Help!!! It's the End of the Month. Panic Time

 

Deep breathing here to calm myself down. I just cannot fathom how I let the time get away from me so badly. I foresee some late nights or very early mornings in the future. I am still hopeful about getting most things completed. Perhaps not the sewing of the Christmas outfit (could be a Christmas Eve thing) but I am going to try. 

I actually went out into the community three times this week. Monday, I tried to purchase those items I couldn't find on Sunday. Managed to get everything but the Christmas ham (ham this year and not turkey I hope, could change though). Ham is not on sale next week but that is not a shopping week any way. 

Tuesday, we went for our haircuts. 

Wednesday (today) I had to go out and get our prescriptions and pick up some rub for my neck and shoulder. 

Hopefully, now I can stay home and get things done. I also hope that I don't get sick. So many in the city are getting the flu, the newest Covid infection or just really bad colds. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Tuesday Tidbits

 

No pictures today as it has been pretty dreary here so I am pretty sure the lighting would have been off. I have been working on the quilt though and managed to get 3 of the 6 strips of 9-patch blocks sewn together. My neck and shoulder started giving me grief, even after resting between mad bouts of sewing and pinning. I have everything ready for another marathon sewing spree tomorrow. 

We went and got our haircuts today. Man, that is getting costly. I am so tempted to learn how to cut my own and Harvey's hair. I do love how Brook does both our hair and she always tries to fit us in as soon as she can. It was actually an enjoyable session today as I also got to talk to another one of my "girls". My goodness I love the way that they have all grown up. 

It has been snowy and blowy the past couple of days. Lots of fairly deep drifts on various corners and other points on the streets of the city. A taste of the usual prairie winter before the real winter hits. I just hope that the weather is nice so that Kurt and Kris can get home for Christmas. If Kris had more bedrooms or places to sleep, I would suggest we meet there. 

Speaking of Kris, he harvested his first lettuce this week.

A pretty darn good harvest and considering the cost of lettuce right now perhaps a pretty darn good savings.

Off to visit all of you after getting the table set for supper. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Menu Monday

 

It is a miserable, snowy, blowy day here in my corner of Saskatchewan. We are actually getting a drift across the bottom of the driveway. Hopefully things die down soon so we can dig our way out. Tomorrow, we get our haircuts so getting in and out of the driveway is a must. 

Here are this week's menus, using up what we have and stretching meals as much as we can. 

Monday

Stuffed Chicken, leftover roasted potatoes fried with onions, and the remaining salad from last night.

Tuesday

One of the bags of leftover pork from Sunday. Not sure what I will make, but probably a casserole. I will serve with another salad. 

Wednesday

Soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. I will pull out the Cream of Celery soup from the freezer downstairs.

Thursday

I am going to try my hand at making BBQ meatballs. They will more than likely turn out a bit more like my Tangy Meatball recipe. Serving them with rice and the salad from Tuesday. I am going to make extra for a quick meal later in December.

Friday

Harvey will need to forage as I am pretty sure the supper for Bible study leaders will be that night. We shall see. If it isn't I will make scrambled eggs, and toast. 

Saturday

Sausage casserole, which will use up some of the carrots and give us another meal later in the upcoming week.

Sunday 

Roast chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Sunday Ramblings

 I have not had the best of days. Sitting on a hard pew with no way of taking the pressure off my back is something I can't enjoy. I think I may start taking a small pillow to church just for that purpose. It would probably make it much easier to pay attention to the sermon.

Once home and after a quick breakfast/lunch I headed out shopping. Walmart was not crowded so I got everything I needed very quickly. However, I did have to search for the bacon that was on sale. 

My next stop was my grocery store. First, they did not have all the sale items I was looking for. Which means I will probably need to make another trip to get what I want... This from a person who only likes shopping once every two weeks and is terrified of bringing some disease home that could cause Harvey problems. The second problem was that all the card machines were down, and the store did not warn people as they came in. I ended up leaving my cart and running to the bank to get cash.... Always a bit of a problem as one really never knows exactly what something is going to cost. I got close though and the extra will be used for our allowances this week. The bad thing is no money back on what I purchased as there would be if I had used my Visa. 

