Saturday Roundup

This week has been more of a use it up, and moving items to their proper place kind of week. 

The loom has been moved out of my living room into the sewing/craft room, the tree brought upstairs and set up ready to be decorated, work on projects has continued and will take place even through the beginning of December. 

I have started my Christmas baking, which will be less than other years. Probably a good thing for our waistlines, but there will still be enough to share with Kurt and Kris. 

Leftovers from the fridge and freezer are being used. I made an error this week and didn't use my brussels sprouts soon enough, which caused them to spoil. I hated to waste them, but they had too much spoilage to even cut off. Not going to make that mistake again. 

I have made my extra cleaning list, and my projects/goals list for the month of December. I have also started to add things to the budget sheets for the month of November (the budget will be done totally tomorrow). 

The shopping list for next week has been started and should be finished tomorrow as well. A few items are necessary even if they are not on sale. This one is much shorter than the last couple.

The $5.00 pantry thing is that each week one should take $5.00 and purchase one or more pantry stable items for their emergency pantry. This pantry stock is totally separate from the regular pantry stock up.  

Today it has been quiet, and restful. Other than my weekly call to baby brother (who happens to be in his early 60's) things have rolled along slow and easy. 

Harvey has been working on a project downstairs which used up some of his stashed lumber. Always happy when he can find something to do that keeps him occupied and happy. Pretty sure he will start to decorate his man cave this upcoming week for Christmas. 

Off to get the table set and then visit with as many of you as possible before I need to start supper.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Simplicity

My simple life is growing by leaps and bounds, thus in fact helping my frugal life as well. 

In Canada over the past few years there has been a push for Black Friday sales in many of our stores. Heck probably in all of the truth be told. Today I looked at some of the sales fliers and was not in the least tempted to go out and purchase more "stuff". Fact is our sales will continue into next week, much like our Boxing Day sales. 

I am finding the more I really think about what is a need or a want, there is really very little I need. I will of course purchase replacements for things that are wearing out, and those items that will make decluttering so much easier, like the silicone molds I have purchased nothing that is no longer necessary will enter this house. 

I enjoy cooking from scratch and trying new and interesting to me recipes. If they verge on vegan that is great, this is probably healthier for Harvey and I as well. 

I have been reading many blogs and watching many YouTube channels that ask how long you could feed your family on what is in your pantry and freezers/fridge. Pretty sure we could manage many months with just going out to purchase dairy, eggs, fruit and veggies. Still I feel the urge to stock up even more. I think this is because prices have kept right on going up. Purchasing while costs are lower just makes sense to me, and I do have the room to store everything I do purchase. It is one way of keeping to my budget. 

Rising prices don't matter as much if you have a well stocked pantry. I am also considering doing the $5.00 Emergency Pantry thing that some talk about. 

I was asked for some links to the lentil recipes I use so here they are.

Brown lentil soup

www.recipecommunity.com.au/soups-recipes/tomato-and-brownlentil-soup

Red Lentil Moroccan Soup

www.acedarspoon.com/moroccan-red-lentil-soup

Red Lentil Curry

www.allrecipes.com/recipe16641/red-lentil-curry/

Hopefully there will be a few more as I try more lentil recipes.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Thrifty and Frugal Thursday

Thrifty and Frugal  

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate the holiday.

Once again the weather is such that staying home is actually helping with my thrift and frugalness. If I don't go out I don't spend. 

1.  This week should see me adding 5 no spend days onto the number I have already been able to accumulate. 

2.  Fixed a pocket in one of Harvey's coats. 

3.  Using up items from the fridge freezer for our suppers (or what those in the UK would call tea, I believe).

4.  Used up one tin of Mint Salve to help with my arthritis pain, instead of using pain meds.

5.  Used up the remaining warp on my loom. Very little warp went to waste.

6.  Used up the rubber shelf liner as a no skid backing on the rugs I fashioned. 

7.  Using up leftovers from the fridge freezer.

8.  Baked two loaves of bread, and a cake for dessert this week. Stuffed the oven as full as possible so as to save on energy.

9.  Harvey is getting better at turning off lights in the basement when he is not in the room.

10.  Reading free or very discounted books on my ereader.

11.  Paid all bills online once again so no driving. 

12.  Walking in the house for exercise.

13.  Decluttered a few items this week.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Midweek

 I am no longer really surprised at how quickly the weeks pass by. Rather I am surprised that Christmas is only a few weeks away. At least now the weather is a bit more Christmassy now. 

