Cooler Mornings

 

I am loving the cooler mornings, hot coffee or tea chases the chill away and gets me moving. 

What also gets me moving is knowing that this above freezing temperatures will not last forever, frost is surely coming. That means getting as much done in the garden as is possible, and getting the house ready for winter's chilly, snowy days. 

I am hoping to get most of the garden in before we leave, and once back I believe Harvey will do a bit of cleaning up of the yard, and winterizing the house. Definitely some new caulking around windows and doors as well as some replacement of door sweeps. 

I am still working on stocking up just in case we have an icy or blizzardy winter. Our street gets drifted in badly when we have a storm so being prepared for that type of weather is a must. 

I also think about making a couple more quilts for us, getting batteries, purchasing more candles, and making sure I have enough fuel for our camp stove. Our power has been known to go off for hours and being able to make a cup of instant coffee, or have a bowl of soup would be wonderful. Heck a person can even do a roast on a camp stove in a dutch oven. This is the time of year that we make sure our phones are fully charged every day, and that our laptops are as well (you can add in the fully charged ereader as well). 

Meals will become much hardier, as the winter weather draws in. I need to stock up on some turnips, kohlrabi, carrots, and cabbage. I am going to add some squash in here as well. Can easily store squash and such in the cold room and the kohlrabi, carrots, can be made freezer ready. 

I am planning on taking some of our extra garden produce up to Kris so that he can try out his pressure canner. Mostly beans and probably a few tomatoes as well. While we are visiting I will check out the cost of a large bag of carrots and perhaps purchase that for him as well. I think I may cut some herbs to take to him as well to dehydrate. 

Kurt on the other hand will need to take ready canned or dehydrated things home at Thanksgiving. I am also worried that a strike will take place in his province. They have never had one before, but have been without a contract for awhile, and Danielle Smith, much like Scott Moe, would prefer people to send their children to a "Christian" school. That does not include Catholic Schools where Kurt teaches. 

I have spent some time trying to get my friend here in the city to prepare for winter. Usually she says she wants to do just that, but her husband butts in and says there is nothing to worry about..... Yes there is. These are the same couple that seem to always be "broke" before the end of the month when all their pensions arrive. I have given up, I am no longer going to even try. 

I was asked by Magpie if I was the person dehydrating tomato skins and yes I am. I use the powder to add flavour to soups and roasts. I would love to have more ideas on how to use the powder if you have them. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty and Frugal Thursday

Thrifty and Frugal

 It has been a busy two days here on the Phillips homestead. My counter top is slowly being taken over by cucumbers. I have enough dill pickles to last for the next year and the same could be said for the relish that my husband loves. I am on my last jar of sweet relish so I could make some more of that I suppose. Oh yeah, I have enough bread and butter pickles as well. Hard to believe how many cukes we have gotten from just 4 plants. 

I was asked about Saskatoon Pie Filling. Saskatoons are a berry that grows mostly on the prairies and is kind of our answer to blueberries. Those (blueberries) don't grow very well on the southern prairies, saskatoons on the other hand grow all over. 

This is what they look like.

They are sometimes called service berries.

So what frugal and thrifty things have we been up to this week here.

1.  Put $45.00 in the savings envelope. I need to put my change in the change jar yet.

2.  Cleared all the leftovers out of the fridge except for the soup which I will have for lunch tomorrow.

3.  Walked to get our allowances.

4.  Froze 8 bags of green beans, 6 bags of carrots, and dehydrated many herbs. I also made another container of Eggplant Parma for the freezer.

5.  The usual, lights off in rooms not in use, hanging all clothing on the outside lines, using what we have, and vacuum sealing jars with dry goods now that I have the attachment to do so. I have saved the containers the dry goods were in and will be giving them to either Kurt or Kris. If they don't want them I may use some of them for freezing and donate the rest. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Tuesday Tidbits and Stuff

 

The day started off so foggy that I could not see down the hill into the valley. My morning walk was a bit eerie as you couldn't see the other walkers until they were almost right on top of you. 

