Menu Monday

 It is hard to know what type of meals to cook during this month of up and down temperatures. I still plan on trying to clear out the fridge freezer and perhaps some of the bone broths I have in the downstairs chest freezer. The more I can clear out the better. Our meat freezer is getting pretty low and I hope we can get some good meat sales very soon. I may break down and just purchase whatever as I don't think prices are going to be very good considering the cost to transport them.

Monday

Leftover chicken taco meat, tortillas, and the fixings to put on top.

Tuesday

Leftover chili, I think this time I will serve it over pasta with some cheese on top.

Wednesday

I brought up a container of leftover stew. Probably served over slices of bread, either sour dough (bought to see if we like it) or homemade.

Thursday

Mexican soup using up the last of the frozen brisket. The leftovers will be frozen and used at another time. With some kept out for another meal. Probably grilled cheese sandwiches will be served with.

Friday

Pancakes with syrup and/or jam from the canning cupboard.

Saturday

Leftover Mexican soup, and tuna melts.

Sunday

Pork roast, roasted potatoes, roasted carrots.

So there you have my meals. I will have cleared out a bit from the leftovers, I have lots of chicken and turkey carcasses that will need to be made into broth. Hopefully I can get those cleared out an upcoming week.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Melting, Rain, Snow Typical Spring

We are having typical prairie spring weather. Today we have had a bit of freezing in the morning, some sunshine this afternoon, and now the rain is starting to fall. Then later in the week we will be back to dropping temperatures and snow. Pretty much our usual start to spring, though many years we would be in the midst of a snow storm right now. I suppose this could be March coming in like a lamb, but I sure hope it doesn't go out like a lion.

I was looking out the window last night at about 7 and thought I would share one of our sunsets with you all. I am loving the longer days we are finally having. 

I am still having a terrible time trying to download pictures from the gallery on my phone to the gallery on the computer. Hmmm, perhaps it is time to make a visit up to Regina and get Kris to perhaps figure out what the heck is happening. Strange things for sure and I have made a couple of password changes, and I will have to phone one company in about a week to see why I can not log into my account. They changed things and have locked me out it seems.

There is a gas station just down the hill in the valley below us and Harvey has taken to using his binoculars to check out the price per liter of fuel each day. Today the price is $1.45.9 per liter so in the two weeks since the Iran bombing started our price has gone up $0.21 a liter. I am pretty sure things will get worse before they get better. I think we might be happy to have the grow lights for some veggie starters this spring, and fresh veggies in the winter. 

Laughingly (well perhaps not laughingly) I told Harvey I was thinking that having a wagon to pull my groceries home might be an excellent idea if the prices for fuel keep on going up. It would perhaps save a trip with the car. Probably, much more frugal and great exercise in the long run. I have mentioned that before and Harvey has just laughed it off. Not so this time. I really think some of my frugal ideas could actually be rubbing off on him.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

 

This Will Suit Me Perfectly

 

Thanks for posting this Juhli. I am a mystery/true crime nut for novels and this challenge will be loads of fun. I can actually get into this one.

The day has passed by and I am not even tired. Can it be that whatever virus or bacteria I managed to pick up has worked its way through my system? I certainly hope so. I do not like feeling so exhausted by midafternoon that I just can not function properly. 

Once again my movement towards simplicity has been one of decluttering and organizing. Perhaps more decluttering than organizing, and perhaps more using up than decluttering. 

One thing I am beginning to realize is that we collect more "stuff" then we really need or in fact want. Or perhaps that is the problem, at the time the items appeared in our homes we actually wanted them, but didn't need them. 

In a way I didn't realize at the time, we were actually trying to keep up with the neighbours... At times I believe we fall back into that mindset. Not as often now, but the urge is still there. One needs to remember that nothing is simple if it adds "stuff" to your life.

Harvey informed me today that he ordered grow lights and I wondered why..... Turns out he was thinking that we could possibly grow our own lettuce, radish and onion during the winter months and save a bit of cash doing so. Kris does this every year and in fact his set up even grows tomatoes and peppers. He says the cost of running the lights is minimal really, so perhaps things will work out and we will manage to save on produce over the those cold winter months. I don't think that is moving towards a simpler life, but perhaps towards a more frugal life. And having Harvey even thinking in a frugal manner is perhaps a big plus. I really think taking him shopping was a major eye opener for him. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Shopping and Realizing Prices Really Are Hitting Highs

 So I went shopping yesterday and could have cried over how much prices are going up over all. 

