Mid-Weejk

 

It is the middle of the week and I am super busy. I have managed to get most necessary things accomplished, but there is still more to be done before we go. I really hate the rush that happens when getting ready to go anywhere or do something that I really want to put off. However since that is not something that can be set aside, I am working towards getting everything done.

So far I have filled the vehicle, gotten the groceries, made my lists, exchanged the rolled coin, gotten a bit extra out of the bank for the weekend, dried herbs, cleaned Kurt's room (needs dusting still), and let everyone know what time we will be arriving at the cabin and what time they should arrive.

Still to do. I need to pack the car, get all the silent auction items together, strip our bed, dry some more herbs, water all the plants really well, weed the garden (which I was going to do today but time slipped away), and cook a good meal for the first day that Kurt is home. Oh yeah, I need to pack for myself as well and I just don't know what I need to take as of yet.....

Off to get some knitting done.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Tuesday Tidbits

 

I managed to get a couple of the areas that needed weeding done today and I hope to get the last done after my errands tomorrow morning. 

Lots of rhubarb has been harvested, some frozen and some made into jam.

I am hoping to make some more jam a bit later...perhaps on in which I manage to use up the remainder of the blueberries from last year as well.

My yarn wreath was finally hung up with the help of Harvey. Strangely enough he really thinks this is cool. 

The C2C baby blanket is finished (except for the working in of the ends) and I love it.

I also got the last two small (depending on how one thinks about small) silent auction items done for the silent auction.

That means three ponchos, and at least 9 dishcloths coming from here. We will also throw in one of the smart watches that Harvey over bought. Should be enough to raise a bit of cash towards the next reunion. 

Not really looking forward to the reunion. While a few of Harvey's family treat me nicely (mostly the in laws) the rest kind of ignore me or talk about me and the rest of my family behind our backs. It is something I am slowly getting used to, not that I like it and what is really strange is that one on one we all get along just fine. It is when they get together as a group the ignoring, and speaking to me like I am a total idiot happens. Oh well it is one weekend every two years so I can manage. When things get too bad I walk away..... I just don't want to say anything that makes matters worse for Harvey. I think part of the reason is that we really have nothing much in common. I am more liberal minded (and so is the rest of my family) and the family as a whole is very conservative. I believe in the social justice teachings of the Catholic church and I don't think the majority have even read it. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Menu Monday

 

Another week arrives and it brings the arrival of Kurt close to the end of the week and the family reunion on Harvey's side. So not many meals to list today.

Monday

Small pork sausage casserole. Layers of veggies, small pork sausage links covered in a tomato soup mixture. Should be enough for another meal.

Tuesday

I will use up a package of frozen leftover ham from the fridge freezer. Not sure what I will make for sure, but I am leaning towards pasties. Which will leave a few for another meal hopefully. Planning on freezing the leftovers.

Wednesday 

Left over small sausage casserole.

Thursday

Kurt should be home so I will make chicken strips (use up the bag in the fridge freezer) and coleslaw. Not too sure if I will do fries or not. 

Friday 

First night of the reunion and there will be hamburgers and hotdogs served as well as whatever sides people bring with them.

Saturday

The big reunion meal.

Sunday 

We will still be at the cabin and so will make sausages and tinfoil veggies for our night meal. Coming home on Monday morning.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Saturday Roundup

 This week my weekly round up will be slightly different. I thought I might share with you some of the ways I live frugally. 

Instead of buying the cheapest of items I will purchase the best quality I can afford. Durable items cost a bit more but will last much longer. I have boots, coats, and clothing (pants especially as they are classic cuts) that in some cases are 10 years old. The youngest is probably 4 years old. I also buy only what I really need.

Just because the coat you love is on sale 100 kilometers away for a savings of 50% off if by the time you add in the costs for travel, it puts it over the regular or close to the regular cost don't buy it.

Unplug your devices and electronics when not using them. It will help you save on the electric bill as most deviAces are on standby and still use power.