Once home from that, I headed out to the garden to pick. Figured I would start with the beans and then move to other fresh items. Big mistake as the bowl quickly filled with green beans. Probably missed a bunch, but I did get enough to freeze 4 bags and put away some to go with one of our meals this week.

After getting the beans processed and a bit of the household cleaning tasks completed, I headed back out to the garden. I picked an eggplant, some jalapeno peppers and some green bell peppers. Those are still waiting for me to decide on what to do with them. 

 I also picked some more of the never ending supply of cucumbers. I need to look up some cuke recipes, I could dehydrate them, but I did that once before and cucumber chips are not my favourite thing to snack on I found.

I think that after supper I may head out and pick tomatoes. Perhaps Salsa making will take place either tomorrow or Thursday. Got to get Harvey to pull some onions.

So in other words just the usual wash, rinse and repeat day here on the old homestead, especially at this time of the year. 

I am getting very close to having the rug finished. I will post a picture of the finished project very soon. The loom will then be put away so I can work on some sewing projects for awhile. 

Decluttering with a purpose is continuing and I am hopeful of making quite the dent in stash items when I make gifts for this Christmas, and I would like to have a couple of house warming gifts made as well. 

Supper tonight will be Broccoli Cheese Soup and there should be enough leftover ham steak to make some ham salad sandwiches. I have some sweet relish to use up and that makes a nice addition to any ham salad I make. Was going to make tuna salad sandwiches, but I need to work on using up the bits and bobs a bit more. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Menu Monday

 

I only did two weeks of menus this time (and a day when we will get back). Hopefully I can follow these without too many changes.

Monday

BBQ Ham Steak, tinfoil potatoes, green beans, and cream cheese stuffed, bacon wrapped jalapeno peppers. 

Tuesday

Soup and sandwiches. I brought up a container of Broccoli Cheese soup and will make tuna sandwiches to go along with that.

Wednesday

Hot dogs, baked beans and probably some macaroni and cheese. Then of course the sliced tomatoes and cukes.

Thursday

Chili and toast. Once again using a container from the freezer.

Friday

Lazy perogies, sliced cucumber and tomatoes.

Saturday

The last two smoked hamburgers from the freezer, tinfoil potatoes, and sliced cukes, tomatoes and the fixings for the burgers.

Sunday

Beef Roast, roasted potatoes and roasted carrots. Then as another side the never ending sliced cukes and tomatoes.

I have been using up the leftovers in the fridge for my lunches and there are just a few items left to use. Probably be some from this week, but I will keep working on getting things cleared out.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Sunday Ramblings

 

Woke up to a lovely cool morning. Now not so cool, in fact it got really warm, with even more heat to arrive over the next couple of days. Hard to believe that it is September and winter is just around the corner. 

There was hardly anyone at Mass today, but I suppose that it being the last nice long weekend people went camping or to visit relatives. Both Harvey and I said that it is getting more difficult to understand the sermon given by the priest. It isn't that we don't listen or sit in a place we can't hear.... Still this is something we really need to work on as I am very sure that the little I do understand tells me those sermons are excellent and well thought out. 

After Mass we decided to go out for brunch. Now supper will be very light. No pork casserole here, just pork warmed up, and sliced fresh veggies with either salt and pepper or perhaps some dressing. 

Slowly but surely working on the rug. I am getting very close to being finished the weaving part, but I want to use my serger to serge the ends and do some hemming around the whole thing. That will need to be done before washing and blocking. Hope to have it done before we leave on our get away. 

We will be stopping at Kris's place on the way back for a couple of days. There are a few things I want to pick up at Fabricland, and Michael's before winter hits. I am hoping to find some linen yarn to weave some dish towels with in the new year. If not I may just make some placemats and some fabric to make myself another wrap. After that I might just make another rug as a gift for a friend.

