Good Friday

 

I will be taking a short break to spend time with family. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty and Frugal Thursday

 Thrifty and Frugal

It is a chilly day today, not at all what we are really used to for the Easter holiday. But since there is no snow or rain forecast I will take it. 

Just the usual frugal practices around the old homestead with perhaps a couple of new things.

1.  Planted some herb seeds this week, and got some other herb seed and another flower seed from a friend. Free is great.

2.  Managed to change emails in most of my bills, might have to phone to get another couple changed eventually. 

3.  Using up all leftovers in meals or frozen to be used later.

4.  Put $3.55 in the change jars this week.

5.  Added $75.00 to my savings envelope. 

6.  Got our water bill and I managed to cut $40.00 from what the last one cost us. 

7.  Harvey is going to use his cash back on his Visa to pay off the bill this coming month (should really not have much to pay on that at all).

8.   Cleaning the print heads on the printer to hopefully extend the printer life. Not going very well really.

10.  Used up another partial orphan ball knitting mitts. 

12.  Planned the months menus to use up items that we already have.

13.  Harvey cleared all the snow and did some repairs on a few woodworking items he had made. 

So that is my list for the week along with the usual things we always do.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Midweek And A New Month

 

The months are whizzing past and here we are 1/4 of the way through 2026 already. My goodness. 

I went shopping today and will not make all of you suffer through pictures of what I purchased. I did pick up 2 tins of tuna at $0.93 each and 3 tins of smoked oysters at just under $2.00 each for the pantry. 

Stocked up on some meat, and bought the flour that was on sale. Still even watching and purchasing on sale items I went through almost half my monthly grocery budget. Mind you that included laundry items, some Kitty Litter,  and a new loaf pan so I can rid myself of the one that is 50 years old (got it as a shower gift) and which is not in the best of shape. Still I am shocked at how much things are costing from week to week. 

It took me almost 3 hours to do my shopping this morning. Of course I had to see people I knew who wanted to talk, and a nice gentleman and I had a lovely talk in the Co-op parking lot about Easter. I really need to hide when I am shopping so as to finish a bit earlier. Harvey asked how many people I had conversations with considering how long I was gone. I also took probably close to an hour to get things away and the meat packaged up for the freezer. 

This meant my back and hips were pretty much shot so most of the afternoon was spent watching video's on the computer. I did manage to wind one of the shuttles for weaving though, so all was not a complete loss. 

Tomorrow I will need to buckle down and get some baking done as well as work on those projects for this month.

Speaking of projects perhaps I should let you all know what is planned to be completed.

1.  Weave the scarves I want to give Kurt and Kris for Christmas.

2.  Knit mitts to use up more of the bits and bobs of yarn.

3.  Get my printed out craft projects from the last year put in binders.

4.  Same goes for those printed recipes I have been saving.

5.  Cut out some clothing patterns to sew next month.

6.  Make Thank you cards using my Cricut.

7.  Make some Birthday cards using the Cricut as well.

That's the plan, and I am so hoping to get things done.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Tuesday Tidbits and Stuff

The heavy, wet snow we got yesterday is melting as the sun is shining. That sun is also keeping the furnace from cutting in much. Natural gas bill for next month should be a bit lower I hope.

I also hope that using small appliances like the electric roaster and toaster oven will bring down the electric costs as well. Especially since our costs for electric will be rising 5% starting April 1st. 

Got our extra medical insurance cost as well. It will of course be going up since we are aging. It went up for Harvey in June of last year, and is going up for me in May. It is getting pretty darn expensive, and I may look into the costs for other insurance, if I can find something that covers us for prior conditions. 

A few of the seeds I planted last week are starting to sprout. I am hoping to save just a bit this year on perennials and plants for my pots. Then next year saving a bit more by using one shelf on Harvey's set up with grow lights. Now if I could remember to save seed, that would even be better.

We were under overall budget for the month once again, but I was very close to going over on the grocery budget line. The fact is I probably will go over budget for the month of April. I want to stock up on items that are going to be very expensive due to transportation costs. 

Where we live in Saskatchewan, every single thing has to be transported. It either comes from out of province or from one of the four larger cities here. 

This, plus the fact that we live in a city where there is lots of oil and people can make a great deal of money does not make it inexpensive to reside here. Per capita, I have heard there are more millionaires here than anywhere else. Not sure if I believe that, but from the homes built and the vehicles driven I can see that many are not hurting at all right now. We did have a problem when the oil bombed, but things have picked up once again. 