Once home with all put away I started on my rug project. I did manage to finish off the stripe and actually get about halfway through the next. I plan on finishing that one tonight instead of knitting. I am going to have to take a break from that as it is getting heavy and lifting it from the floor has caused a problem with my shoulder. I will need to rest the shoulder a bit. I hope to get back to it soon. 

The next couple of days will be spent working on the quilt, doing Christmas cards, and perhaps trying to get a bit of baking done. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Saturday Roundup

 No pictures today of how far I have gotten on various projects. Hopefully tomorrow.

Today will be more of a roundup of a few frugal tips and tricks that we use around the Phillips Homestead.

All of us are concerned about rising costs (inflation) and perhaps a depression occurring. 

Those of us that have been frugal and thrifty are perhaps a bit more ready if things get bad, but many (I know lots of people that are still spending on extras and then complaining they have no money in the bank) are not thinking ahead to what may occur. My friend and her Hubby are in this category. Complain about rising prices, say they don't have the money but buy it any way on credit or on their line of credit with the bank. 

So, what are the frugal tips we use here on the homestead and use all the time. More will be shared later.

1.  We grow most of our own herbs and vegetables. Slowly adding various fruits to the garden and yard. 

2.  I have started to cook more meatless meals (or use very little meat as in soups).

3.  I have always cooked from scratch. Very little comes from a mix. Can't remember when I made Kraft Dinner from a box, I started making my own many years ago.

4.  I freeze, can or dehydrate all that I can.

5.  I am learning how to forage and slowly gaining experience in this area.

6.  Save bacon grease to cook with. It adds a unique flavour to whatever you cook.

7. Use your leftovers. Learning to use everything really stretches those grocery dollars.

8.  Use older fruit to make jams and jellies.

9.  Layer up rather than turn up the heat. Add blankets to the bed at night.

10.  Use bread bags, hand towels and the waxed paper like holders in cereal boxes to wrap things up. I also use beeswax covers that I made a few years ago.

11.  Mend your clothing. 

12.  Wear clothing more than one day.

13.  In warmer weather collect rainwater to use to water the gardens.

14.  Compost all that you can to add nutrients to the garden.

15.  Save your scraps from clothes to wood. You never know when and how you can reuse something.  I always remove zipper, buttons and snaps from clothing that I am going to cut up into reusable fabric or rags.

16.  Any old blankets are used as the middle of quilts. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless. 

Frugal Friday

 

I hope you all have had a lovely and frugal week. Mine has been pretty darn good as far as I can tell.

Now what frugal happenings have been going on here on the old homestead.

1.  I don't remember if I have said this before, but I found out that I could use bubble bath as handwash. Lovely as I don't have to give away or discard something that if I use it in the bath causes me problems. I also have the chance to use up a bit more of those extra tubes of hand cream. I always cut them open to get the last little bit. Winter weather is very drying to my hands.

2.  Drapes have been opened during the sunny portions of each day. Allows us to keep the lights off for a longer period of time. Also the solar heat keeps the furnace from running.

3.  No shopping this week. That means I only used the vehicle to go to Bible study this week. It also means I get to shop the pantry and fridge for meal prep.

4.  Walking outside at least twice a day for free exercise.

5.  Harvey fixed his saw yesterday. The switch had gone, so he pulled the electrical panel off and got the switch working once again. He also managed to make what he calls a hot box. This will be used on cold days to get our snowblower up and working. It was made with bits and bobs from his workroom. However he now says he is running out of materials. 

So that are the bigger things I can remember. I may have to start writing things down. 

As prices rise in the grocery area, heating, and lighting changes are going to need to happen in our budget. When Harvey gets my Excell sheets ready for next year. I will be going through them with a fine tooth comb I am sure there are areas of savings I am missing. This isn't really necessary as of yet, but I am taking this on like a game. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty Thursday

 

Another thrifty week has drawn to a close. Things are moving along nicely, but I am still a bit worried about getting all done. I will try my best though.