Off to cut up (slice) some tomatoes to go along with the pork and sliced cukes and green peppers. Then a visit with all of you, or perhaps a visit first and meal prep after.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Saturday Roundup

 

How in the heck did this month go by so quickly. 

I will share a few pictures with you of what I have been doing. There is lots more being accomplished, but I won't bore you with what has been happening.

More stripes done on the rug. Getting very close to being ready to wash, block and sew some hems on.

Calendula salve made. Mint infused oil started.

Five eggplant parma made. We had one for supper last night and the rest are in the freezer. 

I ordered and got an attachment for my vacuum sealer and now I can do jars. I have done a couple and am totally amazed at how well it works. I will be doing lots more of my dry storage this way, especially my herbs. 

I have frozen beans, and carrots today. Worked on getting the budget up to date (under on almost every line, except for groceries). Made saskatoon pie filling, made blueberry pie filling, used up some leftovers in the fridge for our lunches and of course knit another few pairs of mitts. 

The Weather Network posted something about the Old Farmer's Almanac saying this area is going to have a very wet winter. Not snowy, but wet. To me this means lots of icy roads. Do I like icy roads? Not in the least, so I will be doing some more stocking up on dry goods and such. This does cause me to be a bit over budget on my grocery line, but I have a feeling that it is better to be stocked and off the roads. 

Off to get supper finished (things are just starting to cook) and visit you all between checking on things. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Thrifty and Frugal Thursday

Thrifty and Frugal

It has been a fairly thrifty week even with my going shopping at the beginning of the week. I had my list, lots of items were on sale, and I stuck to my list even if my eyes strayed once in awhile to a goodie or two. Walked right on by.

I portioned up the meat once home and used my FoodSaver in order to do so. 

The garden is producing lots of cucumbers, tomatoes and now bigger handfuls of beans so those are supplementing our evening meals and many of our lunches.

Baked two small loaves of bread and man are they staying nice and moist. I will have to bake a couple tomorrow and will put one in the freezer. 

Leftovers are being used up (by me of course as Harvey seems to forget they are available) for lunches. 

I wanted a lighter grey fabric for the quilt, and found some in my stash.... Decluttered with a purpose as this quilt is a wedding gift for one of Kurt's good friends. 

Have been working on the weaving and enjoying seeing yarn being used up as well. Maggie, I never thought of using rubberized shelf covering for the bottom to make the rug non-skid. Thanks so much for the idea.

Mittens are using up even more of my yarn stash and the bits and bobs that are left will be used in another project I have in my mind. 

Some of the blueberries from last year have now been made into pie filling, and I think I will make a couple of loaves and more muffins with the remaining berries.

Tomorrow's menu has been changed to Eggplant Parma and I will be making some for the freezer as well.

Tomatoes need to be blanched, peeled and frozen so will be adding more to the three packages I did a couple of days ago. 

Walking for exercise and enjoying the cooler mornings.

Fixed a hem on a pair of my pants that was coming down.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Midweek And The Last Week Of August

 

It has been a dark and very cool day. That is probably a good thing all told as the fact is I seem to be coming down with something and have not been able to get my smaller list of household tasks and fun things as completed as I would like. 

I couldn't even weave today as it is so dark even with the lights on. I may end up getting a light to plug in and set up to use by the loom when the weather is like this. 

I did get the peppermint infused oil started, the white clover salve made, and the saskatoons made into pie filling (since that turned out I am going to use last years blueberries and make some more for the freezer). 

I may go out and wipe down the outside furniture and call my day done. 

I really can't get sick as we leave on our get away in a little less than two weeks and I want to be able to hike and see all that the Cypress Hills has to offer. I also can't get sick as the garden is coming fast and furious and needs to be processed as much as possible over the next bit of time. I am also a bit worried as Covid is once again rearing its ugly head in our area. More and more cases are being reported. I don't need to catch that again and so when we are out and around others I will definitely be masking once again

The good (perhaps only good thing) about feeling blah is that I do slow down and rest between tasks. 

