Frugal Friday

1.  Used a chicken carcass to make stock.

2.  Did more dehydrating of various herbs and garden produce.

3.  Used the android box to watch a movie that was on pay per view this week.

4.  Baked bread.

5.  Coordinated errands so I only used the car once this week (other than Mass on Sunday).

6.  Turned the collar and mended some small holes in Harvey's shirts.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Thursday Tid Bits

Today turned out to be an extremely warm day for this time of year. The only thing I did outside today was go for a couple of walks. No gardening or processing of garden goodness happened, my back was still sore from yesterday and errands took up all the morning.

I was tired after my errands which were many a varied today (usually it is just grocery shopping and picking up an OTC med for Hubby) and so I curled up on my recliner and worked on some cross stitch.

Also got a text from Kris saying he would be coming home tomorrow morning rather than tonight. I just put the leftover chicken back in the fridge and will make the casserole tomorrow (ham steak as first put on the menu....just wasn't big enough for the three of us). 

Tonight I worked on my knitting a bit more and I am slowly seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Just one more colour change and it will be finished. The cross stitch however will take a bit longer, though it is coming along nicely.

Tomorrow it will be back to dehydrating, processing and perhaps a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless,

Wednesday Craziness

I was busy today, not only with regular household chores, but a couple of extra chores as well. One of which Harvey put on my to do list.

Silly me pulled out the chicken carcass from supper last night and decided to get ahead. I started a pot of stock and then while it was simmering headed out to my friends for a quick cup of coffee.

When I came back less than an hour later I found a sink full of carrots. That's right, Harvey decided to dig up the entire carrot supply. So for two hours I washed, peeled, and sliced carrots. Then came blanching and freezing. I still have a bag full (well two really if you count the ones I put aside for use over the next few weeks) that I need to peel, slice and freeze.

The kitchen did smell lovely, my back ached but it was a good ache and I did not get any work done on my cross stitch.

When all chores were done in the late afternoon I snuggled in with a book and read for a few hours. Then cleaned Kris's room as he will be home sometime tomorrow night.

Enough stock to make three batches of soup on cold and blustery days.

Fifteen bags of blanched homegrown carrots to be used in meals this winter. 

Everything is in the freezer now and I plan on sitting in my chair and working on my knitting.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty Tuesday

Today has been one of trying to get things done in the house as well as the garden and yard. Since it was raining yesterday, my basement lines were used to hang two of four loads of laundry to dry. Those items were folded this morning. It is thrifty to use the dryer as little as possible and I would love to get more lines put up once the basement is put back in order.

Harvey is busy doing a bit of finishing work on the basement. We are still hopeful that the rest of the furnace venting will be done before too long (perhaps it is wishful thinking on our part) and the basement ready to use by Christmas. We are doing all the finishing work ourselves thus saving contractor fees.

I spent some time in the yard today and before cleaning plants out of the baskets and boxes I took some cuttings and collected some seed. These will come in handy for next years planting, cutting costs enables us to save even more money producing our own food. 

I did some mending today as well. Harvey had a few small wear holes in some of his t-shirts so I used some polyester thread and darned them much like I do socks.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Menu Monday

The last week in the month has arrived already. Time is slipping by quickly and very soon it will be Christmas and the dead of winter. Things have gotten much cooler here over the past couple of weeks and pretty soon I will be bringing out the slow cooker for those wonderful winter stews and such. For now, however, I have lots of summer meats that need using as well as frozen bits and bobs leftover from our Sunday roast meals.

Monday

Casserole time again once again using up some leftover roast beef from the freezer. I am hoping there will be enough left over for a second meal (or even enough for a tinfoil meal for Kris to take home), the bag is pretty small.

Tuesday

Roast Chicken, stuffing, mashed potatoes, peas/carrots.

Wednesday

Ham Steak, rice, and leftover peas/carrots.

Thursday

Sweet and Sour Ribs, rice, corn and a salad.

Friday

Glace (comfort food and it will use up the potatoes I bought).

Saturday

Clean out the fridge night.

Sunday

The beginning of another month and time to use up the last of the ham leftovers from the fridge freezer. Thinking along the lines of ham and scalloped potatoes served with any leftover veggies and salad.

Everybody have a wonderful day. 

God bless.

Sunday Ramblings

It has been a quiet day here on the old homestead.

Harvey went to the football game in Regina with Kris. The Roughriders lost, but only by a touchdown, they made it an exciting game at the end.

