Tuesday Tidbits and Stuff

 

We really need to figure out a way to cut Bob's claws. He likes to dig them into whatever portion of one's anatomy he comes in contact with. He has also now ripped the tablecloth as he stumbled when trying to get on the table. I hope we can manage to do that very soon. I know it will take the two of us as Bob is a very large cat.

At least Bob has allowed me to work on my weaving, and get a bit of knitting done as well (that is when he decided he just had to climb on my knees and proceed to grab the yarn or dig his mighty claws into my leg and arm). Still it is nice to have a cat in the house for a bit. However Harvey and I wonder if Bob's escapades are the reason his brother wished us good luck as Nancy and he left for their trip to the airport.

I found a new casserole recipe for the leftover chicken to try tonight. We have every single ingredient which is awesome. No substitutions this time at all. I am hopeful that this recipe will give us enough for two meals. I plan on cooking it in the toaster oven as well. There isn't many veggies in it other than onions, green pepper and tomatoes so I plan on adding some celery and mushrooms to the mix. Got to get those veggies in the diet. This will also use up some to the things Nancy brought to clear out their fridge. 

This week the weather is going to be just lovely, but as I knew what would happen, by the middle of next week the temperature drops slightly from above freezing temperatures to temperatures slightly lower and lots of snow. In fact 5 days of snow is forecasted to appear. Winter is coming back and probably coming back for until at least mid March or even later. I do doubt we will get the -40C temperatures, but I have a feeling more snow and ice will be arriving.

Decluttering has taken a back seat for awhile. I want to clear out my stashes right now. There are items in those stashes that have probably been there for years and it is time to use them or give them away. 

I am also thinking that some batch cooking could be a great idea for those snowy days that are coming. I have started a list and will be adding to it as time goes by. Pretty sure I could use up some pork as well as the beef.

I have some black beans that need using as well as some ham broth. There are dried beans that could and should be cooked up and frozen as well. I really need to get some baked beans made as well (adding that to the list). When the weather gets nasty it is good to have things to do so you don't miss going out and about. I also need to use those molds I purchased a bit more as well. I want more pull meals out of the freezer as spring approaches so that we can work in the yard without having to stop and cook.

Harvey had to repair a picture frame today. Bob decided to lick my barefoot as I was dusting them. Startled me so much I jumped and dropped the photo. Fixed and back on the wall.

Off to get together all the necessary ingredients for the casserole and set the table. I will visit you all a bit later.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God Bless.

Menu Monday

 

A new week has arrived, and with this new week new challenges. Like a stuck spacebar. Not to happy about this as it is Bob's fault. I was having a drink and he jumped up and knocked said drink over. I am hoping that the spacebar starts working correctly very soon.

Monday

Chicken Soup and egg salad sandwiches. Or rather buns.

Tuesday

Leftover chicken made into a casserole.

Wednesday

Homemade pizza using up some various meats in the fridge.

Thursday

Leftover Chicken casserole.

Friday

Fish sticks, onion rings, coleslaw.

Saturday

Leftover Pizza  and probably a salad.

Sunday

Beef brisket, mashed potatoes, mixed veggies and the remains of the salad from the night before.

Bob is here visiting and is quite a bit more needy than we were told. He has already dumped a drink on my desk and caused a few problems there. He has not had his claws clipped and managed to give me a lovely scratch. Tried to bite me numerous times when I have been petting him. He has also taken over my chair.... 

Here is Bob, enjoying my chair.

While he is the same colour as Shania, he definitely does not have her lovely temperament. It could be a rough 15 or so days.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Sunday Ramblings

 

While I am not feeling 100% I am feeling much better. I am not sure what is wrong with me, but perhaps this old body just needs more rest then I have been giving it over the last while. I did sleep very well last night and I hope that the same happens tonight. 

Tomorrow our small visitor arrives. Nancy (my brother-in-law's wife) will be coming over to drop off Bob the cat. This does mean I will need to straighten the hallway before he arrives and once here will need to find a place for his bed, and scratching post. It really will be lovely to have a cat around for a bit. Looking forward to hopefully getting cuddles and pets in. She says he is very affectionate. 

It has been a fairly quiet day. We did go out to church today and I had to go out later and get Harvey's prescriptions filled. Well the ones for his blood pressure and his anti-depressant. The eye drops will last until after his next appointment with the optometrist. 

Other than those few outdoor things (picked up the mail as well) I have stuck close to home and worked on things like to do lists, looking up recipes, working on projects, and taking things fairly easy. 