Definitely more than last time I went shopping and way more than last year at this time. Still I did manage to get lots on sale (though sale price was the regular price even just a few months ago).

So here is my shopping, and yes I did purchase a small roast beef which was on sale, but one of the reasons I almost cried.

One of two pictures of my shopping. It seems like getting pictures from my phone to blogger is getting a bit more difficult.

I think I might need Kris to get things working properly once again, or find my silly camera which seems to have disappeared in the house. 

Life seems to be getting slightly complicated rather than simplified. 

Off to get supper completed, a visit with all of you and then work on a project or two.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty and Frugal Thursday

Thrifty and Frugal

Since I have not been feeling that well, things are really being used up around here. My fridge freezer is slowly dropping, and the crisper was getting pretty darn empty here. 

I did go shopping today, and rested a great deal once home. I wanted to get out and get that done as we are being told we were going to be getting freezing rain later today. That after snow.... I made it home before any real snow started.

1.  Meals have been made this past week with what we have on hand in the fridge, freezers, pantry, and cold room (that's where we have our potatoes).

2.  Harvey made more wine for the summer.

3.  A picture frame was made from his bit of lumber downstairs. 

4.  My electric bill has dropped by $5.00 as I am using appliances to cook more, and making sure lights are off in rooms not in use.

5.  Mended a pair of boxers, darned a pair of socks, and fixed a hem on a pair of pants.

6.  Working on making more from scratch and getting meals into the freezer by making larger batches. 

7.  Trying to find reusable K-cups that will fit my machine. I also looked a machines that use both the cups and a pot. 

8.  Put $75.00 into my savings envelope.

9.  Added $5.35 to the coin jars.

10.  Doing the regular frugal and thrifty things like hanging clothing on the lines downstairs, using up craft supplies, and making sure the doors are using the draft dodgers.

Still tired, and I even had a bit of a sleep after shopping. I then spent the rest of the day working on projects, doing a tiny bit of decluttering, and walking when I needed to. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Midweek, Not At All Calm

 I really hate not being 100% and becoming so exhausted by mid afternoon I can hardly stay awake. I try to get most, if not all my household tasks done in the morning, but sometimes I just can't. The strange thing is my fitness watch tells me I am getting an excellent sleep in some regards, and sleeping most of the night (think that's out a bit as I know one night I was awake and reading from about 3 to 4 am and the watch said I was sleeping). 

The haircut today really did almost do me in. By the time I drove into our driveway (Harvey always goes first and then walks home) I could feel the urge to close my eyes washing over. Heaven help me when I go shopping tomorrow morning, I could be tired before I even get any work completed around the house. 

If this keeps up I will be visiting my doctor very soon. I will give myself another week to see what happens. 

Enough of the pity party, I am sure you are all getting a bit bored with that.

Right now I am just working on getting a few extra meals into the freezer downstairs. Just in case there comes a time when I really do not feel much like cooking anything. So far this week I have added pie crusts, and potato soup to the mix. I hope to add a chicken meal later in the week along with some chili. Most of the meals are extra from meals I have cooked. Keeping things simple and using up the bits and bobs in the fridge freezer. I just might try my hand at getting a few pizza crusts into the freezer as well. I also managed to dice up the mini peppers and get them frozen as well.

I think I have enough warp on the loom to get the second half of the rug made. I only have 100 rows left to do and I should be okay. Tonight I will sit and finish the first outside corner of the quilt block. I see an end in sight for that project right now, except I have a number of blocks left after this one to fashion into quilts as well. Going to be doing embroidered quilt blocks for awhile I think.

Off to take something for my fever (it seems to have appeared once again after missing all day), and put together the leftover pork into a meal. Thinking of warming the meat up, making mashed potatoes, and a gravy of some kind to put over the meat... Then raw veggies and dip as another side.