Always make a budge and stick to it.

Pay yourself first, meaning put money into a savings account.

Life is meant to be enjoyed, with some of your savings take a short trip, or go out for a wonderful meal. Being frugal does not mean living without enjoyment, it means living below your means and saving for the extras.

Check out second hand stores, garage and yard sales for clothing, hobby supplies, and household decor/small appliances. Most cities now have online garage sale sites that you can check out as well.

Preparing your meals at home results in big savings over eating out. Not saying you should never eat out or order in, just make it a treat rather than a regular occurrence.

Compare prices, but remember to factor in the cost of getting to the various stores. Check the unit price as that is the best way of knowing whether you are saving. Sometimes biggest is not the best price.

Stay out of malls and stores as much as possible. Since I decided to only shop every two weeks, I find I actually spend much less money. Little treats and extra items always found their way into the cart. Now I stick to my list, and while a few treats find their way in, most times I really do stick to the list I have written out.

These are just a few of the tips and things I do to live a frugal and fulfilling life. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Frugal Friday

 

1.  It has been raining most of the day, which means my flowers and Harvey's veggie garden are getting a free watering, as is our lawn. Love it, the best frugal thing other than having to haul water from our oversized water barrel and lug it around the yard.

2.  From four smallish pieces of leftover ham, I made enough ham salad for at least 4 lunchtime sandwiches. 

3.  Got a cheque from our insurance plan that cuts down what I paid at the dentist by $76.00.

4.  Rolled the collected coins and have $352.00 to help pay for our trip to the family reunion. Should pay for food, gas and give us a bit to spend at the silent auction.

5.  Using what I have now to declutter and tidy the sewing/craft room. The old shop at home first trick.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Thrifty Thursday

 

Most of the new thrifty happenings here on the old homestead this week were Harvey's. I just worked on refining those I already do. You can always do better.

Harvey bottled 67 bottles of beer yesterday for a total cost of around $48.00. Considering that 12 bottles cost close to $35.00 the savings is considerable. 

He also made me a hanger for my Hummingbird feeder and placed it at a distance from the other bird feeders. 

Harvey also pulled lots of radish out of his long planter boxes. They are residing in the crisper right now and will be used in my tuna pasta salad on Friday.

I finally got my yarn wreath hung. Harvey found the perfect nail (I was going to purchase a fancy hook) as he said you won't see the nail anyway. He was right, and he used a nail he already had from his stash downstairs.

The next thrifty thing Harvey did was replace our gate pull with something from his stash that hopefully will not wear out as quickly on our metal fence.

I made good use of all leftovers, nothing was wasted and I put a small container of leftover corn into the fridge to use in soup later.

Made my own Hummer food (much less expensive than purchasing) and refilled the feeder.

Put the chicken carcass and skin into a freezer bag and popped it into the freezer until I can get another one. 

Made a few slices of leftover ham into ham salad for sandwiches.

The chicken carcass was picked of meat and Harvey can have some chicken sandwiches the rest of this week.

I also made rhubarb jam today and got 7 jars (I will probably give 1 each to Kurt and Kris). The remaining sliced rhubarb has been put in freezer bags, dated and put in the big chest freezer. The rhubarb comes from my garden (my neighbour has some that I am tempted to ask if I can pick if they aren't using it) and the plants are still coming so more will be frozen for use later.

So that's about all from the old homestead.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Visit and Yard Work

 I promised you all some pictures of what we accomplished in our two days visiting and helping out Kris.

We arrived about noon on Saturday and after a bit of a rest in his lovely cool house,

he bought a portable air conditioner as he did not want us sweltering in the heat.

This kept the front half of the house nice and cool as well as most of the kitchen and hallway. We had taken up a fan (which we left behind) and with the window open the bedroom I was sleeping in was cool as well.

Kris and I headed out to Peavy Mart to look at firepits and we found one he liked. He can even cook on it if he so chooses. Since we were going to buy him an air conditioner I paid for the firepit.

