pairs are almost uncomfortable to walk on) I decided to grab them and after I got to the counter and found out the price wished there were more. After all how often does a person get three pairs of socks for a dollar.

It has been just over 6 weeks since I got gas in our vehicle, and I still have just over 1/4 tank. However I think when I venture out this weekend I will get the tank topped up. I wish I would have done so sooner as gas has jumped seven cents a liter overnight. Harvey and I were talking about this and decided that when the price of a barrel of oil goes up the price rises right away, but when the price falls the price seems to take forever to drop!!! Wonder why that is?

Grocery shopping is a shock to the system lately. Every time I walk into a grocery store the prices seem to have risen. I managed to get away with spending very little. I am so envious of those of you who have grocery stores that yellow sticker items. None of the shops here do so as it seems nothing really sits on the shelf for very long. However, I did manage to pick up a very few sale items now that stores here actually do the 10 for $10.00 thing. I got some crackers, chocolate chips, and stir fry veggies at really good prices.

We are wasting very little now which makes me extremely happy. Meals are thrifty and filling and I have found myself baking more over this past month. Nothing better than the smell of freshly made bread or buns. Wonder if I dare to try and make my own crackers next.

My spice and herb bottles were filled with my own herbs and spices from my fall dehydrating. They smelled wonderful. Just hope I get a bit better crop this fall as I used the last of the basil and almost all the thyme. Tomorrow I hope to grind up some sage and refill the parsley as well. Home grown and totally organic at a fraction of what it would cost to buy the same.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

God bless.

Menu Monday

The last full week of this month. I am hoping that soon we will have BBQ weather and lovely spring like days to work in the garden.

Monday

Leftover stew from Saturdays supper. Got to get the shelves in the fridge ready for a good cleaning tomorrow. Not sure if I will serve this with biscuits or bread.....

Tuesday

That leftover pork roast from Sunday's supper made into a casserole. Got to check out the cookbooks today.

Wednesday

Ham steak, rice, and green beans. I plan on a salad to go with this as well.

Thursday

Clean out the fridge night. Pretty sure there will be leftovers of the pork casserole to use up.

Friday

Salmon patties, rice, and carrots. Perhaps some salad would round out the meal. I think coleslaw would be just lovely.

Saturday

I am going to pull out some Cabbage bread from the freezer. A quick and easy meal. Unless we go to Regina (don't really wish to go until the next week) then we will be having a meal out with Kris.

Sunday

Beef roast and all the trimmings.

Lunches as usual will be sandwiches or sometimes eggs and toast.

Everybody have a wonderful day.

God bless.

Sunday Ramblings

Today we celebrated the Transfiguration of the Lord.

In Father Brian's homily he spoke about how the transfiguration took place before Christ's death and resurrection. How we as a people of God should also be transformed in our hearts before our total transfiguration when we go to join Our Father. Our hearts should be opened to love and we should be a loving, giving, world changing people.

Kind of like how our day started here, dreary, no sunshine, damp, and foggy. Then at about 5 pm the sun shone through the clouds making everything simply beautiful. When we open our hearts to those around us the world becomes a wonderful place full of the promise given to us by God.

As an Extraordinary Minister of Communion I always find myself full of joy. So much joy that I can not contain my happiness and smile throughout the ministry. Very rarely does the person I am distributing Communion to, not smile back and when the occasional person doesn't I don't take it as a reflection against my ministry but rather that they just might not be aware of the joy the Lord can bring. They might still need to journey a bit farther or that there is something that is causing them pain. Will I stop smiling? Probably not. Will I be less joyous and filled with peace? Not by any means. Am I totally transfigured? No. Am I reaching for that happy moment? Definitely.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Saturday Roundup

Today started out cool and a bit icy, but by afternoon the temperature had risen and the sun shone for a few hours. By the time supper came around we were starting to get snow. Just a little bit, but enough to lay a skiff over what ice remained.

