Oh dear, by the time I gathered the energy to come on here it is late and time for me to make supper. My energy seems to come and go. I felt good enough for a bit of a walk down the street this morning, but once home I just collapsed. I did manage to call my brother, and input the budget figures but that is about it for the days tasks.
I hope to pay you all a visit yet today.
In the meantime.....
God bless.
Well, I am feeling a bit better now, but after days and days of really doing very little, I tire out so very easily. I will do a couple of small chores and then need to rest. I am also not sleeping very well which could be part of the problem.
No pictures of Christmas gift opening, or us all together and having a wonderful meal (that tired me out, even with Kurt and Kris helping). I think Kris took a few so I will ask him to email them to me or send them via attachment to a text.
The boys loved their gifts, and Harvey was quite shocked to uncover a pair of pajama bottoms from me. He kept wondering when I sewed them as he hadn't seen me doing so. Sneaky person that I am.
It is quiet now as Kurt left on Wednesday to spend some time with a friend north of Regina, and Kris left today. Both took a very long time to reach where they were going as the roads are very icy.
I am off to have a bit of a rest before I pull some leftovers out of the fridge. I think we might be having lots of those over the next while.
Hope to visit you all later. If I don't I will be around to visit in the morning.
Everybody have a wonderful evening.
God bless.
All is quiet here this morning, we got more snow overnight and it is still gently falling. Temperatures are warmer and my cough is a bit looser. Still not feeling very well, so I will not be attending the family get together this evening. Harvey might go for a bit just so he can see his brothers and which ever sisters show up.
I am going to finish this coffee and head to the couch for a lay down. Both Kris and Kurt are pretty shocked to see me laying down for a rest. It isn't something I normally do.
Wishing you all the best on this wonderful day.
God bless.
I am taking a couple of days off from blogging so I can get my preparations completed for Kurt's and Kris's arrival. So much to do, mostly outside as we got more snow, but a little bit inside as well. Being ill has really put me behind on the festive side of the equation.
Probably back on Saturday.
Everybody have a wonderful evening.
God bless.
I headed out at a relatively early hour to do my shopping hoping that it would warm up a tiny bit. It did by 10 am it had reached a balmy -32C up a whole degree from what it was at 7 am. So I bravely made my way out and got the shopping done, hopefully, for the next two weeks. I may have to venture out later next week to purchase more milk, but I did purchase extra.
After the shopping trip and getting things away I was soooo tired. I ended up parking my behind on my chair, knitting in hand and started watching Trauma on BritBox and now I am watching a lady frugally help people redo their homes. Shabby chic, or retro. Seems to be interesting to say the least.
Thought I would share a few pictures today.
I have decided to get all the baking done before I sew myself something for Christmas. This could mean me doing so on Christmas Eve, but what will be will be.
Everybody have a wonderful evening.
God bless.
I think I tired myself out today. Not that I did much, but I did do more than I have over the past few days.
Posting my menus for this week and visiting all of you will have to wait until tomorrow morning. I will hit a hot tub and crawl into bed. Harvey isn't much better as even though we are not testing positive any longer he has a leftover cough, and of course there is no cough medicine available in the city.
Monday
Leftover pork stir fry to help get rid of some bits and bobs in the crisper.
Tuesday
Cabbage bread from the freezer. A quick and easy meal for me.
Wednesday
Clean out the fridge. This will be the remainder of the stir fry and probably the salmon patty unless I have that for lunch on Tuesday.
Thursday
Soup and sandwiches. Probably Cream of Mushroom and grilled cheese sandwiches.
Friday
Pancakes.
Saturday
Lasagna, salad and garlic bread.
Sunday
Ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, salad and pie for dessert. A bit more relaxed than my usual holiday meals.
See you all tomorrow.
Everybody have a wonderful evening.
God bless.
Both Harvey and I are doing so much better, not that the symptoms were really bad to begin with. Tomorrow we will test and see if we are now negative.
I have managed to get lots of work done between bouts of resting (falling asleep in my chair for probably 15 minutes at a time). The quilt is done, and I have even managed to get a bit more baking done. Well, just two pans of squares done today and hopefully some peanut brittle done tonight (or another pan of squares).
I am still without an oven, but I am hoping that Harvey gets it together next week. I want to bake cookies and having a working oven would make that so much easier. Pretty sure I will get the pies done early this week as well. Just in case.