Kris sat in the middle of that cement and set it up almost as soon as we got back. Don't worry all the weeds were gone by the end of the visit and the lawn nicely mowed by Harvey early Sunday morning. 

While at Peavy Mart Kris decided he just had to buy this hanging strawberry plant. Hopefully he gets some from it. 

Next, when it cooled off a little bit we started to work on his garden area. He had it all planted but it really needed weeding and another tilling between the rows. First though the fence he put up around it had to be removed. It seems that thistle just loves his yard and we pulled up what we could and weed whacked the rest. 

Kris had started the patching on his stucco and we finished it off.

This is the table and a chair we brought up with us. Harvey worked on the old patio table we had. Some of it had rusted so Harvey sanded it down and filled some areas. Then he gave it a really good spray with some black paint we had in the basement. Turned out very well.

On Sunday we finished some more clean up of weeds and headed to Canadian Tire. There we found my chair covers and a light for our steps, plus of course found a few other items Kris needed like garden sheers, and Killex for weeds (really needs to do some spraying to get rid of those dang thistles). Once home again we used the sheers to cut down all the trees that were popping up in the side garden, down the fence line and from the garden just under the deck. Kris pulled the tiller out once again and gave the veggie garden another till while Harvey did some more thistle cutting and got rid of an old wooden walkway to his shed. 

Then after a bit of a rest sitting on the deck having a cold beer, I made (yes I said made) take a look in the rafters of the garage. There we found some soffit to finish off this house (there was quite a bit missing), and we found this bamboo blind. That blind was hung up to give him a bit more privacy on his deck. There are lots of interesting things still up there, some deck chairs, some cupboards, and what looks like some wood to build a few things. I also found metal siding under the deck which will help with the garage rehab. Less for him to purchase the better. We also found some bifold doors that I think go on the closets. 

All in all a very productive couple of days. Hopefully when we go and visit again we can find a few more things to help him get completed, like perhaps put on the bifold doors, and help with the installation of the soffit.

I would also like to find another bamboo blind for the other side of his deck. May have to haunt some garage sales.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Just A Quick Post

 Just a quick post to let you all know we are back. Now I have the fun of catching up on some household tasks.....

Also to let you all know that my internet keeps going in and out, plus our landline seems to not be working either. It was a bit scary this morning when we got up and there was no internet, which also meant no television. We can actually do without the landline, but no way can we go without WIFI as that runs our TV provider as well. 

We have a service call out and hopefully all will be back to normal by Thursday afternoon.

Posting pictures of our visit with Kris and the work we managed to get done in his yard (Harvey had fun mowing and weed whacking). I had fun finding things in the cubby above Kris's garage. Lots of useful things up there.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Off And Running

We will be heading out soon for our visit with Kris. I guess we will not be taking the blocks up (unless I can change Harvey's mind). But will be taking up many other items. Hopefully Kris will be home sometime in July and be able to take them back with him at that time.

Got to go and finish packing up the vehicle as we want to get away in just under an hour.

See you all when we get home.

Everybody have a wonderful weekend.

God bless

 

 It is that time of the week once again. Time to try and list my Frugal Friday happenings.

1.  This is the week we get our 2 week allowances. I was able to put $80.00 into my envelope savings. I also managed to add $10.40 to my change jars.

2.  While I was unable to totally dry the clothes out on the lines on Monday I did manage to get them out for a few hours, which cut down drying time in the dryer.

3.  Windows have been open most days to let in cooling breezes, however today the humidity makes that impossible so the A/C unit is on to cool things off.

4.  Making the most of leftovers by fashioning new meals and since it has been pretty warm one was a main dish salad instead of making a chicken casserole. 

5.  Used scraps of cardstock paper to make labels for the sewing/craft room.

6. And lastly used up another 2 1/2 skeins of yarn to make the second poncho. I also enlarged the pattern I wish to use to embroider the tablecloth. 

Everybody have a wonderful afternoon.

God bless.