I purchased something online today to use with my FoodSaver vacuum sealer. I store a great deal of dry goods in canning jars and there have been a few times where I was unable to use the items up before they became "old" tasting. The item I bought is an attachments that will pull the air out of the jars and seal them. I am hoping that will help cutting down with waste. It will also make storing things like dehydrated fruit chips and veggies so much easier. 

Supper is going to be very easy tonight. I will be making Chicken a la King and since it has loads of extra veggies in it (diced onion, diced celery, and frozen peas) I should not have to make any sides. 

Off to visit as many of you as I can before supper is ready.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Tuesday Tidbits And Stuff

 

Another warm day here on the Canadian prairies. Today I stuck close to home and managed to get a few things accomplished. Still there is a bit left on my daily task list, but I really hope to get a couple more tasks completed. 

I have been asked a few questions and thought today would be the day to answer them.

I am loving the weaving, even though I still make an error every so often. Still no one is perfect and they aren't too noticeable so I am going with the flow. The learning curve is pretty steep and one thing I need to work on a bit more is getting the warp a bit tighter when I work on a larger project. 

I was also asked if the rug I am working on is a gift for someone. In a way it is a gift for Harvey. He really needs another rug downstairs in order to keep his "man cave" a bit cleaner. I will need to figure out a non-slip backing for it though.

I have been processing the garden today. I have done up three bags of tomatoes for the freezer, dehydrated some basil, picked more cucumbers, eggplant, beans, green peppers and jalapeno peppers as well. I will be making some parma on Friday so of course the menu has changed once again for this week. 

I got the labels on the salve I made (put that off way too long), and washed and dried some light grey fabric (cotton) to add to the quilt. Still need to iron and cut this though. 

I did another stripe on the rug and finished off a pair of mittens to rest my shoulders and neck from the weaving. 

On average I am saving 2 rolls of toilet paper each week by using the cloth wipes for my tinkles. It also feels so much softer. I vaguely remember using some type of cotton pads after the children were born. I do need to purchase a larger container to add water/bleach to in order to store them properly once used. 

Once I get a few other projects out of the way I am going to try my hand at making reusable paper towels. I should be able to get rid of a bit more of the fabric I have in my stash that way, and I need to make more cloth napkins and some more placemats (I do have the fabric to make most of these). 

I would also like to make some placemats for Kurt and Kris. Cloth napkins would be lovely as well. I have a few plastic clear Christmas ornaments that I will use to make little gifts for the family when they come for Christmas. Got to clear out more of the things in the sewing/craft room. Kind of decluttering with a purpose really. 

I am really looking at apartments and condo's in the city and man are they expensive overall. Really afraid that we have been spoiled as we have been mortgage free for probably 35 years. Still I will keep searching and perhaps something will jump out at me as just about perfect.

Off to get supper started and then spend a bit of time visiting you all.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Menu Monday

 

So what are we eating for dinners this week.

Monday

Leftover ribs, sliced cucumbers and sliced tomatoes.

Tuesday

Leftover ham, noodles, and the never ending sliced cucumbers and tomatoes.

Wednesday

I think it might be nice to have leftover chicken on toast along with corn on the cob.

Thursday

Leftover lentil curry, rice and a salad.

Friday

I have fish sticks on the menu, but I have a feeling this will change as I will need to make Eggplant Parma as those are growing like crazy in the heat.

Saturday

Steak In Mushroom Sauce, leftover salad and mashed potatoes. Probably more sliced cucumbers and tomatoes as well.

Sunday

Instead of doing a big roast I think it could be another use up all the leftovers in the fridge. Or I can pull out some leftover pork roast and make Pork Zucchini Bake (need to use up zucchini in the freezer). 

I have also made a decision. Instead of doing a monthly menu plan over the next while I will do a weekly menu plan. I have just been changing things so often to use up leftovers it only makes sense.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Saturday Roundup

 

Busy week harvesting, cooking, making salve, knitting, weaving, cleaning and just trying to get a bit ahead. It seems like I am always trying to either catch up or get ahead. One day perhaps I will at least be even.