Spent a bit of time looking up solar generator things on Amazon. Most need to have the purchase of the solar panels separate from the generator. I do think that is how we would go though if we did the generator thing. It is much less expensive than the gas powered and would actually work in the case of a power outage that lasted a great deal of time. I think we would need a couple of them though. One for the fridge and stove upstairs (and perhaps the computer and printer) and one for the basement freezers and washer/dryer. We face south so charging would not be a problem. 

Still working on using more small appliances to do my cooking. The electric bill did go down a tad this month, but I would love it to go down a bit more. 

I removed the buttons from Harvey's shirts.

Cut up the shirts into useable fabric. That will more than likely be used to make some totes eventually. 

I will pull out the pants to have the zippers and buttons removed tomorrow and those cut down into useable fabric as well. Little things being completed each day. 

The first half of the rug is off the loom and I will continue with warping again tomorrow. My back starts to hurt if I work on that phase for too long. I should also perhaps get the last pair of mittens almost completed as well. 

Little by slow little I am getting projects crossed off my list for the month. Of course there will be a few things carried over, but I hope to finish those next month. Will I add things? More than likely.

Today our sermon at church was letting our light shine, that just saying one is Christian is not enough..... 

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

What's With Frugal YouTubers Suddenly Prepping?

 As part of my resting today, I watched some of my favourite YouTube channels and saw something very interesting happening. So many of them have decided to figure out how to prepare for the worst possible scenario's. 

Now as a frugal person I have always tried to prepare for storms, rising prices and any other small challenge that could come my way. The way I see it, if the worst possible happens we probably won't be here to see the results. 

Since these people profess to be frugal, shouldn't they have prepared for those small things already? I do know some have a pantry, but many of them seem to purchase items that need to be frozen (power outages or hacking of the power grid would take those full freezers out right away). 

The cash on hand I think is a great idea, and one that I do just in case. However saying to go to your corner store to purchase groceries if big stores suffer a computer shutdown, won't work in many cases. We have one corner store here in my city, and they no longer sticker price their groceries or cleaning supplies. Most places have gone to the run the barcode and get the selling price. Even our 7-11 stores have moved to this method. No electricity would also mean the stores coolers would no longer work and food would spoil quickly. 

None of them mention getting a generator to run their electric appliances. Some even talk about using their phones to watch movies they have downloaded if the internet goes down. Hmmm, how would they recharge their phones, laptops or tablets with now electric. Yes, if they fill the vehicle with gas they could in fact use the running vehicle to recharge things. Still gas would run out fairly quickly with the constant recharging of phones and such. 

Lately I have been purchasing more canned goods, and making sure I have propane for cooking on my camp stove or on the BBQ. Not many of the YouTubers I watch even mentioned that. They do mention candles and solar powered lanterns and such. They even speak about stocking up on batteries. Yet not many mention purchasing canned goods. Lots of canned meat and veggies to be had for the pantry, and my next $10.00 pantry spend will probably be canned potatoes and canned fruit, if I can get a good deal. 

So do you think one should prepare for the worst possible scenario? Or just prepare for the smaller happenings that we are used to?

Off to get some more sleep as I have been coughing, sneezing, and dang cold. Will try and visit you all, but the way I am feeling that might have to wait until tomorrow.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Not Feeling Well

 The day started out wonderfully. Lots of energy, got lots done. Even managed to get out for a little bit.

Now however all I want to do is sleep (and I still have to get supper on the table as well as wait for a text). I am queasy, and just feeling slightly blah. I am hoping to hold out until after supper, and at least get the yogurt chilling and later draining. But I wonder if that will happen. Maybe the chilling, but not sure about the draining. 

I wonder if I managed to pick something up while shopping yesterday. Mind you if it is a touch of something like the flu, I don't think it would have shown up in a day. Maybe it is just that I had a very restless sleep last night, and since I don't nap (if I do my sleep at night is very bad) the tiredness is catching up with me.

This has been the worst year for me feeling blah in a very long time. I hope this is the last of whatever I seem to be catching. As Harvey says perhaps I should not run so fast (LOL).

There is always tomorrow to continue on my decluttering and getting the sewing/craft room straightened out even more.

Off to visit with some of you and then get supper started.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty and Frugal Thursday

Thrifty and Frugal

I have really been trying to cut back on spending so far this year. Mainly because the trip we have planned for August is a bit more expensive than we thought it would be. Still I am not going to try and reclaim that money. Rather I will save where and how I can.