What thrifty things have I been up to this week.

1.  Using up scraps of fabric in both the rug and the quilt. I have also been using up the odd spools of thread on the quilt (same could be said for the bobbins as well). 

2.  Using up everything I can in the fridge and fridge freezer in order to make room for the Christmas leftovers.

3.  Fixed two buttons on a shirt. Got to love those button jars at times like this.

4.  Making extra food to freeze during those busy nights coming up very soon.

5.  Enjoying free TV using my minicomputer attached to the television. 

6.  Reading a free book on my ereader. Planning to download a few more very soon.

7.  Making another bits and bobs knitted blanket.

Probably many more, but that is all I can think of right now. Still every little thrifty savings helps in the long run. Things add up over time and every little bit of thrifty happenings makes me very happy, and contented. Most times it also means a clearing out of items so decluttering happening as well.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Questions & Answers Plus a Couple of Pictures

 

It's Wednesday and time to answer any questions I have been asked over the last week.

I was asked what kind of rotary cutter I used. Well, I use a Fiskars, that seems to work the best for me. I have tried a few others and they just do not cut as well. 

Only one question this week so I thought I would show you all a few pictures of what I accomplished today.

I managed to get the center three small squares of 8 more blocks sewn. I them moved on to some pinning.

Enough of the denim squares pinned to finish off the 8 blocks. 

I have been working on the rug, but not getting as much done as I had hoped. Barely got one more stripe done.

Christmas is coming much too quickly so I need to ramp things up a bit. Still have cards to do, and of course the baking that the guys expect. Wish me luck!!!

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless 

Tuesday Tidbits

 

Just a quick post tonight. It has been a very quiet day. The sun shone, things melted a bit, and I stuck pretty close to home. 

By sticking close to home, I managed to get a few things completed. Not only were all the household chores completed in record time, but I also even managed a bit of work on various projects and baked some pies to use as dessert this week. 

Pinned the centers of the 9-patch blocks which I will quickly sew together tomorrow, and perhaps even get the jean portions finished on a few of them (well at least pinned and ready to sew). I did another strip on the rug and gathered the strips for the next two rows. Some had to be cut a bit more before being able to use them. I am hopeful of getting more than one row done tomorrow. 

I pulled fabric to cut two more patterns out and some of the leftover scraps will be used in the rug. 

I read three chapters of my Bible study and hope to finish that reading tomorrow. 

My finger is feeling much better, though I have to keep a band aid on it so that the cut does not catch on any little thing I am working on. Hopefully tomorrow it will be healed enough to remove. 

No visiting tonight, but I plan on visiting you all early tomorrow morning.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Menu Monday

 

A few switches in this week's menu plans. Nothing big, just changing a few days around in order to use things up.

Monday

Honey Garlic Sausage and baked beans. Served with homemade bread.

Tuesday

Leftover Butter Chicken on leftover rice. I think that this time I will use up the broccoli in the crisper.

Wednesday

Chili and toast.

Thursday

I plan on using up the leftover roast beef, and the beef broth and making soup. I will make grilled cheese sandwiches as well. The leftover soup will be frozen in containers to use at another time.

Friday

Perogies, sour cream, and fried onions.

Saturday

Leftover Chili, this time over pasta.

Sunday

Roast pork, roasted potatoes, and roasted carrots. 

So, I will have used up some leftovers in the fridge as well as some things in the crisper. Also clearing out a bit more in the freezer.

I need to think of some kind of dessert for the rest of the week and will do so tomorrow.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Sunday Ramblings

 

It has been a very quiet weekend all told. I think we are beginning to move into the nesting phase or perhaps hibernation. 

I really did not get much done the last couple of days on my projects. Most was completed at the beginning of the week. Now that the back is feeling much better, I started to work a bit harder at the cutting table. Perhaps not the best idea to work for 3 or 4 hours straight doing the same thing over and over,

For the first time ever, this happened.