This is what it looks like outside right now.

We are having some lovely ice depositing fog, which makes me even more happy to stay home and work around the house. While I did spend money today I did not leave the house. Bill paying happened and it was all done online. No running around the city to the various places (well it would only be two places but one is on this side of the city and one on the other side of the city). No having to face the crazy drivers who seem to forget what driving is when it is icy and there is snow on the road. Really scary here the first part of winter.

Maebeme asked me if I had any lentil recipes, so here goes. All of these are online and are relatively easy to make. This is also one way we are beating rising costs. Lentils are a great source of protein and much less expensive than meat at this point in time.

Lentil Curry is one of our favs. Mediterranean Red Lentil Soup is another. I have also added a few lentils (like perhaps a handful) to Spaghetti Meat Sauce to stretch that out. I made a Brown Lentil Soup that was very good as well. Those are the best ones I have used so far. I did make a baked lentil meal, but that did not go over very well so never made it again. I also made falafels once and they used chickpeas and lentils. Not our favourite meal at all. 

I know people who make taco's with lentils and really like them so that will be the next recipe I try. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

 

Tidbits and Stuff

 

A day spent inside, baking bread, making granola and doing the usual household tasks normally done on this day. I did not venture outside at all. A lovely and quiet day here on the Phillips homestead.

This arrived last night.

Snow fell for most of the evening and into the early hours of the morning. Kind of a wet snow really, and so this morning when I woke up the roads had become icy. It really is nice not to have to head out for work, or to actually pay bills or shovel. Still I will be outside to pick up a parcel that is hopefully delivered at some point. But the roads being as bad as they are I am not too sure what I am looking for will really arrive. 

I continued on the straightening of the linen closet in the hall and picked up a few items in the hallway leading downstairs and put them in their proper place. 

There could be a bit of time spent in the sewing/craft room picking up a few items in there. I can never understand how that room gets so disorganized in just a few days. 

I am sleeping better and the pain in my back and hips has pretty much disappeared. Now that the temperatures are not going up and down in giant swings things will be much more manageable. It can now be controlled once again by changing positions or walking a bit every so often. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Menu Monday

 My goodness these weeks go by so very quickly. This will be another week of using some of the stored food in the fridge freezer with a couple of meals using things from the freezers downstairs.

Monday

Ham pasties and the leftover tossed salad.

Tuesday

Lentil chili served over rice or pasta. Probably rice as I will need to make some extra for another meal this week.

Wednesday

Cream of Celery Soup and Grilled Cheese sandwiches.

Thursday

Regular chili and toast.

Friday

Fish Fillets, rice, corn and peas mixed together.

Saturday

Using up the saved spaghetti meat sauce and making a small baked spaghetti. Served with salad. 

Sunday

Mini meat loaves, mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts, and leftover salad.

Still waiting for the snow we were to get today. Nothing as of yet, but it is really dark out and the temperature has dropped considerably.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Sunday Ramblings

 

I had a great sleep last night, but woke up to extreme pain in my back and hips. I have been rubbing mint salve in a few times today to relieve the pain. Good thing I have many a tin of that as well as some comfrey salve to use this winter. I think it might be a bad winter for my arthritis. 

Harvey saw how slowly I was moving this morning and said no sitting on a hard pew for me. I ended up watching Mass on the television live streamed. Not the same, but at least it was something. 

Quiet day here on the old homestead I have spent the day making plans for the upcoming year, finishing off the rugs, and doing some embroidery. As I have said before one of my plans is to make more from scratch and while it will probably take a bit more time, I will be moving to a simpler life. Simpler in that I will not be wasting resources, that items will be made with whole foods and not full of preservatives.

Simplifying my life to me means not only ridding myself of debt, but working towards a self-sufficient life.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Saturday Roundup

 

Not much in the way of projects completed, the pictures of those things will have to wait until next week. I did get a few things almost completed though so that is a plus.

This week was spent getting little things completed, like my calendars for next years monthly menu plans, and a few food items made to be used over the next weeks. Plus of course that big shopping trip and the processing of all the meat. 

I guess it is nothing to shrug ones shoulders at and say pfft nothing was really accomplished.

I got my yogurt made for the upcoming week. Love my yogurt maker as my instant pot is old and does not have a yogurt button. 