I have spent the past couple of days learning how to use my new stove. It has more buttons than my computer or tablet, more rules than school and a very small drawer. I did find a place finally for all my baking trays and pans that did not necessitate me moving them down to the basement (I would either be running up and down the stairs or asking Harvey to bring up something he would not be able to locate). While this will be different, it will be a difference that will not be too hard to overcome.

Last weekend was Valentines day and Harvey sent Kris to pick something up for me. Not flowers this year but a rather large box of chocolates.

The box is so pretty that now it is empty I do not want to just toss it.

I just have to figure out what I can use it for. More than likely something in the sewing/craft room, perhaps snap storage or bobbins?????

It has been awhile since I posted a picture of the baby quilt I am embroidering.

I am hoping that you all can see the progress that has been made. Click on the picture to make it bigger and hopefully clearer. I am finally seeing an end in sight on this project. I am not going to get working on the other goals for this month until this is completed as far as I possibly can.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Frugal Friday

Ahh, the end of another week.

Frugally speaking it has been a pretty good week.

Spending has been kept to a minimum and I will be moving my baking pans around tomorrow. There really isn't enough room in the new stove drawer for them. While I don't use all of them all of the time I do use them enough that if I were to lose any I would miss them.

Spent much of the week using items up from the freezer and cupboard. Meals were a bit of a hodge podge but nourishing just the same. I am hoping to continue doing this type of cooking for as long as possible.

I got a coupon in the mail for a free package of pads for bladder leakage up to $14.00. Those could come in handy down the road a piece. I will wait for a sale and combine the coupon with the sale price.

I sent my scan into Neilson for  the week. I am over the number of points I need to get the free Pandora Bracelet and will more than likely send for that next week. This will give my family another gift idea come Christmas and my birthday. The site also has various Pandora beads that one can order. I do wish they still had the gift cards for Chapters though. Sending for those kept me from spending cash on reading material that could not be gotten for free from BookBub.

I am still walking every day. Fun and free exercise is always welcome.

I cut the buttons off of Kris's shirt sleeves and put them in my button jar. There are only 4 but that is the perfect number if I decide to knit a baby sweater. The rest of the sleeve was added to my scrap fabric bag. I plan on spending a bit of time cutting the scraps into squares to be used for quilting.

The lines in the basement are getting a great work out. This week I managed to get 3 loads hung to dry, and the way the weather is I will probably (well hopefully) be hanging all my laundry outside to dry very soon.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thursday Tid Bits

It has been a dreary couple of days around here. The fog has been thick and has not lifted until late afternoon, if it has lifted at all. The dampness makes it feel much colder than it is and I find my walks very slippery in the morning. I am so looking forward to spring.

Kris has gotten his car fixed to the grand total of $2568.00. Kind of scary as he does not know whether the parent company is going to start layoffs again or not. This will have cleaned out his savings a great deal. Harvey feels he should buy a new vehicle, but not knowing if he will have the means to make the payments is holding Kris back from doing so.

Today we went out and priced stoves.... We were offered a very good deal on a convection oven and so we took it. Money going out, but from our capital expenses and not our regular budget. I have removed all the items from the bottom drawer of our oven. Now just to find a place to put them, the drawer in the new stove is very much smaller and I really need all my baking pans!!! I could be spending tomorrow moving things around in the cupboards to make room. I am looking forward to having a stove where all the elements work properly. Cooking will be so much easier.

My BFF, Debbie went to visit a specialist in Regina today about her knees. She will be undergoing a double partial knee replacement. The specialist is going to do both of her knees at once. She has been told it will be up to 6 months before she has full functionality in her knees. She is however looking forward to being pain free very soon.

I am continuing to work on my embroidery project. Running out of one of the shades of yellow I need has moved me to doing the outline stitching. Hopefully I will still get this project done by the end of the month.