Thrifty Thursday

 

I have been busy using things up here on the old homestead and am actually getting pretty darn good at it. 

When I shopped I pretty much stuck to my list, but since there were a few items I was unable to purchase bought some other items that were on sale and could be put in my pantry storage. 

Since there was no sandwich meat left at the sale price I skipped buying any at all. I will either make sandwich fillings or we can finish off leftovers of which I always have more than enough to satisfy the two of us.

I have used some radish and onion from the garden and soon will be harvesting some lettuce. 

Also making my own dressings and loving the taste and miniscule costs involved. 

Once again I have been saving elastics and twist ties from the produce I have bought.

Downloaded some free books onto my ereader, and used up a gift card to purchase a few (well all but $0.34 of it). 

Found my gift card to Bath and Body Works and will be using that to pick up a couple of scrubs and perhaps a body wash when we are in the city.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Mid Week Meanderings

 Since I had come into close contact with someone who had Covid I cancelled my appointment at the dentist last week and they remade it for today. Surprisingly at 8:30 this morning I got a phone call from the office asking if I could come in an hour earlier. Of course I said yes!!!! Getting a visit over with early is something wonderful in my books. I had a very bad experience as a child so going to the dentist is something I rather dread.

I made it home before this happened (though the skies were dark and the wind very strong when I went and when I left).

Yep the rain started almost as soon as I drove into the driveway and continued all afternoon until just a bit ago.

Not complaining as this gave me time to enjoy copious mugs of tea.

And an afternoon alternating between tidying/organizing my sewing/craft room and having some knitting in my lap.

I also managed to enlarge my embroidery pattern for the tablecloth and make it much darker so that I can trace it onto the fabric. 

All in all a very lovely and relaxing day.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Tuesday Tidbits

 

Well shopping ended up being rather spendy. I am amazed how much prices have risen in just a couple of weeks. I really shouldn't be as the price of gas has been rising almost every day. There are a few things that haven't risen yet which really surprises me as I would have thought those items would be the worst.

I had a lovely list made up with all the sale items I wanted to get, but to my surprise a few things were missing from the shelves. I did manage to get a bag of flour which will be put in the freezer and to make it even better it was on sale. Count me happy and if I would have had room in the cart I might have been tempted to purchase a second bag. 

I bought another basket at Walmart and it is holding three bags of yarn that were on the floor. Another small tidy up of the sewing/craft room. Still have a couple of bags that need to find a home though. Slowly, slowly between using up stash and working on reorganizing things are getting much tidier. A tidy room makes Jackie happy. Now if I just can control myself for a few more months......

I decided not to make the chicken casserole and instead will just warm the chicken up. Any leftover will be made into chicken salad and used in sandwiches for the rest of the week (sandwich meat was one of the items missing from the shelves this morning). 

Bills are all paid up, banking done, and I have started to gather items to take to Kris's. The more we can declutter here and help him out the better I feel. Since we no longer need the fans we have bought we will give a couple to him to use over the summer. Hopefully they will keep his house a bit cooler (well unless Harvey decides to buy him a portable air conditioner which Kris could consider a birthday gift or perhaps part of his Christmas gift). 

Off to get the table set and see what other mischief I can get up to. See you all later tonight.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Menu Monday

 It has been a dark and cloudy day here in Saskatchewan with rain falling off and on most of the day. At least I did not have to water my plants.

Onwards to this weeks menus.

Monday

What I call Cabbage Bread. It's bread dough buns filled with hamburger, onion, and of course cabbage.

Tuesday

Leftover chicken that I will probably make into a tetrazzini (will be enough leftover to freeze for another meal later on). Served with tossed salad.

Wednesday

Smoked sausages, fried leftover potatoes mixed with onion, and peas. There will be tossed salad left from the night before so I will serve that as well.

Thursday

Soup and sandwiches. 

Friday

Main dish tuna salad. I will really try and make a small one as we will be in Regina Saturday, Sunday and not home until Monday.