I have never cut myself with my rotary cutter, but I guess there is always a first time. I haven't even looked to see how bad it is, just quickly threw on some band aids and hoped for the best. I see by the picture that there has been some bleeding through.... I still hopeful that I can get the remaining fabric cut into those strips and the sashing cut for the quilt. I had planned on cutting out a pattern, but that will need to wait until tomorrow.

Oh yeah, and I managed to cut myself with a knife as well. Guess that today was not a great day for me to be using sharp items.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Saturday Roundup

 

Hello from snowy Estevan, Saskatchewan. But the sun is shining and the temperatures are not too bad. 

I am pretty much over the back pain, but because of it I think I developed a lovely headache for most of last night and today. Still with the help of Tylenol I have kept it pretty much at bay.

I managed to cut out another dress pattern, some strips for the rug and did a few finishing touches on my various projects.

Here is the knitted blanket for Kurt's friend. All ends now woven in.

Not sure if this was the best yarn choice, but it is what it is.

I made more blocks as well this week. The pile more than doubled.

I have figured out how many more I need so will get those done over the next few days. I am hoping to cut the sashing tomorrow or the next day. 

And here is the rug. Slowly growing and getting even more colourful. I do hope Kurt likes it. Man, it is heavy. 

I processed the last of the pumpkins today as well. 

Tomorrow, I hope to not only get the sashing cut, but even more strips and perhaps another top or dress. Thus, giving me yet more knit fabric to make strips of a different colour.

I may just actually get all done before Christmas with luck and if I stick close to home. 

I ordered myself a bit of a gift. I used points from Neilson HomeScan to order myself some Kobo gift cards. I didn't use all my points but enough to get me three $25.00 cards. Should keep me in books for the next year as when I purchase any I wait for a great sale. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Frugal Friday

 

So sorry for missing Thrifty Thursday yesterday, but I was exhausted, and my back was spasming with pain. After Bible study I made supper, crawled into a bath and then went to bed. Today, I have residual pain, but nothing like what I had yesterday.

So, what frugal things have been happening on the old Phillips homestead.

1.  Harvey replaced the wiring on the stove and so far, things are working. Our appliance guy (who is a friend from the small village Harvey grew up in) called to see if things had worked out, he would have come if there had been a problem. So far have saved that cost..00

2.  Put $3.35 in the change jars. I also added another $70 to my savings envelope.

3.  Still using some appliances to cook meals. Hopefully saving on electrical costs.

4.  Reading free books on my ereader (or ones I have purchased with points and gift certificates). 

5.  Using up bits and bobs of yarn knitting blankets. The same goes for knit fabric scraps on the rug.

6.  I will be sewing my Christmas outfit, have the pieces ready to cut out on some fabric I bought on deep discount.

7.  I had some of the ice cleats work their way out of my cleats. Harvey realized that they were nails that had been cut off and inserted and so is fixing them for me. The ones I bought last year were fairly expensive so fixing them is saving me some cash and will make walking on ice easier once again.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Midweek Notions

 

Okay, I really am trying to stay calm, but things are getting away from me quite quickly. 

After about 3 hours of sewing (my back started to pain me about then) I only managed to get another 8 blocks done. I need at least another 14 and then there is the sashing, borders, and binding to do. Not to mention the quilting....

Then there is the rug. I think I might just be 1/3 of the way done, but there is much more to do. 

Help!!!!! I foresee some late nights ahead.

Of course, add into this Christmas baking, tree decorating, cards (both making and getting out) and I am sure that there is really not enough time left at all.  Once again I left things a bit too late. 

Harvey managed to get the wiring fixed on the oven and it seems to be working. He is going to order an element just in case. Still, I have found that lots can be made in my toaster oven or other appliances. In fact, in some cases I prefer using the appliance over the oven. I will see how much more I can do and probably save a bit of energy at the same time.