Will see how many I can manage to visit tonight both before and after supper.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Tuesday Tidbits and Stuff

 

Still working on getting rid of whatever I have managed to catch. I am coughing, sneezing, feverish and by the time the mid afternoon rolls around, I just want to sleep. I do know that if I fall asleep in the afternoon, I will not be able to sleep at night. So I sit and work slowly on projects in the afternoons. At least something is getting done.

Most days I can manage to get the basics done around the house, and since I am trying to use up the bits and bobs in the fridge freezer, I am able to put together pretty basic meals, which Harvey enjoys. Me, well I am surviving on toast and tea. 

Tomorrow we need to go out for our haircuts and since we have waited for three weeks, I am hoping that at least I will not be coughing.... Keep your fingers crossed for me. 

Our weather is going to change as well. Next week is supposed to be back to winter with up to at least 30 cm of snow, or about 12 inches. Winter is sticking around for a bit longer. Of course as is usual with snow the temperatures are not that far below freezing.

Off to see how many of you I can visit before I need to rest my eyes. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Tired and Feverish

 

Taking a day off in order to get a bit more rest. See you all tomorrow.

Everybody have a wonderful day.

God bless.

Moving Towards Simplicity

 

Part of my movement towards simplicity is to use what I have and only replace things when absolutely necessary. 

One of the items I am replacing is many of the plastic containers I used for freezing. Lots of them were stained, getting to the point where they were extremely brittle and just getting past the best time to be using them. Now I am not getting rid of them all, I will keep those that are still in good form, but my molds will be used a great deal more and really do make storage a bit simpler. 

I will need to replace my 15 year old broom very soon as it is not doing the job it is intended for any longer. I found that out when trying to sweep up the kitty litter. I will hold off on replacing my dirty clothes basket for a bit longer, as it is still functional even though there is a large crack at the top. 

Collecting glass and plastic jars to use for storage, mainly so I can reclaim my canning jars. 

Simplicity to me also means making the most of what I have. So I am hunting down recipes to use beans, lentils, and peas. All are great sources of protein and can be used instead of meat for that purpose. I seem to have lots of beans in storage for some reason. We will never become totally vegan, but having meals that are vegetarian based will help keep our costs down and is a very simple way to do so.  

Simplicity also means knowing what is in my food, so I am cooking more from scratch, using whole ingredients. I don't think I will ever totally remove processed food from the pantry, but by making more with whole ingredients will keep our meals simple and filling. 

Repairing, making and just taking the time to slow down and breathe while doing so enables me to have prayer or meditation time. By organizing my day and routine I am finding life moving just a touch slower. That makes me wonder if getting more organized would be even better.... But would that enable me to stop and watch the birds at the feeder as I tidied the hall, or watch the children come home from school when the buses drop them off. 

Moving towards simplicity is also helping with the budget. Since I have gotten way more involved in working towards this, I am discovering that staying within or under budget is much easier. No longer worrying about keeping up with the neighbours really does simplify and save money, time and effort. 

While our life will never be completely simplified, I am enjoying the journey to where we will actually end up once done. Simplifying has also enabled us to take the trips we do (even though I, in my frugal mindset, sometimes think about replacing the money....).

Everybody have a wonderful, relaxing, and simple evening.

God bless. 

Thrifty and Frugal Thursday

  Thrifty and Frugal

As this day draws to a close, it is time to try and remember the ways that I have been thrifty and frugal over the past week.

The usual frugal and thrifty happenings went on even with Bob here, which at times was a bit difficult.

1.  I washed some empty glass jars that I will be using for storage. I even did some clear plastic ones like the peanut butter jars. So while nothing new is entering the house, I am using items Harvey used to toss to store food. Kind of shocking to him.

2.  Harvey is using some of his lumber downstairs to make a couple of picture frames. One will be for something he made puzzle wise and one will be for me and my cross stitch picture (if I ever get the angel done). 

3.  Mended the tablecloth (the one Bob decided he should claw a hole in), a pair of eldest son's boxers, and a seam on a pillow case. 

4.  Found $0.35 in the washing machine and that is now in the change jars. 

5.  So far have had 20 no spend days this month and keeping my fingers crossed that we can finish of this month with two more.