This week the dehydrating of herbs has continued. I am concentrating on sage, thyme and oregano right now. In another week I will go back to basil, lemon balm and lemon grass. Mint will have to wait for a bit.

I have managed to finally get enough beans from my plants to have a meal. I am hopeful of managing a few more. Since I have a dearth of beans, I went to the Farmer's Market this morning and purchased some. These are now blanched and cooling in some ice water. Packaging and labeling to take place very soon and then they will be placed in the freezer. I may purchase more next week. 

I picked eggplants this week and from the three I picked I made what I call Eggplant Chickpea Stew. Two containers now reside in the freezer. 

Thursday saw me finally making the Lentil Curry. 

Once again after having a meal, the remainder was portioned out and put as more ready meals in the freezer.

Also on Thursday I made my version of a Cherry Strudel. Used some phyllo pastry that needed using and a container of my cherry pie filling. So good.

I continued the stove and oven use by making the calendula salve. Sorry I forgot to take a picture, but once I get them labeled I will snap a pick. I actually got 11 containers so have some to add to Kurt and Kris's baskets at Christmas. 

This is a picture of the 32 pairs of size 8-10 mittens.

And this is the start of what I hope will be an equal amount of size 4-6 mittens.

I also managed to get the pieces cut (strips) for the quilt Kurt has asked me to make for his friend as a wedding gift.

This was just the beginning and I managed to get the white and red strips made as well. 

Weaving is going well. Since this picture was taken I have managed to do another white stripe and have started another black stripe. This is taking a bit longer to weave as the project is much larger than the other two scarves I have made. Still I am liking the way this rug is turning out.

This is my new cutting mat and I am loving the bigger size. It makes cutting strips so much easier. Now I just need one of those rulers that are specially made for cutting strips.

Off to package up the beans (picture to follow one of these days) and start the water boiling for our corn on the cob.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Frugal Tips For Saving On Shopping

 

Or perhaps some tips those of us who have been following the frugal pathway for awhile and have forgotten.

Saving On Grocery Shopping

1.  Start with some basic tasks like creating a grocery list after checking your cupboards, freezer and pantry, use a calculator to check the unit costs, and always check your receipts for errors.

2.  Price match if available where you are.

3.  Comparison shop. Do this while shopping and make a price book of the least expensive.

4.  Use any coupons you can find.

5.  Use cash back credit cards (only if you can pay them off monthly).

6.  Buy in bulk if possible and you have the storage room.

7.  Buy produce in season. One can always freeze or can any extra you can find.

8.  Buy generic, but only if you like that specific item. It is not saving if you try something and waste it because you don't like the taste.

9.  Avoid purchasing pre-packaged food. 

10.  Stock up during sales.

11.  Buy local. This can be done at Farmer's Markets.

12.  Grow your own veggies.

Just a few more money saving ideas. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty and Frugal Thursday

 Thrifty and Frugal

Sorry, missed posting yesterday. I just got too busy in the garden harvesting, going through the pantry and freezers. I also wanted to get the pieces cut for the quilt, and of course do some weaving. 

So what thrifty and frugal things have I been up to on the old homestead. 

I have been picking things out of the garden most days and finding ways to use the harvest. Today I made 4 containers of Eggplant Chickpea Stew as I call it. Tomorrow I will be back to dehydrating herbs, and also make the calendula salve. 

Mended a pair of Harvey's shorts. The pocket was coming apart so that was a quick fix.

Walking in the early morning for free exercise and some cooler air to breathe.

We got a very good rain last night so the rain barrel is full and I used that to water the plants under the eaves.

Still using up all leftovers. They are either made into another different meal, or used as is for lunches.

Made my lentil curry tonight and that will give us another two meals in the freezer. Really trying to plan ahead and get meals ready.