I was asked to share any recipes I use from that old home remedy book and will do so. The first I think I am going to try is a cough/sore throat remedy, and then a lozenges recipe. Going to set a day next week to get some things in that area done and some bath products made as well. Dang, I keep adding to the to do list....

Off to get supper on the table, the oven seemed to work just fine. Tonight, I was using up some leftover spaghetti and meat sauce making baked spaghetti. Wasn't sure if Hubby would have the oven working so no garlic bread. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Tuesday Tidbits

 

Well, still no oven and our regular appliance repair guy told Harvey that he could probably change the burnt-out wire himself. So that is what is in the plan for his tomorrow. Hopefully it did not affect the element.

I did however find a small cookie sheet in my hoarded baking things that will fit the toaster oven. It means that perhaps I can do some cookies after all. Just not my double batches (usually what I do). This is only if we need to wait for a new element to be ordered and arrive.

I have been working on the rug, cutting out a few dress patterns, and have actually cast on another Bits and Bobs knitted blanket. I am determined to use up all that I can before purchasing more. Strangely it seems to be a never ending task.

We got our money from the government of Saskatchewan today (or it could have been yesterday as I did not go and pick up the mail). It is a nice sum as both of us got a cheque as both of us fill out income tax forms. 

It has been snowing off and on this evening, and from what the weather people are saying will continue to do this for a while. I am glad that I will only need to go out on Thursday for Bible study and to drop off/pick up my car once the tires are changed. Much rather be safe and sound at home.

I am having fun looking at the Home Remedy book. Lots of interesting things to try, and I actually have most of the ingredients here at home. I do think that I just might have to give the sore throat and cough recipes a go. 

Hope to have some pictures for you all tomorrow. Perhaps you all will be able to see how far I have come on the rug, and since tomorrow is going to be a sewing day more blocks for Kris's quilt will be made. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Menu Monday

 

I had to change my menu for this past Sunday....Can you believe I actually ran out of whole chickens!!! Hopefully there are some for sale this week. So instead, I made a beef roast in the slow cooker. Was it ever good. There are a few slices left for a meal later on and that package is residing in the fridge freezer.

Monday

Spaghetti and meat sauce. 

Tuesday

A container of Eggplant Parma from the fridge freezer.

Wednesday

Baked spaghetti. Perhaps served with some garlic bread.

Thursday

Pork chops, mashed potatoes, and green beans.

Friday

Pancakes, or breakfast for supper.

Saturday

Leftover Baked Spaghetti, and more garlic gread.

Sunday

Roast chicken, roasted carrots, and roasted potatoes.

The carcass of the chicken will be saved to use the next time I make stock/broth. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Sunday Ramblings

 

As the weather gets colder, and the snow keeps coming (not as bad as some corners of my province as of yet), I started to think about home remedies. 

I can remember my mom using milk poultices to help pull out a sliver that she couldn't get out with a sterile pin and tweezers or giving us tea with honey and lemon for a sore throat. It got me thinking about a book my dad gave me once when he came to visit. I just had to go and look for it in the bookcase.

Wow, such wonderful recipes that have worked through the ages. Things from facial scrubs to sleep aids. All made from natural products like honey and herbs. Those are in the first part of the book. It goes on to cooking with honey. Bread, veggie, and main dish recipes galore. 

It then moves into using garlic.... Most of the home remedies sound a bit farfetched to me, but some sound very interesting. Lots are for usage outside to control pests. Then the book moves on to recipes for breads, veggies, and main dishes.

The last section of the book is using various types of vinegar for cleaning purposes and making personal care products. Of course, part of the chapter is once again recipes like salad dressings, pickling recipes, various vinegar recipes and even a few soup and main dish recipes. 

The last chapter in the book is about nutrition and what is known as super foods. 

Lots for me to check into, lots that could be put to good use to try and take care of minor ailments. I can see me using some of the recipes over this winter. I am also going to do a search online to see what I can find to make lozenges and cough medicines.