Frugal happenings around the old homestead have been more or less the usual for what I have been doing. 

I am continuing to use up all that I can and not purchasing things I do not need.

I actually managed to extend my shopping for groceries by four days, which is awesome. Still prices are rising and getting great deals are few and far between.

Making what I can from scratch, finding simple joys in making those things I need and saving for home improvements and the garden (what we call the backyard here) are making my life very enjoyable. Keeping things as simple as I possibly can.

Today I went shopping, and of course picked up my $10.00 for the pantry. I think next time it will be some canned fruit.

I managed to get 4 cans each of tuna and mushrooms to add to the collection.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

 

Midweek Ramblings

 I have a feeling that this month is going to whiz right by. I have so much to accomplish and I know there is not enough month to get it all done. 

I thought for a change I would share my project goals for the month with you once again. It has been awhile since I did so.

So here goes,

1.  Weave the rug for Kris.

2.  Embroider the last of the blocks for a quilt.

3.  Sew the totes for the Silent Auction.

4.  Make the ornaments for the Silent Auction.

5.  Knit mittens.

6.  Cut the buttons off of the shirts Harvey got rid of that are not decent enough to donate.

7.  Separate the usable fabric from those shirts.

Things are taking a bit longer than I thought they would so I am slightly worried that not all will be done this month. I will however try my best to get most done. 

Tomorrow we will go and pay off the trip, and I will go shopping. This means that not as much will be accomplished around the house other than the usual household tasks. I have been lucky enough to find large enough bits and bobs to make the smallest size mitts however and that is helping me to use things up nicely. Slowly but surely things are being cleared out of my stashes and that is an excellent thing. No matter how long things take I will get my stashes down to something easily handled.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Tuesday Tidbits and Stuff

 The weather has turned for the next while, we have melting and Harvey went for a drive to pick up more ice melt. We know that this will not last for very long, been through it many, many times. 

Yes, I did get my machine back and it works wonderfully. They even gave me a package of very expensive chrome needles to use. I told Harv that I would probably take my machines there to be serviced when needed. I think the next one to go will be my embroidery machine. Then the overlocker/serger will make the trip. I could probably get the less costly Brother machine done here in the city. I need decent machines for sure considering the mending and sewing that I do.

I tried the machine out on some mending that Kris needed done and everything was great. 

Last night and today, I went over the monthly menu and got things worked out. Just a few simple changes were necessary. Anything left from the meal tonight will be frozen for later on, or we will eat it two days in a row and not have any soup and sandwich night this week. No problem at all. 

My back is kind of kinky today. Not sure if it is because I have been trying to get lots of work done today, or if the change in air pressure is causing the problem. Perhaps it can even be because of the change in mattresses. Tonight I plan on using my heating pad and resting while knitting and listening/watching TV. 

I am almost finished the first half of Kris's rug and can hopefully start the second half and perhaps I can get the second half done quickly. I think once again I put much too much on my list to try and complete. We shall see what I manage.

Off to get supper in the oven. Try and visit all of you once again after folding the mountain of laundry.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

 

Home Sweet Home

 

The roads were great if a bit blowy on our way home today and I am glad we did not come home yesterday. I believe the roads would have been icy and snow covered.

However, we got into Estevan, pulled in the driveway and started to remove the items from the back of the car. I started to walk towards the sidewalk beside our vehicle shelter and started to slide!!! I managed to keep my balance, warned Harvey and made my way slowly down the path. This was actually the iciest part of our trip (well there was one fairly icy patch in Regina). 

Once all was inside, Harvey went out and sprinkled ice melt and then later went out to chip away at it. We definitely need more ice melt as the bag I purchased is now gone. Hope we can find some. 

No menu plan today as I need to do a bit of tweaking on it since we were gone and I just pulled whatever out of the fridge freezer to have for supper tonight. 

It has been snowing off and on since we got home, and between that and the icy roads in the city (and of course grocery shopping parking lots) I am going to give a few more days before I head out and pick up what we need. I also hope that we will have better sales as well. Good sales are few and far between and the new sale will start on Thursday. Flyers will come out today and tomorrow. Keeping my fingers crossed. 

Supper is almost ready. I will try and catch up with all of you a bit later tonight and tomorrow morning. I probably have lots of reading to do.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Arrived But Will We Have To Stay Longer?