Our train companies have gone on strike and that means trouble transporting goods. I will be going shopping a bit earlier next week as I know for a fact that grocery shelves will probably soon be empty. Kind of like the height of Covid. I want to be prepared. While I know certain items will always be available there are a few that need transporting here from the east and that will be a problem.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Tuesday Tidbits and Stuff

 

We got some rain overnight, Harvey says at one point it was really coming down. Saved me having to water plants today, but unless we get more, well I can see me watering tomorrow. 

A fairly quiet day as I decided I really needed to stay home and work around the house. The monthly cleaning of the oven and stove took place as well as the washing of my cleaning rags. Yes I do have enough cleaning rags to last the month. I am of the "Go big, or go home" thinkers (at least in that respect).

It also go really hot and humid today, so staying inside after an early morning walk was the best thing to do. Considering the heat I am thinking staying in and out of it stands to reason. 

My list is almost completed. I will work on mitts this evening as it gets a bit too dark to work much on my weaving project (promise pictures will be in tomorrow's post). I even got my new cutting mat today, so tomorrow I will be trying to get the pieces cut for the next quilt. It won't be sewn until next month, but I can at least be ready to start it right away. 

I also learned something else about weaving with this loom. The books all say you can use any yarn to weave. Not quite true. I did my warp with a rather slippery cotton yarn and find it does not keep it's tension quite as well. Live and learn which is always very good. 

Off to get our supper on the table and then after clean up a visit to those I can't get to right now.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Menu Monday

 

Man, is it ever warm out. I believe that this could change our menus this week, but we shall see. I already had to make one change, and will probably be changing something later in the week as my eggplants are getting pretty large. Perhaps it is time to start processing a few of them. However this is what I have so far with just the one change.

Monday

Leftover taco meat made into soft tacos once again. Serving this with the leftover cucumber salad.

Tuesday

Leftover roast beef made into a main dish salad.... Will need to pull some onions to add to the salad.

Wednesday

Marinated chicken breasts (hopefully done on the BBQ) served with sliced cucumbers and tomatoes. Perhaps some tinfoil potatoes.

Thursday

The elusive Lentil curry served over rice. I may make some frozen mixed veggies with this.

Friday

This could change, right now it is salmon fillets. I will serve this with leftover rice and perhaps some corn on the cob from our garden.

Saturday

BBQ or smoked ribs, a package of noodles that need using up, and more of the sliced cucumbers and tomatoes. 

Sunday

I plan on warming up a package of frozen ham and serving it with mashed potatoes, and a cucumber salad (never ending cukes here right now and I refuse to waste any of them). 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Sunday Ramblings

 

It has been a very quiet day here on the old homestead. I am afraid I might have overdid a bit in getting something ready.

My loom stand came on Friday, so yesterday we decided to put it together. First of course I decided to warp it for my next project. Now, I swore after the first warping I ever did, I was going to do this in stages. I was a good Jackie with the second scarf, but this time around (and a bigger project planned) I wanted to get it all done before Harvey finished the stand....

Getting it finished before the stand was a slightly grandiose plan, though I did get the first part completed. We put it on the stand and it looked so unfinished that of course I got right into finishing it up. Three hours or so later the warping was completed. I even got the warp threads pulled together using scrap yarn. 

Then the backache and neckache started.... So today I have been taking it relatively easy. I have done a couple of walks (short ones as the heat is overpowering once again), did the few Sunday tasks that needed doing, and have watched a movie while knitting mitts. I also wound the shuttles for the project. 

Once again I am changing menus for next week as I have so much in the way of leftover taco meat. No tortillas but lots of meat. Tomorrow I will give tortilla making a go and hopefully be saving a bit of money instead of running to the store to pick some up. The extras I will bag up and freeze for later on. 

My eggplant is loving this heat and I just may be picking some at the end of this week. I see some Eggplant and chickpea stew (that's what I call it) being made for a meal and some for the freezer. I see lots of jalapenos as well so will more than likely start picking some of those for stuffed and perhaps some for pepper jelly. 

