Mid Week And Things Are......

It's mid week and the last day of the month. Wow, time has flown right by again.

I thought I would fill you in on what I have done so far this month.

Loads of dehydrating have taken place with still more to follow. I still have peppers, sage, mint, oregano and parsley to dry and package up.

Plums from the neighbour were made into crisps and jam. A few were kept for Harvey to munch on fresh.

This big bowl of apples, also from the neighbour has been turned into pie filling and frozen. It also made a lovely Dutch Apple Cake as well.

Zucchini has been grated and put into freezer bags and in the freezer.

I am continuing to knit through the stash, but did not manage to do much in the way of sewing through the stash this month. Patterns cut out, yes. Sewn, no.

There seems to be a storm coming up so I am going to slip out and pick the chili peppers and anything thing else above ground, just in case we get hail.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Time Is Getting By Me

I have been harvesting and processing things from the garden almost every day, and yet there never seems to be enough hours in the day to get all the dehydrating done. I am hoping to finish up the herb drying by the end of the week (that is if I don't have to head into Regina for the football game).

All this harvesting and processing is causing me to fall behind in household tasks and in my extra cleaning. To make matters worse my goals have pretty much gotten so far behind that I am probably not going to meet them this month. This is the first time I have ever fallen so far behind at this time of year and I feel horrible about it.

Another problem I have been having lately is a lack of energy by mid afternoon. I just want to curl up in my chair and sleep. That is what I have been doing the past week, I need to find my get up and go which seems to have gotten up and gone. Part of the problem could be that it is so much hotter than it usually is at this time of year, and the other part could be that I am just getting older and therefore need more rest (something I do not want to admit to).

Off to curl up in my chair and watch the news for a bit and then a nice long soak before hitting the wonderful crisp and clean sheets I put on the bed today.

Hopefully I will have pictures to share with you all tomorrow.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty Tuesday

I spent some time mending a few things this week. Mending clothing helps them last longer and is one of the thrifty things I learned from my mother many years ago.

I have also been using the defrosted ice from my freezer (we have a slight problem with frost build up) to water my plants. Waste not, want not is my new motto. In fact the water from washing my floor was used to flush the toilet a couple of times.

I wonder what new and innovative thrifty ideas I can come up with over the next week.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Menu Monday

It is still very warm most evenings when supper comes around so I have changed the menu around a bit. More BBQ and salads to finish out the summer.

Monday

Smoked sausage on the BBQ. I plan on making tinfoil packs of veggies up as well.

Tuesday

Leftover beef roast, one of the few meals that will be cooked inside. I think a lovely pot pie to use up some leftover veggies.

Wednesday

BBQ chicken breasts, salad, and some more tinfoil packs of veggies.

Thursday

Clean out the fridge night. Salad or raw veggies as the side.

Friday

Tuna pasta salad. I did not get around to making this last week so moved it to this week.

Saturday

Chicken drumsticks, rice, and either salad or raw veggies as the side.

Sunday

Harvey will be at the football game so I think I will have some leftover tuna pasta salad for my supper.

Everybody have a wonderful day. 

God bless.

Sunday Ramblings

It is going to take a bit of getting used to this new priest. While he seems very engaging, leaving the lectern to give his homilies, and shaking peoples hands as he leaves church, it is still very hard to understand him at times. One needs to listen very, very carefully and even then at times infer what he is saying. Also we are very used to short homilies in the summer due to the church getting so very warm.... I don't think that will happen any longer. In fact for the last two Sundays he has managed to go well over time. Considering that twice a month he will need to be in one of two villages to serve Mass things could be a bit tight.

Yesterday we traveled to Regina and for the first time got to see Kris's vehicle after the accident. Oh my, I really believe that car is at least 2 feet shorter. The entire back is smashed in and the front where it was pushed into another vehicle did not fare much better.

There is no way the car is fixable so we removed everything we could from the trunk and seats. Shut her up and now just need to wait and see what insurance will allow us to have for her when they write it off.  Probably not very much at all, but every little bit will help when it comes to Kris being able to buy another vehicle.

He was quite happy that we brought the truck in for him to use until a new to him vehicle is purchased.

We priced out doors and think we have found the best deal at Lowes. So once we get the truck back we will be buying a new door. Hopefully that will help with heating costs this winter as well. With the cost of electric and gas rising every little bit that we can keep in the house will be a savings.

Off to do a quick blog read.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Frugal Friday

So it is time to list the frugal happenings around the old homestead this week.

1.  Reading free downloaded books on my ereader.

2.  Managed three days with no air conditioning (mind you one of those days it got pretty darn warm in the house).

3.  Made a grocery list and stuck to it. Still I spent enough to get a free nut butter. I never turn down free, but don't really know what to do with it. Any ideas out in blogger land? They would be greatly appreciated.