If I manage to get all the baking done (keep your fingers crossed for me), I may try and sew myself something new for Christmas. I have a lovely ice grey sweater knit top cut out and I think I have some darker grey fabric that I could make a skirt from. Neither would take a great deal of time to sew.
I am using up more of the bits and bobs of yarn in the basket beside my chair. I cast on yesterday evening and have almost finished the first ball on my next Bits and Bobs knit blanket. It seems as if the yarn just keeps on appearing.
Our neighbour's fiancé cleared the road in front of our house last night which helped us out so much. Now Harvey only has to clean the driveway out. Which could be an ongoing project as every day for the next little while we are supposed to get some snow. It sure is going to be a White Christmas around here.
My grocery list is ready for early in the week. I will be wearing my N95 mask and picking up a few more. I only did not wear a mask once when shopping and look what happened. I will be purchasing lots of items as the boys are home (means I will need lots of milk), and there are some really cold days coming up. I hate going shopping when it is really cold out.
Supper tonight is going to be a roast pork loin, roasted potatoes, and roasted carrots. I hope to add some raw veggies and dip to the menu as well. Cleaning out the fridge to make room for those Christmas purchases.
Everybody have a wonderful evening.
God bless.
I did not feel in the least unwell, but Harvey was extremely tired and had a sore throat. Yours truly as a joke really said, "Let's test for Covid." So we did.
I was very surprised that the tests came out positive. So we are taking it very easy. Harvey switched his doctor's appointment to next week and the snow removal is going very slowly so he does not wear himself out.
Today I am tired, and have a bit of a headache. I will take another dose of Tylenol and drink lots of water.
It is at times like this I am very glad that I menu plan and have a good stock of food in the house. We may run out of milk before I can go shopping, but we have iced tea, lemonade, orange juice, coffee and tea to use.
Off to go to bed. Hopefully I will be able to visit you all tomorrow morning. Mornings seem to be my best times, by the afternoon all I want to do is sleep.
Everybody have a wonderful evening.
God bless.
Well the Colorado low arrived last night and while the snow stopped for about 7 hours, it is falling once again. Heavier than before if I am any judge. We moved about 3 inches earlier today and will probably be removing even more the next time we venture out when it stops. I do love how nice and white everything looks and how the snow deadens the sounds of traffic. I don't like shoveling or snow blowing it off the driveway or sidewalks.
I am pushing myself to get this quilt finished. Just a bit more simple quilting (and I mean very simple) and then I can get the borders started. Keeping my fingers crossed that I will be finished by mid Friday. I have set it aside for the remainder of today as it is getting dark and I am getting tired. More prone to make mistakes when that happens.
Harvey is not feeling well. He says he has the chills, and a sore throat. Also very tired (part of that tiredness could be from all the shoveling he did this morning). I hope it isn't anything too serious.
That is pretty much all the news from here. Off to spend a bit of time with you all before I get setting the table and supper started.
Everybody have a wonderful evening.
God bless.
Kris sent me a picture of the hanging strawberry plant he brought in. Seems that this morning it decided to blossom. I told him that at least he knows it is still alive and perhaps able to survive until he puts it out next spring.
I am working away on the quilt and things are moving right along. My decision not to jump between projects seems to be working so far. I am hopeful that the binding will be on and finished by Friday.
Baking in earnest will begin once the quilt is done. I may have to cut back a little, but I still should get a good selection of treats made.
My back feels pretty good right now. It only bothers me if I sit for an extended period of time. That means I get up and move around quite often even if it is only for a few minutes.
I have decided to try something next year. I have always been frugal, sometimes more than others, but this coming year I am going to see how well I can do on a Buy Nothing New challenge. The only new items I will allow myself are flowers for the garden (don't count veggies as that is Harv's baby), new runners/sneakers, and any item I might need to make a gift. I may add fabric for clothing in as I need to make some capris and shorts for the summer and I am not sure if I have enough to do so. Could be lucky and able to pick up what I need second hand or at a garage sale. I am calling it my "Frugal Like Never Before" challenge.
Off to get supper on the table and perhaps visit a few of you before I do so.
Everybody have a wonderful evening.
God bless.
Monday
Leftover ham made into a casserole. We will finish off the salad as well.
Tuesday
Roast beef, roast carrots, roasted potatoes.
Wednesday
Eggplant Parma.
Thursday
Leftover ham casserole. Probably green beans as a side.
Friday
Salmon Patties, if there are leftover potatoes from the roast I will fry them up. I will more than likely make corn niblets as well.