Everyday a bit more is dehydrated from the herb garden, things get used up (mind you we have a glut of cucumbers right now), tomatoes are ripening and I am pretty sure there will be enough for salsa this year. 

Next week I will be making the calendula salve and white clover salve. Perhaps I will be able T start the lavender infused oil by the end of the week. Keeping my fingers crossed on that final one.

Now a bit of news on how using the cloth toilet paper is going. I only use these small squares for one function, the other I use regular toilet paper. In two weeks I have managed to cut down on toilet paper usage going from 4 and a half large rolls a week to using just over two large rolls. This would be cutting out a large package of toilet paper every couple of months. I wash them separately from my clothes, towels, sheets and cleaning rags. Treat them more the way I treated the kids cloth diapers (mine could not use disposables as back then there was too much perfume in them for their bottoms, got really bad rashes). So far this seems to be working very well. 

Slowly but surely getting things done and dusted. I may actually be able to go on our bit of a holiday and not have lots to do when we get home. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

More Frugal Tips

 

I have been spending my days working in the garden, cleaning house, and of course finishing one mitten size and starting the next. 

Just thought I would share a few more ways that you can beat those rising costs. 

1.  Wash clothing in cold water. If that is not feasible always rinse in cold water.

2.  Always make sure your dishwasher is full.

3.  Use draft dodgers to keep your house warm in the winter..

4.  Have a no spend month, or a week every so often. I try for no spend days as I always consider bill paying, prescription costs, and grocery/fuel costs as spending. 

5.  Don't eat out as often, but if you do try breakfasts. That is probably the least expensive meal of the day.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty and Frugal Thursdays

Thrifty and Frugal

Wow, one could say we are halfway through the month now. Days are whizzing by and in just under a month we head out for a bit of a holiday. 

Frugal and thrifty are the goals this month, as well as trying to keep bills as low as we possibly can. Not easy as the temperatures are not co-operating at all, which means the air conditioner is running pretty steadily from late morning to late evening. It is cooling off a bit at night so windows are opened at that time, if there is a good breeze things cool off in the house overnight.

I am working on making some of my own seasoning mixes now. Hoping that this manages to save us a bit of cash in the long run. I will be saving some small glass jars for this purpose and using my label maker so I know what I have made. This week it was taco seasoning. Who knows what I will make next? What seasoning mixes do you recommend?

Picking from the garden to stretch out our meals a bit more. 

Picked some crabapples from the tree in the neighbours yard. Tomorrow I make jelly after shopping.

Finished the larger sized mitts, and now using some of the remaining bits, bobs and orphan yarn skeins to make the smaller ones.

Cleaning out the sewing/craft room closet and finding a few items I had forgotten about. I need to decide if I will use them or not over the next year.

Watering my plants every third day instead of every second day so as to save on the water bill. 

Making large batches of food so as to have meals to use when I just don't want to cook. These meals are packaged up, labelled and put in the fridge freezer. 

Of course I am still taking advantage of the nice weather to hang clothes on the line to dry.

Reading free books I downloaded onto my ereader.

Made my grocery list using the sale flyers.

Took some items to a drop box as I decluttered my closet a bit more.

Bought a new cutting mat for quilts from Amazon and saved about $25.00 from purchasing it in a physical store. 

Found a box of scarves that I can use as little gifts for various occasions.

Darned a pair of Harvey's socks, and fixed a seam on one of my shirts. 

So, all in all, not a bad week at all.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Tuesday Tidbits And Stuff

 

To make lemon balm salve, you'll need:

• 1 cup of lemon balm leaves, fresh or dried

• 1/4 cup of beeswax pellets

• 1/4 cup of carrier oil (such as olive oil, grapeseed oil or sweet almond oil)

  
  

The Process:

1. If using fresh lemon balm leaves, wash them and dry them thoroughly. If using dried leaves, skip to the next step.

2. Place the lemon balm leaves and carrier oil in a food processor or blender and pulse until they're finely chopped.

3. Put the carrier oil and lemon balm mixture into a double boiler over a small saucepan on low heat. 

4. Infuse for 2 hours on low heat, then strain through a mesh strainer.

5. Empty the pot you were using for a double boiler and add the strained lemon balm oil to it along with the beeswax pellets and stir until the beeswax has melted completely.