 We made it into the city no problem. There was some drifting snow the closer we got to the city, but nothing that would cause a problem.

Now however the city we live in has pouring rain this morning, and from what I read on the weather app on my phone and on this laptop, the same is happening here. 

It is supposed to warm up though and hopefully get rid of the ice. I will need to keep track on both apps to see how things are clearing up. We could be here a bit longer than planned on. Thank heavens Kris has a great washing machine and a place in the basement to hang things.

And that's the news from here as blogger is being weird once again.

Thrifty and Frugal Thursday

 Thrifty and Frugal

I have been busy getting things done in order for our visit to Kris's. Everything that could be done ahead of time has now been completed. Lists made, prescriptions picked up and allowances gotten from the bank. Life is good, even though the forecast is calling for snow here in Estevan, and snow/rain on Saturday in Regina. Heck, we might have to stay an extra day to make sure the roads are passable and not covered in ice. 

So what frugal and thrifty things have I been up to over the past week.

1.  Added my leftover allowance to the savings envelope. Also added to the change jars.

2.  Cut up the peppers that were getting a bit soft and got them into the freezer to be used in soups and stews.

3.  Managed to get through all the leftovers from meals either by eating them a second time, or freezing them for a meal later. 

4.  Made use of some of the reclaimed yarn in making the rug. Also used up some of the yarn for the warp.

5.  Using up the smaller leftover yarn balls to continue knitting mittens.

6.  Combined errands to save on fuel and vehicle usage.

7.  Made sure lights were turned off in rooms not in use. I am even getting Harvey to make sure he does the same.

8.  Harvey started another batch of wine, so we will definitely be well supplied. 

Those combined with the usual thrifty and frugal happenings have made this week pass by with a bit of savings on various bills. 

My next post will be from Kris's tomorrow evening. At least that is what I hope.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Midweek and the Last Midweek of the Month

 I can not believe that it is the middle of the last week of the month. Once again days are flying by and I am not at all ready for the month to end.

I am trying to keep busy baking, cooking, prepping meals (soups) and working on my projects. All to keep from getting drawn into the chaos that people post. I made an error yesterday and got drawn into saying me piece on what a cousin had posted. Lord love me I really should have known better, and will know better next time around. Or at least I hope to have learned better. 

The weather is improving greatly, but as usual with the uptick in temperatures, snow is now being forecast. Not a lot for here or the city that youngest lives in so we will still be going. So looking forward to getting out and about in a bigger center. I think I will ask Harvey to stop at The Body Shop so I can pick up my favourite scrub and bath gel. I also want to look at their facial cleansing routines as well. 

Trying very hard not to waste anything, and I am getting better. This week I have had very little in that department. I am freezing anything leftover from our second meals and this should give us another meal from those leftovers. Neither Harvey or I can eat the same meal for days in a row. Tonight we will be having leftover beef stew, and from the looks of what is now in the pot to warm up there could be another meal had. The leftovers will be frozen and we will eat them later on. 

My project list for next month is made as is the monthly cleaning list. My menu plan is as well, subject of course to any changes that may occur due to trying to use things up. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Tuesday Tidbits and Stuff

 It is warming up and such a welcome change from the last week. The sun is shining and while there is a bit of a breeze, the day outside isn't that bad.

I had my mammogram at the mobile unit today. It took maybe 8 minutes at the most. It really is a treat not to have to go to Regina or Saskatoon to get this done. The mobile unit used to be an older bus type vehicle. This one is brand spanking new and more along the lines of a very long trailer unit. The set up isn't quite as nice as the old one as the waiting area is tiny, but I believe that because this one is much longer and equipped with a wheelchair ramp it is so much better. 

I have spent the last couple of days making soup. I have now restocked some of my easily pulled out and reheated soups. When we come back from Kris's and I go grocery shopping, I hope to find some on sale mushrooms so as to be able to make some cream of mushroom soup. 

I had trouble getting the first soup out of the mold, but figured out what I was doing wrong and the others just popped right out. I think this will be good for freezing chili and meat sauce as well. There are a few jars in the fridge that I should probably put in the silicone ice cube molds just to make sure they don't spoil in the fridge. Spoilage means waste and I really am trying not to waste a single thing this year.

Worked on my projects and have started the second series of stripes on the woven rug. Not going to be ready before we leave, but headway is being made and Kris should be able to take it back with him come Easter. Mittens are being knit as well, perhaps not as quickly as I would like, but they are slowly adding up. 

