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.