4.  Made pie filling, a Dutch apple cake and still have a few apples left. I think I may make some apple muffins on Sunday.

5.  Car got a free wash.

6.  Dehydrated some more herbs for the winter.

So there you have it some of the frugal things I have done this week. What frugal things have you been up to?

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thursday Tid Bits

Today I discovered something about myself.

I need to get all my work done in the morning because by mid afternoon I just want to have a nap.

Take today for instance. I managed to get my morning walk in. Once home I did a bit of cleaning and then my friend called and asked if I was ready for coffee. Of course I said yes. 

Once home I started on processing the apples. I managed to make enough apple pie filling for three pies and 3 crisps or perhaps 6 crisps to enjoy this winter. Then lunch and by the time I finished lunch I no longer had the energy to do anything else. I crawled into my recliner and slept the afternoon away. 

That means tomorrow is going to be busy. I have a few apples left that can be made into an apple cake and some muffins, as well as those over ripe bananas to use in muffins as well. Definitely going to stay home and get everything done. No coffee gossips for me tomorrow.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Mid Week And I Am Tired

I must not have slept very well last night, even though I thought I did. I am tired and achy, my one foot is a bit swollen. Hopefully I will be more myself tomorrow.

I was asked after my post if I had a dehydrator and the answer is yes. I actually had two for awhile, but they were getting old and not working as well as they should. So when we were in Cabella's a couple of months ago we picked up a new one.

This dehydrator is the one we purchased (photo thanks to google images). 

I love the fact that it has a temperature gauge on it. I can finally set a dehydrator for the correct temperature for the food being dried. 

I only have one problem with it. The trays have very large holes and so if you want to dry herbs or smaller items like diced veggies or small fruits you need to purchase silicon mats for it. We purchased one box of mats but really should have purchased 2 so I could dehydrate more herbs at one time. 

Off to curl up on my chair, do some knitting and then head in for a nice long soak for this aching body.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty Tuesday

My thrifty share with all of you today is the drying of herbs and veggies. I guess I could add in the gift of veggies that just are not growing in the garden.

My neighbours daughter gifted me with some lovely zucchini. It is shredded and in the freezer to be used in bake goods this winter. My plant is not really producing so this was a wonderful gift. We love zucchini muffins, loaves and cakes.

I have also been busy dehydrating herbs for use this winter. Considering what jars of dried herbs such as parsley and thyme cost it just makes sense to produce our own. 

Today I dehydrated hot chili peppers. Hubby will grind them up to make cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes saving us even more money.

Using up all leftovers saves us money as well, it also keeps our refrigerator and freezers clean. I still have work to do on one of the freezers, but that will wait until Harvey goes to the next football game.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Menu Monday

A new week, more menus...... Getting cooler out in the evenings and that will be a nice change from the seriously hot weather we are having.

Monday

Meatballs in mushroom sauce, egg noodles and leftover salad.

Tuesday

Leftover ham made into a casserole or perhaps pasties. 

Wednesday

Clean out the fridge.

Thursday

Chicken wings, rice and cut up veggies and dip.

Friday

Tuna Pasta salad.

Saturday

Leftover Tuna Pasta Salad.

Sunday

Beef Roast, roasted potatoes, peas and cut up raw veggies.

This weekly menu is subject to change as Hubby has offered to go up to Regina with the truck to let Kris use it for awhile. At least until he is able to find a vehicle in his price point.

Everybody have a wonderful day.

God bless.

Why Is Kris So Unlucky

We got a text this morning from Kris saying his car was missing. Then a text a bit afterwards saying that his car could get into accidents without him even being in it.

It seems that on Friday night (Kris did not leave his apartment until this morning) a man was driving down the road, dropped something and rammed into the back of Kris's car. In fact the police officer said the car hit the back of Kris's parked vehicle sending it into the van in front and slipped right underneath so Kris's car was sitting on the hood of the car that hit him.

Needless to say this does not sound promising in the least for the damage to be fixable. Meaning of course that Kris will need to purchase another car. Purchase one before he really wants too, as he was saving to put a large down payment or eve pay cash.

Harvey has text Kris saying that if he needs a vehicle he can borrow the truck for awhile.

Never rains but it pours for our youngest.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Saturday Roundup

It has been a fairly busy week here on the old homestead.

As previously posted I played catch up with garden produce, and while not quite where I would like to be at this point in time, I am slowly but surely getting there. A bit more dehydrating, a bit more shredding and I will be in good shape until the carrots, potatoes, onions and peppers come in.

I am slowly but surely working my way through all the baby yarn I inherited from my mother. I would like to get through at least half of it by the end of September when Christmas knitting will take over from using everything up.

Sewing has not been on my radar as of yet. I am hoping to get a few things completed next week sometime. It seems going to football games kind of messes up my project completion goal. Oh well, I do love spending time with Harvey and Kris.