6.  Planned the projects for next month and made sure that what I have planned will use up things from my stashes. 

7.  Once again made sure to combine errands so as to not waste fuel. 

8.  Saved water for watering the few inside plants I have.

9.  Saved the small container that the cherry tomatoes came in. I think it will make a wonderful starter container for plants. 

10.  Doing more big batch cooking and using the molds to freeze. Once frozen I am using my Food Saver to extend the length of time the meals can be stored.

11.  Went through the fridge freezer and planned meals to use up the bits and bobs next month. Should end up with a fairly clean fridge freezer very soon.

I was asked what yellow stickers were, and that is what people call marked down items in the grocery store. I think it is because in most cases a yellow tag with the new price is used.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Midweek

 

Bob has left the building and I have begun to clean a few of the areas that got a bit messy while he was visiting. Funnily enough he did not want to leave with them. It will be strange not to have him mewling at night and me going to sleep on the couch to keep him quiet. 

I did not let Kevin and Nancy all the things that Bob kind of destroyed during his visit. What good would it do other than make them feel bad? So nothing mentioned. Any way's I really like my pink keyboard.😊 

Middle of the last week of this month. My goodness, soon we will be into the last month of the first quarter of the year. My list of project plans is growing, even if I haven't written them down. My mind is spinning with ideas to use up my various stashes and ideas for gifts later on. Must stop that as I will never complete them all. I need to concentrate on just a few every month. 

Simplifying life is moving along. Really right now most of what is happening is decluttering and organizing. My organization is using what I have and trying not to bring extra items into the house to make things "match". I do have some rolls of wrapping paper that I can cover things with if I do want to "beautify" things. I may do so after things are tidy and well organized, but I really do not have to. 

I have been working on a few ways to save a bit more but still enjoy our current way of life. 

I am going to talk to Kurt and Kris and perhaps get Harvey a smarter TV for his mancave. I really would like to rid ourselves of our Max TV (what our tv is in Saskatchewan) and go with more streaming options which would more than likely work out to be less expensive in the long run. Saving money on television would be just awesome. There are lots of free streaming services as well that I believe he would love to take advantage of. He was looking at televisions when we were shopping. This is our only entertainment so spending a bit is worthwhile. 

There is also more room downstairs for some drying lines and I think I will get Harvey to put them up. Last spring, summer and fall the weather was so very strange I didn't get to use the outside lines as much as I would have liked. By having some more lines downstairs I could still manage to dry more without the use of the dryer on those rainy days, and last year it always seemed to rain on laundry day.

Pretty sure I will think of more ways to save as the days head into spring.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless. 

Tuesday Tidbits and Stuff

 While I did have a wonderful sleep last night, for some reason I am extremely tired right now. It could be because the sun never really came out today until just a short while ago, and it will be disappearing in about an hour or so. I do notice the sun sticking around longer in the evenings.

So far no call about picking Bob up today, so I think he will be with us for another day. I do hope he gets picked up at some point tomorrow as that is the last day I have wet food for him, and man does he love his wet food first thing (actually he only licks the gravy out of the mix). 

I forgot to clear Harvey's jean pockets out and of course this time there was some change in one pocket. The change fell out and one of the coins got stuck in a small area of the washer. Yesterday he couldn't seem to remove it, and I was very worried we would need to phone someone. Today he managed to get the coin out and now the agitator will be able to move freely. 

I have decided that a great way to stretch meat, especially with stir fry is to add more veggies to the mix. So along with the usual veggies, I have added more mushrooms, more peppers, more celery, and some cabbage. Should make a great amount to be eaten tonight and later on. I plan on using my mold or molds to get some frozen for one hopefully two ready meals. Freezing this in the molds and popping them and use my Food Saver to keep them fresh. 

I think I will add some frozen corn so as to add a bit more colour to the mixture. 

I got two more fronts done on the totes I want to make, the sewing machine was out to do some mending, and I thought may as well get those done as well. I managed another 30 rows of weaving as well. 

Tonight I hope to get more of the embroidery completed. I have come to the conclusion I will not complete my project list this month, but I can push to be closer to being done and that is what I am going to try for.