I peeled the apples and made apple pie filling. Only one container, but at least the bruised and softened apples did not go to waste.

That is something I am working on, no waste of food.

I also got some hummus made. Actually quite a bit of hummus, and some is in the fridge freezer to be used in later weeks.

I am very happy with how this batch turned out. So much smoother than the first batch I ever bad and the taste is awesome. So much better than store bought. 

Baked bread as well this week and will probably get more done tomorrow as well as make some Naan or another type of flat bread. 

Of course I worked on my various projects for Christmas and the house organization. 

Harvey bought some wine kits and then today he went and purchased the water he will need to use in the making of the wine. The place he bought the water (this is the only time we purchase bottled water) had some free items for those who spent in the store. He got a free iced tea and a free bottle of BBQ sauce. There was also a trip made by him to the Dairy Queen here in town with a coupon. He bought a box of Dilly Bars and got one for free. As those novelty items are fairly expensive and we love us some ice cream coated in chocolate these are a welcome addition to our supplies.

 

Spent some time on line looking up recipes to use up the leftover smoked brisket. Tomorrow I will be making a "Mexican Soup" and perhaps with the second pack I will make another of the recipes I found. Pretty sure there will be leftovers of the soup to be used up as well. In the freezer the leftovers will go. Building things up so as to take the time to visit with our sons when they are home for Christmas, or just when I don't feel like cooking.

As I have half a brisket left to cook, I spent time looking up recipes to do so with my slow cooker. They all look so yummy and all take anywhere from 8 to 10 hours to be cooked. So a fix it and forget it meal coming up eventually. And of course even more leftovers to decide on what to do with. 

Considering the cost of food I am really working on making the most of what we have by using leftovers to make new meals, or planning what to do with the leftovers I already have. Planning ahead helps keep items used and made the most of. I just have to remember what needs to be used and what I have in stock. 

While life is getting simpler, the lead up to that seems to be a touch more complicated. Still I can feel myself relaxing more and enjoying what treasures each day imparts. Life is good, if a bit more expensive.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Moving Towards Simplicity

 

Decluttering possessions is probably the easiest way to start living a simple life. Those possessions that keep us away from family or stop us from living a life based on our values, or in fact just deplete our bank accounts are not necessary. I do have many appliances, but most enable me to cut down cooking time and give me a chance to visit. 

I have also come to realize that I do not need two closets full of clothes and have been gradually ridding myself of those items that do not fit my body now and those that I just do not love. 

Slowly but surely I am removing myself from time commitments that also stop me from enjoying a slowed down life. I never realized how much time I spent doing things that did not fulfill me or enable me to take the time for a nice long walk or curling up with a good book.

Debt held us back from enjoying a simple life as well. We no longer have debt and that is so wonderfully freeing. Do what ever you can to lose that weight. 

It is amazing to me how much simple living incorporates frugal and thrifty living. I suppose one could have one without the other, but the stresses of a life full of things, of debt, of always trying to keep up with others really do not allow for a simple life. Letting go of those things or ridding ourselves of those things saves us money and allows us to rest.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty and Frugal Thursdays

Thrifty and Frugal 

Life got a bit less frugal today as I stocked up on sale meats, which I guess will turn out to be frugal in the long run, just not for total cost today.

I purchased 2 large cryovac eye of round roasts (approximately 9 lbs. each). One was cut into two roasts, the other cut into 8 steaks and two 1 1/2 packages of beef cubes for stew. The roasts were $5.99 a pound so all were a savings of at least another $5.00 to $15.00 a package.

I purchased a whole pork loin for $2.49 a lb. and made two large pork roasts. A savings of about $15.00 for each roast. The loin cost me $21.65 in total. 

I bought a Steelhead Trout fillet for $17.00 regularly $29.00 and it will furnish us with two meals each. 

Then I purchased 3lbs of ground beef that was also on sale. Eye watering sale, but sale non the less. 

All meat has been cut up, bagged and put in the freezer.

This should keep us in meat for a very long time, considering I have pork chops, ham steaks, lots of chicken and sausages. I also have burgers and hot dogs. 

I am hoping that all I will have to purchase in the way of meat next month is a turkey, and some canned meats and fish. That could mean my groceries for next month will be much lower.

I finished up a few bits and bobs of yarn making the smaller mittens, and now have pulled out some orphan balls and larger bits and bobs to make the next size of mittens. 