Kris just sent me a text saying his Dad had dropped him off so Harvey will be home in about 2 hours and I will get to hear all about the game as soon as he walks in the door. I plan on going to the next three games as they are late ones. One we will be spending the night and probably shopping the next day. Got to get in a stock up shop before winter hits.

The last few days have been cold and windy. This means the potatoes and carrots have not been dug up as of yet. I am hoping we can get that done this coming week and then I can concentrate on getting my flower beds ready. Seems like there is always something to be done outside.

Mass went on and on today. I seems we now have a priest who likes to talk and since we started late, I got home very late as well. There have been a great many changes taking place. Now Father Anthony is celebrating Mass in all three parishes every week and the basement we spent a great deal of money on to put up screens so people could see Mass (this was done to make it safer for those who arrive late and stand with their children at the top of the church stairs) and let there children run free is being used for Children's Liturgy. What a waste of funds as far as I am concerned. Still changes will happen and perhaps things will change yet again.

I also got the wash cloths that need embroidering from Darla. I really enjoy doing these little things to make a celebration special.

Now I am off to do some reading and knitting while waiting for Harvey to get home.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Last Day Of Our Vacation

Last post about our vacation an then I promise not to bore you all any longer.

Day four saw us out and about at a reasonable hour. Harvey even made us a brunch before we left and I stocked the car with bananas and oranges.

Our first stop was another hike. Perhaps not the longest one we took, but one that seemed to climb a mountain, and believe me this old body felt the effects.

This was the relatively level entrance to our 5 km hike. Yours truly thought the entire hike would be level and easily managed. Not true.

Up hill after this for most of the way, but the waterfall we got to see at the end was spectacular.

This is Wapta Falls and at 30 meters high and 150 meters wide is the largest falls on the Kicking Horse River. The guide book said it was a gentle hike....perhaps for those really young and in shape things, for us older, kind of out of shape people it was a bit more difficult.

I later learned the reason that the falls was fenced off. Our oldest son mentioned how one of his high school teachers had a brother who hiked to the falls years ago. He fell into the water and drowned. Now there is a wire fence (quite a strong and high one) that prevents anyone from getting to close.

On the way down the mountain we saw this.

A very large burl. I know it was the largest I have ever seen. There are people who harvest these and make wonderful items with them.

We made it back to the vehicle and continued our travels. In all the times we have been to Banff and Jasper National Parks we had never taken the time to visit Lake Louise. That was our next visit.

Chateau Lake Louise in all its glory. 

The lake itself. While not the biggest lake in the Canadian Rockies, perhaps one of the most tranquil.

If any of you have noticed most of the lakes have a lovely blue green tinge to them. This is because they are glacial runoff lakes. I imagine they are quite cold even in the middle of summer.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Frugal Friday

It is Friday once again and time to list frugal accomplishments for the past week.

1.  Baked two loaves of bread this week.

2.  Used up some of the small balls of yarn that I inherited from my mother on the baby blanket.

3.  Picked 2 cantaloupe from the garden.

4.  Dehydrated more herbs for winter use.

5.  Went to the library for free reading material.

6.  The rain we got and are still getting watered the lawn, flowers and garden. Gave the car a free wash as well.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Thursday Tid Bits

The days are getting shorter and the evenings much cooler. It is time to put the garden to bed for the winter. There are a few musk melons left along with the potatoes and carrots. Harvey picked all the onions yesterday and they have been drying. I am hopeful that the carrots and potatoes will be picked, washed and either dried or prepped for winter storage.

The garden did not produce as it usually has. We got very few tomatoes, green peppers, chili pepper or jalapeno peppers either. As far as beans, well we managed one picking of just enough for one meal. I am afraid the freezer is pretty bare as far as frozen veggies this winter.

Even my flowers did not grow as well as other years.

The weather was extremely hot and dry which could be what caused the problem.

Tomorrow I plan on finishing drying the last of the herbs. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Yoho Vacation Part 3

The third morning saw us going over Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park, one of the highest passes in Canada. Luckily there was no snow on the ground, they have gotten their first snowfall since we left.

We traveled down to Revelstoke National Park.

Our first hike of the day was in the Inland Rain Forest. Even though I was born in British Columbia I had forgotten how big the cedars can get.

Most of the trail we got to walk on these lovely walkways and not have to worry about tripping over giant roots.

This was perhaps the largest of the cedars we saw. No way would I be able to hug this one.

The trees seemed to stretch up forever.

The canopy in some areas was so thick we couldn't see through it at all. However that did enable lots of undergrowth to occur.

We have these growing in Saskatchewan as well, they just don't get as big.

After this short hike we traveled to our next hiking stop, Skunk Cabbage Boardwalk.