Talked to our oldest son Kurt last night. He has decided no more traveling for 28 days out of country. He is now rushing to finish all his lesson plans for the first semester of school. I have a feeling that this will change as the years pass and he will be back to traveling for as long as possible.

I have also spent a great deal of time wondering about what is happening to the south of me. The racism and bigotry is not contained to the United States, but slowly and surely making its way up here to Canada. As I stated on Facebook today there is no way on earth to fix stupidity and ignorance and I see more and more of this every day. It bothers me no end that people can not see or understand that here in North America we are either immigrants or the descendants of immigrants....

Well off to do some blog visiting and then some knitting.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Frugal Friday

Hmmm, I wonder if I can find five new frugal things I did this week.

1.  Air conditioning off on most days until mid afternoon.

2.  Pickled the mini eggplant as there really isn't much more I can do with them. Going to try and make moussaka with the next batch.

3.  Fixed some seams on pants and shorts.

4.  All leftovers used up in various meals this week.

5.  Cut my own bangs this week.

Now a couple of repeats.

6.  Used rain water to water all the plants outside.

7.  Back into baking my own bread after a couple of weeks vacation from doing so.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Tursday Tidbits

Its been a long day. For some reason I could not sleep past 5 am this morning. Tossing and turning, trying to get back to sleep is not for me so up I got.

After a cup of coffee and a nice morning walk in the cool air, I got to work.

While I did not manage to get the eggplant pickled (that is a job for tomorrow), I did manage to bake bread, bake 4 crisps (3 plum and one blue berry), and dehydrate basil, thyme and oregano. I even watered all my plants. Lugging that 4 gallon watering can up and down the stairs numerous times and to the back herb garden is not fun, but could be considered good exercise. No wonder why I am stiff and sore now!

This afternoon I finished the first baby blanket and started the second one. Hopefully this one will move along a bit quicker than the first as I am now used to the pattern.

I also picked more of the mini eggplants and washed all the canning jars in preparation for tomorrows pickling session. The recipe says it will make 6 pint jars so hopefully this is correct.

We had to turn the air conditioning on this afternoon, but we were lucky enough not to need it even earlier considering I had been baking pretty much all morning.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Up To My Ears in Cukes and Plums

Today processing started in earnest.

I managed to make a batch of pickles in a bucket (in this case a large glass jar, you do what you need to do). Eight less cukes are residing in my fridge (though more will be arriving).

 These are always so nice and crisp, but they will need another stirring tomorrow.

I managed to process some of the plums.

Nine lovely jars of jam!! Still have plums left and I doubt very much if Harvey can eat them all.

I think tomorrow will be baking a couple of  plum and blueberry crumbles for the freezer as well as baking bread, dehydrating, and making those eggplant (aubergine) pickles that are intriguing me.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty Tuesday

Back to normal now. We won't be doing any travelling until at least the beginning of September to another football game and then mid September to visit Kurt and the mountains. Got to be thrifty and use our resources wisely.

I also learned today that our electric company plans on raising rates 5% in the new year. Not good as our rates are the second highest in Canada (then we have lots of extra costs added in which brings it to the highest).

So thrifty for this week was putting $15.00 in my savings envelope. This is used to buy fabric, yarn and other hobby items.

Watered the garden with rain water. Thank heavens the barrel is getting filled once again.

I am busy using up frozen packages of precooked meat from the fridge freezer as well. The more I can stretch what we have the better off we are (need to save for the holiday). It is also fun trying to come up with a meal from leftovers that we can stretch into two meals.

Best yet we got this lovely bag of plums from the neighbour. I see lots of jam and perhaps some crumbles in the future.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Menu Monday

Since we were out of town at supper time yesterday we ate out. This doesn't cause much of a change in my menu plan, but we may be having leftover turkey instead of leftover chicken tomorrow... Still it is poultry and enables me to clean out my fridge freezer a bit more.

Monday

Sweet and Sour Ribs with rice and sliced cucumbers (going to be lots of  cukes over the next week).

Tuesday

Leftover chicken or turkey (depends on what is in the freezer needing to be used). I plan on making this into a casserole or perhaps a large pot pie.

Wednesday

Leftovers from Monday (made a big batch today especially for the leftovers). Having sliced cucumbers once again.

Thursday

Leftover chicken casserole or pot pie. It's shopping and bill paying day so this will be quick and easy.

Friday

Veggie soup and grilled cheese or salmon salad sandwiches.

Saturday

Pork chops done on the BBQ, creamed potatoes, sliced cucumbers and cherry tomatoes (lots are almost ripe).

Sunday

Baked ham, mashed potatoes (or leftover potatoes from Saturday night), more of those sliced cucumbers and cherry tomatoes (perhaps a sliced green pepper as well).