I am using up some Christmas yarn to make the runner for on top of the fake fireplace to brighten up that area. 

Used up all leftovers in lunches since we have been home.

Hung clothes on the lines downstairs to dry.

Will be making yogurt tonight. 

Found some partial spools of thread and wound them onto cards to use to sew on buttons or fix hems.

Changed the menu to use up items in the fridge freezer. 

Did a bit of decluttering, and removed things from the hall, and kitchen putting them where they belong.

Thanks for all the ideas in regards to make items more available to me in the pantry. I am going to see if I have any baskets that will fit, and I will keep a flashlight near to hand. 

My cupboards are in fact oak. The ones where my pantry are have been redone by Harvey and I want him to redo the others where my other kitchen items like plates, glasses and pots are held. That can be a job for him this winter as he can do them at his own pace. They need to be sanded, re-stained and a protective easy to wash coating put on them. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

 

Midweek Ramblings

It has been pretty cloudy today but at least we haven't had rain or snow as of yet the past couple of weeks. The longer things stay fairly decent the better it is for my driving in this city where people seem to forget how to drive during winter. Not that I don't like snow, and the moisture is necessary here for the proper seeding come the spring. I am just keeping my fingers crossed we don't get rain first.

I have spent some time trying to organize my kitchen pantry. The bad thing about this pantry is that the shelves go back so far. Did my best and now most items are in containers safe from any and all pests. 

I will still have to search for items at the back of the shelves, but at least things are well contained. I also got lots of my canning jars back for next year.

Next up is the pantry in the hall as well as my home canned goods and all my various spices and herbs. Those last are taking up room on my counter. I am actually thinking about putting the dehydrated items into the cupboard above and bringing out my teas so as to use them all this winter. The teas will take up less room and once the jars in the spice rack are empty and refilled I should be able to have a bit more counter space available.

Working on projects and getting a few things ready for the new year. My calendar pages are ready now for menu plans, and my 2026 book for the To Do list is ready to go. 

I have hung the new curtains in the sewing/craft room and folded the others up to see if Kris would like them for some area in his home. They are not as badly faded as I had thought and so he might be able to use them on his front window which would be great.

Even managed some decluttering this past week. Of course the decluttering was mostly paper and a couple of articles of clothing, but much better than nothing. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Tuesday Tidbits and Stuff

 I have stretched my shopping out and will not be going out until tomorrow to do that, or who knows perhaps I can stretch things out for another day. I can always make lemonade to drink at supper time. I just do not want to go over budget by a great deal. 

Our visit went very well and we actually got to see part of the cities Santa Claus Parade right past the doors of Kris's house. 

By the time we realized what was happening we could only get this photo. Lots in front and later on many behind. 

Eiko actually slept in the same room as me one night. Perhaps she is getting a bit more used to us coming and visiting for a period of time. 

Since getting home I have continued the organization of the kitchen pantry, did the laundry, and have been trying to figure out how to clean out the leftovers in the fridge freezer or the broth from the chest freezer made into soup. The planned menus starting next week are going to be changed for sure. 

I have just been spending most of the day catching up on work around the house. This means not much in the way of projects has been done. I did get the loom set up, but as far as mitten knitting just a little. I do hope to get this pair finished tonight and the last pair done tomorrow. If I don't get the next size completed before the end of the month, at least it is something I can work on by hand. After all by the end of this month I will need to get our trees and Christmas decor up. 

Things I have planned for tomorrow are hanging the curtains in the sewing/craft room, probably grocery shopping, and redoing the rest of the menus for this month. I even think some leftovers will be used at the beginning of December. 

I am finally sleeping a bit better, which is wonderful. I am slowly getting my energy back and happy to be working on things around the house. I am losing my ennui about projects and nesting around the old homestead. I pushed through at times and I think that is why I bounced so much between tasks. Now that I am sleeping better I find myself willing to finish something rather than work 15 minutes on one thing and then move to the next. Keeping my fingers crossed that more projects will be completed this month.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Menu Plan Monday

We are back home and I am doing laundry..... Harvey on the other hand is sound asleep. I really think I should wake him up or he won't be able to sleep tonight.

Menu's for this week are going to be moved around. 

Monday

Corned Beef Hash and peas.

Tuesday

Homemade pizza, perhaps some garlic bread.

Wednesday

Leftover hash and carrots.