I need to work on my project list and extra cleaning list today. Then at some point tomorrow work on the menus for February.

Life is pleasant, and running smoothly. I just need to remember I can only control what I can control, some things just need to be placed in the hands of someone who can control those. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Menu Monday

 

A new week has arrived, and while I have menus planned for the entire week, we will be going to visit with Kris on the weekend and thus the menus for Saturday and probably Sunday will change. 

Saturday because Kris will cook for us, and Sunday because we will just have arrived at home. 

Monday

Beef Stew and dumplings.

Tuesday

Leftover Chicken stew. I will make biscuits to go with this meal.

Wednesday

Leftover Stew, probably served with either leftover biscuits or slices of bread.

Thursday

Birokies (Cabbage bread).

Friday I told Kris I would supply the meal and I have some frozen Turkey Tetrazzini that I will bring up for our meal. 

Saturday

Kris supplies the meal.

Sunday

I have some leftover ham in the fridge freezer so perhaps we will have something made with that, or even just warmed up. 

I need to make next month's menu plan, and try to use up even more in the fridge freezer and the meat freezer. The problem is with just the two of us there will always be leftovers. Not a bad thing, until it fills the fridge as is happening right now. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Sunday Ramblings

 

Still in the deep freeze here so I am glad to have things to do around the house and projects to keep me busy. Today should be the last of the really cold days, and then we will gradually have a warm up. 

I brought beef broth and chicken stock upstairs to make into soup this morning. I plan on doing a batch cook of soups one day this week. The only soup left in the freezer is Pea and Harvey really does not care for that. So I will make beef vegetable, beef noodle, chicken vegetable and chicken noodle to restock. I even plan on using my molds for this task. I will let you all know how that goes. 

First I think I must clarify something. Our Co-op give a yearly percentage into our accounts on what we purchase, and from that we get a small percentage back. The most I ever got was $110.00. The rest is put away until we are 65 and want to remove it. We could take it all, or a portion of what has accumulated. We can also remove the total amount if we move and close our account, I did this when Harvey was transferred to Shaunavon many, many years ago.

There are also a few questions from the last post I should answer. 

I was asked if I dehydrate fruits and veggies. The answer is yes, though I am more inclined to freeze them. I do dehydrate lots of herbs and have been known to make jerky.

I was also asked if I ferment veggies. While I do pickle lots of different vegetables I have not tried fermenting them. I often think I would love to make sauerkraut when cabbage is on sale, but have never gotten around to that. Instead I make Birokies (or what I call Cabbage bread), Cabbage Rolls, or Lazy Cabbage Roll Casseroles. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Saturday Roundup

 

It has been a very cold week here on the Canadian prairies. A warm up should be happening starting next week. Absolutely lovely as far as I am concerned. I may even be able to get out for some fresh air, even if it is just walking up and down the road. 

The warm up also comes in time for my visit to the mobile mammogram unit, that hits our city every two years. I love not having to travel into the city of Regina unless something is wrong. 

So what have I been up to this week? No projects really finished but a couple have been started and I worked on gathering items for next month's projects. Lots of using up happening. 

I have also been figuring out ways to save on electrical costs. More appliance cooking will be happening here over the next couple of months. The only time I will use the oven is to bake bread, cookies or pies and I will make darn sure the oven is packed. I will also open the oven door to take advantage of the residual heat and heat my kitchen.

I know people say the one way we control our money and budget is through groceries. While that is true in bigger centers, here it is a bit more difficult. We have three grocery stores and Walmart, not a great selection really. I do most of my shopping at our     Co-op. This is mostly because we get a percentage back as part owner. We the people own the business and the more one spends the more one gets back in return. 

I also have a Visa that gives cash back as well. More on groceries than other items like gas, but we still get money back. I haven't cashed in on that as of yet, but I will soon, I am hoping to have enough in that to pay for a two week grocery shop very soon. The Co-op cash back usually pays for part of a shop. 

Life is good even in the midst of chaos, and I hope will stay that way.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Calm in the Chaos Moving to a Simpler Life

 

I have decided that I can only control myself and my reactions to what chaos happens in the world. I am going to find joy in simple things and making my house a bastion of peace and simplicity.

One night as I closed the curtains this week I saw this.....

The neigbourhood deer are back and wondering down our road. It was so quiet and this little lady was probably looking for food. No cars passed by so she was on the road moving back and forth for quite awhile. 