Still using things up as much as possible. I am trying to eat down the meat freezer before we head up to Regina for our big stock up shop. I know we will be going away in a little over a month, but I don't want to have to run out and shop as soon as we get home.

Today I picked up the Euro's we ordered for the trip. I am getting excited about seeing Spain and Portugal in the spring. Hopefully I will have lots of pictures to share with you all.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Mid Month Update/Thrifty Tuesday

It is once again time to update how my goals and declutter challenge are progressing for the month.

1.   Finish the red coat.    Done

2.   Finish the embroidered quilt up to the name (since I don't know who will be gifted this).    Working on every spare moment.

3.   18 No Spend days.     I have reached 13 no spend days so far this month.

4.   Work on more quilt squares.    Nope.

5.   Work on rug. (Just a few more rounds should see it done.)    Nope.

So far this month I have removed another 65 items from my home. Bringing the total so far this year up to 109. Not as much as last year at this time, but nothing to be ashamed of.

Today was a repair day. I darned two pairs of socks and fixed a bra. Those darn underwires just do not like to stay in their pockets. I am trying to get another years wear out of them. The store where I bought most of my clothing including undergarments has closed (been closed for a year now) and I have not found any bras that fit me as well as these do.

I also made a grocery list and stuck to it for yet another week. People gave me some strange looks as my cart contained mostly sale items and not what your regular shopper would have taken to the checkout.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.
 

Menu Monday

Another week of menus, and another week of winter heading out the door.

Monday

Leftover ham served as a casserole of some kind. I will be serving the leftover salad with it.

Tuesday

Cabbage Rolls and perhaps some carrots.

Wednesday


I am hoping there is enough of the ham casserole to serve for our supper tonight.

Thursday

I have some small pieces of steak in the freezer that need using up. These will be diced and used in a slow cooker stew.

Friday

Lazy Perogies.

Saturday

Leftover stew.

Sunday

Pork Roast, roasted potatoes, roasted carrots and perhaps a salad.

Everybody have a wonderful day.

God bless.

I'm Still Here

Finally getting a chance for a post.

Kris has been fixing things on the computer so I pretty much have to work around him. He is napping right now so I can finally talk to all of you.

I finally finished my coat!!! Actually I finished it a few days ago. I was so happy to wipe it off my list of goals and my whiteboard list in the sewing/craft room.

The front before the final pressing. I could not get it to sit on the hanger correctly.

The back.

There are still things I am not happy with, but considering that this was my first effort and a learning experience I am satisfied.

Off to get supper ready as Harvey and I are heading to the Johnny Reed concert here in the city tonight.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thursday Tid Bits

I am still congested and a bit feverish, but the thumping in my head has disappeared and I don't feel nauseous any longer. So I must be on the mend.

Today has been very quiet. I finished hemming my coat, both the coat itself and the lining. Tomorrow I will give it a good pressing, steaming out some of the fullness in the hem and then decide about the closure. Hope to have a picture up very soon.

Instead of the spaghetti and meat sauce I had planned we ended up eating the leftover chicken from Tuesdays supper. Served it with leftover rice and a package of frozen carrots from the freezer. Fast and I need fast and simple right now.

I filled the dish soap bottles today.

I am finding this method much more cost efficient then buying individual bottles. In two years I have only gone through 2 bottles and a bit of the third bottle. Rinsing out the big jug after I fill the bottles gives me at least 3 extra washes. Got to love when you can save a little cash. A dollar here and a dollar there adds up. The money thus saved can be used for something else. Like a trip, or an extremely costly electric bill.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Hopefully Back Tomorrow

I must have picked something up while working in the school. So many sick students in and out of the office over two days. Back when I am feeling better.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Tired Thrifty Tuesday

I have spent the last two days working as a secretary in one of the schools here in our city. Coming home very tired and just wanting down time.

I don't think that I am cut out for full time work anymore. After only two days my house needs some TLC. It is beginning to look very unkempt. So far no call to work tomorrow so hopefully I can get back on track.