Thursday

Hopefully leftover pizza, but if not that Soup and Sandwiches.

Friday

Tuna casserole and a salad.

Saturday

Lazy Cabbage Roll Casserole.

Sunday

I have some leftover brisket in the freezer that needs using so I will figure out something with the help of Google.

So there it is meals to help us get through the start of the cold weather, clear out the fridge and get some very healthy meals in our tummies. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Visiting

 We arrived at around 4:30 pm yesterday. Got the machine dropped off first and gave Kris the slips to pick the machine up when done. I will pay over the phone so no need to write a cheque to leave with Kris. 

Today we, well Kris and I went shopping and pulled up his carrots. I did some cleaning and will continue tomorrow. Just little things to make the house a tiny bit more presentable.

Kris is going to have lots of leftovers for the next while. He probably has enough Baked Spaghetti for two meals and Beef stew for another two. Who knows how many leftovers will happen tomorrow. 

I will visit with you all once I am back home.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

PS I thought I published this, but guess I did not hit the publish button.

Thrifty and Frugal Thursday

Thrifty and Frugal 

This past week I have once again been sticking pretty close to home. Meaning I am managing to get things completed, put away or decluttered. Which I am happy about. 

Frugally I have been trying to use up every bit of food in the fridge, cupboard, and freezer. That has been working out very well. Once again the fridge freezer is pretty much cleared out, and with the organization of the baking pantry, and pasta cupboard I am beginning to find things once again. 

I did go shopping today at Walmart, and of course spent more than planned. This was because I stocked up on some items. It has been a very long time since I have seen blocks of cheese for $4.88 a package, or coffee pods marked down by $6.00 a package. Large cans of creamed corn were on 4 for $6.00, and a big can of pineapple chunks was marked down to $1.27. I just could not pass those bargains up as well as the others I found. While this will more than likely put me over the grocery budget for this month, I feel the savings will be able to keep me under budget next month and into the new year. A big plus since prices keep going up. I may do a bit of a stock up next week on some meats as those are on sale right now as well. I do need beef products so the next trip early in the next week will add to the overage. 

Baked bread this week and today I made buns to take to Kris's. The leftover spaghetti and meat sauce tonight will be processed into a tray of Baked Spaghetti to be taken to Kris's as well. Probably the second meal will be something pulled from the freezer that I have already made. 

As far as craft stash, I am still working on using bits and bobs of yarn making the mittens. Those will come with me to Kris's so I can continue using up more yarn.

There is warp left on the loom and instead of wasting it, I am going to fashion a runner. I want to use up as much of that as possible this time around. I have been very wasteful with leftover warp lately.

I fixed the bottom of a zipper on one of my jackets early this week, darned another pair of socks, and saved some elastics and twist ties. 

I also found a quarter on the way to pick up the mail and that has been added to the change jar. 

Used up a small tube of hand cream after cutting it to get the last little bit out.

Rinsed out the dish soap to get another load of dishes handwashed and will be refilling them tonight.

That's all for this week, other than the usual things that are done every week.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Midweek and Almost Mid Month

 

The sun is shining, the temperature reached the double digits and all bills that are due midmonth are paid. We don't have to worry about being late paying things, and we still have quite a bit in the bank. 

I have found a sewing machine repair establishment close to where our son lives. According to the repair person it does not matter the age of my Baby Lock machine either. Also according to her it could take as little as two weeks to be repaired. I can work with my gift machine or my Mom's old machine until this one is fixed. Or even just not do any sewing until after the New Year, which at this time really does make more sense at this point.

I finished off the rug today. Just stuck with it until done. Now I need to block it and work in the loose ends. I will then sew the rubber backing on by hand. 

Next up I will be re-threading my machine and making a runner for the top of the fake fireplace/heater. An extra project, but I do not want to waste any of the warp. 

The rubber backing will be done when we return from Kris's place and until then I will work on mittens, and embroidery. Perhaps even managing to get more of those monthly projects completed. My knitting will come with me to Kris's, should be able to get a pair or two at least done there. 

Baking for the holidays will begin shortly. Probably cookies and shortbread first, and then some squares that we love. I still need to get almonds and white chocolate to make Almond Bark and peanuts to make Peanut Brittle. I really will be cutting back on sweet baking this year as it seems we eat less and less of these types of things. I might make some Kahlua and Irish Creme for the holidays as those could be given as a Hostess gift. 