While the weather is atrocious I am finding joy today in getting things completed, the smell of baking bread, and the scent of the brown lentil soup simmering on the stove. Simple things that can bring joy if one allows them to. 

I have been spending time getting things together for next months projects. Putting my inability to concentrate for long on one specific project to good use. Perhaps if I have a number to work on I will manage to get a couple completed. Having things near, and contained in tote bags, or baskets make me happy. Things are a great deal easier to locate this way. 

As I make more from scratch things are actually becoming easier. My cupboards are becoming filled with more staples rather than ready made food. Once the salad dressings are used up I will begin to make my own. 

I also am looking forward to going up to Kris's next weekend and removing more of what I have decluttered from my home. Kris is looking forward to our visit, and what we will be bringing up to him. Simplifying my home and giving our son some things he really can use.

The chaos of the world is receding from my every day life. Not that I will stick my head in the sand, more I will leave it in more knowledgeable hands than mine. Pretty sure God knows what to do and the world leaders will do the best that they possibly can. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty and Frugal Thursday

Thrifty and Frugal

I am working on getting out of this blah phase I am in. I actually baked today. Nothing fancy, just a chocolate cake and tomorrow I will bake bread, and perhaps those cookies I keep putting off. 

So what thrifty and frugal things have I been up to over the past week.

1.  Combined errands when I went to the dentist last Friday. 

2.  Used up leftovers to make new meals. Those meals fed us for two meals each.

3.  Fixed a hem on a split skirt I had made a few years back.

4.  Used up a few bits and bobs of yarn knitting mitts.

5.  Put $95.00 in my savings envelope.

6.  Added $0.55 to the change jars. 

7.  And of course all the usual frugal and thrifty things that are just a second nature to me.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

 

Midweek And Feeling Kind of Blue

 

How to explain how I am feeling. 

It really isn't feeling depressed, it is more just a feeling of being blah. Is blah depression? 

I do find joy still in certain things, but I am having a great deal of trouble staying on track. Perhaps it is the weather and the constant up and down of the temperatures. Perhaps it is because I just can't seem to want to bake (very strange for me), or the thought of many more weeks of this up and down temperature keeping us inside. 

Or it could be the amount of money we spent on our upcoming trip and figuring out how to save that money back.... Harvey gets this way when we purchase a new to us vehicle, and I get this way when we decide to spend on an experience. Aren't we a strange pair and it isn't like we can't afford either. 

Another reason could be how expensive day to day life is getting and from what is coming out of Davos and the World Economic Forum the world is going crazy.  Once again, it seems like Canada will be standing alone, even though Mark Carney got a standing ovation after his speech. People and countries are bowing down to the bully below us. Giving him what he wants, giving him credibility, making us the scapegoat for his anger. No, I shouldn't say us alone. Denmark and the UK are standing up as well. 

I am just so tired of the things are happening in our world. I want to pull the blankets over my head and pretend that things are the same. 

Nothing will ever be the same again. Trust has gone.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Tuesday Tidbits and Stuff

 

Life got away from me yesterday and I did not get a post up. I suppose that happens.

Part of the reason was I really wanted to get the loom warped and that actually took more time than I thought. Plus I was trying to get all the laundry and cleaning done as well. Funny how much laundry we have when neither of us work outside the house any longer. Or perhaps the going up and down the stairs takes longer. Who knows, I sure don't. 

Today will be our last fairly decent day of the week. Things are going to get colder. Much colder in fact. This does mean no trip to the city to visit with Kris, but he is supposed to phone me tonight and we will set up another weekend to visit. I am actually hoping for the last weekend of this month. We would go up at a time that we would arrive when he got off work, and probably stay until either mid Sunday or early Monday. Just hope that will be okay. 

Other than the usual housework and getting my loom set up once again, the days have passed by with the usual regularity. Things get done, things get postponed until later in the week.

I am working on decluttering by using things up to make items that are useful, if not to me to someone else. I do hope that counts as I used three skeins/balls of yarn warping my loom for the rug. I hope to use up much more on this project. The little bits of yarn I have in a chest of drawers are being used up to knit the mitts. Soon I hope to be working on using up more fabric and clearing more of that out. I have now reached 120 items gone from storage in the house. The mitts and rug will be leaving at some point, and some of the fabric will also be made into items that will be leaving the house as well. 