I plan on stocking up on canned meats, fresh meat that is on sale (to build up freezer stocks once again), and things like flour, sugar, cheese, toilet paper, paper towels (for the messy things). If I can find olive oil with an extended use by date I will get a couple of those as well. Perhaps some instant coffee will make the list at some point as well. Prices seem to go up each and every week and that is concerning. 

Until the price of fuel falls (if it ever does) I think life is going to be tough for a great many people.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Menu Monday

 

Oh my, the last few days of the month and now March is going out like a lion and hopefully not bringing April with it. Yep, we got heavy wet snow again, and the chances of snow on the Easter weekend are about 50/50.

Here is my menus for the upcoming week.

Monday

Pork stir fry using up the last package of frozen roast pork, a package of Japanese veggies and some added diced pepper. That will be served over rice.

Tuesday

Pork chops, mashed potatoes, and either frozen corn or frozen carrots.

Wednesday (April 1st)

Leftover pork stir fry and rice. Shopping so something I can just pull out of the fridge and warm up is perfect for today. Heavy on the pork this week.

Thursday

I have a few appetizers that need using up so the meal tonight will be using those up as well as perhaps some fried rice using up more of the rice made on Monday.

Friday

Soup and sandwiches. Probably Cream of Mushroom from the freezer and egg salad sandwiches.

Saturday

Steak in mushroom sauce done in the slow cooker, mashed potatoes, and a salad.

Sunday

Baked ham, scalloped potatoes, mixed veggies, mint jelly, and any leftover salad from last night. 

Lunches will be sandwiches, eggs, or leftovers. Breakfast will be toast or yogurt, or oatmeal. 

I have cookies and rhubarb crisp for desserts and plan on making a cake or puddings as well.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Sunday Ramblings

 I really don't know what it is about this winter, but I have been ill or not feeling 100% more than ever before. Heck I even managed to get through Covid times without being ill as often. 

Then once ill it seems to take me longer to get over whatever it is I have managed to come down with. Today was a tummy upset that kept me up most of the night, and tied me to the house. Bummer as it is Palm Sunday and I really enjoy this Mass. I will need to make a trip to the church to see if I can get some palms at some point this week. 

Now I was asked what we use to spray on the Maple bugs/Boxelder Bugs/Halloween Bugs so I will answer here just in case more are interested in that. We mix dish soap and water and that seems to help keep the infestation down a bit. A person needs to keep up with the spraying.

I was also asked about my mini computer. It can in fact be used as a desk computer, but you would need a monitor and a keyboard or mouse to make it work. I have mine hooked up to the television (that acts as a monitor) through an HDMI cable. Kris purchased a wireless keyboard for me to use with it. When I travel I take my Notebook computer from the desk and the mouse/keyboard combination. Or sometimes just the mouse. I have never taken the mini on a trip. 

Off to do a bit of knitting while the potatoes and carrots roast in the pan with the beef. 

I plan on visiting all of you after supper.

Everybody have a wonderful day.

God bless.

Tips for Frugal Living

 

Perhaps the best tip one can give and use is to be organized. Knowing what you have to work with and what you can substitute for items you don't have is absolutely amazing. Even with a well stocked pantry, fridge and freezer if you let things get out of control you waste good money. It took me a few years to learn this, but now for the most part I have this under control.

Instead of allowing food to spoil, chop it up and freeze it or if you have a dehydrator dry it. This year instead of allowing the potatoes we dug out of the garden to go to waste, I made fries and hashbrowns for the freezer. Yes, a few still went to waste but not as much as other years. We really don't eat as many potatoes as we used to. I also diced many a green pepper and got those bagged up and in the freezer. We just could not eat them all.

Rethink having meat at every meal. Since the cost of groceries has risen (especially meat) I have been introducing meatless meals, or meals that use less meat. Leftovers of the meals with meat are kept to be used in another meal or two as well. Leftover roast beef for example, a few slices can be used in soups, some can be thinly sliced again and used in a stroganoff meal (which can be eaten over noodles and the leftovers over baked potatoes). Lots of interesting ways to use up leftover roasts of any kind. 

Most times unless you are working outside, getting dirty and sweaty clothing (not underclothes though) can be worn for more than one day. This cuts down on washing loads.

Find things you can do for free in your city. I live in a very small city in my province and other than the library, walking tract, joining some groups like our Great Create and the Fiber group I recently joined there isn't a great many free things to do. Instead I do hikes around the city, and go to the two free movie nights at a park that we can enjoy. 