So this is all for this week. I know I will be taking some chicken breasts up to Kris's for him to BBQ. After all I do have to make an effort to keep his costs low and things are just so expensive right now. I may even take up some hamburger patties for Saturday night. He can supply the sides for both meals.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Sunday And A Little Trip Around the Garden

 Just a small trip around the baskets, and perennial bed at this the beginning of the growing season. More to come later.

Just two of the three very different begonias I am trying this year.

The cala lilies I have growing in one pot on my deck.

The Mandeville vine that I also have in a pot on my deck.

The impatience corner. This will eventually look like a blanket of flowers. I have a double in a basket above this but am babying it a bit as it seems to be having a bit of trouble getting started.

The fuchsia and New Guinea Impatience that I have hanging above a bed containing coleus.

One of two pots (I would like a third down here) on the side of the house that hold gerbera daisy and English ivy.

My hibiscus that is just covered in buds. Mind you they don't seem to last very long. 

My two lemon trees grown from seeds from store bought lemons. One is a bit wonky.

The columbine in the perennial bed which seems to have gotten a bit out of hand.

I bought just the lighter purple and white, but now have....

Pure white (sorry for the blurry picture).

Light purple and white.

Darker purple with no white.

And pure yellow. 

While I do love them I am going to have to make sure to either collect the seed and give it away, or cut blossoms off before they manage to go to seed.

So there is a very quick trip around the garden. The plants I didn't show you are too small right now, and my herbs are just starting to take off after being replanted. 

I will give you all another trip once things are growing even better. I have a canna lily on my deck as well as some calibrachoa so I will get pictures of those as well eventually. Will do the veggie garden a bit later as well.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Saturday Roundup

 

It has been a very quiet week here on the old homestead. Things have been completed, not many but at least the patterns have been cut out (if not sewn), the quilt strips are made and a pattern is taking shape in my mind, and one poncho is completed.

I have weeded the perennial bed as well as the bigger boxes, washed the cushions and dried them in the sun. 

I corralled the yarn and various project supplies into a basket in the living room (looks so much better by my chair now...actually look organized for a change).

Walked most mornings and again in the early afternoon. 

Today I downloaded some free ebooks, and used my gift card to buy a couple. I should have enough reading material to last for a bit now. I may just find a few more free books and I still have a bit left on the gift card... Perhaps a book on foraging?

Perhaps tomorrow I will share some pictures of the garden, not that much is happening out there, but my columbines are gorgeous and the hibiscus has lots of buds.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Frugal Friday

It has been a cooler, slightly misty day. A day where one wishes that it would rain and get it over with so the sun can come out. Yet I have managed a couple of short walks and enjoy a few cups of tea during the afternoon.

Still the weather is very conducive to being frugal as one does not want to be walking around shops and have a downpour. 

So what are my frugal five for this week....

1.  Windows open to keep the house cool instead of using the air conditioner. Harvey says he needs to flush the air conditioner out this year. I think he means wash it out.

2.  Using rain water for watering my plants.

3.  All leftovers are being eaten either as another big meal for the two of us, or at times a lunch for one of us.

4.  Making my own salad dressings. So easy, so much better tasting, and why on earth did I not do this before now I can not fathom.

5.  Found $0.95 around the house and a few coins while I was walking. Those have been added to the change jars.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.
 

Thrifty Thursday

 

I just can not believe it is Thursday already, another week almost gone. I wonder if because one gets older time seems to go by so much quicker? 

So what thrifty things have been taking place here on the old homestead?

1.  Trying my hand at making dandelion oil. Not sure how it will turn out, but considering all the dandelions at the end of the road something to make out of them.

2.  Using what I have to make prizes for the silent auction at the family reunion this summer. 

3.  I have been collecting cans and bottles when I am out walking. I take my picker upper and a bag with me. Probably collected close to $4.00 worth.

4.  While the initial output was high Harvey bought a beer kit (keeps him busy as well) which once ready to bottle will make twice as much beer as the initial cost. We do enjoy a cold brew after working outside most of the day. 