The weather was nasty on Sunday, but after Mass I went shopping. Only to our local Co-op which is only a couple of blocks away and managed to get almost all I needed. There were a few item that were not available and I did have to spend a bit more, but I am satisfied and if I don't have what I need to make the meals, I will substitute something else. I have also been busy using things up in the fridge which is a big plus. 

Off to get supper on the table, and then it will be time for a visit with all of you.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Frigid weather, at least gets things done around the house. 

Sunday Ramblings

 

The day started off pretty nice really for a January winter day. Then it began to snow a bit, the wind came up and the snow fell for a bit. We did have some sundogs for a bit which probably forecasts the coming cold snap. 

Mass, was the usual mix of understanding Father during the parts and then losing most understanding once he started his sermon. I also got a horrible surprise. One of the students I have known since kindergarten, and who's mother was a teacher in our Catholic schools and I worked with passed away at the age of 26. I cried for awhile a bit ago. This was B and B's only child born to them when B was quite old. Only one was in church this morning and left before Eucharist was handed out. My heart breaks for them.

I went shopping and managed to pick up most of what I needed at our Co-op as I did not want to go to Walmart. We will make do with what we have for this shopping period. Things were a bit higher in cost but whatever.

This is what I managed to get for the pantry for $10.00. It isn't very much.

Some salad dressings, Turtle beans, and Navy beans. Every little bit adds to what we can use if times get tough.

I also bought dried Kidney beans but the cost would have put me over the $10.00 mark so it went in my regular purchases. 

Meat was even higher than usual so the only meat purchased was a chicken and that was a bit expensive as well. Good thing that my meat freezer is fairly full. Hopefully I can purchase a beef roast next time around, and some chicken breasts as well. Times are getting pretty tough for people.

I now have the loom set up and ready to be warped. I think I have decided to do two sections of this rug and sew them together to make the rug. The warp will be dark brown and light brown and the weft will be grey and I think brown and smaller strips of green. We shall see. 

Working on knitting today, I hope to get the second pair completed. I have pulled the leftover yarn to make two more I hope. Thus getting the stockpile of leftover yarn down a bit more and make something useful for others. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Saturday Roundup

 

It has been a very good week for getting things done. Lots of baking, decluttering, tidying, and just plain working on those things I have put aside for many years. 

I even have finished projects to share with you.

First off....

The eighth block of 9 to make the new quilt. Definitely needs ironing.

The nightgown to replace one that I needed to cut into rags. That one was 20 years old and getting a bit threadbare and didn't really fit any longer.

My first pair of knitted mitts for Kurt's school this month.

The jacket, which even though I was kind of scared of making. It went together so very well and I will probably make another if I can get the right weight of knit fabric on sale once again. 

That is all I have to share with you today. I am hoping to have more to share next week. That is if we do not go to Kris's and the way the weather is looking that is probably what is going to happen.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Living Simply

 

It has been a windy, snowy and cold day. I am very happy that my appointment at the dentist was early as about an hour or so after I arrived home the weather got just terrible. I could not really see much beyond the houses at the bottom of the valley below our home. Highways were shut down or closed off for most of the day, and the police were warning people to stay home. 

My dental appointment for a cleaning went quickly. The hygienist told me I was doing great work in flossing and brushing, that hardly any cleaning was necessary this time. She also gave me some more tools to use when cleaning my teeth, which will really help make a greater difference in the plaque build up. I love my dental office, they are all so very kind. 

I spent some time working on various projects, one of which was a bit of a declutter and tidy of the sewing/craft room. I managed to declutter quite a bit and it is amazing how much of a weight is off my shoulders. Decluttering is definitely making my life very much simpler and I do hope that continues. 

Living a simple life does not mean doing without. To me it goes right along with living a thrifty and frugal life. One does not need a lot of stuff to make one happy. Instead of spending on "stuff" we will be spending on experiences from now on. We are getting to the stage in life where having less, means that there is more joy in other areas. We really should have discovered the joy of traveling earlier, but will be content with what we can see and do over the next few years. 

Lately I have been making simple, but hearty meals and we enjoy eating very well. Leftovers are refashioned into new meals. I freeze extra to be used on days I really do not feel like cooking. That isn't often as I do love to cook, but there are times......

Simplicity can be difficult to attain, but once attained is amazing and something everyone can work towards.

Today I worked on my jacket. Almost made a mistake so have laid it aside until tomorrow. I might not get it all completed but will have made a very good start. 

This means my loom will be brought out and warping done hopefully on Monday or perhaps Sunday. Then comes dressing the loom and starting to weave.