If you don't want to use beeswax pellets, you can also use:

• Coconut oil - will give a harder salve but has great anti-microbial properties

• Shea butter - will give a softer salve but may not have as long of a shelf life

  
  

The mixture will start to solidify once it's cool, so you'll want to pour it in while it's still melted.

5. Pour the mixture into a small jar or tin container and let cool completely before sealing with a lid.

6. Store in a cool, dark place and use within 6 months.  However, the self-life may vary depending on the ingredients you use.

I use the sunshine method to make my herbal infused oils. I put the crushed dried leaves into a jar and cover with oil. Seal and put on my front window sill for 4 weeks.

This can be used for insect bites, soothing skin irritations, minor cuts and scrapes. It can also be used as a lip balm or cuticle cream.

If you have thyroid problems it is recommended that you do not use this salve.

I am now busy drying the lemon balm (which is growing like crazy) for tea this winter. Kurt says it is really nice and soothing/calming.

Everyone have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Menu Monday

 

A new week, and I have pretty much used up all the leftovers from company. Still the menu is a bit different than was planned when I made that monthly menu.

Monday

Roast chicken, kohlrabi and carrot mash, and leftover salad. Any leftover chicken will be bagged and used in meals later on. The bones will be saved to make stock or broth.

Tuesday

Lentil curry served over rice. Sliced cucumbers for a side.

Wednesday

Leftover chicken made into a casserole. Served with beans from the garden (hopefully)

Thursday

Soft tacos.

Friday

Leftover lentil curry over leftover rice, and once again sliced cucumbers for a side.

Saturday

There will be leftover taco mixture so we will finish that off today.

Sunday

Roast beef, roasted potatoes, roasted carrots, and a salad of some kind.

I have been asked what I do with lemon balm salve and how to make it, so I will answer that question tomorrow.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Saturday Roundup

 

It has been a busy week here on the old homestead, as we have the house to ourselves for a bit and we are not planning on going anywhere for a bit. Our next away time isn't until September when we go to Cypress Hills Provincial Park and perhaps visit our two sons as well.

I have been dehydrating herbs almost every day. I say almost as I took a break from that today, but will be back at it tomorrow. 

Also each day seems me out picking at least a little bit from the garden. Things are not growing as well as usual, so it is moving ahead slowly, but surely. 

Lots done in the house though. I have cleared a space in my sewing/craft room for the loom stand, still need to do a bit of vacuuming though and perhaps a troll through the bottom of the closet as well.

Salves are being made. This week I managed to get two done and then in two weeks I get to make two more. Hoping to dry enough mint to make at least one more.

First I made the lemon balm salve and then moved on. Then the plantain salve was made. I only three containers, just to see how they work.

I plan on adding salves to Kurt and Kris's Christmas baskets this year.

I also finished the second scarf using the exact same colours of yarn as the first. Both of these will go in those baskets as well.

I finished had quilting the outside quilt by using a simple X in the center of each block, and the binding just needs hand sewing on. That will happen tomorrow.

Of course I have been working on those mittens for Kurt's school as well. Seems to be a never ending project. But I am almost finished the first size.

Fifteen pairs waiting to be sewn up, and 

Number 16, which should be finished tonight. I plan on getting them sewn up over the next few days (along with hand sewing the binding). Should be starting the smallest size mitts very soon. 

I also did a bit of garden processing as well.

Pickles in a Bucket are made and in the fridge.

All in all a pretty good work for a week. Mind you the mittens have taken a bit longer then the week.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.