They were not in bloom so we did not have to suffer the usual stinky smell. I can just imagine what the trail would have smelt like if we would have visited in May.

The National parks in Canada have "red chairs" in them, kind of a signature. I actually managed to get Harvey to sit in one of them on this short hike.

We traveled down to Revelstoke for lunch and then headed back.

Thought I would take a picture of the tunnels we had to pass through on the highway.

We traveled through 5 of these tunnels through the mountains.

Where they could not engineer a tunnel road crews just blasted through the rock leaving sheer cliffs on each side.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Yoho Vacation Part 2

After spending the first night in our cozy chalet, we ventured out into the park.

Our first stop was the visitor center in the village of Field, B.C. We picked up a map and decided on what spots we wanted to hike first, and then made a trip into the small town to check it out.

Lots of old buildings for Canada. Painted in such lovely colours.

This blue establishment housed a pottery. According to the lady that owned said establishment it was over 100 years old. The stairs to the top gallery were very shallow, and were of different heights. Her husband and daughter were also potters and the quality was beautiful. We ended up purchasing two lovely wine goblets.

We then went to the look out that allowed us to see over the Kicking Horse River. You can't really tell but the river looked like a giant braid. There were large and small areas of glacial gravel deposited that the river twisted and turned through.

Then it was into the car and driving to our first hike of our vacation.

We stopped along the way to take a picture of more tunnels through one of the smaller mountains. 

Continuing our drive we came upon an opportunity to take a picture of two rivers meeting. One was clean and the other was rather cloudy. It was filled with glacial silt and hadn't had a chance to deposit it yet.

We traveled further up the road to the parking and began our hike. This was to see the Takakkaw Falls.

We actually made it right to the bottom, but did not clamber around on the rocks as the mist and water made it very slippery, even on the path.

This falls tumbles 254m (830 feet) in one fell swoop and then continues to fall another 130 meters for a total of 384 meters or 1,260 feet. This is among the highest falls in Canada.

While heading back down to our second hike of the day we came in contact with the first (and only)wild life that we were able to see. This herd of elk were sunning themselves in a clearing by the road. The conservation officers were close by to make sure that no one ventured too close.

Our second and last hike for the day took us to a natural bridge.

This actually started out as a small waterfall, but as the water found a way through a crack the bridge was formed. 

Down the trail a piece (we had to drive a bit first), we parked at the trail head to see Emerald Lake. 

Isn't it a beautiful blue green. We could have rented canoes and gone out to explore some more, but the clouds were moving in, and it was getting dark. 

We headed back to the chalet and a well deserved rest.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Menu Monday

We are home now and back to eating regular meals. Not that we didn't while we were gone as the chalet had a lovely kitchen and a BBQ that Harvey fell in love with. I think it is more like I am back into the regular swing of things, cooking instead of being spoiled by Harvey doing all the cooking.

Monday

Hamburgers, homemade fries, salad.

Tuesday

Chicken Breasts, rice and leftover salad.

Wednesday

Smoked sausages, potatoes in cream, peas and sliced cucumbers.

Thursday

Leftover pork roast made into a casserole.

Friday

Fish fillets, potatoes, and coleslaw.

Saturday

Clean out the fridge.

Sunday

Harvey will be at a football game so I think I may just have soup and a sandwich.

Everybody have a wonderful day. 

God bless.

Yoho Vacation Part 1

As we traveled through the province of Alberta, we could see more and more smoke. At first we thought it was from the massive forest fires in British Columbia, but soon we could smell smoke as well as see it.

We came across this large prairie fire between Medicine Hat and Brooks.

On the way home Harvey decided to see how wide an area was affected. Turns out 5 kms of field were burnt. We don't know the distance in the other direction but it seemed to stretch forever. I am just so glad that the firefighters and emergency crews were able to get it under control.

We spent the night with our son in Drumheller, Alberta and then continued our journey the next morning.

Our first stop was before we even reached Yoho. 

We stopped on the Kicking Horse Pass to see the spiral tunnels. These tunnels were engineered to make it easier for the trains to get over the pass.

Here is a picture of one of the entrances (though it could be an exit) of one of the tunnels.

The trees seemed to hide the other entrances and exits, and we weren't lucky enough to see a train using them.

Here is a model of the many tunnels.

They circle back and forth making it easier for trains to get over the pass. Harvey was quite interested in this part of our stop.

This is a boiler that was left behind.

There is an interesting story on how the Kicking Horse Pass and River got their names.

I already shared pictures of our chalet so I won't show them again. However I will share the beautiful sunset we got to enjoy that evening.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Friday Night And All is Well

We made it back to Kurt's, the first stage of our journey back to the old homestead.