Definitely combine errands. Not only does it save you fuel costs, but time as well.

If you can do most of your bill paying online.

I have many free streaming services on my television, plus a mini computer which means I can stream even more free entertainment. Take advantage of those, where I live the winters are long, cold, and quite often stormy. This is our free entertainment, and since we do not attend the cinema our main source of viewing pleasure.  

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Catch up Friday

 It has been a day of slowly getting things done that I have put off for a bit of time. Getting those tasks out of the way that I just don't like to do.

I usually leave the dusting of the entire living room until the end of the month. I really don't know why I dislike doing this so much (I do dust the TV, the tops of the tables, the bases of the lamps, and the fake fireplace three times a week). Yet to do under the tables, the bookcase, and the few shelves seem to be beyond me until the last minute. I think it could be because I have to remove everything, wipe the shelves down and then dust everything I have removed. So much work, but I managed to get that done and out of the way. 

Made those cookies that were on the list to get done earlier in the week. Now I will pull out the shredded zucchini, and some of the other fruits and make a couple of loaves (perhaps even 4) tomorrow. Kris can take some home with him. While he does cook, baking is not something he does with any regularity. So sending him home with some in the care package along with some buns and ready meals will be our Easter gift to him. 

Kurt will soon be taking his students to France. I believe they leave on either the 1st or 2nd of April. Visiting the war memorials for Canadian soldiers. 

Off to get supper into the toaster oven. I used up some leftover carrots, a package of dried cheese, and what was left of the shredded cheese making the tuna casserole. We will have the leftover salad that I made yesterday to round out the meal.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty and Frugal Thursday

 Thrifty and Frugal

This is the last Thursday of the month, and while I have been thinking and working on new ways to be thrifty and frugal I seem to be stuck on the old tried and true ways. 

1.  Hung clothing on lines downstairs to dry.

2.  Making sure I have full loads in the washer.

3.  I have been trying to fit as much as possible into the dishwasher as well.

4.  Using up bits and bobs when knitting those mittens for Kurt's school.

5.  Turning off lights in rooms not in use.

6.  Making sure the oven is full before using.

7.  Walking for free exercise.

8.  Trying to get at least two meatless meals a week in.

9.  Harvey has been working on repairing some of the garden decor.

10.  Decluttering my jewelry.

11.  Saving the plastic bags and plastic veggie containers to use to plant on seedlings.

12. Putting off errands where I need to drive until I can do many of them together.

Life is getting a bit more complicated now that the cost of fuel has gone up. Also winter seems to want to stick around much longer than usual which means the furnace is running a bit more.  

Groceries keep going up and so I am going to cook up and freeze some kidney beans, black eyed peas, and some other beans I seem to have collected dried. Really thinking of adding another meatless meal at some point during the upcoming month. Showing Harvey the prices of meat since he came with me shopping has been an eye opener for him and I believe has made him a bit more open to the idea of meatless meals as long as they are filling.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Midweek Ramblings

Quiet days here on the Phillips homestead. Perfect for getting things completed around the house. 

I have been slowly getting a few seeds planted to go under the grow lights. I have finished off the flowers (at least I think I have) and tomorrow will see a few herbs started as well. The next time I go shopping I will pick up some bulbs for the perennial bed.

My menu plan for next month is pretty much completed. I am hoping for not too many changes, though we may take a trip up to visit with Kris near the end of April which could mean a couple of changes will take place. Just have to figure out what will change when the time comes. 

The weather has been up and down lately, and once again the forecast is calling for snow come the Easter weekend. Actually it is calling for rain and snow. Keeping my fingers crossed that this changes once again before that weekend.

I am up to 18 no spend days, including today for the month. Tomorrow I pay bills, do some banking and get my medication. I then hope to finish off the month with no more spending. 

This year I am going to really try hard to put money back into savings as I do not feel at all comfortable with what is in that account right now. I like to have enough to last us for almost a year if the worst happens, at this point in time we have enough to probably last us 2 months at the most. Depleted pretty badly when we paid for our trip. If I can manage to keep expenses down I should be able to build that account back up slowly. 

These are the books I am looking through to see what homemade cleaners suit our lifestyle. Hope to find a few to add to my frugal household. 

We have also been busy taking care of our usual infestation outside of Boxelder Bugs also known up here as Halloween Bugs.

They have decided to visit so much earlier this year.

Off to make supper, and perhaps visit with a few of you before we eat.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Tuesday Tidbits and Stuff

 

It has been a very windy and cold day, so both Harvey and I have been busy finding things to do inside with just a little going out to get a few things completed out there. 