The garden is slowly getting ready to harvest so I plan on making meals for the next couple of weeks that can be spread over two nights. Pickling, canning and freezing takes time away from cooking. Actually after processing the garden I just don't feel like cooking very much.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Sunday Ramblings

I worked very hard (not really) around the house the past couple of days. What this means is I managed to get all necessary cleaning done and even a bit of decluttering.

All this because I had a feeling Kris would not be able to find a buddy to use one of the season tickets to the football game this evening.

So I am off to watch something that I really do not enjoy very much sitting waaaaay up in the stadium.

Good thing is though no cooking tonight, and the people with season tickets around us are really nice.

This picture will give you a bit of an idea how high up we are located. Almost the last row in the whole place (one row behind us).

Back with regular posting starting next week hopefully.

Everybody have a great day. Take care.

New Steps and Stoop

Our steps and small stoop at the door we use were getting very rickety.

We had replaced a few board, but had not painted them in awhile (as you can see). It was definitely time for something new. Something that would not need constant attention and paint as we are getting up there in age.

So, this summer was the time to go something new.

The base was completed while Kris was home as it was very heavy to lift into place.

Here it is with the railings. I even have enough room to place my bistro table and two chairs on it. Harvey did that specially for me. I can now have coffee on it in the morning. Even sit and use my tablet if I so choose.

It is great to have a handy man for a husband. I wouldn't know what to do without him.

This is made of composite on the decking and stairs. The railing is aluminum. So we will never have to paint it again.

Now I just need a new door as this one just does not cut it anymore.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Just A Few More Reunion Pictures

Here are a few pictures from the Meet and Greet Friday night.

Everyone got lost trying to find the place, but once there we all had a great time.

My cousin Diane, her significant other and her dad, my Uncle Keith.

My Uncle Harvey (wearing the white hat), my cousin Kerry, his mother my Aunt Isobel (who just happens to also be my mother's sister) and Uncle Harvey's daughter Janice.

Wayne, one of my oldest cousins and Kerry's brother.

My cousin Germaine (sitting down) and me getting a big hug from my cousin Greg (Wayne and Kerry's brother).

My Aunt Kathy's three daughters (out of 4). Corinne in the pink, Sherri standing in the middle and Susan wearing black.

 

My cousin Janice and Uncle Garry's new wife Verna (this was the first time meeting her).

 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

 

God bless.

Home Sweet Home

We got home by just after noon yesterday, tired but happy. The reunion went well, even though it was not well attended. Only 90 people out of what I figure close to 300 chose to attend.

It was great catching up with all the cousins I had not seen in years as well as meeting the next two generations in some cases for the first time. I think the prize goes to my Uncle Albert and Uncle Sam's families for having the most representation.

After the banquet on Saturday night we played Family Feud, and of course I got bugged until I put together a team. The team I was on consisted of  the "double first cousins" and a spouse of one of them (not Harvey, he disappeared to watch the football game in the hotel room).

Our first opponents were the first generation, and one cousin (only 4 out of the 5 remaining siblings came).

Uncle Keith, Uncle Harvey, Aunt Bev, Uncle Garry and Darlene. They were actually the easy team to take down.... The rest not so easy. However "Doubles" won and now have bragging rights until the next reunion (which will probably not happen any time soon).

Harvey and I also went and visited Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Sam. We took flowers to place on the graves.

This is my parents grave site. They are buried right beside my grandparents with Uncle Sam on the other side.

More reunion pictures tomorrow.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Ouch!!

While cleaning the house today and sitting on the floor putting away knitting patterns, craft patterns and cross stitch patterns, I did something to my knee.

Now I am hobbling around the house wondering how on earth I am going to make it through my family reunion this weekend. I also have more house to clean before we leave.

Should be an interesting next few days. I plan on resting it for the rest of the night and hopefully it will be better tomorrow.

Back to sitting and knitting before bedtime (working on a baby blanket).

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Goals For the Month

Ahh, a new month has arrived and time to post my new goals for the month. First I want to say not all my goals were met last month, but I gave it a very good try. I worked through the fabric stash and cut out two more patterns (these will be sewn up this month). I have also been working through the yarn stash and am happy to say that 8 rather large leftover skeins and balls of yarn are no longer residing in the house. Instead I have a few new dishcloths and two purses that will be put up for sale on the city wide handmade Facebook page.

However I did not manage to get as many no spend days as I wanted. Missed it by one day so really not that badly done. I also did not get any painting done as it has been so hot here over the past month.

Now on to this months goals. I only have a few.

1.  Continue working through the fabric stash.

2.  Continue working through the yarn stash.

3.  Try for 19 no spend days this month.

4.  Clean out the basement chest freezer.

5.  Get those painting jobs outside completed.

6.  Harvest the garden.

Project Declutter saw me removing 34 items from the house last month. This brings the yearly total to 533. I am hopeful that more will be leaving this month as well.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.