Off to get the meat in the wok and then the rice warmed up in the microwave. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Menu Plan Monday

 

A new week and even though the temperatures will warm up a bit, it is still winter here in the southeast corner of Saskatchewan. We did get a bit of melting today, but this will not last long at all. Mother Nature just loves to tease us prairie dwellers.

So what are we eating this week?

Monday

Spaghetti and meat sauce along with a salad. I am going to make enough of the spaghetti and sauce to make a few tinfoil meals for later (baked spaghetti is awesome).

Tuesday

Leftover pork made into our favourite stir fry meal. There will be enough left over for another meal this week. I will make some rice to add to the leftover rice in the fridge. Probably try and use up some more salad as well. I will freeze what is left of the stir fry for meals later on.

Wednesday

Soup and sandwiches. I think I will pull out some chicken broth and make some chicken veg soup and probably some salmon salad sandwiches (need to use up some of those tins in the freezer).

Thursday

Small sausage casserole. Lots of veggies in this meal already.

Friday

Glace, potatoes and eggs. 

Saturday

Leftover small sausage casserole.

Sunday

Steak (bought on sale many weeks ago) in mushroom soup. I will make mashed potatoes and probably some coleslaw.

So that is my menu for the upcoming week. I have gone through my fridge freezer and there will be lots of meal in the month of March to use the older bits and bobs up. 

I was asked what I did with what was frozen in the molds. I pop the blocks out and either use my Food Saver or zip lock bags to store the items. That way I can use the molds once again. I also did not bring these into my home until the plastic containers I used for freezing were getting old and not suitable any longer. I will still be using a few plastic containers until they get to the point of being kind of yucky.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Questions

 

I have been asked about the molds I have been speaking about, the past while and thought I would share the ones I have purchased over the past year.

The ones directly in the front of the picture are very small ice cube trays. Each section holds approximately 2 teaspoons. 

The yellow ones each have 4 sections and each section holds two cups if filled totally. I use these to the 1 cup mark for things like the lentil taco mixture I made. 

The longer blue/turquoise ones hold 4 cups. I have not used them as of yet, but figure they will be excellent to use for broths when I make bone broth from carcasses or roast and ham bones. 

The turquoise ones at the very back are the ones I use most often. They also hold 4 cups but usually I only fill them to the 2 or 3 cup measure. Perfect for a soup meal for the two of us with a bit leftover for a lunch. 

I would really like to get a few more for summer sauce making days. So much easier to freeze, pop out and put in a bag.

Got my new keyboard and mouse. Loving the ease of typing now.

Yep, it's pink and I love it!

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Weekly Roundup

 

No real projects completed, instead this has been a week of trying to keep ahead of a cat that likes to cause problems, and doing a bit of cooking ahead for meals later on.

I am really liking the molds as they make freezing and preparing for the chest freezer so much easier. I think that this will be an awesome way to prepare items for future meals.

Mushroom soup was made (yes finally got on sale mushrooms) and frozen in those molds. Popped out and they now reside in my chest freezer.

Gathering the ingredients to make the lentil taco filling.

Cooking that filling.

Freezing that filling.

Popping the extra hamburger soup portions and the red lentil taco filling out. Getting them ready for the chest freezer. In the bag are the prepared pork loin and few chicken breasts I managed to purchase in my grocery shop this biweekly visit.

Next week it will be Sweet and Sour meatballs and probably another soup or two.

This isn't to say I haven't been working on my various crafty projects. I have but not a great deal to show any progress on them. Part of the reason is Bob. He is taking up more of my time than I ever thought a cat could. 

I have broken down and ordered a new keyboard for use with the computer. I had wanted to hold out a while longer, but I am tired of posts disappearing every so often.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Friday Shopping and Wow

Harvey took me shopping this afternoon, and now he gets to see how much prices have risen since the last time he shopped with me. Let's say about 5 or so years ago. I think he was a bit flabbergasted by costs. He also got to watch me put items back on the shelf because there was no way on God's green earth I was going to pay that asking price.

I did manage to get a few items at a decent sale price, but many of the items we needed were just not discounted very much at all.