Don't worry if things get too bad, I will definitely visit a physician. But there is no harm in trying something different. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Saturday Roundup

 

Nothing really completed this week, though I have really been working on projects. Hopefully by next Saturday I will have some projects finished or at least enough done so a person can see a difference. 

The oven is toast. Harvey cannot fix it and so we will be phoning Bill on Monday to see if there is anything he can do. Still, I am grateful that I have the appliances that I do so as to be able to continue cooking meals for us. I am hoping that it can be fixed, and we don't need to purchase another. Just too close to Christmas and with only a 7-year-old range not really happy about that. I use my oven at least 3 or 4 times a week so I am missing it a great deal.

I am loving the blocks under the legs of the cutting table. So much easier under my back. I actually am enjoying cutting the strips for the rug. I can only imagine how easy on my back it will be to cut out patterns, which I will need to do in a few days. Just to add another colour of knit fabric to use in the rug. I also need to cut out my Christmas dress. 

My shopping list is made for next week and it is a big one. The weather pundits have been pushing that it is going to be a long, cold and snowy winter and I really want to be prepared for that. With prices rising this could be a difficult stock up, but I hopefully can find enough things on sale or at reduced prices. I am hoping that I can keep other costs fairly low or below what we have budgeted for. There are always small ways to save cash and I am going to use them to do so. 

Probably the best way to save cash is to use up everything we possibly can and make some substitutions for things that we can. 

I gave Kurt and Kris some of the knitted blankets and each of them a quilt as well. I plan on using up more of the bits and bobs to make even more over the next year. I like having enough blankets and such to keep us warm if the power goes out, which can happen in our storms here on the prairies.  

I have enough points to get gift cards to purchase reading material to last for a while. I purchase those books that my library will never get. I also download lots of free reading materials as well. 

Heck blogs and reading on the internet keeps me informed and there are enough free patterns to keep me busy for at least 100 years when you add in my own craft books. 

I think that we will be able survive any downturn in the economy and hopefully be able to actually thrive. I am sure all of you will as well. Keep on living frugally and mindfully.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Frugal Friday

 Well, no working oven as of yet. What worked last time did not help at all this time. Harvey wants to take the back off tomorrow and see what is happening, if wires are touching. This means we will be phoning Bill probably on Monday. Hopefully he can find out what is wrong and can fix it quickly. 

Until the time it is fixed appliance cooking will be the norm and no cookie making or cinnamon rolls unless I want to spend hours doing them. 

So, what frugal things have I been up to this week.

1.  Only one spend day this week and that was purchasing fuel on our way home.

2.  Used up all leftovers in other meals or in some cases for lunch.

3.  Instead of going and buying donuts or some other dessert I made a chocolate cake for our desserts this week.

4.  Hung two full loads and one partial load on the clotheslines downstairs. 

5.  Rinsed out the bath gel bottle and got another use out of it. 

6.  The best one yet. I mentioned to Harvey that bending over the cutting table causes my back a bit of strain. At first, he was looking online for raising it, but all of a sudden, he disappeared downstairs to his work room. From his stash of small pieces of wood, he fashioned blocks that the legs of my table fit in and those blocks raise the cutting table about 4". Just perfect!!! And they didn't cost a cent.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Thrifty Thursday

 

Another week has gone by between Thursdays. My goodness, time is speeding right by. Days are getting shorter, and nights longer. Time to enjoy the peace and tranquility of our homes. Hope all of you managed to get the winterization of your yards and houses completed.

So, what thrifty practices have taken place on the old homestead over the past seven days.

I have been trying to do more appliance cooking this past week, and now that the oven has gone once again on vacation, I can see myself using other means of cooking for a while. Harvey is going to check things out once again and try something else to see if he can fix it.

I have cooked once and eaten twice once so far this week.

Using up those pesky bags of leftover meats in the fridge freezer. 

Darned a pair of gloves, I should get one more year of wear out of them.

When we were in Regina, I managed to purchase everything on sale which saved us quite a bit of cash.

Processed another three pumpkins before the oven went kaput.