Harvey has fixed a few of my drawers that he tiny nails were coming out of, took down his "Lazy Cats" off the deck railing and washed them down. He plans on trying to give them a bit of a facelift.

I have sewn the border onto Kris's rug, just have to add some fringe to the border, and planted a few seeds to start under the grow lights. Tomorrow I hope to finish off the seed planting. I also downloaded and printed off the last few bills for the month. Those will be paid on the 26th and then I get to forget about bills for a short period of time. 

I found a few series for Harvey to watch on Netflix, and I will be looking on CBC Gem for a couple of series that I missed the endings too over the past year. While we do pay for Netflix, Gem is free and carries many wonderful Canadian content shows. I am going to try and watch more of those free streaming channels. 

I know I will not finish all the projects this month, but I will make a good start on the carry over for next month. I will definitely be trying to accomplish a bit less project wise. At least at first, or perhaps add a few very quickly done projects rather than all those larger ones I seem to want to do.

Our fuel prices went up another $0.05 a liter. Before the Iran war started we were at $1.24.9 a liter. Now we are at $1.59.9 a liter. It just keeps going right on up. 

Off to get my Chicken Hot Pot in the oven. First time I have ever made this and I sure hope it turns out. There will be enough for two meals and perhaps a bit left for Kris to take home as well. I also made an Apple Crisp (Apple Crumble as some call it). This used up some apple pie filling from the fridge freezer, a bag of leftover chicken from the fridge freezer as well. Always great when a person can use items up and clear out a bit of room.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Menu Monday

 A new week of menus are here and soon I will be doing up the menu for the month of April. My goodness almost done three months of this year. Time is speeding right on by.

Monday

Wraps to use up some items in the fridge and fridge freezer. I will make a salad to go with.

Tuesday

One of the bags of frozen leftover chicken from Sunday. Since it is supposed to be cooler with some snow I will make a casserole. Served with the remains of the salad from yesterday.

Wednesday

Beef Vegetable Soup, and ham salad sandwiches.

Thursday

Any leftover casserole from Tuesday.

Friday 

Tuna Noodle Casserole.

Saturday

The bag of leftover pork roast made into a stir fry. Served over rice.

Sunday 

Roast Beef, roasted potatoes, and roasted carrots.

There are a few ideas percolating in my mind for next month. With Kris being home I want to visit and be able to send food home with him to give him a bit of help.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Sunday Ramblings

 It has been cloudy for most of the day. In fact the sun just came out from behind dense cloud cover 30 minutes or so ago. I am not sure how long the sun will be out, or if the sun will show its face tomorrow. We could be getting a bit more snow over the next week so it looks as if winter is not really relaxing its grip on the prairies of Canada. I am still hopeful that the weather will be decent for Kris to get home for Easter. 

My back withstood the hard wooden pews at Mass. I am always surprised when we arrive at the church. Lots of vehicles surround it, but upon entering there is hardly anyone there. Come time for Eucharist the line seems to be never ending. Today the school children did the readings, collection, and were the choir. Did an excellent job each and every one of them.

Now in case the lady who asked about a flimsy was and not check my response to her, I am going to answer it here. A flimsy is what quilters call the quilt top before "sandwiching" it with batting and a back and quilting it all together. Not sure why it is called a flimsy, other than in comparison to a quilt, it is flimsy and easily folded and put aside until ready for the next steps.

I am going to pull out some of my frugal books this week and see what else can be added to my frugal habits. I am really happy with how much we are saving by using cleaning rags, cloth napkins and my lady cloths. I am finding that a little bit here and there can add up to big savings over the entire year. Perhaps making some reusable cloth towels for the kitchen would be a great idea. I would still keep some paper towels for messy tasks. 

I am also thinking of making some more of my own cleaners. The orange and vinegar mixture works on a few things, but there are areas that could use a more potent cleaner. I have a book titled Green Up Your Cleanup  and another titled Baking soda, Banana Peels, Baby Oil and Beyond and it is time to make some use of them for cleaning mixtures.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Saturday Round Up

 I am hoping that this is still working, and I may just be doing lots of editing to make sure of that.

It seems to be working. So I will tell you all the story about my leaving the Fiber Friends meeting. The meeting was wonderful, I even learned a few new cast on techniques as well as a new bind of one. I will need to practice those before I use them. The trouble began as I entered the parking lot to leave.