So what thrifty things have I been up to since last Tuesday?

The usual for the most part and I can add in packing a lunch to take to work both days. Mind you I didn't need a lunch today as the parents bought in a lunch for all the staff. So my lunch is home again to be eaten tomorrow.

I also had free snacks and coffee at work. Free is always good. 

I spent one evening darning a few pairs of socks. Another evening was spent fixing a few buttons and seams on Harvey's shirts. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Menu Monday

My goodness it is the second week of February!! Spring will be here before we know it.

I did not cook the ham yesterday. Instead we ate up most of the leftovers in the fridge. A clean fridge makes a happy Jackie.

Monday

Eggplant Parma along with what remains of the salad.

Tuesday

Chicken Breasts, rice, and carrots.

Wednesday

Tuna Casserole, carrot and pepper sticks, dip.

Thursday

Spaghetti, garlic bread, salad.

Friday

Fish Fillets, homemade fries, salad.

Saturday

Baked Spaghetti, garlic bread, salad.

Sunday

Ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans.

Everybody have a wonderful day.

God bless.

Windy, Slippery, and Just Plain Ugly

We attended the usual Mass today, but there were not too many people there. At least there wasn't until Mass had already begun. You see after the rain yesterday we got snow and then the two mixed together to make the streets a sheet of ice. Cars were sliding all over, mainly because people still figure they can drive at the same speeds they usually do on clear roads. Watching a car sliding around in front of you as you are nearing an intersection is not conducive to relaxation.

Father Brian spoke today on how we all of gifts and need to find ways to use those gifts for the betterment of our communities. I have found over my lifetime that it is always the same people sharing and giving. I know that those in our church community who seem to give and share are getting older and it is very hard to get the younger generations to step up. There needs to be a way to reach out and show them that they are needed, that they have gifts to share as well.

I spent part of the afternoon in the sewing room. I managed to finish the majority of my coat. I have lots of hand stitching to do as well as a good pressing on the front facings. To all intents and purposes however once those are done and a buttonhole or two made the coat is done.

Here is a picture of the back.

Here is a picture of the front.

I am not really happy with the collar, but with pressing and pulling out the corners it should look better. I think the interfacing I used was a bit too thick. The picture is a bit blurry as well because the hanger kept twisting on the railing.

Still, all in all not a bad first attempt at a coat. I learned a great deal that will come in handy if I decide to give this another try.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Choices

Every once in a while a choice needs to be made...

Today was one such for me. I could stay home and sew, or visit my sister-in-laws mother who fell just outside her apartment on the way to church a couple of weeks ago.

I chose to go and visit and I am glad I did. I got the biggest smile from Gen as I walked in the door of her room. We talked for awhile and then her husband Gordon and my sister-in-law Shari showed up. I visited for a bit longer and noticed that Gen was getting tired with all the visitors so I left and came home. I did promise to check in on her again early this coming week.

I came home and did spend a bit of time in the sewing room. At least all the 1/4" hems are done now. The pinning of the lining to the coat can wait until tomorrow, there is no real rush to get this coat completed, other than in my own mind.

The phone rang and it was my friend asking me to come over for coffee. She sounded strange so of course I said yes. Turned out her doctor's appointment late yesterday afternoon was a bit scary. They found red blood cells in her urine and now she has to go to the hospital every day for a week and leave a urine sample. When she asked why her doctor said "Well, we are checking for cancer." and walked out the door. She is very upset and worried. I just sat and let her talk it all out, held her hand and told her that many times doctors are not sure what the cause of something is and so they check for absolutely everything. Even worst case scenarios. She seemed in better spirits when I left. 

I came home and completed the last 1/4" hem and noticed my sewing room was getting darker and darker. Looking out our front window I noticed the trees bending in the wind and realized the Alberta clipper that was forecast had hit. Now the wind is howling around the house, the trees are continually dancing (I can see a few broken branches on the grass) and the rain has come. Rain at this time of year is not a good thing. Ice rinks for roads will be what we wake up to in the morning.