Maebeme, I bought my rug backing at Fabricland. The first one I had purchased at Walmart years ago. They no longer seem to have it in mine here in Estevan. I am pretty sure you could use yarn to make a rug. You might have to use more than one strand in each square, but it is very doable. I actually have some pieces left from this last purchase and will try that for the next rug.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Mid-Week Once Again

 

I thought that perhaps from now on I would use Wednesdays to answer questions that you all have asked me. I am hoping that by doing so I can more easily remember to answer them.

First off Ms. Goose asked if it was a Nintendo Switch that Kris was charging in the picture. Yes, it was. I sent him a text and asked him how he was charging it without using the dock. Here is what he told me. He uses the cord that you would use to charge it in the dock. You connect that cord directly into the Switches usb-c. He then plugs the other end into his handy dandy usb dock located in his end table. That usb dock is somehow plugged into the wall kind of like a phone charger. Hope that helps.

Jenny asked how I make the rugs out of knit fabric scraps. Well I cut 5" wide bands of fabric (most of my scraps are fairly large) and then cut those down to 1/2" long pieces. I use rug hooking backing like this,

to pull those 5" x 1/2" strips through and then tie them twice. Each small square gets a knotted strip. Takes a great deal of time and patience to get them through and tied. I go down one side of the white thread and up the other side in each and every square. I hope I managed to explain it well enough. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Tuesday Tidbits

 

Today was a warmer day and things even began to melt a little bit. I know that tomorrow morning the puddles will once again be frozen, but it was nice to see the sun for a few hours.

Today I thought I would share a few pictures of what I purchased in Regina while we were up there.

Remember I said that I needed to purchase some more knit fabric as there was no way I would have enough to finish the rug for Kurt. Well, this is what I managed to find on sale, and hopefully with the addition of some more scraps from cutting out patterns I will be able to finish it off. The great thing about this pile was everything was 40 or 50 percent off. Got to love a good sale.

This is what that pile looks like now.

All cut into 5" wide bands which will be cut down further into 2" wide strips (those will be cut down even more). Hmmm, perhaps I should just try and cut them down into the 1/2 " wide strips I use. Might save a bit of time and that is what my sewing time will be tomorrow.

Knit fabric to make myself two more dresses for winter wear. Of course, the only colour that is true is the blue. The other is kind of a rusty burgundy.

I picked up some on sale yarn to try and get some baby shawls made for the church at some point and of course some DMC threads for cross stitching. I was running low on these colours.

I then decided that while my computer was doing another update I would dig through my quilt squares to see if I could find more along the cord fabric line. I think I might run a bit short and so was happy to find a few more. I will have to cut some down smaller but that's fine.

It is answering questions day tomorrow so if you have any let me know.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Menu Monday

 

Well, we made it home today. The roads out of Regina up until Weyburn were not really that nice. In the beginning they were icy in places and then later at the correction line they became slushy with ice underneath. Still, we took our time and made it through. Then from Weyburn to Estevan it was clear sailing. We made it home by about noon (3 hours travel time) and about 1 1/2 hours before the snow and wind hit here. 

It is nice to be home and be able to work on things around the house (mainly getting the fabric I bought ready for making strips). 

So now I will share the menu for the week with all of you. A few slight changes since Sunday's meal is today.

Monday

Smoked sausage, salad and fries.

Tuesday

Leftover pork roast made into a casserole (going to be another cold day) and the remains of the salad.

Wednesday

Chicken thighs, rice and peas.

Thursday

Soup and sandwiches. I think I will pull out a container of Cream of Celery Soup from the freezer. Sandwich wise I am thinking Tuna Melts.

Friday

Fish Fillets, rice and mixed veggies.

Saturday

Leftover pork casserole and some coleslaw.

Sunday

Roast chicken, roast potatoes, roast carrots.

Using a bit more up from the fridge freezer, but of course with the roast chicken I will be adding to it once again. Seems like this is an ongoing circle.

I hope to visit you all tonight.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.