Imagine this rather rounded 70 year old woman walking toward her car and wondering if she had misplaced it. Instead she finds it parked beside two rather large trucks. One truck, the one on the passenger side was there when she had arrived, the other spot had been occupied by an SUV much the same size as hers. Now however this huge monstrosity was parked in its place. To make matters worse this monstrosity was only 6" away from the driver's side of her vehicle.

Yes, she probably could have gone back into the hotel and asked the desk to find the owner, and in hindsight that probably would have been the best thing to do. Or she could have gone in and asked to use the phone, called her husband to pick her up and left the vehicle there until the morning.... 

Was either of those what she chose to do? Nope. Instead after some rather choice words leaving her mouth, she decided to enter through the passenger door, crawl across the center arm rest/can holder, and storage drawer and wiggle her way into the driver's seat. 

She made it after twisting her body in ways that it hadn't been twisted in years and carefully backed out of the space.

Once home she checked (in the dark) to see if the other driver had scratched her car. Really couldn't see too much. Went in and told her husband what had occurred. 

Calmed down a bit by doing some more knitting and then realized her legs were a bit sore. By the middle of the night or rather early morning unable to sleep due to pain, she moved out of the bedroom, took a pain med, and tried to sleep on the chesterfield. Finally falling asleep only to dream about being chased down by huge trucks.

The next morning she went shopping and by the end had such a sore back that it became a problem putting groceries away. 

My back is fine now. Thank heavens.

Now on to what I managed to accomplish as far as projects this week.

Flimsy is made, it needs some ironing.

Ornaments are done as well. These are just a few of them. The others are in a small box. On the back of those who are married is the spouses name. 

Hope to have more finished by the end of the month. 

Everybody have a wonderful day.

God bless.

This Is A Test

 Can I post once again using Edge as my Browser? I guess I can now.

Fiber Friends

 I had a great time at the meeting. The ladies were very welcoming. I will probably attend while the weather is good. What I went through when I left was not fun. Hopefully fill you all in on that nasty adventure at another time.

Friday Catch-up

 

Quick post as I am on my phone. The computer is not allowing me to post. 

This is the grocery shop from today. Hopefully I can get blogger to work once again.

Thrifty and Frugal Thursday

 Thrifty and Frugal

Another Thursday has arrived this month. It is hard to believe we are on the third one this month. Once again the days are slipping by very quickly. 

So what frugal things have I been up to this past week.

1.  Using up some Cricut supplies, glitter and clear plastic ornaments to make an item for the silent auction.

2.  Added $100.00 to the savings envelope.

3.  The micro computer I ordered was on sale for $100.00 off and free delivery.

4.  Mended a pair of Harvey' pj bottoms.

5.  Used up a ball of yarn knitting the border for the rug, and it was a ball that I have had for years.

6.  I am now up to 14 no spend days so far this month.

7.  Baked bread and baked buns. 

Then of course there were the usual hanging as much as possible on the lines downstairs, combining errands, using up leftovers from the fridge and fridge freezer, as well as walking for my daily exercise. 

Tonight I am attending a "Fiber Friends" get together to see what it is like. I will probably not get a visit with all of you today, but will do so first thing in the morning if I miss you. I am not always comfortable being around strangers but we shall see how things work tonight.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Midweek Ramble

 A beautiful day today, and we should be having a couple more. Then a bit of a change with lower temperatures and perhaps some snow. 

This week has been one of getting things done around the house, and working on my various projects. I also found something out. My old laptop is of no earthly use in the sewing/craft room. It is just too slow even with the WIFI booster. So I will be using the new one for various crafts that I need a computer for. Not a bad thing, but it means unplugging and plugging in again at my desk when anything is completed. I am almost tempted to purchase a cheap monitor and use the old mini computer until it is no longer useable in there. That could be a bit more of crawling around on the floor to get power packs plugged in than I really care to do. 

This I can say with complete honesty, I need to actually use my Cricut more often as it seems to be that when I don't there is a whole new learning curve. So one month perhaps a project will be making some cards for birthday's, Thank you, Christmas and a few other paper crafts. I should try my hand at doing some embossing with it as well.

I am actually quite happy with how my projects are going this month. I finished the flimsy, have almost finished the ornaments, finished the totes, wove the rug, and am working hard on getting the pieces done to finally finish the rug. All I have left is knitting the next sized mittens, starting to weave the scarves (gift for Kurt and Kris for Christmas) and sewing the rug together. Hope to get a few more of these done before the end of the month. There should be pictures on Saturday to share what I have managed to get done.

Changed a few more email addresses and I plan on doing something about setting up something using Harvey's name for our trip in August. 