As for the items I added to the pantry for $10.00 I managed to get 3 cans of mandarins for $1.50 each and three cans of evaporated milk to use in baking for $1.27 each. Hoping to get some canned meats and more canned fruit next time. It was a bit less than the amount, but anything more would have put me over the pantry shopping limit.

While checking out the beef roasts, I got into a conversation with a beef rancher. He told me that they had sold all their steers and only kept the heifers, mainly because they were worried about the lack of moisture on the pastures. He said beef prices are going to probably get much higher over the next while. I have also noticed that once prices go up, the very rarely come down. I so wish that we had yellow stickers, or some of the ways that easterners in bigger centers have to save. Heck our youngest son can sometimes take advantage of yellow sticker meat as well.

I have added some tins of salmon and tuna to the bag that will be donated to the Food Bank here at the end of lent. Next time I go shopping in two weeks, I will pick up some pasta and pasta sauce. I am trying to put together enough to perhaps feed a couple of families. Thinking some treats closer to the end of Lent would be a nice addition.

Changed my mind on supper tonight. As we have lots of softening potatoes in storage, I am going to use up my homemade perogy and then next week use up more of the softer potatoes to make a batch or two for the freezer downstairs.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty and Frugal Thursday

 Thrifty and Frugal

The sun is shining and while we are once again back in the deep freeze, I am happy to say that I have been keeping busy around the old homestead. 

My shopping list is ready to go, and I believe that as the day goes by I will be using more bits and bobs up and getting the fridge cleared out a bit more. Getting meals into the freezer to be used this spring when we are busy in the yard is a priority right now. One that sees me using up those bits and bobs as well as leftovers from other meals. 

So how have I been frugal and thrifty this week around the house? And have I added a new thrifty/frugal measure to my plans?

1.  Found $0.20 in the basement beside the washer and dryer. That went in the change jars.

2.  Emptied the bottom of my purse and added another $8.55 to the change jars.

3.  Added $100.00 to the savings envelope.

4.  Paid bills on line once again and will continue to do that with as many bills as possible.

5.  Used my cash back on my Visa to pay the groceries from two weeks ago. 

6.  Collecting veggie scraps and freezing them to make veggie stock. Never done this before so I hope it works out. I use lots of veggie stock in my recipes.

7.  Made the grocery list using flyers and looking online for coupons.....

8.  Still using bits and bobs from my craft stashes to make things to either give away, for gifts or for the family auction raising money for the next get together.

9.  Hanging what I can on the lines downstairs.

10. Drapes open to take advantage of the solar heating.

11. Getting some new recipes that don't use meat to try.

So a couple of new things going on, lots of old, tried and true. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Midweek Ramblings

 I should also be saying stay calm it's almost the end of the month and I have many more projects to try and at least start, not perhaps finish. As usual this month like most, I have listed more projects than I can actually get done. Why won't I ever learn.

The storm came through last night and into mid afternoon today. Once the snow stopped and the sun came out, Harvey got the snowblower and set to work. Now we just need the city to do a better job of cleaning the street.

I don't like driving on these messy, icy roads (it did rain before the snow came) and so Harvey has said he will take me shopping on Friday and take me to pay any bills that need to be paid in person. There are just two and one is right near Walmart, the other is on the way either to or from that area of the city.

Slowly getting some meals in the large chest freezer. Yesterday it was Cream of Mushroom Soup, today it will be at least one meal of Red Lentil Curry. I may make some Lentil Taco filling first thing tomorrow morning, and then later Hamburger Soup and I think some either BBQ meatballs or Sweet and Sour meatballs. I want to be prepared for spring and yard work, or even a day I just do not feel like cooking. It saves us ordering in or going out.

It is Ash Wednesday today and since the roads are all but impassible, this will be the first year we have not gone to the church. I do believe we will be forgiven though, as we age things are becoming a bit more difficult. Our driveway, which really isn't long or convoluted, used to take perhaps 20 minutes or less to clear. Now Harvey gets about halfway and needs to rest before finishing it off. Today the driveway took him about 1 1/2 hours to clear, and getting the truck into the driveway over the 2 1/2 foot drifts was a job in and of itself. 