This is what we missed seeing last night, but hope to get a glimpse of tonight.

I guess the Northern Lights were dancing in the sky last night and are supposed to happen again tonight. Keeping my fingers crossed that we can get to see them tonight.

Oh yeah, still waiting for my containers to be delivered, supposedly out for delivery now. This means a bit of a clean up of the pantry, I hope once they arrive and are washed.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Tidbits and Stuff

Today I went to our Remembrance Day service and spent some time at the cenotaph and went for the lunch the Legion puts on here.

As usual the ceremony was very touching.

Once back home I got to work on my various projects. I can see a steadfast movement towards being completed by the end of the month. Knitting will take place tonight after supper. 

In fact I am off to work on supper right now and will visit with you all a bit later.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Menu Monday

This week I am going to be trying to use up bits and bobs from the fridge and the freezer. We will be heading to Kris's place on Friday so things need to be cleared up. Of course I will take a meal or two with us so that he does not have to feed us for three days. Thinking two meals would be about perfect.

Monday

A kind of cottage pie using the leftover mashed potatoes, some gravy, and a bag of chicken meat from the freezer. I also added some frozen veggies, some onion, and the last of the frozen peppers. There will be enough left for another meal.

Tuesday

Soup and sandwiches. I will pull out a container of soup from the big chest freezer and make some grilled cheese sandwiches. 

Wednesday

Leftovers from Monday.

Thursday

Spaghetti and meat sauce. I will make some peas to eat with this.

I will also put together a Baked Spaghetti to take up to Kris's for one of our meals. 

Friday

Gone

Saturday

Gone

Sunday

Gone. 

We should be back on Monday and I will either head out shopping right after unpacking, or wait until Tuesday and get a few things done around the house. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Sunday Ramblings

 This morning dawned foggy and very cold. In fact at -19.5C we could say that winter has arrived for sure, even though there is supposed to be a warm up over the next week. I will be driving on icy roads to take the car in to get the winter tires put on, something I really did not want to be doing. 

The fog was not an ordinary fog either, it was one the deposited hoar frost on all surfaces.

So beautiful, and yet so cold. The wind managed to take all of this decoration down just a bit after noon. At times one might have thought it was snowing once again. 

I contacted Kris last night and we will be going to Regina on the weekend. I plan on phoning the store that might be able to fix my machine, and hopefully drop it off there on Friday. While I probably won't be able to pick it up before we leave, I am sure Kris will be happy to do so for me, or we have another excuse to go up for a visit or even just a day's shopping (a visit would be better though 😊

Harvey wants to stay with Kris until after the Grey Cup game on Sunday. That will mean my to do lists for the week after that are going to be switched around a great deal. This could mean that I won't have as much time to work on my projects for the first part of the week. I do plan on taking the knitting with me and perhaps get most of that completed while there. 

The church was freezing today, and the children did not go downstairs for their special church as it was so cold. I guess there is something happening to the boilers and they just were not working correctly. Father kept his sermon a bit shorter than usual, but by the time we left my hands were like ice cubes. Hopefully, by keeping our coats on we will not have exasperated our colds. At the end of Mass we had a short ceremony for Remembrance Day. Ended Mass singing O Canada.

Harvey made us brunch today, and I cleaned up after. Any time I do not have to cook I am happy enough to clean up and really it was just a few items. 

Off to visit with all of you for a bit.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Saturday Roundup

 

I really have not gotten that much done on my list this past week. Little bits done on many different things and only one thing completed that I could check off.

My gift jar soups are done and all the spice mixes, drink mixes, and soups are labeled and have the directions added. Just a couple more gifts for the baskets. Those are getting pretty full and I hope to finish them off very soon.

Weaving, embroidery, and knitting are happening and while the items are slowly but surely getting completed I really have nothing much to show for my efforts. I honestly think that sometimes I just try to do too much at one time and might be able to finish more if I worked on one project at a time. Now that would be slightly boring.

I have been working on getting the house ready for winter, new drapes have been purchased and others moved around to be used in another area. Still have a bit to do in this area, and now that we received snow (not a great deal), I will be concentrating a bit more in this area. 

Some easy knitting, sewing, quilting, and cross stitch patterns have been downloaded and printed. I am doing some research each day on good old fashioned cooking and looking for recipes to use beans more and not just in salads or baked. 