I love the simplicity of putting the shuttle through the warp and beating the threads down. All of a sudden there can be something beautiful happening. 

I doubt we will travel to Regina to visit Kris next weekend as the nights are going to feel almost in the mid -40C range. Time to hunker down and enjoy being at home. We might go the following weekend as the long range forecast says temperatures will be improving. Keeping my fingers crossed as I really would like my good sewing machine back.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Thrifty and Frugal Thursday

 Thrifty and Frugal

It is now snowing and the wind is howling, if the snow gets much thicker we could be under a blizzard watch. Something I really don't want as I have that early morning appointment at the dentist and a couple of errands after. Here's hoping that it does not get that bad.

There have been the usual frugal and thrifty practices being done here on the old homestead. 

1.  Combining errands is something that just makes sense. I haven't purchased gas since we came home in November from Kris's place.

2.  Harvey bottled the red wine and plans on making some more from the kits he has downstairs. Another red and a fruit type. 

3.  Put up a hem from where it was coming down on a pair of my pants.

4.  Used a savings code when making our cruise booking. That saved us cash on the trip and our airfares.

5.  Using my appliances to cook more once again. Tonight's roast pork is in the electric roaster. 

6.  Made more yogurt for my breakfasts.

7.  All leftovers have been used in the fridge for lunches or other meals. 

8.  Drinking more water rather than coffee. 

9.  Put another 35 cents in the change jars. 

10. Used up some sale fabric to make my nightgown. 

11. Decluttered another 2 items from the sewing/craft room.

12. Working on using up more of my craft stash. 

Then of course there is the usual lights off in rooms not in use, line drying clothes in the basement, washing all that I can in cold, and what can't be washed in cold is at least rinsed in cold. Meals are made with what I have in the house, and I have been lucky not to have had to go into the pantry except for a can of spaghetti sauce that needed using up. 

I have made my shopping list for this upcoming trip, purchasing items only from the flyers, except for our supplements. Those never really seem to go on sale at this time of year. 

I even made my $10.00 list for pantry stock up. Hopefully everything will still be available when I go.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Midweek

 I had hoped to get my nightgown finished today, and though I did do some sewing on it, there is still more to be done. I also did not get the baking completed today. 

Reason was we went to the travel agents and got our trip booked for the beginning of August. Sat there for about an hour and a half. The once home I set up the online portal of the trip. What would happen if one did not have a computer or tablet? Once that was done Harvey wanted to book some of the extra trips and I found out the free excursions needed to be booked or at least reserved. Still most is done now, and the next thing is getting it paid off by February 13 th of this year. 

So where we are going is a Viking Cruise called Passage to Eastern Europe. We leave on the 2nd of August and arrive in the beginning of the cruise on the 3rd of August. Definitely going to need some sleep..... So we have nothing planned for that day. We will have a paid for excursion ton the 4th and get on the ship that day as well. 

Extra excursions are paid for through the online portal and we will pay off the remaining costs online as well. Viking is looking after the air portion as well. I will have to go in to the agents to pay off the remaining insurance though. 

Hopefully since there is no place I need to be tomorrow, I can finish the baking, and the sewing project as well. Perhaps even start on the next sewing project. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Tuesday Tidbits and Stuff

 

We are having a lovely warm up, things are getting pretty mushy out there. That will probably cause a problem when the temperature drops next week. I have a feeling things could be a bit bumpy and icy.

Just been working around the house decluttering (now up to 100 items leaving or left the house), using things up and enjoying the quiet that winter seems to bring. 

We are still hoping to get up and see Kris as well as pick up my repaired sewing machine very soon. Perhaps if I can convince Harvey even this weekend as the weather the weekend after is supposed to be frigid. We shall see. 

Paid bills today, and transferred some money around. Into savings to build that up a bit more. I know there is probably enough in that account right now to mostly pay for our cruise (no spending cash though), but I begin to feel a bit lost if there is not a goodly amount in savings. 

Working on a sewing project.

A new nightgown, and next up will be a knit fabric sweater jacket. Both should be done relatively quickly. In fact if the collar goes right on the nightgown it should be done early tomorrow. 

For the first time ever I had a troll comment. Never had one of those before. I did post it for awhile, but then thought if the person was not going to use their real name it wasn't worth it and removed it from the comment section. 

Please, if something is happening on Blogger that makes you post as Anonymous post your name as well. I know Hawaii Planner always does, and some who realize later come back and post that it was them. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.