Still need to let our travel agent know we need to communicate through a different email address as well. I will probably do so next week.

Enjoying the fact that the weather is changing, and I am completing more things around the house as far as decluttering and organizing goes. I have even managed to clear some items out from under my bed, socks and dishcloths for right now. I hope to put together a few more items for the silent auction from that container as well. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Tuesday Tidbits and Stuff

 It actually turned into a very lovely day. Snow is melting and we are in the low double digits. I hope this means that we are finally going to get spring weather. 

I am surprised that with this weather I am once again feeling exhausted. I wonder if it is because I have been moving pretty steadily around the house today, getting household tasks completed, and working on projects. Harvey always says "No rest for the wicked" and I guess in this case wicked could mean wanting to get things done. 

My new mini computer came yesterday evening and it is now on the top of the fake fireplace. I am waiting until Kris comes home and he can set it up. 

Still having trouble with photos from my phone and this phone does not have a cord to use on the computer. So I am emailing and copying to the picture folder. A bit more work, but at least I can manage to get the pictures off. 

Now, I thought I should probably explain about my talking re a condo purchase in the city. Eventually we thought we would move to the city our youngest son lives in. That is where my specialist lives, there is public transportation, and shopping is relatively close no matter where you live. 

We do not own a condo as of yet and more and more we are thinking we could purchase a small one story home for less. The main reason being the fact that one needs to pay a condo fee ranging in price from $400 to $700 a month. That means we would be paying anywhere from $4800 to $8400 in condo fees (or HOA fees). On top of that there are property taxes of anywhere from the least expensive at $2500 to the most expensive of $4500 a year. That is a rather large chunk of money from our savings disappearing each year. Yours truly is shocked at the total cost of what a condo or even an apartment in the city costs. I think we will be staying here for a very long time and hopefully able to make the trip in to see my specialist when necessary. If it ever comes to the point we can't travel the two hours, I am going to see if my doctor here can do the necessary tests. 

Work was done in the sewing/craft room tidying up and putting things away. After the other household tasks were completed I started work on the next project I want crossed off my list. Made good progress on that by getting the first two steps completed. Only two more steps to go, one of which might take a bit longer than a day to complete. This project is also getting some more of my craft supplies used up. Makes more room in that sewing/craft room. Could be working in there again very soon. It is getting easier and easier to move around and find items.

The fridge freezer is getting to the point where I can organize things in there a bit better. My freezer has an upper drawer and then two baskets underneath. The upper drawer is where I freeze things like soup or extra meals, as well as keep frozen veggies, and ice cream. The bottom two drawers are what really needs organizing and using up. Slowly but surely those are getting much easier to find those leftover roast bits and other such items. There is still a great deal in there though and I am working my way through all. Simplifying my storage in there is my purpose for the next while. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Menu Monday

 

Brrr, another cold but sunny day. Other than going out and getting Harvey's prescriptions for the next month I have stayed home and worked around the house. I still have laundry to fold, and perhaps a bit of putting away in the sewing/craft room, but for the most part tasks are done for today.

So what are we eating this week.

Monday

Leftover jambalaya from Saturday. 

Tuesday

One package of leftover pork roast from Sunday. I was going to make a stir fry, but I think some pulled pork in BBQ sauce in wraps would hit the spot and use up some wraps and frozen veggies like peppers and celery. 

Wednesday

I have one Chicken Parma, and one Broccoli stuffed chicken so will get those out of the freezer as well. Probably served with sliced cucumber and some frozen carrots.

Thursday

I hope there is enough of the pulled pork from Wednesday to serve on open faced bread slices covered with melted cheese, or perhaps I will make some buns and serve. 

Friday

Potato soup, and egg salad or scrambled egg sandwiches. 

Saturday

Homemade pizza. I will see how the dough I made and froze works. If it does I will make some more to put in the larger chest freezer. 

Sunday

Roast chicken, roasted potatoes, roasted carrots.

Everyone have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Sunday Ramblings

 

The day once again started of a bit cloudy and pretty darn cold, but it has warmed up a bit and the sun is shining. We are in for a couple of days of cold weather and then a warm up until the end of the month. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the nice weather will last until Kris has been home for Easter, and Kurt gets off on his journey with his students to France and the visits to the Canadian beach, and graveyards of our fallen hero's.

Me, well the next few days being cold I will be staying home, working on the usual household tasks, and of course my projects. 