So glad that I am snug and warm, at home. Going to do some embroidery and think about the choices we make.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Frugal Friday

My five frugal things for this week.

1.   Packed a lunch for my subbing gig this week.

2.   Had 4 no spend days this week.

3.   Walked for exercise every day this week.

4.   Stuck to the menu plan for the week, no changes.

5.   Read a free book downloaded onto my ereader.

and one extra

6.   Using up leftovers very well.

I have spent time in the sewing room and managed to get the lining for my coat finished.

Tomorrow I will spend a bit of time hemming and then sewing the lining and facings into my coat. Hopefully I can finish it by Sunday evening.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Ouch

Today I subbed as an EA at one of the schools in the division. The same one of the two I always seem to be booked at.

I ache all over, even my ankles are sore!! I don't think I sat down for most of the day.

Overall it was a great day, the morning however did leave something to be desired. The girl I was to be working with came late, did not want to work, hid under a counter when she got in trouble, and just caused as much chaos as she possibly could.

I think I may just be getting too old and running out of patience. At one point I was ready to haul her to the office, kicking and screaming if she so chose. I did manage finally by the afternoon to get her working a bit. I guess she has been causing a problem for the last month or so.

I work in the same school on Monday of next week, but this time it will be as secretary for the day. Should be a bit quieter. At least I hope.

Off to soak in a nice warm tub and perhaps get rid of a few aches and pains.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty Tuesday

I would love to say this was the thriftiest of all Tuesdays, but it wasn't.

I had to go shopping and buy Harvey his low dose aspirin and his weekly gum dose so decided that perhaps I would shop for groceries, thus saving a trip later in the week.

The shop was mostly dairy and fresh veggies and fruit. Considering how much the cost of everything is rising I kept the bill to just over $100.00 (or just about 45 pounds). I did manage to save almost $11.00 on my bill though and that makes me happy.

I made chili tonight and made enough for another meal later this week, plus a tin foil TV dinner type for Kris. This saves me time on those busy days and gives Kris a chance to save a bit of cash towards a down payment on a house or on a new car down the road a piece. That is if he still has a job. This economic downturn in the oil patch is slowly but surely trickling down to other areas.

My friend (the one who is having so many problems with her knees), works at 7-11 and she says they are extremely quiet. She figures the boss is going to have to start laying off people very soon. She just hopes it isn't her.

I went for my usual morning walk (I will be missing this tomorrow morning as I am subbing) and then a shorter afternoon walk.

I spent time in the sewing room working on the coat lining. I did manage to get a bit done, but man is that lining fabric ever slippery!! Even using the walking foot I had a few problems. Just going slow and steady. Hoping to finish most of it by the weekend.


Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Menu Monday and Monthly Goals.

While the days are getting longer, they sure are not getting much warmer. We do have days of lovely weather and then boom the temperature drops and snow is forecast. Not complaining though because as far as winters go this one has been pretty darn good so far.

Monday

Finishing off the leftover Deviled Tuna Bake along with the bits and pieces in the crisper made into a salad.

Tuesday

The Chili that did not get made last week due to the abundance of leftovers that needed to be used up.

Wednesday

Pea Soup from the freezer along with some egg salad sandwiches.

Thursday

Leftover chili on pasta.

Friday

Pancakes with maple syrup.

Saturday

The last package of frozen cooked chicken made into a casserole. Serving a salad with this.

Sunday

Baked ham, scalloped potatoes, peas and carrots. If there is any leftover salad we will use it up here.

Some of these may look a tad familiar, but by George they are going to be completed and not put away to be finished later.

1.   Finish the red coat.

2.   Finish the embroidered quilt up to the name (since I don't know who will be gifted this).

3.   18 No Spend days.

4.   Work on more quilt squares.

5.   Work on rug. (Just a few more rounds should see it done.)