Saturday
Hot Beef Sandwiches, fries, and coleslaw.
Sunday
Roast pork, roasted potatoes and if there are carrots left I will roast those as well.
We are supposed to be having miserable weather over the week and maybe even power outages. Things might be changing on a dime.
Everybody have a wonderful evening.
God bless.
On one of my walks I decided after three days of not picking up the mail, perhaps it would be a good idea to do so.
I opened the box, and it was stuffed to the top. I had forgotten about the patterns I ordered and those took up quite a bit of room.
I also finished the rug!!!!
Now I get to work on the quilt every day for most of the day. This should enable me to finish that project before Christmas. I am doing a very simple quilting on it. It looks pretty rustic so a rustic quilting is just the thing. Actually I am not a very good hand quilter so easy is best for me. I am enjoying the process though.
I don't really feel tip top the last little while, my back is causing me grief, more so today. That could be because the weather is changing or it could be from hunching over a sewing machine or the rug. I have been using heat off and on today and that does seem to be helping.
My menu will be changing next week as I have lots of leftovers from this week. No roast meal today, later in the week, but not today. Going to be stretching things as much as I can. I am making a game of it and enjoying it.
Off to visit all of you.
Everybody have a wonderful evening.
God bless.
Being frugal to me means knowing your priorities and spending there, as well as being happy doing with out the other things.
It means being sensible with your money so you can have or do the things you love.
Frugal living is living in a more intentional way. It is a journey that is always evolving and changing as you travel the path.
Here are a few of the frugal tips I started the journey using. Many of you already follow them, and some I no longer use as the necessity doesn't exist.
1. Build a capsule wardrobe. This is great for those that work. Now I more or less live in leggings and tunics/sweaters. If everything goes together you have much more to choose from.
2. Take packed lunches and a thermos of coffee to work. I did this every day when I worked. Saved a bundle.
3. Don't throw away leftovers. They can be eaten the next day (or day after that). Freeze them to use in meals later.
4. Shop for veggies and fruits seasonally. Right now Mandarin oranges are on sale, as well as all baking supplies.
5. Bargain hunt. This could mean shopping at thrift stores, garage sales, or just purchasing clothing at the end of a season.
6. A big one, that took me a while to get a handle on was avoiding late fees. When you live 25 miles from your bank paying things on time sometimes became a challenge. Now with online banking and bill paying things are so much easier.
Everybody have a wonderful day.
God bless.
1. I am once again cooking using appliances, mostly because my oven is not working correctly and since I have enough cooking things I told Harvey not to worry about it until after Christmas. As long as the stove top works I am fine.
2. Harvey ordered some pins for the snow blower online and they came in just a few days. He can now fix this himself instead of hauling it to someone else and spending cash that is easily saved.
3. Our province is closing all Crown owned liquor stores and so the one here is trying to get rid of as much product as is possible. Harvey picked up a few items for less than half price. I think we might go (or I might go) tomorrow and pick up a few other items that are on sale. Love me some Bailey's in hot chocolate over the holiday. While the sale is great, the people that will be out of work is not so great. Add in the fact that profits from these stores go to the province, we will probably be looking at paying more in the way of provincial income tax.
4. Fixed a seam in a pair of Harvey's pj bottoms.
5. Fixed the frayed top of an otherwise in good shape pillow case.
6. Downloaded some free reading material onto my Kobo.
Everybody have a wonderful evening.
God bless.
I do freeze some of the cookies to be eaten later. Probably within about 6 months. Most though I give to the sons to take home with them for treats.
All I am posting today will be a few pictures of what I have managed to get done over the past couple of days.
I am off to work on some hand quilting (the gift quilt) so I will try and visit you all tomorrow morning. Right now I can see lots of what to me will be late nights trying to get those two gifts finished.
Everybody have a wonderful evening.
God bless.
This did mean that I didn't get to work on the rug as of yet. I am hopeful of getting at least the stripe I started last night finished before I go to bed.
Baking is going to be a challenge this year. Using the toaster oven means things have to be baked slightly longer, and I can't get as much in so smaller batches are being made. I did the Butter Tarts mid-morning, and it probably took me double the amount of time it usually does, and I only made 2 1/2 dozen not my regular 5 or 6 dozen. Still, it can be done, and I will work on other things between putting unbaked goods in and pulling the baked goods out. I will just have to plan things out a bit. Tomorrow I will make my shortbread cookies, and a square that does not require baking.