Decluttering is slowly taking place and I am finding it very true that once retired the wardrobe does not need to be so extensive. I no longer need to try and keep up with those who love to be dressed to the "nines" (and believe me I have a few SIL's that believe just that), and what I have is just fine.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Moving Towards Simplicity

 

My quest today on the way to simplicity was to get more room on my rather small kitchen counter. This was not an easy task as everything on it at this point in time is used or in the case of the jars of dehydrated herbs will be used whenever needed. 

I did manage to get a bit more room by moving the KitchenAid mixer on top of the portable dishwasher, and by getting all the spice mixes, and soups in a jar labeled and into the gift baskets. There is still way too much on one side, but slowly things will be used up and the area cleared. I really need to make my way through all my teas as that would clear up a great deal of room. I do wish that I could set up a coffee/tea station, but I just do not have the space for that. 

Next move towards a simpler life will be going through the drawers in the kitchen once again to see what I can declutter and perhaps make room for other items I have stored away and really do use almost every day.

Still more winterizing must be done inside. Nothing too expensive, but I do need to get those insulated curtains for my sewing/craft room and figure out what to do with the lace curtains I replaced. They are still in very good shape and I wonder if in the new year I could make some produce bags from them. I would love to hang some heavier curtains over the front and back doors to cut down even more drafts from entering the house, but those may have to wait until next year. 

Harvey had his truck into the dealership today for an oil change and a check of the block heater. Turned out to be a bit more costly than we thought as the truck needed a new block heater and a new plug in cord. Still we were quite happy that the total cost was a bit less than the one quoted, it was enough though. As Harvey says now we have a new battery and plugin on the SUV and a new block heater and cord on the truck, should be set for the winter for sure. That will definitely make life much easier and simpler over the winter. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Thrifty and Frugal Thursday

Thrifty and Frugal 

I am hoping for a really good thrifty and frugal November. Of course I do all the regular things that I do all the time, but I am hoping to find some new ways of saving those pennies.

1.  Making doubly sure that lights are turned off in rooms not in use.

2.  Asking myself more often is something is a want or a need. The curtains were actually a need as they keep the cold air out of the house. Just one more set to purchase and all windows will be covered with insulating curtains. 

3.  Looking up new recipes to expand on my winter meal plans. Using more beans and lentils. This will probably mean more batch cooking but that is a very good idea during the cold days of winter.

4.  I am back using my cloth wipes again when going to the bathroom and will be making a few more come the new year.

5.  Using up leftovers from the fridge freezer as well as the containers of soup I have in there.

6.  Still making my own yogurt and for the first time used some of my yogurt to start a new batch. It is the thickest yogurt I have ever made. So will make sure to keep 4 tbsp. to make the next batch.

7.  Darned 4 pairs of socks, did some seam repairs and fixed the zipper end on one of my coats (by hand). 

8.  Put my leftover allowance in the savings envelope.

9.  Printed out some free patterns for holiday crafts that I will do in December when I don't want to pull out a machine to work with.

So there are my thrifty and frugal practices for this week.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Midweek Ramblings

We are the middle of the first week in November already. I have a feeling that this month is going to pass by just as quickly as the previous months. Scary how fast the time is moving by.

My Chicken Quiche turned out very well yesterday, and was quite tasty. There will be a few tweaks to the recipe the next time I make it. 

These two pieces are in the fridge and should give us another meal each. Really not a whole bunch of cooked chicken went into this recipe either. We had some sliced veggies and dip as the side. 

I will be going through my cookbooks and finding more ways to stretch bits of leftover meat. Next up will be some leftover brisket that really can't be made into a pulled meat kind of meal. 

There are rumours that chicken prices will be rising due to the fact that more people here in Canada are choosing poultry as their meat. I find chicken to be pretty expensive right now and watch closely for sales. 

Because of rising meat prices I am looking into more lentil and bean recipes as a protein replacement. I am very glad that Harvey is willing to at least try my concoctions. The next lentil recipe I think I will try is Lentil Tacos or wraps. 

Still decluttering here, but right now it mostly seems to be my wardrobe. I tried on two tops today and hated the way they fit. Those hit the donation bag, however this is making me think that come January I am going to have to make some tunic tops or find some at a second hand store. The finding at a second hand store could be a problem as larger sizes really disappear quickly around here. Making could be the solution. I just have to wait and see how many I have left after trying things on and either donating or trying to figure out how I can refashion the items. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.