I should, in fact, finish the flimsy tomorrow and perhaps even get all the necessary items together to work on the ornaments. Those will be another item to add to the silent auction. The more that we have to bid on, the less likely we will need to pay for anything like the Friday night meal or the Saturday larger meal and rental of the building. 

There is also hope that I will be finished the rug for Kris before he comes home. I am about halfway finished the one border. 

Still I have many projects (well a number of them) on my list that I haven't even started yet......

The mini computer for my television has been ordered. Kris looked at the specs I sent him and said it would work perfectly for what I want. I also told him about my email problem and he is going to see if he can fix that as well. Hmm, I think I should have told him about the pictures on Gallery problem as well. Oh well I can manage with the old digital camera just fine for the next while though the camera on the phone takes much better photos. 

Work continues on the decluttering front and my hope to have a much simpler life by the time I am done. Perhaps by doing so we will be able to stay in our home longer as in looking at what the monthly condo fees are and the property taxes on said condos we would actually go through our cash reserves quite quickly..... I think it might be less expensive to rent an apartment in the city.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Saturday Roundup

 

I actually got a few projects down to the finish line or completed this week. As well as making some soup that we can eat for a few meals.

First off I used the leftover brisket and made a Vegetable, Barley Beef Soup.

This used up the broccoli in the crisper. While I am not sure I like this soup with broccoli, it at least used up something from the crisper as well as a couple of carrots.

I did sew the rug together and got it measured for the border or borders. Not done yet, but I see the end in sight to this project.

The four totes are sewn for the silent auction this summer. I may break down and do up a denim one later.

The first of the 2 1/2 inch strips have been added to the embroidered blocks and I have started pinning on the next two strips. Hope to get those done tomorrow and perhaps even begin to sew them all together. 

This week also saw me chopping and freezing celery and green peppers before they went bad. This is definitely going to be either use it or freeze it year so there is no waste. Groceries and the cost to get them are just to expensive to waste anything. 

I had to change the menu for tonight, but it does involve using up, or starting to use up some more items in the fridge freezer. There should be enough left from this meal to make us another meal, but we will see.

Hubby is busy putting together a set of shelves to use with the grow lights. He managed to find some on Facebook Marketplace for less than what it would cost to make them. He does need to paint the shelves though so as to make them a bit more waterproof. 

I hope to have some more finished projects this week and that would mean more checked off my project/goal list for the month.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

A Simple Life

 

Life is so much easier now that I am moving closer and closer to a simpler way of living. 

I have always cooked most of my meals from scratch, not so much when we first married, but as my experience at the stove grew so did my scratch cooking. Now it is more just the way I do things. Today I will be making pancakes for our supper and as usual there will be no pancake mix used. I don't think I have ever tasted pancakes from a mix, I know my mom always made hers from scratch as well. 

Moving away from mixes, not only gives me control over the ingredients, but works out to be less expensive than cookie mixes, muffin mixes, cake mixes, and pie crust mixes. Mind you the way flour and sugar are increasing in price that could perhaps change. 

Decluttering is making room in my life for those things I love and passing on those that we no longer need to others who just might. Seeing empty spaces in my closet and drawers makes me happy. It also makes me wonder, why I ever gathered so many things to wear and why I have held onto things that no longer fit or suit the lifestyle I now live. 

I am now able to organize things a bit more. There is loads more to do but I am slowly getting there. Using things up in my craft/sewing room has been an eyeopener. I never realized how much I had gathered over the years. Right now I figure I will be able to be occupied with this for a number of years. The stash will make some lovely gifts over the next few years for sure.

I am hopeful that we will keep moving in this direction which gives us more time to spend together as a family, to enjoy our hobbies more, in fact to perhaps add a hobby or two that will come in useful in the future. 

It will give us time to go out and forage in the summer and fall, something we did in the past, but it has gone by the wayside as we filled our days with busyness and work. 

Life is meant to be enjoyed not rushed through. As we age and the years pass with what seems to be speed, this becomes even more important. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty and Frugal Thursday

Thrifty and Frugal

The snow arrived at about 6:35 am. At times it was so heavy I could not see clearly down the hill to the gas station in the valley right below. Poor Harvey couldn't check out gas prices today and I was in a bit of a rush while out so didn't check for him. The wind has picked up now and the snow is blowing around. Should be some lovely drifts tomorrow.

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

1.  Adding vegetable scraps to the bag in the freezer. Hope to make veggie stock very soon.

2.  Baked bread and have a loaf in the freezer.

3.  Working on projects to use up all those bits and bobs of fabric and yarn.

4.  Paid the bills online (including the extra car insurance, just had to make up a nickname so I could tell the difference between policies).