Not the nicest weather here as my body started to warn me about yesterday (I ached all over before I went to bed). We are in the midst of a polar vortex right now, so the entire province is under an extreme cold warning. Tonight, the temperatures with the windchill factored in will range from -42C to -52C depending on what part of the province you live in. Definitely not a time to be out and about. I, like probably most of the province will be keeping our fingers crossed that the power stays on.
Off to get the final tasks for today completed (vacuuming and hanging the candy canes on the tree downstairs). I will then put together the casserole and make the salad. Should be time left to come back and visit all of you.
Everybody have a wonderful day.
God bless.
Before I post this week's menus, I need to ask if anyone else has been finding more posts in the spam folder? In fact, I found one today that someone posted to me on Tuesday of last week and I check that folder every day. Strange.
So here are our meals for the week.
Monday
Leftover sausage casserole.
Tuesday
Leftover chicken from Sunday made into a casserole. Probably served with a salad.
Wednesday
Soup and sandwiches. I will pull some Cream of Celery soup out of the big freezer and make grilled cheese sandwiches (have to use the frying pan for those sandwiches).
Thursday
Leftover Chicken casserole and salad.
Friday
Tuna casserole and more than likely the last of the salad.
Saturday
Leftover ham made into a casserole (probably the one Harvey loves which is made in the microwave). I will serve up peas with this.
Sunday
Roast beef, roasted potatoes, and roasted carrots. Probably made in my big electric roaster.
Lunches will be leftovers, or sandwiches.
Everybody have a wonderful evening.
God bless.
The last couple of days have been pretty busy here on the old homestead. They will get much busier... It seems my oven has quit working once again. It was working great last night. I had to pull out my electric roaster to make supper (roast chicken) but I am not too sure how fast it will cook or if it will be ready on time. I can smell it, but it isn't browning very well. I am a bit worried about when I should add the rutabaga and carrots as well.
Harvey checked the element, and it is just fine. Probably the wiring again which is concerning as that could mean there is more wrong than we thought.
Oh well I have lots of appliances, and if need be, will do the baking in smaller batches (will take longer, but what can one do). I kind of giggled tonight as Harvey said a while back, I just had too many electrical appliances and should get rid of some. I mentioned to him when he was checking the element that perhaps it was a good thing I had so many. He agreed.
So, what have I accomplished this week.
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I also managed to get most of the strips cut for the rug. I should have enough cut to see me through at least 8 or 9 days and get me close to the end of that project.
Tonight, I will have a bit of a rest and watch Wednesday on the TV and knit a little before jumping in the tub and having a nice soak.
Everybody have a wonderful evening.
God bless.
We also got probably another 4 inches of snow. Made for quite the blanket today. Everything looks nice and clean though.
So, what are the frugal happenings this week here on the old homestead.
1. Following the menu plan which is allowing me to make sure nothing is wasted.
2. Added $75.00 to the savings envelope and another $3.55 to the change jars.
3. Combined errands (when I could) to save on gas. We filled on the 7th of November and I still have about half a tank left. Should see us to almost the end of the month (might have to get gas on the 23rd to make sure we can get to family on the 25th).
4. Making sure I have full loads before washing. Hanging as much as possible downstairs.
5. Using up odds and sods of thread in making the quilt. Really is clearing those odd colours out.
So, what frugal things have you been up to this week?
Everybody have a wonderful evening.
God bless.
So, what thrifty things have been happening on the Phillips homestead.
1. Harvey decided that we were almost out of white wine and so is making a batch. Much less expensive than purchasing the number of bottles the kit makes.
2. Used some of my points to purchase gift cards to download books onto my ereader.
3. Made large batches of a couple of meals. These will be used when things become a madhouse, or I just don't feel like cooking.
4. In order to keep the heating costs down I have once again started to make sure I use solar heat on those sunny days to heat the front of the house.
5. Freezing bits and bobs to make refrigerator soup.
6. Darned a pair of socks and fixed a fastening on a skirt.
7. Put a pillowcase with a frayed top aside to mend once all the gifts are made. If that works, I will be fixing a few other pillowcases as well.
8. Used up 90 4" corduroy fabric squares, and another 180 4" denim squares making this quilt. Made a bit of a dent in the collection for sure. I also used up 12 2" strips of navy fabric I had precut. Still a few more use it ups of my bits and bobs before the quilt is finished.
Everybody have a wonderful evening.
God bless.