The beginning of Lent already and I am unsure what I will do for the season this year. Leaning towards getting some donations each day for the Food Bank. I have heard they are running low once again.

I was asked what Saskatoons are. Hmmm, they are the cousins of blueberries. Not quite as good in my opinion, but Harvey and other southern Canadian prairie people love them. They grow wild or can be planted. Those that are planted are a bit larger and a bit juicier. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Tuesday Tidbits and Stuff

The storm we are supposed to get today still has not arrived. Well at least the snow and rain haven't. It is however, very windy and the temperature is hovering around freezing. 

I was a bit concerned that one of our payments on Harv's Visa had not gone through. At least according to his bill which we printed off so as to be able to pay it off totally once the travel insurance is put on it. He is also going to have a hunk of money back to use on the card the next time we pay. 

I used my cash back this month and it paid for my last grocery shop. Love that when it happens. In these tougher economic times every little bit helps.

All through Covid and the years after, the one price I could count on not changing was the cost per pound for bananas. Well when I went shopping almost two weeks ago the cost had risen $0.07 a pound. Now that was quite a shock. An inexpensive (relatively) fruit is no longer quite the buy, and Harvey loves his bananas. 

I am hoping that very soon we will be producing not only cherries in our yard, but pears and haskaps. Not sure if we will ever get the mini grape sized kiwi, but I can hope. 

I also hope to be able to plant a few more fruit bearing plants. Would love some raspberry bushes, and some saskatoons or even grapes. Grapes would be perfection really. 

Just a few new food ideas that will continue to grow each and every year. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Menu Monday

 This month is moving along so very quickly.

Monday

A container of Chicken Stew from the fridge freezer.

Tuesday

Leftover brisket made into Pulled BBQ Brisket served with some coleslaw.

Wednesday

Lentil Curry and rice.

Thursday

Hamburger soup and sandwiches. This will use up the remains of the cabbage.

Friday

Salmon Fillets, leftover rice, peas/carrot mixture.tu

Saturday

Cabbage Bread

Sunday

Pork Roast, roasted potatoes, roasted carrots, salad.

Since we are moving back into some cold snowy weather, I am hopeful of getting a bit of batch cooking done. There will be Hamburger Soup to freeze, Lentil Curry to freeze, and I hope to get some Cream of Mushroom and perhaps some Potato soups done as well.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Sunday Ramblings

 

I have had another fairly quiet day here on the old homestead. One in which for the first time ever I am trying to cook a beef brisket in my electric roaster. We have always smoked them before. I hope it is tender enough to eat.

The loom is once again set up for the next half of the rug. I really hope there is enough warp left to actually complete it and if not I may be doing the rug in three pieces. Not that Kris would mind either way, he will just be happy to have a rug in front of his door. I will be happy just to get it completed and a new project warped. 

Bob is getting a bit better in the behaviour portion. He is no longer scratching at things he shouldn't, and as far as jumping onto things he shouldn't all we now have to do is say "No" in a rather loud voice and he quickly gets down. 

Next up will be working on trying to get him not to move his water bowl around causing it to run into the mat, and under said mat which affects our flooring (not in a nice way as it is laminate).

As far as his night time behaviour, it is getting very much better. I have some toys that are keeping him awake during the day for longer periods and that is enabling us to get much better sleep. Okay, me much better sleep, as Harvey can sleep pretty much through anything less than an explosion right by his ear (could be a bit of an exaggeration, but not much).

I said I would not be going shopping earlier this week, but we have some nasty weather coming in and I am kind of on the fence right now. Especially since I will need to purchase some onions in order to make a few meals and some of the soups. I could use my allowance to purchase the onions and leave my credit card at home. I could also purchase some milk and that would probably do us for at least another week or week and a half. I will probably do that and hold off on the bigger shop until early the next week. 

There is a gentle rhythm to my days which I am really enjoying. Mornings are spent getting those tasks completed necessary for the smooth running of our small homestead, afternoons are spent working on projects, extra cleaning (things I do monthly and perhaps twice a year), baking and enjoying the changing weather (well at least the nice weather). 

Computer work is fitted in where I can, and the same could be said about watching Youtubers. 