Thought I would share some pictures of the chalet we stayed in.

We were kind of off by ourselves. The chalets around us were empty, so things were quiet.

The bath tub was in the loft upstairs. Lovely for that nightly soak which I seemed to need after a days hiking.

The lovely fireplace, gas instead of wood, which we could not get working correctly.

Everyone have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Here is a picture of our oldest son Kurt. Seems to be quite busy.

Good morning

Sunday Ramblings

Well, we have managed the first stage of our travel. We are resting at Kurt's place and will be leaving for the final stage of our travels tomorrow morning.

I am not sure if there will be WiFi, so if I am missing for a few days don't worry. Unless I, or should I say we get lost on a hike or have a close encounter with a bear will see you all when I can.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thursday Tid Bits

It has been a busy week so far on the old homestead. 

Harvesting the garden, dehydrating, and doing lots of extra cleaning before we leave for the mountains. 

Today has been a day of learning. What did I learn? Well we got a call from the insurance company about Kris's car. As we thought it was a total write off, unfixable for what they would give us. So I took the amount they offered as a write off value (it was actually more than I thought it would be) and they are cancelling the plates on the vehicle as well. 

We plan on giving the money to Kris and he can put it away saving it for a year or so and then make a big payment on his new vehicle. Or he can use it to make monthly payments until it is gone (adding in more, thus paying his vehicle off sooner).

So that's the news from this corner of the Canadian prairies.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty Tuesday

This week has seen me darning a few pairs of socks, fixing a few seams on Harvey's pants, and even turning a collar for the first time. Now, I don't know how often I will be doing that little chore as it is a great deal of work, but I now know why my mother turned my father's collars on his dress shirts when money was a bit tight. 

Done correctly you would never know the collar was a bit worn, and getting more use out of a fairly expensive dress shirt is, well, very much a thrifty measure. Harvey doesn't wear dress shirts very often so I expect this to be an occasional thrifty measure. My Dad on the other hand was a buyer for a rather large department store here in Canada and wore suits every single day. I can remember Mom turning the collars on his shirts almost every summer.

I also cut some old t-shirts up into rags. They were not fit to donate or even make into yarn, so a few more rags will be added to my cleaning supplies. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Menu Monday

This will be a week of using things up from the fridge and freezers. We are heading out for a bit of a holiday and I want to have everything as cleaned out as is possible.

Monday

Pasta salad.

Tuesday

Leftover ham made into a casserole with scalloped potatoes. Using up the remainder of the tossed salad as well (or it could be some sliced cucumbers and dip).

Wednesday

Clean out the fridge.

Thursday

Pork chops, mashed potatoes and peas.

Friday

Perogies, sour cream and bacon bits.

Saturday

Hot dogs, pasta, and sliced cucumbers.

We are leaving Sunday and will be gone for a week. Hopefully my fridge will be pretty much empty.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Sunday Ramblings

After Mass, since I had the entire house to myself, I decided that there were a few things that needed doing while Harvey was not underfoot.

After changing quickly, and having a very light lunch I got started. First I cleaned out the freezer of most of those things that slipped to the bottom and were old or freezer burnt. I then got a bucket of soapy water and washed down the washer, dryer, upright freezer and chest freezer. They are sparkling clean now.

I had a rather large box of hamburger patties in the chest freezer so I removed them and repackaged them so they take up much less room.

My friend phoned and asked if I wanted a break so headed over for a talk and a cup of coffee. Met the new neighbours moving in across the back alley from me. They seem very nice.

After my break I washed the walls in the hall and kitchen. Cleaned all the pictures and even cleaned the candle holders. Smells absolutely wonderful.

That was the extent of my cleaning for the day. I was tired out by the time I finished, so I curled up on the recliner with my counted cross stitch and watched old CSI NY episodes on the tv. I did turn it off to catch the last three minutes of the football game. I needed to know if Harvey and Kris would be happy with the outcome. The would be over the moon. The Saskatchewan Roughriders won the first half of the series. They won what has become known as the Labour Day Classic. Now it's on to the Banjo Bowl (strange name) in Winnipeg for the second half.

This is a picture of Kris's new car. He loves it and I think it would be the type of car that would grow on you. It is a Kia Soul and in some lights looks almost green. However it is a titanium grey colour. The gas mileage is unbelievable as the car isn't even broken in yet and got approximately 40 miles to the gallon on the highway home. Should mean he will be able to cut fuel costs.

Off to do some blog reading and then some knitting.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.