5.  Darned a pair of my socks.

6.  Continued the decluttering.

7.  Either using leftovers for another meal or freezing them for use later on.

8.  My exercise has been walking around the house.

9.  Used saved water to water the inside plants. 

10.  As usual hung two loads on the lines downstairs.

11.  Downloaded some more free reading material onto my ereader.

I did go out and do some errands today before the worst of the storm hit. I got our allowances which will be handed out on the 15th and picked up a few items at the grocery. I also picked up the mail and we got a few more necessary forms for our taxes. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening (or late afternoon).

God bless.

 

Midweek And Actually Staying Calm

Hello fellow bloggers. Here it is the middle of the second week of the month of March. Amazing. 

I think I should probably make something clear. In trying to clear up my fridge freezer, I am really not running low on food. I have an upright meat freezer downstairs, and a chest freezer which I use for baking, ready meals, broths, veggies and fruits. 

When I talk about trying to clear out my fridge freezer, it is to use up such items as leftover bags of roast chicken, roast beef, roast ham and roast pork. I usually package those roast leftovers up into meal sized bags to be used to make many more meals. I will be making a roast pork, a roast chicken and a roast beef this month and so will be bagging up the leftovers and putting those into the fridge freezer. I don't think the fridge freezer will ever be truly empty. 

I thought I would get two totes done today, but actually only managed one. Piecing together interfacing took much more time than I thought, and then cutting all the interfacing for all the totes took up a bit of time as well. 

Also, I had to spend some time on the phone getting back into my SaskEnergy account. For some reason I was not being allowed in and not getting notified as to what our bill for the past month is. Everything is great now there, if only I could get the pictures from my phone Gallery to the computer..... Sighs, will continue to work on that. 

I woke up to snow on the ground this morning, just a dusting, which melted away during the afternoon. Tonight the temperature will drop, and the forecast is calling for snow. 

Friday should be good so I will head out early and get the banking done and the one bill paid that needs to be paid in person for some odd reason. I first got this insurance online and paid for it online for two years so I can not for the life of me figure out what has changed. 

Off to visit you all.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Tuesday Tidbits and Stuff

 While the sun is out, it really is not as warm as previous days, and of course snow will be coming. 

I spent most of today after tasks working on my projects. The rug is ready to be sewn, but I am making some knitted sides as the stripes are not matching up quite the way I would like and so the sewing together will be slightly different than I had hoped. 

My embroidered blocks are done and ready to be fashioned into a flimsy sometime very soon. 

I next got all the parts, except for the interfacing, ready to sew the totes together.

I will need to sew some of the pieces of interfacing together in order to use up the smaller bits of interfacing. There are 4 totes to be fashioned over the next few days. 

I never shared what I purchased for the pantry this past week. Mainly because my darn phone is not allowing me to upload the photos to my gallery on the computer. Meaning I had to find the old digital camera and get it up and running once again. 

This time I picked up some cans of pineapple and 2 bottles of sauce. One bottle is plum sauce and the other is honey garlic. 

Harvey has put together his grow lights, and is working on the shelving unit. Today we got our new doorbell, and that is installed now as well. 

Me, well I have been checking out Amazon for a wagon. I think I just might have found the one I will purchase. It is a bit expensive, but will carry enough from the grocery store that I would purchase. The only problem I can foresee is that one place I shop at is quite a distance away. But perhaps I can arrange it so that on that occasion I drive once a month to pick up all that I need. 

I have also been checking out a new mini computer for the television as the one I have on there now can not be updated any longer, and the software on it is not supported. Soon I may not be able to use it at all. Probably order this item first as there is still ice and snow on the ground, and then Kris can install it for me once he gets home for Easter. I will use the money in my savings envelope for this purpose as there is still time to save for our trip and for the family reunion. 

My fridge freezer is emptying nicely. However what with the pork roast this Sunday I will be adding to it once again. Most of what is in there now are carcasses for bone broth, a couple of stuffed chicken for a meal, two pieces of salmon fillets, a package of frozen brisket and some frozen chopped veggies. There are lots of frozen veggie packages as well. I would enjoy getting it totally empty and by the end of the next couple of weeks that will be within reach. 

Now I just need to remember to use things up in there in good order. The same can be said for the meals in the chest freezer as well. Having ready made meals is great and very frugal, but if you don't use them it can be a problem.

Now I am off to start supper where I will be using up some leftovers from the fridge. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.