One thing I have noticed with catsitting Bob is that my to do lists have gotten a bit longer.....

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Weekly Round-up

 I actually have a few pictures of projects either finished, just started, or on the way to being completed soon I hope.

Ten pairs of small mitts finished and put away.

I have started number 9 block for the first quilt. Hopefully I can get this up to a flimsy by next month.

The first half of the rug waiting to be wet blocked, and threads worked in.

Loom almost ready to start the second half of the rug.

The leftover tomato paste ready to be frozen and then popped into a bag in the fridge freezer.

Nothing really spectacular finished, but I am happy with what I have managed. 

I am hoping next week to get the embroidery almost finished, the rug moving along, and perhaps a tote or two sewn up. I will also be making some batches of soup for the freezer downstairs and trying to use up more of the various broths I have frozen. I think I will be able to get more done as the weather is supposed to go back to being snowy and a bit cooler overall. 

As far as soups to be made, I plan on Cream of Mushroom,  Hamburger/cabbage/veggie soup, Potato soup and perhaps even some Cream of Celery Soup. Probably made over a couple of days so as to be able to freeze in the molds.

I will need to do some baking as well. Bread is getting low, and we will need some cookies or cake for desserts. I may also make some muffins for breakfasts and snacking.

I do have to go out on Tuesday to pay our insurance off. Thought about shopping but opened the fridge and thought no darn way. I might run out of a few things before Friday, but I am sure I can find some substitutions for anything I need. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Towards A Simpler Life

 

 It seems as if all the various books, blogs, and vloggers that I have been checking out, that say they are Simple Living adherents seem to say the same thing. One must spend loads of time decluttering and organizing the remainder. 

Now I can see the decluttering, but when I watch many of them begin the organizing portion, I see them out purchasing items to organize with. In many cases these people have gotten rid of organizing items to begin with. In other cases I noticed that they just wanted a more "matching" way to organize. 

Isn't that just adding more "stuff" in your home? Wouldn't it have been simpler to just keep what you used in the first place? If you wanted matches organizers, perhaps covering them with wrapping paper would have made a much better choice?

I have had the same storage and organizers for years. Some are getting pretty worn, but until they no longer serve the purpose I purchased them for, they will continue to be used. I have patterns stored in binders of all different colours, but I covered them with wrapping paper and put a homemade label on them as to what is inside the covers. 

I had bought some boxes made of heavy cardboard years ago and those hold my embroidery threads, machine embroidery threads, serger/overlocker threads, small triangle patches, 2 1/2 inch fabric strips, some yarn, some transfer patterns, projects I inherited from my Mom, zippers, bias binding, sewing needles, pins, and items that are used on each of my sewing machines. All have a homemade label and I can see at a glance what needs to be used and where to locate the item. 

I want to leave a smaller footprint on the earth, to me that is simplicity. Time to sit on the deck and listen to the birds. Watch the garden as I hang clothes out on the lines. Plant food or flowers and herbs that can give us joy. 

To me living simply is using what you have, learning to look after what you have, and not accumulating more just to organize what you already have.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Thrifty And Frugal Thursdays

 Thrifty and Frugal

Once again the sun is shining and heating the front half of the house. No furnace coming on and going off. Got to love that.

What frugal and thrifty things have been happening here on the old homestead?

1.  Leftovers are being used for lunches, new meals this week, and some is even being frozen for a meal later on.

2.  Clearing out items in the fridge freezer. I am hoping to clear out a few items from this area over the next while. 

3.  Got some free veggies, milk and cream from Bob's parents. Free is good, and lots will be used making soups, casseroles and desserts. In fact lots have been used already.

4.  Removed the buttons from some well worn shirts and cut what fabric that could be used from those same shirts.

5.  Found $6 plus in coins in the bottom of my purse. I added that to the various coin jars.

6.  Walking for free exercise.

7. Number 10 no spend day so far this month. 

8.  Pulling yarn from my stash for the next size mittens, and other weaving projects.

10.  Turning off lights, watching water usage, making sure the dishwasher is full, and washing full loads of laundry.

11.  Finally Harvey is using the cloth napkins I made instead of pulling off some paper towel. Money saved!!!

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.