5.  Still combining trips to save on gas. I know this month will be a bit spendy on gas as we want to go and visit Kris, but overall we are keeping fuel usage down.

6.  Shopping once every two weeks is great for being thrifty. It makes a person use what they have.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Midweek Blahs

 

Wow we are almost into the second week of June. Time is moving along way too quickly. I wish it would slow down a bit, but of course summer always passes by much too quickly.

First off Maebeme, thank you so much for offering the bricks you have for DS's firepit project. I don't think they will work however, but your kindness is greatly appreciated. 

I have also done my last rapid test. It has been 5 days since I was around my friend and today once again I have tested negative. Guess I have dodged a bullet this time around. Must keep right on doing so.

Now on to why I have titled this post Midweek Blahs.

Yep, costs keep rising and things are beginning to add up exponentially. 

Fuel prices are ridiculous and will more than likely curtail lots of travel this year by not only us, but by a great many more Canadians. Not good for the economy at all, not good for hotels, cabins, gas stations, grocery stores and a whole host of other businesses. It almost feels like another stay close to home summer. 

Got the grocery fliers today and really  the new sale price on many items is the old regular price. I really worry about how young families and older people who are on fixed incomes are going to survive. Or how those like Kris who have just purchased their first home are going to be able to make the mortgage payments when the time comes to renew. 

With portfolio's taking a big hit over the last year or so even those of us with savings beyond our pensions might eventually be in a bit of trouble. 

Many farmers in our area are having trouble getting their crops seeded due to the wet conditions which will of course cause shortages. I plan on doing a bit more stocking up. I think I could put a bag of flour or two in the chest freezer. 

Still things can change. One of our GIC's actually got reinvested at the highest interest rate I have seen in a number of years. 

I have noticed more people offering free veggie starters on our Garage Sale sites, and I have noticed people offering more help to those in need even giving free items away that single mothers or those who have suffered a fire need. 

We can focus on on the negatives of what we are all facing, or we can figure out ways to rise above them much like our families did during the "Dirty Thirties". 

Instead of just existing and pinching pennies (oh don't get me wrong pinching pennies is still a big part of my life) we need to find ways to thrive and grow.

So perhaps my midweek blah's weren't so blah after all.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Tuesday Tidbits

 

A bit cooler today than yesterday and now finally the sun is beginning to peek through the clouds. 

Harvey has been busy out in the yard. He found an old table that he is working on. Getting all the rust off and then will probably paint it with Rustoleum and give it to Kris for his deck. 

We have actually been decluttering a few things from the sheds. So our next trip up to visit with Kris will include us bringing some unused bricks to start his firepit off, a bug zapper to hang up, and an axe that we bought when we forgot ours at home one year when we went to a cabin that allowed outdoor fires. Probably stick some seasoned wood in there as well. 

I have been going for long walks and staying away from as many people that I possibly can. Tomorrow before my hair appointment I will test for hopefully the last time. Still hoping for a negative result. After all this time of avoiding Covid19 there is no way I want to come down with it now.

On my walks I have been trying to find places where I can forage for fruit and or berries.

I found this lovely chokecherry tree just around the corner from us on the valley edge.

I used to pick here every year, but as the trees grew around it, the pickings became smaller and smaller. This year because some of the branches surrounding the bush have been cut down, it gets more sun and is covered in blossoms.

Then down the back alley I discovered this.

A fairly loaded Nanking cherry bush. The blossoms have all gone now, but it looks like this little plant could produce enough small cherries to make jelly. 

I will be watching these plants like a hawk. Must be able to pick before the birds decide to eat all of the berries or fruit.

I will continue my hunt for other trees and bushes that can be harvested.

Trying my hand at making some dandelion oil. I did learn one thing, when you think you have enough flowers definitely pick more. 

Now I am on the search for plantains, a weed here on the prairies. I would like to try my hand at a dandelion/plantain salve. 

I figure the more I can make on my own the better off we will be.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.